Abyssus Abyssum Invocat

by Carlo Zen

  I’m reluctant to leave things up to probability theory.

  But even in a 2-D trench battle, you can keep casualties low by running around. In the 3-D sky, as long as there aren’t any proximity fuses…if all we’re trying to do is break through, it shouldn’t be impossible.

  “Cut straight through! These guys are convinced the sky is small, so let’s show them how big it really is!”

  The point isn’t a charge by an augmented battalion.

  “Maybe they could stop an augmented battalion, but can they stop four augmented companies? Follow your commander’s judgment and crush them!”

  Tanya howls fiercely in the salty air. It serves both to encourage herself and to announce a charge that will probably kill some percentage of her troops.

  “All units, charge!”

  An augmented battalion vs. two regiments. There’s no way to make up that numerical disparity. Normally, it would be suicidally bizarre for the Imperial Army to choose a charge under these circumstances.

  Which was precisely why it was totally unexpected for Lieutenant Colonel Drake. He was so certain of his troops’ numerical superiority that he had been thinking what the best way to chase the enemy mages would be.

  No, no one on the Commonwealth side anticipated this.

  “…?! Disciplined fire! Stop them!”

  He shouted, but he wasn’t fast enough. There was no time for interdiction fire. For the Commonwealth mages, this was a literal bolt from the blue.

  “Don’t bunch up! Break!” “Don’t take it?!” “No, stop them! Don’t let them get the boat!” “Assume there’ll be damage!” “Tear through the confusion!” “We can’t help you if you drop out!” “Just look straight ahead!” “Jettison your gear!” “Move!” “Speed up!” “Slice through! Forward!”

  Chaos, shrieking, shouting, screaming. But amid the tumult, the battle cries of each level’s commanders as they work to maintain discipline are reassuring. I’m glad to know that subordinates are doing their jobs.

  “…No irregularities here. I guess we made it through?”

  A little grin appears on Tanya’s face in spite of herself.

  Making it through despite the mistaken intel they received brings her no small satisfaction. Things are simple on the battlefield: The one who makes the right decision first gets lucky.

  And the Goddess of Victory has smiled on the Imperial Army, who took their enemy by surprise by charging from the heavens. It was a breakthrough battle where they employed their magic blades at close quarters to cut off the heads that seemed to belong to enemy commanders. They had pounced from above. The freedom to choose their prey belonged to the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion as they accelerated due to their fall velocity.

  “We broke through the vanguard!”

  “Company, break! Penetrate in squads! You can withdraw after each shot! It’s practically a harassment attack, but as long as it connects, that’s fine!”

  This is all even the two climbing regiments amounted to, once taken by surprise.

  Tanya smiles in satisfaction and savors the fruit of her determination. The enemy mages they’ve left behind are in utter turmoil.

  True, the Commonwealth companies certainly have excellent commanders. But… Tanya chuckles to herself. Because they’re so excellent, they’re chasing two hares.

  It can be said that the commanders of the few companies who are already turning to give chase are making an appropriate call in an unexpected situation.

  Not letting us get to the object of their protection, the RMS Queen of Anjou, is correct. And their attitude, in an escort mission, of trying to defend even if they have to stick to us isn’t mistaken, either.

  Likewise, the other fellows’ choice to try to occupy the sky is also valid. It’s a textbook handling of the situation and the very definition of an appropriate tactical decision. If they can secure the position above us, then the tables will be turned and they’ll be the ones one-sidedly firing down at the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion.

  There’s just one problem.

  They’re outstanding, but the quick decisions born of that eminent ability are their misfortune. In other words, they shouldn’t have chosen either of those.

  “Use the Commonwealth mage units on our heels as a shield and close in on the ship!”

  The ones giving chase are preventing the ones in the sky from shooting us. Several companies have been suddenly and effectively taken out of the game.

  Without even fighting, the enemy force has been halved, if only momentarily.

