Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: It's Not a Self-Deprecating Broadcast
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The battlefield was filled with countless voices.
Screams spat out in agony, terrified shrieks, roars swallowed by rage. All those voices merging into one to forge hell itself.
Among them, 'Ura' stood out as the symbol of the hell I'd endured.
Despair, anxiety, fury. It was the crystallization of madness woven from those negative emotions.
Of course, the Ura Charge wasn't the reckless, idiotic rush it was made out to be.
Pushing men to their deaths like that was a horrific order reserved for penal units.
We planned our operations carefully, approached with caution, then swept the enemy clean with a unified battle cry.
That was the true nature of the Ura Charges I'd experienced—and the ones I'd commanded.
= "Sukka! Our allies are cooperating! You can start the operation now!"
And finally, all the conditions for the Ura Charge were in place.
Tank fire support, coordination with other friendlies—everything was perfectly prepared.
Now, out of countless options, only one path filled my vision.
I ignored my pounding heart as best I could and made a plea to everyone as we plunged into hell.
“Follow me, that's all. And please—don't any of you die.”
This time, it wasn't Sukka fighting—it was Victoria.
Not the fragile girl tormented by trauma, but the battlefield hero, the symbol of victory once more.
To survive war, you had to cast fear aside first.
In my narrowing field of view, I led the battlefield roar as always.
“Vperyod.”
A charge to survive, an advance to win.
A cry to summon courage, a roar defying death.
From here on, it was just instinct driving my body forward.
Leaving behind prayers that had always ended in disappointment, charging into despair once more.
“Ura.”
When this battle ended and I looked back, I prayed my precious comrades would still be alive.
If their lives were to be taken, I prayed mine could be exchanged for them instead.
A desperate prayer unfulfilled for four long years.
My lonely Ura, screamed at a merciless god.
* * *
“Uraaaah!!”
“Uraaaah!!”
As Sukka charged, two tanks spat fire.
But even their thunderous cannon fire couldn't drown out the squad's savage roars.
Ttalgwi gripped the tank's machine gun as instructed beforehand.
Sukka had left her with Wardaddy to avoid losing both medics at once.
She had no confidence in surviving the furious charge, and if she died, Sukka would surely grieve.
So Ttalgwi had no choice but to focus on covering fire as ordered.
= "I've never seen a crazy bitch like that in my life."
As she unleashed the machine gun mercilessly, Wardaddy's voice crackled over the radio.
It sounded like high praise—or like he'd completely given up.
Of course, the harsh wording didn't sit well with Ttalgwi.
But she'd seen Sukka fight too, so she couldn't argue against Wardaddy's assessment.
There really were no words but "insane."
Sukka's earnest charge instilled fear even in her allies.
= "Not your average kid, huh."
Sukka leaped into the enemy ranks, backed by tank fire support.
The bombardment had flushed out the hiding foes, who completely missed her small frame.
She tossed grenades to shield the allies following behind and prioritized threats like machine guns.
It was possible only with allied cooperation, but to Ttalgwi's eyes, Sukka looked like she was fighting alone.
= "Privet."
But there was another reason she'd called her insane.
Sukka's combat style was excessively brutal and relentless.
Delivering a cold greeting as she dove into the enemy's embrace, neutralizing the panicked foes with calm reloads.
Then baiting their friendly fire to waste ammo before slipping away from concentrated fire during their reloads.
No training could instill such impossible tactics.
Ttalgwi was certain: they stemmed from instinctive moves honed in countless real battles.
Like a black cat awakening to its feral nature. No—a jaguar with a blade.
Shedding her usual gentleness, Sukka radiated nothing but lethal menace.
= "What war did that kid fight in? Never saw anyone like her in Afghanistan."
"Russia... no, I don't know! She said she learned combat from games!"
= "Games, my ass. Fine, I won't ask."
"I really don't know!"
= "Wasn't expecting you to know anyway. Not gonna grill a kid."
"Ugh! Your mouth!"
Ttalgwi stomped her foot without turning, still firing cover.
But Wardaddy dodged by rocking the tank.
He promptly ordered the driver forward, advancing the line bit by bit.
= "Kid, I'll take command from here. Just focus on fighting."
"She's probably not hearing the radio! She's always like that in Russian!"
= "I can tell just by looking, idiot. That's why I'm telling, not asking."
"Ah! Your mouth, seriously!"
Fortunately, the first charge ended in victory with minimal losses.
