“The offensive failed. I suppose that was set in stone, no? Breaking through the contact line alone was almost impossible. What more at pushing deep into the enemy line to, what was that? Ah, ‘encircle them’, ‘surround them’, ‘force them into a rout’. Absolute fools, High Command, all of them! I just lost three, THREE in my platoon. I care not if Captain Victoria tells me that our casualties are relatively light, it is one too many, always one too many! To them, we may be numbers here, but I knew those guys. Henry was just a kid. A damned kid who got taken in by gangsters because he had always been poor. And for that, they sent him here, to this Battalion, that formed the spearhead of the assault. A kid. A damned kid! And he died under my command. I heard his screams. I heard him calling for us as he bled to death. What can they tell, that this is just a ‘mistake’, and that they will just ‘re-evaluate’? Damn them all!”

- Excerpt from Lieutenant Hans Hoffman’s Journal Entries.

+++

+++ Lieutenant Hans Hoffman +++

Unknown

“I got my sights on it, Captain.” Hans calmly reported. He eyed three strangely deformed wolves of some sort. No, they were just normal night wolves, at least, based on his memories. Should be quite easy targets.

“It’s local wildlife, Lieutenant,” Adelyn said, worried. “Is this really necessary?”

“It is,” Hans answered. Unfortunately, Adelyn wouldn’t really understand his drive to do this. Unlike her, she didn’t see the future. Hans knew that Adelyn was definitely still confident in herself. She trusted her Wanderadler to serve her against that entity, just like him before his second death.

Well, trust was now out of the window. Hans didn’t know if those levels truly meant something, but he needed it to test out his hypothesis. If for anything, all he would lose was a few MG rounds and a slap on the wrist from whatever environmental authority this world had (which he doubted was something that even existed).

Well, if they have regulations not to shoot local wildlife, I can just claim self-defense.

His turret turned to them. They were near a pond of some sort below the hill he was on. There were also a lot of trees on the way, so he wouldn’t be risking being spotted immediately. Funnily enough, he definitely chose this to be hull down if his current targets spotted him. While the Wanderfalke’s turret would definitely resist a tank round careening into it, he sure as hell liked only exposing his turret.

Especially when the Wanderfalke had a perfect ten degrees of gun depression. That meant he was always a smaller target whenever he had a choice. But such tactics usually only mattered when the enemy could fire back.

Not in this situation.

I guess old habits simply die hard.

“Engaging, Captain,” he said.

“Copy, Lieutenant. I got your six covered.”

“Much appreciated.”

He pulled his fire trigger. Reddish tracer rounds rained through the forest, as Hans spray-painted the wolf pack with well-placed bursts, conserving ammo as much as possible. Three separate bursts of death, and only the whimpering of the last night wolf was left, as it walked and bled on the pond.

He pulled the trigger for a split second, sending another burst of bullets on the limping night wolf, and dropping it on the pond. Even when he was merely using it to test his delusions, Hans wasn’t a fan of making any living creature suffer more than necessary.

[THREE NIGHT WOLVES (LVL. 10) LIQUIDATED!]

[LEVEL UP! YOU ARE NOW LVL. 3]

[PROGRESS TO LVL.4: 25%]

[AVAILABLE AP: 70 PTS]

“Hostile entities dispatched, Captain,” Hans reported.

“Did it work?”

“It did,” Hans replied. “It said I’m now level three, so that’s something. I still need more progress to confirm my hypothesis.”

“...Wait…for what is this even?”

“What are you doing, Captain?”

“Checking my status screen, as you taught earlier.” She paused. “It says…mech upgrade available?”

Hans' eyes widened upon hearing that. Mech Upgrades? What did that even mean? So if she was level five, she had access to such a thing? Now, something…something was even bubbling on his mind. Level five huh? He opened his status screen. Level three, with twenty-five progress to level four. He only needed a few more to reach it.

And perhaps I might have that too.

“Hey, Lieutenant…” Adelyn said. “Have you…noticed that button on our left? Of your control panel. It’s not normally there. It’s bright red. It wasn’t there before, only now did I notice it.”

Hans looked at his controls. Indeed…there was a strange red button on it. He immediately pressed it. Suddenly, the displays that were showing the feeds of the outside world suddenly changed.

WELCOME TO THE MECH PILOT (VANGUARD) CONTROL SYSTEM!

CURRENT MECH: WANDERPANZER II FALKE AUSFÜHRUNG H.

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CONTROL GUIDE: JUST PRESS THE SCREENS!

Immediately, Hans pressed the [UPGRADES] prompt. And it was utterly empty, except for one instruction.

OBJECTIVE: REACH LVL. 5 FIRST!

So that was that then. He went back to the main screen. There was another prompt.

PILOT ASSISTANCE SYSTEM.

Naturally, he pressed it. Technically, his mech already had one, but this might be special. If…his assumptions that magical powers were at play here, then the possibility of his Wanderfalke itself being magical…

Well, he already said it himself. He must always consider the outlandish.

ENABLE? Y/N.

He pressed yes.

SYSTEM—MECH INTEGRATION…COMMENCING…

+++

“I guess your hypothesis is right then,” Adelyn said. They were now parked on the side of the road again. They had hunted another wolf pack, and Hans was now at level four. Indeed, that was some good progress at least, but he wasn’t at level five yet.

“Magic. Our mechs. They’re magical too.”

