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Historia Shoukan Chapter 6
Operation Tremor Barrage
Date: May 1st, HS 2069/CC 1639
Location: Eastern Region adjacent of Gim, Qua-Toyne Principality
Place: UNM Artillery Fire Support Base
Report from Magus Trio stated that Lourian numbers are now numbered over 200,000. One thing of interest that Clara has caught from the battlefield control during this time is the fact that 50 of the wyverns has been recalled to Jin-Hark, leaving only 50 wyverns in the front line. She has been notified that UNM will deploy their Dragon Army this time. In fact, said notification came from Grand Marshal Iseya herself. It's more than likely that Kasen got what she wanted. Originally, UNM wanted to use their strengthened Air Force, but the notification puts a stop to it.
'I can see why. Strangereal aviation technology improves our fighter jets by leaps and bounds. That's definitely overkill by this point.'
Besides, that childhood fantasy that she shared alongside those who were born in 2030s is now a reality, and she wants to see how UNM Dragon Army will fare, since the Union already showed such impressive performance by perfectly capturing 400 Lourian wyverns on 2 separate operations! Who wouldn't want to ride a dragon?
Unfortunately, not everyone shared her jubilant mood.
Commander Moizi still feel worried even before the current stacking of Lourian soldiers. While he was rather upset with how Historia Alliance seems like they weren't doing anything, the fact remains that they managed to cripple Lourian navy and air force. And that one surprise experienced by Qua-Toyne Dragon Knights last month is still fresh in his mind.
"... It's frustrating, but I can't deny that we owe the Alliance a great deal."
Moizi wisely decided to not say anything. Nou and Breweye then arrive and approach him. The Commander immediately bows to the General.
"W-welcome, General."
Nou just smiles and pats his shoulder.
"You don't need to worry, Commander. Between their barrier and firepower, I'm sure the Alliance will deliver."
The only relief that Moizi got is the fact that Quila honors the military alliance by sending in a part of their force to reinforce Qua-Toyne/Louria border perimeter.
The Pathfinders from UNM are now marking their targets. Historia Alliance decided to pressure Louria with the news of the defeat of their navy and air force. This hopefully will make Louria think twice, although they knew it is very unlikely if their experience with Saderans are any indication.
As expected, Lourian forces have heard about the news of their fleet's defeat. In order to compensate for this, they keep pressuring Gim by splitting the subjugation army into two. Obviously, they wouldn't risk their capital to be left undefended after the capture of their wyverns.
The news circulation is only limited to the high-ranking officers. They were curious about what kind of reinforcements Qua-Toyne received that managed to cripple their navy this badly.
"I think they got reinforcements from Historia."
"Historia? The nation that is located 2,000 km northeast of Qua-Toyne? Ridiculous! There's no way they can help them with that distance!"
"Just look at this beautiful scene. We're ready to breach Gim whenever we wanted to. We should just be glad they didn't have another barrier like this. As soon as we lost word with the 15th Cavalry Regiment, the barrier got reinforced. Officer Norm, how should we attack Gim if the troops are concentrated in a massive number like this?"
Marquis Robuck, the Commander tasked with this massive force looks at one of the officers.
"If this keeps going on, then we'll be days later than scheduled. But we still can execute the operation regardless. We should be thankful to whoever placed this kind of barrier. We can terrorize them in large numbers."
The Command tent was placed 6 km west from Gim. The soldiers keep harassing and mocking the soldiers inside the barrier. Robuck has a reason why he set his tent that far away, since he got some bad precognition that he never experienced before.
Then, the news finally reached his ears.
"We've just received the information about our navy's defeat in North Rodenius Sea."
Now that shocked Robuck.
"D-defeated?! That's impossible! 4,400 ships and 350 wyverns are already very large force. Furthermore, they can crush Qua-Toyne with that number! What kind of detailed report they get?!"
"About that... They said that they have encountered a giant warship, probably operated by a mage. The, all 350 wyverns being sent to reinforce the navy got captured. What's worse, 1,400 of our ships are sunk while 2,000 surrenders and the rest retreating."
"Don't be ridiculous! There are no such things like that!"
Robuck smashes the table. General Pandour obviously have heard about it as well. Due to the fact that the wyverns number has been reduced significantly, 50 wyverns from the subjugation force has been recalled to the capital.
They can't abort the invasion like this. All things considered, the subjugation force has been mobilized, so the best course is to attack immediately. But with the barrier standing strong and covering the entire border perimeter opposite of Louria, they can only wait until it is down.
Back in the Artillery Base, Clara orders all the artillery to be lined up in specific order and activates all Tremor AGASes. Gorgon Koalitsiya-SVs will target the front line, Nuke Cannons will target the center line, and Claymore Howitzers will target the rear line with Tremor AGASes filling in the gaps.
