Re: Jager [Mecha Isekai/LitRPG]

+++ Lieutenant Hans Hoffman +++

The bombardment began to finally taper off.

In exchange, Adelyn's mech briskly advanced to her firing position, which was conspicuous on purpose. Hans planned to intimidate and force the enemy to surrender, because assaulting an actual fortress would be too costly.

Already, the two brigades he used up for this endeavour fired enough munitions to make most officers blanch. They were irreplaceable, after all, and at this point, every man leading the YEF hated expending munitions.

Hans was the same, in fact, he probably was the most radical of all officers at that methodology. So far, he has avoided almost all battles, forcefully, going as far as abandoning battalions that found themselves in potential trouble during the charge.

Of course, none of the YEF actually found themselves in a full-pitched battle against the lesser demons arrayed against them, but this still illustrated how protective Hans and the YEF's leadership were of their munition count.

To expend too much was out of the question. It was why they attacked Regisa after all. Going around out, straight into the jaws of multiple lesser demons, would simply be too costly, not to mention the headache of having a hostile fort on your rear.

Still, even with the decision they took, they expended a lot of munitions. Unfortunately, nothing was free, and even with this kind of calculated battle, they had to give up something.

So, he got Adelyn into the best position and best entrance possible so that she could make the most of herself with the maximum effect. She summoned her ideal, which was…while useful, something that was quite draining to her body.

Unlike the Angel of Love, whose ideal was mostly telepathy, Adelyn and Alizée were the equivalent of combat mages. Even with great practice and mastery, it seemed like they were only able to summon it a few times each day.

Adelyn, for her part, claimed she can do it three times a day. That was under non-battlefield conditions though, so Hans cast a great skepticism about that figure, hence, believing that at most, she could only do this once or twice during combat per day.

Today would be no different. They had been exhausted driving and fighting—even if it was mostly fighting against monsters and loyalist soldiers—since the start of the expedition. He knew that once Adelyn fired a few 'Divine Judgement' rounds, she would be too tapped out to continue.

So he waited, practically rubbing his hands, as silence reigned on the battlefield. As he intended, the enemy was now watching her, their eyes wide in surprise and fear at seeing Adelyn's mech.

Slowly, almost ominously, she aimed her main gun down. Should her shot somehow pierce the shield, at the very least, it should not make a direct hit on the city's walls. Hans ordered her earlier to aim straight at them, so they would know that the threat was real.

But he supposed Adelyn was gambling on them being able to understand their message with one shot.

Hans doubted the enemy would crack that easily, but he kept his tongue tied and he didn't speak on his radio.

"I'm ready to fire," Adelyn signalled, and Hans waited for a few more seconds, his mech's thermal sights aimed at what appeared to be a high-ranking officer shouting at his men on the wall.

It was the perfect timing.

"Open fire."

Then, as her mech's main gun boomed, everyone on their side ducked at once.

+++

+++ General Allesio Grimani +++

He didn't have the chance to finish his orders to raise the white flag.

In an instant, he felt his world turning upside down. His eyes were bathed in light so intense, everything was almost white…or yellow? He wasn't sure. His hand tried to shield his eyes, but it did little.

The explosion practically rattled their fortress city's shields, and in a second, the artifact that generated said shield, which was placed on one of the city wall's bastions, malfunctioned and promptly exploded, the mana crystals on it most likely overwhelmed.

Right as the barrier disintegrated, the shockwaves of the explosion finally struck Allesio and his men like a thunderclap. The force was so great that he felt his back slamming into a hard wall, and he collapsed like a log on the floor of the bastion.

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When he finally managed to open his eyes, a massive cloud resembling that of a mushroom rose in front of the city. He trembled in fear, as the world was rattled around him. The amount of mana, force, and the power of that explosion—it could have been enough to wipe out half of this city if they had pointed it straight at them.

Instead, it exploded far enough away that only the barrier was destroyed, and most soldiers would be able to duck into their dugouts or behind the walls—but still, even with that, he saw the carnage around him.

This…this must be the rumoured power of the Angel of Justice. Allesio now realized fully what this meant. This must be why they got this far while through demon-held territory, and he now understood that he had been lied to.

Serenus isn't salvation…

No, all this time, salvation was in front of them. They weren't let in by demons. They were truly fighting them.

"Damn it! Where's the white flag I'm asking for?!" Allesio shouted at his men as he finally managed to stand. "Someone give me the flag! I'll raise it myself!"

