One Month Later.
It was now June S1198 of the Septian Calendar. An entire month had passed since Naoto had an unexpected reunion with his Father, the Blood and Iron Chancellor, Giliath Osborne, and the finalization of Operation Pest Control, which was the name Naoto had dubbed to trigger the DG Cult Extermination.
While many countries were now in full cooperation and were now underway in the DG Cult Extermination event, a different sort of scene could be seen playing out elsewhere on the continent. One that was much more...chaotic.
Near the Erebonian Empire Northern Border.
It was now dusk. Any sort of sunlight completely evaporated, causing the area to become completely shrouded in darkness. Dark clouds rolled on by, but it did not look like it was going to rain, but it could drop at any moment.
A single streak of light ruined the darkness, followed by a loud bang.
"Fire!", A voice commanded.
Immediately, one lone shot suddenly burst through what appeared to be very rocky terrain. It was littered with boulders and stone crags. The still darkness of the light was interrupted by what appeared to be a large...flare?
Its fiery path blazed on, lighting up the darkness of the night. It streaked across the sky, shooting straight upward. This came from an orbal gun that could shoot these special types of bullets.
After that flare was shot, it illuminated several figures, who were presently squeezed into the rocks below. Many had dreary looks, but also that of excitement. They were clad in armor and helmet, hiding away most of their faces.
But one thing was for sure.
These people were not Soldiers.
They were Jaegers!
Guns for hire. Whoever bid highest on the contract they were trying to aim for, only then were they in for a job. It was cutthroat and ruthless. Many Jaegers would die on the fly.
Several figures clad in purple could be seen facing what appeared to them surrounding other figures who were clad in black and figures clad in red. The terrain was pretty rough around them. But to say the least, the figures clad in purple armor seemed to be boxed in by the figures clad in black and the figures clad in red.
"Damn it! We're surrounded!", One of the Jaegers clad in purple shouted, seeing more opposing Jaegers approach them. They didn't rush in, they inched forward steadily. Most could be seen using night vision goggles to help them pinpoint where their enemies were currently located.
"This is like, totally not going as planned. I didn't think Nidhoggr really recruited the Red Constellation at their side!", A second voice said, lodging a complaint at the first Jaeger. This person appeared to be female. Around one of the areas they were presently at, she currently had her back placed against the first figure. "What should we do, Captain?"
"What CAN we do? Hell if I'd had known that those damn snakes and reds actually managed to come to agreement on something. Is our capital really worth that much to them?", The first Jaeger said, letting out a low curse. This person seemed to be a man, and was much taller than the woman. He wore gauntlets over his fists, much like a certain Bracer. He didn't fight with a standard-issued orbal rifle. Instead, he was proficient in close combat.
"Haha, being backed into a corner is your typical work of being a Jaeger, ain't it? Still, I have to agree with ya, Captain. It ain't lookin' good for us. It's only a matter of time until they breach the barricade we've placed and storm into Haliask.", A third Jaeger clad in purple said. This voice belonged to another man, and he held onto an orbal rifle.
Accompanying these three people were a few other Jaegers, also clad in purple. Some held onto their orbal guns while others held onto two-handed swords. There were various kinds of combat practices that Jaegers were proficient in. It wasn't just marksmanship.
"We just gotta hold out. I already shot the flare.", The Captain said. After saying that, he rushed out, heading toward the nearest opposing Jaegers. Without warning, he struck out, easily dodging incoming bullets. Not those traditional bullets. All of these pieces of equipment were powered by orbal energy. Traditional weapon use was a thing of the past. This Jaeger dodged with ease. He either dodged them outright, or struck out with his fists, allowing the bullets to strike against his gauntlets. Every time each bullet struck his gauntlets, loud echoes echoed around them. Bang! Bang!
Each deflection of the bullets striking against the Jaeger's gauntlets were sent back toward the Jaeger who shot those bullets. It made dents in their armor, and a couple opposing Jaegers fell where they stood. Blood sprayed from their mouth, only to fall unconscious shortly after, or die on the spot if the stray bullets hit them in an unfortunate spot.
Seeing their Captain take out a couple more Jaegers, the woman spoke out, quickly arriving at his side.
"Well I don't plan on dying today. I still have my youth to enjoy, unlike you guys.", The girl teased, only to strike out against an opposing Jaeger next to her. Bang! Another Jaeger clad in black fell right then and there, collapsing into a pool of their own blood.
"These bastards are relentless though...", The Captain uttered, disregarding the woman's comment just now.
However, it was then the Jaegers clad in purple heard several howls come from a large distance away. Once they heard these howls, everyone frowned.
"Shit, they even got their warhounds?", The Captain cursed. "Seriously, how long is Zephyr going to make us wait!?"
"Heeeey! Are you guys alright!?", A fourth voice suddenly called out to the purple-clad Jaegers. The voice seemed to belong to another woman.
