1.1 Homefront

The hangar was abuzz with nervous energy as the recruits gathered, their armor gleaming under the harsh, artificial lights. A massive green portal, crackling with energy, dominated the far end of the hangar, casting an eerie glow over the entire space. Beyond it lay the unknown, a world ravaged by demons, and the recruits knew this was no ordinary mission.

As they lined up, the sound of boots on metal echoed through the cavernous space. The General, her presence commanding and unyielding, appeared suddenly before them. 

"Ah~" Lem blushed, but hid it away immediately as Isamu looked at him.

She carried herself with an authority that demanded attention. Her eyes swept over the recruits, assessing them with a steely gaze.

“Listen up!” she barked, her voice cutting through the anxious murmurs. “You’re about to be deployed across the globe to stop the Demon Army from taking hold of our world. As we speak, their foothold tightens, and it’s up to you to loosen it. Your mission is simple but dangerous: connect with the forces already deployed unto the battlefield and assist in destroying the monster spires powering the portals in the cities. Without those spires, their invasion will falter.”

The General’s tone was unrelenting. “You will face strong resistance from the moment you step through that portal. The demons know what’s at stake, and they will defend those spires with everything they’ve got. But remember, your priority is also to rescue any civilians you come across. They’re counting on you.”

She paused, allowing the weight of her words to sink in before continuing. “Coordinate with the local resistance groups wherever you land. They know the terrain, and they’ll be your best chance of surviving out there. Work with them, learn from them, and fight alongside them. Together, we can push these demons back.”

With a sharp gesture, she signaled to the platform beneath them. The floor rumbled, and from beneath, a series of platforms began to rise. On them were vehicles and strange, otherworldly steeds, each designed for the grueling battle ahead. Hoverbikes, armored jeeps, and beasts of war that looked like something out of a fantasy novel—all equipped for different terrains and combat scenarios.

“These,” the General said, her voice taking on a more practical tone, “are your rides. Choose wisely. What you pick may determine whether you make it back in one piece. Now get ready. The fate of our world is in your hands.”

With that, the recruits surged forward, eyes wide with a mix of fear and determination. They began selecting their vehicles and mounts, each one preparing themselves for the battle that lay ahead. The portal loomed larger now, a gateway to the chaos and bloodshed that awaited them.

As the General’s words echoed in their minds, Lem and Isamu exchanged a quick glance and bolted toward the armored jeeps. The sleek, heavily fortified vehicles gleamed under the hangar lights, their reinforced frames promising a better chance of survival against the demon onslaught. Without hesitation, the two friends scrambled into one of the jeeps, the heavy doors clanging shut with a sense of finality.

Around them, the more fantasy-looking soldiers rushed toward the war beasts. The creatures were a sight to behold: massive, muscular beasts with scales, fur, and armor that looked like it belonged in a world far removed from Earth. Some had wings, others horns, and all of them exuded an aura of raw power as their chosen riders mounted them with practiced ease.

As Lem and Isamu settled into their seats, adjusting to the controls of the jeep, Lem glanced back, half-expecting to see the rest of the recruits preparing to charge into battle. Instead, he froze, wide-eyed. Following them, with determined expressions and an air of confidence, were the three girls who had been tagging alongside them.

Saba, still clad in her sleek sci-fi suit, which now materialized into her powerful armor, looked as ready for battle as ever as she ripped the jeep's ceiling and charged her weapon, her face' once pale like the moon, now darkened into a pitch black as she uttered, "Command: Polarize synthetic layer". 

Selena simply smiled as her eyes intensified on the back sear seemed like a force of nature, her fingers rolled a triangular token with strange engravings. 

Daphnis, with her sharp eyes and firm grip on her weapon, exuded a quiet strength as she stepped atop the vehicle like Saba. She briefly tapped her forehead right in the middle of the sigil marked there, and it began to glow.

“Em... you sure you want to tag along?” Lem asked, surprised as the girls climbed into the back of the jeep.

“Chances of dying while riding the war beasts are estimated at 97%” Saba replied, her tone unwavering. “This one's faster, plus you look like you know how to start it.”

"Sure," Lem said, looking at Isamu, "We were about to do exactly that!"

Isamu glared back at Lem for saying that and prayed to whatever heaven was present that he was as intuitive as with the guns, "All right! Let's do this! We live or die!"