  Then, because of their superficial excellence, they make a mistake.

  “Colonel! The enemy companies coming after us are splitting up! They’re trying to secure a line of fire!”

  “That’s some armchair theorizing by someone who doesn’t know how hard it is to fire through your allies during high-speed maneuvers. Adjust your angle and avoid their line of fire!”

  “Yes, ma’am!”

  Tanya barks and the battalion’s seasoned officers respond.

  “This is so nostalgic. It reminds me of the Rhine front.”

  “You said it, Lieutenant Serebryakov. You’re exactly right. It reminds me of the trench battles! All right, troops, time to play a game from back in the day: tag!”

  With the enemy in pursuit, we strike our target. It was like how we used to do company-scale night raids in the trenches, where if the enemy reinforcements caught up to us, that was it.

  Our target this time is the RMS Queen of Anjou sailing leisurely below us. The only thing between the battalion and the ship is a tiny defense unit.

  Lieutenant Colonel Tanya von Degurechaff has a sudden thought: I think we can do this.

  Mary Sue would probably never forget that moment.

  It always came out of nowhere.

  …Suddenly, the alarm signaling combat rang out on deck.

  “Warning, enemy approaching! We’ve also succeeded in identifying their wavelength! It’s a Named unit!”

  “What’s their status?!”

  “It’s the one we confirmed on the Rhine front!”

  “On the Rhine?! Those guys?”

  Those guys.

  That…

  …The one who killed my father.

  And my friends.

  My… Our enemy.

  Which is why I set off running. With my rifle and my orb tight in hand, I ran up on deck. My friends who came after me have the same thing on their minds.

  Revenge.

  Our anger, our friends’ anger, our families’ anger.

  Above all, we don’t want to lose anything else. To protect, we have to fight. The power to do that, my weapons, are in my hands.

  “All marine mages, prepare to intercept! Get up there!”

  Believing that, I told the officer in command, Colonel Drake, “We’ll go, too!”

  And having asked for a part to play, I was met with…a cold refusal.

  “Sorry, Lieutenant Sue. You guys are on direct support for the RMS Queen of Anjou on the lookout for subs. Stick close here and don’t let them approach the ship!”

  My brain can comprehend the Commonwealth commander’s firm words. We, the voluntary army…aren’t without our faults.

  “But…” I tried to tell him how I felt, but there was no time. “…Colonel Drake, we can do it. Please let us avenge our friends.”

  “This was our decision after considering our situation and your level of training. There’s no time to debate. I’m not accepting objections.”

  So up they flew.

  All we could do as we watched them go was hope they would win. While our friends, everyone, was fighting, we were left behind on the ship.

  I know holding down the fort is an important duty.

  …Still…

  “…This is so frustrating. I didn’t know being unable to do anything was so hard.”

  A teeny, tiny murmur.

  What I, what we, the voluntary army, could do or not do didn’t matter. It was just an infuriating situa
tion.

  Looking up at the sky, I saw my friends fighting my enemy and shedding blood.

  Please win.

  Let everyone be safe.

  With those as our only wishes, we stood there watching…and everything changed before our eyes.

  “Emergency! The enemy broke through!”

  “What?! Against that gap in fighting power?!”

  Shock and confusion echoed over the wireless. But Mary and only Mary knew it, somewhere in her mind. Ahhh.

  What did you expect? They’re like devils.

  “Direct support unit, intercept immediately! Lieutenant Sue, you’re good to go up, right?!”

  “Y-yes, sir!”

  A chance, her enemy, came at her.

  I have to defend.

  I can’t let them take anything else.

  Harboring determination in her breast, Mary inhaled slightly and glared up at the diving enemies.

  This time we can do it.

  We’re not letting you get away with this.

  Considering how things are going, it’s not impossible to complete the mission to perfection. But after thinking things all the way through, Tanya concludes they should cut their losses.

