Shatter Light Freigel Shtafenberk
Four years ago.
Freigel Shtafenberk was one of those who believed peace would come once the total war ended. He was just an ordinary soldier, but even he felt his own power was unnaturally immense. That was why he trusted that people like Mikhail Chernenko and Jack William would put an end to this endless nightmare.
Freigel sat on a chunk of fallen building debris, gazing out at the ruined city that seemed frozen in time. Drones whizzed by around him, then began circling above his head. Annoyed, he raised his hand. Beneath his uniform, the special gloves crafted by the Tech Management Bureau came into view—gloves designed to draw out his abilities to the maximum. They gleamed with a heavy, jet-black sheen, like the gauntlets of a dark knight.
"They're filming me to death. Makes you wonder if the Management Bureau's secretly a talent agency."
"What kind of talk is that, Shtafenberk? You're not exactly short on admirers these days."
A female soldier with fiery red bobbed hair spoke from behind him.
"Haven't seen Commander Brown singing my praises, though."
"Guess I'm not one of those one or two."
"Old man Mordan liked you that much, though."
"What, you got a thing for that bearded geezer? Request a transfer then."
Freigel just chuckled dryly. Cheisi Brown. Adjutant to Director Annet. She was an officer with real skill to match. She was Bonyak, he was Harken—races that didn't get along. But thanks to his abilities that fit perfectly with the armored division, they'd been sharing meals for nearly three years now. That had forged a bond between them that transcended race—a deep camaraderie born of the battlefield.
"Alright, we're almost at the endgame here. Quit griping and let's move."
Cheisi slung her rifle over her shoulder and used her terminal to direct a few drones ahead into the street.
"These aren't getting cleared out?"
Freigel grumbled at the drone still circling his head.
"Management Bureau's under their command. Sorry."
Freigel snorted a laugh, brushed the dirt off his butt, and stood. In the distance, the sky burned—not with sunset, but with artillery fire, a twilight of bombardment.
"Let's hit the rally point before nightfall."
Cheisi patted his massive shoulder.
"Got it, sis."
Her voice added softly at the end. Freigel chuckled again, somehow finding even the dusty wind enjoyable.
"All units, move out!"
No sooner had Cheisi spoken into the radio than the tanks rumbled to life. Not the latest models, but reliable old relics that had held up through thick and thin. Their treads growled like beasts as they advanced. Amid the shifting formations of the infantry, Cheisi moved to the front, debating tactics with her NCOs.
Freigel had a bit of a crush on her—always giving her all, acting first, the picture of professionalism.
Krrrrumble—
The unfamiliar tread of enemy tracks echoed, and the troops scattered swiftly. Allied tanks swiveled their barrels. Soon, from the alley beside a building, sleek gun barrels emerged, followed by small turret-type Dists.
"Enemy ahead! Engage!!"
—KABOOM!!
—WHOOSH!
The lead tank spat fire, and a massive shell tore through the air, shattering the turret Dist to pieces. The tanks in the rear hurried to adjust their main guns. But the enemy—latest models hijacked by Aria—poked out faster, barrels swinging.
"Front line, brace for main gun fire!"
—CLANG!
Cheisi's radio crackled as the lead vintage tank erupted in a roar of light and flame. Its half-melted turret sagged limply, and drone lightning arced across the road. Freigel's teeth ground together. He wanted to sweep them all away right then, but charging without orders could collapse the line. Even as a so-called 0th Generation Proxy, he was just a young man without deep tactical knowledge. So he waited for orders from Cheisi, the one he'd come to trust through long campaigns.
"Flanking drones deploying! Lure them into main gun arcs! When their traverse exceeds 30 degrees, engage and fall back temporarily!"
Cheisi manipulated her wrist terminal from behind the tank, sending drones streaking overhead to the enemy tanks. Designed to self-destruct on approach, the drones forced the learned enemy to halt main guns and fire secondaries.
Tat-tat-tat!
"Fire!"
KABOOM!
