January 15th, 2017 of the Gregorian calendar

It was finally the day, the day they would make history. Brooks had a busy week at mission briefings for Operation Goliath, the attack on Bellnahgo to destroy the power of Hardy, the goddess of the underworld and the one responsible for opening the Gate. "This is Black pepper. Permission to take-off, over." He asked the radio, a voice replying, "Affirmative, you are clear for take-off, out." The pilot slowly increase the thrust of his engine while he slowly inched forward, quickly going faster and faster. With a gentle pull of the stick he fly off the ground and soared into the wild blue yonder.

He adjusted the flaps and soon was joined by his flight. "You ready to be famous?" He says, one of the younger pilots shouting, "fuck yeah sir!" "Good, let's link up with the Big ugly fat fellas."

One hour later...

The formation of planes flew at thirty-thousand feet above sea level and only a few minutes from the target. Twenty four B-52s and four B-1's guarded by twenty F-16s were to take part in this raid, with the holy city of Bellnahgo and the roads surrounding it as their targets. Deep down he felt a sense of guilt that swallowed him whole but had a job to do, the people on Falmart had proof of their gods existing and a holy war was declared against his brothers on the ground. He hoped that this attack would make anyone think twice before challenging the US but they were on egg shells, they were supposed to be the good guys and it could make more insurgents or worse, shatter America's image on world stage.

"We're one minute away, Lancers break off." Commanded the leader and the newer B-1s along with their escort banked out of formation to their own targets while they would stay on course. "Hey, this don't seem right. W-we're bombing civilians!" Said a pilot but another barked back. "Quit your whining, these fucks deserve it!" "Open Bombay doors!" Called out group leader and the planes opened up to reveal their cargo before the world. "Over the target area boys! Bombs a fuckin' way!" Appropriately three thousand three hundred and sixty bombs each weighing five hundred pounds were released and sent screaming down to the helpless city below. He could just barley see the city but after a few seconds Bellnahgo was engulfed in what looked like little firecrackers popping, but he knew the grim reality on the ground. "I heard they drop fire pots on people from wyverns." Commented another, "Looks like we're just returning the favor." He was surprised at the change of heart from his comrades. They switched from moral crusaders in a land of fantasy to vengeful sociopaths that had a crazed blood thirst.

The formation stayed over the city just enough to see the giants plumes of smoke rise from the rubble. "Targets destroyed, head back to base." Says the commander and this flock of iron turned around back to the direction of Alnus.

A hours later...

"Do you still have a visual on the targets?" Asked high command, the drone operator almost wanted to laugh. "Affirmative, they've set up camp in a meadow and bunched together." He replies as he sees twelve apostles gathered around a fire. "Team's five minutes away, you have permission to engage." 'Finally.' He thinks to himself as he pressing the button on the joystick, sending four AGM-114 Hellfire missiles from his MQ-9 Reaper straight at them. He waited patiently until his thermal camera lights up as the campsite is wiped from the map. "Targets neutralized, Delta team cleared for extraction." "Roger that, scan the perimeter for any hostiles. We have a gunship on stand by two klicks away, over." "Affirmative, Sentry out." He watched from his drone as two V-22 Ospreys landed some thirty yards from the campsite before a platoon exited to conduct their objective.

"Kingpin, this is Sentry. Area's clear over." "Roger, thanks for the eagle eye, out." The team quickly when over to the campsite and with duffel bags began to collect the scattered body parts of the apostles. Any other organisms would've died but the apostles were of course immortal so were only incapacitated and if the body parts were not scattered, then they could be simply put back together. They separated the pieces by body part, arms with arms, legs with legs, heads with heads.

It took a but but the job was done and Delta team wasted to time hurrying back to the Ospreys for extraction. "Fortress this is Kingpin, Targets extracted, over." "Mission complete, good work team." 'Fuck yeah!' The drone operator silently celebrated. The mission was a success and had saved who nows how many lives, if only it had been before the attack at the Dar valley outpost.