“Start the freaking engines, dammit” Selena complained.

Daphnis nodded, her eyes focused ahead as the jeep’s engine roared to life. “Let’s do this.”

With that, the jeep sped toward the portal, joining the rest of the recruits as they prepared to face the unimaginable.

The moment they crossed through the portal, Lem and Isamu’s hearts sank as they recognized the familiar streets and towering buildings. 

They were back home. 

The city they had grown up in, now warped and twisted by the invasion, loomed around them, eerily silent except for the distant sounds of battle. The jeep sped through the deserted roads, their surroundings a haunting reminder of a world that had once been their everyday life. Lem noticed that a warbeast emerged right behind them, its dinosauroid, scaled face roaring as it scrambled to match the jeep's speed. On top of it, about eight ISA fighters struggled to keep up with their steed's pace.

As they drove, the crackling of the radio in their suits interrupted the grim silence. An operator’s voice cut through the static, delivering a terse update. “Attention, all units. The settings of the portal were set to equally distribute combatants across the many fronts. The situation is so dire we could only afford to send two transports per battlefield. As per combat regulation 3, section 24, you now hold complete executive authority to make tactical decisions as long as they impact the outcome of the mission positively. Connect with our forces in your end, and come back home.”

Isamu’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, the weight of the situation settling heavily on his shoulders. This wasn’t just a battle; it was a fight for the survival of their world. He gritted his teeth as he internally swore to avenge everyone he knew.

“Incoming hostiles,” Saba’s sharp cry snapped him out of his thoughts. Lem glanced up just in time to see dark shapes swooping down from the rooftops. Winged demons, their eyes glowing with malice, were diving straight for them. Additionally, climber types with spider-like attributes emerged from a fetal position and began firing hellish balls intermitently.

Saba, Selena, and Daphnis reacted instantly, their weapons blazing with energy as they opened fire. The air was filled with the sound of gunfire and the screeches of demons. Lem gritted his teeth and joined the fray, raising his rifle and pulling the trigger. Bright streaks of plasma tore through the sky, cutting down the demonic attackers as they swarmed the jeep. To their backs, the enormous dinosauroid and its passengers went through a similar harassment by the demons.

The streets became a battlefield, the once-familiar surroundings now a chaotic blur as they fought to stay alive. Demons fell from the sky, their bodies crashing into the pavement, but more kept coming. The jeep swerved and accelerated as Isamu tried to evade the relentless assault.

“Keep them off us!” Lem shouted from the driver's seat, his eyes wide with adrenaline as he aimed as best as he could. He could swear some of them were falling to his shots, but there so many and so much exchange that he was unsure.

“We need some bearings!” Lem yelled back, shooting repeatedly at the flying monsters before having to reload. The depleted magazine ejected from the rifle, and Lem swiftly grabbed another and jammed it in, resuming the firing.

"My sensors pick up a large concentration of demons up ahead!" Saba said, her resolve unwavering as she fired shot after shot, her power suit glowing with the intensity of her attacks.

"Not good, we can't face them head on, we'll die!" Lem shouted, "Isamu, turn here, now!"

The sudden turn made the jeep drift, and as the inexperience in Isamu's driving now became fully realized, the jeep flipped and rolled until it crashed on the nearest wall in the closed-off alley. 

Moments later, Lem pulled himself out and saw himself forced to leap away to avoid being embraced by one of the gnawing demons, pulling out his SHITE pistol and blowing its face in gleaming magma-like blood.

Saba submitted another by jamming its face to the ground and firing her arm cannon until the demon was disintegrated, while Selena slashed a last one in half with the KEN blade. Lem realized how skillful those two were, and promptly stood up, picking up his YUSHA rifle and aimed at the alley's entrance.

They promptly saw the massive frame of the dinosauroid push forward, immediately drawing the attention of all the attacking demons. This promptly gave the makeshift squad a respite as they heard the cracking shots, demonic squeals, and beastly bellows gradually distancing themselves from them. 

"What the hell was that?" Selena asked, turning to Lem as her blade beamed off.

"My analysis concludes that staying on course would've been the most logical course of action," Saba said.

Lem lowered his guard and went for the jeep, helping Daphnis get out, while Isamu jumped into view completely unscathed, just dirtied. 

"Come on," Lem said, pulling the bee like girl, "I got you!"

