The Orbital 380MM High-Explosive Barrage.

A prolonged artillery barrage that covers a large area, it is one of the most destructive conventional strategems in the Helldiver Corps arsenal.

The biggest brother of all the orbital strategems, the 380MM High-Explosive Barrage wreaks destruction at a scale only matched by that of the likes of the NUX-223 'Hellbomb' MK3. Fired from the three-barrel naval cannon fitted to the lowest section of the Super Destroyer's hull, it fires in three-round salvoes at two-and-a-half second intervals, with the entire barrage lasting five salvoes.

Each three-hundred-eighty-millimeter shell carries a significant High-Explosive payload, with the sheer amount of ordnance within the shell allowing it to practically ignore any and all amount of conventional armor, only defeated by the earth itself. Due to the awesome amount of firepower packed into each artillery shell, accuracy by volume of fire is preferred by gunnery control, as compensating for recoil and re-zeroing on target takes away from its lethal tempo.

As such, this gives the 380MM H.E Barrage an astonishing area of effect measuring sixty-meters in diameter, allowing it to annihilate entire static fortifications and everything within. In lieu of the extraordinary firepower afforded by the barrage, rearming for another requires four minutes at the least, leaving the strategem to realistically only be used on strategic targets or for covering tactical retreats.

Given its earth-shattering firepower and wide area of effect, when using such a powerful strategem, Super Earth Command advises all Helldivers to exercise extreme caution with its use, and to prioritize communication with fellow Helldivers when requesting one.

A powerfully popular option of the Helldiver Corps, it unfortunately bears the highest number of friendly fire casualties. Despite its extensive dark history of friendly fire incidents, it still finds its way onto the battlefield, leveling the battlefield one salvo at a time.

The Orbital 380MM High-Explosive Barrage.

'The Arrowhead Space Agency advises utmost caution when utilizing Arrowhead S.A armaments. Failure to do so will result in extreme bodily harm towards the user and others.'

Within the Abydos Economic District

'Up Right Down Right'.

Inputting the requisite pattern, the beacon lit up in an angry red hue with a high pitch whine.

"DANGER CLOSE!"

Diving forward, I simultaneously threw the beacon forward into enemy lines. Ensuring the successful activation of the beacon, I sat myself up with my back against a ruined concrete barrier. Locking eyes onto Serika, who's peeking over the bullet-riddled store front watching the beacon pierce the sky, I waved towards her.

"Ready for some fireworks!?"

With the Eagle fighter breaking the sound barrier, it flew by low to drop its Democratic payload in the form of six one-hundred-kilogram bombs, carpet bombing the dissidents into oblivion. The ensuing explosions shook the ground beneath us as it cracked the asphalt, with the resulting destruction sending all manner of dust and debris into the air, along with the odd dissident.

But even with such an awesome display of firepower, the dissidents kept up their assault. Though with their numbers diminished, they still had enough to keep up the pressure.

And with their flak gun still in action, even if I could take out the gang no problem, the artillery piece still proved to be their saving grace. With another deep thump, I grimaced as its distinct report filled the air, the fired shell whistling through the air, subsequently exploding into piercing shrapnel upon contact with a nearby building.

Ducking under another wave of gunfire sent my way, I crouch-walked back towards Serika's position, who's braced against the window as she lets her rifle roar in full auto.

"How's your ammo looking?" I asked as I loaded another magazine into my 'Breaker'.

Ripping the empty mag out of her rifle, she patted down her ruined uniform before pulling away with nothing. With a frown she turned back to me.

"Empty."

Clicking my tongue, I unhooked my shotgun from its sling before handing it to her. "Know how to use this?"

Raising both her brows in surprise, she took up the weapon with a faint smile as her eyes poured over each detail of the weapon system. "Think so..." She replied as she looked back up into my visor. "Just aim and shoot?"

I nodded. "Aim and shoot." Removing any additional magazines from my pouches, I handed them over.

Slipping my 'Redeemer' out of its holster, I patted myself down for additional magazines. Nodding in approval, I once more entered the fray, sprinting forward as I let the machine pistol let loose in the general direction of the dissidents.

"How much further Ayane!?"

Flinching slightly at her call, she glanced down at her phone again as she ran. Doing her best to keep the screen steady, she narrowed her eyes to make out the estimated time arrival.

