Chapter 5: Show of Power
"Are you telling me our Exosuits are getting eliminated one by one?!" The Skull Admiral raged as he saw dots on the screen turn from green to red. One by one, the Exosuits they sent were being destroyed.
The Skull Admiral hadn't predicted this. No one aboard the SEAF vessels did. These people were considered medieval, yet somehow, they could defend themselves even against Exosuits.
"Give me visuals! I want to see what's causing our Helldivers to fail!" In an instant, a picture was shown before the admiral, portraying a top-down battlefield visualization of what happened down below.
There, a man in what seemed red-brown armor stood, sword in hand, as he cut through the Exosuits like nothing. The sharpness of that blade ought to be extremely strong to pull off such a feat. Nothing in the Helldivers arsenal was able to replicate that effect. At least, that was what the Skull Admiral thought.
The EXO-45 Patriot Exosuit was built as a cheap way to bring more firepower to the battlefield. Yet even it could withstand bullets and rockets. For it to be destroyed so quickly must mean the enemy had an equal, if not stronger, weapon of their own.
"You're telling me this individual is beating our Exosuits! I have had enough of this! I won't let some fanatic monarchist stand between us and their conquest! Send in some Eagle's with Napalm bombs." The admiral ordered, fully aware of what that would bring with it.
"But, sir! We still have some troops-"
"That was an order!" The admiral shouted back, cutting the officer off before he could continue to speak his mind.
"O-Of course, Sir!" Quickly, the man went onto communications, giving the command to drop fire upon the enemy army.
Not long after, four Eagle jets closed in on the battlefield.
Gazef could only watch, astounded, as he saw four objects quickly flying from above. He couldn't even react as they each dropped an array of bombs on the ground.
Nothing else could be said as fire erupted into the air, burning corpses and the living alike. The remaining Re-Estize soldiers burned with screams echoing through the battlefield while the dead remained silent.
Gazef remained stoic as he watched it happen. The fire had not reached him, yet he still was entranced by the destruction brought by their visitors.
As he turned his view toward the enemy troops, he saw them hit by their comrade's action.
'They don't even care about the lives of their soldiers. There's nothing they won't do to win.' A dangerous enemy, one which at this time held all the cards, there being nothing in favor of Gazef or the Re-Estize kingdom.
The fire faded slowly yet remained. Nothing was left but ash and dust while Gazef stood there, a man alive amongst a sea of corpses of allies and enemies alike.
A weird emotion for a man like Gazef. Yet it gave him the impression that his enemies weren't as invulnerable as one thought. They were still human and so could die. Even then, knowing these Helldivers were killed by their own nation made him even more motivated to stop them. In the end, they were still humans, just on different sides.
'This battle is concluded.' Gazef thought, turning his back toward the enemy as he walked toward the capital, a mistake he shouldn't have done.
"F-For democracy!" He heard a cry, a weird sound penetrating Gazef's ears. Quickly, he turned around to block whatever was coming for him, but he didn't expect to feel every part of his body shivering with fear.
What seemed to be lighting fired from the wounded Helldiver's gun, a last attempt to kill the enemy, even while being charred alive.
"[Body Strengthening]!" Gazef uttered with his last breath. The pain he felt seemed to lessen, yet his whole body felt burned, not only from the outside but the inside as well.
Quickly, he shoved his sword into the Helldiver's back, ending his suffering.
"I…I will need a healer." Gazef said, stumbling back toward the city he saved for today.
Nothing could describe what transcended the Skull Admiral's mind. Rage, wrath, disgust, and fear mixed together. He failed. Such a "simple mission" made the well-known Skull Admiral feel defeat, which he hadn't felt for a long time.
He was usually fighting bugs or robots. He knew their tactics and weaknesses and what to use best against them. Here, he had none of those things. He relied on what he saw, what the reports showed him.
A world stuck in the medieval age.
What such world would even offer them resistance? None. Or so he thought. If only he had thought this through more clearly, he could've avoided losing so many troops.
But even then, it changed nothing. He had lost his first official battle against the people of this world, or at least a nation on it.
Everyone, even he, only saw failure in his endeavors. And he knew what would follow.
He prayed to Liberty for his salvation, hoping for the best. Yet, as he entered a dark chamber on his Super Destroyer, he suddenly felt insignificant, his rank as Skull Admiral worth nothing anymore.
Suddenly, a monitor lit up in front of the Skull Admiral, the sigil of the Super-Earth Administrative Department, short, SEAD, portrayed on it. They handled everything from administering planets to commanding fleets, ordering attacks and retreats from certain planets.
In short, they were the ones that had the most to say in the Super-Earth government. Of course, there were other departments and ministries, but SEAD was one of the strongest in terms of political and military power.
The admiral quickly removed his helm as a sign of respect and courtesy.
Skull Admiral Jeffrey Dickson. Your failure to secure a part of the newly discovered planet has not gone unnoticed. Until now, your developments and achievements have been nothing but helpful to our government. Yet failure cannot go unnoticed, especially in your position.
A female voice spoke, slightly distorted. No face was shown, making this communication even less personal than it should be.
