Summoning the Greater Axis Pact
Axis 3 - Papaldian Empire Part 1
Großer Deutsches Reich
Hamburg
The Elves and Demi-Humans could easily see many buildings that reached out for the sky as they were in the Ferry as the humans called it. A massive ship with luxurious standards, it was...bizarre to see the ship in size and the interior was truly mesmerizing, the lights that didn't burn them, the cooled rooms that won't heat up too much, the cool refreshing showers, the divine food and beverage they were blessed with.
Truly this might be the most memorable moment in their entire trip as they docked, they were fairly nervous on how many humans would comprehend them. When they walk down, they could see many people holding out banners upon welcoming them.
'Welcome Outlanders to Hamburg', they were written in many colors, the law enforcers were having not much difficulties in keeping the people in an orderly fashion.
Afterall, Order was the base of the entire society, they were orderly organized, not pushing too far into the law enforcers as the Demi-humans and elves can finally catch a break from racist bigots.
News Reporters were recording as some asked basic questions with others questioning some other subjects.
Nevertheless, the Germans were not that bad in treating others equally.
Großer Deutsches Reich
Axis Meeting Room
"A swift war." Emperor Mirai spoke as he was truly surprised at the rate of how the Rowlian surrendered after a swift bombing mission.
"Ah, that was unexpected. We were planning on an offensive, but it appears that they were too shocked to even fight back." The Chancellor of Germany shook her head.
"A significant development one might say. That is very helpful of them however...we did not need to shed more blood."
"But herr Rommel had spoken about how some are still revolting." Chancellor Victoria shook her head. Rommel had been a close friend of hers, bearing the same name, it was not as uncommon as many thinks. Rommel was more of a tomboy than a lady.
That was why she joined the military and her determination brought her high to her father's position before Field Marshal.
"Troublesome. But with some Military Police and rehabilitation. The nation should be stable."
"In the near future perhaps."
"Which brings us to another conflict." Tenno Mirai submitted a report.
"Eh? What's this?"
"Papaldia. From my informants, Papaldia had been supplying Rowlia with those wyverns. They are a warmongering Empire, seeking to continuously invade and pillage other nations and subjugate them."
"Truly? That is...very worrying."
"Fear not. They are weak compared to us. After gathering information. The only thing that can threaten us is the 8th Empire or the Gra Valkas Empire, having sent a Dreadnought named the Grade Atlastar, essentially Yamato in its essence."
"Does that mean...?"
"46cm armaments. Smaller than yours truly, Hindenburg's 48cm. Your coming Ultra-Missile-Dreadnought can easily outstrip it. What was it called? Ah yes, the Reichsdrachen."
The Reichsdrachen. Formerly named the Reichsadler-class Ultra-Missile-Dreadnought, a Project that many had deemed unnecessary until the word of it being a Missile Dreadnought with nine 506mm cannons came out.
Not an absurd design compared to the late Führer-Class Hyper Dreadnought with its landing deck, 80cm Schwerer Gustav cannons. They were by far the most menacing of all cannons in the world.
Although their range is not as great as the German's Paris Gun that can reach Paris and have a smaller caliber.
"And I heard you had taken Elves and Demi-Humans as refugees from the slave markets."
"Sadly, yes. We have bought slaves and are currently on the way to have them start a new life."
"Why didn't you just...raid them?"
"They are part of the Papaldia Empire, and they are quick to lay blame. We are not going to instigate a war. We just came and ended one. We are not here for war or conquest, your Excellence." Victoria grabbed onto her ideal as she bore eyes on the descendant of Balbo.
"...Heh, you truly are correct, Ma'am." Giovanni nodded. "Yes, the Novus Imperium Italiano shall help you in the time of needs if you need it."
"The Dai-Teikoku no Nihon shall assist you as you need it as well!"
"...Thank you, both of you." The Chancellor bowed, her smile had been a bright one as both Emperor and Il Duce can't help, but admire her, she was just as her father, fair as him, a bright lady.
Victoria Friedrich had been blessed by trusted comrades, trusted people and trusted soldiers. Truly she received many gifts from God, but little did she know that she also blessed them as well.
Papaldia Empire
"What's happening with the plan?!" came an angry shout.
"Yes… The imperial oversight army's twenty-two ship fleet will depart shortly to administer punishment to Fenn," the aide replied nervously.
The Papaldia Empire's 3rd foreign affairs department was located in a facility outside the palace. Just like Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, these departments were in charge of diplomacy, but in Papaldia the responsibilities were split between three separate departments.
The 1st department was found in the palace and dealt solely with the five superpowers in the civilized area. These relationships required the most delicate care, the most scrupulous political decision-making, so only the elite of the elite were assigned there.
Next, the 2nd department was situated outside the palace and handled foreign relations with other countries in the civilized area other than the superpowers. Using their national power as leverage, they pushed forward Papaldia's national interests while pulling back against unreasonable conditions. Because these countries were all backed by other superpowers, they couldn't just recklessly exploit them, so a level of prudence was necessary. This was where the rest of the elites worked.
Finally, the 3rd department was in charge of all countries outside the civilized area, also known as the "barbarian countries." They were given leave to apply as much pressure as necessary to squeeze whatever they wanted from these countries. With permission from the imperial oversight army, they were allowed to take punitive action on them whenever necessary. Because there were so many barbarian countries, 60% of the entire foreign affairs department worked here.
The national resource acquisition stratagem being executed behind the scenes in the Kingdom of Rowlia had failed because the strategy team had moved independently. Because they had invested so many resources into it, it wasn't possible for them to hide their failure, but all the information was currently still limited to the 3rd foreign affairs department, so no one else knew about the country called Japan.
Returning to previous matter at hand…
About 210 km east of the Third Civilization superpower Papaldia, there was an island shaped like a backwards comma that was 150 km in length and 60 km in width. This was the Kingdom of Fenn. East of Fenn, across the bay like a mirror, was the comma-shaped Holy Land of Gahara. Another 500 km east of Gahara lay the island of Japan.
As part of the emperor's national expansion initiative, the 3rd foreign affairs department demanded that a 400 square kilometer area in Fenn be gifted to Papaldia. That area only contained forests—the 3rd department could gain credit for obtaining land for the initiative; it wasn't being used by Fenn anyway, so it was no loss for them; it would be an act of loyalty towards Papaldia, so they could turn into a semi-civilized state once Papaldia shared some of their technologies; and finally, they would become allied with Papaldia, which, given the power behind their name, would be a large deterrent for any surrounding countries that were thinking of invading them. Papaldia would expand, and Fenn would get rich.
Fenn for some reason rejected this amazing proposal, so the department prepared a second proposal to lease the same site from them for 498 years. Fenn's Sword King Shihan politely declined the second proposal as well.
"They're throwing mud on our name as a superpower," fumed Kyeos, the department head. He decided to dispatch the oversight army's fleet.
"I apologize for the trouble; if the department head is indisposed, any official will do. Please allow us to meet with someone who has authority."
A group of officials from Argentina's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had been stuck in this routine for three months.
"Please wait for the moment. Things must be processed in the correct order… However, I did see the contents of your proposal, and it's quite a difficult… our documents state that, how do you say, the 'hurdle is very high,' I believe…"
"What do you mean by that?"
"…If a citizen of Papaldia were in… 'Japan,' was it? and committed a crime, you are saying you refuse to recognize extraterritoriality…"
"What's wrong with that? That should be the normal understanding between countries."
"…But we are a superpower."
"And what does that have to do with it?"
"Your country was only recently established, wasn't it? Though you cannot help being outside the civilized area, it appears that you even lack common sense," the clerk said venomously.
The Argentinian official's eyes widened.
"Listen, right now, in the entire world, there are only four nations that we allow to refuse extraterritoriality. They are the superpowers. Your country is not a superpower, you aren't even in the civilized area, yet you are unaware of common diplomatic knowledge, you are refusing to recognize extraterritoriality, and you are simply deluded thinking that your country is equal to a superpower and making demands far above your station. The department manager will be available in two weeks, so please make an appointment and return then. However, as far as I am concerned, 'the hurdle is too high for your request,' as it were."
