Chapter 138: Cover Blown!
Marley. The cellar of an abandoned farmhouse near Nordhafen.
This was the Jaegerist's temporary hideout. The air was so heavy it was hard to breathe. The flickering light of a kerosene lamp danced on everyone's faces.
Floch said nothing. He carefully folded the last sketch of the Marleyan naval port's defenses and tucked it safely into his coat. His eyes were bloodshot. This intelligence was a matter of life and death for Paradis Island.
"The intel we have now is enough to shatter the islanders' perception of Marley. Every extra minute we stay, the risk increases." He scanned his team. Their eyes were exhausted, but their fighting spirit wasn't gone.
"Pack up all materials! Sketches of weapons, military deployment maps, and all the parts of Marleyan civilian equipment we've collected! Anything that can help Commander Erwin, Section Commander Hange, and Armin with their analysis, bring it all!"
"We must leave Nordhafen before dawn! We're retreating to the coastline! Eren is waiting for us to bring this intel back!"
The order was given. The sound of quiet packing filled the oppressive cellar. Everyone knew how dangerous this operation was, but they were Jaegerists, the sharpest blade in Eren's hand.
…
Night. A cold sea fog rolled in, slick and uncomfortable.
It clung to the desolate coastal hills of Marley. Floch's squad moved quickly through the darkness, following their planned route, their steps light, almost silent.
Floch kept glancing back into the darkness, an unspeakable agitation grating on his nerves. Is it just my imagination? Or am I just on edge from the last few days? He kept feeling as if a pair of eyes was watching them from the shadows.
He shook his head, forcibly suppressing the unease. The most important thing now was to get away with the intel.
He didn't see, hundreds of meters behind them, in the shadow of a cliff, Pieck Finger's small figure was almost one with the rock. With her magic-enhanced senses, the fog was no obstacle. She clearly tracked the squad's outline. She had increased patrols and expanded her senses ever since Gabi's speech in the plaza. Her intuition told her the "rats from the island" wouldn't stay quiet.
She could clearly sense this squad. They carried an air of tension, completely different from Marleyans. They would occasionally stop, consult a map, and speak in Marleyan, but with a distinct island accent. All of it confirmed their identity. "So… it is you."
Floch's squad was about to enter a narrow pass. High cliffs rose on both sides, leaving only a tight path. Pieck saw her chance. She closed her eyes, a faint magical light glowing at her fingertips as she sent out an invisible mental link.
"Coordinates Gamma-7, pass. Paradis spies detected. Approximately ten, retreating to the coast, possibly carrying high-priority intelligence! All other squads, converge and blockade! Seventh regular patrol, circle in from the east! Complete the encirclement. Objective: capture the leader alive for interrogation. The rest can be… dealt with."
…
The moment Floch stepped into the pass, his unease exploded. "Something's wrong! Ambush—!!!"
Too late.
SHOO! SHOO! SHOO—
Dozens of magical arrows and energy blasts of every color rained down from the cliffs on both sides. Immediately, BANG BANG BANG! RAT-TAT-TAT! Marleyan rifles and machine guns roared to life from the pass exit and from their rear.
A dense web of bullets and magic instantly sealed all their escape routes.
"Engage!!" Floch pulled his flare gun and fired it at the sky, but the desperate signal couldn't penetrate the iron curtain. In the shadows of the ruins, countless muzzles emerged from the darkness, backed by the cold, merciless eyes of Marleyan soldiers. In front of them, at least two squads of Magical Girls—over ten of them—stood ready, their staves gathering light.
A voice, distorted by a loudspeaker, echoed from behind the Marleyan lines, dripping with mockery and cruelty: "Hahaha! Listen up, you bedbugs from the island! The Commander orders you to surrender, and you won't be killed! Anyone who resists will be executed on the spot! For the eternal glory of the Marleyan Empire!"
The net had closed. There was no escape.
"For Paradis… TATAKAE!!!" A Jaegerist near the exit let out a bestial roar. He didn't retreat, but charged into the hailstorm of bullets. He was shredded in the first volley of magic. Several bullets tore through his chest. The few pistol shots he fired before he died were blocked by a simple barrier. A meaningless death.
"TATAKAE!!!"
"TATAKAE!!!"
The threat of death and the desire for their comrades on the island to survive ignited their madness. All the Jaegerists mounted a final, desperate resistance, abandoning any hope of escape and launching their most ferocious counter-attack. They were cornered animals.
Gunfire, explosions, the shriek of magic, the wet thud of flesh being torn, and the defiant roars of the dying echoed in the narrow pass. But courage could not bridge the overwhelming gap in power.
One Jaegerist scout, incredibly agile, dodged several lethal attacks. But finally, a new Magical Girl trapped his ankle with an energy vine. As he fell, several Marleyan soldiers lunged, intent on taking him alive. The scout's eyes flashed with resolve. He bit down hard. The poison capsule hidden in his tooth cracked. Black blood trickled from his lips. He convulsed and went still.
Elsewhere, two Jaegerists fought back-to-back. One was disemboweled by a bullet, but he couldn't feel the pain and just kept firing his rifle. As he aimed at an approaching Magical Girl, she just sneered and raised a diamond-shaped ice shield, blocking the bullets. The next second, several ice lances shot from her side, pinning the soldier to the rock wall.
Blood spread across the muddy ground. Every second, another Jaegerist fell, fulfilling their creed in the most brutal way. Death before surrender. Our souls return to Paradis.
Floch, his weapon empty, was backed against a large boulder with his two remaining men. He could feel the weight of the intel in his coat—the hope his comrades had died for. "Captain! Go! Take the path behind you! We'll hold them!" one of them yelled, just as a magic beam punched a hole through his chest. He staggered but tried to stop a Magical Girl. She, however, looked at him in disgust and, with a simple gesture, blew him to pieces.
The last soldier pulled the pins on all his grenades and roared, "FOR PARADIS!!!" as he charged the Marleyan line. BOOM!!! The deafening explosion didn't stop the enemy's advance. Another meaningless death.
The blast wave slammed Floch against the rock. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, mixed with bits of his own organs. His vision spun. There was no one left standing beside him, only body parts. It's over. We failed. Eren's trust… my comrades' sacrifice… was it all… for nothing?
Despair seeped into his bones. Just as his consciousness was about to fade, his blurry vision caught sight of something at the edge of the battlefield. On top of a broken statue of a goddess, a small, pure white creature was sitting, its long ears twitching, its red eyes staring at the blood-soaked earth.
Staring… at him.
Kyubey… it's here.