Vengeance tastes best served cold, as some wise man once said, and I agree. Because of what occurred to that girl as well as for attempting to cause harm and take advantage of us, I wanted vengeance. That fucking Noble will witness our strength.

Nevertheless, without a decent plan, nothing will succeed, therefore in order to allow me to succeed, I need one. The very last thing I need right now is to be surprised, then I must eschew this at all costs. I'm still uncertain of both the size of our enemy's force or even the existence of any allied forces. Will the state's local military respond if we swiftly and effectively take over the city?

It is intolerable to be confronted with so many unknown factors. Nothing ought to be done quickly or while under the influence of emotion. Heintz had already began developing a strategy for capturing the city once I walked into the main command post. He was an outstanding officer who significantly contributed to the efficiency of our operations. I ordered Erica and Maria to guard our room.

"Did you came up with anything yet?"

"Yes, I think that the most effective strategy to take over a city is to encircle it and separate it from the external world in order to prevent any information from leaking out and to guarantee that the enemy has no allies to rely on. I went ahead and made the assumption that he does have them."

"Are there any fawns around this city?"

"The scouts dispatched did not encounter any fawns around the city, moreover, they did not notice an increase in the attention or numbers of their stationed units. "

In other words, it was the perfect situation to seize control of the city, but I'm anxious of their poor planning. What if everything here is an plot specifically developed to sway our emotions?

What if their objective is to take full advantage of our earlier overwhelming victory? In addition, we must always assume that our opponents are more powerful than we are and end up making our strategy accordingly. Under no circumstances should we underestimate our foes.

"So their incompetence provides us the liberty to conduct ourselves however we please? "

"Yes."

"Do you not genuinely think it to be too promising to be true?"

"Well.."

"Even though everything points to our victory, we should exercise extreme caution and take our time. What kind of moron would make such decisions?"

"They might very well simply not even be conscious of our capabilities, in my personal belief."

"This may be the case, but do not allow the mere possibility of an effortless victory fool you."

"Understood."

"In any case, can the city be reached by our artillery?"

"Yes, and even though I don't recommend assaulting the city with artillery."

"Why is that?"

"Leutant, there are civilians in the city, you're already took a big punch after what happen before, that if the city were bombed, many of them would perish. The best choice is not this."

"Civilians, huh?"

"Yes."

"In this instance, artillery units will not participate in the assault. Begin preparing the platoon of soldiers as well as our rapid response units for action."

"Understood."

The strategy was straightforward but almost faultless. The strategic approach was to quietly surround one side of the village with a platoon of academy soldiers while our rapid response units fortified the town from behind. On a hill just outside the town, snipers were prowling. The only major disadvantage would be unexpected enemy reinforcements, however we had utilized scouts with radios so they could quickly forewarn us of any enemy units.

I, however, was unable to shake the feeling that it was an ambush. After what happened in the village's center, what kind of fool would underestimate us. The occupation of the village will be a concern as well, considering how stupid the potential threat is. But there is no denying the fact that this village is situated in an extremely intriguing manner. In addition to obstructing access to our main base, it is also remarkably easy to defend at our current technological level.

After a few hours, it started to get dark, and when I left the building, our units were prepared. Additionally, the scouts were already stationed and keeping an eye on the region. At the very start of the convoy, I made the decision to board the Tiger 1 tank. Tank, infantry, and a half-track, repeat made up the convoy itself.

"Let's move out."

As we approached our destination, I begun to question whether everything had been planned out thoroughly and if every consideration had been made. I also thought about the likelihood that maybe god hates me and purposefully put me in this situation rather than another. Perhaps the individual who plays with me the most is god, however I am not going to serve as a puppet and follow his instructions. Is it possible that everything that has occurred thus far, including the city of mimics as well as the hostility of the local residents, is the direct consequence of a god-directed plot? It's possible that that's the circumstance.

After a while, we managed to reach our destination, which stopped me from further contemplation. Anyhow, the infantry units formed a circle around the village, and our rapid response unit was crammed to its back. All I needed to do was give the order; everything was ready.

I couldn't shake the feeling that everything had been done deliberately to make the commanders of this city's defense appear incompetent, for some reason. It played on my nerves since it was calm, perhaps too calm. God is probable currently laughing and sipping tea, as such I cannot afford to make any missteps. Why is it that I, of all people, have managed to meet with such a fate? I adjusted my officer's cap before issuing the order.

"Begin operation."

