Chapter One, Desperation in Lingayen

Lingayen Beach, Municipality of Lingayen, Lingayen Gulf



The Municipality of Lingayen, Pangasinan, as well as its strategic Lingayen Beach, had been commandeered by the Armed Forces of the Philippines as they desperately sought to fortify the area against a now-inevitable Chinese landing, and evacuation orders had been sent out to the local population to prevent them from being collateral damage. As the Siege of Taiwan to the north bought valuable time for the ASEAN Countries (except for Myanmar, which was Pro-China) to mobilize, the Philippines' meager naval strength had been gathered around Manila Bay to guard against a People's Liberation Navy attack from the west, while Arms Masters from all over the Philippines were mobilized to defend Lingayen Gulf and the municipalities around it.

Lingayen City itself was ill-equipped to be a strong point; it had been a hub of tourism and agriculture for the region and thus had little experience with the demands of war. Nevertheless, the local commander had put what forces he can spare inside the municipality, intending to oppose the Chinese from the beaches with Arms Masters - Both locals and foreign volunteers (and a mercenary). Arms Masters were their only hope; every infantryfolk, vehicle driver, and air force or helicopter pilot had been tasked to support them.

Second Lieutenant Noel Alonso, despite being only sixteen, oversaw the preparations for the defense of Lingayen Beach, such as it was, and he was not happy with how he and his people were about to be thrown away just because the Filipino people couldn't be shaken out of their lethargy earlier.

The People's Liberation Navy had decided that they were content with having overrun half of Taiwan, and were now sending a fleet and an army down to Lingayen Gulf; the latter made up of a significant fraction of the People's Liberation Army which in ordinary circumstances, would be enough to overrun Manila itself. This cannot be allowed, so Alonso swiftly sent orders via radio to the Arms Masters who had come to take a stand alongside them, telling them to come to Lingayen Beach now and...

Oppose the bombardment and the landings; use whatever defensive abilities you can to make things much harder.

Maximize casualties among the enemy; make them march over the corpses of their own people.

Do not be afraid to fall back to the city; there's no other way of escape anyway.

And above all, don't get captured; we cannot get you back from their clutches if we lose you.

As the innumerable transports and landing craft appeared on the horizon, as the Chinese broadcast their orders to surrender over the radio in multiple languages, as the Philippine Army and Marine detachments lay in their crude trenches, barely covered by what armored vehicles High Command could muster, Noel looked over to see if the Arms Masters both local and foriegn had arrived yet. It was late afternoon, 15:30 (3:30 PM), and the weather was cloudy; there would be no special advantages from the Moon today.

Nevertheless, for his country, he would fight on, even if the stand he made resulted in his death. So as the Chinese waited, their landing craft already numbering hundreds as they waited for the order to advance, Noel howled his defiance, daring them to strike, knowing full well they had missiles and aircraft and artillery and drones and tanks and all the ordnance of war... As well as their own Arms Masters to counter the ones who had come here to 'make a difference'.

He looked at the Japanese Imperial Princess who had come to fight alongside them, assuming she was beside him. As the Chinese began their bombardment, not giving the Arms Masters more time to prepare, as their landing craft surged to land thousands of their own infantry and marines, Noel said to the Princess, "Here's hoping your fire is a match for theirs'."

@Dead Cruiser@SkyHresvelg@The World@Chiro@Aisede@Senhara@Renny@MagusDream@Lewascan2@Vergil@Sniblet@Silverstein@Stern Algorithm

On behalf of her country, the ninth daughter of the current Emperor of Japan was deployed to the front lines in the gulf. She expected that the Chinese forces would be no slouch in military combat, so she’d had to be careful. The princess gave a nod to the young Fillipino man, the fire from the sun goddess will burn through the Chinese soldiers for their crimes over the atrocities they committed. “The flames of Amaterasu will give them their due punishment as a divine sign.” Her response was filled with zeal over the ancestress of the Japanese Imperial House and for the longest time, they were treated like gods until the end of the Second World War.

Her own outfit at the battlefield wasn't very much what a Japanese royal lady should be. The red military uniform and gold cherry-blossom engraved cap with gold medals signified that the girl was a commander of her own troop in spite of her age. Being Second Lieutenant of the Japanese Self-Defense Force taught her so much of warfare and military tactics, so today, the Phillipines will be safer under her watch.

Kaitlyn shook in her boots, casting nervous glances up at the maudlin sky. She'd never seen real warfare before. She'd never been on the front lines, really putting to risk life and limb. And the Chinese army...

Kaitlyn swallowed, steadying herself. She looked around at her fellow soldiers, noting that they, too, were just as nervous as she was. Maybe they didn't show it, but she knew. She knew because no sane person would not be terrified of what was to come.

Just... Just like the drills, she told herself.

Then one of those crazy Arms Masters flew over and started crushing a boats like toys.

Kaitlyn shivered, imagining the screech of metal as... Something far less mundane.

Was she going to kill somebody today? Was she... Was she going to take a life?

Bleakly, she looked down at her rifle. Standard issue, clean and well-maintained. It was such an unassuming item... And... And she can't think like this. Not right now. She came here of her own volition, to fight for a cause she believed in.

Steady. Just follow your orders and everything will be alright.
Steady... She can do this.

She has to.