"All artillery are ready to fire at your command, Ma'am."
"All Tremor AGASes has been activated."
"Good. Send a message to Daital Base to dispatch a squadron of C-3 Trinity. Tell them to drop the leaflets at exactly ten zero hours."
"Yes, Commander!"
Clara then messages Moizi about the impending bombardment, because the Alliance knew Louria will ignore it.
"Commander, bring your forces and join the perimeter. The Tremor Barrage will start in two hours."
Lourian force keep mocking and belittling Qua-Toyne garrison because the Alliance wouldn't lower the barrier. Their aim is to lure Qua-Toyne force out of the barrier in order to weaken their defense and hopefully able to capture Gim.
"Hey! Come and fight us, weakling!"
"Just keep sulking all day inside your bed! Hahaha!"
"Hey, losers! You want to fight us or you want to be like a crybaby?! Hee hahaha!"
Commander Moizi became frustrated hearing Louria force's taunt, but he got a transmission from Clara that managed to finally placate him. He then replies.
"Thank you for this chance, Commander."
Nou and Breweye became curious about that.
"Is it time?"
"Yes, General. Finally, the Alliance granted our western garrison force access to the perimeter."
"I see... And looks like they decided to start it."
Nou said as he looks at the sky. And sure enough, multiple C-3 Trinity flies above them straight to the front line.
"Huh?! What's that?!"
"Is that some kind of new type of dragon?"
Lourian troops saw multiple gray objects with each having three objects attached to it that rotates at high speed. These objects arrive above Lourian soldiers and fly at the altitude where no arrow can reach them. Leaflets are thrown from them. These leaflets literally just floats around as it falls. Robuck takes a look at what was written in that paper. There was a writing on it as it was a warning written in Common Language.
Remove your encampment within two hours and start withdrawing from this area. Otherwise, we will attack your army. We will lower the barrier down after that to make sure all of you are retreating or else Tremor Barrage will fall upon you.
Marisa Kirisame, General of Kirisame Elite Corps, Vanguard of Fugere Gensokyo Squad
Alice Margatroid, General of Rainbow Dolls Legion
Patchouli Knowledge, General of Voile Defense Corps
Joint Leaders of Magus Trio Forces
Historia Shoukan Dominion Army
'So they finally came...'
The rumored nation called Historia. Now they just noticed it. After about nearly three weeks, they didn't get any information about the barrier that was erected to prevent them from advancing.
'However, to deliberately inform us before conducting an attack. What an honest nation.'
200,000 men are ready to attack Gim and they're assembling the troop formation immediately.
Little did they know that this will be their demise...
Back in the Artillery Fire Support Base, the aforementioned artillery units has been prepared. The total numbers are 40 152mm Gorgon Koalistiya-SVs, 24 220mm Claymore Howitzers, 16 280mm Nuke Cannons, and 9 300mm Tremor AGASes. Gorgons can choose between Precision Mode and Area Denial Mode. Claymores can be upgraded to fire Cluster Barrage. Nuke Cannons has been retrofitted with Gensokyo's nuclear technology to prevent radiation leaks. Lastly, Tremor AGASes can fire anywhere as long as the designated area is within the battlefield control.
Currently, Moizi, Nou, and Breweye are looking at the preparation made by UNM personnel at the base. They exchange greetings with Clara before talking.
"So, Commander. How is the preparation?"
"It's already done. While we're waiting, has your forces been moved to the perimeter?"
"They're moving there right as we speak. And we're waiting for what?
"To bombard them if they didn't withdraw."
"Strange... Usually, we didn't give them a warning like that..."
"This is because what will happen should they refuse to withdraw will be far more horrifying than the Massacre at Rodenius Sea."
Looking back at the naval battle, Nou and Breweye shudders while Moizi is confused seeing them like that. The latter then excuses himself while the former two decided to watch the battlefield control to observe the annihilation.
One hour later...
When Moizi arrived to the perimeter, he noticed that the atmosphere became tense, unlike what he usually see in the previous days. As if to reinforce it, Iseya decided to join Reimu and Yasei in observing Lourian movements. Three of the highest-ranking Leaders of Historia Alliance are currently in the front-line. Moizi can't help but admire their courage. Here, he's reminded again about the bond that Gensokyo and Earth shared ever since the Reunification, prior to the formation of GUF and UNM. If he remembers correctly, the Rodenius Grand Naval Battle is a joint operation between both Superpowers, which ends in flawless victory for the Alliance.
Moizi then braces himself and approach the Leaders, who noticed him and stops whatever they doing. Before he can say anything, they introduce themselves.
"Iseya Sugaku, Grand Marshal of United Nations Military."
"Reimu Hakurei, First Champion of Gensokyo Union Fighters."
"Yasei Sugaku, Zen Captain of Gensokyo Union Fighters."
