Chapter 11: A Whole New Can of Worms

Disclaimer for Each Chapter:

I do not own the Code Geass and GATE: Jieitai Kare no Chi nite, Kaku Tatakeri franchises. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been doing this now, would I?! Both franchises belong to their respective creators; I am writing this because of my hobby and passion only, not for profit.


Author's Notes:

Alright! I'm back, people. Apologies for taking so long to write this chapter. I had to deal with some personal issues in January and faced some roadblocks in writing. Things are stable for now so I will begin writing at a normal pace.

With that in mind, I hope that you will enjoy this chapter.


Arklensia – Saderan Imperial Capital

Falmarian Calendar: Day 24, Month 6, Year 1859

Location: Imperial Senate Building

Despite their civilization level and technological development or lack thereof, the Divine Empire of Sadera had several developed cities and an incredibly robust economy to support its massive population and most of all, its military. Situated at the center of this superpower is Arklensia – the empire's crowned jewel with a magnificent history spanning almost two thousand years. Throughout its history, Arklensia stood as the undisputed symbol of power and influence in every aspect across the Redonius Continent. The imperial capital's majestic architecture was also renowned across the whole continent and the surrounding islands.

Protected by multiple layers of ramparts, the ornate and imposing form the Malgraf Palace was built into one of the tallest mountains in the continent, making it the most prominent manmade structure in the city. The only other structure that almost rivaled it was the Imperial Senate Building where the administration of the empire took place. In reality, the Senate Building was built as part of the Imperial Palace.

Arklensia boasted a staggering population of almost three million people, which is an impressive feat for such a low-tech civilization of this world. Furthermore, the Saderan imperial capital sat at Urvolf Lake – one of the biggest confluences on the continent, thus giving traders, businessmen, and imperial armed forces easy access to major sea routes. This strategic positioning allowed to the Saderans to have several shipyards and airship docks for their warship fleets located right at the heart of the empire.

Aside from the multitude of Wyvern Knight squadrons constantly patrolling the sky, the capital's airspace was also protected by an entire fleet of powerful airships. Though few in numbers, these airships were powerful in their own right as they were armed and armored enough to take on powerful beasts of Falmarius. Arklensia's strategic advantages didn't end there as there were the mountain ranges to the North and West, giving them perfect defensive positions against any and all invaders.

The entire city was built with innumerable defensive positions in place and well defended by a massive army, numbering around three entire field armies' worth of troops. This number also included the elite Praetorian Guards and Dragon's Wrath – the most powerful and well-funded mercenary army in the empire. If that wasn't enough, there was an army of War Golems and elite Battle Mages ready to teach anyone foolish enough to attack the empire's crowned jewel a lesson in humility.

Assuming that the enemy was powerful enough to lay siege to the entire city, Arklensia had the infrastructure and capabilities to be self-sufficient without relying goods from the outside since the vast fields that provided a wide variety of agricultural produce for imperial citizens were well protected behind tall, sturdy and imposing ramparts and defense towers.

In other words, Arklensia has stood unchallenged for almost two millennia since the empire's foundation even with powerful rivals across the ocean. With all of these factors in mind, it was no wonder that the average citizens could rest assured that the Saderan imperial capital would always be impervious to outside attacks and sieges.

However, that was not the case for the high-ranking officials and the emperor today.

Why is that?

Because the Imperial Senate was locked in a heated debate concerning recent developments of the empire's Gate Expeditions. Even the magic cooling devices installed throughout the spacious interiors of the massive structure couldn't reduce the heat of their discussions.

Recently, they had listened to and reviewed detailed post-battle reports from Tribunar Nolren Káln – one of the few surviving commanders from the Eight Field Army. The Tribunar's reports were confirmed by both his subordinates and the scouts dispatched from Ularok. Many Senators and officials in the empire doubted the validity of the man's reports and some even dismissed them entirely. However, confirmation from capable mages from the Mage City of Rondallis caused them to reconsider and take them more seriously.

Being the highest-ranking officer that survived the hellish Battle of Alneuz Hill, Nolren led remnants of the Eight Field Army toward Ularok to resupply and reorganize his forces. After listening to his disturbing reports, General Wrenlay Ianthe – the commander of Ularok garrison force – recognized the gravity of the situation so he quickly had Nolren report directly to the Imperial Senate. Meanwhile, the remnants of the Seventh and Eight Field Armies regrouped and resupplied at Ularok to reinforce the city's defenses and prepare for potential attack from the Terrans. The same was true for the other frontier cities like Gredasen, Thalgos, and Halgurd. Given their severely traumatized state, however, General Wrenlay assigned them to non-combat duties or discharged them from the military altogether.

Of course, the Senators and high-ranking officials weren't completely oblivious to their defeats in capturing the nation on the other side of the Gate given their extensive spy network.

When Field Marshal Calass requested for reinforcements around two months ago, many have become suspicious but didn't delve much into the matter. Major expeditions into foreign lands would inevitably face certain setbacks and challenges so they didn't bother to look much further into it than they normally should. Some even saw it as a wonderful potential for investment as the production of armor, weapons, essential materials, and supplies has almost tripled since the beginning of the Gate Expeditionary Campaign.

However, such positive views completely vanished with the arrival of Tribunar Nolren and his detailed reports.

A few days have already passed since Tribunar Nolren's hearing. Now, the Senators and royal family were discussing extensively recent events and future courses of action inside the Imperial Senate Building.

"Your Majesty, this otherworld enemy is perhaps the most powerful one our empire has faced by far," Senator Feláng addressed the emperor after debating with his fellow Senators, "In such a short time, our campaigns to capture the otherworld nation and defend Alneuz Hill have ended in complete disaster, leading to the destruction of two whole Field Armies, leaving behind nothing more than physically and mentally broken men. Above all, the otherworld enemy has come to our world to exact vengeance against our empire for our transgressions against them. We must consider the reorganization of our forces and future strategies."

"Senator Feláng is right, My Emperor!" Senator Olarn added, "Ularok and Gredasen lost a sizable portion of their defense forces when Field Marshal Calass pulled them away to reinforce the defenses of Alneuz Hill. Thalgos and Halgurd garrison forces fared even worse as they were reduced to only half of their original numbers. With such massive losses in mind, Alneuz Provincia is effectively lost and the neighboring Provincias are close to suffering the same fate. And that is assuming that the enemy hasn't moved in to claim them already."

"Are you insinuating that we will face defeat, Senator Feláng, Senator Olarn?" Senator Igrand – one of the most prominent war hawks in the Imperial Senate – said in disbelief, "No war is won without great losses. Have you forgotten the Orthanys War? We lost over 600,000 men in subjugating the Heretics in the Orthanys Peninsula and yet we managed to win the war and subjugate those Heretics under the leadership of the Great Emperor Dralkam. We lost only two field armies and now you already declare that our mighty empire is going to suffer more defeat against otherworld barbarians? Absolutely preposterous!"

"I stand with Senator Igrand on this matter," Senator Olzack who was another war advocate Senator chimed in, "We may have lost all of our great beasts and a large number of mages, troops, weapons, and war golems; but we haven't lost any of our most prized assets yet. The losses we've suffered are inconsequential. We still have the great dragons, mages of Sage level, powerful mercenaries, and entire airship fleets. We must not yield ourselves to the otherworld barbarians so easily."

The heated debate between two sides went on while those with neutral views either remained silent or discussed in hushed tone only. Because Alneuz Hill was considered a holy site to all Saderans, the empire didn't place any governing lord to manage the area or develop civilization there. Instead, the defense of the region was shared by the neighboring four Provincias – Ularok, Gredasen, Thalgos, and Halgurd. Due to the abundance of natural resources in these areas, Ularok and Gredasen were more developed, but still less than that of the major cities near the capital, whereas Thalgos and Halgurd were less developed and had relatively small populations.

The Senators continued to engage in heated arguments over the best course of action regarding the Gate, the repercussions of their disastrous campaigns, and the empire's future. Meanwhile, the lower-ranking nobles who managed frontier territories could only watch the debate or discuss the matters with each other in hushed tone. This was especially true for the Bashons (Baron equivalence) of Thalgos, Halgurd, and the other less developed Provincias since they were the ones most affected by the losses in Alneuz Hill.

Eventually, Emperor Malgus Sal Albrentus had enough of listening this pointless debate and decided to silence them all, "ENOUGH!"

The emperor's voice was moderate but it held a commanding aura like no other. With one word, he made an entire chamber filled with high-ranking officials of the empire go silent.

Once the crowd of Senators and nobles quieted down, the emperor finally spoke. His voice was calm and measured as if the very concept of fear and nervousness was alien to him. "We have lost only two field armies, one adult Tarrasque plus its three offspring, two legions of greed-driven mercenaries, and mindless war beasts so far. Yet, here you are, bickering with each other like children. Worse yet, some of you are already thinking of negotiating with the enemy? How pathetic! At least the hoplites and peasant militias fought in those battles were more honorable than you; for they died in the name and glory of our empire. You should be ashamed of yourselves for even carrying your titles as nobles and Senators of the Divine Empire of Sadera."

His words were so intense that they caused many Senators to remain silent and keep their heads low. In the emperor's presence, the low-ranking nobles present had shrunken even more than ever before. The war advocate senators almost scoffed at the other party but they kept their expressions hidden to avoid accidentally incurring the emperor's wrath.

Emperor Malgus let his words sink in for a few moments before continuing, "There is no such thing as a war without losses and sacrifices. I must thank Senator Igrand for reminding you all of the Orthanys War. It was the greatest and bloodiest war in our history. Despite such immense losses and facing powerful heretical weaponry, my father led the allied forces personally and we rebuilt, regrouped, and pressed our assaults until we finally subjugated the Orthanian Heretics and now, the entire Peninsula and its abundance of natural resources belong to us."

He rose from his golden throne and spoke with a more serious tone, "With all that in mind, I trust that none of you shall ever speak of defeat in my presence; if you wish to keep your title and status intact that is."