  She thought it was doable and was very nearly determined to do it. But what dampened her enthusiasm were the battalion’s losses. She doesn’t want to say the mission was pointless, but they are in the middle of nowhere…so having their human resources needlessly expended is the worst-case scenario.

  “Somebody give him a shoulder to lean on! Get him upright!”

  “Lieutenant Grantz, I’m fine…”

  “I’d rather get a lecture from the colonel than be the kind of first lieutenant who leaves a man behind!”

  The transmissions crisscrossing internally are shrieks and screams that indicate losses. The battalion is still maintaining discipline and functioning as an organization, but she can’t ignore the fact that they have casualties.

  In other words, the troops are just barely holding out and not collapsing. Even my battalion of unrivaled strength is a collection of humans. I don’t want to make them bend over backward any more than necessary. If you could win a war based on mind-set alone, the megalomaniacs would be the strongest force in the world.

  In other words, I need to reevaluate my hand.

  We’ve taken repeated casualties. We just barely managed to break through and approach the ship, but…the enemy is starting to react. Shockingly, we’re already taking long-range fire.

  These Commonwealth guys…they must have, surprisingly, resigned themselves to missing some shots, because they’ve begun pointing a nasty amount of long-range sniping formulas at us.

  “Colonel?”

  “Withdraw! We’re withdrawing!”

  Even my vice commander who laughs over the wireless can’t be all right with sacrificing his subordinates. Even I don’t welcome human attrition.

  “We’ll scatter the enemies up ahead as we pull out! Score one hit-and-run!”

  Now, then. Tanya is determined to follow through on her original plan of one attack.

  Intelligence’s request to take out the RMS Queen of Anjou’s engine is now virtually impossible. Putting in the effort to pull off a hit-and-run on their way, out of obligation, is the most they can do.

  If we carry out our minimum duty, all that’s left is to RTB.

  It’s time to cut our losses.

  Only a fool would continue pouring resources into this hopeless project.

  And we can act out of obligation to HQ and Intelligence for only so long. I won’t let them chip away at my finite and irreplaceable resource, the subordinates I trained, any longer.

  “All units! If you’re hit, prioritize withdrawing! Everyone else, we’re gonna nail the ship once and get out of here! There’s no reason to hang around!”

  “““Roger!”””

  My troops acknowledge enthusiastically; morale is running high.

  “An enemy mage company is rapidly approaching from up ahead! We should maintain combat distance and—”

  “No need. Cut them down!”

  Serebryakov’s thought as she shouts a warning isn’t bad, but Tanya cuts her off.

  “Colonel?”

  It’s only natural Serebryakov would question directions that go against theory, but Tanya assures her. “These enemies are late in coming. They’re under a different command. I’m guessing they’re second-stringers meant to detain us. Our priority is to punch through. Don’t use explosion formulas, since they could hit friendlies. Expect a brawl once we cut in. Mop them up with sniping and close-quarters combat—our intent is to trounce them!”

  Right before engaging, Tanya instructs her troops to switch from explosion formulas to sniping formulas.

  Then…perhaps they’re wary of area-of-effect attacks? The enemy company splits up in orderly textbook fashion, and the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion with its comparatively dense formation charges.

  It’s as good as punching out scattered enemies with a hardened fist.

  “Geez.”

  She shrugs as they fight a simple battle to mow down the recklessly engaging enemy mages. These guys never learn. She chuckles to herself.

  Then just as she draws her submachine gun to take out an enemy mage.

  When she feels an extreme chill, she abruptly accelerates. The next moment, she gasps as she nearly gets burned by radiant heat.

  A thermic beam?

  She doesn’t even have time to shout, What the—?!

  “This is for my father!” The enemy mage charges as if she wants to clash blades. Her eyes spell trouble—a mix of pure hostility and hatred.

  I want to yell, What did I do?

  In fact, Tanya actually does. “What did I do?!”

  “D-d-don’t play games with me!”

  There is no reason I should be accused of playing. I always take my job very seriously. I can proudly declare that to anyone.

