"Ship?"
When he heard the soldier's words, the lieutenant colonel raised his head.
For a moment, he too froze.
He saw how the sky, already covered with snow and gray clouds, was now suddenly pierced by some invisible force. Through that rift in the clouds, an ancient pale giant ship was descending slowly but relentlessly.
No one knew how it was even possible that a massive sailing ship, driven by sails, was flying through the sky.
But compared to that, the soldiers were far more terrified by another thought…
"Why is this ship so enormous?"
Truly, too large!
It seemed to cover the entire sky like the sun. In comparison, even SHIELD's space carrier looked like an ordinary boat.
"Is that… a war drum?"
The lieutenant colonel hesitated. From the direction of the massive ship came a thunderous sound that echoed like the beating of titanic drums. The sound was so deep it tore at people's hearts.
That feeling of death gradually enveloped every soldier below.
It consumed them.
"There are… people on the ship!"
"No! Those aren't people!"
"God, those are demons, returnees from hell!"
As the colossal Naglfar descended, the soldiers finally managed to discern the silhouettes on its decks.
On the deck stood legions of undead warriors, Asgardian returnees, and the elite demonic hordes from Limbo.
These were the most dangerous warriors chosen as Hela's escort. Their mission had once been an invasion of Lucifer's hellish kingdom. But now, their attention was directed at the American forces.
"Kill."
At Hela's command, the warriors of Valhalla were the first to leap from Naglfar's deck.
Swinging their massive Asgardian blades, they crashed down upon the surprised American soldiers.
"Enemy attack!"
"Turn the cannons!"
"Aim at the sky, quickly!"
The lieutenant colonel shouted in panic.
But the entire arsenal was directed at the portal, expecting enemies from the other side. Not a single tank, not a single machine gun was set to fire upwards.
Because of that, they were completely unprepared.
When the first Asgardian warriors landed among them, the scene looked like a tiger thrown into a flock of sheep.
"Fire, open fire!"
"Stop them!"
"God, I don't want to die!"
The American soldiers began shooting in panic. But the bullets could not pierce the Asgardian armor. Even if a projectile managed to break through the metal, it struck bodies that were no longer alive.
Those warriors were dead! Returnees, raised again from Valhalla, ordinary physical damage could not kill them.
Unless their bodies were completely destroyed, they would rise again and again.
And that was something the American soldiers could not achieve.
"Oh, God!"
"Forgive us, Jesus!"
In just a few moments, nearly one hundred thousand soldiers near the portal fell into complete chaos.
Then they finally understood why the deserters, who had earlier fled from Limbo, looked as if they had gone mad with fear.
But that was not the end.
While the Asgardian warriors spread death, the demonic elites, flying demons, warriors wrapped in hellfire, and monsters with steel forks descended right after them.
Hela had opened the path. Now hell itself had stepped onto Earth.
"Retreat!"
"Quickly, retreat!" the lieutenant colonel screamed, but his words carried no weight.
The next moment, a demonic fork pierced his throat and nailed him to the ground. His scream turned into a bloody whisper.
The demon lowered its claws, pulled out the fork, and along with the blood ripped out his soul.
"In the name of Hell! Kill them all!"
The hellish massacre continued.
At that moment, ranks, uniforms, titles, none of that meant anything anymore.
Whether it was the elite 101st Airborne or marines from the "fourth class" ranks, they were all the same: flesh and blood that the demonic hordes cut down like wheat.
And that horrifying scene…
Did not remain hidden.
Reconnaissance satellites and drones, as well as countless journalists who risked their lives to report, broadcast the images to the entire world.
In silence, every nation, every family, every viewer across the planet watched the one-sided slaughter.
The New York Daily, which had earlier published a bombastic headline about the "Evil Lord of Hell landing in Gobi," was forced to retract its words.
Without pomp, without ceremony, they simply, coldly changed the headline:
The Righteous Army from Hell Defeated the Evil Soldiers.
---
Pentagon.
The American high elite.
At that moment, everything sank into a long silence.
Since the battlefield was on land, they could see a clearer picture through the reconnaissance drones.
But sometimes…
It is not good to see everything too clearly.
150,000 people.
150,000 elite American soldiers.
Even now, it could be imagined what kind of storm would rise once the public learned of that number.
"We…"
"Shall we turn this into revenge for these 150,000 people?"
One of those present, a high-ranking official, opened his mouth. What he wanted to ask was clear: did they want to launch a true, full-scale war against Limbo?
But he did not finish the sentence.
His words were met with icy stares from the others, as if he had spoken nonsense.
"First of all!"
"Limbo has until now been our partner and has always maintained friendly relations with America."
"Second…"
"We must immediately issue a statement to the world that we clearly ordered the cancellation of combat missions."
"This conflict is solely the result of General Thaddeus Ross's arbitrariness."
"He will bear full responsibility for his actions."
Between the lines, the American elite stripped General Ross of his status and rank. From that moment on, no one referred to him as general, but only by his full name.
And as for revenge?
Revenge for what?
America had no enmity with Limbo.
The soldiers who fell on that battlefield were victims of Ross's mistake.
Limbo was merely defending itself.
"Release an official statement. America recognizes Limbo's right to legitimate defense."
"Also, we are prepared to compensate for all military expenses caused by this failed expedition."
…
"Hm?"
"Isn't that too much?"
"After all, we are the world's beacon."
"Can we at least change the wording, make it harsher?"
…
"Who brought such an incompetent spokesperson!?"
"You're fired!"
"You! Yes, you! Go out immediately and read the statement. Not a single word must be changed!"
…
Soon, the American statement spread across the world.
When many expected the humiliating tone to provoke the anger of the American public, something unexpected happened.
On the internet, comments piled up:
"Finally, the Pentagon did something reasonable…"
"That's right! Haven't you learned anything from the Second New York War?"
"Demons belong to their own world, why even interfere in that?"
"I heard the King of Hell Demons has changed, that now a human being has taken that title…"
"If that's so, then there's no point in making enmity."
For the first time, the Pentagon's decision was met with approval from the citizens.
At the same time, on the front page of the New York Daily, a new striking headline appeared:
The Great Lords of Hell – America Recognizes Their Power.
–––
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