His last remark caused some of the Senators in the throne room to shudder slightly. For them, noble titles and social status determined everything in their lives so the thought of losing them made their blood run cold. And that wasn't mentioning the repercussions of incurring the emperor's wrath.

"I would like to voice my opinions on the matter, Your Majesty!" One of the Senators spoke up from the crowd. It was Senator Vanzorys who currently held the title of Marquis.

With a nod from the emperor, Senator Vanzorys stepped forward and began to speak. "Our empire is mighty for we have the Gods' blessings," he paused for a moment to let his words sink in, "However, we cannot deny that the otherworld enemy is extremely powerful and quite different from what we have faced so far. The fact that they managed to wipe out two of field armies and so many of our assets within such a short timespan should speak volumes about their destructive capabilities. Ever since the battle, none of our wyvern scouts and mages could reach forest areas surrounding Alneuz Hill due to their powerful explosive magic and light arrows. This means that we couldn't even get a glimpse of what they are doing on the sacred hill. For all we know, they could have built up a massive force there and it is only a matter of time until they could capture the surrounding towns and villages."

He paused again to let his compatriots and nobles process his words before resuming, "Sooner or later, our subjects will begin to question our power and abilities during such a trying time. Therefore, we must find a way to achieve some kind of victory to appease the imperial citizenry and raise the morale of our armed forces. The question is, how can we do that against such a powerful enemy?"

Senator Vanzorys brought some valid points, causing the crowd to debate once more. Emperor Malgus himself was well aware of the situation that his empire was in. In fact, he was already working behind the scenes to prepare for possible scenarios and the future of his empire. He thought about the Senator's words for a moment before speaking, "You brought up excellent points, Senator Vanzorys. The answer is obvious. We will continue our fights against this otherworld enemy until we avenge the fallen and push them out of the holy lands. Another reason why I called for this assembly is to bring forth what we've learned about the enemy."

He then turned to one of his sons, "Diavos, tell the Senators what you have learned about this enemy!"

"Yes Father," Diavos Albrentus – the emperor's third son – stepped forward to address the Senate.

Unlike his two older brothers who enjoyed solving problems with brute force and savagery, Diavos was more focused on subtlety, efficiency, and sometimes, even subterfuge in order to solve problems in his life. For that matter, he was appointed by his father to be the Head of the Emperor's Judgment – a secret guild of assassins responsible for the biggest spy network on the continent. This guild was also one of the major reasons why the Saderan Empire has managed to rule over their subjects and vassal states with an iron fist for so long.

"Although the Seventh Field Army suffered horrendous casualties and defeat on the other side of the Gate," Diavos began his explanation, "They managed to acquire a large number of slaves and prisoners. Once we confirmed that the Seventh Field Army was lost, we began interrogating the prisoners to better understand our foes from another world. With the assistance of capable mages from Rondallis, we were able to understand their barbarian tone and learn many things from them."

Prince Diavos paused for a moment to let the Senate process this information. Then, he continued, "The world beyond the Gate is called 'Earth', an ugly name for a godless world as expected, and there are many different nations just like our own. Instead of Earthlings, however, they refer to themselves as 'Terrans' and Human is the only race inhabiting that world. While the prisoners and slaves have many national affiliations, the majority of them are citizens of the self-proclaimed most powerful nation of that world, the Britannian Empire. This empire is also the nation whose army decimated our field armies and claimed the holy land of Alneuz Hill for themselves."

Diavos paused again to gauge the Senators' reaction to this information. They were discussing with each other in hushed tone again. He knew some of them operated their own spy networks but theirs were not as thorough and pervasive as his. As far as he knew of course. Even if they knew who the empire was fighting against, they never cared all that much until the news of defeat came anyway.

In hindsight, he couldn't exactly blame them since he had a hard time believing all those bits and pieces of information himself. The otherworld empire's feats mentioned by his spies were too surreal for him. Had they not been delivered by his own "Shadows", he would have likely punished the messengers himself for such ridiculous fabrications.

"While their citizens are weak and pathetic, their military is not," Diavos spoke again, "I will not waste time explaining their capabilities since you have already seen or heard about them yourselves thanks to Tribunar Nolren and the survivors from the Eight Field Army. One thing that is clear, however, we are dealing with an incredibly powerful mechanical empire. An empire that advances forward presumably without the use of magic; an empire that focuses solely on developing mechanical technologies instead of magical technologies like the nations of our world. We are doing everything we could to learn more about their weaknesses but the prisoners are tough and resistant to our mind magic, creating some challenges in our endeavors. With time, however, they will break and we will learn more about their secrets and weaknesses."

The Saderan Empire and its allies followed the teachings of the Light of Falmarius, a polytheistic religion that worships many Gods at once. In this religion, the greatest heresy was to develop one's nation in the mechanical ways and reject Magic. Throughout the history of Falmarius, many nations, especially the Divine Empire of Sadera, waged numerous wars on any nation that committed this heresy. The Orthanys War was the most recent example of this as the Saderan Empire destroyed all mechanical technologies and those who developed or utilized them.

Diavos looked at his father and nodded, signaling that his part was done for now. Emperor Malgus smiled in satisfaction with his son's work and rose from his throne. "Now that you have learned what kind of enemy we are fighting, let me ask you this, esteemed Senators of the empire: What is our course of action to this so-called 'Britannian Empire' and their allies?"

The crowd of Senators discussed in louder tones now. Senator Olzack stepped forward to declare with confidence and a renewed fervor, "The answer is obvious, Your Majesty. Their civilization itself is HERESY and they must be purged from our world."

Olzack was soon followed by the majority of the Senate.

"Our purpose is clear," the Senator continued, "The Gods have ordained us to purge these Otherworld Heretics with the opening of the Gate. Once we reclaim the hill and push them back to their world, we will march to the other side and destroy them all."

Eventually, one of the Senators chanted "Death to the Heretic Empire!" and was quickly followed by the rest.

Feeling content with a few more chants, Emperor Malgus raised his hand to silence them and speak again, "Indeed, it is our holy duty to purge these Heretics. However, we must acknowledge that they are a powerful foe. Therefore, it is imperative that we assemble our forces, and adjust our strategies and tactics accordingly to prevent them from desecrating our holy lands with their heretical footsteps any further."

Once the Senate was satisfied with his resolute and determination, he decided that it was time to get down to business, "Grand Marshal Yaegus! Magistrate Ryndar! Grand Admiral Ulthan!"

The emperor called forth three individuals from the crowd:

Magistrate Ryndar Alphane – the Minister of War Logistics

Grand Marshal Yaegus Khain – the supreme commander of the imperial army

Grand Admiral Ulthan – the supreme commander of the imperial navy

While there were many high-ranking officials under them, these three were the most important individuals when it comes to warfare in the Saderan Empire. On the left side of the emperor's throne sat the seats reserved for the highest-ranking military officials in the empire.

1) Magistrate Ryndar Alphane:

The first individual to step forward was Magistrate Ryndar whose visage and appearance showed striking resemblance to the Elves. More accurately, Ryndar was a Half Elf who hailed from the Alphand Principality, the oldest tributary state of the Saderan Empire.

Even though the Saderan Empire was a Human supremacist state, they did have certain policies that allowed remarkable individuals of other races to rise through the ranks of military, society, and administration. Thanks to their attractiveness and striking resemblance to the Humans and the Elven race was one of the races with the most privileges granted to them, thereby allowing the Elves to live comfortably in the heart of the empire.

Ryndar Alphane was an exceptional official with incredible academic and negotiation skills, allowing him to quickly ascend in the ranks of imperial administration. After only several decades of hard work and political affairs, he was recommended for the position of Magistrate of War Logistics by several Senators and Prince Diavos himself. Thanks to his major achievements to the empire's war efforts throughout the decades, he was appointed to the position "Magistrate of War Logistics" by the emperor himself.

In summary, Ryndar Alphane's duty was to organize the empire's industries and make sure its powerful economy could support its oversized military and campaigns across the continent.

2) Grand Marshal Yaegus Khain:

The second individual was Grand Marshal Yaegus Khain – the supreme commander of the imperial army. He was clad in silver armor with ornate golden and red markings stepped forward to answer Malgus's summon. His obsidian cape draped over the pristine marble floor and red carpet beneath as he walked forward and knelt down in front of the emperor.

Similar to Ryndar, Grand Marshal Yaegus wasn't entirely Human but a Half Ogre. He was actually an immigrant from the Nynrad Archipelago, a large island group located south west of the empire. The region was widely known for its exports of sea-based products and materials across the Saderan Empire. Thanks to his martial prowess and achievements, he was promoted to the rank "Grand Marshal" only a few years ago after the previous Grand Marshal was executed after his rampant corruption was exposed by Prince Diavos.

3) Grand Admiral Ulthan Nalkem:

Unlike the previous two, the last individual was completely Human and it was Grand Admiral Ulthan Nalkem – the supreme commander of the imperial navy. While the army mostly relied on brute force and numerical advantage to win battles, the navy relied on brilliant strategies and magical technologies to achieve victories. Since the airship fleets also utilized warships, they fell under his command as well.

While many officers in the military climbed the ranks through either corruption or elimination of competition, Ulthan did so through his sheer will, combat experience, leadership skills, and most of all, connections within the nobility. In regards to years of service, Ulthan was one of the current longest-serving members in the imperial armed forces, thereby making his service records second to none within the empire. For that matter, he was one of the few individuals with highest authority within the empire, second only to the emperor and his family.

Naturally, they were all distinguished individuals who have managed to come this far through their own achievements, both good and bad. All three of them stepped forward and knelt on one knee, addressing Emperor Malgus with their heads bowed.

"Magistrate Ryndar at your command, My Emperor!" Ryndar said.

"Grand Marshal Yaegus Khain at your command, Your Majesty!" Yaegus said.