  I’m not the type to play games while fighting a war.

  On the contrary. Tanya snaps, “I can’t even believe I’m fighting someone so ridiculous. We’re fighting a war, you know! Yet you have a personal grudge? Preposterous!”

  “B-b-but you!”

  On the furious enemy mage’s face is a hideous grimace. If she was smiling, she’d have a face like a flower, but she twists it up with hatred to project her hostility at me.

  I don’t remember her face, but did we fight somewhere before?

  Eh. Tanya stops thinking at that point and fires off three formulas to hold her at bay. Apparently, the enemy isn’t foolish enough to strike when it’s impossible. When she dodges, she’s calm enough to launch a few optical formulas as she takes some distance.

  “Colonel, the enemy marine mages are on our tails. We should withdraw!”

  “Roger. What’s the status of the enemy ship?”

  “We’re strafing the deck. We should also have scored a few direct hits to the engine, but…”

  “Just make sure we have a photographic record. It’ll be handy, I’m sure.”

  My battalion briskly accomplishes all the tasks that need to be done—they’re wonderful. When I glance over at the ship, I see my valiant subordinates bombarding it with formulas.

  But that acts as a trigger, and the enemy regiments head rapidly our way.

  “Okay, any more than this is a waste of time. We’re pulling out! Withdraw!” As she’s about to yell, Let’s go! she just barely evades another attack.

  The murderer who fired the optical sniping formula is the mage from before. Surprisingly, though she doesn’t exhibit much skill in building the formula, it has exceptional power and speed.

  Apparently, she’s manifesting extra-fast by forcing more mana into it.

  “You’re running away?!”

  “Quit your yapping! We’re in a hurry.”

  The energy for a long-distance flight, a battle, and now a withdrawal. All considered, I don’t have time to putz around with a persistent opponent.

 
; “Colonel, hurry!”

  “I know, Major! I’m coming!”

  To restrain the enemy, I fire another three explosion formulas. It’s an attack that prioritizes the area of effect over power, so it’s obviously lacking in the latter.

  The numbskull tailing me flutters away like a kite, but she’s still flying, which means I didn’t down her… She’s amazingly tenacious for a newbie. I guess you’d have to say she’s a survivor.

  No, on top of that, her defensive shell was stronger than I expected… What a pain. Considering what could happen later, I’d really like to finish her off now.

  “Tch! I guess it’ll take more than this to get away.”

  I don’t need Weiss to tell me I don’t want to get chased around by a regiment of marine mages. I’m not into life-and-death tag. Even at times like this, I want the freedom to choose who I play with.

  “…At this rate, it’s going to be a struggle to get back.”

  We flew long-distance, then got exhausted in combat, and now we have to deal with creeps trying to follow us home?! This is the worst withdrawal leg I can think of.

  I suppose I should laugh at how humiliating it is to fail to finish off a numbskull with skin only slightly thicker than a newbie’s… When it rains, it pours.

  “Ngh?!”

  Tanya twists her body to dodge a thermic beam—shocked.

  She almost shouts, Again?! but it’s different this time.

  It was a long-range optical sniping formula. I can’t believe those Commonwealth marine mage bastards can aim accurately from so far away!

  When she looks up, she’s irritated to see that they’re beginning to regain discipline.

  We’ll be no match for a one-sided rain of rapid fire from above. It would be target practice.

  Sticking around here any longer will only be a waste of time.

  Tanya accelerates to resume her withdrawal, ignoring the numbskull enemy mage dogging her. She zigzags in random evasive maneuvers and meets up with the rest of the battalion.

  “05 to 01. Before we go, if I may?”

  “What is it?”

  “Partly to slow them down, I was thinking maybe we could use long-range formulas to set the deck of the ship on fire.”

  Since they’re close together, the intra-unit signal comes through clearly. Hearing Grantz’s suggestion, Tanya smiles. Aha, not bad.