Ayame gasped awake, the cold dry breath caught into her throat as she moved her head around.
The gritty texture of sand and gravel scraped against her bare skin.
A jolt of panic surged through her as she realized she was lying on the ground.
The world above was a breathtaking expanse, a night of a million twinkling stars splashed across blackness.
A full moon bathed the landscape in an ethereal silver light, illuminating long, inky shadows that reflected across the unfamiliar terrain.
Sprawling on the ground, her face stayed still, frozen as she saw the night sky so clear with the stars and moon were completely visible, no light pollution.
The air she breathed felt different somehow. Unlike the stale air that would irritate the nose at this temperature, this one felt...invigorating.
She lifted her left arm, pulling the long white sleeve up to see her forearm. It was the same forearm as her body when she was in the school building.
A strand of hair caught her eye. She pulled it to the field of her vision. Its ebony strands cascading down her back. It undeniably belonged to her.
In conclusion, it was the same body.
That damn God trolled me...
Or perhaps she had forgotten some things.
In the distance, a city glimmered with tiny lights from buildings and skyscrapers that seemed impossibly small from this vantage point.
As she squinted, she could see different colors mingling together in one scene - red signal lights flickering on top of skyscrapers and random green lights that probably came from a billboard.
A mountain loomed in the background, separating the color of the horizon with its own body covered in shadow.
A gust of wind blew strands of hair across Ayame's face, revealing her ears as she scanned the landscape before her.
It's been a while since I touched places like this...
Apparently, this is the world which 'God' meant.
"Oi."
A sharp voice cut through the stillness, pulling Ayame's attention away from the city below and towards a girl proning on the ground.
She was propped up on her elbows, her eyes focused intently on the scope of a sniper rifle perched in front of her.
The scope stretched long above the rifle, almost as long as the barrel-there were 2 parts, actually.
The rear one was a traditional scope for daylight engagements. The one in front was a massive night vision binocular. It was bulky, the diameter was bigger than the size of an object a hand can completely grip.
It was aimed at a particular building in the distance.
The rifle's barrel was also strapped with a very long and thick muzzle covered in a green dampening fabric.
The girl wore a sleek black coat that blended into the dark sky, with a hood covering her head and only revealing her fringe and face.
"You've finally woken up."
She muttered a word without looking away from her scope, while adjusting it and placing a small piece of wood under the rifle's stock.
Ayame couldn't help but stare at the rifle, tracing her gaze from its extended barrel all the way to its bipod legs planted firmly on the ground like a guy checking on a girl's body.
"Nice camo⁽¹⁾. How much magnification is that?"
Ayame commented as she knelt down, pretty distant from the girl.
"Thanks, and it's 3-18x30mm⁽²⁾."
The sniper replied nonchalantly as she loaded high-capacity rounds into her magazine and locked it into place.
She then pushed the bolt forward and secured it.
Her peripheral vision noticed Ayame's curious gaze.
She tilted her head for a while, within 3 seconds, she looked back into the scope.
Ayame stared at the massive scope continuously.
As their eyes met, Ayame saw that the sniper's expression was not disturbed.
"Is that a TAC 50⁽³⁾?"
She blurted out.
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"I watch tons of videos about guns."
"Cool."
The sniper answered nonchalantly and went back to adjusting her scope without another word.
Intrigued, Ayame inched closer but kept a safe distance.
"Why are you aiming that gun?"
She asked, unable to contain her curiosity any longer.
"I'm going to kill a g-."
The sniper answered with a professional tone, then she stopped halfway.
"I'm hunting a boar for money."
"Boar?"
"Yeah."
"With a sniper rifle aimed at a city?"
That question hit like a pebble to the sniper's head.
After pausing for a few seconds, she slowly turned her head to Ayame. Her eyes could tell her irritation.
"Yeah..."
Ayame tilted her face and furrowed her brows.
"Fine... you win. See that guy over there? I want to blow his head off."
The sniper kept her left eye shut as she peered through the scope.
"Oh..."
Ayame's face fell flat.
It was night and 'that guy over there' was miles away according to where Eri was aiming to.
"Thanks for telling...where's the guy?"
This question hit the sniper like a pebble again.
The sniper looked away from her scope and tossed a pair of binoculars to Ayame.
She caught them quickly, then bringing the binoculars to her chest, her fingers curling tightly around the expensive equipment.
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"Jesus Christ, this shit is expensive! You can't just throw it like that!"
She scolded the sniper.
"Don't worry about it, I've got plenty more in my storage."
The sniper smirked.
Ayame was speechless.
She moved behind the sniper and peered through the binoculars to see what she was aiming at.