Simply because Argentina was located outside the civilized area, it was being treated as though its national power were a thousand times smaller. Now that efforts at communicating had failed, there was nothing else they could do. The Ministry officials despondently returned home. Those two weeks would turn out to be two extremely important weeks to Papaldia, but, at the time, no one knew what the future held.
The Kingdom of Fenn had no magic. All the citizens learned to wield the sword as part of their basic education. Live by the sword; die by the sword. No matter how lowly your birth, a talented swordsman deserved respect; no matter how handsome and beautiful your appearance, a weak swordsman is derided and ridiculed.
Today, Tenth Private Ain, a member of the palace knights, trained with his sword again. Originally, he didn't want to join the palace knights. He liked swordplay, of course, but he also liked building design, and he had thought about pursuing that instead. The reason he had changed his mind was due to his mother.
On that day, it was cold. Ain, who was still a student at the time, thought his hair had grown too long and decided to take a horse and ride to the barber's to get it cut. Outside, there was a woman carrying a baby and holding the hand of a small child. She had looked away for only a moment, but, in that moment, the child fell into the river and began to sink.
Because the woman was still holding her other child, she couldn't jump into the river herself, so she pleaded for one of her neighbors to help. In the house, Ain's mother was preparing dinner, but, when she heard what happened, she immediately rushed out into the cold and jumped into the river. His mother, after saving the child, pulled herself onto the riverbank, but, because of the sudden change in temperature, her heart stopped and she collapsed.
By the time Ain got home, his mother had already passed away. He was a good swimmer. He couldn't help feeling regret… if he had been there, could he have changed anything? He wallowed in despair. One day in class, he read a certain sentence that made him decide to join the palace knights.
Principles of the Palace Knights, Second Article, First Paragraph
Palace knights are the guardians of people's lives, bodies, and possessions; they prevent and suppress crime, capture criminals, and maintain public safety and order.
As soon as he saw this text, he was instantly reminded of how his mother had sacrificed her life to save someone else, and his future became set in stone.
"Ain, please come with me," Ain's superior, Knight-Captain Magreb, called out to him.
"Yes, what is it, sir?"
"Sword King Shihan requests your presence."
The Sword King, Shihan, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Fenn.
"Huh? He's asking for me?"
The Sword King asking for a Tenth Private was… frankly, inconceivable.
"Oh, I'm also being summoned. Everyone in the order who's a Tenth Private or higher is being summoned to the royal palace; it appears to be a serious matter. Go on ahead."
So, he headed to the royal palace.
Kingdom of Fenn, capital city Amanoki, Royal Castle
"We may soon go to war with the Papaldia Empire."
!
Everyone paled at this sudden declaration.
The problem with there being no magic in Fenn wasn't that they couldn't shoot fireballs, but rather that they were unable to communicate via magic. If they were to fight an opponent with the same sized army, the difference in their speeds of communication would create an insurmountable gap in their tactical capabilities.
Another problem was the Papaldia Empire's enormous national power.
Kingdom of Fenn vs. Papaldia Empire
Population: 5,000,000 vs. 70,000,000
Navy: 21 ships with ballista, equipped for seizing ships vs. 422 gunboats
Wyverns: None vs. 500
Wyvern Lords: None vs. 350
While the difference in military strength was depressing enough, they were also a superpower. Their soldiers were far better equipped, so there was an even bigger disadvantage beyond a simple numerical disparity. The mere fact that they were from the civilized area made them a country they shouldn't fight.
The room went silent.
The reason Fenn had no wyverns was because, east of Fenn, wind dragons had settled in the Holy Land of Gahara. Wind dragons were very intelligent and far above wyverns in the food chain, so wyverns wouldn't dare come anywhere close to Gahara. Using some kind of magic-like technique called "divine power," Gahara allied itself with twelve wind dragons. They were few in number, but each one was equal to thousands of soldiers, so even superpowers were wary of them.
"Currently, I have requested aid from Gahara. We also have various other countermeasures under consideration."
The Sword King had sent an official letter to the Divine King Minakanushi, who lived in the imperial shrine in Gahara's capital city, Takamagahara.
"In any case, all warriors should prepare for war."
Everyone remained tense.
"My king, how did the matter go with the country that wanted to open negotiations regarding diplomatic relations? 'Argentina,' I think it was?"
After the assembly ended, one of the king's aides, Swordmaster Motam, asked him a question in his office. In Fenn, there were only ten people who held the title of Swordmaster.
"'Argentina'? Aah, we received some information about them from the Gaharan embassy, they're an emerging country east of Gahara. Over in that area, there's a small chain of islands, and some dangerous ocean currents… did the villages on those islands group up and form their own country, I wonder?"
The Sword King imagined the birth of a small country.
"That's not… quite… According to the Argentine, their population is over a hundred and forty million, they say…"
"A… A hundred and forty million people?! Wahahahaha, I guess they really are a big deal if they've sprouted that many already!" the Sword King laughed, not believing Motam's words in the least.
"Well… this came from Gahara, but they gave us the same numbers. They have already established diplomatic ties with Argentina. That area of the ocean isn't just a small chain of islands, but a massive continent. They also have a highly advanced civilization that surpasses that of the superpowers…"
"Hoh… Saying they're above the superpowers stretches credulity, but, if Gahara is going this far to praise them, I am curious what kind of country they are…"
The Sword King and all his aides decided to meet with the Argentinian representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"You don't have to be so nervous."
This country was very stern, it felt like the atmosphere was always solemn. "A country ruled by samurai"… that was the impression of one of the officials. The quality of life seemed low and the citizens appeared impoverished, but spirits were high and all the people acted properly and politely. It was a living example of true bushido, a philosophy that had been long forgotten in Japan. Well, he was from Argentina, he only knew of this from History classes, it's truly fascinating to learn about their country when they replaced Bushidos with basically conscripts in large numbers.
"Presenting the Sword King," a voice announced. The representatives from Argentina's Ministry of Foreign Affairs all stood up and bowed.
"So, you must be the messengers from Argentina."
He seems even more skilled than a master, thought Garcia, a Foreign Affairs official who was watching the Sword King closely, he was no stranger to Japanese culture when it came to judging people's talents, kendo had been practiced, but he had never actually picked up kendo due to his likings of politics.
"Yes… we have come because we would like to establish diplomatic relations with your country. Please accept these gifts along with our greetings. They are goods made in Argentina."
Arranged in front of the Sword King were various Argentinian items. Facóns, Gauchos, pearl necklaces, a compound bow and a pair of lavish leather boots… The Sword King grabbed a facón and pulled it from its sheath.
"Oh… this is a good blade," said the Sword King, impressed. He had already asked in advance about the terms presented by Argentina and verified that the details in the document were all correct.
"It is rude, but I do not know very much about your country, Argentina. From your proposal, if everything you say is true, a country with tremendous national power wants to build an equal relationship with us, and we would also gain access to technology that we could previously only see in our dreams. Our country has no reason to object."
"In that case, you'll—" The representative's face brightened. As if waiting for that, the Sword King interrupted.
"However, your whole alliance being transported here, iron ships that float in the ocean… your stories are very hard to believe."
"Ah, a common occurrence, so I might take you wish to see our military might?" Sometimes further research could be very helpful with nations like these. The King grinned as the man had already figured what his intention was.
"I see! Your country has done her homework!"
"Our country is a fatherland, but nevertheless, we have been very diligent in researching many things, so we are aware of many things." The man spoke with a smile.
Terrifying. The way that he put those words in order. It seems that Argentina and her allies are far more than just simple countries. They were calculative and resourceful. This man was not just a mere person who was sent to make contact, he was sent because he had specialties in what he is specializing in.
"Ah, I can ask for the other ships of the flotilla to come,
Kingdom of Fenn, airspace above the capital city Amanoki
Captain Susanoo of the Gahara wind dragon riders was flying over the capital city of the neighboring country, the Kingdom of Fenn. Today was the Military Festival that Fenn held once every five years, and Gahara sent three dragon riders to fly in the sky as a sign of goodwill.
