Death Battle: Seras vs Tanya (Part 1)

Edward: Excellent! We’ve compiled the research, analyzed the fighters, and came to our final conclusion! There’s only one thing left to do!

Louis: Without further ado, it’s time to go to war!

Edward: Seras Victoria or Tanya Degurechaff? Which of these courageous soldiers will win in a historic duel between two European empires?

Louis: The outcome of this great war is once again centered on this website. Prepare your weapons, hone your courage, and now……….IT’S TIME FOR A DEATH BATTLE!

OPENING MOVIE:

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CHAPTER 1: BEING X

SERAS

2138 Hours (9:38PM)
No Man’s Land

“Wh–what the? This isn’t my–“

The first thing Seras felt was the cold rain pelting against her back, and the wet, muddy ground beneath her chest, The harsh smell of fire and gunpowder filled her nostrils. The blonde vampire woke up slowly, her eyes filled with the sight of what seemed to be a damaged artillery cannon.

At Seras’ foot was the fallen body of a young man in a blue uniform and a bowl-shaped helmet holding a bolt-action rifle. The soldier was killed, his death made evident by the three massive bullet wounds through his back.

Seras backed away in terror and turned around, only to see that the ground was littered with more young soldiers killed in similar fashions. Some wore light blue uniforms like their comrade while their enemies were dressed in olive green, but they were all dead the same.

Their bodies twisted in grotesque positions, and their injuries ranged widely from bullet wounds, to stab wounds, shrapnel wounds, gas burns, and so on. Also among the dead were horses with their riders shot off of them, pigeons who were carrying small messages, and dogs who died protecting their handlers.

All around, the land was wracked in ruin and destruction. The ground was covered in huge, wide craters like a lunar landscape. Trees were stripped of their branches and reduced to tall spires of burnt wood. A tall windmill was found with a big, gaping hole in one side. Beside the structure were the broken husks of airplanes, tanks, and armored cars, now serving as the coffins of the people who drove them. A thick, black blanket of clouds covered the sky so much that one couldn’t even tell night from day.

Seras Victoria froze in fear as all these terrible sights hit her at once.

“Just where the Hell am I!? Is this some kind of battlefield?”

The rain came down harder, making the mud too liquid and sticky to traverse. The vampire girl climbed out of the trench and walked on solid ground. The merciless rain pelted her hair, face and clothes, but she was too lost in her thoughts to notice.

“None of this makes sense!” She thought. “Just what the bloody hell is going on!? Last night, I was asleep in my coffin in Hellsing Manor just like always, and now….What am I doing in the middle of a warzone!?”

Maybe this was some sort of nightmare. She had been suffering a lot of those since becoming a vampire. But…….her nightmares usually involved something strange and cartoonish, like her being chased by ghouls, or speaking to her Master Alucard. This felt far too real and far too grim to be the case.

Seras felt sick with a knawing feeling in her stomach. All around her, she saw nothing but death across the silent battlefield.

Desperately, she tried calling out the names of her friends:

“MASTER ALUCAAAAAAAAAARD!!!!!!!”

“SIR INTEGRAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!”

“WALTEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRR!!!!!!”

“CAPTAIN BEEEEEERNADOOOOOOOOOOOTTE!!!!!!!!”

Her voice echoed for several yards ahead, but no one answered. “Anybody?” Seras squeaked, before she finally realized she was all alone.

With no guide and no destination in sight, all the frightened 19-year-old could do was find a place to take shelter from the rain. Seras aimlessly wandered the battlefield for what seemed like twenty minutes and just when she was about to give up hope, she found a small church with its roof blown open and its windows shattered. At least the walls were still intact.

She raced towards the small structure, but cautiously crept through the doors. Without speaking, she peeked inside, and found that it was completely vacant. No soldiers–not even dead ones–were inside. The interior was a gloomy blueish-black, the benches and statues vastly damaged by what seemed like gunfire from the outside.

The vampire girl was alone, but at least she’d found a place to rest and get out of the rain. She picked a dry spot away from a hole in the ceiling and sat on the floor. Her body was shivering, her hair and clothes soaking wet from the freezing rain.

Her mind was racing through a forest of questions: Was she still in England? Had she gone back in time? Was this some alternate world where the Millennium Army had taken over Europe? Or maybe it really all was just a bizarre nightmare?

“It’s gotta be a nightmare.” Seras concluded in her mind. “It’s just got to be. I’ll just close my eyes, and go back to sleep. Next morning, I’ll be awake in my coffin at the mansion, and everything will be normal again.”

Ignoring the cold across her body, blonde girl yawned loudly, and lied on the rocky floor in a fetal position. She closed her eyes, and calmed herself back to sleep.

The world around Seras turned pitch black, devoid of any objects or people. Except for one. Seras noticed a small wooden nutcracker on the floor. The strange toy was painted like a Royal British soldier from the 18th Century. Such a thing seemed wildly out-of-place for someplace like this. Maybe it was another part of her nightmare?

Seras picked up the toy and looked at it closely. It seemed like an ordinary nutcracker, with its bright red paint, its white felt beard, and its wide, toothy mouth. It looked so normal, in fact, that Seras wasn’t prepared for what would happen next.

“SERAS VICTORIA.” A thunderous voice boomed in the dark place. Seras yelped and dropped the toy in shock.

“Wh–what the Hell!? Who’s talking!?” Seras frantically looked around for the source of that voice, until she looked down and realized that it was coming from the nutcracker itself!

“FEAR NOT, MY CHILD. FOR I AM THE GOD OF THE WORLD IN WHICH YOU STAND.” The nutcracker spoke without moving its mouth. “BUT YOU MAY ADDRESS ME AS……‘BEING X.’“

“First minute, I wake up in a warzone in the middle of nowhere, and the next minute God’s talking to me!? Now I know I’m in a bloody nightmare!” Seras shouted in her mind.

“HEED MY WORDS, YOUNG SERAS, FOR I HAVE BROUGHT YOU HERE TO COMPLETE A TASK OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE.” The god disguised as a nutcracker said.
“YOU WILL TRAVEL WEST TO THE RUINED TOWN OF AMIENS. THERE YOU WILL FIND A CHILD SOLDIER WITH BRIGHT YELLOW HAIR AND CRYSTAL BLUE EYES. MANY KNOW HER AS THE “DEVIL OF THE RHINE”, FOR THE ABHORRENT NUMBER OF LIVES SHE HAS TAKEN DURING THIS WAR. SHE IS AN UNFAITHFUL CHILD WHO CONTINUES TO FORSAKE ME AND CAST DOWN MY NAME. THE TIME HAS COME FOR HER JUDGEMENT. DESTROY THIS WICKED CREATURE, AND I SHALL RETURN THEE TO THINE PROPER WORLD. NOW, GO!”

All of a sudden, a bright flash emanated from the nutcracker, and Seras covered her face she was overwhelmed!

“AHHHHHHH!!!!!” Seras woke up shrieking, her eyes shooting open in terror. Looking around, she saw that she was still in the same crumbling church in the same battlefield under the same heavy rain. However, one thing was different: Seras’ hand was resting on one of her weapons–the semiautomatic Anti-Midians rifle. And slung on her back was her own Harkonnen I Anti-Tank Rifle! Where did they come from? She didn’t bring them with her!

On top of that, she was instructed by a damn NUTCRACKER that the only way to get home was to kill some girl she doesn’t even know! Was Seras going insane!?

“This–this is no nightmare.” Seras realized to her horror. “This is all real. It’s really happening!” Still, she had no other leads or ideas to go on. If she was to get home, her only chance was to go west and find this “Devil of the Rhine.” Whoever she was.

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CHAPTER 2: AMIENS

TANYA

Two hours later….
Amiens, Francois Republic
5 miles west

Amiens was once a beautiful and lively town, known for its delicious food, grand cathedrals, joyful people, and colorful architecture. But as the war found its way to the Francois Republic, all of that faded away.

The city had come under attack by the Empire, a warring neighbor of the Republic. The Republican soldiers were courageous, but no match for the Empire’s fearsome squads of elite Air Mages. After long months of fighting, the Republicans were pushed far back into Amiens, and their city fell under control of their enemies.

Weeks passed, and Amiens was a shadow of its former self. The town’s food became rations for Imperial soldiers; their churches and hospitals were used as barracks; the colorful atmosphere became dull and gray due to bad weather; and the people grew scared and resentful of their enemies. All in all, Amiens was now a town of misery.

Along the narrow streets was a small squadron of Imperial Air Mages, their dark green uniforms hidden beneath the heavy raincoats they are forced to wear due to the storm. They were members of the 203rd Battalion, a team of proud and elite Air Mages who had scored more victories for the Empire than any other unit. They were also part of the expedition that captured Amiens. For two weeks the Republican town was under their control, and now they ran the duty of patrolling it. It was long, tedious work that constantly put them under the harsh weather, but someone had to do it.

Currently, the young men of the 203rd had dealt with a group of armed partisans who tried to ambush them. With their outdated weapons and lack of training, the 20-or-so rebels were easily defeated by the more experienced Air Mages. Their leader ordered the surviving eight ambushers to be executed as a warning to any future troublemakers. Though the men of the 203rd did their best to appear stoic and professional, they were actually very uneasy with carrying out such brutal orders.

The commanding officer, Tanya Degurechaff, had no such remorse. In fact, she carried out most of the executions herself. The girl’s short blonde hair and cold sapphire eyes were hidden beneath her raincoat. Her coal black boots were soaked up to their ankles in the half-flooded streets. The thundering staccato of gunfire pounded her ears, but Tanya felt nothing. Despite being only eleven, Tanya was a loyal Air Mage for almost three years, and was no stranger to the carnage of war. She looked on in cold satisfaction as the foolish dissidents were being swept away like the trash they were.
With that finished, the child commander turned towards her squad.

<Translated from German>

<“Alright, men! We’re finished here! Prepare to resume patro–“>

All of a sudden, everything stopped! The raindrops halted in midair, the troops’ movements froze, and the water stopped flowing. Tanya grew an enraged, paranoid look on her face…She knew exactly what–or who–was about to show up.