"I'm okay Lem, it takes more than this to take me out," She said as she picked her weapon.

"I wouldn't know," He answered.

"Hey bro, why did you screamed at me to do this?" Isamu wondered, "The jeep is pretty much useless, even if we flip it like a videogame."

"Even your friend here is puzzled by your sudden decision," Selena said as she impatiently looked at the rooftops.

"Listen guys, we can join the fray and face those monsters head on, but no good will come out from drawing their fire just yet if we have no clue about where the hell those spires are located. We need a plan."

Isamu grinned, "That's our Lem, always the 5D chess player."

Selena remained serious, "Am I supposed to be impressed?"

"Actually, it is a logical step, we don't have the resources to fight a sustained battle," Saba said, "Our forces are thin, our allies are spread out, and the enemy presence is ubiquitous at best and massively numerous at worst."

"Thank you!" Lem said.

Selena calmed down. Daphnis looked at the young human, particularly wondering if that was the slime/beanie talking or pure, tactical thinking on the boy's behalf.

The giant dinosaur could be heard roaring as explosions far ahead lit up the streets.

Lem sighed, letting out a small grin, "Those idiots are drawing enemy fire, and they have surely drawn out hidden ambushers and defensive positions."

His eyes darted here and there as he panted, trying to bring forth a new plan, "We need eyes, I need someone really agile on top—"

"Direct me," Selena said, "I used to traverse my home's lush forests since I was young, I have keen eyesight too."

Lem eyed the flipped jeep, "Saba, think you can open the trunk? See if there are some binoculars of something, Isamu, care to provide some cover?"

"I need no protection," Selena complained.

"I want you to spot those spires and to tell me where is the enemy concentrating its forces the most. He can shoot whatever is not in your range of sight."

Selena reluctantly nodded as she eyed Isamu.

"Don't worry! I got your back!"

"Found them," Saba said, tossing them over to the dark elf, "Maybe I should go with her too? There are a lot of air borne hostiles in the area."

"You stand out too much, I actually need you to enter this door with Daphnis and me and get me a different exit, besides, I reckon you have a AM/FM wideband?"

"What?" Saba asked, puzzled.

"I assume you have different names, but I need you to find friendly communications frequency, like the comm in our suits."

"Indeed, I would have to expand my range considerably, maybe if I had access to a local device, I could decode its functionality and use it to our advantage."

"Then we're set, Daphnis, let's find Saba exactly that. Selena, Isamu, you got this, stay on the suit's comm at all times, I'll do routine checks on you."

Seeing his friend rant a bunch of orders like a military veteran made Isamu worried for a bit, but he got distracted when Selena used her agility to hop from platform to platform and to clib the building without any wasted movements.

"Holy—" he exclaimed, "Dark elves are amazing!"

"It's the Hero Flux," Daphnis said, "The nurses said it would give us abnormal strength and agility."

"Huh, no wonder why we didn't get hurt with the jeep," Isamu said, smiling, "Welp, here goes nothing!"

He propelled himself up with such strength that his head hit with a small balcony. Isamu barely grasped the edge of it and raised his thumb up to those below, as he continued his climb a bit more moderately.

"And that just shows how amazing dark elves are," Lem joked. 

"Selena to Lem, can you hear me?"

"Copy Selena," Lem said, "loud and clear."

"Copy? All right... SELENA TO LEM, CAN YOU HEAR MEE!" she repeated, puzzled.

The shout made Isamu hit another edge.

"Mother f—Copy means that I hear you, dammit, don't shout like that!" Lem scolded.

"Auditive Sensors damaged by 2%, current status is 98%" Saba said, adjusting her mechanical ears.

"Ah, well, copy that I guess?" Selena said, "I'm at the top of the building, but there are many others that are larger than this one, I'll have to get to another vantage point."

"Copy, don't go too far, we don't know how much range these comms have."

"Copy." Selena said.

"Copy." Lem replied.

"Copy."

Lem blinked, inarticulate for a moment, "We don't have to say it all the time."

"Copy that, Isamu and I are heading to a better vantage point."

Selena's voice dissipated.

Lem smiled with a slim sign of relief, "I thought I was falling unto an endless loop."

"Should we go?" Saba insisted, opening the door.

"Let's go," Lem said, his eyes furrowing as they entered with their guns ready.