She adjusted drone paths on her map, issuing crisp orders. Her voice was astonishingly calm, her eyes sharp. Freigel had known it from the moment he met her: Cheisi Brown was one cool customer. And even now, oddly, his heart raced.
'Why'd it have to be... a Bonyak.'
She was unmistakably Bonyak—the race he despised, the ones clashing constantly even within the military. But in that moment, she consumed all emotions. On the battlefield, she was the brightest intellect.
"Left flank, two Dist batteries under the pier. Saturate."
Radio chatter flowed as the left-wing tanks fanned out and unleashed hell.
BOOM!
WHAM!!
Endless barrages shook the earth. As enemy tanks ignored the front line and surged forward, Cheisi shouted.
"Freigel Shtafenberk! Buy us time!"
At her call, Freigel kicked off the ground and planted himself at the forefront.
"As ordered."
He extended his hands wide, and a flash-like wave rippled across his body. This battlefield of scrap and steel was his perfect stage. Casings, barrel fragments, rusted iron scraps flowed toward him like magnets.
"Reconstruct."
Blue electricity crackled sporadically around his hands. As waves vibrated through his black gloves, the floating metal condensed rapidly. Lumpy spheres spun in the air. Then, massive shells formed around him.
"Barrage."
He slammed his hands down, and the shells rained like judgment.
KRA-KA-KANG!
The shells punched through enemy armor cleanly before detonating spectacularly. The shockwaves rattled the city's skeleton. Three, four, five shells—Freigel's relentless barrage turned his position into ground zero.
Peeking from cover behind allied tanks, Cheisi grinned.
"...Damn, he's something else."
She'd seen Chernenko once. 0th Generation. The origin of Proxies, followed by humanity's chain of hope. She'd thought such admiration impossible as an adult, but here she was, feeling it. And now, this man who wielded iron and shot like light—Shatter Light. Shattering light.
His barrage ended, and she turned to see him emerging through the smoke. Amid the searing heat, his eyes—those eyes fixed on her—burned clearer and hotter than anything.
Cheisi was starting to see him as a man, too.
"What's next, Commander?"
He approached quickly. She reached out, grabbing his thick arm.
"First off, good work."
Caught off guard by the sudden touch, he looked at her in surprise.
"...Was that praise?"
"Yeah. Gotta give it sometimes."
She quirked her lips up. That smile etched itself into his mind—like an afterimage that wouldn't fade amid the blasts. One that would linger long.
They moved out again. Tanks rolled, and Cheisi and Freigel headed for the safe point before dusk.
Nearly there, Cheisi checked the battle map on her terminal and grabbed the radio.
"Tighten the encirclement. Halt. Bipedal Dist suspected from speed. Tactical squads forward."
Squad members rushed to her side, covering alleys between buildings. Tanks, wary of debris, trained secondaries slowly instead of mains.
But instead of alleys, Dists and enemy drones poured from shattering windows in the looming structures.
"Urk—above!! Engage!!"
Before her order, a soldier crumpled under fire from a landing Dist. As enemy drones swarmed, Cheisi yelled urgently.
"Hey, troops there! Fall back!"
Someone shouted, but a young squadmate stumbled, exposed in a drone's sights. He reflexively raised his gun toward its muzzle.
"Don't hesitate! Shoot!!"
But no shot came. Malfunction. Of all the timings.
"Damn it!"
Cheisi screamed and launched herself without hesitation. A commander for her subordinate. She slid in front of him, covering his body with hers.
BANG!!
The drone flashed, grazing her shoulder. Blood sprayed. The soldier's eyes bulged. Her shoulder was visibly torn above him.
"Com... mander...!"
"You almost died. Glad you're okay!"
Cheisi gritted her teeth and stood quickly.
"You bastard!!"
KABOOM!!
Behind her, a drone exploded under a massive steel fist, bursting like a balloon. Shells formed in an instant, raining on enemies while sparing allies.
BOOM-BOOM!
Dists detonated satisfyingly.
"Watch yourself!"
Freigel bellowed.
"Hahaha!"
Cheisi laughed joyfully at the sight.