In another bizarre twist, one of the dead partisans shifted its eyes to Tanya and began speaking. “TANYA DEGURECHAFF.”

Impulsively, Tanya immediately fired at the talking corpse and blew its head off.

“Being X! You worthless piece of shit! Did you come back to haunt me again!?”

“MY CHILD…” Being X spoke to her from another corpse. “WHY DO YOU CONTINUE TO CURSE MY NAME? I, WHO MERCIFULLY GIFTED YOU WITH A NEW LIFE IN ORDER TO ESCAPE DEATH?”

“A ‘new life!?’ Don’t gimme that crap!” Tanya hissed. “You brought me to this shithole of a world just to strong-arm me into worshiping You! All my life, You’ve done nothing but torment me, and You caused this whole war just to satisfy Your ego!”

Tanya shot at the corpse, before Being X found another one to possess.

“DEAR CHILD.” The deity spoke. “WHO PROVIDED YOU WITH THE POWERS AND WEAPONS TO SURVIVE THIS WAR? WHO WAS IT WHO BLESSED YOU WITH MAGIC? ALLOWED YOU TO BECOME A SOLDIER? BECOME FEARED AND COMMENDED AS THE EMPIRE’S MOST LETHAL WARRIOR?”

“Screw You! I did all those things in spite of You!” The blonde soldier screamed. “My powers and rank are just the means to accomplish it!”

“GIFTED WITH THE POWERS OF GOD HIMSELF, AND YET THOU CONTINUE TO DEFY ME. SUCH A DISAPPOINTMENT. BUT I WILL TOLERATE THY ARROGANCE NO MORE! THE TIME HAS COME FOR THY JUDGEMENT! FOR I HAVE SUMMONED A WARRIOR FROM ANOTHER WORLD. ONE WHO POSSESS WEAPONS AND STRENGTH FAR BEYOND THINE. SHE IS AN AGENT OF MY WRATH, AND SHE WILL BRING ABOUT THY DEMISE.”

“I don’t care how powerful she is! This isn’t the first time you sent some deranged believer out to kill me, and it never worked! I’ll defeat your ‘agent of wrath’ just like all the rest! AND I WILL NEVER, EVER WORSHIP YOU!!!”

Tanya emptied her clip into the last corpse until it became a pile of bloody, severed parts. She noticed a few seconds later that time resumed its normal course. She looked around and saw her men’s faces staring at her in confusion.

<“Major? Are you alright?”> Lieutenant Viktoriya spoke to her.

<“I–I’m fine, Lieutenant.”>

<“Who were you just talking to?”> Asked another soldier.

<“No one! It was no one! I’m just tired. That’s all.”> Tanya replied.

The Air Mages decided to drop the subject and leave their commander alone. Tanya looked to the raining sky and scowled.

“I swear, Being X. Someday, I’ll be the agent of Your judgement!”

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CHAPTER 3: THROUGH MUD AND BLOOD

For the past two hours, Seras trudged through miles of mud and blood in search of her target. Her clothes, face, and weapons were caked with multiple stains of soggy dirt. Even the constant downpour of rain did little to clean it.

“This is disgusting. She thought to herself. “When this is over, the first thing I’m gonna do is take a long, hot shower.”

Seras traveled west to Amiens for what she guessed was about 4 miles, with only her vampire stamina keeping her awake. Her only guidance was a few wooden signs vaguely pointing in the town’s direction (and it didn’t help that they were all in French). Would it have killed Being X to give her a map and a compass?

Despite this, she somehow managed to find her way to the weeping city. But Amiens proved to be no better than the trenches–and in some cases, worse. Aside from being bogged down in rain, the streets and alleys were constantly guarded with soldiers and tanks roaming around. Other soldiers were posted on machine guns behind sandbags or onboard trucks, and some were snipers who camped in tall hotels and church towers. The town was also littered with debris from buildings and vehicles, and the streets pitted with holes caused by explosions. Getting around this town was another headache in an already unpleasant experience.

Using the training that Captain Bernadotte gave her, Seras kept to the dark, avoiding any patrolling footsoldiers or snipers who could see her. She crept through shadows like a rat, crawling through large holes left in several abandoned homes and shops. It would help if she learned how to transform into a bat like her master Alucard. Even so, Seras managed not to draw any attention to herself from the numerous patrolling guards below.

Seras found her way into a second-story apartment that looked like a little girl’s bedroom. To her right was a set of windows, through which she saw a group of soldiers in olive raincoats on the streets. Around them were the dead bodies of armed men, presumably victims of an ambush or execution. Though the soldiers’ hoods obscured their faces, Seras was close enough to the ground to make out a few of them.

Out of the dozen-or-so soldiers, there were only two women. One was a somewhat-tall brunette teenager around high school age, with large ocean blue eyes. The other was a much shorter girl with blonde hair and azure eyes who looked young enough to be in Middle School. Even though she was only a child, she carried herself with the same authority and intimidation felt from any adult.

Seras remembered Being X saying that her target was a blonde, blue-eyed girl. Sure, it wasn’t much to go on, but how often does one see a 10-year-old in the military? Let alone as a patrolman? With nothing to lose, Seras decided to go downstairs and confirm whether or not this girl was the so-called “Devil of the Rhine.”

The Hellsing agent exited through the first floor and took cover behind a ruined half-track. From their behaviors, she could tell that none of the soldiers had noticed her–yet. “Good. Let’s keep it that way as long as possible.” She thought.

The blonde soldier shouted in a commanding tone to her adult comrades: “Luftmagier! Wir sind fertig mit diesen Partisanenschweinen! Überprüfe deine Waffen und bereite dich auf die Patrouille vor!”

“Jawhol, Major!” The soldiers replied while saluting.

“Germans. Great.” Seras groaned. “Next they’re gonna be doing the ‘Heil Hitler’ salute while singing the bloody Horst Wessel Song.” She remembered her nightmarish encounters with the Millennium Army and wondered if these Germans were anything like them. They didn’t act like vampires though, since they weren’t eating their victims.

While she was busy looking at the soldiers, Seras didn’t notice the wet, rainy air filling her nose, causing her to sneeze. “Ah–AHH–ACHOO!!!”

The Germans noticed. They snapped towards Seras’ cover and ordered her to come out in her language.

“Shit! Way to blow your cover, Victoria!” Seras chastised herself for sneezing.

“Raus!” Shouted the little blonde girl holding a rifle. “Komm langsam raus mit deinen Händen über deinem Kopf! Lass alle Waffen fallen, die du hast!” She fired a warning shot at Seras’ cover, the bullet whizzing right past her hair. “RAUS!!!” She roared again.

“Okay! Okay! I’m coming out!” Seras cried. She didn’t speak their language, but she could tell they wanted her to reveal herself. She placed her weapons on the ground and came out with her hands raised.

Smiling nervously, she tried to speak what little German she knew. “Uummmm, Guten Tag?

Mein Name……Seras Victoria? Ich bin ein police girl. Looken for ein blond girl, yah?”

The soldiers looked at each other confused, while the girl, Tanya, looked unimpressed.
The tall brunette, Viktoriya asked her, <“Uh, Major. What is this girl talking about?”>

<“She has no idea what she’s saying. She obviously doesn’t speak our language.”> Tanya replied as took a long, careful look at the stranger in front.

She was wearing a light tan uniform that didn’t belong to any army Tanya’s familiar with. She wore her short blonde hair in a ponytail, and her eyes were a deep ocean blue like her own. Something was definitely strange about this new soldier. Was she the “agent of judgement” that Being X told her about?

“Identify yourself! State your name, rank, and unit!” Tanya commanded Seras in English.
“She speaks English! Thank God!” Seras thought. At least something was going her way. “My name’s Seras Victoria. I don’t belong to any army. I’m just looking for someone. Do you happen to know somebody called ‘Devil of the Rhine?’ “

Suddenly, the blonde German girl’s face gave a look of shock and rage. The soldiers behind her were muttering to each other. What could this stranger possibly want with Major Degurechaff?

<“Men! Report back to HQ at once! Tell them to send a battalion to this location!”> Tanya ordered her squad in her native language.

Viktoriya looked at her Major in confusion. <“Uhhh, Major? With respect, ma’am, we’re not under attack. What purpose would we have for sending–“>

<“This girl is an enemy! She’s a Partisan spy gathering intel for the Republic! If we let her go, she’ll tell them the locations of our key strategic points in this town. I’ll stay behind and make sure she doesn’t escape!”>

<“But, Tanya–“>

<“YOU HAVE YOUR ORDERS, SOLDIER! NOW, DO AS YOU’RE TOLD!”> The child

Major’s outburst surprised everyone, even herself. Luckily, experience taught her men that it was never a good idea to get on her bad side.

<“You heard her comrades! Back to HQ!”> Shouted Matheus Weiss, the squad’s 2nd-in-command. The loyal Air Mages activated their Flight Gears, powered by the glowing crystal orbs on their uniforms. They levitated quickly and shot up into the rainy sky, flying away in a forward direction.

“Holy shit! These people can fly!?” Seras thought as she witnessed the spectacular feat above her. Her attention was brought back to Tanya, who pointed her rifle at the supposed spy in fury.

“Good. Now it’s just you and me.” The Air Mage leader said with cold fury.

“Just who are you? What did you just tell your men?” Seras queried.

“That’s irrelevant! The real question is who the Hell are you!?” Tanya snapped. “But I already know–you’re the one Being X sent to kill me, aren’t you!?”

That confirmed it. If this girl claims to know who Being X is, she must be the one Seras is after! Still, she couldn’t let her know that. “L-look, love, there’s been a misunderstanding. I don’t know who Being X–“

“Cut the bullshit!” Tanya hissed. “You’re another one His deranged cultists out to do His bidding! Well, it won’t work! That pompous bastard sent two religious lunatics to kill me before, and both of them failed! You’ll be no different!”

*BANG!!!*

Tanya fired a shot that landed in Seras’ stomach! The Brit shrieked and collapsed to her knees, clutching her bleeding wound in pain.