---

Lucy looks back and forth, watching what's in front, glancing behind herself, plus everything in-between. A soft sigh escapes her lips paired with a shudder traveling down her spine. She had been in fights before, she has killed before, but this was something else. Something more. "This is gonna be a fight for survival, not a battle to win, thanks to that messenger." She thought to herself, crossing her gaze onto the other Arms Masters. They're all faces she doesn't know, all people she had no time to learn and coordinate with. "Fighting is hard when you don't understand your friends and your enemies." pops out yet another complaint in her mind. Her left arm reaches over to caress her right arm, if it were present. Her hand grasps air, promptly resting on the side of her body. She promptly checks her equipment, outfitted like a regular soldier, glancing to her left side. A Glock 17 in it's holster, check. Her M4A1 seems to be fine, slung around her with a lanyard. She tests the fit of her helmet and torso armor, everything looks good to her, plus the hearing protection has a good seal, which means she won't go deaf today.

One of the regulars glances over to Lucy, lifting an eyebrow, speaking out "Aren't you supposed to have two arms in order to be eligible for combat?" in a somewhat accusatory tone. She glances towards that soldier, letting her left arm fall back to her side. With a flash, Daedalus appears, the mechanical magic arm turning and flexing as she shakes her head. "It's this one that matters." Lucy responds, as the flaps of Daedalus opens and closes harmlessly. "I uhh... Fair enough." He responds to her, with a shameful glance away. She grabs the grip of the rifle with Daedalus, lifting it up into a ready position. Her regular hand slots in a 30 round box mag, flicks off the safety, sets it to single, then pulls the charging handle. Notably, her finger sits outside the trigger well. She's not ready to fire, she needs to see them first, of course.

While other Arms Masters may only use their Noble Arm for the entirety of combat, Lucy's doesn't have great range. A good soldier uses all of the tools in her arsenal, this gun will suffice for now. People die easily, firearms are very good at that job, something she's known for a long time. Her cheek rests on the cheekrest, as she aims down the scope, waiting for the moment to open fire. She saw one of the other Arms Masters already engaging the enemy. "That's gonna land you in trouble, everyone's gonna shoot at you first. Better run back now." she quickly muses to herself, wondering if today will be the last day she takes a life. She can't fall now, especially not before she saves the Family.

The term that Hannie had heard was "naval bombardment."
It was a scary phrase even then - she knew what the words meant individually, and when she tried to picture them together she found herself feeling a little sick. She was expecting something simpler, like... "urban warfare?" Like taking down little squads of sneering masked bad guys with a team of cool superheroes.
She can't see any bad guys.
She can see ships and planes, too far away to reach.
She can see warm-colored flashes of light on the ships.
She believes she can see high-explosive shells twice her size emerging at narrowly subsonic speeds from enormous cold alloy-wrought cannons pointed and fired at her by people too far away and too deep in cover to beat up.
And that's... supposed to be the "fire support?" Doesn't that mean it's just... the anvil? The hammer is somewhere else?

Hannie is finding it difficult to breathe. The other Arms Masters seem so confident and ready. One of them has already taken off. They must be confused. They must not be seeing what she's seeing. Or are they faking it?
Maybe she should just try to relax.
Kirvella hisses into being almost unbidden, and gives Hannie permission to stop breathing. The air begins to chill. Today the blade is dark and the grip feels like leather.
The ocean air provides plenty of material to create ice, if she can just get cold enough, and there might be a chance that that ice can be made solid enough to block those shells. If she can just get cold enough.
If she can relax.
Or it'll shatter like it's not there at all, letting the bombardment plunge right through on top of her. That can happen too.
She'll be fine.

Regil Meitner
Location: Lingayen, Road to Lingayen Beach
Interactions: @Letter Bee, @SkyHresvelg and @Vergil

---

The voyage lasted for days. The route they had to take to get to Lingayen was absurdly long and rigid. With the aerospace around the city becoming hostile, planes and helicopters were unoptimized as travelling options because of the bombardment risks. The idea was to deliver him there, alive and well. The earthly route had to be the safest option, out of all alternatives.

"We're reaching the destination Lord Regil. We are going to rendezvous with Lady Regina and her forces soon enough." The driver spoke to the young man.

"Good. I just hope the days we took getting here weren't wasted and that there's an army for us to meet." He responded.

Regil Meitner. This was going to be his first mission, his first war. By now, all that he had was training alongside his mother, but never put his power to practical use. His lack of experience made him wonder what his sister wanted when she sent him a letter, calling for his help. He somehow feared the worst, even though it was Regina. She had been away for years in military service, and never once called for help. That's why, when looking at the letter, he couldn't help but feel worried.



(Regina... Sister... please be there, if only for a second. Just seeing you will be enough for me.) Regil wished, in silence.

"Cast whatever worry you have aside, milord. You won't have time to think about frivolous things and personal emotions once you arrive." The driver spoke.

"I know, you don't have to remind me-" Regil spoke, before being interrupted.

"That was the message that Lady Regina wanted me to pass, in case you are unable to meet her." The driver finished.

"Oh, right. It sounds like her after all." Regil said.

"But I suggest you reconsider what she said." The driver commented.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Your comrades-in-arms are more than just soldiers walking alongside you. They are your companions, the people you'll be seeing day and night. Don't forget your humanity, milord. Use it, create and cherish these connections. They are and will be fundamental for your campaign, and for your life after it." The driver said, with a slight smile.

"... I shall take it into consideration. And... thank you." Regil answered, with another smile.

