My Platoon is F**king Hopeless

Nur Ezenner.

Mohammad Omar.

Abdul Jabaddedehtan.

Those famous in the Azoff National Liberation Front were numerous, but among them, the one pointed out as the most threatening and noteworthy individual for the Okhraine army was none other than “The Elder of Alamuut.”

His exact name was unknown even to the leadership of Azoff.

They only knew him as a warlock─the leader of those who mastered a unique form of magic developed in the southern continent.

Even the epithet “The Elder of Alamuut” was merely the name of a warlock organization known as “Alamuut,” akin to a tower of magic.

In other words, he was simply called the elder of the organization named Alamuut.

However, despite his true name being unknown, no one in Okhraine felt anything but fear upon hearing the name “The Elder of Alamuut.”

Ten years ago, during the Quernen War when the military of Azoff invaded the Quernen Province of Okhraine just as they did now, he single-handedly swallowed an entire regiment and allowed the Azoff forces cornered to retreat safely back to their homeland.

Countless soldiers of Okhraine died under the command of Alamuut, and even on the Peca Plain where the final battle took place, remnants of curses and poisons they had spread still lingered.

Such was the person.

He was the leader of Alamuut, the most powerful force held by the Azoff National Liberation Front.

“I never thought we would meet on our island instead of theirs…”

“Such is life.”

“Then why don’t we prepare a grand welcoming ceremony?”

When the group of warlocks led by him arrived at Hill 921, it was just three days before the counterattack by Okhraine forces was set to begin.

Second Ship Levandovsky.

Although ballistae could not penetrate the thick steel hull of the ships, the gian─surrounded by mere layers of cloth─was an exception.

Unlike another airship that narrowly avoided the attack, the ballistae struck the right side of Second Ship Levandovsky’s gian directly, igniting the oil smeared on its tip along with flames conjured by spells, causing a fire inside.

Fortunately, the gas filled in the gian was non-flammable and did not explode, but the problem was that the rapid loss of air caused a sharp decrease in buoyancy.

“Aaaaah!!!”

The pilot controlling Second Ship Levandovsky gritted his teeth and poured out all his mana, but it was clear that it was insufficient to stabilize the airship.

The ship shook violently, and the ground approached closer.

Unlike the other ships performing evasive maneuvers, the burning airship engulfed in purple flames was hard to miss, becoming the target of concentrated fire from the enemy.

The gian was now completely ruined, and apart from the minimal lift provided by its internal structure, it had lost most of its propulsion.

In the end, the pilot chose the ultimate option:

“Prepare for descent!!!”

He opened the boarding hatch.

The altitude had already dropped to a level where descent was possible, but he had hesitated due to the fear of concentrated bombardment.

But there was no choice now.

If they continued like this, not only would the success of the descent mission be in jeopardy, but it would also doom the precious comrades aboard to a miserable death.

“Descend! Third Platoon, descend!!!”

At the pilot’s desperate call, Claude also ordered his platoon to descend.

The soldiers of the 8th Aerial Mage Infantry Combat Unit, who initially feared the unprecedented situation of “crashing,” quickly regained composure upon seeing Claude’s calm and collected response.

The same went for Lieutenant Hilton Callia, his subordinate platoon leader.

Shaking hands suddenly stopped, and her heart, which had been pounding in confusion, calmed down.

She met eyes with Claude Rain.

Claude said nothing; he simply nodded silently while looking at her.

For Hilton Callia, that was enough to muster courage.

“Let’s go, you bastards!!!”

Her personality instantly changed. She gripped her gun diagonally and leaped toward the sky without hesitation.

“Platoon Leader is using teleportation!”

“Attack formation!!!”

Not only she, but the attitude of the soldiers also changed dramatically.

As soon as the platoon leader switched on the signal, the first platoon members jumped towards the sky in unison.

Leading the charge, at the very tip of the spear.

The first platoon members, who were exceptionally faithful to their role, jumped off, prompting the other platoons to follow suit and fly up.

“Do not land first.”

“I will follow, Captain.”

Claude Rain was the last. He gave a determined look to the 4th Platoon Commander and touched his shoulder before leading his troops to descend.

Even if caught off guard by unexpected counterattacks, they could not panic and run away.

“Prepare for 4th Platoon descent!”

“Descent preparation complete!!”

“Descend!!!”

Amidst the endlessly falling airship, they ascended into the sky without a single casualty.