At the Military Festival, numerous officers from other countries outside the civilized area gathered to compete in tournaments and show off their country's equipment. It was a way for each country to show off their military power and keep other countries in check. They also invited countries in the civilized area, but none of them ever came, replying with "we are uninterested in barbarian festivals" or "we have no need to show off our overwhelming strength."
Susanoo looked down on the festival from the sky. He saw eight gigantic gray ships and one small but beautiful ship painted white. One of the gray ships even looked large enough for him to land his dragon on it. They appeared to be from the emerging country to the east, Argentina.
"How dazzling," said his wind dragon partner.
"It certainly is clear today."
The sun was blinding. It was a day without many clouds.
"No, that is not what I meant. Not the sun. That gray boat below us, it radiates lines of light in many directions."
"Light, from the ship? I don't see anything…"
"Feh… humans cannot see it. Our kind converse with our faraway brethren using light that, for humans, is invisible light. To know if there is something flying, it is possible to check. This light is similar to that."
"You can tell if there are dragons in the sky? From how far away?"
"It varies by individual. This one can tell as far away as one hundred and twenty kilometers. The light from that boat is many times stronger than what this one makes. Its light is also focused."
It couldn't be…
"It can't be! That boat is somehow communicating with another faraway boat without using magic, and they can also use that method to detect flying dragons outside of visual range?!"
"Those nineteen boats down there are all the same…"
"Argentina… what an amazing country…"
This was the conversation they were having up in the air.
Argentinian Guided Missile Destroyer, ARA Salta
"This is unbelievable…"
"But, there's no doubt about it."
Flying in the air far above them, that creature known as a wind dragon was sending out electromagnetic waves that closely resembled radio waves. If they considered it a type of aircraft, its output was very high. They had just found flying objects capable of radar in a country outside the civilized area. In other words, the major civilizations might have already mass produced military-grade radar.
This new knowledge would continue the development of Stealth Technology to a different level and maybe push it further than the Raubvogel which had been the most potent and deadliest aircraft in the air made by German Engineers having the idea of a Stealth Air Superiority Fighter, the most potent stealth job had been made secret, similar coating with slightly less inferior quality had been sold.
Germany needs to know of this, the Alliance needs that information, otherwise they'll be blindsided.
And one nation falling is not great for the integrity of the Alliance as well, they are all binded as one and if one is attacked.
The entire Alliance will have all the reasons they need.
They owed something to each other and it isn't something that can be fulfilled by doing something trivial.
They were all bonded by blood, flesh and bones.
An attack on one is an attack on all of the Terrans.
"So, those are Argentina's warships… they almost look like castles." Sword King Shihan uttered to himself, unintentionally voicing his inner thoughts. "How ludicrous, even considering the information we received before from Gahara, for a metal ship this big to float…"
Knight-Captain Magreb agreed, "I've been to the Papaldia Empire numerous times, and I've never seen any ships as large as these ones."
Floating before them were the eleven ships from the Argentinian Reichs Kriegs Marine Force's escort flotilla, some of them had stayed behind due to their size and to not reveal too much to cause an information overload.
"My king, Argentina's ships should begin attacking our decommissioned ships any minute now."
At the Sword King's personal request, Argentina's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had begged, "We wish to show our strength to them." This was the Kriegs Marines' answer. In addition to the escort flotilla, Fenn's four decommissioned ships were also there, set adrift to be targets. They were about 2 km away from the escort flotilla. Sword King Shihan was watching the exercise through a telescope. The attack would be executed by a kind of boat called a "guided missile destroyer," it seemed.
He saw smoke rise from an Argentinian ship, then he heard the booms a moment later. Four explosions filled the air. Four shots went flying. Immediately afterwards, the target ships were rocked by fierce explosions, and spray and debris shot up into the air. All four targets had been blown up and sunk.
"…This…I'm speechless…How puissant…"
The Sword King's staff who formed the backbone of the Kingdom of Fenn could only stare in amazement at the power that completely upended their previously-held concepts of war. One ship of the whole flotilla easily sank four other ships. Furthermore, it fired that many shots in a row, with no lag. Even in the superpower Papaldia, it was likely that no one could determine how this was possible.
"As soon as possible, resume negotiations regarding diplomatic relations with Japan. A non-aggression treaty goes without saying, but, if possible, a security treaty as well," declared the Sword King, smiling.
The Guided Missile Destroyer Salta noticed something on its radar: numerous flying objects coming from the west. Their speed was about 350 km/h, and there were twenty of them in close formation. They informed command.
"There's a country west of here, right? The Papaldia Empire?"
"Yes, sir."
"Were they invited to Fenn's Military Festival?"
"I think they were, but… let me check, just in case."
The flying objects arrived in the air above the Kingdom of Fenn, but the San Martin had still not received a reply. "This is San Martin, we got bogey in bound. Unknown whether hostile or not."
"Roger that, Salta. We're sending BV155s to deal with them." The BV155s were still potent aircrafts even if they were sixty years old, they were by far one of the most superior or the best Fighter aircrafts ever made with the use of propellers after the A8M Rifuku, the G.55 Centauro, the P-51 Mustang and the Spiteful.
The twenty wyvern lords belonging to the Papaldia Empire's imperial oversight army had come to Amanoki, the capital city of the Kingdom of Fenn, to conduct a punitive strike. There were military officers from many different countries outside the civilized area at the Military Festival. In order to demonstrate what happens to a country that dares to defy the empire, they purposely chose to attack during the festival in front of all these officers. This would engrave the power of the empire in the minds of all those countries. It would also serve as an example of the damage that could result from provoking the empire, or even just associating with a country that had done so.
There were also three of Gahara's wind dragons flying over the capital. When the wind dragons looked over, the wyvern lords, like mild-mannered teenagers being glared at by gangsters, meekly looked away.
"Ignore Gahara's people. Fenn's palace and, let's see… that white ship down there, attack those targets!"
The wyvern lords scattered.
?! A squadron of dragons called wyverns flew in from the west. They split into two groups, and one dived sharply towards Fenn's palace.
"Is this some kind of demonstration?!"
While everyone was wondering what was happening, the diving dragons opened their mouths and began forming fireballs.
"!"
Moments later, the ten wyverns shot their fireballs at the top floor, lighting the wooden palace on fire.
"! The other ten wyverns are diving at patrol ship Le Argentine!" someone screamed on the bridge of the Salta.
"No!"
The ten wyvern lords from Papaldia's oversight army, heading straight for the motionless Argentinian Coast Guard patrol ship Le Argentine 500 meters below them, but before they can do fire a whole barrage, 20mm cannons quickly cut through them.
"They're here! The Fighters!" Above, twelve BV155s had quickly made their debut as Light Cruiser, ARA Patagonia had joined the fray as they launched their Patrol Aircraft, the Japanese late Nakajima E8N1 Reconnaissance aircraft joins the fray.
Patrol Ship Le Argentine
The patrol ship Le Argentine turned on its engines and watched the skies. The Kriegs Marine had notified them of multiple incoming bogeys, but they were given no other information. The wyverns were able to close in as they readied their fire blasts.
Luckily the BV155s were able to cut them down first after one fired its blast and missed their boat. They were quickly ripped apart with their corpses dropping into the water without hesitation.
"The bogeys just got demolished!"
"Cheers, you fucking flyboys!"
The planes quickly made their way to deal with the last of those wyverns, intent on killing them and toying with them as well.
"What?! What are those things?!"
The remaining wyverns had quickly made their moves as the unknown flying beings quickly came for them, arrows of light quickly bolting towards them as they quickly split up.
They were surreal, flashes of light in the skies, but no matter they just caught them off-guard, there is no way that they could-
The Iron Wyverns quickly turned and had broken formation and had their sights on each of them, and without fail, they showered them with light and like ants in the air, they fell.
"U-Unbelievable-!"