Soon, the beach was able to be seen through the window. And there, people, tents, and military vehicles were stationed. There were no tourists, no beach chairs, and even the sea was empty of cheerful people. It was a barren land, now serving only as a battlefield, both the sand and the water, as only soldiers, steeled with the instinct to fight, stood there.

"Lingayen Gulf. We have arrived. Lord Regil, I pray for your success." The driver spoke.

"Thank you. Godspeed and go to safety." Regil spoke.

The driver gave him a single nod and left at once. Regil looked at the army standing there, trying to look for his sister. However, he couldn't find her, much to his dismay. What he could see was the massive ships out and about, with the battle already ravaging waves left and right.

(So... this is war. What a... horrible view. I hope everyone in this city is sheltered away from this.)

Still, he couldn't stand there and do nothing. He walked forward, toward three people, and asked them for the commanding officer.

"Excuse me, but can you please inform me who is the commanding officer of this unit? I'm a soldier enlisted by Regina Meitner and I'm supposed to be stationed here." He asked.

---

"..." There was silence from the back of the ATV that was being driven to the battlefield at Lingayen Beach. Why an ATV had been chosen for this task was beyond the child that was its cargo. He had overheard that an earlier suggestion was to drop him out of a plane. He didn't think he'd manage that as well, honestly. But he was nearly to the place he had been chosen to be at, and was almost anxious to get there. Almost. A loud "clunk" sounded as the vehicle stopped suddenly, the large sword the child had next to him thumping into the back of the seat before him. The nameless child had arrived on the battlefield, but what good would he really do?

The teenager took the sword that was much too large for him and braced it against his back, exiting the ATV to find that battle had already begun some distance away, over the water. It must be someone else, someone like him. No, not like him. There was a spark in the synapses of his brain as a thought nearly formed, but it was quickly discarded by his mind as irrelevant and unnecessary. It was just unfortunate that apathy couldn't power his Arms, he decided as he slowly began towards the coastline. He had no mundane weapons training, so he would only be in the way if he went to far now. At least, that's what his handlers told him, so it must be true.

Nemo surveyed the soldiers who stood closer to the battlefield, and noticed someone else. A girl, not much older than himself, he thought. He wondered again if this meant there was someone like him here, and again threw out the notion. It was important to focus, that's what his handlers said. Focusing means noticing, noticing means thinking, thinking means feeling, and feeling means the ability to fight. He didn't know if he'd be useful when all of the enemies targets were on the water. He wanted to be useful. If only they'd kill those closer to the water and breach the shore, quickly, then he might be able to be helpful.

And so and so forth he thought as he sat down and waited for the battle to turn its tide against his allies designated assistance.

---

Lingayen Beach. In some other era, or in some other lifetime, it could very well have been a beautiful place to visit. Today that wasn't so, however. Trenches out in the empty fields leading to the beach, armored vehicles and, of course, the Chinese Navy floating offshore. No, this wasn't a vacation spot, it was a warzone. Soon to be sullied by the blood of the innocent and guilty alike. Soldiers milled about, making whatever preparations they had been ordered to make. Most of them had M16's or M4's slung over their shoulders, and naturally an assortment of other tools in their packs that were not openly visible. You could always tell who the Arms Masters were, they were commonly younger than the soldiers, dressed differently, and some carried no visible weapons. Whether this was due to arrogance or faith in the power of their Noble Arms, none could say.

To be fair, the two of them weren't exactly exceptions to the rule. The Austrian Siblings were situated in almost the dead center of the defensive points. This was per Ari's request. She knew her Noble Arm would be critical in preventing an outright slaughter, and so she had specifically requested to be positioned as close to the center of the defense as possible so that her power could protect as many as she could. That was just like her, thinking of how many within a specified area she could cover with her shield and basing her positions and movements accordingly. Her brother, Alain, was positioned nearby as well. She knew eventually he would charge off on his own, seek out those in need of saving and providing that timely rescue. It was in his nature. But he was remaining close by for the time being, both having long ago realized that they were often strongest when working together. But Alain was never one to stick around in one area for too long when battles were raging around him.

She would occasionally look to her brother for some kind of sign about what he was thinking right now. But as always, he was almost impossible to read. His stoic nature was at its strongest during the lead up to an inevitable battle, and now would be no different. Still, it worried her sometimes, that he could just put himself in a warzone like this and show little or no signs of any emotion. It was a strength sometimes, but could also become a weakness if things went a certain way. For Ari, it was the waiting that got to her the most. Waiting for the first shot to be fired, and being unable to act until it happened.

The loudest shot to be heard first was, of course, an Arms Master. A particularly powerful one who flew down toward the beaches in the most unsubtle way imaginable. They then proceeded to attack multiple ships and even crushing them with their powers. Ari decided that now needed to be the time to act. An opening attack like that would never be allowed to go unanswered. The Chinese were definitely going to try retaliating with something equal or bigger. And Ari wanted to be certain that whatever was launched back at them would collide only with her shield. She reached forth her hands, calling the red tower shield Adamantius to her hands. She closed her eyes, and spoke almost as if in prayer, "On my life and upon this Shield, I swear to protect them... WALL OF LIGHT!" the light from the shield expanded outward, rapidly increasing its size until the resulting barrier covered as much of the defense's line as Ari could muster. And then she braced herself, preparing to grit her teeth and come what may, keep that wall up.