After this girl shouted at them from the opposite direction, they saw streaks of purple lightning boom across the battlefield, likely belonging to a person's aura. The moment they saw this purple lightning streak before them and not at them, the purple-clad Jaegers let out a sigh of relief.
"Is that you, Sara?", The woman Jaeger asked, seeing a pretty deep cerise red-haired woman arrive next to them. What put her apart from others beside the fact she wasn't wearing a Jaeger's helmet to cover their face, was the fact she was holding a sword in one hand, while holding onto a customized orbal pistol in the other. She was one of the few characters in the Trailsverse who not only dual-wielded weapons, but knew how to attack from close range or mid-range respectively. The woman seemed to be around nineteen years old.
"You request backup, and I follow suit. I also brought Papa's squad. It shouldn't be long until they're here.", Sara said, only to take a moment to slice a red-clad Jaeger's chest. Her sword easily cut through it like butter, and blood splattered onto the ground beneath them.
After they regrouped, they heard a fifth voice reach out to them, which came from the same direction Sara came from. It belonged to a much younger voice.
"More targets incoming. 2'clock.", The voice said, appearing to belong to that of a boy.
"Already on it. I see some out in the distance too. They got their hounds ready.", Another younger voice said, belonging to that of a girl's voice.
The purple-clad Jaegers saw two fast figures rush past them, and ignored Sara outright. A smile crept on Sara's face. Seeing these two new arrivals, the Captain blinked his eyes at them.
"...Was that guy holding a rapier just now?", The Captain asked. At the same time, the young boy struck out, piercing a nearby red-clad Jaeger's armor through easily as if he tore through a piece of paper. He aimed right at the heart, and a loud, pained yell struck their ears before the red-clad Jaeger collapsed onto the ground right then and there.
The girl beside the boy suddenly shot out from her two guns as well. They were customized, each with a blade attached to it. Each shot released by the two small orbal guns fell two Jaegers clad in black.
The second purple-clad man suddenly paused to look at Sara.
"Who the hell did you pick up this time, Sara? These two are good.", The second man asked.
"They're Phoenix and Sylphid, recently promoted Captains of Zephyr. Don't mind their young age. They can fight, and they can fight well.", Sara said, introducing her two new allies.
Phoenix and Sylphid.
"Well that much is easy to see. They took care of a couple Jaegers as if they were slicing through a piece of cake!", The Jaeger woman retorted.
At this time, they suddenly got blasted by a barrage of bullets, coming from one of the higher stone crags further into the distance. Several Jaegers could now be seen standing on top of those rocks. The Captain clicked his tongue.
"Damn, they have the high ground now.", The Captain said. "I don't think our rifles can reach them."
"Already taken care of.", The boy, who had vibrant, violet hair, said. After felling the Jaeger nearby, he sheathed his rapier. Reaching toward one of his ears, the boy spoke out, which attracted the eyes of the purple-clad Jaegers.
"Do it, Emma.", The boy declared.
"Understood.", A female voice spoke through, causing everyone to blink their eyes. Another unfamiliar voice. They looked around, but couldn't find any third person beside Phoenix and Sylphid.
Further beyond them in the direction where Sara first came from, another large, separate stone crag could be seen. Two sole figures could be seen standing on top of them. Well, one stood, while the other currently laid on their front side.
One was clad in green armor, unlike those who were clad in red, black, or purple. Next to her was an icy blue-haired woman who didn't seem to be a Jaeger at all. An orbal pistol was currently at their waist, waiting to be shot. The woman looked at the girl who was currently on her frontside. A gigantic orbal sniper rifle could now be seen in her grasp. It looked very powerful. Much more powerful compared to the orbal rifle the girl previously used.
"Tell me again how in Aidios's name did you acquire such a weapon like this, Emma? Are you sure you can hit those guys? I can barely even see from here.", Claire asked, doubtful that Emma can even land a blow on the crag much further into the distance that had several Jaegers on top of it.
"Grandmother was the one who made this weapon while Naoto supplied its blueprints. I'd love to chat about it, but I need full concentration here. Trust me, you don't want to be caught in the crossfire.", Emma said, keeping her focus on her scope.
Around the same time, a bluish aura began to form around the barrel of the giant sniper rifle, coating Emma's arm entirely.
"Right...I'll make sure your crossfire remains checked.", Claire said, only to see Emma ready to fire at a moment's notice.
Hearing that, Emma smiled. Taking in a deep breath, Emma kept her Mana steady. In her line of sight, she spotted the several Jaegers clad in red and black, who were lying in wait to attack the Jaegers clad in purple. Emma readied her shot.
In the next moment, a very loud bang suddenly struck across the entire battlefield. It was so loud that everyone became momentarily stunned. BANG!
It was as if the shot had come right out of an artillery cannon...