Meanwhile in the Far-Northern...

A lone B-52 Stratofortress flew at fifty-thousand feet above sea level as the moon shown bright to its left. The carpet bombing of Bellnahgo and the capture of the apostles were only two pieces of a bigger scheme to make the gods think twice before attempting to start a fight with the United States Armed Forces. The location was in one of the more isolated parts of Falmart where only the heavens would witness such power. After confirmed it's location the pilot announced to high command that he'd be dropping the bomb. "You're clear to drop payload, godspeed."

The bomb bay doors opened and a twelve-foot long object with an eighteen-inch diameter descended down, the planes quickly turning around rushing to home as fast as it could. The bomb continued to go faster and faster as it sped towards the ground, becoming a blur. The Gods themselves watched as it speed to the target, a large forest untouched even by the elves. They had heard of a doomsday weapon, something one man called "A nuke". They wondered what power did it have and why far away from any city. Hardy in particular watched it intensely as her city had been turned into rubble with thousands dead, most of her apostles captured, just to have a little weapon dropped over a insignificant forest.

The moment it hit the ground, it's demonic intent was realized. Faster then anything natural from Falmart or even what the Americans had shown up to that point, a blinding flash followed by a leviathan fireball engulfed the forest with a thunderous boom that could be heard for untold leagues. The fireball incinerated trees to ash and melted the snow only to evaporate it at the fraction of a second, even mighty rocks were wiped clean off the face of Falmart while the supersonic pressure wave flattened millions of trees. The gods then all felt two things they never thought they would ever fell again after countless millenniums; pain and fear. The heat only comparable to the sun's surface it them and engulfed their beings, their indescribable pain being transferred to their priests and apostles who all collectively screeched in agony. Wareharun especially as she watched the forest, her children, erased like nothing.

Then the air was sucked back in to form a conical like shaped cloud that bloomed at the top like a mushroom while the sky was hellish red. The gods were already concerned about the power of the Americans which would give the Falmartian peoples forbidden technology and dethrone their control but this was something else entirely. It was just, if not more horrific then the Apocryph. The gods then turned their anger to Hardy whom in her attempt to levitate her boredom and to teach the Empire a lesson had doomed them all.

"What have you done??!!!!" Shouted Zufmuut, "Did you know of this power?!" Asked Emroy in horror. "I-I didn't! I only wanted to teach them about humili-" "Humility?! Humility about what? MY CHILDREN ARE BURNING!!!!!!!" Cried out Wareharun as she sobbed. "She's right! Every powerful civilization before claimed to be the strongest, the heavens reincarnated on the earth." Scorned Emroy, "It was just a mask to hide your vanity."

Suddenly the ground began to rumble, "First this and now an earth shake!" Said Flare. They all set their sights onto Sadera, Rondel, and Bellnahgo. People in a panic ran around in terror as the ground creaked and building began to crumble. Many were crushed by the collapsing structures. Burning logs and coal lumps in fireplaces were thrown about and started fires the swept across residential areas. Finally, after six excruciating minutes, it stopped and was replaced by silence. Then the wailing of the injured and dying filled the air while while many more souls crossed to the afterlife. Many wondered why it had happened and many formed possible answers. Some blamed deviant spirits, others believe it was punishment from the gods, but the gods themselves knew what was to blame: themselves.

While some had more to play then others, they had gone to far and for the first time felt helpless. Mortals had managed to outpace them and were completely dominate over the world. Some of the gods wondered if these foreigners themselves had the capability to create gates. But one thing was for certain, they weren't as strong as they thought to be.

At Fort Cluster...

It was ten a'clock when Rory screamed as the nerves across her body transmitted pain to her brain. It took several minutes of screeching bloody murder and a unfathomable amount of tears before she could get a coherent response to the man who had asked her to watch footage from a drone in the Northern tip of Falmart. She could see a giant cloud with a red sky in the background while shockwaves could be seen before ultimately, the footage was cut off while the drone presumably denigrated from the shear power of the bomb. "W-what was that! Why is my master in pain?!" She begged Kowalski who looked mournful. "That Ms. Mercury is the nuclear bomb, an B-83 nuclear bomb to be more precise. We have not used a nuclear bomb in war since the attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945."