Meanwhile, Alain glanced back his sister when he heard her voice. He watched her summon her shield and Wall of Light then turned back to face forwards again. Without words he cracked his neck and knuckles, then reached forth his own hands to summon his mighty sword, the Claimh Solais. He didn't charge yet, though, he had already decided he would guard his sister as long as he could before going his own way, and that was exactly what he would do. Even if he had to face the denizens of Hell itself, he would stand his ground and cut them down.

Chapter One, Desperation in Lingayen, Part 2

Lingayen Beach, Municipality of Lingayen, Lingayen Gulf

The bombardment had begun in earnest, and the Chinese had rectified their mistake of landing only infantry and marines first by sending an armored spearhead of their latest tanks (landed by dedicated boats), supported by amphibious fighting vehicles which carried infantry while trying to fill the air with machine gun fire and rockets; some of both were directed at Sophist's position. At the same time, the Chinese were using boat-mounted water cannons as a specific countermeasure against Princess Ryuko; it appeared that they've been appraised of her presence and Noble Arm powers, but not of the fact that the Princess had someone who can freeze the water cannon blasts as her bodyguard, nor did they know of the other Ice-user in the ranks (Hanni).

Noel Alonso was already activating La Luna's Miraculous Evasion as he sliced through swathes of Chinese infantry and marines with his scythe, even as supersonic jets were dropping incendiary bombs on everyone; hopefully, the Arms Masters had proper defensive and anti-aircraft abilities. Nevertheless, upon hearing that somebody wanted to see him, he used La Luna's Veil of Night to sneak back to where the newcomer was, removing said veil in order to greet him. His voice betrayed no hint of how handsome Regil was to him as he said, "That would be me. Second Lieutenant Noel Alonso; I'm the Provisional Commander of this unit. And no, I have not seen Lady Regina yet."

As a significant number of Arms Masters (aka all of them but Sophist and Noel, who were actively attacking) took a 'wait-and-see' approach, the Chinese landings began to break through the defensive lines set up on the beach and the road beyond, threatening to isolate the Arms Masters who did fight into their own little pockets unless a miracle happened or they got their stuffing together and began a coordinated counter-strike, which was possible through radio, which they all had.

Noticing this, Noel shouted into said radio, "What are you all doing?! Counterattack now and those of you who can bring planes down from the sky, at least try - Use your Noble Arms in a smart way!" He then looked at Regil and said more courteously, "We need shields and Anti-Aircraft; can your Noble Arm provide any of those? We're going to need to coordinate a counterstrike and I must get back into the battle; this line must not break."

And with that, Noel returned to the fray, activating his Veil of Night and vanishing; thirty seconds later, a Type-99 Tank had its gun and hatch cut off and explosive grenades tossed inside its innards, causing it to blow up to smithereens. Somehow, the Philippine Army and Marines' morale held just long enough for this to happen, and Noel was even able to speak through the radio, seemingly out of nowhere, "Do not let yourselves be cut off from each other - Cut down the enemy trying to separate you from your allies, mundane and not!"

Then, a miracle of miracles happened, and the defensive line was enclosed in a dome of light that was nearly impenetrable to most forms of attack; mundane or mystical. Alain and Ari, or in this case, Ari and Alain, had arrived just in time to save the defense from collapsing. Noel noticed this long enough to say over the radio, "Thanks, you guys! You might have just saved the defense - All of it!"

Then, as he reappeared, he spoke, "All right, people! Now that we have a reprieve, time to discuss another counterattack!"

This happened just as the Chinese were dropping Fuel Air Bombs onto the 'Wall of Light', only for the latter to be able to withstand multiple ones with relatively little strain...

@Dead Cruiser@SkyHresvelg@The World@Chiro@Aisede@Senhara@Renny@MagusDream@Lewascan2@Vergil@Sniblet@Silverstein@Stern Algorithm@Double

Time seemed to slow to a crawl for Kaitlyn Price. Dimly, she was aware that the battle had started in earnest; soldiers were running up the beach, war machines trailing after them like eager hounds. She could hear distant pops between a ringing in her ears.

Someone was speaking through her radio, but the words were coming out slurred.

Then, suddenly, everything snapped back into focus when she heard the voice of her corporal.

"What are you all waiting for?!" bellowed the nearby Corporal Castro from his own trench to the troops. "If the brats and their fancy toys are gonna' loligag, it looks like we'll have to pick up the slack!" True to his word, his own rifle barked thunderously against the ear-protection of his soldiers' helmets. A few shots downrange nailed in the upper torso one of the gunners atop the enemy's amphibious fighting vehicles, sending them into the waves with a slight crimson spray.

Kaitlyn went a little green around the gills witnessing the sight, but quickly put that out of her mind when she spotted Sophist getting surrounded.

"Sir!" She fiddled anxiously with her radio, fumbling with the buttons until she got it right. "Sir! The enemy, they've isolated one of the Arms Masters. Shouldn't we support them?"

Corporal Castro clicked his tongue disdainfully, as he eyed the multi-terrain armored vehicles currently menacing the forward trenches. They weren't on the level of a tank's durability by any stretch, but they were far more mobile than they had any right to be. "Damned commies," he spat, unhooking and palming a grenade from his chest, before frowning. "The scythe brat seems to be doing fine," he commented, as a tank erupted from within.