"Provide Firing Support!" The Argentine Patrol Boat had been equipped with an AA Gun, a massive quad 2cm FlaK kanonen from the old days that had been upgraded to today's standards.
"Watch for our aircrafts!"
The gun quickly barked its 2cm rounds as a wyvern quickly got butchered by 2cm shells that penetrated it and its Rider.
In the skies, the BV155s and four E8N1 Catapult aircrafts had quickly maintained formation as they had quickly dealt with some of the Wyverns and had their targets down to four.
They began to retreat, but the Argentines weren't that easy to forgive. The BV155s let loose of their 20mm cannons with the E8N1's 2 7.7mm machine guns. The Wyverns were quickly cut down as the onslaught of Armor Piercing shells ruined their scales and their wings, causing them to turn into nothing, but piles of deformed meat and once a living being.
"We're done here. Return to the Carrier!" The BV155s quickly made a round turn as the E8N1s had begun making way to the water to be picked up via crane.
"…"
Sword King Shihan and his aides' mouths all hung open. There was no mistake—the wyvern lords were sent by Papaldia. For Fenn, driving off wyvern lords was an extremely difficult task. An entire squad of warriors wouldn't be enough, and their scales were too tough for arrows to pierce. They would have to hit them by surprise with ballistae, or use something like the legendary longbow, Berserk Arrow. However, the Berserk Arrow required too much strength, there were probably only three people in the entire kingdom who could draw it.
It was practically impossible to shoot down a battle-ready wyvern lord. If any country outside the civilized area could defeat even one wyvern lord, they could be proud of their place in the world. It was unclear if Fenn was powerful enough to do so…
And now, there were these Argentinians, who crushed a superpower's squadron of twenty elite wyvern lords as easily as stepping on an injured fly that couldn't even move, and they barely took any damage themselves. Not only that, but Argentinian's white ship wasn't even part of the army, it was a law enforcement ship that was only meant for "suppressing hostiles," not defeating enemies or going on the attack.
At the Military Festival, all the visiting officers from other countries saw with their own eyes the might of Argentina and how they defeated the fearsome Papaldia Empire's elite wyvern lords like twisting a child's arm. They felt the sensation of history moving, of the world changing.
In all likelihood, those wyvern lords were sent to the Kingdom of Fenn on a punitive strike. Argentina getting pulled into the conflict must have been the will of Heaven… Sword King Shihan laughed aloud as he watched his palace burn.
But what intrigued him were those Iron Wyverns. They who toyed those Wyverns had cut them down like lambs in a slaughter. Truly, Argentina is an interesting country to visit and to know of.
"What amazing things… those wyverns…" the wind dragon admired. "The Iron Wyverns simply just cut those wyverns like they were younglings, they were extremely maneuverable and quickly caught up to the wyverns with nothing short than a shower of light."
"Is… is that what happened? They did something that amazing?!"
"It resembles the iron wyvern in the tradition of the ancient sorcerous empire."
"Ugh… It really was that amazing… When I get back, I'm going to have one hell of a report…"
In the skies above, Captain Susanoo of the Gahara wind dragon riders and his dragon partner had this discussion.
Papaldia Empire, Imperial Oversight Army Eastern Fleet, Dragon Rider Reckmeyer
'Launch a punitive strike on the Kingdom of Fenn.' He thought it was a simple order. Against a primitive country like Fenn, even if a bunch of them banded together, the wyvern lord squadron from the exalted superpower, the Papaldia Empire, would still have leeway to take on additional challengers. Attacking them during the Military Festival would also serve to remind all the other barbarians of Papaldia's might. They wanted to terrorize everyone who dared to participate in a festival hosted by a country that slighted Papaldia, so they aimed for that striking white ship.
However, they were quickly ripped apart by those damned Iron Wyverns, they were instantly cut down, nothing short of a slaughter. Luckily, he lost his grip and fell into the ocean, but then he had to watch from there as his comrades were slaughtered. The other Iron Wyverns soon caught up and regrouped before cutting down the retreating wyverns.
Watching those Iron Wyverns cutting and easily ripping apart wyverns in the air was surreal; he questioned whether he was even sane. He thought Papaldia's only possible enemies in the entire world were the other superpowers, but they had just been smashed to pieces by an opponent Papaldia didn't even consider worth their time. He was at his wits' end.
While floating in the ocean, the very same white ship he had just attacked came and threw him a life buoy.
"Communications with the dragon rider squadron have ended."
!
The fleet was stunned.
"What the hell happened there…?"
Admiral Poquetoire felt miserable. He was sure that something bad was happening… but he had direct orders from Kyeos, the head of the 3rd foreign affairs department. This was the life he had chosen, protecting the dignity of the state. He couldn't disobey orders.
The 22 ships in the imperial oversight army's eastern fleet would punish Fenn and annihilate the rebels who dared to take up arms against the empire's wyvern lords, all in plain view of those other barbarian countries. Using Tears of the Wind God, the fleet filled their sails with wind and headed to the Kingdom of Fenn.
"Sir, Papaldia has struck, please report this to Herr Adler, we're awaiting further orders." The Axis had been waiting for an opportunity to lay waste and enlarge the sphere of influence of their nations as well as the Alliance's. To align themselves through influence would be a great thing as well.
The fact that they were attacked had been able to confirm that they will be able to justify a war goal to topple their government and puppet them to grip upon the western side of the Alliance.
"Roger. Chancellor Victoria also had a preposition."
"Hoh? Do tell."
"With German Forces and RSS thinned, you will most likely be given the lands of Papaldia."
"Are you serious?"
"Italy had decided to begin expansion on the east, but is favorably looking for new opportunities that may arise, but seeing your country, they think you need some land and Papaldia seems like a good start."
"Then that is a relief, has the Argentine Government been informed?"
"We contacted you second to be honest."
"Ah, alright, anyways, I'd need to dismiss myself."
"And before you go, Germany has sent the Schwarz Engels." Silence overcame the man.
"S-Sir?"
"They will garrison Fenn and please do ask for their permission to have a newly commissioned Light Carrier and a Heavy Cruiser, this is for Plan Alpha." The Schwarz Engels were not simple machines that they used for transports, they were named due to the famed Black Angels of Imminent Doom.
The Unit named themselves the Black Angels aka the Schwarz Engel in the 1940s, that was where the Schwarz Engel got its name from. They were a group of Airborne Units that specialize in multi-tasking their force, from Infantry Support, Specializing in Airborne troopers until Naval Strikes.
The Schwarz Engels scored twice as much kill as the second famed Helicopter Unit, the Rott Teufel or Red Devils.
"And the Light Carrier is-"
"The Kolonial-Zweite Class, currently we already have around twenty ships ready to deployed, only to be damaged when the disaster struck, the problem is that we were planning for a Grand Ceremony, only to be hit by delayed and cancelled." The Germans were always ready for war as stated with their newly designed ships that were to replace the older models.
Argentina had some extent, but not to the extent Germany had in war preparation.
It was a good thing that they were allied, otherwise they'd just be integrated to Sudamerika. "I see, I will ask for permission, if that is alright."
"Jawohl, but we have not pulled the diplomats out of Papaldia, we still haven't gotten a chance to meet their diplomats."
"...Well, just make them hurry it up..."
Großer Deutsches Reich
Germania
The roads of Germania had been flooded by demonstrations calling for the destruction of Papaldia. The Chancellor had begun her speech as to the point, she had promised that justice will be served and that by the Representative of Italy and Japan, they will also help them in the endeavor of helping the Argentine Reich. The Eastern Nationalist States of America had also declared their aid to the Argentine, as well as Aryavarta, Regime de Vichy France and the United States of Anglo or Neo-United Kingdom had also declared their will to help.
The revelation of the Ultra-Missile-Dreadnoughts, the Reichsdrachen and the Reichsadler had been unveiled to the Axis' eyes, Japan had also unleashed four of the A-150 Battleship concepts, although altered to have three cannons instead of two on each turret, running on basically a Nuclear Reactor, the ship had been reported to be one of the fastest running Ultra-Dreadnoughts, Italy on the other hand had been building more of the Il-Duce Class with little to no avail that they have declared that no Ultra-Dreadnoughts were planned in the future, they were wishing for a more versatile navy with their smaller dockyard capacity for warships.