The Major looked on pleasantly surprised. She knew she was more than capable of killing this girl, but she didn’t expect it to be this easy. “Really, Being X? This pathetic Saumensch is the best you got!? I’d almost feel embarrassed for her if it wasn’t You who sent her!” But Tanya soon found her pride was short-lived.

“Y’know…..I’ve been shot through the chest once or twice before.” Seras said, her pain fading away. In what could only be described as a miracle, the vampire agent got back to her feet.

“Guess what?…I got better.” Her bullet wound closed up and vanished like she was never shot.

Tanya couldn’t believe her eyes! What was this!? Any other person would be bleeding to death from a wound like that! Was this another trick by Being X!? No matter, Tanya thought. She would just have to play with her enemy for a while till she finds a way to kill her.

Seras grit her fanged teeth. Clearly, this psychotic little Kraut had every intent to kill her.

No amount of talking would get her out of this–this was a fight now.

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CHAPTER 4: THE FIRST SHOTS

Seras rolled to her left and crouched behind the ruined APC. She grabbed her Anti-Midians rifle and opened fire. To her surprise, a blue barrier sprang up and shielded Tanya from the bullets. The child major looked unimpressed and returned fire with her Mondragon rifle.
Seras crouched back into cover, doing her best to keep her head down.

Lucky for her, the rusted tank provided adequate defense against the powerful German bullets. Being a vampire, Seras had the advantage of a strong healing factor, but that didn’t mean she liked getting shot. She lifted her gun over her shoulder and blind-fired at Tanya, hoping to disrupt her fire for a bit. Like before, she could do little but wear down her enemy’s shield, but Tanya knew better than to let that happen.

The Imperial Air Mage activated the crimson Elenium Crystal on her uniform and took to the skies. Ignoring the droplets of rain whipping her face, Tanya dashed forward and rained down magical shots at her target.

“Bloody Hell!” Seras shrieked as she ran to avoid the deadly blue beams. She ducked her head and scurried away as the shots pounded the street around her. Though she did her best to run, the slippery, rain-soaked streets made that difficult. Each shot from Tanya’s rifle exploded like an artillery shell, causing large craters in each place they hit. Seras tried to shoot back with her semi-auto rifle, but Tanya was too small and fast a target to hit reliably.

Already this odds of this battle were in Tanya’s favor. Her crystal gave her an enormous edge in both flight and speed. All she had to do was wear Seras down to exhaustion, and then finish her when she became too tired to retreat. She continued peppering the ground with artillery bullets, each shot exploding like a hand grenade.

On the ground, Seras was blown forward several feet and crashed face-first on the hard pavement. If she were still an ordinary human, that would already caused her some major damage. She tried to shoot with one hand while crouching, but was so dazed that her shots missed Tanya by several feet.

“Pathetic! You’re making this way too easy!” Tanya laughed as Seras’ shots misssed her. The blond soldier rocketed towards the sky, around 300 feet above the city. Tanya charged her bayonet, its metal blade glowing blue with magic. Tanya dove downwards and charged at Seras, swinging her rifle like a halberd. The bayonet cut a deep gash into Seras’ arm, nearly severing it. The Hellsing agent didn’t even have time to scream as Tanya charged again, this time slicing her left torso.

Seras cried loudly as she suffered more lacerations along her chest, face, limbs, and stomach. Each wound leaked a frightening amount of blood, which would’ve already killed Seras were she not a vampire. She fought the pain across her body and struggled back to her feet.

Tanya gave a smile of sadistic glee as she watched her opponent. “This Saumench can’t possibly have any fight left in her. I’ll give her a mercy killing.”

The Air Mage dashed forward and kicked Seras in the chin, sending her flying several feet back on the street. She landed face-up and too dazed to stand; she’d also dropped her rifle in the attack. Tanya stood on top of the vampire and held her rifle like a spear, ready to pierce Seras’ heart! The police girl shook off her dizziness and grabbed Tanya’s rifle by the bayonet before it could skewer her. Tanya’s knife inched closer and closer between Seras’ breasts, nearly touching the buttons on her tan uniform.

“Bollocks to this! I am not gonna die to some fucking pre-schooler who thinks she’s a soldier!” The blond vampire thought while giving a look of angry determination.
She poured her strength into her arms and slowly pushed the enemy’s knife away. The wounds in her legs started to heal, which gave her the strength to stand back up.

Roaring with fury, the vampire pushed the rifle further and further back, as her enemy Tanya was losing all her momentum. The child soldier’s joy turned to fear and confusion. “What is this? How the Hell could she have healed this soon already!?”

“You will not kill me! YOU–WILL–NOT–FUCKING–KILL ME!” Seras finally regained her ground and yanked away Tanya’s rifle while she was off-balance. She then kneed the child soldier in the gut and sent her flying with an uppercut.

Tanya was shot up above the rooftops like a mortar shell, but quickly regained her balance with her Elenium Crystal. A gunshot crashed into Tanya’s personal shield, nearly penetrating it. The Imperial soldier looked down and saw Seras taking aim with the stolen Mondragon.
“That bitch! How dare she shoot at me with my own weapon!”

Feeling insulted, the Air Mage pulled out another weapon–her prized SIG MKMS submachine gun. She sprayed several bullets down, who didn’t even flinch as the bullets exploded all around her. Tanya’s clip quickly ran out, forcing her to search for a fresh one.
But before she could reloaded, she again took gunfire–not from Seras, but from armed civilians hiding in a nearby house!

The surprise attack caused the Air Mage to drop her magazine and race back down to the street to recover it. She was forced to take cover behind a set of sandbags next to a building across the street.“Partisans!? Why now of all times!?” The Air Mage snarled as she kept her head beneath cover.

She looked in frustration as her target had enough time to retrieve her lost rifle and run in the Partisan house. She even had the nerve to take Tanya’s gun with her!
A few minutes passed. Tanya prepared to throw a smoke grenade to throw off the Partisans’ aim.

Suddenly, a voice crackled to life on her radio. <“Major! This is Vice Commander Weiss! We’re coming to provide backup! And we’re bringing the battalion you ordered!”>

Tanya peeked out of her cover and saw her teammates were indeed coming, along with a truck of the promised infantry. Inside the truck, she saw at least three troopers in heavy gear and gas masks, carrying what looked like flamethrowers. Seeing those gave Tanya a sinister idea.

“Flamethrowers. We’ll burn her out.”

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CHAPTER 5: BURNIN’ DOWN THE HOUSE

Seras was glad she took advantage of her lucky break.

“Thank God she didn’t get my heart, or I would’ve been finished.” The police girl thought. “Although, I’m not sure ‘God’s’ the one I should be thanking.” After all, Being X was the reason Seras was in this hellhole in the first place.

She hid behind an old couch with her two rifles, waiting for her wounds to heal. Her healing factor wasn’t quite as robust as her master Alucard’s, but it still knew how to put her back together.

The interior was completely ruined–its walls, floors, and furniture covered in dust and ash. The windows were barred in with wooden planks. No one was on the first floor. But above, Seras felt the ceiling rattling with the noise of gunfire and furious shouting. Didn’t matter. She was safe as long as no one knew she existed.

The vampire peeked through the windows, and saw a big armored truck carrying uniformed men with guns.

“Just my luck.” Seras groaned. “As if one of these bastards isn’t hard enough to deal with.”

The good news was, the gunfire from upstairs was holding them back. If Seras was careful, she might crawl her way out of the house before the Imperials have time to notice her.

Suddenly, a small object broke through the window above and landed on the floor. The object was small and metal, and oddly shaped like a potato masher. Seras knew exactly what it was.

“Shit! Stick grenade! I’m finished!” She shut her eyes and awaited the inevitable explosion……..except there was no explosion.

*HIIIISSSSS!*

The grenade released a harmless cloud of white smoke.

“Phew! Just a smoke grenade.” Seras sighed in relief. The Hellsing agent threw the non-lethal explosive through the window and carried on. Outside, the white smoke filled the area around the front of the building. The gunfire upstairs halted, the attackers blinded by the smoke. Seras looked nervous–she felt like she just made a grave mistake.

She heard Tanya’s voice shouting to her comrades outside: “Der Partisanenspion flüchtet mit ihren Verbündeten in diesem Haus! Nimm deine Flammenwerfer und verbrenne sie! Verbrenne sie alle auf den verdammten Boden!”

“Whatever she’s saying, it doesn’t sound good.” Seras worried. She kept her head low continued crawling……

…..Until a huge stream of fire blazed through the windows right above her!

“CHRIST!!! A bloody FLAMETHROWER!?” The vampire shouted in horror. As much as she wanted to run, she needed to keep to the ground to avoid getting burned or inhaling smoke.
The flames scorched the wooden walls and furniture, ravaging the hallway. The vampire crawled as fast as she could, but before she knew it, another flamethrower fired through the window in front! And then another the window further down!

“Oh, gimme a fucking break!” Cried Seras. The whole house became a blazing inferno. The flames raced their ways into the living room, the kitchen, and the bedrooms. The police girl dodged the second flamethrower in the middle, and later the third one at the end. With all three deathtraps cleared, now was the time to get the hell out of the building!

Seras frantically raced up the stairs, dodging flames and falling wood along the way. She reached the second floor, which wasn’t on fire yet, but covered in thick smoke. The blonde coughed painfully, and covered her mouth to avoid inhaling more smoke. Seras needed to find an exit, but she could barely see five feet through the thick smoke.

On her right, panicked men in civilian clothes crashed through the door, whom Seras assumed to be the Partisans. The rebels raced down the hallway, too terrified to notice Seras. The vampire girl followed the men as the inferno burned away at the house’s foundations, weakening the second floor. Flaming debris fell, crushing two of the soldiers beneath it.

The guy on the left was killed instantly, while his companion on the right cried out for help: “Aidez-moi, s’il vous plaît! Enlevez-moi ça! Je ne veux pas mourir comme ça!”

“Hang on, mate! We’ll get you outta there!” Seras and the other Partisan rushed to his aid and began lifting the wooden beam off of him. The former used her vampire strength to lift the heavy plank while the latter grabbed his friend’s hand to pull him to safety. But suddenly, a storm of gunfire tore through the ceiling and tore the guy on Seras’ left to shreds.

