When Worlds Collide

by StarKing28

Through the 21st century and in the early 22nd century, Charles led his nation through an era of peace, prosperity, and technological development. Although there were some conflicts along the way, the Empire stood strong and became a spacefaring nation along with its allies. However, that peace was shattered when a mysterious portal opened in Los Angeles in 2130s.

16. Chapter 15: Organized Chaos – Part 1

Chapter 15: Organized Chaos – Part 1

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.

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Location: Bravo Site

Terran Calendar: December 10, 2135 – 4:25 AM

"What should we do?" The cloaked Shadows asked his comrade, his voice shaken.

"We are getting the hell out of here!" The second Shadow said in a low whisper, "There is no way I am dying here like those idiots."

"Our orders are to monitor the situation here and kill the Britannian diplomats if they fail," the first Shadow said, "If we go back empty-handed, the Guidmaster will…" He was interrupted.

"Hardy damns that bastard and his orders! I am NOT going against THAT!" He said with a more aggressive tone, then gestured at the hulking form of three menacing Britannian War Golems. From their position, they couldn't see it clearly but they saw the silhouette of over three dozen Britannian soldiers armed with the infamous thunder staves.

The first Shadow cringed when he saw the mutilated bodies of their fellow Shadows embedded in the royal guard forces of the Northern Alliance Kingdoms, illuminated by their airship's artificial lighting. Fanatic as they were, those guys still possessed good skills and experience in infiltration and assassination work.

And yet, they were all done in by Britannian weapons in mere seconds. Just like that.

"If you want to die following that guy's orders, you go right ahead!" He continued, "I am getting out of here now!" He then got up and slowly backed away to avoid making unnecessary noises.

"Wait, Hulek!" The first Shadow called out to him but he was already a few meters away from earshot.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, the man decided to follow his comrade. He turned and gave the brutal scene one last look before following the second Shadow. The brutal display of Britannian military power was more than enough to convince him that he would be better off taking his chances with their own Guildmaster than being blown into pieces.

Both "Shadows" steadily edged further and further away from the tree line until they were deep inside the forest. After making sure that they weren't followed by anyone or anything, they dropped their cloaking spell and ran as fast as they could toward their designated rally point.

They only made it around a hundred meters or so when suddenly, their senses were assaulted by a loud bang and white flash. The pair of Shadows stumbled and collapsed onto the forest floor, their masks and faces were scraped by the undergrowth where they fell. With their hands clutching their ears, both Shadows were curled up in pain as they experienced temporary hearing loss, visual impairment, disorientation, and distress.

The first Shadow felt like his head would explode due to the constant ringing in his ears. His vision was blurry but he could see that his comrade fared no better. He tried to scream at his comrade to get his attention but the ringing was incessant and agonizing.

It took them over two full minutes to recover from the bang.

Although his ears were still ringing, the second Shadow turned to ask his comrade. "Are you okay?"

"WHAT?" His comrade asked out loud.

"I said, are you okay?" He asked again, louder this time.

"WHAT DID YOU…?" The first Shadow said again but he was struck from behind.

It wasn't until he saw the unconscious form of his comrade on the ground that the first Shadow realized what was going on. His eyes darted around the place, scanning for threats, while his hands drew the knives out in an attempt to defend himself.

Eventually, he saw the vague outlines of someone in front of him.

His eyes widened in horror when two humanoid creatures covered in black cloaks and armor appeared out of seemingly thin air, their hands clutching strange-looking thunder staves. He looked around to see two more and was horrified to find that he was surrounded on all sides, making escape impossible.

The entities were tall and completely covered in obsidian armor, allowing them to blend in with darkness. The only notable feature about them was their green eyes that seemed to glow in the dark.

Back at the guild, he heard many rumors about these "Demons" and the horror stories involving them from the survivors of the Eight Field Army. Since he was just a low-ranking Shadow in the Guild's hierarchy, he doubted that he heard the whole stories about them.

In a split second, the Shadow decided that death would be more preferable than whatever these "Demons" had in store for him.