Everything inside the binoculars were bigger. However it was in blue. The hotter an object was, the brighter the color was.
"Coordinates?"
Ayame struggled to find the target that the sniper was trying to lock on, but she couldn't find it.
She knew the sniper was looking into the school building, but everyone that was walking around the school were just normal people-and none of them were guys.
Some were dressed in black classic shirts with collars and buttons, and there were 2 people dressed in a maid uniform that were guarding the lobby, and their hands were empty.
A little movement from her arms made a very big change to the direction of where she was looking, and she couldn't constantly focus on where she initially looked.
"See a school with the least lights on?"
The sniper girl's voice was calm, steady, her right eye glued to the scope.
Ayame squinted through the binoculars, scanning the buildings below.
"That's where I'm looking at."
"Correct coordinates."
The sniper confirmed, not budging from her position.
"I don't see any guys."
"See those girls, especially in the maid uniform? They are guys."
Ayame blinked, lowering the binoculars to stare at the sniper.
"They are the guys?"
"No," The sniper sighed, a hint of irritation in her voice. "They are guys."
Ayame's eyebrows knit together in confusion. She pulled her eyes away from the binoculars aggressively, glancing at the sniper.
"Hold on. To make sure your eyes are okay. Am I a girl or a boy?"
The sniper finally shifted her gaze from the scope, meeting Ayame's eyes with a deadpan expression.
"Boy."
Ayame's mouth opened, then closed. She took a moment, then pressed on.
"Are you a girl or a boy?"
The sniper's lips pressed into a thin line, clearly annoyed. She turned back to her scope with a huff.
"Girl."
Ayame went quiet.
Silence broke between them for a while. Then Ayame asked with a flat tone.
"Are you gay?"
The sniper's head jerked up when she listened to it, her face scrunched with irritation.
"Shut up."
Ayame was unhappy either.
"Then why did you call me a boy."
The sniper girl's fingers tightened on the rifle, knuckles turning white.
"Why does it matter?"
Ayame shrugged, pretending to inspect the binoculars.
"What nationality are you?"
"Why'd you ask that?"
"Because you misidentified genders."
The sniper rolled her eyes, her patience visibly fraying.
"Focus on the mission."
Ayame leaned closer, lowering her voice conspiratorially.
"Answer my question first."
The sniper locked into Ayame's eyes like an eagle, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"I have a rifle. That's all you need to know."
"Fair enough."
The sniper adjusted her position for the last time, before putting her index finger on the trigger.
The crosshair was on the maid with blue eyes and black hair.
Meanwhile another one beside her had lime green eyes and black hair.
Ayame looked at the same thing too.
A young woman's voice crackled through her transmitter.
"Handler⁽⁴⁾ to Sicarius⁽⁵⁾ One, confirming copy, over."
The sniper immediately answered, not moving her body anymore.
"Sicarius One, copy. Request intelligence data, over."
"We've failed to identify their leader. Recommend taking down her minions⁽⁶⁾ first."
The sniper girl huffed, pulling her eyes out of the scope.
"Negative. We're not rushing into their territory."
"This is psychological warfare. Discourage them."
The sniper sighed. Pausing for a few seconds before replying.
"Roger that."
"Be advised. Your location has been compromised. Enemies are en route to your location, over."
The handler's flat voice called out again.
The sniper's eyes widened momentarily, then narrowed again.
"How much time do we have?"
"No more than 10 minutes. You better have your mortars and SAMs⁽⁷⁾ ready. Handler out."
As the transmission ended, the sniper girl exhaled slowly, her focus returning to the scope.
Ayame, sensing the shift in atmosphere, quietly resumed her position beside her, the earlier banter replaced by a tense silence.
"I heard we have company."
Ayame asked her, still scanning the school. The maids were still standing there.
"We've been having 'em."
The sniper didn't move her body the slightest. Only her mouth. Then she asked again.
"Mind helping me?"
"With what?"
"Scan your surroundings, west and east from where we're heading. There are only 2 routes to access this mountain. There'll be either a man-to-man ambush or they'll rain hell down this place."
"I'll try to do that."
"Good answer."
The sniper took a deep breath and exhaled. Vapor came out of her mouth.
"Sicarius One to the Mortar Team, what's your status?"
"Ready, over."
"SAM team, anything?"
"Enemy Reconnaissance Vehicle detected through IR⁽⁸⁾ sensors. Waiting for orders."
"When I fire, you fire. Get it?"
"Get it."
The sniper girl took a deep breath and held it.
Her grip on the rifle tightened, finger poised on the trigger.
