Alexandra slowly made her way up the hill, gradually making out more and more heads of Dante and Isabella's battalion as she went. Getting even closer, despite looking orderly and at the ready from a distance, she soon found out that terror was written across the soldier's faces as they remained halted on the spot. Looking to the left with Dante firmly holding his place with arms crossed and Yuno silently watching at his side, she soon realized what had exactly happened, before being approached by Isabella.

"You're joining too?", Isabella asked.

"Mostly overseeing things, as the protocol requires. Dear, I think I was told 'Isabella', do tell me how it got to this point.", Alexandra got worried about her soldiers.

"You requested we led, right? So he leads...", she looked back at Dante.

"The installation of deep fear within the hearts of our troops is not exactly what I had in mind that you'd use to lead.", she looked displeased, "When I approached the other battalion, things seemed much more...humanly. I get that everyone has their different ways and that some among you have greater experience, but I expected a much, much more caring and intricate, more empathetic approach from someone whose roots stemmed from the house of Elysia."

Just as Isabella thought of turning around and telling Dante to come over so that he could be persuaded by Alexandra to calm down on his ways of leading and control, she was surprised to already see him standing before them with but a few centimeters distance. His face looked displeased, it was as if he was fed up with the entire situation he was forced into.

Dante overheard her, "Then you should've ordered a babysitter. I'm simply advertising what will happen if they decide to run off in any direction other than what I specifically ordered. Make no mistake, I will not fail what you asked of me, despite having but not wanting to do it, and this way, I more than secure that success. Have I covered your worries, Counselor? Because this is war. Not a kindergarten, not a charity.", he went back to the front of the battalion.

Alexandra sighed, "Perhaps I...overshoot things."

"I'm a part of that leading unit too. Relax, I'll manage both."

"I guess I am to blame for this as well. Had I gotten here earlier, stepping in would've been much, much easier. It was unfortunate that I had to oversee a horrid trial for the bullying of an employee at our own Institute in the suburbs. A vile incident of two guards writing slang, tearing and burning clothes, drinking themselves and misfiring their guns, all the while the director had overworked herself to sleep...today seems like I go from one sadness to the other."

"How's Magi doing? You asked her to help too."

"She is doing just fine. Despite her volunteering for this, I suppose that Thaddeus allowing it to happen is for a backup publicity stunt after what I was told precisely happened in the plains before. However, she's capable, as the Royal Guards of France seem to be. Sorry, Insinia.", Alexandra corrected herself.

"Don't bother. You were told my name, but not everything else? Earth is where I'm from too, whatever timeline or other mambo jumbo the scientists of ours spit out these past few days."

"I keep losing track of who of you is from this or other worlds all the time. I have a lot of food on my plate, some of which I'll never finish from the looks of it and the times. But I do find solace in communicating with Russia and the Church there, since the places and terminology they still teach are of familiar grounds."

"Don't blame you. In any case, I'll stay vigilant. We were informed minutes ago about the plan. We're making an exclusion zone around the suspected explosion spot and controlling the flow to the major numbers stationed at the front of the city. The only other place they can go to is way up north, which is useless. Which part will you be overseeing?"

"This part here. I have to be present to counteract the effects my orders had when I assigned your team here so that there's no bickering. Reina and Magi, as well as Wallace under my orders, have been redirected by me to the northwest spots near the city. I have my mind at ease knowing they'll be the ones there."

Isabella psyched herself up, "Ok. Luna returned minutes ago too, so it should be happening any moment now. I'm off to the front, as I'll need to get into contact with Drima as well. I'll check with you later."

"I love your assuring words of certain return my friend. Godspeed.", Alexandra went to the back herself.

With a mere ten more minutes passing, well above the threshold of when the explosion was described to be, everyone got into their positions to finally begin, with all six of them meeting at the same front. Their battalions shifting into two separate wide lines to better terminate all threats as they moved ahead, they got another glance at the battlefield that was soon to be, their muscles tensing in the exact same way every other soul's did around them, all anticipating the calamity.

Dante fixed his gloves, "Alright. Everyone psyched and ready to go?"

"I-I think so. I've got what it takes, that I have confidence in. But the danger...", Terna got worried.

"You'll be fine this time, diva. I'm by you. So that said, really, you will all be fine.", Tiki reassured her.