After that brief shock, Moizi then introduces himself.
"Commander Moizi of Qua-Toyne Western Knights Order."
Then all of them sit down and start talking.
"So, how did GUF and UNM formed, exactly? At first, I couldn't believe that there are no governments at all until I read one of the books from your holdings in this world. Then there's the fact that both Superpowers also have each one... 'Protectorate', was it? Is that your word for 'Vassal'?"
"To answer your first question, yes, we don't have any form of government because of our history. As of how GUF and UNM formed, it actually stretches way back to 2020 during the Reunification. In fact, this is the first time Gensokyo and Earth forces meet each other properly. Earth forces recently fought the Third World War back then, and they detected a Dimensional Hole in Japan. And yes, GUF and UNM does have a single Protectorate each."
"I see... To actually face such a massive-scale war back in your past history... Does that mean Gensokyo and Earth once exist in the same world?"
It just so happened that Reimu brought the newest edition of Gensokyo Chronicles with her as reading material to pass time. Not many knew this, but she's a bookworm. (AN: Yes, it's canon. Just check Forbidden Scrollery. I merely expanded it.)
"You can say it like that. If I were to trace the beginning of realm separation, then it actually starts from Sengoku Jidai in 15th century, which is basically a civil war with so many claimants. A friend of mine already planned for it ever since a millennia ago, and it's called "Youkai Expansion Project". This, of course, leads to the "Great Barrier Commotion" shortly after Meiji Restoration in 1868. In fact, I'll show you here."
She then proceeds to open one particular page of interest.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Youkai Expansion Project
A story from over 500 years ago. (Confirmed to take place during early phase of Sengoku Jidai on 15th century.)
The project refers to a plan designed and implemented by Yukari in order to restore power to the youkai of Gensokyo, who felt pressured by the increase in the human population.
Until then Gensokyo was merely a spot deep in the mountains in the middle of nowhere, but she planned to create a boundary of illusion and reality around Gensokyo, logically creating a new world.
By establishing Gensokyo as an illusionary world, and the outside as the real world, the youkai weakened by the outside world would naturally flock to Gensokyo; this was a truly epochal event.
With this, it ended up that even youkai from outside of Japan immigrated to Gensokyo.
The effects of the boundary continue even now. (Although the Reunification allows foreign youkai to return to their ancestral land, many still choose to stay in Gensokyo.)
The cleverness of the plan lies in allowing youkai to disappear in the outside world while permitting them to thrive within Gensokyo. (And as it turns out, Gensokyo isn't the only realm with this trait, since in 2021, a similar realm has been found, and it's located in Europe. The name of this realm is Abendrot. Shortly after that, Gensokyo, Makai, and Abendrot formed a Union which serve as the basis for the current Gensokyo Union Fighters.)
There is one crucial rule that ensures that Gensokyo and Earth will respect each other's territory. Both GUF and UNM adheres to this as well. In fact, this is the core of their strong bond.
"As long as Earth remains in the hands of the humans, Gensokyo will remain in the hands of the youkai."
The Great Barrier Commotion
This, of course, refers to the existence of the Great Hakurei Barrier. (The boundary separating Gensokyo and the outside world. It's a logical boundary, but it is said to have become extremely difficult for humans and youkai alike to pass through it, so it's clearly a strong boundary. This boundary is weakened during the Third World War due to the constant pouring of inter-dimensional force that is hellbent on claiming Earth, so Gensokyo decided to help UN forces starting from 2015. Hence why, GUF and UNM will guard their respective Hakurei Shrine with their lives.)
It is said that this youkai was one of the sages who suggested the creation of the Great Barrier and created what is now Gensokyo.
However, it appears that in the beginning there was some opposition to this plan from a number of youkai, and there was open conflict between them.
As this conflict distracted youkai from their normal attacks against humans, the Great Barrier has received great praise among the humans of Gensokyo.
Eventually, word of the usefulness of the Great Barrier circulated among the youkai, and there are scarcely any that oppose its existence now.
It is said that only another Gensokyo that can forcefully breach the Great Barrier, which is later confirmed to be the case during Scarlet Spring Snow War that lasted for 8 full months starting from August 2061 to March 2062.
XXXXXXXXXXX
"And that is Gensokyo's history prior to the Reunification. I'm sure you can read Earth's history on many books that already been exported to Qua-Toyne. It doesn't surprise me that they have longer history compared to us."
Reimu then closes the Chronicle and let the Sugakus explain the formation of their respective Superpowers that they lead. Noticing the signal, Yasei speaks first.
"So, about how GUF is formed. To be honest, this one actually has some roots in the Precursor Gensokyo Union that we still keep to this day. Namely, the Union that is formed in 2021 between Gensokyo, Makai, and Abendrot, with Kokusho joining 44 years later. Surely you have read about our first two Great Wars."