He eyed the sky and the gravity-wielder's rampage. "And there's nothing our ammunition's going to do about a battle in the clouds. He falls, I ain't catching him. I'll tell you that." Working his scruffy jaw, he finally nodded towards one of the newcomers, the ear radios sounding out. "Protect for the one with the shield at all costs! She's the only reason we're not charred meat right now, and we're keeping it that way!"

"Sir!" rang out the chorus of other privates in the trench, a more meek "Sir!" Following a moment later. Rifles barked in an uneven chorus of noise.

Meanwhile, the enemy seemed to have ascertained similarly. So long as the shield-wielding Arms Master stood, their air support was as good as neutered. Treads clattered in a roar, as a pair of aquatic fighting vehicles made to flank the shield bearer from both sides, their size and 30-35mph speed on the sandy shores allowing them to blast over the tops of the trenches without slowing for a second. Meanwhile, closer to the shoreline, several of the slower proper tanks' barrels had started to turn with ominous speed towards Ari's position.

Kaitlyn shivered as she saw the tanks turn.

"S-sir..." She swallowed the apple that had lodged itself in her throat, following the tanks with her eyes. "What do we do if the shield falls?"

He chuckled grimly. "We dig deeper trenches and pray." A smirk twisted his moustache. "But we're not going to let that happen, are we, men?!"

"N-no, sir!" She shouted, joining the chorus.

She decided to get a head start on that praying

(Credit for Castro's parts go to the illustrious @lewascan!)

The battle had already begun. The Chinese army was already bombarding its opposition from the skies. With quick thoughts from Ari, a shield was able to protect them for the time being. This gave them an advantage of going right on the offensive, to counter the Chinese Army's advance. While Regil was slightly stupefied from all the chaos that was already unsettling in the field, a man apparently younger than him courteously reached him.

His voice betrayed no hint of how handsome Regil was to him as he said, "That would be me. Second Lieutenant Noel Alonso; I'm the Provisional Commander of this unit. And no, I have not seen Lady Regina yet."

"I see, thank you. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant Alonso. I'll save the pleasantries for after the battle, for now." Regil answered. As much as he wanted to introduce himself, time was of the essence.

"We need shields and Anti-Aircraft; can your Noble Arm provide any of those? We're going to need to coordinate a counterstrike and I must get back into the battle; this line must not break."

"Unfortunately no, I cannot produce shields. However, what I can do... is this." Regil spoke.

BGM: Blinded by Light (Dissidia Duodecim 012: Final Fantasy)

Regil backed off from the front lines and summoned his Noble Arm, Chess Imaginarium. The tome floated in front of him, as a magic circle drew under Regil's feet out of nowhere and the tome's pages started to flip themselves at fast speed. He closed his eyes and started to focus, drawing power from the book. Once enough energy was drawn, he finally let out his incantation.

"I command you, from the board of legend... Answer my call, Queen!" He proclaimed.

From behind Regil, an image started to form itself. The tall figure that took place behind its summoner was of an elegant woman, woven in a beautiful dress, with a brilliant tiara on her head. On her hand, a magical staff began to form itself on her hand. And thus, the Queen stood proudly on the battlefield, her presence exuding an aura that flew through the field, reaching out to the remaining Arms Masters valiantly fighting against the Chinese Army.

(The Queen's aura boosts the power output of any Noble Arm allied with me. Since I've already identified those who are fighting against us, the memory will become data to the Pieces, so the Queen's power won't reach any stray or enemy Masters in the vicinity as long as I recognize who's my ally.) Regil thought.

Then, the Chinese aircraft armada started to shoot missiles toward the Wall of Light erected by Ari. Thanks to the Queen's buff, however, the shield would be more than enough to hold its own. But the shield could only do so much against what was shot in front of her, what was above it became another story entirely. Luckily, Regil didn't summon the Queen only to empower his fellow Arms Masters.

"Target the missiles and shoot them down with the lasers!" He ordered.

The Queen rose her staff as it started to shine brightly. Then, three lasers were shot from it, hitting three incoming missiles from above. She held it uptight, as more lasers came out, in an attempt to diminish the number of projectiles coming in their direction.

"I'll do whatever I can to hold on my own over here, but I can't promise I'll hold them long enough! We need to find a way to destroy the enemy's aerial before they can get to the city!" He commented.

---

BGM: Sprinting Through the Darkness (Azure Striker Gunvolt)

The diversion did succeed in their job of distracting the second battalion. The fierce attack on the beach, which was now having a turn of events in their favor, was only possible because of the force splitting the Chinese Army created. However, the operations unit she led was ready. The merciless force ravaged the distraction, not with ease but there was still blood spilled on the floor. And that blood wasn't theirs, but from the enemy soldiers who resisted them.

"Specialist Meitner, we're approaching the battle at Lingayen Beach! We're going to enter the enemy airspace soon enough!" The pilot spoke.

"Report on the situation of the ground army." Regina ordered.

"According to our view from here, they are holding up the ground bombardment, but the aerial units might end up hitting them soon enough! There are lasers containing the missiles, but they aren't hitting the units!" The pilot responded.

"What a preposterous tactic. And I told him to be prepared, and he still opted for hitting the missiles..." She complained.

"Specialist Meitner?" The pilot asked.

"How much longer until we invade the battle's airspace?" Regina questioned.

"Our unit will reach the airspace in one hour." The pilot responded.

