The Pursuit

"What are you thinking so hard about?"

Tanya asked Felix. 

Currently, the two are walking towards the deck of the ship.

The ship that they are currently on is the German Battleship Tirpitz. 

The Tirpitz is one of the Bismarck-class battleships that the Great German Empire has. It is a ship that packs hella punch armed with a main battery of eight 38-centimeter (15 in) guns in four twin turrets.

It is one of the signature ships of the Empire.

Going back, Tanya and Felix are now heading towards the deck of the ship. On the deck, Felix's guards and Tanya's wing members can be seen lined up.

Felix, was muddled by a recurring thought about how he could implicate the Commonwealth for killing Abensoll. 

Felix wants to drive a nail between the two's relationship, so that the Legadonia Alliance's remaining country would be easy to talk to. So he shared his thoughts with Tanya.

"You know that I know the general direction of this world through the Goddess right?"

"Yeah. So?"

"I know that our operation will be successful, well… we can save for some variables if ever Belial's machinations intervene… but, it will still happen. One thing to note is that Abensoll, Legadonia's Foreign Affairs Councilor, who was tasked to create a government in exile on Commonwealth lands, would be killed by the Commonwealth themselves…"

"Why? If they have Abensoll then wouldn't their relationship with each other be as strong as ever?"

"Well… Your wing would catch up with the submarine that Abensoll is currently on… The Commonwealth will be forced to kill Abensoll via burning him alive so that no remains will be on board."

Felix then gave Tanya numerous reasons that he thought of.

"There are reasons I can think of and one of them is that the Commonwealth wants to implicate the Empire… By killing the Foreign Affairs Councilor, the war between the Empire and the Alliance would be dragged down further into the quicksand."

"Well, you're right about that. If the Empire was implicated by the Commonwealth, finding allies will be much harder…"

"Yeah… I want to capture the killing through a video, via mana… But, how should I do it… If I come close to the submarine they are currently on, Abensoll will be killed immediately…"

"If you wait for a bit more so that they reach the shores of the Commonwealth… Abensoll will live freely in the Commonwealth and will probably establish a government in exile…"

"This is fucking hard. I can't just do an x-ray examination of the whole submarine because they will soon notice my mana… well… anyone who is human will be immediately noticed ...."

Felix scratched his head and thought of ways on how to capture the video of Abensoll's killing…

He then looked towards one of the ship's turrets. There he saw Goldy and a seagull flirting with each other.

This fucking bird. I really want to tear off the fucking plume atop his hea-

Felix then suddenly stops which prompted Tanya to look towards him with a questioning gaze.

Felix then put down his head and went into his thinking position, pinching his lips…

Anyone who is human… will be immediately… noticed…. If that's the case…

Felix then looked towards Goldy and called for it.

"Hey! Goldy! Come here!"

Goldy donned a fed up expression towards Felix for interrupting his flirting session… yet he still complied.

The bird flew down towards Felix and Tanya and stood together with them.

Goldy is a large bird. What I mean by a large bird is… is that he is a fucking large bird. His length is at least 4 feet. Normally, a golden eagle can only grow up to 2 feet and 8 inches… but Goldy… he is a fucking beast.

And yes, Goldy can still stand atop Felix's head because it is surprisingly adept at controlling his own weight, via mana. It can even control its height whenever he wishes.

Felix wrapped his arms around Goldy's shoulders; like a bully who caught a seemingly bread shuttle.

"Hey man. You have some money under those wraps of yours? Come on, bring it out, don't be shy."

Tanya also caressed Goldy's beak and head, which though gave him comfort, still annoyed him because Tanya treats him like a dog…

"Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy? Come on Goldy, tell me who's a good boy?"

The two's antics greatly annoyed Goldy so he screeched and stretched his wings to deter the two.

*SCREECH*

The two humans immediately moved away while laughing.

"Alright, alright Goldy. Pfft. Let's be serious now okay?"