When Moizi nods, he continues.
"Here's the thing. None of those are lethal wars. I'm sure you already heard about Sengoku Gensokyo. Those Great Wars are just that, but in massive scale. In fact, that's when GUF is formed. Two splinter factions formed a large force and 'challenge' Gensokyo, so to speak. We're just glad that it's internal conflicts. Soon after that, we decided to expand our reach and ended up meeting the benefactor of HMF, Summers Technology Industries. Their current CEO, Jack Summers, was a teenager back then. As it turns out, they're dealing with some minor 'Zombie Apocalypse'. Basically, undeads that are born from scientific disasters, especially bio-chemical one. We managed to deal with that, and GUF maintained contact with STI ever since."
(AN: Before you say anything, the reason why Yasei can say this openly because the Common Language writing system has been fully deciphered by February. Two months should be more than enough time to read some books.)
"... That sounds awfully similar to the Demon King forces from the legend."
Moizi made his remark. By this point, it shouldn't be surprising that most of Qua-Toyne higher ups have heard about the legend of the Emissaries of the Sun God. And due to the fact that Historia Alliance decided to make Rising Sun the official flag of the Dominion, which bears the similarities to the banner of the Emissaries (They're the same.). many began to suspect that Historia is the second coming of the Emissaries. but there is no concrete proof yet (except Yagou who actually saw Yasei leave via a Quantum Portal).
"You could say it like that, Moizi-san. Now, about UNM. Our origins actually came from the formation of UNAF in 2007, which later became the primary branch of the military since the Alliance formation in 2040. UNAF first saw action from 2010 to 2020 when an unknown belligerent invaded our home world. This is the massive-scale war we mentioned before."
While Iseya told Moizi UNM history, Reimu and Yasei are checking the movement from Lourian troops, and both of them sigh.
"Should've known they won't back down. This will be like Alnus Hill all over again..."
"You're right. And Rodenius shall see just why we issued a warning beforehand."
30 minutes after Moizi's arrival, Marisa approaches them. By this point, Iseya rejoins Reimu and Yasei.
"You guys noticed that too, right? They still think they can simply charge after the barrier is down."
Without saying words, the latter three prepare their firearms.
"When the clock hits twelve oh zero, everyone will fire a single shot at the Lourians, and that's it. Let the artillery do the rest."
"Does that includes the Western Garrison from Qua-Toyne?"
"Them and Quila reinforcements as well."
"You got it."
When Moizi is being told about the plan, he immediately agreed. According to him, at least his unit would get some consolation if they can fire even a single shot. Since Magus Trio forces can fly, they decided to make an aerial formation to complement Qua-Toyne and Quila forces on land.
While all of that is happening, Nou and Breweye are still watching the battlefield control.
"So, what are they planning to do?"
"I don't know. Let's just continue with the observation."
When the clock hits twelve zero hours, all Gorgons, Claymores, Nuke Cannons, and Tremor AGASes are firing in unison.
Robuck observes the soldiers that are currently in the battle formation. He saw the barrier is slowly going down. The troop formation was beautiful and elegant as it was seen just by how disciplined they are to face Gim troops later. The Lourians thought that Historia forces are weak, and they can easily overwhelm them with 200,000 soldiers.
They'll soon found out how wrong they are.
True enough, once the barrier fully dissipates, they're shocked to see a wall made of infantries. Worse, they can see that many of them can fly. And all of them have some weird iron staff pointed at them.
Robuck got a premonition when he saw the infantry wall from the enemies. He feel like something bad is going to happen. It's like the grim reaper itself is going to claim his life. What is going on?
In the Lourian formation itself, there are many flares dropped at their position. The mages also noticed that a large magical buildup is happening from the enemy's side.
Then, the front row fell down, followed by the rapid decrease of magical energy.
"What just happened?"
While they're shocked with that sudden event, it turns out that is but a herald of what comes next, as explosions suddenly happen on each lines.
And this is just the beginning.
"W-what the hell is going on?!"
Panic soon spread upon Lourian forces. The Cluster Barrage from Claymore Howitzers renders any retreat or escape attempts futile, and with the rest of the formation being heavily bombarded as well, there's only one thing that is in everyone's mind. Many bodies were thrown, and the formation became engulfed in chaos.
"This... this can't be happening!"
"I can't believe this... It's as if the ground erupts below them..."
Moizi now understands why Historia Alliance went with this plan. Nou and Breweye, on the other hand, are feeling the chill just by observing the bombardment from the battlefield control. The fact that four types of artillery are being used shows just how serious the Alliance is.
Just from a single session of bombardment, and already, there are so many black smokes that can be seen. While Qua-Toyne and Quila troops was shocked, Magus Trio forces starts firing once the barrage ends and stops just before the next barrage begins. The pattern repeats itself. The Cluster Barrage in particular is very effective at preventing Lourian forces from retreating.
