Chapter 31
Hanna and I exchanged salutes and left the command barracks. As soon as we stepped outside, the emotions Hanna had been holding back seemed to surge up, and she came to a sudden stop. Covering her face with both hands, she began to sob quietly.
"Lieutenant… thank you. Really… really, thank you. It's all… thanks to you, Lieutenant."
Her shoulders shook as she cried, looking completely different from the confident figure she had been inside the barracks moments ago. I silently put an arm around her shoulders.
And that night, my bed in the barracks creaked without respite.
"Hngh, hng… Ah♡ Lieutenant… let me repay you with this body…♡"
Her sweat-dampened naked body moved violently atop mine. Having just been promoted to sergeant, she moved desperately as though trying to return all the reward money and honor she had received today to me. Her full breasts swayed dizzyingly right before my eyes.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Hanna Meyer]
[Status: Extremely aroused from vigorous intercourse]
[Emotion: Devoted love toward the Lieutenant, and joy and satisfaction at repaying him with her body]
"I-I think I'm going to come! Lieutenant… Hyaaang♡!"
Along with her scream, her hot pussy spasmodically clenched around my cock. At that moment, I too poured a great deal of hot semen into the condom. Her vaginal walls convulsed, greedily sucking in my cock as though trying to squeeze out every last drop.
My exhausted body collapsed onto Hanna. Her soft body received my weight, and I savored its addictive softness as I spoke to her.
"Haa, haa, Hanna… There aren't any condoms left now."
"Then I suppose… bare…♡"
"That won't do… I couldn't hold back last time, but we really shouldn't do that carelessly…."
"Then I'll please you with my mouth, at least…♡"
Hanna rose from my embrace and turned to face the other way. Bending forward, she took my cock into her mouth and pointed her buttocks toward my face. Her wet, heated pussy spread open right above my face.
That night, Hanna kept taking my cock until she fell asleep.
*
Several days later, on the day the operation began, the Ashen Forest lay shrouded in the darkness before dawn and damp morning mist.
But the entire earth was trembling. The sound of thousands of military boots striking the dirt, the faint friction of metal equipment clashing together, and the low rumble of vehicle engines blended into one. The entire 7th Regiment had begun to move.
"1st Battalion, begin the scheduled flanking maneuver to the east!"
"Artillery, prepare screening smoke shells for coordinates OOO-XXX!"
Orders spread through the communications network in the darkness. Our 2nd Company was forming up as well. At the very front, facing the deepest darkness, was my 3rd Platoon.
"Platoon Commander, everyone is ready."
Sergeant Gunther reported in a tense voice. Behind him, the platoon members were already crouching low with their rifles aimed toward the forest. They were a far cry from the ragtag bunch they had been several months ago.
I nodded, then turned to Captain Seraphina standing beside me. She was watching the forest cloaked in darkness through binoculars. The cold dawn air brushed her snow-white cheeks and stirred a few strands of her silver hair.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Seraphina von Reinhardt]
[Status: Extreme tension from commanding a large-scale operation, suppressed fatigue]
[Emotion: Strong determination to ensure the operation's success]
[Hidden Trait: Mana Reflux (Mana Overload) - Chronic internal injury. Suppressed through sheer willpower.]
"Krrrgh!"
At last, they revealed themselves. With a roar that shook the earth, a dark green wave began pouring out of the Ashen Forest's darkness. The thunderous sound of war horns tore through the dawn's silence, and hundreds of crude tribal banners advanced through the mist.
"They've finally crawled out."
Seraphina said quietly.
I watched the minimap floating at the edge of my vision. The forest's boundary, which had been empty moments ago, began to turn bright red in an instant. There were easily thousands of red dots. It was a massive force rivaling an entire regiment's strength.
At that point, frantic communications began flooding in from the rear command post. The signalmen pressed receivers to their ears and shouted as they repeated the regimental commander's orders.
"The regimental commander's orders! All units, enter Combat Readiness Level One!"
"Artillery, commence bombardment of Target One! Coordinates Anton-7! I repeat, coordinates Anton-7!"
As soon as the order was given, successive shrieks of shells tearing through the sky erupted from beyond the ridge behind us.
Fweeeee-! Boom-boom-boom!
Dozens of shells flew in parabolic arcs, raising enormous pillars of earth along the forest's edge. The orcs' vanguard was swept up in the barrage and torn apart like scraps of paper, but their momentum did not falter. If anything, they roared as they broke through the bombardment and increased their advance.
"2nd and 3rd Battalions! Advance! Draw the enemy's main force toward the center!"
The order was issued once again. Sharp whistles rang out in unison from the 2nd and 3rd Battalions positioned on the battlefield's flanks. On the minimap, the many green dots apart from ours began surging fiercely forward.
It was a diversion.