"Grand Admiral Ulthan Nalkem at your command, Your Majesty!" Ulthan said.

"Rise and heed my command," the emperor said and they rose to their feet. Malgus began givng his orders to the trio, "From today onward, all three of you will begin working with Diavos and his subordinates to devise new strategies against this Britannian Empire. In our empire's glory and my name, you shall reclaim our honor with the destruction and subjugation of the otherworld forces on Alneuz Hill. Once the campaigns to retake the hill is successful, Grand Marshal Yaegus shall lead the subjugation army through the Gate and teach this upstart empire a lesson for defying us. Make sure that they understand the true price of earning our empire's ire. Am I understood?"

"We will make sure your decree is carried out without fail, Your Majesty!" Magistrate Ryndar replied.

"I vow to reclaim the holy hill and show these Heretics the Light of Falmarius. It is great honor to be bestowed upon by this mission. We will not fail!" Grand Marshal Yaegus declared with a hand on his chest, his voice resolute.

"It is as the Grand Marshal said," Grand Admiral Ulthan said, "We will teach this Heretical Empire what happens when they defy us our right of glorious conquest."

With those replies, the entire Senate cheered on in support of these three and the emperor. Emperor Malgus let the wave of excitement wash over the crowd of Senators for a few more moments before raising his hand and informing the three gathered officials, "Senators, send your delegates to our tributaries and vassals to request for their assistance in the reclamation and protection of our great empire. Our armies shall lead the Allied Army to reclaim our territories from the otherworld Heretics. The longer we delay our war efforts, the more these Heretics and their barbarian allies shall desecrate our lands and threaten our ways of life."

The Senators cheered once more for the emperor's fervor and resolve but in a more controlled manner this time. Malgus spoke his final piece before dismissing the senate meeting, "Make no mistake, members of the Imperial Senate. The Gate was bestowed upon us by the Gods so that we could teach these Heretics the errors of their ways and spread the Light of Falmarius far and wide into their uncivilized world." He paused for a moment before continuing, "The war against the Otherworld Heretics will be long and difficult; but we will not stop until they are driven from our world and subjugated by our armies. Remember this, Senators! Challenges and setbacks are inevitable; but by Flare, WE SHALL BE VICTORIOUS!"

At this point, the idea of peaceful negotiations with the otherworld empire has completely vanished and the Senate has fully rallied behind Emperor Malgus's words. The defeats they have suffered might have been minimal but the Divine Empire of Sadera would not let this humiliation go unpunished. Emperor Malgus, members of his imperial family, and the Senate truly believed that they would eventually defeat this otherworld empire and show them why the Saderan Empire was among the dominant superpowers of Falmarius.

All of them but one.

Prince Diavos maintained his composure and façade of ignorance as he watched the crowd of Senators follow his father's words with unquestionable loyalty. On the surface, he pretended to look down on the otherworld empire and their allies in compliance with his compatriots and most of all, his family. Deep down, however, he was terrified at what they, the Saderan Empire, has unleashed upon their world.

Even if only half of the reports he received was true, it painted an incredibly disturbing picture regarding the enemy's capabilities, assuming that was all they were capable of. He wondered how well the other superpowers would stack up against these Britannians and their Terran allies.

Given how prideful and arrogant his father, brothers, and most of the Senators could be, Diavos knew that it would be difficult to convince them to request for an alliance against the Britannian Empire and their Terran allies. Suing for peace with them would be as successful as making a flame dragon become an herbivore, especially when considering their transgressions against the Britannians and their allies.

For now, he focused on selecting what kind of information to reveal during the upcoming war meeting with his father's attendance.

"Sooner or later, we will have to ask the other superpowers for help!" The prince thought to himself and retreated from the throne room to prepare for the war meeting.


Imperial War Ministry, Southeast Districts of Arklensia

Location: Southeast Districts of the Imperial Capital

In stark contrast to the magnificent imperial palace and senate building, the Imperial War Ministry was built with the most utilitarian features in mind. The structure was massive in size as it had enough space to house at least two divisions of men, their weapons, and supplies. It was built using reinforced concrete, enabling it to withstand prolonged artillery bombardments.

In addition, the octagonal building had two in-built airship docks on two opposite sides to launch and recover airships or wyverns as quickly and effectively as possible. Although Saderan airships were slower than wyverns and dragons, they make up for it with their size, armor, firepower, and most of all, altitude, thanks to the arcane technology imported from the Tolshan Kingdom.

Furthermore, the large cavern beneath the structure was modified and rebuilt as an underground port, used to transport materials and personnel to major rivers running across the capital. Essentially, the War Ministry was designed as both the headquarters and the last bastion of the Saderan imperial armed forces.

Inside the conference chamber lit by magical lighting, a group of high-ranking officials was discussing various issues regarding the current war between the two empires. Before the Seventh Field Army marched through the Gate, they had not taken the threats posed by the otherworld nations seriously because of their martial prowess and achievements in this world.

Now, that was no longer the case. They all sat around a large table with the maps of Alneuz Provincia and the surrounding regions. Aside from the three highest-ranking war officials, there were the Field Marshals of several field armies stationed across the empire's territories. Above all, the emperor and his other sons also attended the meeting with Prince Diavos doing the presentation.

"What do we know about the Otherworld Heretics' abilities so far, Your Highness?" Grand Admiral Ulthan asked Prince Diavos.

"Without the Gods' blessings of Magic, the Britannians and their Terran allies make extensive use of mechanical weapons," Diavos explained while holding a patch of high-quality papers, one of the empire's most valuable export products, "According to my Shadows' reports, the most prominent example of these is the explosive staff, a mechanical weapon that is capable of launching metallic projectiles at an immense speed to destroy their enemies. As a result, these projectiles could tear through our warriors' armor with ease and pulverize the soft flesh behind it. For better reference, you can imagine them as handheld cannons designed to counter infantry or threats of similar level. As far as we know, almost every Britannian warrior is armed with this weapon, thus enabling them to kill their enemies from afar."

"Hmph, as expected of such godless barbarians," Prince Zorzan scoffed, interrupting Diavos's explanation, "Not only do they resort to such barbaric methods of slaying their enemies, they also refuse to engage in honorable melee combat. These Herectics' way of doing battle is the ultimate disgrace for a warrior no matter what world they come from. I now understand why the Gods have granted us the Gate to spread our civilized ways to their world."

Though annoyed by his brother's arrogance and interruption, Diavos paid it no mind and continued with his reports, "Nevertheless, we cannot deny that this puts our forces at a severe disadvantage for obvious reasons. Rondallis mages believe that our enchanted crossbows can match these staves in range but not in their destructive capability. In addition to explosive staff, the Britannians also make use of highly mobile armored carriages, self-propelled bunkers with attached artilleries, metal wyverns, light arrows, and mechanical war golems. We will discuss these weapons later and focus on the countermeasures for the enemy's explosive staff first."

"Since they have the advantage in terms of range and destructive ability," Grand Admiral Ulthan said, "We have to negate that by closing the distance and destroy them swiftly in melee, using everything we have. What do you propose, Your Highness?"

As the oldest veteran in the room, Diavos respected Admiral Ulthan and appreciated his presence more than that of Yaegus and others like him. Diavos nodded at the Admiral's assessment, "Because the enemy this time belongs to a mechanical civilization, we can draw references and learn from the Orthanys War by making certain changes. For example, we can form heavy infantry equipped with more armor to resist their long-range weapons, reduce the armor protection on our cavalry forces for better mobility, equip our hoplites with enchanted crossbows, have mages cast wider shields, and employ ambush tactics more frequently. This brings us to our next challenge: Mobile artilleries, mechanical carriages, war golems, and metal wyverns. According to the accounts from the survivors of the Seventh Field Army, the Britannian Empire also has some airships, each of which is the size of a castle. Due to our inability to confirm their validity, we will dismiss them as some kind of deception fabricated through unknown means for now."

Diavos placed several sketches of the carriages in question on the table for the group to examine. They were crude sketches of the Britannian ground and aerial vehicles, drawn by talented artists with the assistance of mages. They were drawn by the mages who luckily survived the Battle of Alneuz Hill and retreated along with Tribunar Nolren. As rough as they might be, they at least gave the Saderans a good idea of what the Britannian mechanical carriages and war golems looked like.

"Their metal golems, wyverns, and vehicles have greater speed, mobility, and destructive power than our cavalry and horsva-drawn carriages," he began, "Although the validity of our reports is questionable given how traumatized the survivors are and the difficulty of getting closer for more accurate reports, we can assume that they can devastate our armored infantry or cavalry with their cannons very quickly. Our rapid and super artilleries may deal some damage to the Britannians but we suffer mobility and logistical issues in deploying them against the enemy. The war beasts can serve as effective cannon fodders for us but throwing endless waves of them at the Britannians is not sustainable in the long run."

"Why do we even waste time discussing such trivial matters?" Prince Zorzan said, seemingly annoyed by this drawn-out discussion, "We have an army of over a million strong with another million in reserve. If there is a lack of troops and weapons, we just have to recruit and produce more. Since it is clear that we are fighting Heretics, we can easily gather as much manpower and resources as we desire."

"Our airships and wyvern overlords can fly higher and faster than their metal wyverns," Prince Targarys added, "We still have a large number of wyverns and ancient dragons under our control. Their wyverns or whatever they are called must be heavy and cannot fly too high. Our wyverns could be launched from the airships and assault them from above. On the ground, we can use the Tarrasques and other war beasts to overwhelm their army."

Prince Zorzan is the emperor's oldest son and crown prince whereas Prince Targarys is the second son of the emperor. Because of his cunning and sadistic nature, Prince Zorzan found many supporters in the upper echelon of the imperial military, chief among them being Grand Marshal Yaegus. His latest achievement was the complete destruction of the Southern Rebel Alliance almost two decades ago. He was also at odds with Diavos regarding many issues throughout the years due to their inherent differences.