"We still got around a kilometer left! Judging from the coordinates, we'll be right in the middle of an intersection!"

Still running, Hoshino glanced over her shoulder to lock eyes with her medic. "Environment?"

Ayane shook her head as she took in a lungful of air, the strain of nonstop running taking its toll on the untested student. "Abandoned buildings and vehicles, no civilians."

The president gave a thoughtful look and nodded before looking back ahead. "Alright guys, just like dealing with the punks at school, I'll be taking the lead!"

As they ran, the sharp cracks of gunfire filled the air gradually, the cacophony being followed with the deep and reverberating pound of artillery fire. With a grimace, the Task Force hefted their armaments ever higher as they slowed their approach.

Over all of the chaos, a single voice pierced the noise.

"SENDING IN AN EAGLE!"

Collectively, their ears perked up as they turned their heads towards the voice. Redoubling their efforts in their strides, attention was once more redirected as another variable made themselves apparent. Stopping and shooting their heads towards the sky, a blur zoomed by, warping the air around as it kicked up a strong gust with its low passing.

And without pause, six subsequent explosions shook the world around them.

The girl's recoiled in shock as they watched the vessel responsible disappear into the blue canvas, only vaguely visible due to the flares released following its ordnance drop. Drifting their eyes towards the billowing dust clouds, a result of the explosives dropped from the... whatever it was, they glanced at each other in extreme confusion with a hint of fear.

"Was that...?" Ayane trailed off as she looked back at her president for any answers.

Just as confused as she is, Hoshino merely shook her head and flicked off the safety to her shotgun. "No time for questions."

With a nod from everyone, they continued their efforts towards the fray.

"SENDING IN AN EAGLE!"

Yelling at the top of my lungs, I threw the beacon as far as my arm would allow, sending it deep into enemy lines. As dissidents rained down on us by the dozen, we made sure to send hell back as Serika and I repelled the gang members as best we could.

The subsequent low passing of the Eagle fighter releasing its ordnance shattered the earth around them once more. Even with another morale draining showcase of Super Earth's aerospace superiority, it wasn't enough to deter them from their continued assault. As I watched the gang members regroup, their actions reflected nothing that of a willed fighting force.

Rather, they seemed desperate.

Shaking the thought off, I noticed our ammunition was drying up quickly. Grabbing another beacon, I entered another pattern for a resupply with a swiftness only seen when a horde of fascist bugs threatened to drown us in chitin and claw.

Tossing the beacon behind me, a dissident got the drop on me as she shoved the barrel of her rifle into my chestplate. Grunting in response, I grabbed the barrel and threw it upward. With a surprised reaction masked by her helmet, she pulled down on the trigger, sending a burst of rounds into the air. Ripping my 'Redeemer' out of its holster, I pistol whipped the dissident, causing her to recoil back in pain. Releasing her grip around the rifle in turn, I maneuvered the barrel back on its owner, wrapping my hand around its grip before emptying the magazine into their abdomen. Watching as they crumpled to the floor unconscious, I tossed away the empty weapon.

Slamming another magazine into the machine pistol, the resupply pod breached atmosphere and subsequently the asphalt beneath. Grabbing two supply crates, I tore into one before turning towards Serika.

"Heads up Cadet!"

Emptying the shotgun in a blindfire, Serika turned to me as she ejected the empty magazine.

"Catch!"

Lobbing the yellow crate towards her, she yelped in surprise as the box threatened to hit her. Dropping the shotgun, she held up both hands the receive the crate. Giving me a disapproving look, any words she had for me had to wait as our cover received an ungodly amount of gunfire.

Risking a glance over our steadily degrading cover, I narrowed my eyes as I locked onto some new hostile forces on the field. Reinforced with the standard fare of dissident, heavier units took to the front wielding terrifying support weapons of their own. Not too dissimilar to Nonomi's, their multi-barreled weapons filled the air with lead and thunderous muzzle flashes.

Terrifying, but I've faced worse. Pushing Serika to the side, I knocked her out of the way just as the unrelenting barrage finally pierced the concrete wall. Another artillery shell took to the air, the projectile finally hitting in our general area as it exploded against the store front adjacent to us. The shockwave kicking us off our feet and onto our sides, I held my helmet as the force of impact rattled my brains.

