In the following months, the Principality of Qua Toyne and its sub-state Quila were transformed drastically. What used to be a medieval nation had been partially converted into a modern country by Usean construction. Quality of life rose dramatically with Usean-exported convenience technologies, such as advanced water filters, electrical power, refrigerators, etc. Magic had been limited and could not effectively work in place of this technology. Prime Minister Kanata was glad Usea was not aggressive like many of the other nations in this world. It would have been impossible to fight against a nation of their technology. They were easily superior to the three major superpowers. With that, he looked out at the electrically-lit city in the night.

Kingdom of Louria

August 27th, 1639

It was a cool late summer evening. The rising moon shone through the windows into the torchlit room. A figure sat on a throne, staring down at a kneeling man in silver armor.

"King Louria, preparations to invade Qua Toyne and Quila are complete."

"Excellent. Our forces should have no trouble overrunning the farmers and beastmen of Qua Toyne. What do you think of the Unified States of Eastern Eurasia, or Usea as they like to call themselves, the nation that has formed an alliance with Qua Toyne?" asked Hark Louria, 34th king of the Kingdom of Louria.

"Usea is a new country, therefore they must not be well-developed. They are also over a thousand kilometers away. Furthermore, the sight of our wyverns had surprised their envoy, indicating that they possess none. Therefore, they are a weak barbarian nation. That is all we know."

An army with no wyverns had no air support or defense, allowing enemy wyverns to pummel their ground troops into submission.

"I see…We are so close to uniting the entirety of the Rodenius continent. I am truly happy to see that the eradication of demihumans is finally in sight. Now then, General, tell me your strategy."

"Very well, your Majesty. Our army is five hundred thousand strong and we shall send four hundred thousand to invade, leaving the rest to defend. We shall first conquer Gim, the nearest town to the border. Resources are plentiful in Qua Toyne so we shall resupply along the way. We will march on to the capital of Qua Toyne and lay siege to it. It will fall in a short amount of time. Their wyvern force is weaker than ours so suppressing it will be easy. At the same time, we will send our fleet of five thousand ships to blockade their port, preventing incoming supplies or escaping enemies. Next, Qua Toyne has at most fifty thousand soldiers but can only mobilize ten thousand at a time, so we can easily overwhelm their forces no matter what tricks they use. Victory is certain."

"Excellent! Our six long years of preparation will soon bear fruit! This is the greatest day of our nation!"

Cheers in the castle rang out and the castle became filled with celebration.

Border of Qua Toyne and Louria

August 29th, 1639

General Pandor was leading a force of forty thousand soldiers. His army consisted of 22500 infantry, 9750 heavy infantry, 3500 cavalry, 1500 specialized soldiers (siege, projectile, and other special weapons), 1000 guerilla soldiers, 750 beast tamers, 750 mages, and 250 wyvern knights. They could easily crush a ten-thousand-strong infantry force.

Pandor smiled as he surveyed his proud force. Nothing in Rodenius could stop his army. Lieutenant General Adem called out, "What should we do with spoils from Gim?" "Do whatever you like." Adem turned back to his soldiers, "Looting is allowed. Do whatever you want with the people, just make sure to leave no survivors after we are done with the city. Wait, leave a hundred alive to spread fear and panic. And dispose of knight families as gruesomely as you can."

Adem was truly a monstrous man, skilled in physical and psychological warfare.

25km from the border, Gim

August 30th, 1639

In the early morning, the Lourian army reached the outskirts of Gim. The defending Qua Toyne force was completely outnumbered by the Lourian army. Lourian forces poured in, slaughtering all resistance, and rapidly took control of the city. Qua Toynian wyverns were outnumbered 10 to 1 and shot down before they could do anything. Lourian soldiers carried out their looting orders to a tee, raping and pillaging, before killing survivors. The battle, really a massacre, was over in an hour.

Port of Maihark

August 31st, 1639, late morning

The small Usean fleet had finally reached Qua Toyne, having set off immediately when the Lourian armed forces began moving. The 8-ship fleet consisted of:

- Battleships Sovetsky Soyuz and Sovetskaya Ukraina

- Guided missile battlecruisers Kirov and Kalinin

- Guided missile cruiser Ukraina

- Guided missile destroyers Admiral Melnyk and Admiral Lagonouv (Udaloy III-class)

- Aircraft carrier Ulyanovsk

The steel behemoths sat outside the port while a helicopter from the Ulyanovsk flew over to meet with the Qua Toynians and collect the observer.

A man stepped out of the helicopter to speak with Admiral Pancarre of the Qua Toynian West Fleet. "I'm sorry for the loss of Gim and the massacre of its citizens. It is unfortunate that our bases were not constructed quickly enough."

"Well, such is war. But we will definitely strike back at Louria and avenge the inhabitants of Gim. I assume you are here for the observer?"

"Yeah, I am here to transport him to our fleet."

Pancarre motioned for officer Brywhal to step forward. "He has been chosen to be the observer. I am curious though, how will you beat back a 5000 ship fleet with just 8?"

"Haha, you'll see. That is part of the reason why we specified a trusted soldier as the observer."

"We recommend observing from the Ukraina, as it is the one that will be at the front, and we promise that you will not come to harm even when it seems like you will."

Brywhal nodded. As they flew towards the cruiser, the officer told him about the ship.

- Slava-class guided missile cruiser Ukraina

- Length: 186 meters

- Displacement: 11500 tons

- Crew: 471

It was the third-smallest ship in the fleet, but still enormous compared to his own navy's ships. It was constructed entirely with steel, which confused him because he thought that such a ship wouldn't be able to float. The helicopter descended onto a flat deck on the rear of the ship, and he was told to follow the Ukraina's sailors' directions to the "bridge". The helicopter floated off towards the massive Ulyanovsk afterward.

When he entered the bridge, he was directed to the ship's captain.

"I'm Captain Kolesnyk."

"Observer from the Principality of Qua Toyne, West Fleet, my name is Brywhal. We are grateful for your assistance against Louria."

"Don't worry about it, it is part of our defense treaty after all. Besides, those Lourians had it coming for them with that merciless slaughter in Gim. Now, regarding the enemy fleet, it is currently five hundred kilometers west and approaching slowly at 5 knots. We will depart immediately and will arrive sometime in the early evening. Once we arrive, we will warn them to turn back or face annihilation. While we travel, feel free to learn more about this ship and the others in this fleet."

Brywhal was shocked. The Useans were highly confident in their ability to defeat, no, annihilate a 5000-strong fleet with just 8 ships! Indeed their ships were massive, but it was still suicidal. He had seen no ballistae or shielding on any of the ships.