Regina Meitner. A Specialist from the England Military Forces who led a special unit of her own. Their original plan was to rendezvous with the unit standing at Lingayen Beach, but a diversion tactic caused by the Chinese Army right on the other border of the city held them down time enough to make them unable to regroup in time for the main assault. However, Regina's forces were known to be professionals out of the league. Even high-ranking officials from her country had to recognize her talent, whether she was just a Specialist or not.

"Fine then. Soldiers, arm yourselves with the RPGs! Once we invade the aerial space, we're bombarding these flying bastards! And I want two snipers ready to shoot any stragglers who survive the explosion alongside me!" Regina firmly ordered her unit.

The rest of the squad began to arm themselves. Counting the pilot and Regina, there were 10 people in total. Six of the soldiers armed themselves with the RPGs, while said snipers got their rifles ready to shoot the survivors of the explosion. Regina also picked a rifle, while a voice of a little girl tempted her through her mind.

"Why use a rifle when I'm here, Regina? I'm your Noble Arm, right? I can kill them for you." The voice asked.

"Your uselessness in the air will only hinder me down. I don't need you, I never did. Now shut up and let me do my job." She answered.

"Heehee, what a shaaaame. Well then, try not to die. I still need you, OK?" The voice taunted her.

"Just stand there and watch. I'll raise hell if I need to, but I'm not dying here." Regina responded.

...and, as quickly as Hannie realizes how out of her depth she really is, the world bursts into fire.

A soaring shimmering dome arcs above her head; she cringes down to the ground, not sure where it's from or what it's doing.
Her radio squawks but it doesn't register with her; the guns are firing now, people are screaming, something blew up, people on the beach falling in bloody arcs.
The Arms Masters - at least she knows them apart from everything else - are stepping forward, some of them yelling - prayers? - and she wonders if she should be praying too.
She feels herself trying to shut down. Kirvella is biting her hand, chewing on her heart. The sand under her subtly crackles, only audible with the blessing of adrenaline, as freezing air from Kirvella's touch passes its cold into a tiny circle on the ground. There's this one little interesting thing she can do, and then there's... what is she supposed to do?

A Queen enters play.
Then, the dagger thrums uncharacteristically. Hannie's vision sharply dims, and she shudders. She finds her attention drawn to a spectral noblewoman raising some type of staff behind one of the Arms Masters.
Child. Die.
What is this voice--?

The child's eyes begin to tear up with agony, but the pain is brief. In a moment, the tears stop, and I brush her aside. I am in control now - more than I ever was before. We are safer this way.
Hannie straightens again, her expression relaxed. Kirvella's blade drips smoky clear fluid, then begins to rain small chunks of flash-frozen atmosphere. The child stands on a sheet of solid ice where there was sand, and the ice rapidly spreads around her. It's gotten very, very cold, very fast.
I know our enemies. They are not beside us. We advance.
With a blurring flick of her arm, she hurls Kirvella toward the shore. The cold here is not quick to recede, but it stops getting worse. Within a few seconds, Hannie too is gone.

Instead, the child is at the shore, among the vanguard of enemy tanks. Nearby machinegun mounts swivel to face her, and lock up midway, shortly followed by the cannon turrets themselves. Spindles of frost dart, then flow across armor plating in, rather than a crackle, a constant deafening roar. Firearm mechanisms freeze and jam. Gunpowder flares - flames spread briefly within cartridges - and then are extinguished. Combustion engines sputter and die. Lungs numbly burn, as something unseen rips warmth from the air they take in, and the air desperately tears warmth from the body.
The sea and sand grow smooth and solid in a still-expanding circle, ripples pausing just as they are as the chaos of life is drawn from them.

It is a pleasure to be so awake, however long my Queen will allow me to be. We stay where we are, and assess. The world that was so grim and fast, becomes white and still.
Hannie hops up on top of a dead tank and crouches as she surveys the work of just a few seconds, eyes wide open with fascination.
The wind has picked up heavily. It's all going to her Noble Arm.

---

Lucy and the soldiers around her had opened fire on enemy forces. She wondered why the enemy had decided to engage like this. Hearing the calls on the radio... Defending the girl with the shield sounded good, but she had heard about the isolated Arms Master. "Where is he?" She thought, glancing back and forth while dropping another enemy soldier. Through her scope, she saw one enemy point... Up, to their fighters? No, to that Arms Master she saw rush in. The one beyond the wall. Lucy also witnessed some tanks, amphibious craft, amongst other things. She lowers her gun, grabbing the shoulder of a regular who's reloading with Daedalus, although very gently.

"You, what kind of anti-vehicle weapons do we have?" She asks, staring at the regular, thankfully he provides a quick response. "Portable rockets, TOWs, that kind of thing. What do you suggest?" He spoke out, cautiously glancing at the Noble Arm. Lucy takes a moment to think, letting go of his shoulder, "Ask to get some rockets on those vehicles and infantry threatening the flying guy, he's making himself a target, everyone's gonna shoot at him now. Not even the strongest can sustain that kind of attention." In response, he nods, barking into his radio. "An Arms Master is requesting we utilize RPGs against infantry and vehicles to defend the Arms Master in the air beyond the shield! Get some TOWs on the tanks too, use whatever you have to spare!"