Targarys was somewhat less sadistic than Zorzan since he actually employed practical tactics in battle. However, it wasn't much to write home about since he was one of the strongest supporters of Zorzan's aggressive diplomacy. While Zorzan preferred leading the ground forces, Targarys enjoyed leading the aerial forces, particularly the airship fleets, with his favorite wyvern overlord.

For that matter, Diavos did not enjoy having these two attend this meeting in the slightest. Thankfully, as prideful as his father might be, he still had common sense to prevent nepotism from completely clouting his judgment in government and military affairs.

They continued to discuss various issues for some time with the generals and princes giving their input every now and then. The longer they discussed, the more they realized how outmatched they were by the Britannians. Even the usually arrogant Grand Marshal Yaegus became less arrogant and somewhat more cautious as the discussion went on. To Diavos's annoyance and dismay, the same could not be said for his brothers.

"For now, I believe this is the best strategy to retake the hill," Grand Marshal Ulthan said and presented the notes he wrote throughout the meeting, "We will split the Alneuz Reclamation Army into three separate forces: One in the air and two on the ground. Our aerial forces will be led by the airship fleets to achieve maximum altitude and avoid attacks from their metal wyverns and golems. The ground forces will include one of our field armies and the vassal kingdom army. Once we reach Ularok, the armies will be split further into three forces and attack the enemy from three separate directions."

Admiral Ulthan drew on the map with his pen to highlight the battle formations before continuing his explanation. He proposed to use the Vassal Kingdoms Army as the primary cannon fodders to take the full brunt of the Britannians' attacks.

While the tributary and vassal kingdoms maintained some level of autonomy, they were ultimately subservient to the empire at large. The Council of Advisors which Diavos was also a member of stated that their defeats under the Britannians' hands could potentially incite or sow seeds of rebellion in these kingdoms. It was the primary reason why the emperor decided to ask them for reinforcements in the reclamation of Alneuz Hill. By having them divert their armed forces for the reclamation campaign, the empire could reduce that possibility significantly while also having the Britannians waste their resources in destroying the Vassal Kingdom Army.

When the Britannians were too focused on engaging the Allied Kingdom Army, the Saderan aerial and ground forces would assault them from multiple directions in the hopes of overwhelming the Britannian forces as quickly as possible. In order to maximize their chances of victory, the Grand Marshal proposed that they used at least two great dragons and several wyvern overlords for this campaign. Magistrate Ryndar also suggested having the mages cast Guardian Shields over the dragons, wyverns, and the leading airships to ensure that they could survive the Britannians' ranged attacks.

With the inclusion of such powerful forces, everyone in the room was confident about their victory in this campaign. However, certain issues still required addressing.

"Your Highness, what about the defense of Thalgos, Halgurd, and Gredasen?" Field Marshal Pránkos – the commander of the Third Field Army – raised the first issue, "Ularok's defenses have been strengthened thanks to the influx of troops but these three cities lack the sufficient amount of defense because of how remote they are from our major fortifications. Even if we divert some forces from Ularok or the other cities to help them, it will take them at least another week to reach these cities. It is likely that the Heretics are preparing to invade and take over these three cities as we speak."

"Worry not, Marshal Pránkos!" Magistrate Ryndar reassured him, "We've already arranged some mercenary groups in the region to fill in the defense gaps for all the Provincias surrounding Alneuz. Additionally, we have prepared mages and magic communication devices there, allowing us to monitor the situation in those areas. As for Gredasen, two support fleets from Fort Heldan are moving toward Gredasen to reinforce its defenses and transport supplies for our armed forces."

"What should we tell the vassal kingdoms about the enemy?" Field Marshal Meingaz – the commander of the Fifth Field Army – asked, "Surely, they will become suspicious of our motives when we allow them to march toward the holy hill alongside our army so easily."

"We will give them limited information and let them rest or resupply at Ularok or Gredasen to prevent suspicions," Diavos replied, "We can tell them that our forces are engaging in a long-term siege campaign against the Britannians. Of course, our own forces won't engage in battle until they suffer some casualties first."

Although they said nothing, Diavos could almost hear the audible scoff from both Zorzan and Targarys in the background for suggesting such a cowardly move. They thought that the tributary and vassal kingdoms were all submissive or too scared to repel against the empire.

Oh, how much he wished they knew the truth! Had it not been for him and his Shadows working behind the scene, some of them would have resisted the empire's rule more strongly than they did during his grandfather's dynasty.

The topic regarding force allocation took a little bit longer than the others. As fanatical as they might be, not all of the marshals or field commanders were overly eager to rush into battle against the Britannians, especially after what they have learned about the otherworld enemy. Zorzan and Targarys were quick to chastise them for being cowardly or dishonorable but they were shut down by the emperor himself, something that Diavos enjoyed every second of.

Eventually, it was left to the Grand Marshal and Grand Admiral to decide which forces would be sent for this campaign.

"Field Marshal Raknar, your army is currently stationed at Ithalica, isn't it?" Grand Marshal Yaegus asked one of the marshals in the chamber.

"That's correct, my Lord!" Raknar answered, "The Ninth Field Army is currently reinforcing the defenses of Ithalica and Tarmog, supplemented by one airship fleet."

Each field army serves as both garrison forces and expeditionary or conquest forces, hence their size and strength. For that matter, they have to be stationed at one medium-sized cities or major port area to sustain themselves for extended campaigns. Prior to the Gate Expeditionary Campaign, the Eight Field Army was stationed at Ularok whereas the Seventh Field Army was assigned to garrison Ithalica.

Now that both of them were decimated, their protection fell under the local defense forces and the forces dispatched from the other Provincias. Currently, the Ninth Field Army was divided to protect Ithalica and their original city – Tarmog.

"How many legions do you have in Ithalica?" Yaegus asked.

"Half of my army is there, my Lord!" Raknar replied.

"That will be enough," the Grand Marshal said and placed some wooden markers on the maps to highlight troop movement, "You will march to the Old Arkas Fort and meet up with the Vassal Kingdom Army there. Relay our battle strategies to them but make sure to keep them from finding out the truth about the destruction of the Seventh and Eight Field Armies."

He then turned to Grand Admiral Ulthan who was examining some documents in his hands, "Admiral Ulthan, can we divert two airship fleets for this battle?"

The Grand Admiral did some quick calculations in his mind before answering, "It is possible. However, it may stretch our fleets thin and leave some regions undefended unless we push for the production of more airships or use the wyvern overlords to supplement our defenses. After all, we still have to deal with the Orc hordes and rebels in those regions. Magistrate Ryndar, we may need to commission around 40 new ships for the airship navy during and after this campaign. Can that be done?"

"I will do everything I could to secure and allocate more resources and manpower," Magistrate Ryndar said, "If all is going well, we should be able to push the shipbuilding guilds to increase their production capacity. The real challenge is to acquire the resources and train new ship crews, something that we have to work with our ally. For now, we can dedicate no more than 50 airships at most for this campaign."

"That will be enough," Yaegus said, "We will dedicate two airship fleets for the Reclamation Battle. Our airships will serve logistical duties, deploy the wyvern knight squadrons, and bombard the enemy from above. However, we will only attack once the Britannians focus their attacks on the Vassal Kingdom Army."

"Understood, Grand Marshal!" Raknar said, feeling relieved that his army would be supported by two airship fleets in this battle.

"That leaves us with who will lead the aerial fleets," Yaegus addressed the issue, "There are many capable commanders but they lack the experience in fighting this type of enemy. Not to mention, they are needed to protect our airspace and cities from raiders and dangerous beasts."

At this, Prince Targarys stepped forward and said with vigor, "Grand Marshal, I would like to take command of the aerial forces for the Alneuz Reclamation Campaign. Seeing that I started the taming of wyvern overlords, I believe that I am the best candidate for this."

For a moment, Diavos could see that Ulthan and Yaegus were internally debating whether letting the second prince lead the assault forces was a good idea. Prince Targarys was the one who suggested deploying wyvern lords and overlords in battle. While he did employ practical tactics in battle, he lacked the foresight and experience in combat due to the enemies he fought. Then again, there was little the enemies could do when facing three massive wyvern overlords anyway, especially each of them could decimate a whole legion by itself.

Seeing that they were debating amongst themselves, the emperor spoke up, "Yaegus, Ulthan, do you have any protest to Targarys leading our forces?"

"No, Your Majesty!" Grand Marshal Yaegus said, "In fact, we believe that his highness Targarys would be perfect for this job."

Soon enough, the rest of the field marshals followed suit and supported Targarys's decision. Only Ulthan and Diavos were hesitant in letting the second prince lead the campaign. Not that they could protest since it was a decree from the emperor himself anyway.

Eventually, they agreed to let Targarys command the aerial forces in the Alneuz Reclamation Campaign with one condition: Follow their battle plans accordingly.

"There are two challenges for our strategies for this campaign," Magistrate Ryndar stated near the end of the meeting, "Firstly, we need someone to lead the Allied Kingdom Army and make sure they follow our plans thoroughly. Secondly, we must find a way to disrupt the Britannians' efforts in establishing their foothold in the holy hill."

Zorzan was enraged at the Magistrate's latter suggestion as he exclaimed, "Ryndar, how much do you want to sully our honor in battle? I can tolerate making the Allied Kingdom Army our cannon fodders but this goes against our doctrine and honor. If you wish to…"

At this point, Diavos has become irritated enough with Zorzan's narrow-minded views of things to boldly interrupt him, "Have you not read my reports, brother? The Britannians allegedly employed cowardly tactics to destroy the morale and experienced warriors of the Eight Field Army before the Battle of Alneuz Hill even began. There is no shame or dishonor in utilizing our elite assassins to wreak havoc in their ranks before our primary army engages them in battle."