Seras covered her head in shock and then looked up through the hole that in the ceiling. Far above, Tanya and two other Air Mages were aiming their rifles down.

<“Concentrate fire! Collapse the house on top of them!”> The Air Mage leader commanded. As ordered, they fired down at the flaming building, each magic round tearing through every room and item inside. Sure, it was a needlessly destructive plan, but Tanya could always use the excuse that they were ambushed by Partisans.

Seras barely rescued the last surviving Partisan and carried him on her back.

“Don’t you think this is overdoing it, you bloody PSYCHOPATH!?” Seras screamed as she raced through the halls, dodging flames and gunfire. Fortunately, she found her exit in the form of a large hole blown in a window. The Hellsing agent poured her vampire speed into her legs and jumped out of the house!

BOOM!!!

(Stop Music)

A huge explosion rang out of the hole in the window. Just a second too late, and Seras and her ally would be burned to a crisp. The house rapidly crumbled into a pile of burning wood, glass and stone. Seras decided to flee the area quickly before her and the Partisan would be found.

About ten minutes passed. Vice Commander Weiss approached his leader Tanya with a report: <“Major, we’ve discovered two enemy corpses buried beneath the rubble. However, we’ve found no trace of the female spy.”> His face quivered a little in fear of his commander’s response.

Tanya snarled at him, <“Then she’s not dead! Double your search!”> The child soldier barked at the older man.

<“Ma’am. With all due respect, why are we wasting our time trying to kill one spy?”> Asked Warren Grantz, a younger member of the battalion.

In a sudden fit of rage, Tanya punched the blonde man in the stomach and grabbed him by the jacket.

<“We just tried to burn an entire house on top of her, and somehow she escaped! And that was after I riddled her with bullets and sliced her with my bayonet! Who else knows what she’s capable of!? As long as she lives, she poses an enormous threat–not only to ourselves, but to the Fatherland itself! Now follow your orders and keep searching!”>

<“Y-yes, ma’am! Sorry for questioning you!”> Warren grabbed his aching stomach and resumed his search. His comrades all did the same, not wanting to anger their leader further.

Tanya bit her thumb. “Scheisse!” She cursed in her mind. “This girl is becoming a pain in my ass! What kind of monster did you send against me, Being X!?”

Meanwhile, Seras and her new friend took cover in a small but elegant dress shop. The two hid in a dressing room, away from any windows or doors.

“Are you alright, love?” Seras asked the wounded man.

“I’ll live.” The Partisan grunted. His right arm was broken thanks to the fallen debris. Seras found a dress hanging by the mirror. She tore a few strips of cloth and fashioned a sling for his arm.

“Merci beaucoup, jeune fille.” The soldier thanked her in his language. “I won’t forget you for saving my life.”

“You’re welcome, sir.” She responded. “And……I’m sorry about your friends back in that house.”

“Emil and Raphael were good men.” The older man said. “I will miss them dearly, but now’s not the time for grieving.” He stuck out his good arm to shake his rescuer’s hand. “My name is Jean. Jean Rousseau. And you are?”

“I’m Seras Victoria.” She replied, shaking the man’s hand. “Nice to finally meet someone who’s not trying to kill me.”

The man named Rousseau chuckled softly. “Sadly, things in Amiens haven’t been the same since the Imperial occupation. Many of us have either gone into hiding or took up arms against the Bosche.” He paused.

“I’m sorry–the ‘Bosche’?” Seras gave a look like she’d never heard that word before.

“Our word for those Fatherland bastards.” Rousseau answered. “Like the ones who were just trying to kill you. So, tell me, you’re from the Allied Kingdom, are you not? I’ve never heard of them taking female soldiers.”

“The Allied–” The blonde vampire sputtered. “N-no, I’m–It’s hard to explain, but I’m not with any army. But there is someone I’m after.”

The Partisan was curious. “And who is that, exactly?”

“The little girl with the blond hair. The one who tried to turn us into a human barbecue.” Seras answered.

“Tanya Degurechaff? The Devil of the Rhine?” Jean answered with surprise. “You must have a death wish if you’re going after her!”

“Trust me, I wouldn’t even think of trying to kill her if I didn’t have to.”

“Well, if you truly must, there is an old clock tower just a few blocks east of here that you can use as a vantage point. But if I were you, I would get out of Amiens as soon as possible.” Rousseau advised.

“Why’s that?” Replied Seras.

“I heard that the Republican Army is planning an attack to liberate this town. It’s gonna be hell on earth. Stay too long, and you’ll be caught right in the crossfire.”

“SHIT! As if my day wasn’t bad enough!” Seras thought as she gave a terrified look. “Thanks for the warning. What about you?”

“I’ll stay here for a while until the patrols die down. You get after that evil bitch Degurechaff. Bonne chance, Miss Victoria.” Jean said as he saluted Seras.

The Hellsing soldier returned the salute. “Good luck to you too, Rousseau.” She cautiously left the store and looked upwards. Tanya’s group flew right overhead towards the eastern part of town. Luckily, the hadn’t noticed Seras on the ground. She silently followed them.

---

CHAPTER 6: CLOCK TOWER

SERAS

20 minutes later…

True to Rousseau’s word, there was indeed a clock tower just a few short blocks to the east. Seras stood right at the base of the tall structure and looked up. The massive tower stood at an impressive 11 stories high, with an enormous white clock face on each side. The antenna at the very top almost seemed to dare to pierce the dark clouds above it. From the directions the clock arms were facing, Seras read that it was around 12:30–almost three hours since Being X kidnapped her to this world.

Seras was reminded of her time as a rookie cop in London, passing by Big Ben every day on her patrol. Life seemed so much simpler before she became a vampire.

“Alucard. Integra. Captain Bernadotte. Do any of them know I’m gone?” Seras wondered, thinking of her friends in Hellsing Manor.

No. This was no time to be nostalgic. Her mission right now was to get to the top of the tower and find a good sniping position.

She’d lost her two weapons in the earlier housefire, but luckily she managed to retrieve her enormous Harkonnen I Sniper Rifle. The weapon was longer than Seras was tall, and weighed a crushing 120 pounds. It fired 30mm uranium shells, powerful enough to punch a hole through a tank. Were Seras a normal human, there would be no way she’d be able to carry the thing, let alone fire it.

The Hellsing soldier ran up to the wooden door at the base of the tower. Fortunately, it was unlocked. Seras stepped inside the clock tower. The interior was dark and silent, with no windows or decorations along the four stony walls. The endless tick-tock of the gears echoed with each passing second. Along the edges of the wall was a long, winding staircase that led up to the balcony of the tower. It all reminded her even more of home. All the more reason to get this over with.

Seras didn’t look forward to climbing all those steps, but she didn’t have a choice. The Hellsing soldier took a deep breath and began her long ascent up the stairs. She turned corner after corner, climbing her way to what she hoped would be an exit leading to the balcony. “They couldn’t have been bothered to put a damn elevator in here!?” She thought in frustration.

Halfway up the tower, Seras could see the numerous intricate gears and motors that powered the clock. She took it as a sign she was getting closer to the top. Seras looked into her pouch to see how much ammo she had for her cannon. She counted eight armor-piercing rounds and four incendiary ones. Twelve rounds total–not a lot of ammo to use. Seras had to make her shots count.

Finally, she reached the top of the staircase, and came across a door leading to the clock tower balcony. Before she stepped through, Seras looked to her right and saw……..an elevator that could’ve saved all the time she took taking the stairs. “Nice, Seras. Always taking the hard way when the easy way is bloody obvious.”

Ignoring her frustration, Seras slowly opened the door and stepped out on the balcony. Right in front she saw a man dressed in an Imperial uniform, holding a bolt-action sniper rifle. The sniper was facing the streets away from the tower–he hadn’t noticed the woman coming through the door behind him. The man was lazy, bored, and judging from the empty bottle behind him, drunk.

Seras crouched and quickly grabbed the bottle. Slowly, silently, she walked up to the soldier, preparing to bash the bottle against the man’s skull to knock him out. The soldier had no time to turn around.

SMASH!!!

The bottle shattered against the sniper’s helmet! The sudden impact caused him to fall limp over the railing and plummet to his death. Seras froze in shock at what she’d accidentally done. She only meant to knock out the man, not kill him! Then she quickly shook it off and checked her surroundings.

After determining that the coast was clear, Seras took position and loaded her rifle. She aimed the weapon skyward, but her vision was blocked by the opaque rainclouds above. Even if she could see, her target was a tiny flying girl who was several miles away. On top of that, her Harkonnen I wasn’t equipped with a scope–but Seras didn’t need one. She was the scope.

“Calm down, Seras.” The blonde whispered to herself. “Remember what Master taught you. Breathe. Focus. Imagine there’s an eye in the middle of your forehead.”

Seras closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. She imagined her eyesight extending beyond the heavy thick clouds and into the dark night sky. Even through the rainy darkness, Seras could see just as clearly as though it was daytime. Far off in the distance, she saw ten–no, twelve humanoid figures in the sky. At the very front was the psychotic little blonde girl who tried to burn a house on top of Seras.

When Seras opened her eyes, they turned from their normal ocean blue to a vampiric blood red.

“Gotcha!”

BOOOOOOOM!!!

---

CHAPTER 7: LADY SNIPER

TANYA

Meanwhile…
2 Km. east
600 feet above Amiens

The sky was dark. The air was cold and biting. Any view of the grieving city far below was obscured by the enormous storm clouds that covered the night sky. The endless noise of thunder and rain was followed by the occasional flash of lightning. The only illumination came from the distant full moon that glowed like a pearl in the sky, and the small collection of stars that surrounded it.

Tanya and her squad of Air Mages flew through the darkened skies above Amiens, heading towards the eastern edge of the city. They’d found no sign of the suspected spy in the burning house, but were forced to abandon their search for the time being. The 203rd were ordered by Imperial command to report to the eastern defensive line immediately. Apparently they were suspicious that their enemy, the Republic, were staging an assault to retake the town.