And as he continued shouting, the men around him cowered in fear, or from the light injuries they suffered due to the shockwaves. Many couldn't even hear things properly. Indeed, that was something truly divine.

And they had no chance against it.

+++

+++ General Florian Kohler +++

Regisa surrendered.

By the time Florian and Elisa arrived in the fortress city, the first battalions of the YEF had already entered and exited the city, racing straight to Serenus.

The roads were busy. Dozens of dragon-drawn carriages from his army were constantly streaming through Regisa's major roads, with citizens, still shocked by the news of their arrival, watching on the sidelines from their homes.

"I really ought to award Captain Wittenstein and Lieutenant Hoffman the highest honor of the land," Elisa said, almost mindlessly beside Florian. "Securing our passage to Serenus in just a few hours is a feat I cannot imagine possible without them."

"That's just the two of them, apparently," Florian grunted, as the two entered Serenus's city hall. It was also busy inside, as Imperial soldiers and an army of clerks and staff worked like busy bees to help out the YEF in their task.

"I barely had a glimpse of that explosion," Elisa smiled. "But I am quite sure that its power was truly immense. Next time, when she blasts the pope like that, I'd like to request a front-row seat."

"I'm not really into endangering the Empress. Plus, your knight wouldn't approve."

"He doesn't approve of anything I do, and that's because he prioritizes my safety as his job. Hence why I won't follow his advice."

"It's no wonder that you two don't get along together."

The two ascended upstairs until they reached the floor where the members of the YEF and the leadership of the Regisa Garrison were meeting. When they entered the room, there was a momentary bout of silence, before Florian headed for the highest-ranking man on the opposite side.

He was a Virtus officer, somewhere around his late forties, and the two immediately locked eyes. The man bowed in front of Florian, but Florian instead pulled him up and shook his hand.

"General Allesio Grimani, was it?" Florian asked with a grin. "No need to lower yourself. We're comrades in one struggle."

The garrison commander blinked, surprised by Florian's demeanour, before he sighed.

"I see," Allesio nodded, before grimly frowning. "I've heard from your men that the pope is the leader of the demonic scourge. The Calamity of Hubris, to be exact. Is that true?"

"Yes."

"And you're planning to head to Serenus to vanquish him?"

"Indeed."

Silence reigned between the two officers. Florian glanced to his side, noticing that Adelyn and Hans were standing beside Ebert and Jonas. They seemed like they were liaising with the officers of the Regisa Garrison, who were now all muted as they stared at Elisa.

The Empress stood gracefully at the side of the room, as all eyes turned to her. Florian cleared his throat.

"That, and over there is Her Majesty," Florian said. "I understand none of you acknowledged her earlier, but…the truth is, you've all been lied to. She's still your—"

"Your Majesty!" Allesio quickly kneeled in front of the Empress, and the city garrison's officers all lowered their heads. "We apologize for our disloyalty. We have no excuses, if you must cut off our heads for betraying you and mankind—"

"Please, cease all of this," Elisa pulled Allesio up. "Formalities, as you know, are not something I'm fond of. I want things to be done instead. You, and everyone in this room can make up for their mistakes by doing that."

"Ask anything, and it shall be done," Allesio declared.

"Then, General Kohler," Elisa turned to Florian. "What more do we require for the next battle?"

Florian straightened himself.

"I need to use his authority to open up the forts around Serenus," Florian said. "That will allow all of the YEF's formations to avoid the demons in the countryside, and speed through each city. That, and it will be best if all fortress cities around Serenus closed their gates to the pope."

"...You plan to trap him in the Imperial Capital?" Allesio asked, bewildered.

"Indeed. We're going to assault him there and kill him. We also need more basic supplies. AP potions, magic crystals, food, medicine, gunpowder, and of course—more men.

"To effectively cordon off the Imperial Capital and place it under siege, we need at least five or ten thousand more troops to reinforce us. More if the battle proves bloodier than expected," Florian frowned. "If you can lend us that, we will absolutely appreciate it."

"That, and I advise that he use his authority to counteract the pope's propaganda," Hans suddenly raised his hand on the side, calling Florian. "There are still too many refugees who have been tricked pouring toward Serenus."

"Indeed, that too," Florian nodded. Then, he eyed Allesio with narrowed eyes. "So, tell me. Do we have your cooperation?"

The virtus general took a deep breath, before nodding.

"Absolutely. For the survival of mankind. We understand that now."

And the two officers shook hands.

They got to work on the details immediately.