We now had free access to the city after the infantry units quickly overpowered the small, at best, mediocre defense that was in place. The mechanized unit moved in the same instant as the infantry did, entering the city. In order to provide the ground units with the most support possible, the tanks spread out as the men quickly exited the Half-tracks. I neglected to mention that, should a black hour occur, all artillery units would be pointed at the city; should something go wrong, all that would be left would be a hole.

"Search for the Noble."

The soldiers quickly formed into squads of two or three and began searching every building after I gave this order, which terrified the locals. For our own safety, we detained everyone—men, women, and kids. After the order was given, Erica and Maria eventually joined me, and I was relieved to have them there because they made me feel safer.

My men came across more enemy units after a few buildings, but these were intoxicated. They made the decision to skin them and take their weapons as opposed to killing them. The villa where Noble probably lived was left as one of the last buildings.

A strange noise that sounded like an alarm suddenly emanated from the villa. Is it possible that they have now become aware of our attack? One of my men was struck by a small fireball that quickly tore through his chest, killing him instantly. The tank immediately moved its turret, shooting a HE shell that caused 20% of the villa to collapse before being quickly surrounded, clearly demonstrating that magic exists. To prevent taking anything from the farther standing rooms, I moved closer to the brick fence.

I could see Erica and Mari's anger, well, I might as well have been the one who drop dead without even knowing I got struck with something. It was obvious that they desired blood and abhorred them from the bottom of their hearts. The units formed into larger squads right away after realizing the threat the potential foe might pose, hoping to seize control of the remaining portion of the villa. All units moved towards the villa as soon as the NCO gave the order, occasionally ducking behind objects to avoid being seen.

"Don't get hit!", an NCO shouted.

Once more, out of nowhere, a blinding light as well as an ominous sound grew louder. My people suddenly vanished after a brief moment as a stream of light engulfed them. Then a fireball struck the tanks, penetrating their armor completely. Tiger 1 fired a shot, but a moment later it was hit by its own projectile, and the ammunition depot exploded. Me, Erica, Maria, and a few of the survivors from our strike group were all that were left.

"What the hell is going on?!"

What did lead to this? I can't imagine missing anything since everything was planned. Though this is a slight exaggeration, I was aware that it could not go too smoothly. Haha, I admit it; after the initial simple victories in the city, I underestimated the opponents. I made every effort to avoid doing it, but fate had other plans. Is god getting involved because things are too simple for me? Is that the main goal here? What an unprecedented misunderstanding this really is, HAHA, what was I thinking!

I had an expressionless, emotionless face. I had been a failure as a strategist as well as a commander. My thoughts were interrupted by Erica, who forced me to flee the city, I could understand this decision, I will not do anything by standing there and thinking. We hid near to where our scouts were waiting, and I asked one of them to radio.

"This is Phenix-1 to all Alphas-1s, begin operation "Lighting Strike", target is sector 3-A-C."

I signaled the pieces of our artillery that I had previously told to prepare themselves. Operation "Lighting Strike" involved bombing the city until our forces withdrew. Despite my warnings not to allow emotion get the better of me, I couldn't refrain from feeling an inexplicable hatred for the city and wanted to get rid of it, even if that involves killing the taken into custody civilians. I had no dilemma. When I gave that order, I couldn't help but smirk.

Through binoculars, the bright light could be seen in the distance. I witnessed a girl, between the ages of 16 and 17, sobbing over this Noble. Did he have a daughter? An explosion followed by a loud swish and a distant loud bang could be heard at that precise moment. The city was shelled, and the light vanished. Even though it sounds terrible, I really hope she died because in such a case, things would have gone much better for myself. All of the civilians which we taken into custody were killed. Direct projectiles struck them at least 6-7 times. They died instantly, so they were spared any suffering, they probably didn't even know they died.

Haha, if you had asked me a few days ago, I would have been crying over what I did. And now? I don't feel anything; I'm merely trying to survive in a world which is nothing more than a gimmick played against me by a god. Was it indeed a god? No, I do not believe in a god, deity, creator or other nonsense because it is completely irrational from across all perspectives. This individual is a self-proclaimed god who is claiming to be something he isn't. I'll take him out whenever I have the opportunity.

But for the time being, it was necessary to withdraw to the base; I do not need any more troubles, and the city has all but vanished. Rubble and a suddenly broken road were the only things that could suggest it was once a city. It reminded me a lot of Berlin in 1945. perhaps even more blown up.

"We're leaving."

"Damn this world, damn this self-proclaimed god. I will not play by your rules, damn you, damn you all!"