Reichskommissarriat Moskowien had been lifted to Reichsprotektorate, allowing more wiggle room for the Russians. The Russians had been developing their own technology with some of them being equivalent to Germany's despite their lands being taken from them.
Germany's current Kaiser Georg Friedrich had been placed as a figurehead as the same after the Zweite Weltkrieg. It was unusual for such a thing to happen, but Chancellor Rommel had wished for the Royal Family to be brought back as what many Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS officers had wished for, the Waffen-SS, despite being disliked by the Wehrmacht due to the unneeded two armies that Hitler favored over the other, had been very helpful with the Wehrmacht in the Deutsch-Volkskrieg.
"Chancellor." Victoria turned to find Marshal Adler coming up in a hurry. "Sorry for being late."
"That's alright, herr Adler, what is it?"
"We just received a transmission, Papaldia had begun movement to Altarus." Papaldia was a despicable empire, doing as they please, the Chancellor looked a bit worried.
"Where are the fleets now?"
"Reaching Fenn in about a few days from the seems of it."
"Troublesome..."
"If you wish we can just have the Dreadnought to split off and break formation."
"Can we?"
"They will be faster, but pack less punch..."
"Hmmm, troublesome, but I will not allow a Dreadnought to refuel in a place we barely have been in."
"Jawohl, Chancellor."
"Adler..."
"...Right, Victoria..." Adler looked a bit upset, but sighed at his own ordeal with the Chancellor herself.
Kingdom of Fenn
A group of officials from Argentina's Ministry of Foreign Affairs waited in a guest room. While the Kingdom of Fenn wasn't very rich, the guest room for diplomats was elegant without being gaudy; it was overall a very pleasant room. After a short time, Knight-Captain Magreb came to greet them.
"Honored guests from the Argentine Reich. Please allow me to express appreciation on behalf of the Kingdom of Fenn. During the ambush earlier, your forces were incredibly adroit at exterminating the enemy forces," the knight-captain lauded solemnly with his head bowed low.
"Not at all, our intention was not to repel the attacks on your country, we simply retaliated against an attack on our forces, either way, we will have likely intervened. Continuing on, despite you are in a state of war, our Chancellor has decided to reach out to the Alliance to discuss about...perhaps a guarantee of Independence. With how likely you are to be subjugated, that will not benefit our Alliance at all, so we have came up with a compromise with our government and perhaps a talk with the Alliance's overseer."
"Truly?"
"Yes, however we are currently being called back to our country with the state of war and we are not supposed to be present here until the war has subsided."
"I thank you for your generosity. However, I wish to tell you a story. The invading forces that your troops cleaned up weren't simply from the Third Civilization, they belonged to a superpower, the Papaldia Empire. They demanded to be gifted a piece of land from our country, and we refused. That was their only impetus to attack us. That's the kind of country they are.
"In the past, there was another country like ours that Papaldia punished with their military. Papaldia ambushed their dragon riders and massacred them. They then invaded and conquered that country. Anyone who defied Papaldia was executed; everyone else was enslaved and sold off to other countries. The entire royal family, including anyone who had royal blood, was skewered and left to rot in front of the royal castle.
"The Papaldia Empire is not only strong, but also arrogant and proud. I hope you keep this in mind."
"You need not worry, Argentina has been very much developed and if what you said was correct than those who did so will probably be ordered to suffer fate far worse as what we have heard from General Adem."
"General Adem...ah, that scum of a General? I had been wondering about him."
"Yes, this is his state now." The diplomat took out his tablet before he opened an application and showed the knight how the General was doing. He wasn't dead.
He was being tortured senselessly. Eyes were burnt off. Mouth sewed shut as flowing blood was apparent from the stitched with the strings being so bloodied that they were drying. His legs and arms still being stumps. His head was shaved. His body filled with burns. The Knight recoiled from shock. "Germany...Germany is not the most humane, but the most orderly fashioned compared to all of us. They have been the most organized in warfare, the most ambitious in terms of plans. Half of the Alliance is mostly Germany's colonies or nations aligned with him."
"O-Oh God."
"But don't mistake them as a similar empire like Papaldia, they are the most obedient and polite of officers, the officers who commit war crimes are instantly dealt with, just so you know, they aren't the most forgiving people in the Alliance, they loathe what happens to their people and promise nothing, but suffering. That is the story of how they are. Just so you can keep in mind that there are people far worse and far more terrifying than you can imagine."
At the Amanoki harbor, the view of all the warships from all the countries outside the civilized area anchored there was magnificent. However, the Argentine escort flotilla wasn't there. Countries outside the civilized didn't have the harbor depth to accommodate their escort ships, so the Foreign Affairs officials used the Helicopter that would land on the Le Argentine Coast Guard ship.
"Dad, that white boat took out those bad guys from before!"
"That's right! That storm of light bullets was amazing, wasn't it?!"
"Yeah! It was cool!"
"Heeeey!"
The crew of the Le Argentine waved back at the people of Fenn with stiff smiles on their faces. This was the first time they had been received so warmly.
"Oh, hey, the suits from Foreign Affairs are here."
The officials were quickly making their way through the harbor to the Le Argentine, walking rather evenly. The people of Fenn could see the men talking before a low chopping noise came into their ears, the familiar shape came into view for the Argentinians, it was a Helicopter.
The Helicopter, a German imported Fa276 Helicopter from the Argentinian Navy began to hover above the Landing Pad of the Le Argentine before touching down, the officials quickly got in as the coastal guards gave the thumbs up before the Helicopter lifted off. Truly, such was a bizarre thing for the people of Fenn and everyone watching who was not from the Alliance or know of the capabilities of the nations.
Kingdom of Fenn, Palace Navy
The thirteen ships in the Fennese navy, under direct control of the palace, were patrolling the waters about 150 km west of the kingdom because of the imminent war with the Papaldia Empire. The crew was comprised of elites from the Kingdom of Fenn. Less-experienced members of the navy were left out of this patrol mission and allowed to attend the Military Festival.
The navy consisted of wooden ships relying on the inefficiency of sails in order to move. If it was necessary to move while fighting, they had oars they could use to row. These ships were equipped with wooden shields, set up at regular intervals for protection against fire arrows, and three ballistae for attacking enemy ship hulls. They also had a pot of oil for their own fire arrows. The navy's flagship was bigger than all the other ships, and it had a cannon installed on the bow.
Commander Kushira, who led the fleet, was staring at the western horizon.
"Commander, I wonder if Papaldia is really coming…"
"They already sent their wyvern lords ahead to our country… they will come!"
"…Can we win?"
"Hm… even against a superpower, we just have to fight. Don't forget, we're all elites here. Furthermore…"
The commander pointed at the flagship's cannon. "Look at that beauty! It's a magical weapon used in the civilized area! It can fire a cannon shell up to a kilometer, and it rips through ships like paper. That's what we have on our side!" he said to the captain.
He couldn't be anxious in front of his subordinates. However, the commander was aware that the superpowers had 'gunboats' that were capable of destroying ships wholesale. This was classified information. In all likelihood, gunboats were just like this one, Fenn's strongest ship, the Sword God, equipped with these magical cannons in the civilized areas. And the superpowers had fleets of them.
The gears in Commander Kushira's head were turning.
(Is it possible…? For us to defeat them?)
"Enemy spotted! 22 ships!" yelled lookout from atop the mast. They were finally here!
They could see the shadows of the ships on the horizon. The ship they observed through a telescope was far bigger and more advanced than the palace navy's ships. It had a mast that balanced both form and function, and it used wind created with magic to propel the ship much faster than Fenn's ships. The enemy fleet slowly grew as they approached from the horizon; even in Commander Kushira's eyes, they were elegant, beautiful, powerful. From how smoothly they each moved, it was clear how refined these ships were.
"All hands, man battle stations!"
The crew all moved about in a rush.