Luna found the chance to turn to Dante and Isabella, "My sincerest apologies for interfering with your abilities without your knowledge, however, my programming inside H.I.V.E. did not allow me to do otherwise, as when I detect threats to humanity, at all costs, they must be eliminated."

"Yeah, that might screw us over. I don't know about you, but without what I was used to doing with Hikari, this is way more dangerous, granted I still have a M.O.D. and my other innate physical abilities.", Isabella fixed her grip on her lance.

Dante got up to Luna, "If I were to ask you to tell me, in a simplified way, what you did, could you?"

"I patched the rift of the Abnormal Space that remained vaguely open by Hikari when she was holding on to the gauntlets. But, you should fret not, as other innate abilities you and Isabella still had must remain present. You, because you were born from Cecilia who artificially got 'pumped' with Obsulyte from the Abnormal Space, and Isabella from the Quantum Irregularity. You were both molded, remolded, or similarly conditioned to innately possess powers of such environments, not using handicaps from them. In truth, when detecting those signatures from my frame, I have to also state that the calamity about to unfold also happened when the rift closed, upon destroying said fake Gate."

Dante tried to take everything, “This included, one day, I’ll make everything make sense.”

Tiki wondered, "What kind of a joke about Cecilia and what she gave birth to or how is this? Maybe asking Dante-", she whispered to herself.

Yuno rolled his eyes as he flew by Tiki and overheard her whispers, "Yes, you won't, unless you want your head's weight off your shoulders. Really, now of all times with those jokes?"

"Mere speculation. I'd normally make shitty jokes too, had I not psyched myself up for this. Now grow up.", Tiki shrugged.

"How about you grow in general? Ah, whatever...just stay alive.", he wished her.

"What's the plan, by the way?", Terna asked.

"Reina told me that we're supposed to make sure the surrounding areas are safe, construction-wise or citizen-wise, for those lingering after evacuation. Clearing the lines with our heavy machinery up front, and infantry in the back, we aim to create a stable zone and endure until the real heavy hitters around where Magi and Reina are currently stationed hit at it. Drima made the appropriate calculations. That said, those calculations are speculatory, since no one ever really tried to shut off a massive Obsulyte reactor that spanned back to such a massive ore deposit. Be it how the energy flow of that thing works so weirdly and now to such scale...I dunno, we can cross our fingers and pray if more shit hits the fan.", Tiki explained.

"So they stationed war machines down there?", Yuno curiously asked.

"State-of-the-art, AI-powered and programmed robots.", Tiki nodded, "Those are some of the most fun toys to go around, mind you. You'll see, I won't spoil the surprise. That said, I informed Dante a while back when I received the news from Reina as she went off with the helicopter about this, but I'll shove that little info for you here too. The battalion arrangement is in a way where Obsulyte users are up front, holding melee, Obsulyte conductive weapons with the others spread around back with powerful guns and artillery. As I see it, we might get stuck fending the front from the speculated numbers, so the firing support from the back is our best offense if we want to push up. So long we reach a certain point where we’re comfortable in staying, that’s when we will have to actually pull the really, really heavy, nasty work to keep us into position. So that said, make sure to fortify the line along with them. I know I will."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Wait a second...", Isabella wondered, "The monsters we will face, as per usual, will be divided into their made-up hierarchy, Corrupted and Corrupted generals or other higher powers leading Shadowers and so on and so forth, that's their M.O. for mass-scale battles. But with what we've seen around the Victory Plains, what are the chances that we face worse enemies now?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?", Terna asked.

"We got details about a new type of Corrupted, dubbed Watcher here, and it's not the first time this happened. Where more energy and Obsulyte lies, we face worse and more powerful things.", Isabella explained.

"If you're referring to the big monster, we kind of know that.", Tiki pointed the obvious.

"I think she's referring to the escort of that 'big monster'. That said, a battle or war without even knowing who you're going up against should already make someone like you uneasy.", Dante looked at Tiki.

"Ever heard of 'adapting'? Can't change that, so we adapt and fight accordingly. Or we could just take the nearest rifle and swallow it before pulling the trigger. Your choice.", Tiki said.

"Can't say you're wrong. If Anya was here, maybe that Gate of hers could help...", Dante worried.