And so, he turned his knives on himself but his hands were quickly grabbed by the two Demons on his sides. The third Demon walked toward him and knocked him to the ground with a powerful sucker punch.

Dazed and disoriented again, the man looked up to see that Demon stand on top of him. He looked over to see his knives were knocked away from his hands and he was being pinned to the ground in an iron grip. His eyes stared at the Demon's soulless eyes and the Demon stared back at his own.

For a moment, he almost expected the Demon's faceless mask to open up with a mouth full of sharp teeth to devour him.

Instead, the Demon simply said to him with a low and gravel voice. "Good night, friend!"

Then, it struck him again in the face. Eventually, darkness filled his vision and the Shadow lost consciousness.

---

Sorting Things Out

"Python Zero-One to King Cobra, targets secured! Bringing them to the extraction point! Acknowledged?" A voice came through his earpiece.

"Copy that, Python Zero-One!" Captain Jason MacTavish said into the comms line, "Keep an eye out for any potential 'Targets'. King Cobra, out!"

The Cerberus Captain then turned to report to his superiors, "Ma'am, Colonel, we've secured the runners! They are being taken to the extraction point."

"Excellent, Captain!" General Nonette Enneagram remarked, "Keep us updated on the situation!"

"Yes Ma'am!" Captain MacTavish said and resumed his duty of guarding the Terran diplomats.

"Looks like I owe you twenty credits on this one, Lu Boy!" Nonette said with a disappointed sigh to Lelouch. Meanwhile, Count Formal offered his insight on the current situation to Cornelia and Ambassador Wilkinson.

"Well, don't feel too bad about it, Sis!" He said softly, "There are plenty of chances for you to even the scores."

Before their transport landed, drone sensors detected six unknown individuals who followed the Northern Alliance diplomatic party under cloaking spell, along with ten more with normal camouflage gear. Since the Northern Alliance was sending their representatives to meet up with the Terran Diplomatic Party, the Britannians presumed that these "Shadows" were their secret bodyguards. Even so, the Special Forces teams had the stalking Shadows on their radar after their drones detected them.

Speculations were made on which faction these cloaked Shadows belonged to. Nonette betted on them being part of the Northern Vassal Alliance's royal guard detail whereas Lelouch betted on them being to some secret guilds working for the Saderan Empire. After that brief scuffle however, the Army Major General wasn't too happy about losing the bet to her adopted brother.

The Britannian Royal Guards and Special Forces operators went on high alert to protect the Terran Diplomats and respond to potential hostilities when when they detected suspicious movement from the security detail of the Northern Alliance.

Before the Northern Redonians could react, several royal guards of each kingdom, save for Elbard Kingdom, turned on their own comrades and killed them with their weapons. In seconds, four unfortunate royal guards lost their lives to this sneak attack.

And then, the situation turned into absolute chaos.

Enraged by their action, the other royal guards drew their weapons and engaged the disguised assassins in melee combat. All the while, the Terrans were unsure on how to deal with them. Although the Special Forces operators and Knightmare Frames could pick off the assassins with their guns, they didn't want to risk friendly fire with the Northern Alliance representatives so close to each other.

That approach changed when the ones under cloaking spell began to make their move. Four of them readied their weapons while the other two remained behind, possibly to monitor the situation.

Initially, the Terrans thought they were attempting to assassinate the Northern Vassal Alliance representatives while the ones engaging the royal guards served as distractions. Their assumption turned out to be wrong when their sensors showed that the cloaked assassins aimed their crossbows at the Terran diplomats. Almost at the same time, the disguised assassins disengaged from their fights with the royal guards and charged toward the Terran diplomats.

Needless to say, their luck ran out the moment they turned their weapons on the Terran diplomats.

As soon as the assassins raised their bows, the Special Forces operators blew their heads off with their assault rifles and drones. The charging ones fared no better as they were swiftly taken care of by the Knightmare Frames' heavy machine guns. The diplomats' security detail didn't even have to fire a single shot.

As for the pair in hiding, they seemed to panic as they slowly backed away from their hiding spots and ran as quickly as they could. Since the Terran drones were monitoring them from the start, they never stood a chance.