"I have seen my mistakes and know where I went wrong. I can promise that this won't happen again. Through all my years, I have accumulated much experience fighting the enemies of Super-Earth, from the Terminids to the Automatons. I am now sure how to proceed with this planet's liberation." The Skull Admiral spoke, just like out of the handbook. Nobody noticed, but sweat ran down the back of his head with each passing second.
Your assessment is correct. This will not happen again. Or your inability to conquer a planet without FTL technology would bring severe punishments. Do not forget that, Skull Admiral.
The screen shut down, leaving the admiral alone in a dark room. He said nothing, only stared into the shut-down monitor as he stood there like a statue.
20 seconds passed until he put on his helmet again and left the room as if nothing happened.
"This battle isn't over!" He said as he entered the bridge, the officers standing up as they saluted. "I want every intel we got from that fight! Also, give me a status report on the repairs done on our orbital cannons." He ordered.
"Sir, reparations are halfway done. The replacements are yet to arrive for the necessary parts we lost, or our cannons won't launch anything. It may take two days or more for reparations to be complete." An officer explained. If the admiral was furious, nobody saw it.
"...Good. Look to it that it doesn't take any longer. Now, to more important matters." The admiral said, turning toward the round table that served as a map of the planet. "I want three Helldiver troops to drop near Carne Village. We will secure and use it to gain more information about these lands." The Skull Admiral said. Even he recognized knowledge if he saw it. To not interrogate the village would be stupid on his side. He would not make the mistake again of underestimating his enemies.
"Of course, sir."
The admiral couldn't play around anymore. The enemy was not easy to assess. Some were weaker than their regular soldiers, while others possessed superhuman abilities. Still, they didn't have anything to defend against this "magic", as the natives called it, but maybe sheer numbers could still win this battle. But that wasn't part of his job. Helldivers were elite soldiers who cleared small operations to make way for the large armies of Super-Earth to pass through. The admiral didn't have that kind of manpower, relying solely on the frozen corpses of the enlisted Helldivers.
Somehow, he had to find a way to pull it off, however difficult it may seem.
"How is he? He'll survive, won't he?" King Rampossa asked the priest in front of him. But he didn't seem to bring grave news.
"He will. After one day's rest, he should be back on his feet. What he suffered wasn't only external but internal as well. If I had to guess, he was hit with a lighting spell. I have read about the conditions a target of such a spell is put in, but the Warrior Captain has not shown much of them. He is strong, your Majesty, undoubtedly." The priest said, praising the Warrior Captain with his words. Why shouldn't he? He saved an entire city alone, a hero made in not even an hour. If he wasn't the kingdom's most popular warrior before, now he was.
The king, hearing this, seemed relieved. How would he deal with the death of a friend in such grave times? He wasn't sure, but luckily, Gazef survived through impossible odds.
"I thank you for your service. I have prepared a sum of gold for the church's services and some for you as well." The king said, and the man seemed to want to protest.
"Your Majesty, please, this much of a reward is unnecessary! A payment to the church may suffice." He said, loyal to his faith as he denied even gold from the king himself.
"Accept it. You saved a good man today. Such loyalty is to be rewarded equally. Take it, or you may sully my honor as a king." Rampossa said, thus forcing the priest to submit and accept his reward for him. He didn't meet people like him often, even cherished them when he met them. They weren't greedy or egoistic. Such characteristics he liked.
"If it is what you wish, your Majesty, I will accept your gift graciously." The priest said, bowing before making a leave. The court was empty, Rampossa letting out a sigh as the day finally concluded.
The sun vanished from the sky as the day darkened.
Much had happened since the morning. The state the capital was in gave him much work, all thanks to Super-Earth. He had to calm down nobles and merchants alike, regulate the transportation of refugees who survived the bombings, and more. His old body couldn't withstand this much stress for long, making the old king look to his sons.
Barbro was impulsive, impatient, and arrogant. Yet he was also brave and portrayed a good side the people of Re-Estize liked. A strong leader who would lead Re-Estize to victory. Yet, he was not ready for the throne, not in this situation.
Zanac was different. He wasn't as strong or tall as his brother. Yet his intelligence was far above Barbro's, portraying cunning and knowledge of politics he wished to see in his eldest son. He could almost say he was a better pick for the crown. Yet Zanac had a weak hand. Most nobles didn't like him because they saw him as a threat and as the second son who stood only in reserve. All their praise and attention was drawn to the heir, trying to get in his good graces.
Rampossa knew of all this, knowing he had to choose to either pick Barbro for the sake of the kingdom's face or Zanac, who would undoubtedly have it hard in the beginning, but if he put himself through, strive as king of Re-Estize while his kingdom prospered.
A dilemma for another time, he thought. Every hour he looked out the window, he still saw those things flying in the sky, not moving an inch or two. It frightened him. What if they rained fire once more?
Yet, for everyone's luck in Re-Estize, the Helldiver corps wouldn't attack again today.
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Pure firepower won't always work, not against a foe that has something like magic or martial arts by his side.
For the people thinking this would be a stomp, I disagree. Martial arts users like Gazef or Brain have shown feats that wouldn't be possible for a normal human. Of course, a bullet to the head should still kill them, or at least put them out for a while, but their reaction times are extremely quick, especially with something like [Flow Acceleration].
Also, something like teleportation makes a huge difference in this battle. Of course, not many have this ability in the Overlord-universe, but Evileye has, and she's on Re-Estize's side.