Serika not faring any better, her ears were leveled flat with her head as she held both hands to her head, her eyes failing to focus properly.

Without us to return fire, the dissidents pushed up, taking advantage in our lull in fire. Threatening to bare down on us with full force, I opted to call in the biggest gun at my disposal.

'No choice now...'

Lifting up my strategem terminal, I entered a new pattern.

Right.

Down.

Up.

Up.

Left.

Down.

Down.

With a final press, the beacon lit up red with a high-pitched whine. Unlike the many other times when using offensive strategems, this one in particular required quite a bit of caution. Doubly so in the hands of a Helldiver. Even as one, I still held reservations in its use.

The level of destruction it can wreak is not to be understated, though there's many a time I had it used to cover a retreat as I, without a second thought, lobbed it towards my feet as I hightailed it away from my pursuers.

Aiming to once more fall back on the tactic, I readied the beacon, leveling my arm to throw it into enemy lines. Reeling my arm back, I stood back up over the concrete wall. Just before the dissidents could shift their aim towards me, several missiles struck them down.

One, four, eight missiles, trailed by smoke as their engines pierced the air, produced vapor in their wake as they locked onto their targets. Meeting the dissidents, the screaming ordnance spelt their demise as they exploded one by one upon impact. Another, this time greater, secondary explosion shook the ground violently. Peeking back over, a large cloud of black smoke filled the air as it billowed upward. Beneath it was a smoldering wreckage of twisted steel and slag. Whatever it was, I assumed it to be the flak gun the gang had, was now far from being operational.

With their guns silent, several sets of footsteps entered earshot from our east. Keeping a death grip on the still-loaded beacon, I slipped my 'Redeemer' out of its holster, leveling the barrel in their direction.

Turning the corner was a very welcoming sight, though surprising. Seeing 'IRON HORUS' emblazoned on the front of the shield in bold lettering, I let out a sigh of relief as I let my arm down.

"Not a moment too late, eh girls?" I comment as I slipped the machine pistol back in its holster.

Lowering the shield, the small pink-haired student responsible for carrying it gave me a grin. "Being fashionably late is what's in these days, is it not-"

Then a frown took its place as her eyes poured over our injuries. Rounding the corner were the rest of the Task Force, guns up and heads on a swivel. Trusting that Shiroko and Nonomi would provide adequate overwatch, Ayane slipped her pistol back in its holster before turning towards us.

Being the team's sole medic, as she locked onto Serika and I, she immediately frowned as she too locked onto our injuries. Then she pointed at me first.

"W-what happened!?"

I poked at the holes that pock-marked my armor. "Just another day in the Corps."

"You-!" She shook her head, obviously not amused by my response.

Just before she could get another word in, I grabbed Serika by the shoulder and placed her in front of me.

I nodded my head at her. "Take a look at her first, she's the one that took artillery to the face."

Giving me look, she shook her head again as she began running a quick check up on the black cat. With a raised brow, she began poking at her abdomen.

"Hey! That tickles!" Serika hissed as she swatted her hand away.

"You sure she's injured?" Ayane looked back at me. "Apart from the ruined uniform, she's completely fine."

I shrugged. "Well, was injured, I suppose. I had to use one of my stims on her." Then I jabbed a thumb at myself. "Used quite a few on myself as well."

Her jaw dropped as she took in my words and glanced back over my armor. "There's so much blood though! It has practically given you a new paint job!"

I grinned, the facial expression thankfully obscured by my helmet for her sake. "Never doubt Super Earth's Healthcare! Told you, PermaCura takes care of its citizens."

"I..." Ayane began before shaking her head and scratching it out of frustration. "As long as your fine, I guess."

Shiroko popped her head into the building, glancing around before locking onto the red beacon held in my hand. "What's that?"

I lifted the item in question. "A strategem beacon."

"Why's it red?"

"Yeah, why is it red?" Nonomi chimed in.

Serika frowned. "Don't tell my you're just holding onto another... what was it? Airstrike?"

This causes everyone to freeze up as they eyed the beacon with fear.

I laughed. "Don't worry, as long as it's still in my hand, it won't go off-!"

Just as I was about to raise the beacon back up to show off how safe it was in my hand, I clipped the edge of the table hard. Recoiling back in pain, I subsequently released my grip on it. The beacon flew through the air, albeit slowly, as we watched it pass the window before landing onto the asphalt. With it dramatically rolling to a stop, the beacon finally emitted a bright red and angry pillar of light into the sky.