Seeing that they were an unknown factor in this whole situation, Rear Admiral Cornelia decided to have them captured alive for interrogation. Thanks to their prior encounters with Saderan Shadows, the Special Forces operators were able to capture them and prevent them from committing suicide with a stun grenade.

Special Forces operators began moving the unconscious Shadows to their vehicles for transfer to Fort Devereaux. Meanwhile, Nonette had the remaining soldiers inside the Minotaur Dropship deployed to establish a secure perimeter. Although the royal guards of the Northern Vassal Kingdoms were spooked by the presence of so many heavily armed Terran soldiers, there was little they could do about it given the circumstances of the current situation.

For him personally, Lelouch admitted that this whole situation was a little underwhelming since he had expected Magic to be a more troublesome factor.

He put it away for now and returned to listening to the conversation between the Terran diplomats and Count Formal to sort things out with the Northern Alliance representatives.

Speaking of which, he wondered how the Mukwan King was doing.

He opened a channel to Farah who was treating the Mukwan King with her colleagues inside the dropship's medical bay. "Farah, what is the status of King Renthar?"

"We've stopped his bleeding and treated his wounds, Sir!" She replied, "But he is showing signs of poisoning. We think that assassin used some kind of venom to kill him. We are analyzing the venom to provide the proper treatment."

"Understood! The Royal Guard Captain is not causing any trouble, is he?"

When the Medics tried to bring King Renthar inside the dropship's medical ward for treatment, the Mukwan Royal Guard Captain insisted that he and two more guards were allowed to go in with them. The Britannians didn't relent and reasoned that only one of them was permitted to tag along. With his king's life hanging on the balance, the Captain eventually relented and followed the Medics inside.

So far, he hasn't caused any trouble for the Britannians.

"Well, he is still doubting us. That's for sure. At least he is not causing a ruckus here or anything. I think it is mainly because of the four armed bodyguards we have here with us."

"Got it! Keep us updated on his conditions!" Lelouch said and cut the transmission.

He was just in time to hear Ambassador Wilkinson gave a summary of Count Formal's explanation. "So, what you are saying is… these assassins are spies sent by the Saderan Empire to sabotage the peace talks between us and the Northern Alliance?"

"That's right, Ambassador Geralt!" Count Karvett Formal said, "We believe that they aim to prevent the Northern Alliance from developing positive relations with your countries. In doing so, they will be able to make you focus on fighting the Northern Vassal Kingdoms instead of the Saderan Empire. As I said before, the empire lost a significant portion of their armed forces in their failed expeditionary campaign to your world so they cannot afford to have their vassals and tributaries rebel or harbor any intention of doing so."

Lelouch noticed that his sister and the Ambassadors were scrutinizing the Northern Alliance leaders and their security detail, daring them to do something out of the ordinary. Judging from their expressions and behaviors, he could rest assured that they wouldn't try anything stupid, especially after having a mere glimpse of Terran weapons in action and seeing all the armed Britannian soldiers around them.

"We will trust you for now, Count Formal!" Cornelia said, then turned to King Durand and the others, "Representatives of the Northern Alliance, I believe it's time we resume what we are all here for! I believe that you will have no issues with that?"

King Durand looked at the others – Archduke Fransol, Knight Princess Rusheila, Prince Elwarg, and Duke Ligur – for a moment. With the exception being King Renthar, they seemed to have some wordless debate for a moment before agreeing to have an official meeting with the Terran diplomats.

Naturally, the representatives were only allowed one guard each this time and all of them were subject to weapons inspection. The Falmarian natives were fully engrossed by the alien interiors of the Heavy Dropship until they reached the meeting room above the cargo hold.

Once everyone was settled inside, the Britannian Ambassador and Count Formal began explaining to the Northern Alliance leaders everything, from the failed expeditionary of Saderan Empire in Los Angeles to the complete destruction of their entire field armies on both sides of the Gate.

