Chapter 23.5: The Rose has fallen (part 2)


    "The Southern nk is copsing! They''re requesting immediate fire support!" A radio operator reported. The Belkan field headquarters is now a major hub of activity, serving as the nexus to ry real-timemands to all Belkan forces in the city. And Bryn, now actingmander of the 404th, has to call the shot for everything, a task that none would envy. Not when one mistake can prove fatal for the entire operation.


    "The Vauquelin is upied with supporting the Western nk and we have no CAS avable currently." Bryn makes a swift judgment. "Tell Brigadier Alexa to plug the gap on the South side. Let her stabilize that front till we can call in support elsewhere!"


    "Yes,mander!"


    "Commander!" Another radio operator rushes to the war table to report. In charge of directing the destroyer Vauquelin, he brings grave news. "The Vauquelin reported that they are running low on shells! The Captain said they can squeeze out at max five more barrages. What should I instruct them with?"


    Bryn frowns. "Tell them to continue their fire mission. After that, have them back off to the shipyard and resupply from the dry-docked destroyers there."


    "Roger that,mander!" The soldier returns to his post, leaving Bryn to stand gazing down at the force-distribution map. She takes this brief respite in giving orders to rethink her situation thus far.


    The assassins were either dead or apprehended after the Storm Troopers arrived. And Yuki has been moved to the field hospital, safely guarded by the most elite Storm Troopers and Grenadiers they have to offer. Still, ording to the doctors, Yuki''s state is grim. The fragments have destroyed Yuki''s eye while also nting themselves dangerously near the brain. They can not remove them safely without proper medical facilities back at Belka. To keep her out of shock, doctors have put her under a prolongeda while constantly being fed with life-attribute mana from the healers. Bryn is forced to bite her lips and move on to takemand of the division.


    Currently, the enemy is attacking from three directions: West, East, and South. It''s an all-out attack with the South being hit with thergest concentration of enemy. This is why Bryn decided to send out Alexa with her QRF to reform the defense line there. Yet, now that the destroyer is running out of ammo to support the Western nk. Bryn will be hard-pressed if the West side starts copsing. Pulling back the destroyer would mean they can rearm though God knows how long it will take them. As for the East, thankfully it''s the nk with thergest concentration of booby traps and mines, nted by Yuki''s order days ago. Utilizing those, her force there can hold its ground against the enemy.


    Nheless, it''s not like they can continue like this forever. The fact stands that Bryn''s slowly losing ground and soldiers. The previously constructed bunkers and barbed wire can only do so much against an endless tide of infantries. More so when this is an urbanbat scenario, where there are many angles to watch from. Bryn needs to cause a stalemate, just enough to buy time for reinforcement to arrive. Her mind works in overdrive, making up ns, scenarios, and simtions utilizing the current data she''s now granted with.


    Bryn canunch a counterattack by using the remainder of her armored force in the city. It''s a suicide run for the troops but they will be able to remove a lot of pressure on their allies. Causing chaos and confusion amidst the enemy backline can slow the enemy deployment time by a lot. It will be more effective if she poises them to attack the enemymand structure. Sadly, her scouts still haven''t found any trace of them, yet. She can only specte about their hiding spots for now.


    It may not be an attack as she can create another natural barrier to block the enemy. Just like Erika, who has burned a swath of the city to stem the enemy''s advance. There''s no doubt that Bryn can also do the same but on a muchrger scale. By lighting her defense line on fire, the Ustian would have no choice but to stop attacking. Yet, the cost is tantamount to losing the city that they have been fighting for days. Bryn marks the n asst resort.


    Lastly, they can perform a tactical retreat. If the situation calls for it, Bryn may just order one. After burning the city to the ground, of course. No doubt the Reformist would cry in protest if she actually follow it through.


    Minutes of ponderingter, she settles on the counterattack n. It may sound crazy to send out the defenders for them to have a sh with the enemy, but it can work. You have to remember that the enemy is just infantries with little mechanization. If the counterattack force keeps the paddle to the metal, by utilizing their speed and armor, they can p the enemy and get away with it. As long as they don''t stop and get swarmed by the Ustians, they will be fine. So, Bryn checks the map and ns out the possible routes her troops can take, maximizing their strength to cause as much damage as possible to the enemy. While checking the map, with the assumption that the enemymander has the means to hide from their observation, Bryn thinks up possible hiding locations. She marks them for the armored force to clean out along the way. Hopefully, they can strike gold and save them a lot of trouble.


