Marines marched onto their warships in oppressive silence.
Boots clacked against the gangplanks.
Rifles shouldered with their bayonets high.
Alexander stood watch, his hands clasped behind his back.
"The hot air balloons and their pilots have been loaded on the flagship, the support corps is now moving to load any remaining supplies, sir."
Klaus saluted as he gave the report.
Alexander nodded.
"Good, I want us in the open sea within the hour."
Klaus saluted again.
"Aye, sir!"
Alexander headed to his flagship, the Goddess's Judgment. As he stalked up the gangplank, the marines on board saluted.
Alexander gave a dismissive wave.
"Return to your duties."
He headed toward his quarters below deck.
Inside his quarters, Hinata rested peacefully in his bed.
Her legs crossed and her spear rested on the wall.
"Why my room?"
Alexander asked, stepping inside. He closed the door behind himself, removing his coat.
Hinata rose from his bed, her expression serious.
"There's something I wanted to talk about, regarding the mission."
Alexander crossed his arms, leaning against the wall.
"Oh?"
"Yes, hypothetically… let's say you were to face another Ali-type of opponent. Do you have any fallback in case your plans fail?"
Alexander paused, then he frowned.
"Hm, you mean if the balloons are blown out of the sky?"
Hinata nodded.
Alexander sighed.
"Yeah, we'll use the old survey data the pathfinders used. That, and a little hit-and-run."
"Hit-and-run?"
Alexander nodded.
"Yeah, if I can't see the mountains, then I won't stay in them. We'll march until we meet resistance, engage, then fall back down the mountain before nightfall."
"Why?"
Alexander chuckled.
"Isn't it obvious? It's a war of attrition. They'll keep taking the same shitty positions, and we'll gun them down every day. Of course, when they realize this, they'll stop. And then we push further up the mountain until we meet resistance. The key isn't overwhelming speed, because we're not taking land. We're taking souls…"
Hinata raised a finger.
"What if they try to cut you off from your retreat?"
"Then they reveal themselves to my snipers."
"Okay, but they also outnumber you. How do you know you won't grind yourself down in the process? Your guns aren't very effective when you can't see the enemy, so a melee is almost guaranteed."
Alexander chuckled.
"That's where you're wrong. See, mountain warfare favors the defenders. Right? So if we find positions that favor guns over bows and spears, then what happens when they try to dislodge us?"
"They become the attackers…"
Hinata muttered under her breath, rubbing a finger against her top lip.
Alexander nodded.
"But the truth is, I want to break them. So even if they have a thousand warriors, I only need to kill a hundred."
"And you plan on achieving that by stealing the children? But… what happens if you can't get them?"
Alexander paused, then shrugged.
"Then I'll take the fathers, brothers, and sons. And use them to bait out the weak. No one wants their husband to die, especially if you can get them back with a simple surrender."
"And if they don't?"
Alexander smirked.
"Then I hate to be the man in charge when angry citizens start banging on my door. It's quite the distraction."
He sighed.
"But honestly, it's not about what they'll do. I could arrive tomorrow and find nothing but a dragon. And like everything else, it will die."
— — —
The goddess's Judgment was flanked by her three escort ships.
Fredrick spared no expense in having these sail ships upgraded with steam engines and reinforced hulls.
The journey to the demon continent took a little over a week, and beach landings were well underway.
Alexander marched off the gangplank onto shore.
He reached down to pick up the sand, watching as it filtered between his fingers.
He tightened his hand into a fist, turning his attention to the jagged mountain in the distance.
"Prepare yourself, demons."
Behind him, his marines unloaded mules and wagons full of supplies.
Prefabs for base towers, bobbed wires and portable mortars all followed.
— — —
Unbeknownst to him, demon scouts watched from afar, gripping their spears as their tails slowly swayed.
"He's here…"
"The pale conqueror."
"The shamans were right, as always."
The demons scrambled from their treetops into the distance.
— — —
The march to the mines was a silent affair for the first day.
Alexander led from the front, walking in silence as he eyed the scenery.
The forest grew denser as they drew closer to the mountains.
The sounds of animals chirping and hissing replaced the sound of wind blowing against sand.
At night, the marines made camp in a large clearing.
Trees were chopped down as tents were propped up.
Pathfinders stood at every corner of the encampment, with Hinata's at the center.
Hidden deep in the surrounding forest, covered in shadows, was a demon raiding party.
A hundred strong, they aimed to eviscerate the enemy's supply and take as many of them down as possible.
<"Stay low, brothers… we are in our element, the pale conquerors will not see it coming.">
The demon crawled towards the perimeter of the encampment.
Archers crept through the trees.
The pathfinder on guard in their direction, narrowed her eyes.
And a second later—she caught an arrow, the tip splitting her thumb, inches from her face.
The movement happened in a blink.
The pathfinder's eyes snapped in the direction the arrow was fired.
Then without hesitation, she broke out into a sprint.
The demon who shot it had his eyes widened—all six of them.
He barely had time to draw his bow before she scaled up the tree like a spider.
The demon switched to his knife as the pathfinder grabbed his ankle—yanking him out of the tree.
As he crashed against the ground, the demons lying in wait sprang their attack.
<"Charge! Slaughter the Pale Conquerors!">
<"Don't leave any of them standing! Not a single one!">
Bells rang throughout the encampment as the other pathfinders rushed to meet the demons.
Klaus was the first of the Marines to awaken, rushing out of the tent to see the chaos outside.
Five pathfinders vs a hoard of demons.
He then spotted a flanking force of 30 demons breaking from the main group.
He was about to shout when Hinata blitzed past him, her spear at the ready.
She was a blur crashing into a mob.
Her spear was an extension of her will, slicing throats and bursting hearts.
The demons, no matter how powerful, disintegrated against her attacks.
Klaus didn't watch the slaughter for long.
He turned his attention back into the tent.
The Marines were already up and ready, having slept in their gear—with their rifles at their sides.
"Head out! Tight U-formation!"
Marines poured from their tents in silence, their movements precise from months of drill.
They locked formation, three ranks of Marines.
One kneeling, followed by two rows of interlocking soldiers.
They were a wall of bayonets and rifles, with kluas standing in the center.
They aimed at the wall of demons pushing towards the encampment, slowed by five blurs.
"Hold your positions!" Klaus bellowed, narrowing his eyes as he spotted Hinata finishing the last of the flanking force.
She threw the last demon aside, leaving him to gargle his blood.
She looked to the main engagement, where demons were slipping past the pathfinders and rushing the encampment.
She then glanced at Klaus.
That was all he needed.
"Fire at will!"
The Marines opened up, the cracking of the bolt actions lighting up the night.
It didn't matter how fast the demons were, with three hundred guns trained on them—they weren't escaping.
Bullets ripped through their black bodies, splattering their blood against the grass.
Their bodies, lifeless, crashed like dolls.
The pathfinders didn't flinch at the chaos, instead using this opportunity to retreat.
The mass of demons continued their charge.
What was once a planned attack, became a desperate Hail Mary.
Marines continued to fire, cycling their bolts as hot brass spun in the air.
The demon's charge broke before reaching the formation, routing the remaining stragglers.
Hinata, along with the other pathfinders, rushed to cut off their retreat.
Slaughtering every single one of them.
By the time it was over, the smell of blood and gunpowder was pungent.
Bodies were scattered across the camp's perimeter, exclusively belonging to the demons.