Of course, Tanya wasn’t happy having to leave behind someone who was out to kill her, but orders were orders. Hopefully something would come up that would give her an excuse to put her orders on hold.

Behind Tanya were eleven of her fellow Air Mages. She’d split up her wing into four separate squadrons to continue their patrols while hers carried out their orders. Among them were the brunette female Visha, the tall blonde male Warren, and a large, rotund man named Rhiner Neumann.

Neumann, who enjoyed the extra sauerkraut and beer or two, was the fattest member of the battalion, but still a capable soldier. However, he wasn’t exactly known for his brains. While the other Air Mages knew it wasn’t wise to bother the Major when she was deep in thought, Neumann decided to ask her a question.

<“Excuse me, Major. Permission to ask a question, ma’am?”>

Tanya barely cast an eye at Neumann, doing her best not to show her irritation. <“Speak.”> She replied coldly.

Neumann gulped. <“D–do you really believe that the Republic are planning an atta–“>

<“Ask yourself this, Lieutenant.”> Tanya interrupted. <“Why did we capture this town in the first place? What was our objective?”>

<“Well–it’s b-because….”>

<“Because Amiens has a vital railway station that leads to the capital.”>

<“With this town under our control, we can move our troops north to Paree, and force them to surrender. With the Francois Army stretched as thin as they are, they won’t have the time to rally a strong defense at the capital. That’s why they can’t afford to lose this town. A counterattack was inevitable.”> Tanya explained her theory with a chilling calmness and professionalism.

“Just another way for Being X to fuck with me.” She told herself.

Visha and Warren overheard the conversation. They looked at each other nervously. Their battallion had enjoyed two weeks of relative peace, and now they would soon be in battle all over again. It was a scenario none of them wanted to happen.

Now it was Visha’s turn to ask questions. <“Ma’am, do you think that spy had anything to do–“>

BOOOOOOOM!!!

A thunderous noise like a tank or artillery cannon rang out!

The shocked Air Mages stopped and searched for whatever the hell made that sound! Tanya looked past her soldiers and noticed something coming through the clouds behind. A silver metal object rocketed through the clouds! It soared past the Air Mages who moved or ducked their heads! It was heading straight for Tanya!

Tanya could only watch in horror. She was about to die!

<“Get out of there, Major!”> Cried Neumann as he rushed forward and pushed his commander away from danger.

(Stop music)

CRUNCH!!!

Almost as if in slow motion, Tanya witnessed Neumann’s horrible fate. The bullet pierced the sides of his torso. Two massive holes formed where his heart, lungs, and ribs used to be. Neumann’s corpse fell like a meteor and vanished into the clouds.

<“RHINER!!!”> Warren shouted as he watched his comrade’s sudden death.

<“What was that!?”> Cried Viktoriya. <“Was it the Republicans?”>

<“Did the invasion start already!?”> Said another Air Mage.

Tanya was dazed from having literally dodged a bullet. “If Neumann hadn’t pushed me out of the way, I would be–.”

No! There was no time to think about that! She was alive, and she would take advantage of that!

<“I don’t know what it was, but now’s not the time for mourning!”> Tanya rallied her men.

<“Spread out and find whoever fired that shot! Don’t let Neumann’s sacrifice be in vain!”>

“JAWOLH, MEIN MAJOR!” They shouted at once. The 203rd Battalion descended rapidly from the clouds and back over the rooftops of Amiens. They couldn’t afford to have their vision obscured by heavy clouds and rain. As they nosedived, another shot rang out. It missed Tanya and killed a random Air Mage on her left.

“I can’t just keep losing men like this!” She snarled.

The battalion dropped down to the rooftops of Amiens and continued their advance.
<“Spread out and use the buildings for cover! Don’t give them an easy target!”> Tanya’s men obediently carried out their orders and took cover in different parts of the town. The child soldier dashed forward alone, the tiny droplets of rain stinging her eyes. Tanya had to stay focused if she had any chance of living.

A third shot boomed out. Tanya swerved just in time for the massive shell to miss her and blow a massive hole in a building behind her.

“Again, that nearly got me! Just what the hell is going on!?” The child soldier thought. “These shots are way too accurate to be random artillery fire! Only a sniper would be so precise! But their weapon was powerful enough to pierce Neumann’s magic barrier! This sniper would have to be superhuman to use something like–no. It can’t be.” Tanya’s paranoia grew when she realized who she was up against. “That bitch from the burning house! Not her again!”

SERAS

Back at the clock tower, Seras got to work reloading her Harkonnen. It could only fire one shot at a time, so reloading cost several precious seconds.

“Dammit!” She cursed. “I almost had her! If only that fat bastard hadn’t got in the way!” Now she had to do this the hard way. Seras had already spent three rounds, and a whole squad of Air Mages was hunting for her.

“Okay, Seras. Relax! You got this!” She reloaded her Harkonnen and scanned the area east of the clock tower. She saw Tanya racing down the streets at inhuman speed. Aiming carefully, she fired another uranium shell, only for it to crater the street as Tanya dodged it.

“Shit! She’s anticipating my shots!” This situation was getting more and more frustrating. Sooner or later, she’d have to deal with a whole squad of flying soldiers! However, the blonde sniper had one advantage: She was atop one of the tallest buildings in Amiens, and the enemy had no idea where she was. As long as Seras held the high ground, she was fine.

She slammed her fifth round in the Harkonnen. This time she fired at a building just a few feet in front of Tanya. The uranium shell screamed and slammed into the front of the building, causing it to crumble to the streets.

Tanya was forced to halt her movement to avoid getting crushed. She then flew upwards over the rooftops and scanned her surroundings. Just where were those shots coming from!? Tanya noticed that the sniper was firing very slowly. There were about 3 or 4 seconds between each shot.

“She must be using a single-shot rifle.” Tanya thought. “Meaning that as long as I keep moving, I’ll survive!” This gave Tanya an idea.

About now, Seras was halfway out of ammo. She had three normal shells and four incendiaries on stand-by. If she didn’t make any of these count, she was done for. She prepared her rifle once again, and fired at Tanya’s position. Shockingly, the round passed right through Tanya like she was made of thin air!

“What the Hell!? That was a direct–“

BOOOOOOONG! BOOOOOOONG! BOOOOOOONG!

“What the–NO! Not now!” The clock bell rang out! A startled Seras looked up at the clock face which read 1:00. This couldn’t have happened at a worse time. “That damn bell is gonna give away my position!”

Down on the streets, Warren and Visha heard the thunderous noise of the clock tower. Behind them were two other Air Mages who followed them. They paid their attention at the tower just a few hundred meters ahead. Visha, the brunette, took out her binoculars and scanned the balcony. She made out a human female crouching behind the railing, holding what seemed to be an anti-tank rifle.

Visha activated her radio and called out to Tanya, <“Major! It’s the spy! The one we were looking for! She’s sniping us from the top of the clock tower! 40 meters high; 200 meters west!”>

Now it all made sense. “You little rat! So that’s where you’re hiding.” Tanya relayed to her squad, <“Converge on the clock tower! Form a perimeter and keep the sniper pinned where she is!”> Hopefully Tanya’s squad and that holographic decoy she placed earlier would buy her enough time to carry out her plan.

<“Roger!”> Visha and her comrades got off their radios and carried out Tanya’s orders.
Seras, who was still lining up her next shot, suddenly noticed four flying figures heading towards her. Their red Eilinium crystals glowed in the dark sky as they zoomed up against the clock tower.

“Bollocks, they’ve found me!” Seras cried. “There goes my only advantage!”

“Da ist sie! Dieser feige Scharfschütze tötete Neumann und Schwartz! Lass sie bezahlen!” Shouted Warrren to his comrades.

The four of them opened fire on the balcony, blasting the floors and railing into rubble. Staying outside was no longer an option. The Hellsing Agent ran through the door and took cover inside the clock tower. Outside, the four Air Mages surrounded the building, blasting holes in the walls and clock faces.

The stone and wooden walls provided some protection, but it wouldn’t hold out forever. Going downstairs was also dangerous because the gunfire crumbled away several parts of the staircase, and there was no guarantee the elevator would get her down in time. Her only choice was to stay and fight.

“This is just great! Seras thought. “I’m exposed. I’m pinned down. My target’s nowhere in sight. And eventually this tower’s gonna fall on me! Fuck this for a game of soldiers!”

Seras looked at the white clock faces above. Through the translucent glass, she saw silhouettes of the flying enemies. Wasting no time, she aimed at one of the shadows and shot a uranium shell through the glass. The speeding round decapitated the poor soldier, and he fell to the streets a headless, bloody corpse.

“Goodnight, you bastard!” Seras shouted in satisfaction.

The other three Air Mages froze, probably stunned by their comrade’s brutal death. She quickly loaded her final armor-piercing round and fired at the next shadow through the glass. The round pierced the Air Mage’s stomach, and he died just like his comrade.

Seras was turning this around! Although her enemies could fly, they were still just humans with average reflexes. As long as she could outrun and outshoot them, she would be fine.

Seras ran back outside. From the balcony, she saw the two remaining Air Mages had turned tail.

“Yes! They’re falling back! But more of them will be coming. If I just hold out a bit longer, I’ll survive!”

She’d run out of normal rounds, which meant it was time to give them a taste of the incendiaries. Another squad of roughly four of five Mages arrived, but this time Seras was ready. Using her vampire sight, she fired an incendiary round at the lead Air Mage. The round found its target, and the fiery explosion that followed killed two of his comrades.

Warren and Visha, the two retreating soldiers, stood in disbelief at what they just witnessed.

<“W–what the Hell!?”> Cried the male soldier. <“She’s just one sniper! How did she take out five of us so fast!?”>

Visha, the brunette, contacted Tanya on her radio. <“Major, this is Serebryakov! We’ve lost Kurtz and Kaufmann! Three guys from Squad 3 were also killed!”>

<“Stand your ground and keep fighting! You must NOT let that sniper escape!”>

<“Of course! Yes, ma’am!”> Visha shut off her radio.

TANYA

Far above, Tanya hovered in place about 300 meters above the city. Though her vision was blocked by clouds, Tanya witnessed the violence happening below her using a holographic screen.