As the mark of the scope aligned with the blue-eyed maid, she pulled the trigger without hesitation.
The 50-caliber⁽⁹⁾ round fired off from the barrel, sending a recoil into her shoulder.
The gunshot echoed sharply, a trail of smoke following the bullet's deadly path, no flash.
Within seconds, the bullet found its mark, shattering the blue-eyed maid's skull. Blood splattered against the wall as her body crumpled to the ground.
The maid with green eyes barely had time to react before another round pierced her temple, ending her life instantly.
"Fire in the hole!!!"
Male voices shouted from the higher hill.
Simultaneously, three mortar shells launched into the night sky. Ayame caught a glimpse of them before they vanished into the darkness.
At that moment, four soldiers sprang from the camouflaged ground with a Javelin⁽¹⁰⁾ launcher on their shoulders.
"Fire!!!"
One of them commanded, and all three triggered their Javelin missile launchers.
Missiles burst from the barrels, deploying fins and propelling themselves skyward.
Ayame tracked the missiles with her eyes.
Meanwhile, the mortar shells reached their targets at the school building.
The first shell crashed into the walls, exploding and tearing a massive hole through it.
The second shell landed in a nearby grass field, igniting a blaze.
The third shell struck the school lobby, shattering glass doors and setting wooden structures ablaze.
Simultaneously, the Javelin missiles struck the Reconnaissance Vehicle hovering in the sky that was blending with the night.
The stealth coating shredded away immediately. The skin was all torn, leaving only frames of the fuselage inside flames.
Pieces of the aircraft disintegrated mid-air as it plummeted, then it split in half.
Ayame dropped arms that were holding the binoculars, shuddered in fear and intrigue as the explosions reflected before her eyes.
It was like witnessing the New Year's fireworks display.
The heat of the flames reached them even from afar.
"They're completely blind now. Time to take care of business."
The sniper girl reloaded her rifle, securing the bolt, and fired her TAC 50 into the school building windows.
The 50-caliber rounds shattered the glass windows and found their targets, killing some who were attempting to locate the sniper and others who ran in panic.
Some rounds missed, crashing into the walls.
The mortar team prepared more 120mm high-explosive shells, bringing them to the launchers.
"More rounds ready!"
"Fire!"
They dropped the shells into the launchers. In a split second those shells fired out into the sky.
Almost a minute later, the mortar shells rained down on the school.
Two of them crashed into the infrastructure of the building.
One lucky shell crashed through a window into a room where a lot of people gathered to arm themselves.
As the tip of the shell smashed into the floor tiles, its warhead blew apart, the shell that coated itself turned into shrapnel that shot out at the speed of sound.
In one explosion, the entire room was obliterated.
After struggling to search for enemies for a while, Ayame's binoculars finally captured some heat traces from the ground.
3 vehicles were heading to the mountain via the east route.
The heat sources were their engines and exhaust. The cars' headlights were off.
"Enemy cars detected! Direction...uhhh, 2 o'clock! heading towards us, headlights off!"
Ayame exclaimed.
The sniper locked the magazine into the sniper rifle and pushed the bolt.
Then, she immediately shifted her position and looked at the direction Ayame mentioned.
She was right.
There were vehicles heading towards them, headlights off.
The first vehicle carried 6 people, aside from the driver, all the male soldiers carried assault rifles.
The second one carried 4. Aside from the driver, the rest of them were carrying missile launchers.
And the last one, there were 5 people.
As the sniper saw the person sitting in the middle seat of the rear row, her eyes widened.
It was a blonde woman with blue eyes, wearing a black classic collared shirt and black trousers, smirking with confidence as wind blew her hair to the back.
After the sniper saw her for a while, her mouth smirked, revealing her teeth.
"Bold of you to leave your nest, Marika."
She muttered, as she locked the bolt of the rifle.
Suddenly, one of the people in the second car launched a missile, the projectile streaking through the night sky toward their reconnaissance aircraft.
Within seconds, the warhead smashed right into the allied aircraft's fuselage.
The explosion was deafening as the missile hit, the reconnaissance aircraft disintegrating into a shower of sparks and debris, raining down the mountain.
"Shit...!"
The sniper's aim was disrupted. She didn't even know how to react properly to that.
Simultaneously, the first car's occupants opened fire, bullets whizzing through the air, aimed at the sniper and Ayame.
The sharp cracks of rifle fire echoed around them, as the bullets fell around them.
Ayame immediately jumped to the back of a lumped ground, while bullets slammed into them.
"Why the hell are they shooting at us?!"
She screamed, asking the sniper.
"They shot down our UAV⁽¹¹⁾! Now they've spotted us on their radar!"