The 1st Battalion, which included our 2nd Company, remained on standby. We could do nothing but watch from the ridge as the two massive forces collided.
"……."
The soldiers around me swallowed dryly or readjusted their grips on their rifles with grim faces. Crushed beneath the overwhelming killing intent radiating from the battlefield, no one could easily open their mouth.
Gunfire shook the forest. Orcish roars and human screams blended into a horrific cacophony. On the minimap, red and green dots began violently intermingling. Battles large and small were breaking out simultaneously all across the front.
I quietly used [Status Analysis] on Seraphina standing beside me.
[Name: Seraphina von Reinhardt]
[Status: Calmly analyzing the battle situation. Suppressing the early signs of mana reflux]
[Emotion: Extreme tension over whether the operation will succeed]
She stared at the battlefield without moving an inch. Judging by her appearance alone, she seemed completely unaffected by the hellscape before her. But I knew she was fighting unseen pain even at this very moment.
I turned my gaze back to the battlefield. Under the fierce resistance of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, the orcs' main force was gradually concentrating in the center. It would soon be our turn.
Just then, the promised signal arrived from regimental headquarters. A green signal flare launched from the rear sliced across the dawn sky.
"It's the regimental commander's signal!"
The 1st Battalion commander's voice served as the signal. Cheers erupted from the units behind us. From that moment on, the air surrounding us changed.
"2nd Company, follow me!"
Seraphina's voice rang out clearly. She drew the officer's pistol from her waist and leapt down the ridge first. Our 3rd Platoon followed close behind.
We leapt into the middle of the battlefield, stepping over corpses and shell craters. The smell of gunpowder mixed with the stench of blood and stung my nose, while the constant sounds of gunfire, screams, and clashing metal echoed in my ears.
Our target was the orcs' flank. Even amid the chaotic battlefield, Seraphina found the shortest route without hesitation and led the unit along it. At last, we reached the weakest point in the enemy's defensive line.
"Sergeant Hanna!"
Seraphina shouted as she ran.
"Yes, Captain!"
"Where is the most threatening one?"
"At ten o'clock, behind the shield bearers! I sense a powerful spell reaction!"
No sooner had Hanna finished reporting than a chill began to condense over Seraphina's left palm. It formed a silver-white bullet as the moisture in the air froze. She loaded it into her pistol's chamber and, without hesitation, pulled the trigger toward the other side of the shield wall.
Fwoosh-!
The mana bullet streaked along a blue trajectory, pierced straight through the shield bearer's thick iron shield, and blew apart the chest of the orc shaman behind it.
"Graaagh!"
Along with the shaman's dying scream, the faint shamanic barrier surrounding him shattered like glass.
"Now! 3rd Platoon, open a breach!"
I gave the order without missing the opening. The platoon members opened fire in unison.
'Status Analysis.'
The enemies' information windows flashed past the edge of my vision like a storm. The orcs had lost their barrier and were thrown into confusion. But some of them were already recovering and gripping their axes again.
[Name: Urgash]
[Rank: Ax Thrower]
[Status: Shock from the shaman's death, preparing a reflexive counterattack]
"Machine gun, nine o'clock! Rake down those ax throwers behind the shields first!"
Thanks to [Status Analysis] and the [Minimap], my commands were more accurate than anyone else's observations. The machine gunner swung the barrel without hesitation, and a fierce hail of bullets shredded the ax throwers' upper bodies.
"1st and 2nd Squads, prepare to throw grenades! Throw them behind those shield bearers! Their reinforcements are massed there!"
On the minimap, follow-up troops were packed tightly together directly behind the red dots representing the shield bearers. The platoon members pulled the safety pins from their grenades without hesitation.
Ratatatatat! Boom!
The orcs hiding behind the shield wall fell helplessly one after another.
"The captain and 3rd Platoon have opened a breach! 1st Platoon, charge too!"
Lieutenant Walter seized the opportunity and gave the order. Like the veteran he was, he commanded 1st Platoon with practiced skill and began widening the breach created by 3rd Platoon.
"2nd Platoon, we're going too!"
"4th Platoon will cover the flank!"
Lieutenants Erika and Franz shouted from behind us. The two platoons focused on dealing with the remaining orcs.
Ratatatatat!
Eventually, the entire 2nd Company joined the battle. We poured out bullets without pause. Of everyone there, Seraphina's performance stood out above all.
"Hanna!"
"Two o'clock! A big one carrying an ax!"
Fwoosh-! Bang!
Keeping Hanna, who possessed [Mana Detection], close beside her, Seraphina located important targets. Each time, her pistol emitted a silver-white light, and the target was blown apart.
Soon, the gunfire fell silent. The battle entered a lull.
[Name: Seraphina von Reinhardt]
[Status: On the verge of a mana reflux attack. Suppressing excruciating pain.]