With that, rockets fire out towards hostile vehicles and infantry, whizzing past other rounds in the air. Explosions where the enemy was, that's good, very good. Lucy also prioritizes attacking the ones threatening Sophist, or to her, the "flying guy". She raises her gun once more and fires off a few rounds, the flaps on Daedalus opening, the regular to her right getting slightly worried about what's going to happen. She figured she had enough range, just needed to wait... Time, time to engage! Several clicks from Daedalus, she lowers her gun and opens her palm facing the enemies ready to engage Sophist, basically everyone in front. Clicks and clacks, tightening the cone so she doesn't hit any allies, just another few seconds left. The flaps slam closed, as a massive crack erupts from Daedalus, unleashing a Burst kicking up dirt as it rolls towards the hostiles at the speed of sound. Now she just needs to pray it ruins their entire formation. If that shield drops, she's next on the chopping block, according to her.

---

"... Pretty." The young boy sitting just outside of the hellscape of war spoke aloud to no-one. He had a perfect view of the shield of light and the bombs breaking against it. There was a moment that passed in which the boy watched, as if viewing fireworks at a party, before the wall of light became even brighter and the boy turned away. He could see most of the battlefield from where he was, and it seemed he was going to get his wish. The enemy began breaking through the coastline with tanks and amphibious vehicles, moving ever closer towards his own position, bombs hitting near enough to shake most people's conviction, but far enough to not quite do him in.

"..."

The thought that he was being a burden sprouted in his mind as he watched the young girl he had noticed disappear, reappearing on the shore as she tore apart several of the offending tanks. "I'm still useless." The boy didn't like that thought. He disliked it, he hated the little voice in his head that said it. Perhaps to his handlers' surprise, perhaps to their expectation, deploying Nemo a bit away from the battle had been a brilliant tactical move, as an apathetic Nemo would only get in the way. And of course, getting in the way would only turn him into a rather short-reaching shield, when they needed something more... offensive. And watching as those deemed his allies die wasn't enough. Instead, it was watching that girl that began the domino effect that was expected, the whole reason he was placed here instead of elsewhere in the war. The boy stood slowly, the sword resting behind his neck on his shoulders beginning to move as well, equally as slowly. By the time he was standing straight, the sword had fallen to his side, held by both hands now, and the blade was seemingly larger. In truth, the blade was simply vibrating at high speeds, and was only increasing in intensity as its wielder began to run towards the shore.

Just outside the wall of light, skirting the edge of it, was a young boy in the clothes of a civilian overtop Kevlar padding, running as fast as he could around the wall as explosions rocked the air above him. Soon enough, the explosions stopped as he got close enough to the opposing ships that attempted aerial strikes would be harming their own side. Several ZTZ-99 were moving along the same path he was, in the opposite direction, to try to find an opening in the Arms Master's wall. And while the boy may have been dressed in the clothes of a civilian, no civilian carried a much-too-large sword that buzzed like the wings of a hummingbird.

Several shots were fired, and one even hit the boy in his left arm, but orders to not kill Arms Masters, as the boy obviously was, saved him. It would have been trivial to shoot him down, but by holding Vitae in front of his body, parallel to his torso, Nemo was able to approach without further injury. He slashed the blade through the tank, just short enough to avoid decapitating the driver, and then through the treads on its right side. He seemed to quickly dance through the entourage of military vehicles as he cut through each of them the same as the first, starting with the front and ending with one of the treads.

He likely wouldn't make it back to his designated position, but at the moment, he didn't care. He was going to be useful somehow, or die trying.

---

Ari's shield was making a real difference, and for that she was grateful. So far her brother hadn't left yet, he continued to stand guard as if waiting for something. Perhaps he simply didn't want to leave her by herself? Or maybe he was a bit more nervous than he let on? Well whichever it was, Ari didn't have to wonder about it for long. Within moments she was flanked by protective armored vehicles and armed soldiers. It hadn't taken them long to realize where the Wall was coming from and apparently they had decided that the source of it needed to be protected.

At the same time, Ari also felt a surge of extra power in her Shield. One that subsequently strengthened the Wall. Another Arms Master had to be behind it, but she had no time to ask questions. She did, however, notice that Alain was now gone. He likely took his leave when the reinforcements arrived, and probably decided that he had waited for long enough. With a small sigh the Shield-Bearer closed her eyes and silently prayed for Alain's safety. Fight well and stay safe, Brother.

As for the Sword-Bearing Alain, he indeed took his leave when the reinforcements arrived. He was now making his way toward the fighting, having comandeered an abandoned civiilian motorbike to avoid having to walk. His hands tightly gripped the handle bars in anticipation. The practice, the exorcises, the training, even the smaller skirmishes he had previously participated in. They all felt like they had been building up to this.

He'd been riding west at first, but turned northward upon nearing the river in order to follow it. He hadn't yet seen any significant damages or casualties yet in spite of hearing reports of enemy bombardment. That just meant that Ari's shield was still holding up. But Alain knew better than anyone that she wouldn't be able to keep it up forever. She'd tire out eventually, and so Alain needed to be sure of where he wanted to position himself for when the fighting started in earnest.

Over radio he was hearing some chatter about heavy fighting on the western side of the beach. Some kind of landing force from the sound of it. He was tempted to cross the river and head that way, and was even about to do just that when something further down river came into view: boats. They were small, but appeared to be Chinese and were evidently trying to sail in via the rivermouth. Alain wondered if the attack at the beach was merely a distraction. Well, whatever the Chinese had been planning, he knew he had to do something to stop it.

He brought the bike to a stop before he could get close enough for the boats to spot him. Alain then took his radio out.

Meanwhile, Ari had been tirelessly focusing her efforts on the Wall when her radio suddenly chimed in, "Ari, boats are trying to sail in through the rivermouth. The landing forces on the beach may possibly be a distraction for whatever this is."