The Northern Alliance leaders remained skeptical and didn't believe everything they said. That was, until Ambassador Geralt Wilkinson and his staff showed them the evidence in the form of battle records.

---

Official Diplomatic Meeting – Part 1

King Durand had to clench his fists to prevent his hands from shaking any further. He thought he had seen everything regarding the Britannians' military might during that brief fight between them and the Saderan assassins.

Well, calling it a "fight" was too much of a stretch since it was nothing more than a one-sided slaughter.

After watching the battle records called "videos" of the Saderans' failed expeditionary campaign on the other side of the Gate, he realized how foolish he was to make that assumption. That same phrase could be used to describe the battles between the Saderan regular army and the Britannian military.

As much as he and the other representatives of the Northern Vassal Alliance denied the validity of said evidence, those videos and images were too vivid to be mere magical fabrications. Powerful streamlined cannons tore through hordes of Saderan cavalry, armored infantry, and war beasts with ease; Hundreds of arrows of light and fire rained down upon imperial troops and their auxiliary forces like divine punishment from the Heavens; Massive war golems and self-propelled artillery platforms destroyed everything in their path with their insane weapons as easily as a newly sharpened scythe cutting through weed.

And that wasn't mentioning the magnificent sight of the Britannian city and the plethora of things they couldn't grasp just beyond the Gate.

From the magnificent city on the other side to the plains and hills of Alneuz, the Saderan armies were completely annihilated by the Britannians' onslaught. As if that wasn't bad enough, even the legendary Tarrasque and its offspring were effortlessly slain by the Britannians. When they were watching the Britannians killing one of the mightiest Falmarian beasts, he and the others had to blink several times to make sure they weren't dreaming about the whole thing.

The worst part was perhaps when they learned that there were other Terran countries joining in the war against the Saderan Empire.

Inside the dimly lit meeting room, they were seated in a large rectangular table with the Northern Vassal Alliance leaders on one side and the United Earth Defense Force diplomats on the other. Count Formal and Admiral Cornelia sat at the rear end of the table, hosting the meeting.

Aside from the Ambassadors of the Britannian Empire, United Europe, and Russian Federation, there were also the Ambassadors from five other nations: India, China, Japan, Korea, and Australia. In Count Formal's own words, all of these countries were considered "Superpowers" based on their (Falmarian) standards.

From what they could gather so far, it was apparent that the Saderans' actions in the city named "Los Angeles" had angered many nations on Earth – the world on the other side of the Gate. Given the Saderan Empire's propensity for violence and conquest, Durand and the others felt like this was nothing short of poetic justice at work.

"These are the people we were supposed to fight?" He heard Duke Ligur Gerjad mutter in defeat and horror. He also noticed the color slowly draining from the others' faces as they watched the videos on the transparent panels at their seats.

"So many countries, all against us?" Prince Elwarg muttered under his breath, "We are as good as dead."

He just came back from the lavatory after emptying his stomach. Seeing the gruesome aftermath of those battles was apparently too much for him. Princess Rusheila was also struggling to control her emotions and maintain her composure.

Captain Bhazen, the Mukwan Royal Guard Commander who served as a temporary stand-in for King Renthar, did a better job at hiding his fear and terror thanks to his experience and training. However, Durand knew that deep down, the middle-aged captain was panicking just as much as they were.

While the reaction from his fellow heads of state was expected and understandable, Durand wondered how Archduke Fransol was so calm about the whole situation. Although he showed some signs of surprise and shock, terror and fear weren't among them. He wasn't entirely certain but his intuition told him that the leader of the Orthanys Union wasn't as affected by the graphic images and videos as they were. Throughout the viewing section, the Orthanian Archduke maintained a perfectly neutral expression and reacted very little to the disturbing contents whenever the brutal scenes were shown.

He wondered if it had something to do with the Archduke's heritage as the descendant from one of the Orthanys Peninsula countries.

In reality, they weren't completely honest with the Terrans since there was another reason why they agreed to march their armies to Alneuz Hill under the empire's orders. That incentive being, Emperor Malgus promised to lower the annual tributes and permit more representation in the imperial senate for the vassal kingdoms.

