The sky over Svalfant was cloaked in night.
The town lay quietly at the foot of the distant mountains, its scattered lights twinkling like stars in the darkness—still untouched by the fires of war.
A shrill whistle pierced the air, snapping Arcia out of her thoughts, followed by the thunderous boom of an explosion from the enemy's position. It was the work of their own artillery. The offensive was about to begin.
"Repeat the objective—take out firing positions Five and Six at the bunker, then breach the bunker interior and act as the situation dictates. Understood?"
No one replied, but Nordhausen was certain they had received the order.
"Move out!"
As the leader of Squad One, Nordhausen led the charge through the low brush, his team following close behind. The effects of the Type-3 stimulant had kicked in. The world before him seemed to slow, like a projector running at half speed. In the distance, explosions bloomed across the enemy lines like slow-motion flowers of death. His movements grew lighter, faster. He could see the chaos and every detail in the enemy encampment three hundred meters away with astonishing clarity.
Covered by artillery fire, Squad One ascended the hill and approached the enemy line. They struck the right flank—just outside the zone of bombardment. But the enemy was already on alert, roused by the earlier commotion, and had taken their positions.
Boom—Boom—
Over twenty grenades exploded in unison around the enemy trenches. Arcia reached for two more grenades, ready to throw again, but Nordhausen stopped her.
"Smoke grenades!"
Following the command, the squad pulled smoke grenades from their gear and hurled them into the enemy lines. Covered by the smokescreen, they stormed forward. The enemy, blinded and confused, fired wildly in every direction. Machine gun bullets sliced through the darkness like strings of pearls, igniting the dry underbrush. They didn't realize their line had already been breached.
Inside the smoke, Arcia stumbled upon several twisted corpses—victims of the initial grenade blast. Not far to her right, an enemy soldier was firing blindly into the haze. His rifle clicked empty, and in his panic to reload, he dropped his magazine. As he reached for it—resting atop a comrade's corpse—he saw Arcia. But before he could react, her bayonet pierced his throat. Another soldier witnessed the kill and raised his submachine gun, spraying the area. Several bullets tore through the first man and struck Arcia as well—but she didn't even flinch. As if nothing had happened, she tilted the weapon in her hands and opened fire. The gun's roar mowed down the panicked enemy and several others behind him.
Warm blood trickled down Arcia's arms, soaking the submachine gun. She let it drop along with the body. Through the thinning smoke ahead, the silhouette of another Night Knight emerged. That side had been cleared. Around them, gunfire began to die down—the enemy hadn't stationed many troops here.
"You alright?"
Nordhausen eyed the blood covering Arcia.
"Nothing fatal."
"Lift your coat. Let me check."
Obediently, Arcia pulled back her coat. Nordhausen helped her and examined the wounds.
"Looks manageable. You still have a Type-2?"
"Already took it."
"Good."
He helped her fix her coat, then glanced around. No casualties.
"Keep moving."
Leading his squad through the trenches, Nordhausen relied on his sense of direction to guide them to the enemy's main line. The main trench was built in a winding, zigzag pattern to absorb artillery shockwaves. Enemy troops still resisted fiercely inside, but with nightfall and the smoke from the bombardment, they had no idea their front line was deserted. Death was creeping in from the flank.
Grenades paved the way as Nordhausen's squad advanced with overwhelming force. Even when the enemy realized they had been flanked, it was too late to respond.
"Hold."
Nordhausen raised a hand to signal a halt.
Peeking cautiously over the cover, he spotted a large group of enemy soldiers pouring into the trench from a concrete structure—likely one of the bunker entrances. Once the area cleared, he led the team to quietly eliminate the remaining guards and slipped inside.
The Luvina Empire's bunker system, built into the mountainside, had stalled Dazilet's six divisions for nearly a month. Even heavy artillery couldn't bring down those reinforced concrete fortifications. For infantry charging over open ground with no cover, those firepoints were a nightmare. Command had no choice but to call in the Night Knights—tonight's operation was the result.