*Screech*

"Well… I have a mission for you… If you choose to accept… No, there's no choice-choice, you will do what I tell you okay? It's time for you to work those wings out!"

*Screech*

Tanya then looked towards Felix. 

"Hey, I need to go now and address my men."

"Alright, take care."

While Felix briefs Goldy of his job, Tanya walks towards the lined up people in the deck.

She then stood up atop a raised platform so that her current height is a bit higher than the people in front of her.

Tanya looked straight at them and addressed them seriously.

"Dear Ladies and Gentlemen. Today, we have an important mission ahead of us. Our target is the Foreign Affairs Councilor Abensoll, He is not just any enemy. He is someone the other side believes can lead them to victory. They think that by hiding him in a submarine, far beneath the sea, he can escape from us. But they are wrong."

"Abensoll thinks he can run, that the sea will keep him safe. But no one can hide from us. We are the Empire's most powerful force, and we have proven that time and time again. We are not just soldiers; we are the ones who bring justice to those who dare to fight against the Empire."

"He will be guarded by numerous soldiers. Some will be sacrificed as a distraction, and some will escape to a different direction. However, no matter what, we will find them and we will hunt them!"

"This mission is about more than just one man. It's about showing the world that no one can escape the Empire's reach. We will find him, and we will make sure he faces the consequences of his actions. This is what we were trained for. This is why we fight."

"But this is no time to be uncertain or afraid. We are the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion, the best of the best. We will hunt down Abensoll, and show the world that the Empire is unstoppable. No matter who or what is in our sights."

"Soldiers, get ready. We will strike hard and fast. Remember why we fight— for the Empire, for our people, and for the future we are building."

"Abensoll's time is up! He may think he can escape, he may think he can take refuge and set up a government in exile, but he will soon see the power of the Empire. We will find him, we will stop him, and we will show the world what we can do."

"Mages, to your positions! Let's do what we do best. For the Empire, for victory, forward!"

""FOR THE EMPIRE!""

The mages then rallied up and gathered their gears. They then aligned themselves according to their squads and checked their gears one last time.

After checking their gears and making sure that their magazines are just right, they waited for a moment. They waited for Felix who was still under the deck of the ship.

After 5 minutes of waiting, Felix emerged from the stairs, with Goldy atop his head.

Looking at the large eagle and human duo, all of the mages stood at attention.

"I know you were briefed by Major Tanya here about the current situation. I will not say more but… For the Empire!"

""FOR THE EMPIRE!""

_________________

Atop the skies of the North Sea, a cold breeze can be felt. A single military vessel is currently sailing towards the south-western direction, to the land of the Commonwealth.

They are currently following a submarine that is at least 5 kilometers away from the military vessel. This submarine currently houses the person tasked to create a government in exile in the Commonwealth. 

The military vessel is serving as a decoy for the submarine, hoping that the mages of the Empire would focus on it, rather than the submarine.

Atop the submarine, invisible to the numerous radars of the current world, a single eagle is atop it. (Note that WW2 or before submarines spent their time mostly at the surface of the water. They would only submerge, up to 50 meters, only if it will engage an enemy, or fire torpedoes.)

This eagle is a fucking large eagle. Standing at 4 feet tall, no one can notice it since the people inside the submarine are huddled inside, watching their radars.

Going back to the military boat, Anson Sue is currently agitated. 

Surely, the Empire should have received news that a lone military boat is currently sailing away… but… where the fuck are they?

"Are there still no signals or signs from the Empire?"

"There's still nothing si-"

"INCOMING!"

A large beam of light passed through the middle of the hull of the ship Anson and his mages are currently on. This caused the ship to immediately sink. 

Knowing that the ship would sink, Anson attempted to command his mages to fly when suddenly numerous volley fire was fired upon the ship causing the ship to explode since the fuel was hit by one of the rounds.

Anson and his mages were thrown out of the ship and into the water, making them look like wet dogs swimming at the pool or beach.

As they surfaced, they can now see the numerous Empire mages floating atop them. 