They'd simply followed Sukka, and somehow most enemies were already cleared.
With enemy reinforcements handled, victory reports came from Point C too.
Wardaddy, now in command, issued the next order over company radio.
= "Anyone itching for points, follow the kid to Point B. Dead guys redeploy to C and hold defense."
Finishing his orders, Wardaddy gunned the tank's engine.
Sukka was already heading to the next point without pause.
They said the Red Army's charges were the world's best—and she was pushing relentlessly.
Sukka looked unstable, but there was no time to snap her out of it.
= "Guys at Point B, push the front. Drag it out and we're done—charge like you mean to die."
They neared Point B, and combat resumed.
The enemy had caught on to the sickle-and-hammer maneuver and was resisting with full force.
But Sukka's charge remained relentless and merciless.
Did she trust she'd survive, or had she given up on living? Her small back showed no hesitation or fear.
- Boom!!
- Rat-tat-tat-tat!!
Wardaddy and Ttalgwi desperately covered as they followed.
Sukka blazed the trail, then allies mopped up behind.
But intensifying enemy resistance meant growing allied losses.
Red Army squadmates who'd fought with Sukka were replaced one by one with unfamiliar faces.
Allies swarmed in sensing victory, but none lasted as long as Sukka.
It was a jaw-dropping sight, her skill level plain as day—beyond words.
= "War's won. No slacking—lock it down."
After dozens of minutes of fighting, they'd pushed all the way to Point A.
Certain of defeat with all points lost, the enemy abandoned pointless resistance.
By some miracle, Sukka had survived to the end unscathed.
Ttalgwi set aside the empty machine gun and gazed at Sukka's back.
= "Ugh... ha..."
She'd made it, but Sukka's condition was pitiful.
Her uniform was caked in blood and dirt, her left arm dangling from a bullet wound.
Then, catching her breath in pain, Sukka slowly turned.
Realizing the battle was over, she seemed to check on squad losses.
= "Ah..."
But the allies behind her were all strangers.
Her original squadmates had died long ago—it was inevitable.
Sukka let out a sigh and dropped her rifle.
Her legs gave out, and she collapsed.
= "Why..."
Stray hair hid Sukka's face.
But her trembling shoulders betrayed endless self-blame and resentment.
She probably thought her orders had killed her comrades.
The top contributor to victory, yet grieving their deaths over the win.
Wardaddy, mid-orders to allies, clicked his tongue at Ttalgwi.
He parked the tank safely and asked quietly.
= "Nickname's Ttalgwi, right?"
"Y-Yeah..."
= "What're you waiting for? Run to her."
"I... don't know what to say..."
= "Quit bitching and go."
"......"
Ttalgwi scrambled up and jumped off the tank.
She approached Sukka with hesitant steps.
Sukka's filthy uniform contrasted sharply with her own clean one.
Guilt stabbed at her; she couldn't find words.
Wardaddy tossed a spent casing behind her in frustration.
Steeling herself, Ttalgwi knelt before Sukka and gently stroked her blood-matted hair.
"Sukka... you okay?"
"......I-Irina?"
"Not Irina—it's Ttalgwi..."
"Ah..."
Light slowly returned to Sukka's vacant eyes.
She was snapping out of her panic, regaining her senses.
Ttalgwi hurriedly treated Sukka's wounds.
Arm, shoulder, thigh, calf—up close, they were worse than expected.
Soon after finishing, Ttalgwi pulled Sukka into a gentle hug.
Admiration, guilt, gratitude—emotions overflowed; she couldn't stay still.
"N-No... I'm filthy right now..."
"You're not. I'll hold you till the squad arrives."
"I was fine this time... no panic..."
"You're amazing. Truly badass."
Obvious lies, but she had to believe them.
Ttalgwi wanted to heap even more praise for Sukka's feats.
The struggling girl finally sank into Ttalgwi's arms.
Exhausted mentally, she lacked even the strength to move.
"Sukka, we're all alive."
"Ah... yeah..."
"You saved us all."
"N-No..."
"We won because of you."
"Feels... embarrassing..."
Ttalgwi kept praising, forcing it if needed.
Unsure what to say, she just voiced her honest feelings straight.
Their awkward embrace lasted long.
Until Sukka spotted incoming squadmates and relaxed, until allied victory sealed the war's end.
[WWII Update Early Access Play Survey: Rotterdam]
They didn't even notice the system message pop up.
Their embrace continued on.
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