In Durand's case, their envoy even stated that the emperor would allow his kingdom to trade with other superpowers with less retricted supervision than before. These propositions were enticing enough for the vassal kingdoms in both Northern Vassals and Southern Vassals to mobilize their armies and march toward Alneuz as quickly as possible.

Based on the intel gathered by his own spies, Durand learned that the effects of this attractive offer were even more prominent to the Southern Vassal Kingdoms since they were able to mobilize a massive army and march their forces to the rendevouz point – Old Arkas Fort – faster than their Northern counterparts.

At first, he was initially puzzled as to how the empire managed to convince all vassal kingdoms to march their armies towards Alneuz Hill and engage the otherworld forces in battle. The Alphand Principality didn't have a proper army so he could see why they didn't send any troops. While the benefits that involved in complying with the empire's request were certainly enticing, he doubted that it was the whole picture and that the empire would suddenly change their attitude towards the vassal kingdoms like this, especially to the Northern Vassal Kingdoms.

In general, the Saderan Empire was oppressive towards minor non-human tribes and small city-states but they were smart enough to avoid pushing the vassal kingdoms too far. In the cases of the Southern Vassals, the Saderan emperors even went as far as allowing some level of representation in the senate as long as they swore absolute allegiance to the Saderan Empire. As the Northern Vassals, they were sick of the empire's exploitation but there was little they could do against the Giant that was the empire.

Every time a King or Magistrate voiced negative opinions towards the empire or harbored rebellious intentions against them, they were forced to be stay silent or replaced by someone more obedient, one way or another. The ones who simply stayed silent were the lucky ones as some even perished in mysterious ways.

Being the oldest and most experienced ruler amongst the other vassal leaders, Durand was prudent enough to avoid drawing the empire's ire and suffer the consequences. The same goes for King Renthar and King Reynald (Alguna Kingdom). He might not have been alive at the time but he knew roughly what happened to the Orthanys countries, the precursor of the Orthanys Union.

Putting aside the Archduke's reaction for the moment, Durand was certain that they all shared the same emotion now after watching the battle records: Anger.

They were angry that the Saderan Empire had lied to them about everything; they were angry that they were nothing more than puppets dancing in the Saderan emperor's hands; and most of all, they were angry at themselves for letting Malgus manipulate them like this.

"As you can see for yourselves," Rear Admiral Cornelia said after everyone on the Northern Alliance side composed themselves, "We possess the ability and willingness to destroy your entire kingdoms with little issues." She paused to let that sink in for them before continuing, "The only reason we are having this conversation is because we chose not to and we are fighting the Divine Empire of Sadera, not you. At least, that only applies until you decide to attack us or do heinous things to our people of course."

Once again, her words sent a chill down the spine of every Falmarian native in the room. What made the situation even more disturbing was the Britannian Admiral's tone. She sounded as if destroying their kingdoms was the most casual thing in the world.

This fact was not lost to the Northern Alliance representatives, casting a heavy atmosphere upon them.

"What… do you want from us?" Durand finally mustered enough courage and willpower to ask this question. His voice was lower than usual and his nerve was shaken.

"It's simple, actually!" Ambassador Geralt Wilkinson said this time, "We want to convince you to leave or open diplomatic channels with us. The same goes for the Southern Vassal Alliance. If possible, we would like to form an amicable relationship with your kingdoms going forward."

His answer surprised them all.

"You are… not here to conquer us?" Duke Ligur said incredulously.

"No, we are here with three goals in mind!" Ambassador Wilkinson stated clearly, "First, we want to rescue the people who were taken from our world and enslaved by the Saderans. Second, we want to force the empire to surrender unconditionally and answer for their crimes against humanity. Finally, we wish to explore your world and establish friendly relations with you, the native countries of this world."

The Northern Redonian representatives was dumbfounded by his answers. They understood why the Terrans would go so far for their own people since they were shown the Saderans' despicable actions against them along with the battle records.