"…They're approaching faster than I expected… Kh…! Ready the first shot! We'll lead off with our most powerful attack, then charge right into them while continuing to fire with the magic cannon!"
"Everyone, prepare for battle! Form up with the Sword God at the front, we'll plunge right in as a giant line!"
…We're counting on you… Navy Commander Kushira prayed to their sole magic cannon.
"We've spotted some ships, their flag belongs to… the Fenn navy," came the report to Papaldia's admiral Poquetoire.
"Fenn, huh… Since we've lost contact with the wyvern lord squadron, keep in mind that they might have some kind of new weapon…!" Poquetoire shouted out. "You must not treat them as simple barbarians! Show as much ardor as you would when faced with another superpower's fleet! Crush them with all our power!"
The fleet sped up and headed towards the Fenn navy.
Fenn Navy
"We'll soon be within two kilometers of the enemy fleet," came the report.
"One more kilometer until we're within firing range of their gunboats…" Commander Kushira said, sweat beginning to form on his brow. "Maximum speed! Deploy oars!"
All ships brought out their oars. Using a drum to establish a rhythm, they all began to row. The Fenn navy accelerated forward.
!
"The enemy ships are turning!"
The entire Papaldia fleet turned their ships, revealing their sides to the Fenn navy.
"What are they trying to do?!"
Commander Kushira wracked his brain to discern the intent behind their movements.
Pssssshhhhh… The enemy ships became covered in smoke.
BOBOBOBOBOBOOM… A bit later, a burst of noise reverberated over the ocean.
"It… it can't be! Magic cannon fire?!"
That wasn't possible! Magic cannons from the civilized area had a range of 1 km, and they were currently 2 km away, far outside cannon range. What's more, the Sword God only had a single cannon at the bow, yet the enemy had… many more installed on each ship.
WOOMshh, WOOMshh, WOOMshh…
Wherever cannon shells fell, big pillars of water streamed up into the air.
Argh… don't hit us! Commander Kushira prayed to the gods.
BOOM… KRAKOW!
A ship sailing behind the Sword God was hit by a cannon shell. The shell exploded, knocking over the ship's pot of oil, which spread all over and caught fire, quickly immolating the entire ship. Fenn's elite sailors, with all their training, their sword skills obtained through hellish effort, were now burning and rolling around the deck in horror.
"This can't be happening!"
One after another, the ships in Fenn's navy succumbed to cannon fire. Many of them went up in flames.
"I need to distract them, just a little! Fire the magic cannon—!"
The cannon at the bow of the Sword God roared as it shot a cannon shell. An instant later, the Sword God was hit by an enemy's shell, which exploded and opened up a giant hole in the deck.
"So this is… a superpower…!"
The number of gunboats, the number of cannons on each ship, the range and power of their cannons, and the speed of their ships; everything was an order of magnitude higher than their own ships. Commander Kushira finally realized the truth. He never imagined that there was this big of a gap. He thought "superpowers" were only called that due to the size of their countries within the civilized area. However, reality proved to be far different. Not just their size, but also their quality and the level of their technology, everything far surpassed the other countries in the civilized area. Knowing that, they probably couldn't have defeated even just a lone enemy ship.
Commander Kushira's consciousness was lost forever at the same time the fire burning the Sword God reached the ship's magazine.
"The thirteen ships in Fenn's navy have all been sunk. We have zero casualties and no damage or loss of equipment."
…
"…Maybe I was being too paranoid…"
"They're just barbarians, after all. They fired only one shot from their cannon; they had one that's common in the civilized area, but rather old-fashioned compared to our cannons. The shell completely missed our fleet."
"Indeed… Set course for the capital of Fenn, Amanoki!"
The fleet, without losing a single ship or even receiving a single wound, headed for their next target.
Argentine Navy
"We arrived too late." The Reconnaissance Helicopter from Japan, the Ka-25 had reported that the Fennese navy had been all, but perished. "Enemy numbers around 22 ships. Shall we avenge those people?"
"Despite not being our own, they are still bold and honorable people." The Commander of the ship, Admiral Antonio had shut his eyes in grim. "Blow those ships out of existence." The Escort Fleet, made of a Light Carrier which stayed at the back, the Advancing Force of four Heavy Cruisers, six Light Cruisers and eleven Destroyers began to make their way.
The Heavy Cruisers were of the William Brown-Class, the founder of the Argentine Navy, the Cruisers of William Brown, Carlos Büsser, Carlos Lacoste and Onofre Betbeder. All of them were a degraded form of the German Prinz Eugen-Class Panzerschiffes, armed with three dual 203mm cannons, the Light Cruisers were armed with measly three dual 17cm cannons, while the Destroyers only a pair of 128mm cannons.
"A fleet of twenty two against the same." It was hardly a fair fight.
But it was war. Did that need to matter? "Enemy ships, dead ahead, twenty kilometers."
"Ready High Explosive shells." One salvo.
That's all they need from all ships.
All frontal guns firing simultaneously on different targets.
"High explosive shells ready."
"We fire at my command. Each ship take your pick." The ships had all zeroed in on their targets. Twenty became nineteen. Nineteen became eighteen. Eighteen became seventeen.
All ships were all in range. They did not need to boast.
They just need to kill.
That is what the Moral Code of War. Shoot to kill when you have absolutely no doubts of missing.
"All ships fire." That was when the skies were once again filled with German artillery shells, after the Battle of Rhodenius, although this one fairs far worse. Sixteen 203mm shells, twenty four 17cm shells and twenty two 128mm shells went to the air.
Papaldian Navy
A few moments before the barrage
"Sir, we've spotted some ships coming our way! But they're too far to confirm where they come from!"
"...Hmmm, troublesome, but seeing what Fenn has to offer, these won't be much different. Crush them like we did with the Fennese Navy! No mercy!" The ships began to speed up before smoke arose to the air. "What? Have they blown themselves up?"
"I...I am not sure-Enemy fire!" Light came into the sky and the fleet in a few seconds notice was obliterated as the ships were nothing, but planks, cannons dropped into the seabed as nothing was left after the barrage of High Explosive shells. No words could be uttered.
"Enemy fleet sunk."
"...Go onwards, save the Fennese."
"Right away, sir."
Report of the Papaldian Encounter
'Our escort fleet of 21 ships of four Heavy Cruisers, six Light Cruisers and eleven Destroyers, excluding the absent Light Carrier, encounter 22 ships of the line of unknown classes were spotted and destroyed in a single barrage at the range of seventeen kilometers. No signs of wyverns can be spotted during radar check, it seems that the ships originate from Papaldia, all surviving crew of five had been apprehended and taken in for questioning, the Fennese Palace Navy had been destroyed, we were only able to save twelve crew members.'
End of Report
"A-Amazing." A Recon Helicopter had been sent to monitor the battle, if it could be called one at all. It was a one-sided slaughter. The battle had been broadcasted onto the Argentine Patrol Ship's screen on the TV linked to the Helicopter, with some limited connection, they were able to give the Fennese what they were capable of.
Upon reaching seventeen kilometers within their range, the twenty one ships of the Argentine Navy fired their Rheinmetall Naval Guns and sunk twenty two ships of the line in an instant, none were left afloat. The Helicopter had also spotted the ships taking the survivors as prisoners before going to the ruined Fennese Navy and rescuing them as well. While a victory, it was a tragic one that could've been avoided.
Many men lost their lives, the Navy had apologized of reaching the area a little too late to stop the death of Fennese men.
"Your apology is admirable, Admiral Antonio, but those men knew what they were going up against, they couldn't just run in the face of danger as many had, they fought honorably, I thank you and your men for bringing back the remaining men alive and treating their wounds."
"Such is what we can at least do for your men. If only we reached the battle sooner."
"...Let the past be in the past, we should learn from it. I am eternally grateful for your help."
"Our Top Brass had informed us that Germany and other Naval Forces are en-route to aid the war. Germany had recently justified a wargoal against Papaldia."
"T-Truly?"
"With Germany on our side, it will be nothing, but a slaughter. I can assure you that." The Admiral soon got up. "I need to tend to my Navy, your Highness, it was an honor." The man bowed.
