The crimson twilight gradually faded into the mountains, and night fell over Ripova. One by one, lights flickered on across homes and streets as the town prepared for the dark.Occasionally, squads of patrolling soldiers marched through the streets, and checkpoints were set up at each of Ripova's entrances to inspect incoming and outgoing vehicles. After all, this was wartime—the front lines were only a few kilometers away, and Ripova housed a division-level command center for the Luvina Empire.
Under the cover of darkness, the Fourth Platoon silently infiltrated Ripova. It was late, and most residents were already asleep. The platoon split into two squads, advancing through the empty streets with alternating cover tactics. In more populated areas, they scaled the rooftops, moving like shadows under the moonlight.
According to the plan, the Fourth Platoon would strike the enemy's divisional headquarters under cover of night. Their own forces were launching an offensive on the front lines, and the enemy commanders would surely be gathered at HQ. From his informant, Platoon Commander Otto had learned that the headquarters was temporarily housed in Ripova's town hall. The location was heavily guarded—military vehicles were the only ones permitted to approach that part of town.
"This is the map of the town hall, drawn by our informant. We'll split into two teams. Nordhausen, you take your squad in through the rooftop skylight. Edwin and I will enter through this window on the west side. The building has two floors and isn't very large. Edwin, make sure to assign men to secure the entrances and exits. Nordhausen, clear the rooms. Got it?"
The briefing was short and crisp. There was no need for over-explanation; both squad leaders were experienced veterans who knew how to adapt.
"Understood!"
"Move out!"
With Otto's command, the two squads swiftly left their hiding place and vanished into the night.
Meanwhile, the Luvina divisional HQ in Ripova was in utter chaos. The Dazilet Empire's forces had suddenly launched a nighttime offensive and scored some gains. The telephones had been ringing nonstop, the desks were buried under battle reports and commands from higher up. Staff officers were scrambling to piece together the situation at the front, but positions were changing constantly—this hill was lost, that mill was retaken, several units hadn't responded to orders. The white-bearded general with the pipe could hardly think of a worse scenario.
BOOM—
The lights flickered, dimmed, then returned to normal.
The explosion and tremor froze everyone in the command room. The general brushed dust off his shoulder and stood up from his seat.
"What was that?"
No one answered. The others quickly returned to their tasks. But the gunfire from within and outside the building cast a grim shadow over their minds.
"Enrique!"
The general called for his adjutant.
"Go outside and find out what just happened."
"Yes, General!"
"Damn it… don't tell me it's the Night Knights…"
After Enrique left, the general muttered to himself. He walked over to the window and peered out, only to see their patrol troops outside firing toward the town hall—no sign of the enemy.
"Report! East side of the second floor and the first-floor archives have been attacked. Major Emrick is engaging the enemy at the stairwell!"
A soldier burst into the operations room, his face blackened with soot and panic in his eyes.
"Grab your weapons, with me."
The old general drew his sidearm and charged out of the room. Seeing this, the others quickly followed suit. Some tried to stop him out of concern for his safety, but he pushed them aside. At a hallway corner, he signaled them to halt and peeked toward the stairs. The gunfire was dwindling—it seemed the battle there was nearly over.
The general ordered a few men to secure an old office just two meters ahead, then waited. Moments later, two lightning-fast figures appeared at the stairwell and dashed toward them. Both sides opened fire as soon as they saw each other, but the two figures kept moving, breaking through the office and reaching the corner.
The general was certain he'd hit at least one of them—but the two shadows kept coming, unfazed.
The submachine guns roared, cutting down many of the general's men. He was also hit and collapsed to the floor. In that brief moment, his eyes met one of the attackers—and to his shock, the devilish shadow bore the faint features of a young woman. Her gaze was oddly clear… even hesitant.
"What are you doing?"
Arcia turned back with irritation and tossed two grenades among the fallen officers. Sennia had no choice but to follow closely.
"Stick with me."
Sennia followed Arcia deeper into the corridor. A few seconds later, the grenades exploded behind them.
"Three… two… one."
Arcia counted down with hand gestures, then kicked the door to the operations room open. Sennia burst in first, followed closely by Arcia. The enemy didn't even have time to raise their weapons before both women gunned them down.
"This should be the last room on this side."
Sennia glanced around the wrecked command center, then quickly turned back to Arcia.
"Let's check on Nordhausen."
Retracing their steps, they soon encountered Nordhausen.
"Perfect timing. West side clear?"
Nordhausen had just finished his side of the mission and was heading to rendezvous with Arcia.
"All cleared."
"Good. The enemy's reinforcements have probably surrounded the building. Let's regroup with Otto."
Without delay, the team headed back to the first floor.
In the main hall, Otto was locked in a firefight with enemy troops outside. Some Night Knights had already been injured, but the No. 2 Serum could repair even gunshot wounds that would be fatal to an ordinary person.