Of course, Marisa, Alice, Patchouli, Iseya, Reimu, and Yasei also helps in eliminating Lourian troops that are heading to Gim. While they were doing this, the leader of the Pathfinders spotted 20 wyverns heading their way.
"This is Pathfinder Alpha. Bogeys confirmed. We need air support!"
"Copy that. UNM Zeroth Dragon Corps 'Galm' already deployed their 1st Dragon Division 'Cipher Eagle'. They're currently on their way."
Lourian troops keep getting hammered by Historia forces, as if they're ants trampled by a boot. Their main camp is spared, but that doesn't mean it won't be targeted. Those outside the camp (namely, the current attacking force) aren't given any chance to retreat. Years of preparation in advance is meaningless when faced with the aptly-named Tremor Barrage. There is no glory to be found here, only hell awaits them.
And Historia Alliance already faced multiple wars throughout their history prior to this.
Sure enough, 'Cipher Eagle' Division arrived to face Lourian wyverns. The composition of all UNM Dragon Divisions are 12 Dragon Gunners and 24 Wyvern Gunners. Lourian wyverns are opening their mouth, adding the rotation, and firing it to 'Cipher Eagle' Division. Much to Lourians' horror, none of them hits 'Cipher Eagle' riders. Then the Dragon Division retaliates. Their dragons and wyverns are seemingly mimicking what Lourian wyverns did. While it happens, Lourian riders are being shot down left and right. Finally, the fire attack from UNM is being released, and the power is strong enough to vaporize them upon impact.
(AN: Kudos to anyone who can guess the inspiration for codenames used by UNM Dragon Army.)
Nou and Breweye then discussed the current situation.
"This further confirms it. Their dragons and wyverns are better than what we thought possible. I'm grateful that we accepted the military alliance with Historia."
"Indeed. Even if they only send a few soldiers, they can utilize their number and quality effectively to create this kind of damage."
"At first, I was wondering whether all of their soldiers are mages, but after reading their history books, I realized that they can do this even without magic, and that alone shows that they're more experienced than us in this kind of warfare, not to mention what happened just now. Granted, we only have the earliest form of firearms, but Historia Alliance have showed their own guns as reference for us to improve ours."
Back to the perimeter, Yasei was talking with Moizi about the possibility to create something similar to the Joint Divisions that GUF has.
"From what I see in this past two months, I can tell that Qua-Toyne have potential Fighters in their ranks. And I can count 4, including you. Commander, if you have spare time, I'd like you to join "Shoukan Joint Forces" in order to deepen the cooperation in our current military alliance."
"I see... But how about my unit?"
"They'll also join as well. Many Fighters in the Union have their own forces, and we already provided the means to improve them as well. As of what would happen should another attack happened, you already see what we can do with your own eyes."
"Will my unit be replaced?"
"No. In fact, you and your unit will be returned once we in the Alliance confirmed another hostile intent directed at Qua-Toyne. Consider this as a way to gain field experience."
"... I'll consider it, Zen Captain."
Moizi can't deny that Historia Alliance literally kicked Louria Kingdom with ease, and if they want, they could even just go straight to Jin-Hark and subjugate them. Qua-Toyne and Quila forces that are currently in the perimeter witnessed the entire bombardment accompanied by the thunderous sounds, and they just stood there in mute amazement, gazing at the scene in front of them. It's like the wrath of god striking Lourian forces due to their desire to destroy Qua-Toyne.
Robuck was crushed by despair.
The brother-in-arms who had been in battle together until now, the stalwart veterans, the excellent generals, the high-ranked Knights who he knew together with their family, the comrades who work hard to become stronger──
Everyone is... He felt empty so much, he wanted to cry so much, that he felt like he was simply dying. He could see the whole tragedy. The powerful Lourian Army were just running from place to place like mice chased by a cat before they vanished behind the explosion flame.
It was too late to regret right now. The ones who opened the gates of hell was themselves.
Though Robuck repeatedly apologizes inside his heard to his dying subordinates, the Grim Reaper won't let him escape alone. Immediately after a pressure like shock, he felt a floating sensation. The scene of his hands and legs that flew in pieces, which slowly passed before his eyes, became the last memory of his life.
The ground was left with gouged soils and marks of destruction. The mighty power finally bated its breath, and when the cloud of dust cleared up, there was not a single Lourian soldier left standing.
Soon after, Chireiden Kasha Carrier Corps led by Rin Kaenbyou began taking corpses from the battlefield and placing them to their wheelbarrows. In GUF, Orin (the nickname of Kasha leader) is known for her persistency in finding and stealing corpses, so much that they have to install CCTVs on graveyards just to repel her, unless when she got permission to take one after a funeral has been finished, or when a military engagement is finished, like what happened just now. To further reinforce this, her wheelbarrow is now the biggest one in Kasha Carrier Corps.
