"Abigail, Emma, you two take a hundred with and circle to their rear. Emily, Sophia, both of you split another two hundred to flank left and right. Chloe, Margaret, stay here and direct the main force."
The Springvale forces had split, their two flanks separated by over 300 ters. This half, with 5,000 troops, had already collapsed and scattered. Reinforcents on the other side hadn’t yet arrived.
The Ice Regint finally had a breather. Orders were handed out quickly, and the won moved. Magnus led the Doyle sisters over the ridge, aiming to get behind the enemy. He had an idea - one worth trying. Hit the head, the body falls.
Bruce and Peter still had close to 2,000 soldiers nearby. They were holding formation, but their faces were strained. The 3,500 n they’d sent out earlier? Screams and explosions still echoed from that direction. Smoke thick as tar clung to the air - dozens of burning vehicles saw to that. No one could see a thing.
Magnus led the Doyles through mountain paths, moving silent as shadows. Took them over ten minutes to circle behind. Thirty minutes left on the tal Crystal window. They had two mortars and 24 shells left. Magnus threw up a hand signal - fire.
Boom! Both mortars opened up. Chaos erupted near Hall’s command vehicle. When the last shell landed, Magnu’s eyes caught the cluster of over 200 n guarding a single infantry vehicle. That had to be their brass.
"We hit that command car. For the rest - shout, drop your arms and live!"
They charged downhill, a hundred won strong. Magnus pointed to the fifty-so still carrying grenades. Pins were pulled, and the hillside lit up with a string of blasts.
Smoke rolled out as the Ice Regint stord forward. Thick as pitch, the air was torn by the shouts and howls of the wounded. Blood drew the black swarm - giant mosquito clouds swirled to the corpses.
Magnus blasted through, flooring a dozen n as he led the charge. First into the command car. Two n, both double-barred and four-starred. No doubt - they were the ones. Full-bird commanders.
"Kill that one!" he shouted.
Bruce’s eyes went wide. Five or six tal Crystal soldiers rushed him. Magnus stood in the back hatch, half in, half out, and kicked the first attacker hard enough to send him flying into the others.
The two officers weren’t Awakened - no crystals. Magnus burst forward, using a fallen soldier as leverage. In a blink, he was on them, one hand grabbing each. He jumped from the vehicle, dragging them with him, slamd them down, knee pinning Bruce, gun to his forehead.
"Tell your n to stand down! Drop weapons and live!"
"Bullshit! I’ll - "
A gunshot cracked. Blood sprayed high. A neat hole blood in Bruce’s skull. He dropped.
Magnus stood. Grabbed Kennedy by the collar, jamd the barrel into his head.
"Your turn. Tell ’em to stop - drop your arms!"
"Hold! Stop! All units - halt fire!" Peter yelled, shivering.
The six tal Crystal users froze. Their commander was dead - one look at Peter, and they hesitated. Around them, female soldiers in crystal-enhanced fury were cleaving through their ranks.
Defeat was in their eyes. Each one of them knew - they’d lost.
"Ceasefire! Ceasefire! The commissar ordered a ceasefire - "
*****
An hour later, the battle was over. A clean sweep. Ice Regint’s 500 female fighters, not a single casualty. Over 2,700 soldiers from Springvale were captured. One colonel, 27 officers ranked captain or higher, and the rest just grunts. The vehicles and weapons? Still being counted.
Today, 500 female fighters - most of them still university students - crushed a fully equipped, ten-thousand-strong army. An impossible feat, now real.
Sure, the tal Crystals played a big part, but that didn’t dampen their pride one bit.
By 1 PM, they had packed the 2,700 prisoners into 200 troop carriers that had sohow survived the battle. Two ard girls on every truck. The convoy rolled into Ashbrook Town, unloading the prisoners one by one. Hands on their heads, single file, straight into the underground granary.
"White, take 200 girls with you to clean up the battlefield. Use these trucks to get there. , Emily, and Sophia will handle things here," Magnus ordered.
They split the prisoners across two empty cellars, big empty rooms that once stored grain. Ice Regint’s girls worked fast. Tying up arms and legs, blindfolding the prisoners, gagging their mouths with torn clothes. One after another hit the floor, packed in like cordwood. Then 200 ard girls took up guard.
Victory. Total, flawless victory.
But the girls still hadn’t all co down from the kill-high. There was chattering, laughing, even a few screams. So couldn’t stop crying. Relief hit them like a wave. The terror, exhaustion, all the pressure of the past few days - it was finally over.
They’d only been a thousand or so. All won, facing tens of thousands of enemies. If they lost, the outco was unthinkable.
But here they were - alive, victorious, not a single one missing. And bonus: a pile of weapons to add to their stockpile.
No wonder they were beyond excited.
The underground granary was a ss of shouts, hugs, tears. A celebration in chaos. For now, at least, they were safe.
Magnus climbed into the RV, dropped into the sofa like everything finally caught up with him. He grabbed a bottle of iced tea off the table, twisted the cap, and took a long swig. Emily, Sophia, and a few others followed closely, breathing hard. They weren’t celebrating like the rest.
Emily dropped into the couch and cut straight to it, her voice low.
"Magnus, what about the 2,000 prisoners?"
"Kill them."
Sophia didn’t even flinch. Surrounded by squad leaders, she plopped into the seat opposite Magnus. Her hair was a tangled ss as she yanked off her helt. A few strands fell across her eyes. She flicked her head to the side, ripped off her gloves, tied her hair into a ponytail with steady fingers. Tangled, sweaty, sharp at the eyes - a soldier through and through.
As she worked, she spoke. "If none of you want to get your hands dirty, I will. I’ll do it myself."
"So will I!" Grace leaned against the back of Sophia’s seat, eyes still burning red, the killing still not drained from her blood.
Abigail grabbed her sister’s hand and raised it, her voice steady. "We will too. Killing? We’re not afraid anymore."
"They all deserve to die!"
"And . I can do it too..."
One by one, the squad leaders stepped forward.
No fear. No hesitation.
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