The Fall of London

The American and British forces eliminated what was left of the Italian army and retook Paris as Russia laid siege to Berlin and conquered the city.

However, while Sean Thompson thought he would greet Yuri Chekhov with a handshake, he was completely shocked to see that the Russian army hadn’t stopped. Without discrimination they fired upon British troops as they moved to take Paris. Moscow had declared war on London.

This was the last thing Sean expected. He desperately scrambled to do whatever he could. He thought that New York would bail them out, but the American troops that had been sent to help London had already been called back, and they weren’t answering any communications. This meant that the British were all alone to deal with the might of the Russian army.

Immediately the order was given to fall back to London. Sean knew that they could always rely on Brianne’s River to protect them.

***

As soon as Paris was secured, Jack returned to Rio to finish off the city for good. The Brazilian army fell before long and Jack and Ella personally took care of Jose Santos, the Green Knight, and Ana Ferreira, the Green Maiden.

However, their victory was interrupted by an urgent message from London, one that Jack had been expecting for some time. It was a demand for military support against the now invading Russian army.

Ella leaned in close to Jack. “You’re planning on leaving them hanging, right?”

He smirked. “You know me so well…”

London was a lost cause. The only thing that mattered now was taking down Moscow who now controlled Istanbul, Rome, Berlin, and Paris, and there was only one ally who could help with that.

“Shanghai is right next door.” He gave Ella a sideways glance. “You think we should visit Keitaro and Toko in person?”

She smiled. “Sounds good.”

***

Victory in Shanghai didn’t come long after the defeat of what remained of Enyu Yang. Keitaro was thankful for the ordeal to finally be over, but unfortunately, they were given no time to rest. Moscow had not only defeated Berlin but invaded British territory. War with the Russians was inevitable at this point, so they had to begin preparing their stratagem.

Facing Moscow alone would be difficult to say the least, but thankfully, some unexpected guests would alleviate that…

“Moscow is very strong, and Natalia’s Winter Ability is especially dangerous. But if we work together, not even the Russian winter will be able to save them…” Jack pitched his plan.

The two Americans had pretty much just let themselves into Shanghai and asked for an audience with Keitaro and Toko. Of course, as their Truce was still active, Keitaro and Toko accepted.

“The Russians have most of their army attacking London right now. Once they're done with that, they’ll attack us.” Jack drew lines across the map to illustrate his points. “We probably won’t be able to hold out, but we won’t need to.”

“The Russians have left their border with you lightly defended.” Ella pointed to the border between Tokyo and Moscow. “If you attack while we keep them busy, you’ll be able to take their city.”

“With their capital gone,” Jack continued, “their logistics, morale, and administration will all collapse. They’ll become a weakened, disorganized army in exile. That’s when we start our counterattack, pushing them from both sides until they’re eliminated.”

Keitaro and Toko both listened attentively to the plan. It certainly had promise, but there were some sticking points…

“Are you sure you'll be able to survive against Winter?” Keitaro asked.

“We’ve been preparing as best we can, but long term probably not.” Jack answered bluntly. “However, we would just need to last until you take Moscow.”

“W-what about London?” Toko was curious.

“We have…” He paused. ”Stopped supporting them…”

That tidbit gave Keitaro some dark satisfaction.

However, Keitaro had become more cautious thanks to his near failure in Shanghai. However, if Moscow conquered New York, there would likely be no stopping them. The Genesis Tournament was entering its endgame, and a showdown against New York seemed better than one against Moscow.

“Do you have any objections, Toko?” He looked over at his sister.

“N-not really…”

“Well then, I suppose we’re in.”

Jack smiled. “I’m glad to have you two aboard.”

With a handshake, their fates became intertwined.

***

Brianne Essex’s River managed to keep the Russians out of London. While the power was enormous, the toll on her was thankfully quite light, meaning she could keep the water gushing between London and Paris almost indefinitely.

Sean counted his blessings that this was the case, however, there was something that irked him.

The Russians were just waiting.

They fired some artillery, but not a single attempt was made at an incursion.

That should’ve been considered a good thing, but all it did was stress Sean out. Brianne’s River was impenetrable, so what were they waiting for? His mind scrambled for an answer that never came. However, it soon became clear…

It started with just some snowfall. Of course, Winter had been activated. Sean had anticipated this and made preparations, but ultimately, nothing mattered as long as River was being used.

But as the temperature dropped, a terrible realization came with it.

He had heard a report that he hadn’t even believed, but as he peered through his binoculars at the rushing river protecting them, his worst fears came true.

The river was freezing over.

The ice was thin right now, but as Winter continued, it would very soon be thick enough to simply walk over. He yelled at anyone nearby and barked orders at his general, but the person who got the brunt of his rage was Brianne.

“What the hell are you doing!? You can’t just let them freeze the river! Do you realize what’s going to happen!?” He was yelling at her at the top of his lungs.

“I-I’m sorry, b-but…! I-it’s just too cold, I can’t keep up…!” She held up her arms instinctually.

He chucked a vase, shattering on the wall behind her, missing by only a few inches. “You’re our last line of defense and you’re failing! If you don’t fix this right now, we’re all dead!”

Brianne cowered in fear, crying. “I-I… I’m doing everything I can…!” she bawled.

He had picked up a statue and was just about to throw it when someone came in.

“S-Sir…!” It was a messenger.

“What!?” He spun around, screaming at the young man.

The messenger recoiled. “I-it’s the Russians…” Gulping, he gave the news, “They have entered our territory…”

The statue slipped out of Sean’s hand as the light left his eyes. This was the end.