Zorzan was about to voice his protest further but he was shut down by the emperor. "Silence, Zorzan! Diavos has a point. The otherworld enemy has proven to possess unique abilities that gave them some advantages over our military. Therefore, it is only natural to make use of every chance that could give us the upper hand against them in battle."

With that in mind, both Zorzan and Targarys couldn't say anything more in protest to the strategies devised by Diavos and the group of generals.

Zorzan looked as if he was about to throw another temper tantrums as he often did whenever things didn't go his way. To Diavos's surprise, he simply stormed off while mumbling something akin to "Disgrace to the empire's honor!".

As for Targarys, he was clearly angry with the "cowardly" tactics used for this campaign but he did a good job of hiding his disdain throughout the meeting.

"Diavos, have the Britannians have any move to take the other cities from Alneuz Hill?" Emperor Malgus asked.

"Not yet, father!" Diavos said and placed the markers on the Alneuz map, "The latest reports from my Shadows stated that the Britannians and their allies were building fortifications in Alneuz Hill. We believe that they are aiming to establish their foothold in our world as fast and effectively as possible. They often sent out their metal wyverns, insect golems, and armored carriages to scout the surrounding areas, combat the dangerous wildlife of Alneuz Provincia, and track down warriors turned bandits in the areas."

"Then there is no better time to strike than now, when they are the most vulnerable!" Grand Admiral Ulthan said, "We should use our assassins and mages to conduct hit-and-run attacks on their forces and lure them into our traps to kill as many of them as possible before our army crushes them. More importantly, we can use these attacks to lower their morale and discourage them from advancing any further into our world, thereby buying us more time to build up our forces and bolster our defenses."

The group contemplated Ulthan's words for a few moments. Eventually, the decision was made by Malgus himself. "Diavos, deploy your Shadows against the Britannians! Have them disrupt their war efforts as much as possible."

"How many Shadows do you wish to commit for this operation?" Diavos asked.

"As many as you could gather," Malgus's answer surprised everyone in the chamber. It showed how seriously the emperor took the threat posed by the otherworld enemy.

"Understood, father!" Diavos acknowledged his father's order.

The war meeting continued for another thirty minutes as they focused on the resource allocation for the campaign. After all of the commanders and officials exited the chamber, Malgus called out to someone behind the door, "Piña, do you have anything to say to us?"

Princess Piña Colanda Albrentus emerged from the shadow and bowed her head toward her father respectfully. Her dark red hair and armor glistened slightly under the chamber's light. She was the second Princess of the imperial family and younger than Diavos by a few years. Unlike the first princess, she and her younger sister was born from the emperor's relationship with a concubine – Countess Nelfran.

After achieving knighthood, Princess Piña was granted permission to establish her own knightly order – Scarlet-Order of Knights or more commonly known as the Scarlet Order. Most of the members were young men and women from noble families, and old veterans from the imperial armed forces. Their level of training was higher than that of the average rank-and-file soldiers of the empire. Coupled with their well-maintained gear and resources, the Scarlet Order was one of the most elite combat forces of the imperial army but they were allowed somewhat more freedom to choose their battles than the conventional armed forces.

Most of the time, the Scarlet Order served as an independent army that reinforced the local defenses or fought defensive battles when a city or town was under attack or siege and the imperial army was occupied with more important matters. Instead of wyverns, the Scarlet Order made use of Gryphons as their air force while also utilizing several airships for logistical duties rather than fire support roles.

"Father, Brother Diavos, may I ask why we have to resort to such cowardly tactics to fight these Heretics?" She asked after greeting them.

Emperor Malgus Sal Albrentus didn't respond right away. Both he and Diavos understood why she would ask such a question because she, like everyone in the empire, was brought up with the belief that their empire was mighty and there were only a few superpowers that could challenge or defeat them in this world. The idea that they would resort to such underhanded tactics to combat the Otherworld Empire baffled her, his sons, and the generals to no end.

Diavos was about to answer but he was beaten to it by his father. "Piña, my dear daughter, you must understand that the enemy we face this time is not from our world and they do not follow our civilized way of war. Therefore, this war requires certain tactics to counter and defeat them. As cowardly as they may seem to you, they are necessary to ensure our victory and reduce the chances of rebellion from our vassals."

"But Father, our circumstances are not so desperate for such measures," Piña voiced her opinion, "I would understand if we were fighting the Kingdom or the Imperium. But against these Heretics? We have our pride as the premier superpower of Redonius. If the other superpowers find out, we will lose our…"

"That's enough, Piña!" Malgus said sternly. His tone was more enough to stop her from speaking any further. Seeing that she was silent, he continued, "Sometimes, we must put aside our pride to achieve the ultimate goals. Our history is proud but it is not without moments of shame and dishonor. In time, you will understand my words."

With nothing else to say, the scarlet-haired princess could simply keep her head slightly downward to avoid incurring her father's wrath. Though having different mothers, Diavos maintained a positive relationship with his younger sisters and did his best to help them however and whenever he could. In most cases, he helped mediate the situation whenever they were having trouble with their oldest brothers.

In an attempt to lessen the tension in the room, Diavos made a suggestion when she was about to say something, "Father, when the Ninth Field Army marches for the Alneuz Reclamation Campaign, Ithalica and Tarmog will be left weakly defended. I believe we should let Piña's knightly order take care of their defenses for the time being. In doing so, they could respond quickly to potential threats of Orc hordes, rebels, and brigands in those regions when necessary."

Emperor Malgus contemplated the idea for a moment while Piña looked relieved that her brother gave her such level of support. After a few moments of intense silence, the emperor made his decision, "Very well. Piña, you will deploy your knights to Tarmog and Ithalica to bolster their defenses and free up the Ninth Field Army for the Alneuz Reclamation Campaign. I trust that you will handle that task well."

"Thank you, father!" Piña beamed at the assignment given to her, "I will not fail you."

"If there is nothing else to say, you are dismissed," the emperor said. Princess Piña gave her father one last bow before leaving the chamber.

"How many Shadow guilds can you deploy to Alneuz Hill before the Vassal Kingdom Army arrives?" Malgus asked his son once he made sure that there was no one else within the chamber.

"By my rough estimations, we can send around half of the ones we have under our control," Diavos replied, "That is if we can afford to pay them a certain amount in advance. I don't suppose we will have a lot to spare after losing so many troops, weapons, and supplies in Alneuz."

"Don't worry about the money!" The emperor reassured him, "I will handle that front. Just make sure to have them disrupt the Britannians' war advance or halt their advance as much as possible."

Malgus paused for a moment before continuing, "I am more concerned with whether or not we can convince the Lyonthel of Elbard to lead the Vassal Kingdom Army. Our plan's success entirely depends on that. Do you think he will march to Alneuz Hill as planned?"

"I've already made some plans on that matter, father! Durand will march as we've planned," Diavos said confidently.

"Excellent! I expect great results from you, Diavos," Malgus said with a grin on his face.

At that, Diavos understood his father's motive and bowed his head toward him in respect, "Understood, father. I will carry out your will."

With that, they exited the conference chamber and returned to their respective daily duties. The emperor was escorted away by his entourage of most elite Praetorian Guards while the third prince only had several bodyguards with him.

Once he reached his study room inside the war ministry, Diavos made sure that he was not disturbed and entered the room, closing the doors behind him as he went. He took off his leather armor and cape, then sat on his chair to relax himself. The room only had one large window, overlooking the barracks and fortifications outside. Due to his involvement with Shadow guilds, Diavos has made sure that his room was as secure as possible for his work.

After a few seconds of silence, he called out to a particular spot inside his room, "Kryles!"

Just then, a short humanoid figure materialized within the room. The individual was covered from head to toe in black robes, revealing very little of the person's features.

"Yes, your highness!" the individual said with a female voice but kept her head low.

"The ground in Alneuz Hill is soft, correct?" Diavos asked his Shadow bodyguard.

"I do not understand the question," the Shadow said, confused by his question.

"Just answer it!" He said calmly but his tone was stern.

"Yes, the soil of Alneuz is soft and loose," she replied, "Blessed by the Gods themselves, it is perfect for farming and husbandry."

"Then contact the Crawling Specter!" the Prince said.

The Shadow lifted her head slightly, surprised by his order. This motion caused some strains of her silver hair to reveal themselves under her hood.

"How soon can we deploy them against the otherworld Heretics?" He asked the Shadow woman.

"It depends on how far they are from the holy hill," she said, "Based on our latest information of their location, they should reach Alneuz in two weeks."

"Then do it! Deploy the other guilds as well," he gave his order.

"How many do you wish to send, my liege?"

"All of them," he said with a neutral tone.

Seeing that the Shadow was astonished by his answer, Diavos opted to give his explanation now rather than later, "If we do not utilize them now, our enemies will likely use them against us sooner or later. They have more money and resources to throw around than we do so that is only a matter of time. Better get rid of the thorns in your side now than let them grow into malignant tumors that kill you slowly from the inside. Any more questions?"

"No, my liege!" the Shadow said.

"Then leave and get it done!"

The cloaked Shadow nodded and vanished from sight, as if she was never there in the first place. Invisibility and illusion magic was two of the most difficult magics to learn, let alone master. For that matter, Diavos was glad to have mages capable of utilizing them at his disposal. However, he wasn't entirely sure how they would fare against the Britannian Shadows or whatever their equivalence of Shadows was.

Diavos glanced at the plethora of reports gathered by his subordinates regarding the Britannians' capabilities. Saying that he was overwhelmed was an understatement. Some of his Shadows reported that the Britannians seemed hesitant to engage the imperials turned bandits whenever there were ordinary citizens involved in the fight. While this was a significant weakness they could exploit, the Britannians' military power and tactics made it almost inconsequential.

He let out a sigh, retrieved an ornate smoking pipe from the drawer, and took a drag to calm himself. Based on everything they have learned so far, he knew that the Saderan Empire could never defeat the Britannians in a fair fight.