“You filthy bitch!” The lead Air Mage snarled. “Your antics cost me seven of my men! I’m putting an end to this right now!”

Tanya zoomed her magic targeting screen further down. She got a lock on Seras, who once again took a sniping position on the balcony. A sadistic, maniacal grin grew on Tanya’s face.

“Gotcha!”

Tanya had her target. She loaded her SIG MKMS with a clip full of artillery rounds. The explosive force from even one of these should blast Seras to oblivion!

The child major got on her radio: <“Enough! All units fall back. I repeat–fall back! I’ll blow that sniping bitch to Hell myself!”>

Down below, Warren, Visha, and their surviving comrades immediately flew away in different directions.

SERAS

Seras looked on in confusion. “What the–where are they all going? They couldn’t just be giving up?” Something told her this wasn’t at all the case.

Suddenly, the earth lit up as a bright golden glow lit up the sky. Seras looked to the sky, the strange radiance almost blinding her. “Is it sunrise already?” Seras thought. “It can’t be, it’s only 1:00AM!” She used her enhanced sight to get a closer look at who or what was up there.

“It’s that girl again!” Seras exclaimed. “So….those soldiers that came after me–they were just a distraction!?”

Tanya aimed her rifle below, right onto Seras’ current position. Her whole body gave a golden glow with a special, holy power. A power ironically gifted to her by Being X–the one person she despised most. She also chuckled at the irony that she would use this power to destroy the person Being X sent to kill her.

“Oh, what a world we live in. As much as I hate praying to Being X, it’s the best chance I have to destroy this pest.”

Seras was beyond terrified. “Oh, shit! Oh, SHIT! Whatever power she’s using up there, I don’t wanna stay to get hit! I need to get off this bloody tower!”

The staircase and elevator were already out of the question. Seras’ only choice was to…….jump? “No! Am I out of my mind!? A fall from this height would kill me! Even if I lived, would my regeneration heal me in time to make an escape?”

The Hellsing agent looked across the street to her right. Across the gap was a four-story building with a flat rooftop. It wouldn’t be painless, but it was better than a straight plummet to the ground. Either way, Seras was out of time. It was either wait to get blown up, or take her chances with the jump.

Tanya’s next shot would surely wipe Seras off the face of the earth! All she had to do was say a prayer:

“Oh, Almighty Father who governs this world with love and wisdom…
I humbly ask thee, grant me the power to vanquish all mine enemies.
Through me, cast Your swift and terrible thunder down on this unholy demon…
And send her back to Hell from whence she came!”

The artillery round sliced through the clouds like a bolt of lightning! In a few seconds, the clock tower would be reduced to rubble!

“Fuck it! Jump!” Seras poured her vampire speed into her legs and leaped off the tower!
The artillery round pierced the steeple and detonated inside the bell room!

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!

The clock tower exploded! Countless pieces of wood, stone, glass and machinery flew in random directions!

The explosion propelled Seras towards the neighboring building. She cleared the gap and landed painfully on the other rooftop. Her body rolled and tumbled across the building until it came to a sudden stop. The Harkonnen rifle flew several feet ahead across the ground.
Seras survived, but she was far from uninjured.

The impact of the fall fractured her legs and shattered her ribs. She was bleeding from the forehead, the blood stinging her left eye. Her back was scarred badly from the explosion and a few pieces of wood and glass. The blonde vomited a worrying amount of blood on the ground.

With all her wounds, it was a wonder her heart and lungs were still functioning. Still, that meant at least her healing factor would kick in sooner or later. Being a vampire sure had its perks.

Seras slowly opened her eyes, taking in the sight of the destroyed clock tower. If she hadn’t jumped, she would be vaporized along with it.

“Well…..It could be worse.” She smiled and laughed softly.

A few minutes passed. The next time Seras opened her eyes, she saw a pair of feet. Feet belonging to Tanya Degurechaff.

“It’s worse.”

---

CHAPTER 8: FAILURE

Tanya touched down on Seras’ current position. The child Air Mage looked down on her like a cockroach that refused to stay squished. Tanya’s battalion formed up around the building, all giving Seras the same venomous glare. Air Mages from other parts of town also arrived, drawn by the commotion.

“It’s really bloody worse.”

Tanya pulled a Luger P08 pistol from its holster, casually waving it like a toy. She knelt closer to Sera’s battered face, relishing the pain she was suffering. Her deranged, childlike grin returned to her face.

“You know, I really must congratulate you.” Tanya taunted. “You’ve made every amateur mistake in the book, and yet somehow you’ve caused me all sorts of trouble these past couple of hours. Honestly, I’m almost happy Being X sent you. You’ve turned an otherwise boring night into a…….mildly entertaining one. But alas, but you were just too weak and too clumsy to defeat me. Thus, our little game ends the only way it could.”

“Fuck!……You! You spoiled little Nazi bitch!” Seras roared between pained breaths. “I’m in enough pain……without listening……to your pretentious bullshit!”

Tanya looked surprised, but only to break out laughing like she’d heard the world’s funniest joke. Her smile grew even wider and more demonic as she laughed. If her subordinates around her were disturbed, they didn’t show it. They were no strangers to their commander’s bizarre behavior.

“Really, ‘Fuck you’!?” Tanya said as her maniacal laughter died down. “Wow! Not many people have the courage to say that to me! I really admire your spirit. Hell, I’d even offer you a place among my battalion. However, you killed seven of my men.”

Tanya lost focus and started rambling on, which made Seras even more irritated.

“Sorry, but that simply won’t do. It costs the Fatherland money to train, arm, and feed soldiers. And Air Mages are sooooooo hard to come by.”

“Oh, bloody hell–if you’re gonna shoot me, just shut up and get on with it!” Seras shouted with whatever strength was left in her voice.

You’re right. It’s only cruel to prolong an animal’s pain.”

The child soldier cocked her pistol and aimed it at Seras’ forehead. This would be the coup de grace.

“Auf Wiedersehen, kleine Arschlecker! And when you see Being X, tell Him he’s next!”

Seras didn’t even blink. “Go ahead, bitch. It won’t be the last you see of me.”

BANG!

Blackout.

---

CHAPTER 9: JEAN & AMELIE

TANYA

The Next Day…
5:06PM

Sixteen hours have passed since the battle at the clock tower.

Before, there was roughly one platoon every four or five blocks. Now, nearly all of eastern Amiens was flooded with squads of Fatherland troops. Homes, shops, inns, and restaurants were searched for any hiding Partisans. Women, children, elders, and even loyal Imperial officers were interrogated for any treasonous behavior.

This huge crackdown of soldiers was caused by the firefight last night that claimed the lives of one sniper and seven Air Mages. Apparently, the culprit who killed so many troops was just a single girl with a rifle! Even more shocking, the seven dead Air Mages were part of Tanya Degurechaff’s feared 203rd Battalion.

Although the enemy sniper was reported KIA, this was a huge embarrassment to the mighty Fatherland. If the news of this fiasco went outside Amiens, not only would the Empire become a laughingstock, but nearby towns and nations could be inspired to resist.

Tanya was severely reprimanded for her handling of the situation. She spent half the day getting screamed at by a red-faced general who wondered why he left the care of such an important town to a spoiled little girl. It took Tanya everything she had to not shove her rifle up the blowhard’s ass and pull the trigger.

Luckily, her talent for making bullshit excuses sound convincing was enough to save her from a demotion or discharge. However, this made her goal of leaving the frontlines for good that much harder. Tanya walked out of the General’s office in frustration.

“That pompous, blustering pig!” She thought. “Never held a gun in his life, and he has the nerve to talk down to me!? When I finally leave the frontlines, the first thing I’ll do is send that prick there in my place!” Tanya returned to her 203rd Battallion and restarted her patrol around the city.

Despite all this chaos, one building remained untouched by the nervous patrolmen. It was a humble brick motel quietly tucked away in one of Amiens’ many alleyways.

Before the Imperial takeover, most civilians who hadn’t stayed in their homes had already left town. As a result, many of Amiens’ buildings were long abandoned without any occupants. This simple three-story building happened to be one of them–or at least, that’s what they thought.

SERAS

Seras was asleep in a second-story apartment, the windows and blinds shut to conceal her. One tiny sliver of light found its way through the blinds and scorched Seras’ face. The girl awoke in pain and and shut the curtains. As a vampire, even the smallest bit of daylight was like being burned by a hot iron. As she regained her senses, Seras mind was filled with questions.

“What….? Where am I? Am I alive? Did I get home, finally?” Seras took a quick look at her surroundings, and her hopes immediately sank. “No. Dammit! This isn’t Hellsing Manor. I haven’t gone back. I’m still in Amiens.”

She was resting in a simple bedroom with a chair, desk, furnace, and the bed that Seras was in. The door was slightly open, just enough for her to hear other peoples’ voices in a language she couldn’t understand. Was she kidnapped by that damn squadron of flying soldiers? Or some other gang of soldiers looking for some perverted “fun” with a young hot blonde? Or maybe they were good samaritans who saw she was in danger and wanted to help?

The next thing Seras was the multitude of bandages covering her hands, arms, legs, and chest. Her head was throbbing like an unpleasant hangover. When Seras grabbed her forehead, she remembered the “fatal” gunshot given to her by Tanya before she blacked out.

“So these people must’ve brought me here while I was unconscious.” She thought. Thank God for Seras’ vampiric healing factor. Right now, it was the only reason she was still alive. “But still, how much longer can I keep this up?”

A familiar yet friendly voice echoed through the door: “Ah, alors tu es enfin réveillé? Didn’t I say you should get out of Amiens?”

Seras looked up and saw the kind man standing in her doorway. “Rousseau! Oh, my God! I can’t believe it’s you!” She shouted in joy and relief. “I’m so happy to see you, mate!”

“And I you, jeune Seras.” Rousseau wore the same clothes from last night, albeit much cleaner and washed. His right arm was now in a proper cast, rather than the flimsy sling Seras made for him.

Standing at the doorway behind Rousseau was a tall, strong-looking woman with green eyes and auburn hair tied in a bun. She had a friendly smile that seemed to brighten up the dusky room.