"Hey, don't start worrying and panicking again, you very much know what happened literally last battle.", Tiki calmed him down, "And while the furry would be of use, her Gate wouldn't. Sure, it's a university student's or high-ranking figure's dream, a poll with all the knowledge out there. The problem is, up until recently, none of the shit we've been facing has been properly, if at all documented. Try pulling up info from a non-existent source."

"Hmm.", Dante nodded, "Right. We're fighting our way through whatever comes regardless of what we know. Hmm…we will manage. That said, I can still feel my Obsulyte surging through me, so not all is lost, on my part at least. So long as they’re not completely useless."

"Only your abilities connected with the Abnormal Space in a non-organic manner, with the fake Gate, have been seized. Surprisingly, your natural abilities with the Abnormal Space remain, making you a formidable threat. Same with Isabella's powers of the Quantum Irregularity.", Luna informed them.

"And my powers are what, exactly?", Isabella folded her arms, "Mind you, weapon creation and matter manipulation was my thing, what I practiced and what I thought my powers revolved around. Right now, I feel like I'm heading naked on a battlefield."

"Cheer up, Izzy! Remember that I got this 'Gate Of Echoes' ,or something like that which Serena called it, and even I lost some of my abilities! But look at how dazzling I am now with all my dashing, dancing, and slashing!", Terna cheered her on.

Isabella sighed, "That nickname...whatever. Our cases, mind you, are polar opposites. You lost your powers but gained new ones along with a Gate. I lost my powers, gained nothing, and apparently someone was able to easily pull my Gate through space itself and tear it to a thousand bits with relative ease. Cecilia's lance is Obsulyte conductive, yeah, ok, I need something more for this, and lacking the signature to unlock its full power, I'm stuck with this and a generic sword mold that may honestly be better in terms of actual ability usage.", she explained as she tried to counteract Terna's searing optimism, getting ever more worried.

"For someone going through this, you surely share the meatbag's sense of dread right now. Ease up, it'll work out. And I’m not saying that for some half assed optimism to get through. Gates, powers and all that shit, remember that you have a military backing you up right now. That’s the furthest thing from a useless resource. See that you’re fighting with a whole, not just yourself.", Tiki calmed her down.

"That said, is this thing ever going to pop out of the ground? They said 15 minutes or so and everyone is still kilometers away from the suspected explosion zone. When will the fireworks go off?", Yuno got impatient.

"At least they won't find the bodies Luna left behind there.", Tiki shrugged.

"What bodies?", Yuno got weirded out.

"Long story short, the world is free of some really, really bad people today. And we still have the lab to explore, so that's a plus.", Tiki looked at Luna, "I'll help you out later."

"I appreciate your assistance.", Luna thanked her.

Waiting around more and more, the weather cleared out completely eventually, without a single cloud in the sky, and everyone waiting around in anticipation of an event that never seemed to erupt before them as told. The machines held firmly on their positions as the soldiers looked around in confusion, the tension never really fading as everyone remained in constant alert and anticipation of the beast. Dante, even more impatient, even called out to Drima with his comms, annoyed with the expected answer of waiting more alongside the others.

After an entire hour, the first signs of terror started to emerge, their tired minds after constant alert being violently woken up. An earthquake, large in magnitude, shook everyone around as the troops somewhat lost their footing and shifted around. Precisely where Drima made his calculations, with the bodies of the scientist-monsters on, the point before them collapsed into a massive crater, a hole going straight down to the abyss. Mysteriously enough, darkness loomed around that hole at a much, much higher degree than it should, getting irregularly pitch black near the surface as if it was consuming the sun's light. The bodies Luna left behind were quick to be fed to the gates of hell that had just opened, a sacrifice that never saw the bottom. Now fully alerted again, with the sturdy war machines going off as their monitoring caught on to what the human senses couldn't see, they very quickly and professionally rearranged themselves back into position and firmly held their stances as they prepared for the worse.

Dante deeply exhaled, looking at Isabella briefly as he drew his sword, taking the front lines, "Alright. Just this once, truce and cooperation."

Isabella took her own stance, "Don't get out of your own line, Dante. You'll regret doing so."