I watched as Second Ship Levandovsky fell. Soldiers leaped into the air one after another against the backdrop of purple flames.

“We will also issue the order to descend!”

Rumia, who confirmed that the troops had already descended, stamped her feet in frustration.

But it wasn’t time yet.

I grabbed the communication device again and called Roxanna, who was controlling the fire support ship.

“Enoch, respond.”

“This is Enoch, Roxanna Elrim.”

“Deploy all available firepower from the Third Ship to the ground. Destroy everything you see—artillery, supplies, troops.”

“Confirmed.”

Even as they were in the process of descending, I requested a bombardment from the fire support ship, causing Rumia’s expression to turn to shock.

“Commander?!”

“Generally, it takes about three minutes to descend 500 meters using magical armor. That’s ample time for the enemy to sweep the ground before our forces can land.”

Being exposed defenselessly to the enemy’s concentrated fire was not limited to the airships.

In fact, having only the airships was fortunate.

Weapons could be replaced, and with resources and money, damage could be recovered.

But the Eighth Aerial Mage Infantry Combat Unit’s soldiers were not replaceable.

They were not just manpower—they were heroes who would cultivate outstanding warriors for the future of the Okhraine army.

A meaningless death was unacceptable. Such a tragedy was something the unit commander could not tolerate.

Thus, at this most vulnerable moment, it was necessary to use the minimum firepower to unsettle the enemy’s spirits.

Simultaneously, not all forces could descend, and the preemptive attack from Enoch’s fire support ship did not occur. Clearly, the enemy forces were waiting below to target the descending allies.

“Ah…!!”

Bang! Boom!

Immediately after the order, the 57mm Grizzly howitzers on the Third Ship fired.

Originally, there were only three installed, but recently, they had been upgraded to six in total.

This was equivalent to battalion-level artillery firepower.

The ground forces of Azoff, whose mouths were wide open, ready to devour the escaping soldiers, were startled by the intense barrage from the fire support ship and began to scatter in all directions.

“Now!”

“Rumia, order the boarding hatches to open for descent.”

“Understood!!”

Rumia rushed to the boarding hatches. I too quickly finished my preparations and headed toward the boarding area.

“Have a safe return, Commander!”

“I’ll see you back at base.”

The pilot bid farewell with a tense expression.

I gave the pilot a thumbs-up and resumed my steps toward the battlefield.

‘Despite setting up all the death flags for myself, don’t die…!’

Now, what I truly hoped for was nothing more than the miracle of everyone surviving.

*

The soldiers of the Third Platoon landed directly in the center of Hill 921.

If Roxanna Elrim’s fire support ship had not timely provided cover fire, significant losses would have already been incurred.

8th Aerial Mage Infantry Combat Unit, First Platoon, First Squad.

“Charge straight into the trench you see ahead! Follow if you don’t want to fall behind!”

Sergeant Chaykovsky, who was in charge of the squad under the command of Lieutenant Hilton Callia, shouted as he ran towards the trench.

Even veteran non-commissioned officers who had been with the unit since its creation had never experienced such combat.

Had they ever faced enemy counterattacks during previous descents?

No.

In the most recent battles at Maniopol and Fort Morok, the enemy had barely managed to escape, rather than actively counterattacking.

But this time, the airship that seemed unlikely to fall was engulfed in flames, and sharp bullets rained down on those falling.

Even Chaykovsky, who relied on heavy experience, could not help but be terrified by the current situation.

However,

His intuition, honed through countless battles, was once again pricking at his nerves.

He ran. He hid.

He shouldered his rifle and adjusted his sights.

Peeking out, a man revealed his head on the ground. His skin, darkened by the sun—a characteristic of islanders.

He immediately pulled the trigger as soon as he saw him.

“!#!@$!@!!”

The head of the man spouting incomprehensible words exploded with a bang.

“Well done!!”

Lieutenant Hilton Callia followed closely behind. She had discarded her rifle somewhere and pulled out a pistol from her pocket before diving into the trench.

Bang! Bang!

The ear-piercing sound of gunfire.

Chaykovsky felt a strange sense of security.

Everything was a battlefield. And now, the battlefield was his second home.

Feeling detached from reality, he shouted at the top of his lungs:

“First Squad!! Charge!!!”

His voice, so loud it made his throat hoarse, was quickly drowned out by sharp gunfire.

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