The sniper quickly changed the magazine of her rifle, switching between high capacity rounds into Armor Piercing Incendiary.
"That shit is our UAV?!!"
Ayame asked again, as she wanted to move forward to the sniper's side, a bullet landed close to her.
"It blocks the enemy intelligence signal. They couldn't communicate with each other. So they couldn't find our exact position, even with a thermal system!"
The sniper didn't flinch. With a terrifying calmness, she adjusted her aim, following the trajectory of the car that was climbing the rough terrain at high speed, carrying soldiers that were shooting at them.
As the trajectory of the car changed and faced them, she immediately squeezed the trigger of her TAC 50.
The powerful shot rang out, striking the engine of the first car with pinpoint accuracy.
As the shell penetrated through the grills, the tip of the bullet crashed into the engine block, penetrating into the crankshaft and destroying the piston arms.
At the same time, the incendiary warhead exploded. The fuel that was being injected immediately ignited, and the flame led into the tank through the pipes.
The engine hood flew out of its place, crashing into the windshield, before the entire engine and the fuel tank went ablaze.
The car was lifted into the air as it tore apart, then tumbled down and rolled downhill.
Flames and debris scattered, lighting up the night with a brief, intense blaze.
Ayame crouched low, her eyes wide as she took in the scene.
The sniper quickly pulled the bolt, ejecting the casing, then pushed it back.
"Not yet!"
Ayame shouted, spotting additional vehicles in the distance.
As the sniper placed pressure on the trigger, the second car fired an RPG⁽¹²⁾.
The rocket arced towards them.
Right now, the sniper's scope was focused on the warhead of the projectile. The car behind it was obscured by the smoke from its tail.
Ayame's eyes widened as she spotted the projectile.
Without a second thought, she lunged towards the sniper and pushed her arms into the sniper's armpits, yanking her back.
A split second later, the RPG smashed into the rifle, blowing the rifle apart.
The explosion was fierce, sending a shockwave through the ground and filling the air with smoke and debris.
The sniper landed hard beside Ayame, both of them momentarily stunned but alive.
Without even thinking, the sniper immediately got up and pulled a fist, aiming it at Ayame's face.
"What the fuck are you doing?!"
"Don't you see a fucking RPG heading your way?!"
Suddenly, gunfire erupted from two directions, catching them in a deadly crossfire.
Bullets from the car and the school peppered their position, assault rifles and marksman rifles pinning them down.
"Fuck! They're shooting at the fire near our spot!"
The sniper released Ayame.
"Let's get the fuck out of here!"
Quickly realizing their position, she pulled Ayame to her feet, ditching the compromised location.
The sniper shouted commands to her men as they ran.
"Ditch your weapons! Prepare every ambush weapon we have to take out those cars!"
The voice echoed in every man's transmitter.
Immediately, the men sprang into action, leaving the mortar launchers and grabbing their grenade launchers and rifles, yelling orders at each other.
Some went downhill, deploying landmines and emptying all the weapons in their storage box.
As they removed a fabric that covered a box, inside was almost a ton of stick grenades.
Those soldiers took a few for themselves, then threw a dynamite connected to a cable that connected all dynamites into the box, laying them all out to the road.
Ayame and the sniper kept sprinting downhill, as the sniper quickly opened her coat and threw it away.
"Sicarius One to Handler, we need exfil⁽¹³⁾ immediately!"
The sniper immediately exclaimed into her transmitter strapped to her belt, while her right hand pulled out a pistol.
"A Jeep is heading your way, ETA⁽¹⁴⁾ 90 seconds."
"Make it 60! We've been ambushed from 2 directions!"
Immediately, she disconnected the connection, then pulled the slide of her pistol, running even faster downhill.
Ayame struggled to catch up, the rocks on the road were too steep and slippery.
Somehow, she still had the opportunity to ask the sniper.
"Oi! Why do we leave those guys behind?"
"They're not players, it's their honor to die on the battlefield!”
“What?”
“I'll explain to you later!”
Suddenly, the mountaintop exploded in a massive burst of fire and debris, the force of the blast reached the stratosphere, moving the clouds away.
The shockwave rippled through the air, flames raining down almost everywhere near that mountain, even the entire ground was shaken by it.
Ayame, her eyes wide with shock, the size of the explosion and the brightness were reflected on her eyes.
Seconds later, the shockwave washed against her, deafening her ears and blowing her hair.
Suddenly, she lost her footing, her right foot crashed into a bulged stone.
She stumbled, and at that speed, she went down diving, falling into the terrain below.
Her head collided hard with the ground. Pain shot through her skull, and everything went blank.