Yuno tried going up to Dante, "Maybe...hah!", he merged again, "Nice, I'm back in! Must be Mellistar's absence making this so easy."

"Now I have voices in my head again. Just what I needed.", Dante sighed, "Careful, all of you.", he looked at the others.

"We will.", Tiki got serious, nodding at Luna and Terna beside her.

"For the sake of humanity.", Luna prepared herself.

"Ready. One performance I'll definitely not forget, for sure.", Terna prepared herself.

"Magi, everything good on your side?", Tiki prepared too as she opened her comms.

"Yeah. Funny feeling I've got here, something will surely come out of that hole in a second, as opposed to something normally going in.", Magi briefly grunted, "Eh. Let's get this party started anyway. I've seen some shit worse than this to begin with.", Magi spoke through comms, "Guys...I beg of you, be careful. This is the first time for some of you. Please."

Drima spoke through the comms, "I'll watch over all of you and guide you with all that I've got. We'll be fine. War machines' readings are going off higher. It's here."

"For Victoria and her people!", Reina yelled out loud.

"For Her Majesty and her people.", Wallace was heard through comms as well, "For the legacy of Dirunon, her king, my commander, and those fallen before us."

"A Silverlance in battle...man, I missed a good show by being on the wrong front.", Tiki briefly joked, "Let's kick its ass."

As expected, another much more violent earthquake occurred that despite their preparedness, still shook the troops around with its sheer force and magnitude. Seconds after the second wave, the ground around the hole began to crack and be torn apart, acting like the now-cracking chains that tried to desperately hold something back. From the bottom of the hole, a massive red spark flew up into the sky, almost blinding those who saw it directly. Returning it back, from the stars above, an even more massive lighting slammed right back into the hole as it dispersed around the sky yet again, the clear weather now holding tightly to the same lighting that eventually froze still. It was as if the blue above now possessed red veins, showing its blood flow and rage to those below.

Moments later, the depths of the hole lit whole red as if they actually connected to hell itself, the temperature rose rapidly, growing extremely weaker outwards as it reached everyone positioned away, but almost matching that of the temperature of the sun's surface at its core, which baffled those looking at the readings provided by the war mechs.

A devastating explosion followed, one so massive that reached beyond the frozen lighting above as the shockwave tore the grassy lands apart burning anything alive it touched in an instant. A major pillar of pure, untamed energy mass that turned the area around it into the same kind of hell Tiki's homeland of Sandaco had become, burst forth, erasing all the work and care put into the land around it.

From the explosion, as they again recovered from the shockwave, a major threat expected by everyone finally arrived. The hellspawn that even Luna had to go out of her way and use a considerable amount of power to extinguish in a measly simulation. An amalgamation of black, dying flesh, partially hardened around its massive hands the same way the Corrupted's did. A beast resembling that which Victoria once held as its prideful symbol, a dragon, wingless and clad in unbreakable metal that it crudely placed on its body from the depths of the land it destroyed as it emerged. A piercing roar that mixed with the gurgling of the magma surging from below, echoed on such a massive scale, that even the boarders of Insinia with all its soldiers shook upon simply hearing it.

Its claws scraped the land as it then lifted them in the sky and slashed giant gushes in the air, flashing a cyan blue as they seemed to crack space itself around them. As soon as the gushes changed to black, similar red lighting gushing out of them, monsters started emerging from the ground and sky, and to everyone's horror, they were not the easy kind to deal with. Corrupted, Watchers, even the same massive brutes they found back on Sandaco with Tiki's scouting, all charged to the surrounding areas, securing their ruthless leading figure.

The monster itself then swallowed the magma it had built in its body back in, further cladding itself in a veil of orange and red, hardening its entire body once more with now multiple layers of the magma, metal, its own already immaculate body, and other metals. Pushing against the ground, the earth beneath it cracked and collapsed, as the assault of the monsters began, phasing those going up against them from the sheer size of the mass and what it actually contained.

"What the...hell? I prepared myself but...this thing...", Isabella stuttered.

"'Big monster' alright. Everyone... let's do this.", Dante walked forward slowly, towards the coming mob of monsters, followed by everyone else and the machines.

"If that's what the power of an 'Overseer' is supposed to be, we surely have a lot on our plate today.", Tiki dusted herself off, "Let's kill this bastard."