Adelyn nodded…before slowly…a childish grin spread through her face. “Magical. Lieutenant! Can you believe that? In that case, would we eventually be able to make these things fly? Oh…maybe our rounds would soon be all electrical and stuff! Oh, the possibilities.”

“Wait, wait, you’re getting ahead of yourself, Adelyn,” Hans said. “What exactly did you pick again?”

“I picked this…‘UPG: Arcane Autofrabricator’ thing. I think it was called that way. Why? It sounded better than the other one.”

“Wait what, did I hear that right? What does it do?”

“Says it allows my Wanderadler to replicate munitions, fuel, and even bullets for my rifle,” Adelyn smiled. “Logistics! The center of all warfare. It’s why I chose it. Think about it, Lieutenant, that wipes our main problems.”

“No, no,” Hans said. “What’s the other one?”

“‘UPG: Missile of Justice’, was what it said. The description was just something about turning my shots into an anti-demon locking thing. Interesting, but I have confidence in my skill of hitting things without it—”

“Captain, wait,” he held her suddenly, his eyes widening. “Can you change it?”

“Um, Lieutenant, you’re—”

“Captain, can you change it?”

“No, I cannot. Lieutenant, you really are…you’re…”

Hans suddenly realized what he was doing. He took his hands off her and looked down at his own hands. Again…it was trembling. For a brief moment…he even saw his own blood on it. That moment…that same moment when that entity’s tail sliced straight through him. Hans…he didn’t want it again. He didn’t want to fail this loop. If this was truly a brutal labyrinth he couldn’t escape without death…then he wanted it to stop now…

And, the idea that her other mech upgrade was something that allowed her to use her main gun’s rounds as a missile that would lock on it? His main combat problem had been getting his shot to connect on it. With such an upgrade, he wouldn’t worry about it. Maybe it would dodge it. Maybe more. But still. Better than an unguided shot, perhaps. Or perhaps not.

Regardless…she chose a logistical upgrade instead of something that would aid him now. And how could he blame her? She must be thinking long-term, of what would happen once this day was over. Meanwhile, Hans…he was panicking. All he was thinking was today. The day he would die, according to his past lives.

“Lieutenant,” he felt her hand touch his hands. He looked at her green eyes, eyes that showed nothing but concern and worry at Hans’ condition. “Lieutenant, do you need rest? Just tell me, please.”

“No,” Hans replied. “I don’t need rest, Captain. I need to move. We need to keep acting. Fighting. Looking for a way…a way out of this bloody—”

“Bloody?” Adelyn tilted her head. “Lieutenant, what really is happening? Please…would you tell me?”

“Captain…” Hans held himself off, looking down to control his breathing. Why? Why did the simple idea of that creature…or of telling her, cause a deep sinking feeling in his inner being? As if he was collapsing. He couldn’t do it. But…she was asking…

He needed to give her an answer, as his commanding officer.

“Captain, I believe a threat exists in this environment. And I’m worried that our combat capabilities are not enough to face it,” Hans said. “I apologize for this display. It’s just been—”

“Stressful,” she nodded. “Perhaps even worse. I don’t understand it, but when I look at you, your eyes have been…it’s as if you’re deathly terrified of something since I first met you earlier.”

She smiled bitterly, as she let Hans’ hands off. “I guess that’s how war affects the mind, no?”

“Captain?”

She looked away. “It’s cruel. Beyond cruel. To reduce a person this way. I really am sorry. That’s why, I’m trying to find a way out of this damned thing too. No one deserves to be in bad situations such as this.”

She looked back at Hans. “You don’t trust me, Lieutenant, don’t you?”

“Captain, respectfully, why would I do that?” Hans said. “Why would I think of my commanding officer that way? No, Captain Wittenstein, I trust you now, just as I entrusted E Company to you. I’m merely worried. If anything, I’m more concerned about my abilities to get us out of this…situation.”

“Why is that, Lieutenant?” Adelyn asked. “You’re my best pilot in E Company. Your kills alone say it all. You’re one of a kind. Someone capable of not just surviving on a battlefield, but dominating in it. Meanwhile, what am I but just another sheltered noble you all detest, acting as if I can fight on the battlefields.”

“You can, Captain. We’re all soldiers. We’re trained for it.”

“If you say so…” She paused. “I still cannot pinpoint it. You’re a difficult man to understand.”

I guess she doesn’t really understand it. Hans wanted to shout it at her, but for some reason…no words came out of his mouth. His mind, all it said, almost scathingly, as if by instinct, was that she would not believe it. That he would just embarrass himself in front of his commanding officer. Shame…it flooded him.

“It cannot be said, Hans. Do not do it. Do not.”

That cold feeling again. He didn’t like it, but he obliged to whatever it said. He didn’t even hear it, but for some reason, his mind placed it on his rules. And with that, he couldn’t speak any further to his own commanding officer…

Hans merely breathed out.

“Maybe I do need some time to cool off,” Hans said. “I’ve been acting strange, Captain. I apologize.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for, Lieutenant,” Adelyn replied, her concerned tone still there. “I’ll go check on Alizée. Please, drink some water or something. Take care of yourself.”

“Roger that.”

She nodded, before turning around. Hans meanwhile walked back on his mech, opened his hatch, and dropped to his seat. He thought he had long held mastery over his own emotions. That war had already completely shaped him as an emotionless husk that only dealt death.

Yet…

He completely slackened in his seat, wishing for salvation from this ordeal.

He didn’t want to meet a bloody end again.