If they wanted to win, they must either play dirty or ask for help from the other superpowers. His biggest challenge would be to make his father, his siblings, and the rest of obstinate and arrogant Senate understand that fact.

If doing it the hard way was his only choice, then so be it.

"Let's see how you will deal with this, Empire from another world!" he thought and blew a long puff of smoke toward the window.

Regardless of how this war between the two empires would turn out, he knew that everything would change for his world and likely, the other world as well. The only question is, what would that mean for his empire in the end.


Echo Two Guard Post, Southeast Perimeter of Alneuz Hill

Location: Echo Two Guard Post of Fort Devereaux, 14 kilometers Southeast of the Gate

Terran Calendar: November 16, 2135 – 8:15 PM

"Are you serious? The Winter Comic-Con was delayed? AGAIN?" One of the Britannian soldiers exclaimed, waking up Tobias from his evening nap.

"Yeah, they said that all major events unrelated to the Los Angeles Incident had to be delayed for another two months at least. Really sucks, doesn't it?" Another soldier said. Judging from the accent and pronunciation, he guessed that it was a Japanese soldier from the platoon he was working with.

"Tell me about it! I couldn't attend New Osaka Festival either," another chimed in. This time, it was an Indian soldier.

Over one month has passed since the Battle of Alneuz Hill which ended with the overwhelming victory for the Britannian armed forces. Now, the Britannians and their Terran allies were building the Forward Operating Base for the United Earth Defense Force on the alien planet.

Because of the potential risks posed by the alien ecosystem to Terran life, the Britannian military has established a kill-zone with the radius of 12 kilometers, with the Gate at its center. The defensive walls were made of reinforced concrete, and they stood around forty meters in height and six meters in width, stretching around 75.4 kilometers in circumference. Numerous prefabricated structures have been set up for Terran operations on this side of the Gate whereas multiple streams of construction crews, both Human and robots, moved to and from the Gate to transport the materials for the nonstop construction and expansion of the base which was named "Fort Devereaux". Similar to the base guarding the Gate on Earth side, this base was named after one of the brave police officers who sacrificed themselves to protect the civilians during the Los Angeles Incident.

Currently, there were two Britannian Army divisions and one Britannian Marine division stationed here. Due to some difficulties in deploying troops overseas and security reasons, the other member nations of the UEDF deployed their forces to the alien planet at a later date. The first foreign nation with troops landing on Falmarius was Russia, followed closely by United Europe and Japan. The other national militaries of India, Korea, Australia, and China arrived roughly a week later. Nations that couldn't send troops supported the Empire's war efforts through logistical and humanitarian support.

These national militaries would be divided into smaller forces to work in tandem with the Britannian forces in various duties. The force allocation depended on the nations' agreements with the Imperial Strategic Command but in most cases, they would be divided into units of platoon and company sizes to work with their Britannian equivalences.

Aside from the plethora of automated defense systems, they have positioned four squadrons of fighter aircraft and hundreds of unmanned drones to protect the base from all kinds of threats posed by either the Saderans or the Falmarian wildlife. Unfortunately, their orbital assets couldn't be deployed to this side yet since the spaceport infrastructure was still under construction. As a result, the Terrans had to rely on their ground and aerial assets for the time being.

Until the base was fully constructed, the Britannians have assigned multiple multinational units to protect the unfinished areas and train together to test and improve their combat effectiveness. This setup also intended for the Terran troops to get accustomed to the living conditions on an alien planet and prepare them for long-term operations on this side. So far, there have been few issues in that regard.

In Tobias's case, his platoon was working in tandem with one unit from the 15th Division of the Japan National Army and another from the 29th Gorkha Regiment of the Indian Army with the following objectives:

1) Guard the unfinished section of the walls

2) Combat dangerous wildlife and potential Saderan attackers

Because they have already wiped out or captured all remnants of the Saderan army in the region two weeks ago, their duty was now limited to only the first one. Occasionally, aggressive animals would approach or in some cases, breach the established perimeters but they were quickly dealt with.

The overall boring atmosphere resulted from the lack of tension allowed the Britannians to mingle with their Terran allies on a more personal level. After extensive training and combat simulations during the day, this could be considered a leisurely downtime for them.

He glanced at the time on his wrist-pad and was surprised at how long he had slept. In the background, he could hear Private Collins Urban lament on his failure to purchase the latest IAF (Interactive Action Figure) of a character from one of the currently most famous anime series due to the event's delay.

The area that they were posted to was designated "Echo Two" which was one of the four unfinished sections of the base's defensive walls. Echo Two Company consisted of three platoons – one Japanese platoon (39 troops), one Indian platoon (41 troops), and the HQ platoon being that of Tobias (45 troops).

During the Interplanetary War, Tobias had some experience working with foreign military units, especially the Special Forces groups of allied countries. The same could be said for the other re-enlisted veterans in this campaign. For that matter, he could see why High Command assigned them to be unit commanders of these multi-national units.

"They only sell the latest version of Misaki Petrov figurine at those events," Private Urban cried out, "I've been dying to buy one myself. Now, I have to wait for a few more months."

"Well, it can't be that bad," Private Pierre Jäschke added, "You can still buy them in the stores in Los Angeles, right?"

"You don't get it, Pierre! They only sell them at the events and most stores can only acquire these versions through the black market, which has questionable quality I might add. That's how they make big bucks," Collins corrected him.

"Still, it sucks that we don't have any cultural events related to anime, manga, and games," the Indian Naik (Corporal equivalent in the Indian army) from earlier commented, "I was hoping to get some autographs from Tarah Nanase and Maria Kusanagi for my wife."

"WHAT? Which event are they going to attend?" Another Britannian private exclaimed this time.

"From what I've heard, they were going to be special guests for Harumi Festival near Christmas. I suppose their schedule would change now that all events are delayed to much later date," the Indian soldier shrugged.

"Oh hell, I'm definitely going to get their autographs after coming back from this tour," the Britannian private said.

As for the female personnel, they were talking about various topics but one stood out in particular. A certain Japanese Sergeant was hounding his unit's Knightmare pilots with all kinds of questions under the sun after they were done talking about the latest fashion trends. It seemed that she was simply interested in military subjects in general.

When they first met, she asked him various questions regarding his service as a former Army Ranger – the Special Force group of the Britannian Army. He tried to answer as best as he could but her questioning was relentless. Eventually, he decided to let his subordinates deal with her instead.

As the conversations went on, Tobias smiled at the positive atmosphere between his countrymen and foreign soldiers. It has been a while since the last time he made friends with those from other countries after his discharge following the Interplanetary War.

Since his shift was about to begin, he decided to get some coffee to keep himself awake for the night. As he rummaged through the cans inside his unit's ice container, he was disappointed that somebody took the last latte coffee can he had saved up. Worse yet, they had to wait for the morning supply delivery to get some more.

Letting out a sigh, he closed the container and was about to ask his fellow lieutenants for some extra coffee cans (If they still had any left that is) when someone addressed him from behind.

"Here, Lieutenant! We brought some extras for your unit!" the person said and handed him a coffee can.

"Thanks, man! I appreci…" Tobias barely finished his sentence and when he turned his head and saw who it was. He snapped up in a quick salute, "Colonel Henriksen, Sir!"

By now, some of the Britannians and Japanese nearby also saw the Colonel and saluted him as well.

"At ease, Lieutenant!" The Colonel said and gave him the coffee can, "I'm just taking a stroll in the area, getting myself acquainted with my subordinates and the foreign units, you know?"

Colonel Lelouch Henriksen was accompanied by one female bodyguard and four Type-370 Sentinel Bots, all armed with M-40E Carbines. Her shoulder-length red hair was tied into a pony tail and she wore the specialized body-armor for Knightmare Frame pilot. Her blue eyes landed on him for a moment before scanning the dark environment beyond the perimeters.

"How is it going with the foreign units, Lieutenant?" the Colonel asked him after having the transport bot distribute the extra supplies to his men, which they were grateful for. How they managed to come up so close to him and his units, Tobias had no idea but he was glad to have such an understanding superior, considering the ones he had to work under in the past.

"No issues so far, Sir. Though I have to be honest, our guys are a little too comfortable with them, especially with the Japanese contingent," Tobias remarked.

The Colonel chuckled upon seeing the interactions between the two units, "You don't say. Still, it's good to see that almost everyone is getting along. I was worried that you would butt heads with our foreign allies over cultural issues, seeing that most of your men are new recruits. It seems that my fears were unfounded."

Tobias was glad to have the man as the commander of his brigade. Despite his newly appointed position and social status, Colonel Henriksen treated his subordinates with equal level of respect and professionalism. Thanks to his strategies and leadership, the Black Knight Brigade was now renowned as the vanguard force of the Falmarius Expeditionary Army. The artillery battalion even gave themselves the nickname "Monster Hunter" thanks to their achievement in killing the Tarrasques and other aggressive native creatures.

Upon taking a closer look, he recognized the Colonel's bodyguard from the training grounds, "Excuse me, you're the pilot of that Guren Prototype, aren't you?"

The young woman looked up at him in surprise before answering, "Yes Sir, I'm Specialist Kallen Stadtfeld assigned to be the pilot of the Guren Type II. The Colonel said that you were one of the most excellent veterans in this campaign."

"I'm flattered," Tobias said, "I was just doing my job. Having more experience in the field does help though. By the way, I just want to say that you have some excellent piloting skills there, Kallen. We've seen your combat footage during the Battle of Alneuz Hill and needless to say, you have quite a fanbase already. I've rarely seen anyone that good behind the controls of a Knightmare Frame."

"Thank you, Sir!" Specialist Stadtfeld said, her eyes showed a hint of excitement and confidence, "I am still training under Sergeant Dalton to improve myself further. I'm also excited to work with veterans like you and foreign soldiers."

"Enthusiasm is good but don't get carried away, young lady! Sitting inside an armored cockpit of a Knightmare Frame doesn't make you always invincible or invulnerable. You have to prepare yourself for all possible combat situations as well."