Anson can also see the devil that destroyed the hopes and dreams of the Legadonia Entente Alliance… 

Beside the devil is another devil who was not giving them any attention at all. In front of the second devil is a magic screen which unfortunately, Anson cannot see.

The first devil is currently approaching them slowly, with guns in hand, and sinisterly smiling.

"Guten Tag, Hündchen! Wir fordern Sie auf, Ihre Waffen abzugeben oder einen scheußlichen Tod zu sterben. Was wollt ihr machen? (Good Morning, doggies! We are asking you to surrender your arms or die a bastard death, what do you want to do?)"

Even though Anson cannot understand some of the words said by the devil, he became a bit agitated since he knew what the word Hündchen means…

"UNDERVURDER OSS IKKE! (DON'T UNDERESTIMATE US!)"

Anson and his mages immediately activated their operation orbs, pushing away the water that was surrounding them and making them float.

They then immediately flew at an irregular pattern in order to dodge the bullets from the Empire mages.

In return, the Empire mages, Tanya and Felix's men, also boosted towards their enemies, with each squad picking at least 3 enemies for themselves.. (Note that each squad has 12 members each, with Tanya's wing having 4 squads minimum, and Felix Imperial Guards acting as a squadron as a whole.)

While the Empire mages boosted towards their enemies, Tanya and Felix remained still, floating at their original positions.

Tanya then looked towards Felix.

"You don't wanna join the fun?"

Felix, still looking at his magic screen, answered Tanya,

"Nah, I need to put my focus here… anytime now, the Commonwealth could kill Abensoll… Go have fun."

"Alright, I'll be fucking right back!"

Tanya immediately flew at neck breaking speeds towards Anson Sue. Anson Sue is currently being peppered by numerous bullets and magic spells, which gave him little-to-no opportunity to fight back.

The Empire mages, on the other hand, adapts a perimeter type of attack against Anson, whereas they surround him and constantly fly at a set distance away from the target. 

They would not charge immediately, but retreat when the target is getting close, on the other hand, the Empire mage on the other wing will come close towards the mage.

This strategy is only useful because the enemy is outnumbered by 1 to 6…

However, the Empire mages soon saw Tanya approaching. They knew that once Tanya and the enemy fought, it would be hella destructive. Knowing that they might be implicated, the Empire mages backed away and soon found another target.

As soon as Tanya came near Anson, Tanya stopped and greeted him.

"Hallo!"

Tanya then aimed her HSG (SVD) rifle towards Anson.

"Und Tschüss! (And Goodbye!)"

Numerous homing bullets and magic spells were fired from Tanya's gun. 

Immediately, Anson tried to evade all of Tanya's bullets and spells. He did a great job evading a number of it, but a sudden penetrative homing bullet was fired on his left leg, detaching it from his thighs, and broke his flight. Due to this, Anson was thrown into the ocean, gathering his remaining strength in order to stay afloat.

It was a rather anticlimactic fight…

As Anson tried to stay afloat, he could hear the distinct sound of flight magic near him, so he looked at it.

Looking at it, he saw the devil clutching the gun that his daughter gave him…

"So… this is quite a nice gun for this era… it is also new, yeah? but… it still sucks. It is nowhere near the technology that the Empire has or will have. You might be wondering why I am telling you this? Well… Dead men tell no tales."

Anson can hear and understand the English words that the devil had said. He attempted to rebut it since it was a gift given to him by his daughter but…

"Still.. It would be a shame to let this gun float away in the ocean… How about I give it its first and final kill?"

The devil smiled sinisterly and aimed the submachine gun towards Anson's head.

Oh God, pleas-

*BANG*

"Sniff Sniff I can smell the stench of that fucking Belial. I guess he prayed before dying huh, well.. Good riddance. Fucking Good Riddance."

Anson's lifeless body sank down into the seemingly bottomless abyss called the sea, never to be seen nor be heard again… His fate is left to be fish food by the dwellers of the sea…

Amidst the symphony of guns and explosions, Felix still puts his utmost attention towards the magic screen.