For the other two, however, they couldn't see why the Britannians, or the Terrans in general, would go to such lengths to make peace with them. They had expected the them to be more coercive in their demands or resort to outright conquest of their small nations, using their powerful weapons and advanced technology.

Now though, they could finally breath a sigh of relief that it wasn't the case. Even still, they weren't completely out of danger yet.

"They are speaking the truth, Duke Ligur!" Count Formal said as he tried to persuade them, "Despite their immense power, the Britannian Empire and her allies truly wish to establish positive relationships with your kingdoms. Think about the benefits you can gain from that initiative alone!"

"It's easy to say that when you've already pledged your allegiance to the Britannian Empire, Count Formal!" Duke Ligur spoke up, "Our kingdoms are bound by imperial laws to comply with the emperor's decrees. If we retreat now, the empire will see this as an act of rebellion and our people will suffer severe consequences."

"My apologies for interruption, Duke Ligur!" Ambassador Korvin Delvaux said, "But what do you mean by 'severe consequences'? I thought that you were allowed a certain level of autonomy in governing your own kingdoms."

The Duke of the Leagual Principality seemed hesitant to answer the European Ambassador's question.

Seeing this, Prince Elwarg decided to step in, "As vassal nations of the Saderan Empire, we are obligated to fulfill our duties to them no matter the circumstances. If the emperor decrees that we march to fight you, we have no right to refuse. In exchange for our fealty, the empire ensures fair trade and tributes, and protects us from both internal and external threats. Most of all, they protect us from other superpowers across the oceans. If we defy his will, the empire will conduct punitive campaigns to subjugate us and strip us of our lands, rights, and autonomy."

"The fact that we are talking to you like this right now already poses a big risk for us," Princess Rusheila added when Prince Elwarg paused, "Even if we form an alliance with the Southern Vassal Kingdoms to resist the empire together, we are still outmatched in terms of manpower, magical prowess, and firepower. At best, we can only defend ourselves and become a thorn to the empire's side. In addition to a vast fleet of warships, the empire also controls powerful war beasts, with the most powerful being the Great Dragon and the Tarrasque. Although you've slained a Tarrasque and its offspring, I am not so sure about the Great Dragons. After all, they were…"

The young Salpen Princess hesitated to reveal the next piece of information, making the Terran diplomats curious even more. Durand understood why she was hesitant because it involved one of their fellow leaders. Judging from their expressions, he assumed that Count Formal had not told them about this.

Their unspoken question was answered by Archduke Fransol when he spoke up. "Because the Great Dragons were the reason why the empire was able to destroy my grandfathers' country."

Satisfied that he got their attention, the Archduke continued. "Before we were known as the 'Orthanys Union', we were three separate countries hailing from the Orthanys Peninsula. Heskal, Iversa, and Kraizen. Because our countries developed mechanical technologies and rejected Magic, the empire labeled us 'Heretics' and declared a Holy War on us."

He paused to show the Terrans three noble badges representating the coats of arms of said countries. As the Terrans examined them, he continued. "During the first year of the war, we managed to repel their invasion forces with our weapons and strategies. However, the empire had many advantages over our forefathers and was able to turn the table on us, using powerful war beasts and magics. After subjugating us, the empire assimilated and turned us into one of their vassals. Every decision in our governance was made with them in mind and with their permission. We were reduced to nothing more than a puppet nation controlled by the empire."

The atmosphere became heavier as the Archduke summarized the history of his kingdom. Durand could sense anger and frustration in his voice. He wondered if the Terrans could sense that as well.

"Apologies for my ramblings! But it serves as important context for my answer. Aside from their original goal to subjugate us, the empire also used us as an example to the other vassal kingdoms. To put it simply, they wanted to show their vassals and tributaries what would happen if any of us ever rebelled against them."

The Archduke closed his eyes, then opened them and looked at the Terran diplomats for a moment before stating. "When I first heard about you, I had my doubts and believed that everything we heard about you was either mere rumors or exaggerated fabrications." He paused for a second, "Now, after meeting you and seeing what your people are capable of, I know what I must do for my people."

What he did next took everyone by surprise.