Lelouch and Kallen conversed with Tobias, his men, and the foreign units for a few minutes until Lelouch's AI assistant – Rosemary – spoke through their comms channel, "Colonel, our sensors picked up movement in the area."

"Where?" Lelouch asked her. Tobias and Kallen could see the serious look on his face and became alerted as well.

"Around four hundred meters from this position," Rosemary said and showed it on Lelouch's and Tobias's datapads, "Based on the heat signatures, it seems to be a large group of native animals, consisting of Norndeers and Trynboars. However, there appears to be some humanoid signatures mixed in as well."

"Humanoid signatures? What's their number? And do they have any weapons?" Lelouch asked as he examined the sensor data on his datapad. So did Tobias and Kallen.

"Uncertain, Sir! The dense vegetation and animals are interfering with our sensors. We have to take a closer look to make sure."

Lelouch shifted his gaze from his datapad to the dark environment around them. Although their floodlights were powerful enough to illuminate a large area, their light couldn't penetrate the dense vegetation beyond the marked perimeters. Since Alneuz Hill was very far from the nearest settlement and they already eliminated or captured all remnants of the Saderan army in the area, this automatically ruled out the possibility of Falmarian natives wandering into the area. Therefore, it was highly possible that whoever in there was hostile.

But what if they were Terran civilians who managed to escape the Saderans' capture and had come here only recently? After all, despite their constant aerial sweeps, this region was simply too vast to cover everything and everywhere all the time.

Tobias also noticed this and informed Lelouch, "We'll send a drone in there to check it out, Sir."

Lelouch nodded and ordered the rest of the company to stay alerted and prepare for potential combat.

"Devora, send your Mantises into that area and check it out! I want a clear visual in there," Tobias gave his order to his platoon's Knightmare Frame pilot – Specialist Devora Verhoeven.

"Roger that, Lieutenant!" The Specialist said and tapped some command into her wrist-pad before returning to her Knightmare Frame. The Japanese pilot also returned to his Akatsuki Mark IV Knightmare Frame whereas the rest of the infantry got their weapons and set up defensive positions around their vehicles.

Three Mantis drones detached from Devora's Knightmare Frame which was named "Crucial Intentions" by the platoon. Mantis drone is the more armed version of the Sherman drones. The company watched the drones fly toward the darkness where their light couldn't reach and disappear into it. Live transmission from the drones were sent by the Specialist to Tobias's datapad.

As the sensor data earlier suggested, it was indeed a group of native herbivores moving about. When they first saw them, Tobias and every other Terran were excited to witness the bio-diversity of native life on this planet, especially in this region.

The Norndeers and Trynboars were two of the most common animal species as they often wandered just outside the perimeters, looking for food or running away from predators. The Norndeer is a mainly herbivorous species with four eyes, tall legs, and colorful fur and stripes whereas the Trynboar is a scavenger species with some resemblance to Earth's boars except they are bigger, have mandibles and horns.

When the drones moved past them, their lights caused the animals to react and scatter away from the flying machines. Eventually, they found what they were looking for. There were two unconscious women laying beneath a tree.

At first, they thought that these two were from one of the villages on the outer edge of this region or some kind of magical projections created by the Saderan mages. Upon closer examination, however, the women's clothes, shoes, and accessories implied that they could be among the Terrans captured by the Saderans three months ago. Their clothes were torn and ragged but it was highly possible that they were from Earth. The women also had many injuries on their bodies and they looked a little malnourished. Not only that, their heat signatures suggested that they were indeed real people.

"How the hell did they get here?" One of the Japanese soldiers said in disbelief upon seeing the footage on their datapads.

"Maybe they managed to escape from the Saderans and run all the way here?" One of the Indians surmised.

"Two malnourished women somehow crossed the distance of hundreds of kilometers and survived a forest filled with dangerous flora and fauna? If that doesn't sound like a trap, I don't know what does," Sergeant Ikram Marko spoke up.

"Still, we can't just leave them out there," one of the Britannian privates said, "Terran or not, we have to help them. What if they are really people taken from Earth a few months ago?"

Normally, Tobias would have to ask the brigade commander for instructions regarding this situation. Luckily for him, said commander happened to pass by his guard post at this exact moment.

Understanding the gravity of this situation, Lelouch quickly made the decision for them. "Lieutenant Lundgren, take three fireteams with you to inspect the situation and retrieve the civilians. Lieutenant Kashyap, dispatch two fireteams to accompany Lieutenant Lundgren in their mission. Lieutenant Youji, your unit will remain here and secure the perimeters. The rest of you, stay frosty and prepare to respond when the situation is hot."

"Yes Sir!" The unit commanders said in unison and went to carry out his orders.

"Devora, set the drones to stealth mode! We are going to need them to cover our retreat in case things go south," Tobias said into his radio.

Specialist Verhoeven acknowledged his order and turned on the drones' active camouflage. Their lights disappeared from the video but the transmission remained.

Tobias took twelve men from his platoon whereas Lieutenant Aristakes Kashyap sent two five-men fireteams to accompany Tobias's group, then headed into the woods. Their route was highlighted by the drones on the HUD inside their helmets. The Japanese unit and the rest of the company remained outside stayed outside to secure the area.

Moving deeper into the forest, the Terran soldiers constantly swept the area with their night vision and rifles affixed with bayonets. Due to the Saderans' propensity for melee combat, the Britannian High Command decided to have their forces train extensively in hand-to-hand combat before their deployment.

"You know it's a trap, right?" Havildar (Sergeant) Nirav Varma spoke softly through the radio. It was as if he feared that they were being stalked by predators in this forest. In fact, Tobias's own instinct told him that they were.

He couldn't help but agree with the Indian Sergeant. Far away from the reach of their advanced civilization, the Terrans were vulnerable to both the Saderans and this hostile planet. Almost every living thing they had encountered here so far wasn't exactly friendly regardless of how they might seem. Even the seemingly friendly Norndeers attacked them every now and then for territorial reasons. And that wasn't mentioning the myriad of other creatures, both large and small, they have encountered for the past month.

"It wouldn't make sense if it wasn't," Tobias said, "Having said that, we still have to get them out of this hell-hole. It's our duty to protect and defend our people whether we like it or not."

Havildar Varma didn't comment any further but simply focused on scanning the environment around them. Needless to say, the Terrans were quite jumpy and kept their weapons ahead of them, constantly scanning for potential threats.

After four minutes of slowly trekking on the forest floor, they detected the two women and the group of animals. By the time they reached the civilians, the animals have scattered in all directions.

Tobias and Nirav shared a concerned look with each other, then nodded. They both approached the women while the rest of the group established a perimeter.

As they approached the two women, Tobias and Havildar Varma felt both unnerved by the whole situation and enraged by what the invaders did to their fellow Terrans. They didn't know exactly what they did but it wasn't pretty. Both women had many bruises and injuries on their exposed skin and they looked as if they had not had a proper meal for a long time.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" Tobias crouched down and held up the brunette woman who wore torn office shirt and dress. Nirav did so with the blond woman.

They checked the women's bodies for potential hidden weapons and was relieved to find none. Unfortunately, it wasn't all good news since both of them were incredibly weak and barely even conscious.

Suddenly, the radio crackled, "Lieutenant, Havildar, evacuate the civilians immediately! You have hostiles fast approaching. Get the hell out of there!"

Tobias's eyes widened in shock as he recognized the voice to be that of the Colonel. The same goes for Nirav. Just then, Corporal Axel De Palma informed both of them. "Sirs, we have movement! Two dozen contacts moving in fast!"

"Which direction?" Tobias quickly asked.

"All over the place," the Corporal's answer sent a chill down Tobias's spine. He was about to give his orders when the woman in his arms grabbed his forearm and said weakly.

"Run… they're… here!" It was all she could say before she succumbed to her conditions. Checking her pulse, Tobias was relieved that she only lost consciousness, not dead.

And then, all hell broke loose.

There was a scream of agony next to them, attracting their attention. All of their lights were focused in that direction and they were shocked by what they saw.

One of the Indian soldiers – Sepoy (Private) Grover – was holding his neck which has sustained a large slashing wound and was bleeding profusely. Behind him, the vague outlines of a humanoid form were shimmering in and out of their artificial lights. Although the Indian infantry armor was weaker than that of the Britannians and Europeans, it could still protect the wearer from most close-range attacks and limited firearms, hence why the assailant went for his most vulnerable spot – his neck.

As soon as he recognized the threat, Tobias drew his sidearm – the Paladin M400 – and fired round after round into that form. Although they couldn't see it clearly, the humanoid form jerked with each shot as the bullets' kinetic impact decimated his organs. The assailant fell dead after six shots, his invisible magic was dispelled, revealing his form to the bewildered Terrans.

"PHANTOMS!" Tobias shouted at the top of his lungs to the group and into the radio, jolting them back from their stupor.

"Phantom" is codeword for contact with enemy capable of invisibility or advanced stealth capabilities. The Britannians jumped into action and switch from the standard night vision to the specialized Night Owl Vision but not before one of them succumbed to another invisible assassin.

Since active camouflage took a large amount of energy to maintain, the enemy would certainly show up on non-visual spectrums. Magic or not, these assassins still had to follow the laws of physics and in this case, the assassins emitted a large amount of infrared radiation.

"CONTACT!" Corporal De Palma shouted and took care of the second assassin by emptying one-third of his magazine in the assassin's general direction. The assassin was fast but he wasn't fast enough to dodge bullets. Another assassin fell dead, his body was turned into a beehive.

The Britannians and Indians tightened the circle and began firing at any and all hostiles that popped up on their infrared vision.

"Havildar, you and I will extract the civilians! Pierre, Isaac, extract the wounded! The rest of you, cover our asses and get us the hell out of here!" Tobias quickly gave his orders and they all went to work.