She was frozen and could only let the general continue. "For the past six months we have fought using conventional weapons like guns, planes, bombs, tanks etc. But there is another: Nuclear war. These are the most powerful kind of weapons ever created, we back on earth have the capability to wipe whole countries and possibly all life as we know it off the face of the earth." Up til now the United States had been in a way playing with its food but this was the true power of the Americans.

"While this is the most destructive, we have poison gas weapons which can melt your lungs, we have biological weapons that can spread diseases so efficiently that whole cities can be wiped out in days, we have bombers that like that happened in Bellnahgo can turn population centers into ruins. We today don't use terror bombing, chemical warfare or nukes as are illegal by the terms of war today but have the means to do so." Rory felt herself become smaller and smaller, her kneels almost at the point of buckling from the fear.

"The Gods made the mistake of sending their apostles against us, though they managed to actually get into a hundred miles radius of Alnus, demigods can be defeated with enough firepower." That was a clear threat, if she attempted to do anything they didn't like then she would be smitten no matter how many she could kill. "We understand stand the gods have stopped the technology and magical progress of Falmart but that changes today. Today the gods will not handicap the advance of science, medicine, travel, communication, philosophy, and more."

"But general, but what about the gate? If it is open for too long then both our worlds will be destroyed." He then tapped his chin and thought for a moment, the control room eerily quite. "How long do we have until then?" "In about five years time a black mist called the Apocryph will form and if the gate is not closed, everything living and spirit being will be annihilated." But the American had a plan. "That gives us enough time to manipulate the gate long enough to find a way to create a portal between our worlds. We'll fix the Apocryph problem if the gods no longer directly interfere with mortal affairs." Rory was silent for a few second before she replied, "Emory and the others agree. But Hardy and Palapon aren't willing to cooperate." "You have to be kidding me, the people of this world are very stubborn."

"That's putting it lightly, Hardy's been trying to force my hand in marriage for centuries." "That'll be a issue, can she close the Gate?" The apostle shook her head. "The gods have a limited ability to influence the world including the Gate, that's way they have apostles to conduct their will." She was certain that the two gods would try to push them out but it wouldn't be easy. "If any of the gods are listening." Said Kowalski, "We don't mean to replace you as deities, but we don't like the meddling of others."

Fortuneos 16th, 688 of the Imperial calendar

Zorzal sat on his throne enjoying the taste of a female slave when the doors were slammed open, prompting his attention. "How dares to-" he stopped mid sentence to see non other then Giselle walked towards his throne. "Your majesty, I've come with news." He interest was peeked and consequently pushed the servant off. "What news your holyness?" "Zufmuut and his apostle Mabel has cowardly hid in the face of the Americans and have pull their support." He was shocked, would more abandon his empire? "But Hardy and Palapon still stand by you, and shall continue to do so for the foreseeable future." The emperor certainly felt happy about that, he still had fifteen apostles to rain hell. "Though they're support is hampered." "Why is that?" He asked impatiently, he wished for them to give their full weight for Falmart. "Unfortunately most of Hardy's apostles are busy with other things, especially on the other continents." Zorzal didn't question it, she was messenger of Hardy and embodiment of her will.

"I fully understand." He said, "Is there anymore you wish to tell?" "Throw everything Falmart offers at the enemy, this will be the most important year ever in existence..." And with that, she turned around and left. The moment she closed the massive doors he let out a sigh before chuckling. "Oh I will, the barbarians will drown in blood. Every man and boy will serve in the Imperial army, every monster will bow to me, every tool at our disposal will be used." He monologued, "I show those damned rats who's the strongest!" Embroiled in his feverish mindset he sat up and prepared his words.