"As it was my pleasure to have you, Admiral."
Qua-Toine
Yagou had been in Port Maihark as he had planned to move to Germany, he had been placed to be a member of the Qua-Toine Embassy in Germany and he was glad to do so. But from the sounds of it, Germany would soon or later declare war on the side of Fenn and Altarus against Papaldia. He had no worries however. He had seen the ships that they possess and Hanki had been eager to join him as well, he was going to study the Prussian Traditions of the German Military and get some more specialized experience from level one, which he had no reasons to decline.
Such experience from a Great Superpower is rare. "Alright, I think that's all." Yagou had dusted his hands as he had his luggage packed for the long trip to Germany by ship, they needed more time to get an Airfield going and with the current situation of constant wars, they might be delayed even more. The Cruise Ship, Europa, a former proposed cruise ship to be converted into a carrier was going to take them there.
As the transport boats were readied, they soon went to the ship before their luggage was placed in their rooms. The two colleagues soon got to the deck as many people had been eager to see the Joint Axis Fleet. They had been rumored to activate older ships that were formerly museum ships or war memorials. "I think I see it!"
From the mist, the Joint Fleet had came to refuel with the Ports being prioritized, the Joint Fleet had been able to get some fuel in Maihark. The first ship appeared to be smaller than the previous ship, but the gun on the ship was undoubtedly larger than most of the ships, even if it was said to be smaller than the Hindenburg's.
This ship was from sixty years ago, it was not farfetched that this was an older model. The Battleship was named Bismarck, the First Pride of the Kriegsmarine. Beside her was Tirpitz, her sister ship, the tradition of having German ships as males were already changed with females with males being used only for prototypes. Besides them was the Japanese's Battleship Nagato and the Italian's older Roma. The Nagato was a part of the Big Seven Program, a Program for the biggest caliber gun on a Battleship in the late years, thus her caliber was 41cm, smaller than the Hindenburg's, but bigger than Germany's, she was older than Bismarck by around twenty years as well!
What followed were flotillas of ships to support the lackluster Argentine Navy, Destroyers, Cruisers and Carriers with Corvettes and Frigates from the Convoy Escort Force that was branched out of the Navy. The whole Fleet had quickly docked with some men quickly refueling them, the fact that they weren't going to be outfitted with a Nuclear Reactor as the Germans and Argentines called them, made it so that the ships need to refuel and such a thing is very expensive.
There with the Navy, were the Expeditionary Force coming from the Reichs-SS' Legacy Panzer Division and Marine Division, the Das Reich and the Wikings. The latter Division had been made of Norwegians as well as Swedish and Danish soldiers. The soldiers soon got off their ships and went for a rest in the nearby Port. Having only a handgun as a weapon and a Combat Knife. The folks from Qua-Toine could clearly see that the soldiers were just going into a restaurant that just opened by the Port City.
"Amazing..." While the ships weren't bigger than the Hindenburg, Yagou could barely contain his thoughts, these ships were still combat-ready even though they are far older models. With a fleet of these, the Axis can simply just destroy any Superpower, he doubt that even the Holy Mirishial Empire can get toe to toe with the Alliance.
If there was something that was impressive, it was how America was able to catch up with the Germans, the project of the F-7 Carrier Jet program, having built their first Aircraft Carrier named the Enterprise-Class, the Americans needed something of their own to be proud of, the F-7 had proven to be a versatile aircraft much like the German's Horneisse, with much cheaper cost productions and similar service costs alongside lifespan. A hundred aircrafts had been ordered to be manufactured, this was a good thirty years ago, when they were said to have been transferred, they bumped that number up to four hundred to be finished.
They still had their F-6 Hornets and the F-5 Eagles as well as the F-1 Starfighter, the F-2 Phantoms, the F-3 Tomcats and the F-4 Falcons. The Germans had just begun development of a new weapon, Hungary and Romania had currently been in the Project, the Project was named Vampire, beating the German's Project Blitz. The Americans had been planning to purchase some of the German Raubvogel, their future designation would be the F-8 Raptor.
Germany and America had just begun discussion of purchasing such aircrafts, the Germans had permitted the sale of twenty four as well as spare parts. A licensed production was also given to the Americans, so long as they don't build too much as the Radio Absorbent paint was expensive on its own, with the report of the Wind Dragon, they were fairly certain that the paint should be able to make them less noticeable to the dragons.
The Germans had also unveiled their new ship, the Reichsdrachen or the Realm's Dragon, a massive ship that was based on the late H-44 Battleship proposal with Missile Batteries placed and the hull extended to four hundred meters, it was longer than the Yamato and packed more artillery than many can comprehend. The design was questionable, what do many do with basically over a ton of explosives?
Shell bombardments and basically destruction of smaller ships through Cluster Rounds. They were equipped with Armor Piercing, High Explosive, Cluster Artillery and Anti-Air Rounds. The guns were given a Rammer and a simplified Loading Mechanism to load the shells faster and automatic, but it is also possible to do it manually via a massive trolley that is stored with a given lifting mechanism. The weight itself was impossible to be carried alone.
The Americans had only successfully manufacture their own M1 Abrams, short for MBT-1 Abrams, Main Battle Tank-1 Abrams, the Tank was on par with German Schwarz Panther after many adjustments to settle in properly as a contender in tank designs, but with all due respect, the tank did have its own flaws that weakens it, but the German is also vulnerable in some areas.
However the Italians, the Japanese, the Germans, the Russians, Turkish, India, the British, the French and Argentines have someone to compete with. The Italian Centauro, the Japanese Type Zero, the German Schwarz Panther, the Russian T-85 Tsarbussard, the Turkish Altay, the Indian Arjun, the British Challenger 2 Black Prince, the French Petain MBT and the Argentine upcoming Galtieri MBT. The American M1 Abrams had debuted the other day and performed well, the Americans had their own rival with the fact the Pacific States of America or Imperial Pacific States having their own T-1 Type 88, the older tank from Japan that was now being exchanged for the Type Zero.
Their Jets were basically the Japanese Ki-350, but licensed produced and were less effective than the Japanese's original. The Germans had been going through more things as they believe that 'Multi-Role' was not better than a specifically designed aircraft, unless it was to be made as a standard. The Messerschmitt 375 Fenrir was going to outpace the Messerschmitt 365 Adler in standards, having more versatility and much better Air-to-Air making it ideal for Air Superiority and Interception.
The Messerschmitt 377 Wyvern, the second replacement for the Adler as an Attacker and Air Superiority had been making its course and had proven itself a great aircraft for the Germans' Luftwaffe. Having an insane advantage in terms of technology with the application of Stealth Technology, although not as great as the Messerschmitt 372 Raubvogel's Air Superiority capability and her Stealth capability.
But with the fact of more needed Fighter Jets, the 365 and 378 would still remain active until deemed unnecessary.
The German Advance Fleet had quickly began movement as the Dreadnought, KMS Rommel had been leading the Fleet to Fenn. Besides them was the Japanese War Fleet, the Leading Ship, IJN Hideyoshi had been escorted by Aviation Battleship, Shinano, one Hakuryuu Class Aircraft Carrier, the Karyuu as well as three Sakhalin-Class Light Carriers, the IJN Micronesia, the IJN Iwo Jima and the IJN Taiwan.
The Italians had send their Navy to Rhodenius to garrison the Navy and strike any opposing fleet. The ships had all been notified to make it to the Sea near Fenn in about four days, other Fleets from the Imperial Pacific States and Nationalist States of America as well as newly-turned Reichsherrschaft Kanada, Ozeanien, alongside Reichskommissariat Sudamerika, Aryavastra otherwise known as Nationalist India, New Ottoman Empire, Iraq, Argentina, Venezuela, Mezzo America, Italian Mexico, Deutsch Afrikas, Reichsprotektorate Skandinavien, Moskowien, State of Britain, Scotland, Ireland and Wales had quickly began their movement of Navy, although partially. None of the puppets had anything larger than a Heavy Cruiser, Britain was stripped of all her former Royal Navy ships which were sent to Germany and were memorialized as not trophies, but as war memories.