This is the standard battle aftermath protocol for Historia Alliance since Saderan-Historia War back from 2041 to 2042. As for the matter of the carried spirits, the Union have discussed it with the Ministry Ten Kings and Divine Aces to find a solution before the protocol adopted. It's safe to say that they have found one.
(AN: You'll find out what the solution is later.)
Nou, Breweye, and Moizi gulped seeing the result of the bombardment. In just several minutes after the first shot, the furious attack had thoroughly destroyed Lourian army.
"So this… is the strength… of Historia Alliance..."
At the very least, Qua-Toyne and Quila forces have joined the firing of the first shot that heralded the arrival of Tremor Barrage. Still, let alone casualties, no one even gets any injury. It should be a happy situation since Qua-Toyne citizens' lives are saved. Instead, they feel a sting of defeat after witnessing Historia's power.
Date: May 3rd, HS 2069/CC 1639
Location: Qua-Toyne Principality
Venue: Governmental Meeting
"... That concludes the report on the battle west of Gim between Magus Trio forces and Lourian army."
"Well then, does anyone know how Historia is able to use that high-powered explosion magic, or did no one see it?"
"Yes sir. As written in the report, the Alliance conducted their attack from their garrison. Furthermore, they even submitted the recording of said battle to prevent similar scenario like what happened during the reporting of Rodenius Grand Naval Battle."
"..."
The meeting fell into silence as they watched the recording in disbelief, seeing the proof of that seemingly ludicrous claim. Seeing that there is no one talking, Prime Minister Kanata then speaks.
"Everyone, please look at these materials."
High-quality papers cheaply imported from Historia were distributed to all the legislators.
'Louria... Capital City Suppression Plan?!'
"According to the report from the Alliance Commander-in-Chief, they give us a proposal to assault Louria's capital, Jin-Hark. They will sortie their fighter jets for air superiority. Their main purpose is to capture King Hark Louria XXXIV on charges of genocide attempt and supremacist views. At the same time, they will also deploy 'Scarlet Defense Army' to launch the attack from the south. Magus Trio Joint Forces will push towards the Eastern Subjugation Army to suppress the remaining threat before advancing towards Jin-Hark as well."
"How many personnel stationed by Historia on the border perimeter?"
"Somewhere around ten to twenty thousand personnel."
"Isn't the enemy army many times more than that? Are they planning to suicide?"
"Prime Minister, if I may?"
Nou raises his hand and Kanata allows him to speak.
"Lourian forces will be destroyed. We have seen how Historia fights, and they can destroy 200,000 Lourian soldiers with less than 100 artillery alongside their perimeter forces. I suggest that we secure our borders to prevent any further attack attempts. The bombardment two days ago should serve to demoralize Lourian troops."
"That certainly will deter them for further attacks."
"Furthermore, Quila forces also reinforced the perimeter area, so it's safe to say that the security there is guaranteed."
"Still, what are the Alliance planning to do after capturing King Louria?"
"That... I don't know. But what I do know is this. We literally have zero justification to ask for his execution because the Alliance is the one who does the most work. Furthermore, we didn't even suffer any casualties whatsoever, civilian or military."
"... I suppose you're right. Our forces are too small to even able to invade Louria. Tell the Alliance we approve their proposal."
The legislators unanimously approved Historia's proposal to assault through land, sea, and air within Qua-Toyne, as well as their proposal to attack Louria.
Location: Inner Perimeter of Lourian Border
Place: Louria Kingdom Eastern Subjugation Army HQ
"We can't contact the main advance force?!"
Deputy General Adem yelled at the communication squad.
"According to my superior, we've been sending out messages, but received no reply."
The last report was two days ago. In said report, the advance force were stalled by the barrier at Gim which prompts them to gather up to 200,000 before the battle. And now they only have 20 wyverns left since 20 of them joined the advance force and 10 of them being sortied to scout out the situation. There's no way such massive force could be annihilated before even a message reached them.
"What about the recon team?"
Adem has ordered 10 wyvern riders to scout Gim. During the initial attack, they lost 50 wyverns, 50 other have been recalled to the capital, and now 20 of them also not returned. Only 20 wyverns remaining at the main camp. Should Marquis Robuck didn't do his job, he can send his men to kill his family as punishment for being disobedient.
"They will soon reach the last known location of main advance force and sending us a report."
Location: Qua-Toyne/Louria Border Perimeter
"We will soon reach the area... right?"
The 10 wyverns scouting the area around Gim were split up, each searching a different zone. Muller was assigned to scout out the zone that contains the last known location of the advance force. Today's cloud coverage was high and even though he flew on the open sky, a wyvern rider like him would still feel the chill on his skin. His body felt stiff and it was tough to fly like this, but he felt refreshed.