He stood up from his seat, bowed his head toward Rear Admiral Cornelia, and placed right fist on his chestplate in respect. "As the Archduke of the Orthanys Union, we would like to become a protectorate nation of the United Empire of Britannia and establish a positive relationship with her Terran allies."

Naturally, everyone on both sides was flabbergasted by this development.

"Archduke Fransol, I understand that your people suffer a lot at the hands of the Saderans," Prince Elwarg said, trying to make the Archduke reconsider his decisions, "But we know next to nothing about these people. For all we know, they can be worse…" He was interrupted by the Archduke.

"The empire did everything they could to erase our heritage and cultures, Prince Elwarg!" Archduke Fransol said, his fist clenched and his voice was raised slightly, "If we have the opportunity to restore our former glory, I cannot afford to lose it."

He then looked at his fellow heads of state, "We are all tricked by the empire into dying at Alneuz Hill. Now that we've learned of their treachery and live to see another day, we must act to protect not only ourselves, but our own people as well. What is the better way than to become an ally to the nation with the power to destroy them?"

His words were so convincing that even Durand and Duke Ligur felt like following in his footsteps right then and there.

While everyone on the Northern Alliance side was taking their time to process this unexpected development, the Terran diplomats were cautiously optimistic to the situation. On one hand, they were glad to have a whole kingdom on this world declare their intent to establish positive relations with their countries. On the other hand, they were skeptical as to why the Archduke was so eager to accept them as allies so quickly.

"Although we cannot make this official without the Emperor's approval," Ambassador Wilkinson eventually stated, "We will consider your announcement the first step in the right direction for our countries. We can work out the details later but I can say for certain that the Empire will establish a positive relation with your kingdom."

He then turned to other Terran Ambassadors. "So, ladies and gentlemen, what do you guys think? Do you wish to open positive relationships with the Orthanys Union?"

The other Terran Ambassadors discussed with each other and their superiors for a few minutes. Meanwhile, the other representatives of the Northern Alliance also discussed amongst themselves.

"Our country agrees to establish a diplomatic relation with the Orthanys Union, Your Excellency!" Ambassador Reina Iwasaki of Japan spoke up after speaking to her superiors on the line.

"The United Republic of Europe also wishes to establish a diplomatic relation with the Orthanys Union!" Ambassador Korvin Delvaux said.

"Our government is still divided on this matter but the Australian Commonwealth agrees to open official communications with the Orthanys Union!" Ambassador Claire Yilmaz of Australia stated.

One by one, each Terran Ambassador agreed to establish diplomatic relations with the Orthanys Union. Although Russia and China remained neutral on the matter, they didn't object to opening official communications with the people of the Orthanys Union.

Archduke Fransol was delighted to have so many powerful Terran superpowers express their will to form positive relationship with his little nation. At the time, the Archduke didn't know whether or not the Britannian Empire would be better than the Saderan Empire; he didn't know if his action would elevate his country to new heights or plunge it into the same or worse fate as when they were ruled over by the Saderans; Lastly, he didn't know what kind of consequences his nation would suffer by defying the Saderan Empire.

At that moment, he didn't care for any of that.

The only thing on his mind was that his beloved nation didn't have to be suffer the wrath of the Britannian Empire and other Terran Superpowers for the atrocities committed by the Saderans, especially when his people had nothing to do with such actrocities in the first place.

Archduke Fransol shook hands with the Terran Ambassadors and thanked them profusely for agreeing to his request. In return, the Archduke promised them that he and his people would do everything within their ability to assist the Terrans in recovering their lost citizens and learning more about this world.

---

Official Diplomatic Meeting – Part 2

"What about you, King Durand?" Rear Admiral Cornelia asked him, "What is your decision on starting a diplomatic relation with the Britannian Empire and our allies?"

Her question snapped his mind back to reality as he was still debating internally whether or not to trust the Terrans.