“Bonjour! My name is Amelie Rousseau. You’ve already met my husband Jean.” The woman introduced herself with a chirpy voice. She gracefully walked into the room and sat in a chair next to her husband.

“I treated all your wounds when we brought you here,” Amelie continued, “but I see now it wasn’t necessary. It’s really remarkable how fast you healed up. Normally it would take weeks to heal with your kind of injuries.”

“Bonjour, Amelie.” Seras replied meekly, but happily. “And thank you. So where am I, and how did you guys find me?”

“You’re in a Partisan safehouse.” Jean answered. “There’s about eight of them scattered all over town. Amelie and I went with two of our men looking for you at the clock tower.”

“You went out looking for me?” Seras asked, her eyes widening.

“Oui.” Amelie answered. “Jean told us how you risked your life to save him, and he wanted to return the favor. And now I can definitely see why.”

Seras smiled gratefully at Jean. “Thanks, mate. If it weren’t for you two, I might not be alive right now.” The partisan couple nodded in appreciation.

Seras looked down at herself and was shocked to see that she wasn’t wearing her yellow Hellsing uniform. Instead, she was wearing a white cotton shirt and a pair of dark gray pants. A blue cloth was tied on her upper right forearm.

“What the–what am I wearing?” Seras asked. “What happened to my clothes?”

“You mean that yellow dress you were in?” Amelie answered. “We couldn’t let you wear it because it was all tattered with scratches and mud stains. So we changed you into one of our Partisan uniforms. It’s a men’s fit, but I had it tailored to fit your measurements. It suits you well!”

“Wait. Does that mean…..Eeep! They saw me naked!” Seras’ cheeks went beet red when the thought dawned on her. Amelie didn’t fail to notice.

“Is something wrong? You don’t like it?” The older woman asked.

“Uh–No, no, it’s fine!” Seras stammered in reply. “Really, thanks for getting me some better clothes.”

“It was the least we owe you.” Amelie gently held Seras’ hand and smiled at her like a loving mother. “You were a complete stranger, and yet you risked your life to save my husband’s.” She said. “Thank you for bringing Jean back to me. I don’t know what I would do without him.”

“Y–you don’t need to thank me.” Seras said humbly. “It was the humane thing to do. I couldn’t just leave him there to die.”

“Don’t be so modest.” Jean spoke up. “You are a hero, Seras. And not just because you saved me. When we searched for you, the first thing we saw was the broken corpse of an Imperial sniper on the ground. Soon after, we witnessed a whole squad of 203rd Air Mages killed by a single sniper! It was magnificent! When we found you, we realized that you were the sniper.”

At first, we’d thought you were already dead.” Amelie continued. “But then we heard you weakly calling out to us, saying ‘Help me.’ You must have still been clinging to consciousness right then.”

“That’s right. I did call for help a few minutes after I was shot.” Seras remembered. “Wait–there wasn’t a bandage placed on my forehead! Does that mean my bullet wound healed up before they found me?” She winced as her head was throbbing again.

“Are you alright, cherie?” Amelie asked with concern.
“I–I’m alright.” Said Seras as she forced a smile. “All the craziness last night must’ve given me a headache.”

“Well, you just rest here while I bring you some medicine.” The older woman said. “When you’re ready, you can meet our comrades downstairs in the basement.”

“Thanks, Amelie. And thank you both for rescuing me.” Seras’ forced smile became a genuine one.

“Of course.” Jean’s wife smiled and she left the room, leaving both himself and Seras. “So, did you do it? Did you kill the little Fatherland bitch?”

The vampire sighed and shook her head. “Sorry, mate. I didn’t get her. I screwed it up. It was a miracle I survived.”

Rousseau didn’t lose his smile. “Ne perds pas la foi, ma amie. I feel you’ll get another chance soon enough. Sometimes surviving a battle is victory unto itself. Never forget, God is always with you.”

“Yeah, and it was ‘God’ who brought me to this shit in the first place.” Seras scoffed inwardly. “Oh! What did you guys do with my gun?” She asked.

“You mean that enormous rifle next to you? We had to leave it because it was far too heavy for us to carry. I’m sorry.”

“Oh…I see.” Losing her favorite weapon was disappointing, but it wasn’t the end of the world.

“Don’t look so down.” Jean reassured her. “There’s plenty of weapons here you can use.”

“Guess I’ll just have to make do.” Seras said. She looked behind Jean and noticed a brown leather jacket hanging on a coat rack. A blue cloth was tied on its left arm. “Is that jacket for me, too?” Seras asked.

“Yes, that is the main part of your uniform.” Jean answered. “You can put it on after you get out of bed.”

“I see. And what’s with the blue thing tied on the upper arm?”

“That cloth is the same color as our country’s flag. It is our symbol of resistance. Our hope of freedom. When you wear that jacket, Seras, you carry our dreams with us. You’re one of us now. A Partisan.” Jean looked at Seras proudly, 

Seras let out an exasperated sigh. She leaned forward and grabbed her forehead, resting her elbows on her knees. “Bloody hell, what did I get into?” She thought.

Rousseau frowned a bit–not out of disappointment, but in concern. “Seras? Is something the matter?”

“Why?…..Why would you do this?” The blonde asked. “Why would you get me involved!? I’m not a bloody Partisan!” She looked at them with distress and frustration. Jean felt like a father who had disappointed his daughter.

“You and your wife, you have a reason to fight!” Seras continued “You’re trying to free your town, your people, your country! But I have nothing to do with this war! I was forced into it for reasons I don’t even know how to explain! Don’t get me wrong–I really appreciate all the help you guys did for me, but please, I don’t want to get any more involved than I already am.”

Jean sighed deeply. “I understand, Seras. I know it’s unfair for an innocent girl like you to be dragged into this war. But the truth, Seras, is that none of us asked for this war. We don’t enjoy this madness any more than you do. So many of us have our homes, friends, and family because of this.”

The Partisan pulled a pack of cigarettes from his jacket and placed one in his mouth. He handed a lighter to Seras, who lit it up for him. Jean exhaled a puff of gray smoke as he stared at the window.

“Not long ago, Amelie and I had a son. His name was Jacques. When the Bosche invaded, he volunteered into the army against our warnings. For months, we received letters from Jacques, telling us about the war and life in the trenches. The friends he watched die; the enemies he’d killed; the rats; the mud; the sickness; the hell of trench warfare and artillery strikes. And despite all that, Jacques would end his letters with how much he misses us, and how proud he is to serve the Republic.”

Jean closed his eyes, as if deep in thought. “But one day…” He said with a somber tone. “The letters stopped coming.”

Seras gave a worried expression. “My God…What happened to Jacques?”

“In his last letter, Jacques wrote that they redeployed his regiment to defend Fort Vaux after the Bosche overran them position at Verdun. After that, nothing. We feared the worst.”

“He didn’t make it, did he?” Seras concluded sadly.

“He didn’t” Jean said, with his voice breaking. “Weeks later, an officer came and told us that Fort Vaux was under attack. He passed us a certificate of death with Jacques’ name on it. The news devastated us. I couldn’t sleep for weeks, and Amelie spent every night crying. Our only son was taken from us–and we’ll never get him back.”

Tears streamed down Jean’s eyes, as he stared through the window. “So many of us here have the same story. We’ve lost fathers, brothers, sons, and friends to this war. And we’re left to wonder what is even the point.” Jean cleared his throat before he continued.

“So, not long after that, the Bosche came to this town. Many of us have already formed Partisan groups before we were invaded. Amelie and I decided to do our part. Not only for our son’s sake, but for all the young men who bravely sacrificed themselves for us.”

Jean turned back to Seras and looked into her eyes with deadly seriousness. “Now, assume that you decide to leave and go on your own. We’re still under occupation by the enemy. What do you think would happen if the Bosche caught you? What if they learn about what you did last night? Rescuing a Partisan? Killing seven of their Air Mages?”

Seras froze in fear when she imagined the possibilites.

“Would they capture you?” Jean continued. “Imprison you? Lock you in a room at gunpoint, asking you questions you can’t possibly answer? Or would they just execute you as a rebel?” Jean leaned forward, placing his chin atop his hands. “You’re in this too deep, Seras. This is not something you can just leave. As unfair as it is, you have to stay with us and fight. It is your only chance to survive.”

Seras looked disappointed, but she knew Jean was right. Like it or not, there was no easy way out of this. This was her reality now.

“Like you said, Seras, we know what we’re fighting for.” Jean concluded. “Now the question is, what are you fighting for? This is something you must decide for yourself.”

“I….I understand, Rousseau.” Seras said with a saddened, but accepting tone.

“En tous cas, my wife should be back any minute with the medicine. Take as long as you need to rest. À bientôt.” The Partisan left the room, leaving Seras by herself.

The Hellsing soldier crashed down to the pillows, arms folded behind her head. So many things had happened to her at once, she didn’t know where to begin.

“Well, let’s go over the good news and the bad news.” She thought. “The good news: I’m alive, I’m in a safe place with some new allies, and Tanya won’t be coming after me because she probably thinks I’m dead. The bad news: I’m back at Square One. I have no Hellsing weapons, I’m no closer to finding my target, and I’m still stuck in this Godforsaken world in a war I have nothing to do with!”

Still, like Jean said, the fact that Seras was still alive was victory enough. Maybe she would get another shot at Tanya in the future. But right now, it was time for her to close her eyes and rest.

“Oh, well. At least it can’t get any worse.”

(Stop music)

Outside in the streets, a group of Fatherland engineers was busy repairing a captured Mark V tank. One of the young men heard a strange rumbling like a falling meteor behind him. He turned around and looked up, and saw three streaks of white smoke hurtling overhead. The projectiles grew closer and closer to earth, ready to strike his position.

The soldier’s eyes lit up in horror–he knew exactly what was coming.

“Vorsicht, Jungs! Artilleriiiiiiiiiiiiie!!!!!!”

The artillery strike pulverized the ground! The unfortunate soldier and his team had no chance of escape. The impact of the artillery blew up their tank, killing them all instantly. Three giant craters were made in the cobblestone streets. More and more artillery shells screamed their way towards Amiens like banshees.