    She''s about to pass her new order when Rosa barges in with her entourage, mouthing. "Sorry to interrupt but we need to talk."


    Bryn sighs while looking back at the Ustian Princess. "I have no time to entertain your willy, not when I have a war to fight." Her emotionless voice causes Rosa to shudder. "Do remember that it was your people that attempted to murder our Princess."


    "I assure you, Ie here intending to help. What happened was tragic and no doubt has caused a lot of shade on us Reformists but I must reiterate that it''s not us that led the enemy in." Rosa said in one breath.


    When Yuki was admitted to the hospital, Rosa and her family, alongside the Reformists cadre, were swift to visit her. Yet, they''re stopped by burly Storm Troopers at the hospital gate. She can still remember the bone-chilling gaze the soldiers gave her people when they approached them for answers.


    "If it wasn''t for the Ustian assassins, the Princess would have been in perfect health right now." Erika, who by then had just arrived, added. "Go back to where you came from, Ustians are not wee here on the possible ground of backstabbing."


    It shocked Rosa to the core when she heard that voiceced with rage and bloodlust directed at her. It''s the first time she interacted with a soldier like Erika, after all, so don''t fault her for stumbling over her words. Francis, knowing that they weren''t weed there, bowed. "We offer you our sincerest apology for whatever ourpatriots may have caused. Yet, we must say that we have had no hand in what had happened for you to be angry at us. Until the suspicion on us is cleared, we will be at our quarters. Please help us send our best wishes to the Princess."


    He then led them back to the Reformists'' temporary headquarters. From there, Rosa figured out what urred and she threw away a teacup Mary brewed in rage. After all, an assassination on her ally wasmitted right under her nose, as the church where Yuki took temporary refuge is just at the edge of thend under the Reformists'' supervision. Knowing that this could very well cause her to have a falling out with the Belkans, Rosa had Francis help her gain ess to the captured assassins. Fully knowing that her move could also worsen the situation but nothing ventured, nothing gained.


    It''s from there that she learned a crucial piece of information that can help her regain some brownies from the Valkyrie ahead of her. "Now I know this maye out wrong, but hear me out. I''ve had a chat with the prisoners."


    Bryn frowns at Rosa, her hand reaching down for her holster. Rosa struggles to not gulp when facing the killer eyes that Bryn''s sporting. She soldiers on, if only to diffuse the misunderstanding. "One of them, against the refusals of his aplices, spilled out a lot of things on our enemy, he''s ready to disclose the means they used to get here!"


    Rosa''s words sessfully grab Bryn''s attention, yet her hand still rests on her C96. Sighing to herself, Rosa continues. "The prisoner divulged everything on the ground that Belkan will protect his family. I can''t promise that so I will leave it to you to decide. Lead him in!" She motions for her retinues to bring in Leopold Fitz, the prisoner that proves to be very cooperative.


    With force, he''s put down on his knees, his head turns up to look at Bryn. Spitting out a splot of blood in his mouth, he questions with eyes full of wariness. "I suppose you''re the one I have to talk with?"


    Bryn sternly nods. Knowing that he''s running on a timer, Fitz quickly says. "What I''m about to speak up about is of most secrecy, I don''t think it''s suitable for my countrymen to be here."


    "What the?" Rosa snapped back. Why is it this assassin has the gal to have them removed? "I risked getting you here and you want me to leave!?"


    Bryn is of the same mind, she''s about to dismiss his request when the kneeling man mouths two words soundlessly. "Wood elves."


    Biting back the words that she''s about to speak, Bryn swiftly runs the words in her mind through different scenarios. It all makes sense now that she realizes the whole shebang was a possible inside job. It correspondingly exins how they could suddenly disappear before staging an ambush and an attack under intense survence. If what this prisoner ahead of her said is true, then letting the Reformists here is not a good idea.


    "I have no time for this, you better give what I wanted or it''s not just your head that will fly off. Princess, kindly vacate the area for the moment. I will call for you if need be." Bryn''s tone leaves no room for refusal. Rosa can only huff in annoyance before motioning for her group to leave. Now is not the time to exercise her right, she can only hope things will end in her favor.