"Alain?" Ari asked in surprise. This wasn't like him, her brother was usually radio silent most of the time. Which only meant that this was likely important, "I read you, Alain. But what should we do about it?"

Alain stared into the distance at the incoming boats and then replied to his sister, "Just tell them to keep focusing their artillery on the landing force."

"And the boats?" he heard Ari ask.

Alain just smiled a bit, "I'll deal with them."

Back in the encampent, Ari looked around her for the highest ranking officer she could find, "Focus whatever firepower you can spare on the western beaches! And let the chain of command know that they're sending boats up the rivermouth! My brother says he plans to deal with the boats but you may want to keep some eyes on the rivermouth!"

"Roger that, Ma'am." the man responded before relaying the message to the rest of the Army.

With the tides changing in their favor just for a little bit, it seems the counterattack was going to have some effect on the army's morale, making everyone more confident in doing their job. It still was too early to celebrate victory, because reinforcements for the Chinese Army started to present themselves to drive them back into a wall and seize victory.

Regil kept doing his job, securing that the missiles were being destroyed and not hitting them. But he was just one person, some stray shots were landing. While he was destroying some of them, one missile came in his direction.

"Oh no...!!" He gasped.

Covering his eyes, the Queen covered her master and took the hit directly. However, Regil was still blown away from the impact and tossed back away. The sand did cover his landing, making it less hurting, but it was still a direct attack that he wasn't able to avoid.

"Urgh... she has only two hits left... I have to be more careful...!" He spoke, getting back up.

BGM: Bipolar Nightmare (NieR: Automata), remixed by FalKKonE

Suddenly, one of the Chinese Army aerial units exploded. It was hit by an incoming rocket, while it was so focused on attacking the ground. Then, more of said missiles started to invade the airspace of the battle, all of them aiming for the enemies. Some of them missed, others managed to strike through.

"Their aerial units are being destroyed. But our soldiers are too busy fighting on the ground. Does that mean...?" Regil spoke, looking back.

Indeed, a rogue helicopter was coming to their aid. And the missiles being shot at the enemy were coming from it. He couldn't see who was in the helicopter, but if it was aiming for the enemy, it most assuredly was not against them. He returned his focus to the battlefield, taking advantage of the reinforcements.

"Alright, change of strategy. We're going to attack the aerial units directly now! Queen, take the offensive alongside the reinforcements!" Regil ordered.

Following his command, the Queen started to aim directly at the aerial units, trying to hit them from underneath, in order to divide some of the reinforcement's newly acquired focus back to him. After all, the Queen still had two hits left to spare.

As for the reinforcement, Regina's unit kept firing without too much pause. Their idea was to take the offensive and destroy as many aerial units as possible from the enemy, making attrition between both forces in the skies. Of course, her idea called the attention of the Chinese Army, and they retaliated with missiles of their own. The dangerous approach was making it quite risky since it was a single helicopter against many, and the times they were barely grazing missiles were stacking up.

"S-Specialist Meitner, we need to form another plan! We might get hit at this rate!" One of the soldiers commented.

"Man up, keep your mouth shut, and just shoot at the enemy! I don't remember giving you permission to question my command!" Regina bitterly responded.

"B-But we might get overwhelmed at this rate! We're just a single flying target that fights back, but that doesn't mean we might be able to-" Another soldier tried to give his input.

"Then just jump down and go back home!! I don't need a baby who doesn't risk himself in war, I need men who can actually pull their own damn weight!!" Regina shouted.

"Incoming missile at our right!!" The pilot shouted.

With a very extreme maneuver, the pilot managed to make sure they wouldn't be hit, but the soldiers inside started to lose balance and had to stop shooting. Regina held herself tightly, while the helicopter got back on track. Seeing as everyone was losing their focus momentarily, Regina exchanged her rifle for an RPG and took the lead.

"Zàijiàn, motherfuckers!! Go to hell and say hi to Uncle Satan for me!!" Regina shouted.

She shot a rocket towards another enemy and hit it directly. The soldiers inside the aerial unit jumped out and started to fall down, opening their parachutes for a safe landing. However, the snipers started to do their job and shot the airborne soldiers, hitting them in random parts of the body.

"The heads!! Out with their HEADS!!" Regina shouted at the snipers while shooting another rocket.

The fighting that arose from her other allies who attacked first made her realize she needed to take action rather than stand there on the beach sands. Turning to her entourage, the imperial princess spoke. “We may need the intel from our enemies, so an attempt to wrap them in chains will be an action to take.” Looking up to the wall of light that covered them, her Noble Arm appeared in front of her as the royal took the katana in both hands. Her own country was a great superpower at one point and controlled their territories with colonization, but the Chinese communists were now worse in the modern era of figureheads and constitutional monarchies.

Out of the Chinese war vehicles which came their way as an infantry battalion, they had water cannons which were an annoying countermeasure to the katana’s flames. “Rin-san, I suggest you use your ice to freeze the water. Your ability is most useful for my own weapon to turn this battle to our allies’ favor.” She ordered the kunoichi while Fuyuko herself had the katana send a tidal wave of fire to split off into fireballs that honed in on an enemy ground tank.

There was the aircraft to target, but one needed to be smart about it. She did want to focus more on taking out the infantry and if the measures to counter her fire were done, all she needed was to deal with them too.