At the bunker entrance, the squad split into two groups and moved slowly along the walls. Gunfire echoed through the corridors, mingled with the stomp of boots on concrete and commands barked in Luvina's language.
They reached the first turn, then climbed a short flight of stairs. Beyond it, the main corridor of the bunker opened up. Most of the garrison had been deployed to the outer defenses, but reserve units might still be inside—they needed to proceed carefully.
"I'll scout ahead. Wait here," Nordhausen said, scanning the empty corridor before turning to Arcia.
"Understood," she nodded. "Be careful."
He patted her shoulder and moved ahead with one other.
The corridor stretched long. At its end was another stairway. Ascending and rounding a corner, Nordhausen dodged patrolling Luvina soldiers and followed a spiral staircase to a wider space. Even through reinforced walls and a secured door, he could feel the tremor of artillery fire. This had to be one of the firepoints.
After marking the location, he quietly retraced his steps and discovered several more fire positions—mostly gun emplacements, some with machine guns. Just as he was about to return, Arcia appeared with reinforcements.
"We ran into a squad entering the bunker—drove them back."
Nordhausen knew that meant time was short. If they got surrounded inside, it would be a disaster.
"I found several firepoints, but I'm not sure which are targets. Follow me."
Instead of attacking immediately, he led the team deeper into the bunker. After several stealth kills, they reached the power chamber—rows of generators and batteries lined the walls. He directed the team to plant charges at key points, then withdrew and lit the fuse. Half a minute later, a massive explosion rocked the bunker. Lights went out.
In the chaos, Nordhausen led them to the nearest firepoint—a heavy artillery emplacement, sealed behind a thick internal door. Per his instruction, Arcia tossed a smoke grenade into the now-defunct ventilation system. Another Knight followed with a second. Before long, choking on fumes, the crew inside opened the door and stumbled out—right into the Night Knights' ambush.
They repeated this tactic at two more firepoints. The third had already been opened—without ventilation, the exhaust from the cannons had overwhelmed the crew.
After eliminating a machine gun nest, Nordhausen signaled for a full withdrawal. Strangely, despite the commotion they'd caused, the remaining garrison made no significant moves, and the team escaped without further engagement.
"Now it's up to the infantry," he said.
They retraced their route, only to find that their breach point had been re-manned. But approaching from behind, the squad quickly reclaimed the position.
"Hold!"
From the forest behind the trench came a rustle of leaves. Everyone raised their guard.
"Friendly! Don't shoot!"
At the familiar voice, Nordhausen lowered his weapon.
"Edwin? What are you doing here?"
It was the leader of another squad from Nordhausen's platoon. He was supposed to be flanking from the rear.
"Long story. I'll explain later. Just glad we made it out alive."
Clutching his right arm, Edwin's eyes were bloodshot from the Type-3 stimulant. His team looked equally battered.
"How'd it go on your end?"
"Arcia and a few others took hits. One guy lost his head to a heavy MG. You?"
"Lost four. Everyone else's been shot."
He spat on the ground, then asked:
"Arcia okay?"
"She'll live. Better off than you."
"Incoming!"
Silhouettes appeared on the slope ahead.
"Our infantry."
Sure enough, a wave of Dazilet soldiers climbed the hill, arriving shortly at the Knights' position. A few stared in awe at the bloodied figures before them.
"Captain Kol, 2nd Company, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 70th Division."
An officer approached, saluted the Knights.
"Squad Leader Nordhausen, 1st Squad, 4th Company, 11th Night Knight company."
"Squad Leader Edwin, 2nd Squad, same unit."
The two officers returned the salute.
"That way leads to the main trench. You'll find a bunker entrance along it. We've cleared part of the garrison. Watch for hidden firepoints and possibly enemy reserves."
"No reserves left," Wendel cut in.
"But the mountain's rear guard might counterattack. Stay sharp."
"Much appreciated!"
Kol saluted again and departed with his troops.
"Let's go home."
With their mission complete, the 4th Company followed the infantry's route back to friendly territory.