    With thest of the Reformists out of the door, Bryn addresses the former assassin. "Speak."


    Wasting no time at all, Fitz tells everything. "My real name is Leopold Fitz, I''m a Belkan, just like you." His words cause not a small number of Belkans to stare at him with daggers. "I was part of a group of humans known as the Converted, serving under Lord Avera Everwood. Per her direct orders, we were to help the Ustians army here to defeat your division, with our main task being to ensure the death of Her Highness the Princess. We infiltrated the city by means of Cognition Interference devices, manufactured by the wood elves, and used them to stage everything thus far. Nheless, we failed at our task as I helped sabotaged the ambush. If not then we should have more than enough anti-tank weapons to destroy your convoy outright."


    Tensing the arm on her gun, Bryn contemtes the notion of putting a bullet through the man''s head for his atrocities. By following through with the orders of the traitors back home, he has put Yuki under irrecoverable trauma. That alone would have guaranteed him a fate worse than death if not for the words following the confession. "So, you''re saying you betrayed your aplices?"


    Fitz nods. "It may sound unbelievable but I was instructed to do so by an Einheri."


    Bryn scoffs. "Unbelievable indeed! An Einheri serves only the Princess chosen by Yggdrasil and now you say that one is going on a tangent tomand you. And for what? Harming the one they''re contractually bound to serve? That''s impossible for them to do so unless-!"


    Knowing that Bryn realizes the identity of the one orchestrating everything, Fitz continues. "Look, we can have all the time in the world to talk after we take care of the threat in front of us. Know that I only did this because the safety of my family is guaranteed by an Einheri."


    Frowning, Bryn sits down on a nearby chair. She listlessly stares at the war map for a few seconds. Yet, her mind is racing to figure out why Yuki''s blood had to be shed and what for. It is, however, an easy conclusion to reach. They need a just cause to root out the wood elves, and risky as it may be, this gives them a surefire shot at doing so.


    Sighing audibly, Bryn elects not to dwell on the issue, not when it''s time to act, rather than thinking. "Then tell me something that I can use."


    With a light smile, Fitz says. "The Cognition Interference devices we used, a few of them are in the hands of the Ustians. No doubt the enemymand structure is using one to hide from your scout. The good news is I rigged them all with radio-controlled explosives, enough to level an apartmentplex. From here, you need only broadcast a city-wide radio wave of the correct frequency and then watch the fireworks explode." He looks at the map on the table. "If you use the chance properly, you may knock them off their feet long enough to buy you precious time."


    "Cognition Interference devices... I should have known." Bryn knows those things damn well from the time before Ragnarok. They are a technological marvel that does what their name suggests and are used primarily to hide the movements of troops. As a race with a long-life expectancy, no doubt the wood elves can manufacture those in the dozens.


    Having made up her mind, Bryn stands up and gives the order to have the counterattack force ready. Facing Fitz, she says. "What you said better be true otherwise the blood of my men, on your hands, would be thest thing you have to worry about."


    Smiling, Fitz responds. "I wouldn''t risk my family to y games with you, Ms.Valkyrie." He then gives the frequency required to set off the explosives. Bryn watches on as the radio operator starts the city-wide broadcast.


    Mere momentster, the entire frontline shakes as dozen of major explosions rock the Ustian ranks. And with it, the Belkan scouts now have free reign to take a look behind the enemy line. Soon, they report on the exact location of the enemymand center. Wasting no time at all, Bryn sends out the counterattack force, headed by Colonel Rommel, to attack the Ustianmand center.


    With a rumbling of treads and tires, a regiment worth of Grenadiers and Storm Troopers roll out to meet the enemy. Their morale skyrocketed as finally, they can dish out some due payback. The sudden reversal in the situation stunned themand structure of the Ustian army, as it is unknown whether their General is alive or not. This lead to the conscripts not knowing to respond to the onught of steel and autocannon from the mechanized regiment Bryn sends out. Thus rather than keep pushing the Belkan defense line to the breakpoint, they opt for the wrong decision to stop the tanks and half-tracks charge first.


    A call that future historians will mark as the final straw that broke the Ustian camel''s back.