HMS Prince of Wales and King George V were quickly returned to the British as they were now in another world, the ships made it safely and had begun sortie. All puppets were given authorities to build their own ships as of now. Britain had begun work on a Light Carrier right away with the Horneisse being the best candidate to date. India had already built four Fast Battleships, having already built eight Aircraft Carriers with the given resource from Germany and the fact they bought two of them from Japan.
The Germans had also begun on a new project called the 'Deutschland', a hidden project that not even Italy nor Japan knows about. For now, Germany had been very much closed upon reaching this place.
Papaldia Empire, 3rd Foreign Affairs Department
Department head Kyeos was so furious after reading the report that it seemed probable for blood to start spurting from his head any moment. This was all because Fenn refused the empire's generous offer to receive their land as tribute. They even rejected the offer to lease the land for 498 years, an arrangement with significant benefits to both sides.
"You'll regret insulting the empire, Fenn…"
This became the mantra of the 3rd foreign affairs department. The Papaldia Empire held dominance over five countries within the civilized areas and 67 outside of them, countries both large and small. For such a grand empire to be mocked by some barbarian country was not something they could forgive. It would be a problem if the manacles of fear were to come undone. That being the case, the 3rd foreign affairs department had deployed the 22 ships of the imperial oversight army's fleet, along with two squadrons of wyvern lords.
The wyvern lords were to terrorize the Military Festival and plant fear into the military officials attending from other countries. The fleet was to mercilessly attack the capital city of Fenn, Amanoki, and burn it to cinders, thus demonstrating to all the other barbarian countries the cost of defying Papaldia. However, the actual result was pathetic.
The wyvern lords, sent to attack by air, went missing, their communications abruptly cut. No one knew what happened to them, but they were probably all dead. They initially conjectured that Gahara's wind dragon riders came to Fenn's aid. However, while wind dragons were powerful, their numbers were also few, so it was improbable for them to be able to overwhelm a squadron of wyvern lords to the point that they couldn't communicate anything back to command.
Shortly after that, information came in that they had encountered the Fenn palace navy and unilaterally annihilated them! Their fleet suffered no damage. As expected, this was the obvious result of clashing with barbarians. The real problem came with the next report.
"Imperial oversight army, eastern fleet – defeated."
This news caused the department to erupt into chaos. Furthermore, the fleet had not returned back, it was improbable for it to not come back. There were no forms of messages sent, there were no signs of them in the sea, funny enough only a few floating planks of wood which originated from Fenn, but the Eastern Fleet was all but disappeared. As such they need to gather information of where their Fleet had gone to.
Papaldia Empire, 3rd foreign affairs department, reception window
"My sincere apologies, but you cannot meet the department head today."
The officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had returned as scheduled to meet with the department head only to once again be obstructed by the clerk.
"Why is that?! We had an appointment!"
"A rather complicated situation has recently arisen… I am very sorry, but we are currently not meeting with emerging countries outside the civilized areas. Our schedule is not open. Please contact us again in another month, or later."
Unknown to them, Argentina himself had caused this sudden increase in workload, leading to a lack of personnel to meet with them, so the officials once again despondently returned home.
After Fenn's Military Festival, Argentina established diplomatic relations one after another with countries outside the civilized areas. Up until now, they had to leave Japan to explore and apply to negotiate for diplomatic ties, but now, after the Naval Battle of Fenn, countries came to them one after another on old-fashioned boats. Although the Argentine Coast Guard was now inundated with work, the number of countries that established diplomatic relations with Argentina and his allies increased to 22, and they had begun trading in earnest.
Papaldia Empire, 3rd foreign affairs department
"What did you say?! You aren't sending us any slaves this year?!" the foreign affairs official shouted at the ambassador of the Topa Kingdom (outside the civilized area).
"We have decided to stop enslaving our citizens to send to you," the ambassador returned while breaking into a cold sweat.
"Hmph! In that case, your country alone will be suspended from the technology share arrangement!"
The empire was very slowly sharing its obsolete technology with countries under its care outside the civilized areas. This allowed those countries to slowly increase their national power… but since all the other countries in the area also grew at the same rate, this didn't upset the balance in power. If one country was excluded, there would be a difference in the speed of development between countries, which would lead to that country slowly declining in national power instead.
The technology share was only one of the empire's diplomatic cards. If they wouldn't listen, he would next threaten to stop the export of tools and nails and other essential items until they gave in… or, that was how it should have gone.
The Topan ambassador let out a disgusted chuckle. "'Technology,' is it… Even still, we refuse to send any slaves to the empire. Please end our participation in the technology share. Will this be satisfactory? We have… already established ties with Argentina."
It would have been previously unthinkable for Topa to act this way. The ambassador snorted with a smirk, ending the conversation.
Foreign affairs department, dining area
It was now break time, so the officials chatted while they ate.
"Lately, the barbarian countries have been rather defiant, haven't they?"
"It's true, over the past month or so, they've undergone a remarkable change in attitude."
"Aah, before, they were always so scared, getting overwhelmed by our requirements. But yesterday, one was all 'we have now allied with Argentina,' acting all haughty! Even though they're just the stupid Scios Kingdom!"
"! I just heard something like that from the ambassador of Topa. Topa, of all places, telling us they don't need our technology! Their reason was also that they have ties with that 'Argentina.' Have you ever heard of 'Argentina?'"
"Dunno."
"Me neither."
"I don't think so."
"Ahhh!"
The clerk who managed the reception window, Raita, yelled out in surprise. Everyone in the room turned to look at him. After that, he had to prepare a bunch of reports for all the officials.
F-7 Carrier Jet: OTL F-17 Cobra Prototype Fighter
T-85G Tsarbussard: T-90M
T-1 Type 88: Pacific-American Licensed Produced OTL Type 90 MBT
Ki-350: YF-24 Evolution from Macross
Petain MBT: AMX Leclerc
Messerschmitt 375 Fenrir: XFA-33 Fenrir(nerfed Air-to-Ground), Air Superiority and Interceptor, replacing the Messerschmitt 365 Adler
Project Vampire: CFA-44 Nosferatu, replacing the Messerschmitt 378 Horneisse
Project Blitz: OTL F-35, beaten by Nosferatu
Messerschmitt 377 Wyvern: X-02 Wyvern(Air-to-Ground Maxed alongside Air-to-Air), Air Superiority and Attacker, replacing Messerschmitt 365 Adler alongside Fenrir, but as a more dominant Aircraft due to less needs of maintenance and less production cost
Junkers Ju389 Donnerschlag: YR-302 Fregata, Attacker
This is a lot of work...and there are very little reviewers...
Well, considering only seventeen are favoriting this and twenty one followers, can't expect too much of the reviews and since this is the Axis Pact, who would be interested...?
It's a wonder I even got some reviews.
Review:
Cap Vietnam: Right then, Internet is a thing already, the smartphones...not so smart right now, but progress is being made, I'm just focusing more on politics and military than just trivial information, although I'll let loose of those information.
America is split with the West Coast taken by Japan, I mean basically North America's Eastern Coast just got taken by Japan, the East split amongst the German and Italian before being merged together as the Nationalist States of America, although I refer them as Eastern America,
The Russians, Germany just turned Ukraine, Belorussia and the Baltics as Puppets as you know, Russia being taken into three, Reichskommissariat Moskowien, basically Western Russia and then Eastern Russia into Reichskommissariat Siberien, the rest taken by Japan's puppet Manchukuo as they also lost their land to Japan in exchange for part of Russia.
I mean...not too Man in the High Castle style, but still similar to it, I mean who would just make them into one piece? It'd be like the two Germanies although they aren't in a Cold War that much.
Good news is that I'll be introducing more advanced aircrafts and weapons, although not too advanced, the StG98 and 99 are already stretching that with the Wyvern and the Fenrir, the Nosferatu is also going to make an appearance in the series. Ace Combat basically since why the hell not?