User blog:Seieireppa/God Eater ∑: The Maxim of Possibility, chapter 5


 * FIVE MONTHS LATER::

“Alright, fire!!”

At the shouted command, a volley of hundreds, no, thousands of bullets converged on a crowd of Stalkers. The shower of gunfire tore apart the unfortunate group of Neo Aragami, leaving mere scraps behind.

But the battle wasn’t over, for above the remains of the Stalkers hovered a cloud of Slashers, led by a rare sight – a single massive Watcher. Normally used for defense, Watchers were occasionally sent out to lead large-scale assaults on human settlements, taking a commanding role and directing the other Neo Aragami. Even a single Watcher would be cause for alarm for God Eaters…

But today was different. Now, humanity could fight back. And humanity WAS fighting back.

Once Nanako and the members of the Rhizome had made it to their new base, they had wasted no time in fortifying their defenses and setting up alternate entrances in case of an attack. Fortunately, no attack came, and the denizens of Rhizome Duos, as it was christened, came to know true prosperity, undetected by the Neo Aragami.

Shortly thereafter, Nanako had led an effort on the part of Rhizome Duos to network with other resistance groups so as to strengthen humanity as a whole by banding together with other survivors. This proved to be an incredibly fruitful effort, with the various resistance groups sharing information and resources with each other to fill any gaps other groups might have. With this, all of the groups involved could better ensure their own continued survival, while simultaneously aiding other groups and helping them to do the same.

It was truly the dawn of a new age for humanity, an age in which humans could truly take a stand against the Neo Aragami threat, and in which the hunter was now the hunted.

This change was especially apparent now, with hunting squads made up of members pooled from multiple resistance groups actively seeking out and exterminating any Neo Aragami they could find, with the objective of one day returning to the hive to end the Gehenna once and for all. One such group was led by Nanako and a man named Heinrich Liebert, the leader of an allied resistance group. Liebert was originally a member of the Fenrir Berlin Branch, but he was forced to take as many God Eaters and civilians as he could and flee the branch when the threat of the Gehenna loomed over the horizon. He fled west, eventually crossing the English Channel and joining up with survivors from the Dover Branch. When their branch came under attack by a massive detachment of Stalkers and Slashers some years later, Liebert and the head of the Dover resistance fled north with what survivors they could muster. Their journey took them through Leeds and Sunderland, and eventually they came to rest in Edinburgh, where they settled in and out of which they started basing their operations.

Now, Liebert and Nanako, having met two months ago as part of one of Nanako’s outreach efforts, were leading a hunting squad of approximately seventy God Eaters, having just finished obliterating and devouring a large party of Stalkers, as well as the accompanying Slashers and the lone Watcher. Such encounters had become far more frequent since they – the resistance movements collectively – had banded together and taken an active role in seeking out Neo Aragami to exterminate.

“Sir Liebert, Miss Nanako,” a voice from behind the two called out as one of Liebert’s subordinates approached to deliver a report, “squads two through seven have finished wrapping up their hunts and are heading here to regroup. Squad eight encountered a Watcher approximately five miles northwest of here but were successful in defeating it. Their captain wishes me to inform you that more Watchers were sighted further northwest. We believe that–”

“–That the hive is nearby, correct?” interjected Liebert. “Good… this is good. Nanako, how are the preparations for Operation Downfall proceeding?”

Nanako took out a small notebook and flipped through the pages. “Excellent. Rhizome Duos’ squad two, led by Alan Croswell, succeeded in securing territory to the north of our current home base. With this as a staging point, we should be able to press west-northwest for a continued assault within three weeks.”

“Furthermore,” she continued, “squad three, led by Sasha Andersen, has been highly successful in providing advance support to our expeditionary forces. Five days prior, they succeeded in dispatching a patrol of Rangers with accompanying Slashers before they could enter the defensive line of our northern territory. Additionally, Natalia Estheim reports that she has completed development of the ultra-long-range destructive round and hyper-piercing close-range round. These should increase our combat effectiveness on all fronts by approximately 50-60%.”

“Wonderful news,” exclaimed Liebert. “The time for Operation Downfall is fast approaching. Soon, we will be able to strike at the heart of the Neo Aragami hive and put an end to this waking nightmare once and for all.”

Nanako nodded, then turned to rejoin her team to make the journey back to Rhizome Duos. There was still one crucial task that still needed completion before Operation Overlord could commence, she knew. With their current military might, even joined with Great Britain’s other resistance groups, it was highly unlikely that they would make it to the core of the hive, believed to be an impossibly vast underground chamber where the Gehenna lay dormant, spawning Neo Aragami endlessly.

What they needed, Nanako knew, was a serious boost… and so Nanako picked up her radio and dialed in a particular frequency, one belonging to a particular resistance base to the south.

“This is Kawashima from Rhizome Duos. Yes… yes, we’re doing well, but that’s not why I called. Listen… I need to speak to your leader.”

“Put Baluar on the line. Operation Downfall is coming.”


 * TO BE CONTINUED::