The shockwave threw Seras out of her bed. She landed face-first on the wooden floor.

“Bloody Hell, I need to stop saying ‘it can’t get worse!'”

Rousseau ran back upstairs to Seras’ room. “Are you alright!?” He shouted.

“Rousseau, what the fuck is going on now!?” The vampire screamed.

“It’s an artillery strike! The Republic Army must have started their invasion!”

“ARTILLERY!? We need to get the hell out of here!”

“If we do that, we’ll get blown to pieces! We have to get to the basement! NOW!!!”

The two of them raced out of the room and downstairs as several other men and women did the same. Amelie was among them. She opened the hatch, allowing her fellow Partisans to pile in. Roughly 30 in total, they all crammed into a spacious basement that served well as a bunker.

The room was dark, the only light coming from the dim electric lighting around them. Each artillery shell rattled the foundations like a miniature earthquake. The Partisans crouched against the floors and walls, praying that their building wouldn’t get hit. Seras also took cover, covering her ears to block out the maddening noise.

“First I get sent to this hellhole against my will! Seras shouted in her head. Then I nearly get killed multiple times! And now I have to fight for my life in some sort of invasion!? JUST HOW MUCH MORE OF THIS  DO I HAVE TO GO THROUGH!?” 

TANYA

In the skies above Amiens, Tanya and her battalion witnessed their comrades below being blown apart. Warren, Visha, and all the others looked on in horror and sadness, but Tanya was infuriated.

“Verdammte Scheisse! How did I fuck this up so bad!?” She cursed herself. “Those Republic dogs! How dare they make my bad day even worse! This is all just another attempt by Being X to break me!”

<“203rd Battallion!”> Tanya called out! <“The Republic has officially begun their invasion! We need to drive them back before they cross our defensive line! Move out!”>

The 203rd Air Mages hurried towards the beleaguered front lines, where the Republic infantry would be waiting for them.

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CHAPTER 10: CAPTAIN DuPONT

Republican Army Trenchline
300 Meters From Amiens
5:55PM–Five minutes before attack

In the outskirts of Amiens, the skies thundered with the constant “BOOM-BOOM-BOOM” of artillery cannons. Far overhead, the flying ordinance shrieked through the clouds to pound their targets far ahead.

Captain Pierre DuPont watched the destruction happen miles away with a pair of binoculars. The artillery strike was well-coordinated, for once. Most of the rounds landed on the machine gun and field cannon emplacements, which were exactly what they needed destroyed. His only fear was that some idiot would fire the wrong way and hit his position by accident.

The captain was a tall, mustached man in his thirties, though years of brutal fighting had aged him far beyond that. He wore a dark blue uniform that was once beautiful, but now ruined with splotches of dirt, mud, and dried blood. His head was covered with a blue field cap called a kepi.

His main weapon was a semi-automatic rifle called an RSC 1917–a rare sight in a war where most used bolt-actions. He also carried a cavalry saber on his left hip, and on his right was a holster with a Mauser pistol he took from a dead Fatherland officer. Satisfied with what he saw, the captain lowered his binoculars and turned towards the men behind him.

The long, narrow trenchline facing Amiens was crowded with hundreds of Republic soldiers. They wore the royal blue uniform of the Francois Army, some with kepis and others with steel Adrian Helmets.

Most of them wielded the Lebel 1886, the standard-issue bolt action rifle. Others carried big, heavy LMGs like the Chauchat, trench shotguns supplied by the Unified States, and even some captured enemy rifles and submachine guns.

The young Francois infantry stood at the ready, anxious to hear their leader give the order to attack. It would only be a few minutes now.

(Translated from French)

(“My brothers!”) Captain DuPont spoke loudly. (“Brave and loyal soldiers of the 44th Republic Infantry. This is the day all of us spent weeks of planning and preparation for! Two weeks of victory and occupation have made our enemies lazy, careless, and weak! They’ve had no idea that we were readying ourselves for this assault! By the time our artillery ceases, a huge hole will be blown into the enemy’s front defenses. With their machine guns, soldiers, and tanks blown to pieces, our forces will have a clear path to the city!”)

The soldiers roared proudly, their morale ignited by the captain’s words.

DuPont continued his speech. (“Men, it is no secret to anyone that we’re in a desperate spot. We’ve lost several battles to these Fatherland marauders in the past. Months of failure and death have brought our country to its greatest crisis. Amiens is more than a city–it’s our last line of defense. If we fail to retake it, nothing will stop the enemy from moving towards our capital, Parisii. Then we will have truly lost this war.”)

The artillery fire continued. Only three minutes left.

(“Right now, our forces stand at about 200,000 infantry, 40 tanks, 30 airplanes, and 200 Air Mages.”) Captain DuPont spoke. (“On the ground, the enemy outnumbers us 3 to 1. But while they have the numbers, they’re mostly boys who have never tasted real combat! Our defeats have given us strength, experience, and an unbreakable will! Not only that, but several courageous civilians in Amiens have taken arms and fought the enemy themselves, without any training or experience whatsoever! That is the key to our victory!”)

The soldiers cheered once again, their blood boiling with dreams of victory!

(“Tanya Degurechaff and her army of devils have stolen this land from us! Many of our brothers were slain by that vile witch, and she found sadistic pleasure in their deaths! Now she insults us again by taking one of our oldest and most beautiful cities! Some of you here are from Amiens yourselves or have loved ones here. And so I ask you, will you stand and watch as Degurechaff continues to spill our people’s blood!?”)

(“NO, SIR!!!”) The 44th replied in unison.

(“Will you stand and watch as her jackboots trample the throats of our families!?”)

(“NO, SIR!!!”)

(“Will you stand and watch as our country is swallowed by the the Kaiser’s tyranny as the Imperial banner waves across our land!?”)

(“NO, SIR!!!”)

(“Then steel yourselves, men! Don’t think of the threat of death or capture! Think only of your bayonet in the enemy’s heart! This is the first day of our vengeance! It’s time to send the Bosche back to the Fatherland!”)

The captain checked his watch. Only one more minute. He pulled out his whistle to signal the charge.

(Stop music)

(“Fix bayonets!”) DuPont and his men 44th Regiment quickly attached the long, thin knives at the end of their rifles.

Everyone was silent. Their heartbeats quickened. Their breaths shortened. Their eyes focused on the city just a few football fields away. Their hands gripped tightly onto the weapons they held. Feelings of joy, fear, anger and sorrow ran though them all at once.

Finally, all at once, the guns stopped.

6:00PM

Captain DuPont blew his whistle.

“CHAAAAAAAARGE!!!”

The 44th Infantry climbed over the trench, running and screaming ferociously! The soldiers stampeded across the field, ignoring the mud and dirt that clung to their boots. Every step they took brought them closer to Amiens, and the invaders that they were going to drive out. But they were not the only ones in this assault.

Moving along Captain DuPont’s regiment was a company of Renault FTs–small, agile tanks with rotating turrets. Far above, a squadron of SPAD S.XIII fighter planes darted through the sky like bats. And following them were hundreds of Republican Air Mages, some of whom survived terrible battles against the Imperial 203rd Battalion.

Their forces combined to roughly 200,270 men in total. It was still small compared to the Empire’s 400,000 troops, but they wouldn’t let that stop them.

It was their moment of honor. Their moment of pride. Their moment of revenge. They were going to free this town, or die trying!

On the other side, some Fatherland troops scurried to their trench outside Amiens. They desperately fired their machine guns and rifles to slow down the advancing Francois. While some of the enemy were killed, most were able to take cover behind tanks, rocks or craters in the field.

The Renault tanks blew up the machine gun emplacements while the fighters and Mages above picked off the infantry from above. With their cover and machine guns destroyed, the Imperials were forced to fall back. The ones who tried to fight up close were easily shot, beaten, or bayoneted to death.

Amiens was now only 100 meters away. So far, this invasion was going perfectly……At least for the Republic.

From 400 meters above, Tanya and her watched the chaos happening below. They’d arrived too late. Their enemy was on the verge of breaching the first line of defense. The fighting would continue inside the city.

<“Wow. I can’t believe it’s come to this.”> Warren sighed.

Another Air Mage, Wilibald Koenig complained, <“We just took this fucking town weeks ago, and now we have to fight over it again!?”>

<“There’s so many of them. And it’s not even just the ground forces attacking us!”> Visha cried.

The commander, Tanya, stared down at the battle, thinking about the enemy’s tactics.

“Our forces far outnumber theirs, but they’ve managed to break our defenses relatively quickly. They can’t have that many forces left to spare after losing so many times. They must be relying on surprise and speed to take us our before we can regroup.” Tanya smiled. “What a foolish, futile plan! We’ll send slaughter these buffoons before the next sunrise!”

<“Don’t let these Republic fools scare you!”> Tanya shouted to the 203rd. <“They might’ve gained some ground, but this invasion is nothing more than the desperate gasps of a dying army! We’re the legendary 203rd Air Mage Battallion! We won the war against Dacia in only six weeks! We silenced the insurrection at Arene! We defeated the Entente Alliance at the Osfjord! If we can’t defend this city from a few tired, half-starved soldiers, our reputation and our victories will be forever lost to history! Now let’s make these fools regret they planned this pathetic attack!”>

<“YES, MA’AM!!!”> The battalion cried at once. They surged ahead through the skies, watching the hordes of Francois soldiers below. The Air Mages loaded their rifles, aiming at the enemy below.

From the ground, the 44th Infantry cleared the first line of defense. Captain DuPont and two other men looked up at the sky, noticing small black figures hovering above.

(“Do you see that? What is it?”) Said one soldier.

(“Is it one of our Mage squadrons?”) Said another.

DuPont looked harder. The Mage at the front of the group was the same blonde girl one who led the assault on Amiens weeks ago. His eyes widened in horror.

(“IT’S THE 203rd BATTALLION!!! GET TO COVER, NOW!!!”)

<“Line up your shots!”> Tanya commanded. <“Ready!……..Aim!………Fire!”>

The Second Battle of Amiens has begun.

CONTINUES IN PART 2

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