"Otto, we're done here!"
The enemy's suppressing fire was intense—at least two machine guns were firing into the hall. Shards of stone and plaster were everywhere, tracer rounds streaking through the dust. Nordhausen called out from behind cover.
"Prepare to retreat!"
Otto received the message and issued the order to withdraw. Nordhausen immediately directed the squad to lay down suppressive fire. Two 20mm autocannons erupted with rhythmic thunder, and explosive shells burst across the enemy's position. Caught off guard, the enemy machine guns fell silent—suppression weakened.
"East side—lighter blockade there!"
Otto vaulted into Nordhausen's position and briefed him on the current layout.
"Got it."
Nordhausen confirmed the escape route, then turned to Arcia.
"During the breakout, cover Sennia—she's new, and lacks combat experience."
Arcia nodded. Nordhausen gave Sennia a quick glance before leading the charge.
Sennia didn't notice. She was focused on swapping magazines for her submachine gun while moving. Thankfully, her training in Altasa had prepared her well enough to avoid panicking.
"You're finally here."
The room was dusty and chaotic. A massive hole had been blown in the wall. Edwin and his squad were holding the position.
"This building's ridiculous—a single cluster grenade made that hole."
Seeing everyone's eyes drawn to the breach, Edwin explained quickly.
"What's the situation outside?"
Otto stepped over broken furniture to reach Edwin.
"Southern alley and plaza are covered by enemy fire. North side is still quiet."
After hearing Edwin's report, Otto gave the next order:
"We'll assault north. Nordhausen, take the rear. Edwin and I will lead the front."
"Understood!"
Both squad leaders replied in unison. Otto was the first to charge through the breach.
The enemy on the southern side opened fire immediately. The platoon returned suppressive fire—their submachine guns' high rate of fire and low recoil were perfect for close combat. Combined with the Night Knights' enhanced physical abilities, their accuracy was deadly. As their comrades fell, the enemy was forced back into cover.
Seizing the moment, the platoon scattered across the rooftops and alleys.
They broke into a wide street. Otto climbed to a rooftop to scout the enemy.
"Get up there."
Arcia, spotting Otto's signal from above, turned to Sennia.
"Up there? The roof?"
Sennia looked up. Climbing was never her strength. But the others had already scaled the walls in a few swift leaps—she had no choice but to follow.
"You okay?"
Arcia peered down. Sennia was slowly inching up a drainpipe.
Unfortunately, enemy soldiers had already emerged from the alley behind and were firing at her.
"Ahhh!"
Sennia screamed and fell from the pipe.
Seeing this, Arcia glanced at her vanished comrades above, then jumped down.
"You alright?"
She knew Sennia had been shot. Arcia pulled a No. 2 Serum from her kit and injected it into Sennia's thigh, then dragged her into cover.
"Can you stand?"
Sennia didn't answer. She hadn't felt anything at first—but her left arm had gone limp, and she'd collapsed. Now a searing pain spread through her shoulder. But the serum was already working—the pain quickly faded.
"My left hand… I can't move it…"
Despite the situation, Sennia remained calm. She didn't know what to do, but she didn't panic.
"The bullet probably hit a nerve. You'll be fine in a bit."
Arcia checked her briefly—no other serious injuries. She peeked from cover to observe enemy movement.
"We need to get out of here."
The smoke grenades had limited the enemy's visibility, but they'd close in soon. Arcia couldn't hold them off alone.
"Okay."
Sennia stood and flexed her arm—surprisingly, she could move it slightly.
"This way."
Arcia lobbed two grenades toward the enemy, then led Sennia into the maze of narrow alleys.
The assault on HQ had thrown the Luvina troops in Ripova into high alert. They began sweeping the town from HQ and the outer barracks. Civilians, awakened by the chaos, knew better than to leave their homes.
Arcia and Sennia twisted and turned through the alleys, hoping to escape before the town was fully sealed off. Occasionally they ran into small enemy patrols, but the two managed to evade or eliminate them through coordination.
Suddenly, Arcia froze, pressed herself against a wall, and signaled Sennia to halt. In a flash, a shadow darted across the intersection and raised a gun—he had already spotted them.
"What are you two doing here?!"
It was Nordhausen. After realizing Arcia and Sennia were missing, he had doubled back with a search party.
"Something happened. Sennia's injured."
Arcia lowered her weapon.
"How bad?"
Nordhausen's tone carried concern—and the memory of Otto's earlier "instructions from above."
"Shoulder wound. Temporary nerve impairment."
"Alright. Let's get out of Ripova first."
Nordhausen let out a quiet breath—didn't seem too serious. Even Sennia felt her arm had recovered enough to function.
"This way—this route should still be open."
Using his knowledge of the terrain, Nordhausen led them down a new escape path. They crossed a small stream over an open field and vanished into the woods outside Ripova—right under the enemy's nose.