LUCIANO'S POV

I could not accept it. Raisa was dead, we could've prevented that but it would have resulted with all or most of us dead. Damn it!

We finally got away from the forests and got to a field close to Paris. Lena detected an army forming up at the city. Being cautious, we rested in the firm, grassy field as we grasp our current situation. All of us were tired, shaken, and traumatized. Lenny was still bleeding. I sat beside her, I cut my left sleeve and covered Lenny's large wound with it...somehow...

"Pant...pant...no hostiles sighted...I've also confirmed that the forces assembling in Paris are friendly.", said Nelly as she scouted her surroundings with her scope.

"Thank God.", I said with relief.

"You guys wait here, I will call for help.", Nelly still had some strength left and went off to Paris to get help. The rest of us stayed here.

"How...how did all that just happen?", said Prima as she started to look like she wanted to cry.

"Raisa...why..."

"E-everyone...I'm sorry...I'M SOOORRRY!!"

"Zoe..."

"It was my fault! Raisa died because I never made a shot..."

"It's not your fault, Zoe. All of us are to blame. We were all too weak to face that...that girl. In fact, none of us should've lived in the first place."

"I know Commander!! But...but..."

"Raisa's dead?"

Lenny regained consciousness and opened her eyes.

"LENNY!!"

"Cough...I...I...it looks like I'm next...cough...cough...", Lenny coughed more blood. Despite hearing what happened to Raisa, she still had a calm poker face - except she was faintly smiling and starting to cry.

"NO, LENNY!! You'll be fine.."

"Not possible...cough..my wounds...too deep...already lost too much blood...I have...no chance..."

"Stop thinking like that!! You shouldn't ask for death..."

"Commander, I've prepared to die since the moment I became a Maiden...cough...no...ever since I took care of Raisa..."

Lenny continued to speak even if she could not do it properly. Even as her skin got too pale. Even after she heard about her fallen comrade...even if...

None of us had enough medical skill to help her out. Her wound was just too large to handle...only a professional could somehow fix it.

It was just me and Lenny talking. Everyone else was either crying or speechless...they didn't know what to say...

"Listen, Lenny. Nelly has gone for help. She'll be coming here with medics to help you out. Please, hold on..."

"You're not thinking well...you're putting your emotions first...cough cough...ack..ah...please listen..."

"People will die around you, Commander...you can't avoid it. It's part of war. What matters is not who died or how they died. What matters is learning from it...honouring them...expecting another will die too..."

"WHY ARE YOU SAYING THAT!!? STOP IT!!"

"......because I want you to be ready...cough...", she held my face.

"I just don't want Raisa to see me cry...I just...uggh..."

"Lenny!!"

"...don't blame yourself......take...care...of your loved ones..."

"LENNY!!"

"...SHIT!!", I slammed my hand at the ground. Darn it, why...

I'm sick and tired of having people die around me...why again...

"What's going on here?"

Suddenly, the voice of another commander...Nelly had brought them...

Three people. Two of them were Battle Maidens, probably AMX class. One of them, a girl with orange hair, rushed to calmly examine Lenny.

The commander was Gallian. Blue outfit, short, green hair...wait a minute!!? I know him!?

"Who's in charge....Luciano?...", he said as he recognized me.

"Davout?!..", I replied with a bit of shock.

Davout "Bonaparte" de Gallia. An old friend of mine and a rival sort of. We were both classmates in our first days at military school, but he transferred to another academy. I can say we were both alike in many ways. He was tough, rude, and serious, and does not socialize well. However, he can be nice at times, and trusts me much.

He had vengeful reasons to join the military at a young age.

"How unlucky, huh Luciano? Your first taste of command, someone died already."

"We were attacked by a very horrible Beast Tank. I'll discuss it with you later, it might be too sensitive."

"Sensitive?"

Had to say that. Reporting a humanoid Beast Tank isn't simple.

"...alright. But I am sorry for your loss."

"I know. It's my fault."

"There's nothing we can do. It's how this world works. As officers, our only job is to learn from it and avoid further casualties. It ain't easy either."

While both of us were talking, the girls were looking at Lenny's condition, getting really worried. The medic examining Lenny was an AMX 13, by the name of Caitlin Pobil.

"I'm sorry, but I believe your friend is dead. Too much blood had been spilled, and the wound is beyond repair.", said Caitlin.

Zoe, Prima, and Lena were all driven to tears, with Lena covering it with her arm. Nelly, as much as she wanted to cry, held it in as much as she could.

"I...I understand...we never made it here in time..."

"Honestly, I am surprised. I have never seen a wound like this at all. What kind of Beast Tank did this?", Caitlin wondered.

"...", Nelly responded with silence. So was everyone else.

"Sorry if I asked. Anyway, we have to carry her to camp and keep her body intact for burial. Sorry for your loss."

"No...it's...it's fine...it's just..."

"LENNY!!", Zoe rushed to hug Lenny, even when she was dead. She hugged her so much, not wanting to let her go.

Regardless, everyone went back to Paris. Lenny's dead. All of us are fatigued and disoriented. And I have something to discuss with Davout and the Gallian military.

What a horrible day...

---- ---

Location: Unknown

Aww, I never got to kill those other humans. At least I got one though, that girl payed her life for hitting my eye. (Whatever, my glowing eyes did not get blind anyway.)

I wanted to pursue those other prey, but my friend Lambda contacted me for an emergency, so I had to go.

I teleported through a portal to meet with Lambda in another field. Oh, looks like she picked up a body count, hehe.

"Ahhh...what a mess you made here."

"Epsilion, more human troops have assembled nearby. More Battle Maidens sighted...you killed someone, didn't you?"

"A pretty one indeed. I just loved the look of her friends as she died in my hands, though her smile irritated me to take her head out."

"Stop causing more trouble, Epsilion."

"I was having fun, Lambda! I ain't doing wrong!!"

"You shouldn't expose yourself too much, the enemy will know about us sooner if you continue."

"So? They can't match us no matter what. They're weak."

"Correct, but better to be safe, Epsilion."

"Yeah yeah yeah..."

I heard someone moaned a bit. Somewhere near a broken tank, someone was still breathing.

"Oh, another one's still alive. I'll get her.", said Lambda as she approaches the survivor. It was a Bavarian Battle Maiden. LT type.

"...f#&k...you monsters..."

"You fought bravely human, here's your reward.", Lambda said as she aimed her monster turret at the poor thing.

".....heck...humanity won't give in to beasts like...BOOOOMM..."

Sweet, Lambda blew her head off.

"Hey, are you gonna eat her?"

"The arm is enough for me. Go feed yourself."

"Yaay!! Thanks, Lambda!!"

Lambda ate the arm, while I ate the remains. Yum.

"We better get going. After we're done here, we should get back to the rendevous point near Frunze."

"Got it, Lambda!!"

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