The advance force was missing, so it was imperative to investigate if something had happened and their whereabouts if they had disappeared.
"Hmm...!?"
Although not as good as birds, amongst the humans, a wyvern rider had really outstanding eyesight. Muller had seen something on the ground. Something that looked to be an armor fragment. So he turned his wyvern and descended.
"Wha-... What in the world!? What the hell is this!"
The ground was dotted with many scars, as if someone had scooped out the soil. The entire surface had been turned upside down, and where the ground was untouched, there were objects that looked like the remains of formerly living humans. Parts of men and horse, together with unrecognizable armor and helmets, mingled together and scattered over a large area. And then, the jet black birds that were called as the 'Symbol of Evil' in Louria Kingdom were pecking over the flesh.
"The hell is this..."
Muller choose a place without any scattered pieces of meat and tried to land. Even when he searched around, he couldn't found anyone alive. He picked up a fallen armor and examined it. The armor was without any doubt had been worn by a Lourian soldier.
"Wiped-... out...? –th-, that's impossible!"
Muller trembled as his mind coped with the fear of the unknown.
'What had happened? What attacked them?'
── Gwaaa! Gwaaa!
His partner wyvern roared a warning call. Feeling something ominous, Muller immediately run to the ride and takes off.
As it turns out, one of the fairies from Kirisame Elite Corps noticed him. And as soon as Muller takes off, he's immediately shocked to see several fairies chasing him!
(AN: Yep, folks. I decided to spice this up with fairies. And Touhou fans knew that their numbers are massive.)
What's worse, he can sense more of them approaching him from the front!
Then, they started shooting.
"Wha-?!"
With the image still fresh in his mind, Muller takes an evasive maneuver. He managed to get away from them. But it's not over yet.
"Hey, you!"
Muller looks back, and became even more shocked. Behind him, a magician in black is chasing him with a broom.
'How did they-?!'
(AN: Here comes Marisa Kirisame. And yep, she's using one of the altered Lourian manacomms to contact Muller.)
Looks like the commotion is enough to get Marisa herself to join the fray. She's currently carrying a Forbidden Launcher, which is basically a magical Missile Launcher.
"Take this!"
WOOOSSHHH!
Marisa fires once. Something like a small flame moves towards Muller.
"Is it a boosted flame shot?"
The opponent was far away... But the shot's speed was fast. It seemed that its range was further than his own wyvern's boosted flame shot. For it to be able to shoot from such distance, this might have even surpassed the Wyvern Lord of Parpaldia Empire.
'However...'
Without falling into a panic, Muller took into the sky. From such distance, no matter how fast the shot was, if it was noticed then it can be avoided. This kind of attack was only effective if it was a surprise attack. Perhaps the enemy lacked experience? Just when his mind thought about that, the sense of discomfort returned.
"...!? It's a guided flame blast!"
Sure enough, the flame shot had changed its trajectory mid-air and chased after Muller.
"Uwaaaaaaaaaaa‼"
He gave instruction to his wyvern partner to fly at full power and attempted a zig-zag maneuver to avoid being followed from behind. However, each time that happened, the flame shot changed directions following the Wyvern's action. He had never heard an attack that can follow its target like this before.
"A guided flame blast is - following me!"
His voice shrieked as Muller screamed at the transmitter of the mana communication device.
"Damn it... Damn it all...!"
His face was hit by a combination of wind and premonition of death, while memories started to flash over his eyes.
Flashback
"Take care."
──The morning he went to the war, his wife sent him off with a smile.
"Now girl, don't you have something to say to your father?"
"Ba, ba"
── His daughter who just had turned 1 year old, came to hug him while smiling.
"Here... Please take this protective charm."
He received an object that was made of light metal. He still wore in on his waist, even now ──
Present
"── Me, dying? ... Like I let you!"
He instructed the wyvern to make a climb and dive with its full might, but the guided flame blast still corrected its trajectory and coming after him. At that point, the important protective charm that he wore on his waist had slipped out during a dive.
The moment the flame bullet reached his rear and both Muller and his wyvern would surely meet their doom, ──
── BOOM!
The flame bullet exploded with the thunderous roaring noise behind Muller.
A lone fairy from Kirisame Elite Corps detected a single Lourian wyvern unit acting alone during one of her patrol hours. When she noticed that the wyvern have detected her, she immediately returns to report the intruder, and soon after, multiple fairy units are being assembled to chase the wyvern unit. And not only that, Marisa decided to participate herself. She managed to fire a shot from a Forbidden Launcher. While pursuing the enemy, said shot came into contact with a metallic object fallen from the enemy, which cause a midair explosion that didn't harm the wyvern rider.
Since the enemy retreated toward the west and leave the airspace, the fairies decided to withdraw and stopped the pursuit. Marisa lingers a bit before returning as well.