Under my helmet, my jaw dropped as my eyes went wide at the sight.

"OH SWEET LIBERTY!" I screeched as I hurriedly pushed the girls out of the building.

Understanding the urgency in my voice, the girls began running in the opposite direction of the beacon as well.

"You just had to show it off, huh!?" Serika hissed my way as we ran.

"Why do you have airstrikes!?" Ayane followed up.

"Wait, so that was you!?" Shiroko glanced over her shoulder with a sparkle in her eyes.

I shook my head. "Keep running girls, this once just a teeny bit more powerful than an airstrike!"

"Eh!?" Was the collective sentiment amongst the Task Force as we ran.

Well outside the effective radius of the strategem, I urged the girls to keep moving away just to make sure. Turning around, I caught it just in time to see the beacon shut off. Then the show began.

THOOMP

THOOMP

THOOMP

Three deep and reverberating artillery reports vibrated the air around us. Just as the Task Force stopped and took to my sides, three ground-shaking explosions caught them by surprise.

"What the hell!?" Serika exclaimed as her ears stood on edge, the enormous explosions obviously not on anyone's cards.

Another salvo.

THOOMP

THOOMP

THOOMP

Another round of earth-shattering vibrations shook the ground around us.

"Why... what is happening!?" Ayane cried out as she watched the destruction unfold.

I left their questions unanswered as we watched three more salvoes be unleashed onto the thankfully abandoned portion of the Abydos District.

Suffice it to say, the ruins here are now that. Ruins.

As the resulting dust and smoke clouds died down, silence befell all around us, the pounding of artillery and the destruction it wrought being an obvious shock and awe to the girls.

Remembering my lesson from last time, I kept my mouth shut as I stood stock still, waiting for the girls to make their move.

Hoshino would be the first. Rubbing her eyes in disbelief, she blinked a few times before slowly turning her head towards me, a shocked look plastered across her face. Describing it as shock doesn't do it justice.

"Sensei." She called out neutrally.

I turned my head her way.

"What. The. Hell. Was. That."

Each word cut through the air like a knife; the pressure she exuded was that not reflected in her stature.

I gulped. "A... a three-hundred-eighty-millimeter high-explosive barrage, straight from the Super Destroyer in low orbit itself."

I decided to tell the truth straight up. No playing of words with this one, and judging by Hoshino's demeanor, she wouldn't have one bit of it at the least.

Her gaze was equally sharp as her tone, and if it weren't for the aforementioned, she'd be heaps more terrifying. Keeping the comment to myself, I stayed silent as I waited for her to continue.

"You..." She trailed off as she looked back at the further ruined... ruins. "...I suppose you weren't lying about being an otherworldly soldier."

I nodded once.

A sigh escapes her. "I guess it yelling at you wouldn't do much good, your back was against the wall until we intervened." She glared back at me after a moment of deliberation. "No, I will yell at you."

"What were you thinking!?"

I flinched slightly.

"Even if it did work-" She poked my chestplate hard enough to push me back. "-You probably wouldn't be standing here!"

She pointed back at the destruction wrought by the orbital barrage. "Whatever that artillery was, sure it'll hurt us, but it'll-!" Cutting herself off, she glanced at her classmates, who're watching the scene unfold with unsure looks.

Another sigh, followed by a shake of the head in extreme disapproval. "As long as you do not do that again, Sensei."

I nodded.

"Answer." She ordered.

I stood up straight. "Yes ma'am."

Then with a flick of a proverbial switch, the air around her changed, and her demeanor switched back as if nothing happened.

Slouching over, she scratched the back of her head before patting my back. "Glad you both are okay."

With a raised brow, I glanced back at the rest of the girls, who are as equally confused as I am. Shrugging, I decided to play along.

"All's in a day's work for a Helldiver!" I exclaimed with a grin.

Still confused, they decided to shrug it off as well, with Nonomi moving in on Serika for a hug. "As long as we're all okay!"

Taken aback at the hug, Serika resisted, but the motherly strength of the blonde proved to be no match for her. With a single nod, Shiroko joined in as well.

"Glad that you're okay, Serika."

"Gah! You guys! Seriously!"