Inside the magic screen, it shows the POV of Goldy. Currently, Goldy's sight is super impressive.

Goldy can see a rabbit at least 10 kms away. However, the most impressive part of this is that Goldy can see through his own x-ray vision…

Yes, the magic screen that Felix has, has a view of the interior of the submarine Lytol. 

Though Goldy can see through the interior of the submarine, the only requisite for this is that it depends on the density of the material to be 'penetrated' through.

For materials made of wood, Goldy's vision can penetrate it even if he is at least a kilometer away.

For concrete or dirt, Goldy can see through it if he is at least a hundred meters away from the target.

For metals, most especially for ship or submarine metals, close contact is a must. That's why Goldy is currently perched atop the submarine.

Currently, Felix is looking at Abensoll through the magic screen. In front of Abensoll is a Commonwealth agent. 

Though Felix cannot hear anything due to the magic screen limited to vision only, he still knew that the two are currently bickering with one another.

Since a fight is currently ongoing between the two, Felix righteously recorded it, like a third-party person recording a couple's fight on the streets.

After a while, Felix can see that the whole submarine crew is rapidly going around the hull of the submarine. Felix also noticed that a group of mages can now be seen at the horizon.

These mages immediately noticed the fleeing submarine so they went for it. However, he also noticed that a small child halted the attack and pointed towards Goldy…

He noticed the colors of these mages and slightly smiled.

So, our mages had already come… Your move, Commonwealth.

It went according to what has been fated.

Abensoll was charred to death by the Commonwealth mage. 

As a normal person, he cannot do anything against the magic spell of the Commonwealth mage. He was burned alive and was clinging on into his dear life by attempting to extinguish the flames but alas… he was turned into charcoal. His ashes were scattered around the interior of the submarine 

As soon as the video was recorded. Felix radioed Tanya to inspect the submarine, as an act.

"Go. I have the footage. Hail them or blow them up, your choice."

Immediately, the Empire mages hailed the vessel.

"This is the 203rd Imperial Aerial Mages. Your vessel is suspected of harboring a fugitive. Prepare to be inspected immediately. Any resistance will be met with force. Comply, and no harm will come to your crew."

No answer came from the submarine, instead, it continued sinking down. 

As a wing trained to deal with aerial mages or land targets, the territory of the sea is not on their side, so they blew up its engines. 

Immediately, the sinking submarine surfaced. Its crew attempted to repel the Empire's forces but to no avail. Since they are still in the territory of the Empire, they need to comply with the demands of the owners.

The wing searched throughout the vessel and found nothing. 

Since they found that the submarine is 'clear' the mages left towards Felix 5 kms away. 

Tanya's vice commander, Weiss, asked Tanya why they retreated without any results.

"Don't worry about it, Vice Commander. We have a pretty compelling evidence, you see."

Hearing this, the mages were curious, but they knew to keep silent.

As soon as they arrived at the position where Felix is, Tanya immediately skipped towards him and inquired.

"So… you got the good stuff?"

Felix smiled.

"Yeah, I got the good stuff."

The two smiled at each other and laughed creepily.

""Muehehehehehehe""

"Alright, kidding aside, have you recorded it?"

Instead of answering, Felix showed the video he recorded to the whole group.

Watching the happenings in the video, the whole group was definitely shocked, well… except for Tanya who was proudly smiling towards Goldy like looking at her dog who just won a competition.

After the video played, Felix asked Tanya.

"So… how much do you think this is worth in tomorrow's discussion with Vinland?"

Tanya just smiled. She just smiled.

________________________

Yow! Sorry for the late chapter! 

Next chapter includes talks with Vinland and much more. If you forgot, Vinland is included in the Legadonia Entente Alliance, and they are the ones who are vehemently opposed to the invasion of the Empire.

Well… yeah… the next chapter is hopefully on Sunday hehe.

Peace out my dudes!