"That guy is good. It's unfortunate that his manacomm is damaged now. Oh, well. I guess that means we can start moving earlier. Hey, Clara. Get some of those Tomahawks ready. We already got further intel from KVL about them Lourians just before May came."
"Got it, Marisa-san."
Later, Marisa grins when she saw the Tomahawk missiles cruising the skies.
Muller who had escaped death by a hair breadth, flew to the west. He didn't know how it saved him, but the protective charm he received from his wife had fallen off without realizing it.
"Perhaps... Perhaps, that thing had saved me."
He was thinking about how he might be able to meet with his family again and can't be more joyous that his life didn't end today. He couldn't contact the main army because the mana communication device had been damaged. When he was weighing between hiding himself near the army meeting point or continue to fly at low altitude, he suddenly sensed a bad premonition so he made an emergency landing on the woods that he came across.
"── !?"
He looked towards the sky, as several small objects flew with white trails behind them. Because it looked really small, he only noticed that those things must have flown at a very high altitude at an ultra fast speed when they passed above him.
"To... It's too fast! What in the world are those thing?"
The majority of the unidentified flying objects then disappeared as they crossed the far western horizon.
Location: Outer Area of Louria Kingdom
Place: Scarlet Defense Army Mobile HQ
"So, the intel turned out to be true..."
Remilia watched the battlefield control inside the modified MCV. There, she saw soldiers numbered 100,000 stationed 20 km away from SDA position. Along with it, 100 wyverns. Originally, Louria didn't want to include their Southern Army, but the defeat at Rodenius Sea forced them to do so. The Southern Army has been stationed there ever since. They originally have 200 wyverns, but half of them were sent to reinforce Jin-Hark. Furthermore, their Southern Fleet consisting of 600 ships have been recalled as well.
"I must say, the barrage from UNM really did a number on them before the joint forces decimated the rest. And the Kasha Corps already finished picking up the corpses just yesterday."
"I concur, Mistress. Kokusho really outdid themselves in this particular case. I suppose it's better for the Lourian advance forces to be wiped out rather than having any survivors because we all know someone with PTSD will have a very hard time readjusting themselves once the war ends."
"According to the current plan, our forces will be the first one to strike their capital. But I suspect that the Outsiders already have prepared a squad to capture their king. If the Principality approved the proposal, then we can start Operation Trident Fall."
"So, when will it happen?"
"As soon as the joint forces make their move."
"About their king, hm..."
Meiling was curious about what was on Flandre's mind.
"What do you want to do with their king, young mistress?"
"I wonder if I can do some 'games' with him..."
Meiling sighs and tries to hit Flandre, but the younger Scarlet managed to block her strike easily.
"Relax, I won't. And besides, the rest of the Union will gang up on us if we screwed up here. If not even Epsilon Army is allowed to do anything to him, I won't even dare to do it in the first place."
"Phew..."
Then, Remilia detected a movement from Lourian Southern Army via battlefield control. Since Kasen managed to acquire a lot of Lourian wyverns, the rest of them can be shot down. Which means, SDA's job became easier. Sakuya noticed her mistress' expression, and nods.
"Start the advance."
Meiling moves outside to assemble the units while Flandre makes the announcement.
"All units, we will advance to Jin-Hark immediately. Let's show them the Scarlet March!"
"Yes, Young Mistress!"
The fairies immediately gear up and some of them who wield Forbidden Launchers start firing at the wyverns. Scarlet Defense Army marches to crush Lourian Southern Army and advance towards Jin-Hark.
Introduced units:
Gorgon Koalistiya-SV: Self-propelled howitzer from Russia. Has frightening fire rate and good range.
Users: United Nations Military, Historia Shoukan Dominion
Origin: C&C Generals Rise of the Reds
Claymore Howitzer: Powerful artillery piece utilized by EU. Has superb accuracy and near-legendary range.
Users: United Nations Military, Historia Shoukan Dominion
Origin: C&C Generals Rise of the Reds
Nuke Cannon: Heavy artillery unit utilized by China. The newer version is noted to be much devastating.
Users: United Nations Military, Historia Shoukan Dominion
Origin: C&C Generals Rise of the Reds
Tomahawk LAM: Main artillery unit from USA. It have two firing systems tailored for specific circumstances.
Users: United Nations Military, Historia Shoukan Dominion
Origin: C&C Generals Rise of the Reds
Tremor AGAS: The strongest and most feared Russian artillery, it is capable of unleashing a massive barrage of 300mm artillery shells anywhere within battlefield control.
Users: United Nations Military, Historia Shoukan Dominion
Origin: C&C Generals Rise of the Reds
Pathfinder: American sniper(s) that are considered among the most elite snipers in the world.
Users: United Nations Military, Historia Shoukan Dominion
Origin: C&C Generals Rise of the Reds