The Indian Sergeant nodded and shouted his own orders in Hindi to his Gurkhas, then lifted the other woman on his shoulder. Tobias did the same and made sure to have his other hand free to hold a weapon. Private Pierre Jäschke and Private Isaac Stevenson carried the two mortally wounded men while the rest established perimeter around them.

A bright yellow line was appeared on their HUDs, allowing the group to quickly move toward safety. Tobias was thankful for it since it was very easy to get lost in this pitch-black environment, especially with this chaotic battle taking place. Once all of the wounded was secure, they began moving in diamond formation with the Britannian and Indian soldiers picking off enemy combatants as they went.

At this point, it seemed that the enemy had forgone stealth and decided to charge them in full force instead. Many of them let out an ear-piercing war cry and began charging toward the Terrans, brandishing all kinds of melee weapons in hands.

"Avoid moving too close to the trees! There are hostiles hiding in them!" Rosemary said through their radio and the group made wide berths from any tall trees that stood in their way.

As if on cue, arrows began flying toward them from the shadow above the trees. Fortunately, the attackers' flimsy arrows could barely scratch modern body armor worn by most infantrymen on Earth. Tobias and Nirav used their bodies to shield the unconscious civilians from the arrows.

Tobias grunted in annoyance as the arrows bounced off his helmet and shoulders. Although their armor was designed to block rifle rounds and absorb their kinetic impact, being shot at wasn't a pleasant feeling.

From the peripheral of his vision, Tobias saw several hostiles charge toward him while the Indian soldiers were reloading their rifles. After letting out a curse under his breath, he raised his battle rifle with one hand and started firing at them. He managed to kill three of them but to his dismay, his aim was off and he failed to kill the other four. Fortunately, the Gurkhas who served as their rearguard came to his rescue.

The first Gurkha unsheathed his kukri and threw it directly at one of the attackers. The short sword embedded itself into the attacker's head but it didn't stop there. Since the Indian Gurkha's strength was augmented by his exo-suit, the force was enough to knock the attacker back. He was dead before his body even hit the ground.

The Gurkha withdrew his blade from the dead man's skull by activating the pull function of the grapple gun attached to his gauntlet. Using the momentum of his retrieval action, the Gurkha evaded the second attacker's swing and slashed his neck with one swift motion. The time it took the Gurkha to dispatch his attackers was less than three seconds.

Meanwhile, the second Gurkha blocked the third attacker's downward swing with his gauntlet and fired at the fourth one with his sidearm, instantly killing the man. Then, he slashed the third one's neck with his kukri, almost decapitating the man.

The two of them flicked the blood off their blades, gave a nod of approval to Tobias, reloaded their INSAS-1500 Assault Rifles, and resumed killing the hostiles from range. He has heard about the Gurkhas before but it was the first time he directly witnessed their martial prowess like this. Saying that he was impressed was a serious understatement.

Once the Britannians and Indians took care of the hostiles within melee combat range, Corporal Laszlo Thornton let it loose with his XM-300 machine gun to deter the second wave of attackers, killing scores of them with one swing of his gun. Despite their best efforts, however, the unknown attackers were relentless and they were slowly running out of ammo.

Occasionally, some of the attackers would fall from the trees around them. It was too dark to see but he assumed that Mantis drones were giving them covering fire as well.

When they were a short distance away from the tree line, the forest was lit up with multiple streams of tracer rounds. Judging from the scream of agony all around them, it was clear that the Colonel has ordered the company to start suppressive firing with their big guns.

After what felt like hours, they all breathed a collective sigh of relief when they finally reached the safety of their established perimeters. When their comrades moved out to retrieve them, Colonel Henriksen gave the most iconic order throughout this conflict, "All units, fire at will!"

At that moment, every gun that was bigger than what a person could hold opened up on the forest. The flashes from their barrels temporarily outshone the floodlights around them. The hordes of attackers didn't even have time to scream or register the pain before their bodies were pulverized by hypersonic projectiles. The volume of fire was so great that streams of bullets cut down several large trees along their sweeps.

Meanwhile, Tobias, Nirav, Pierre, and Isaac took the wounded to the medical vehicle set up by the Japanese unit. Farah and one Japanese medical specialist tended to them and performed first aid with the help of their robotic nurses.

Tobias checked on his group and was relieved that they were all accounted for. However, he was angry that they have suffered four casualties. Two of them were in critical conditions due to the invisible assassins' attacks whereas the other two suffered light injuries when engaging the attackers in hand-to-hand combat.

It wasn't the first time his subordinates died under his command and it wouldn't be the last either. He didn't dwell on it for now since he realized that the other units could be under attack as well. Turning on the radio, he was greeted by a cacophony of noises from the other companies. Beneath the sound of gunfire, he could make out certain sentences that indicated the gravity of the current situation.

"… under attack! Be advised… Terran hostages! Recommend small arms fire only."

"They are flanking us. Fire the damn missiles!"

"This is Echo Four Actual… requesting air support to smoke these bastards."

"… send some teams in to extract them. We can't use our explosives on them with those hostages in the way."

Despite the chaos, Tobias was astonished to learn that Colonel Henriksen was calmly giving instructions to the other units aside from his own. The gunfight was concluded with their Knightmare Frames firing several anti-personnel rockets into their targets, decimating a large patch of the forest.

For a few moments, it was quiet since his company already eliminated all hostiles in the area.

That was, until the sound of ear-piercing shrieks punctuated the air. The sound came from deep inside the forest and caused everyone to tighten their grip on their weapons.

"What the fuck was that noise?" Corporal Thornton asked no one in particular while reloading his machine gun.

"Something like Mayan death whistle," Private Jäschke said, "Although this sounds way worse."

"A what now?" Laszlo asked in confusion.

"Mayan death whistle. Just look it up on SolNet and you will see what I mean." Pierre replied.

They didn't have time to ponder the haunting sound as Rosemary's report came through the radio, "Colonel, our base's sensors are picking up increasing seismic activities in the area. It looks like some kind of underground creatures are digging their way toward the base."

Lelouch's eyes widened in shock at her report but didn't question her any further. Instead, he composed himself and gave the order, "Inform Alneuz Command to raise the alert status to Condition Charlie. Make sure everyone back at base know and prepare themselves for what is coming."

Far in the distance, the sound of gunfight and explosion continued to permeate the night-time environment but it was slowly being replaced by the sound of rumbling. Soon enough, it began to grow louder and louder. The ground beneath their feet began shaking and everyone braced themselves for whatever was coming.

After a few minutes of small-scale earthquake, the hill near them exploded outward and from it, came a gigantic sandworm-like creature. At first glance, it looked like a much meaner and bigger version of the mythical Mongolian death worm.

If he had to guess, these creatures were subterranean and hunted their prey by relying on sound only. This theory was proven when the giant creature went for the backup generator of their unit, quickly destroying the machinery with its mandibles.

In the background, he could hear Lieutenant Itami Youji of the Japanese unit dryly remarked, "Yeah, we're gonna need a much bigger gun for that."

It looked like tonight's battle was far from over.


Author's Special Notes:

*Pikachu Face* How could this be? The Saderans actually employed smart (dirty) tactics in battle. Don't they always stupidly and blindly charge head-first into battle or in this case, machine guns of the Terrans? Also, what are these other superpowers of Planet Falmarius?

Okay, in all seriousness, it's really, really, really weird how almost every author wrote the Saderans this way. Worse yet, they, including the original author of the GATE series, ALWAYS act as if the Saderan Empire is the ONLY country in this world. That's like saying Japan or America is the only country on Earth simply because the events in the series only take place there or something.

I mean, I get that they (the fanfiction authors) want this primitive civilization to be the punching bag of modern Earth or their fictional advanced civilizations. However, this trope can get boring and tedious fast if you read the same thing over and over. Therefore, I'm going to change that by:

+ Making the Saderans somewhat smarter

+ Adding OTHER countries in this universe to progress the plot

Will these Falmarian countries be friend or foe to the Terrans? Stay tuned for more answers, my dear readers!

Lastly, if any of you messaged me and I didn't reply, I am very sorry because I was simply too busy or my DM didn't receive your messages. If you have any questions, feel free to message me or comment on my series.

Finally, as usual, here are some Worldbuilding Notes:

1) Orthanys Peninsula: The Orthanys Peninsula is a sub-continent North West of Redonius – the continent ruled by the Divine Empire of Sadera for over one thousand years. Redonius is also one of the major continents on Planet Falmarius. Around 300 years ago, there were three separate countries that developed mechanical technologies without using magic. This was considered a grave heresy by the Saderans and their allies. Upon learning this, the Saderan Empire and one of their allied superpowers launched a massive invasion on the Peninsula to subjugate the Orthanians and conquer their territories. These nations had a technological level of around that of 1900s countries on Earth.

2) Shadow: The word "Shadow" is used by the Saderans to refer to those doing dirty jobs for private entities or the imperial armed forces. To put it simply, they are the spies, assassins, and grunts doing jobs that the average citizen and warriors despise or dislike doing.

3) Lyonthel: Lyonthel is a mammalian species native to Planet Falmarius. In terms of appearance, Lyonthel is somewhat similar to the Lions of Earth but they are bigger, more aggressive, and have more teeth and claws to tear their prey apart. Despite the size difference, Lyonthels can take on wyvern lords and smaller dragons, thus making them the symbol of majesty, courage, and fierceness in battle on this world.

4) Misaki Petrov: Misaki Petrov is a famous character from the Magical Girl From Callisto anime series. At this time, she is ranked as one of the most popular anime female characters of Summer 2135.

5) Night Owl Vision: Night Owl Vision is a special scanning mode equipped to all helmets of modern soldiers and marines if their military could afford the costs. This mode can scan the environment on all non-visual spectrums, allowing the wearer to detect enemies with stealth capabilities based on the heat and energy they emit. Following the Interplanetary War, the Britannian Empire began developing advanced stealth technology that could evade even the Night Owl Vision.