Durand looked up at the Britannian Admiral as he thought of his answer. He then looked at the other Northern Alliance representatives and they also looked at him expectantly, knowing that the Admiral's question was directed at them as well. Since it was clear as day to everyone that their numbers, battle mages, and primitive artilleries meant nothing against the Britannian military power, the Northern Alliance was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

If they continued their march toward Alneuz Hill, they, except for the Orthanys Union forces, would be considered enemies to the Terrans and be swiftly destroyed. If they pulled their forces back to their respective kingdoms, the empire would consider this rebellion and take punitive action against their respective kingdoms. The fact that those spies had managed to infiltrate their royal guard ranks had many implications but the most concerning one was, the Shadow Guilds they belonged to could have reported to the Saderan Empire of their failures by now.

In that case, the empire would have the excuses they need to attack and subjugate their home kingdoms before they could return in time. For the past few months, the empire has mobilized multiple field armies for their war against the Britannians so diverting some of their forces to raze the vassal kingdoms to the ground wouldn't be difficult at all.

Durand let out a brief sigh, feeling exhausted by the crushing weight and stress of the situation. He had a feeling that his next decision would decide the fate of both his kingdom and the other Northern Vassal Kingdoms.

As difficult as it was, he made up his mind nonetheless.

"After much deliberation, I have made my decision!" He spoke clearly, "We, the Elbard Kingdom, will not attack your base at Alneuz Hill." He didn't see it but he faintly heard the sound of someone breathing a sigh of relief by his side, presumably from the others. "If possible, we would like to speak with your representatives in a more private manner regarding the potential of establishing diplomatic relations between Elbard and Britannia."

After King Durand, the other representatives also made their decision known to the Terrans. Duke Ligur (Leagual Principality), Prince Elwarg (Balruth Kingdom), and Princess Rusheila (Salpen Kingdom) also declared that they would stand down their forces until they had an official and more private dialogue with the Terran Ambassadors.

As for the Mukwan Kingdom, Captain Bhazen said that he couldn't make any decision and would only relay the meeting's content to his king after he woke up. Even without the king present, everyone knew that the small vassal kingdom would take the same action as the rest of its allies.

When the discussion moved onto the topic of trade and cooperation, Rear Admiral Cornelia's Aide came into the meeting room and whispered something into her ears. The Admiral then checked something on her datapad, smiled, and said out loud. "Everyone, may I have your attention please?"

Once their attention was turned to her, Cornelia made an interesting annoucement in clear Falmarian Common. "I've just received a report from our teams in the South. The Southern Vassal Alliance's envoy attacked our Special Forces operators and burned down our flags at the meeting area. They even employed wyvern lords for the attack but fortunately, our operators repelled them and escaped with light casualties."

She paused to let that information sink in for the Falmarian natives in the room. As she expected, they were shocked beyond belief at this development. As for the Terran Ambassadors, they weren't too surprised by this since they had somewhat anticipated this to happen.

She continued speaking with a more stern tone, "For their aggression, the Britannian Empire officially recognizes the Southern Vassal Alliance as a hostile force and allies to the Saderan Empire. As such, we will treat them as our enemy and deal with them accordingly."

"Please wait, Admiral! There must have been some kind of misunderstanding!" Count Formal said urgently, "King Georl and some of the leaders of the Southern Vassal Kingdoms can be a little unreasonable at times but they are not people who would resort to violence that easily. What if they reacted that way because your men accidentally provoked them?"

"See for yourself then!" Cornelia didn't bother explaining to him. She simply tapped on her datapad and opened the video using the central projector.

The holo-screens lit up again, grabbing everyone's attention. It was a video recording of the engagement between the Terran Special Forces teams and the supposed envoy of the Southern Vassal Alliance, captured by a drone.

King Durand, Count Formal, and the other Redonians watched on as the wyvern lords on screen burned down the Britannian flag pole and its support structure as soon as they approached the meeting area. They saw the Southern Alliance mages and wyverns fought the Terran 'Shadows' and were subsequently wiped out by light arrows and thunder staves.

Seeing the Britannian Army wipe out legions of Saderan imperials was one thing. It was another thing to see a meager force of Terran equivalents of "Shadows" destroy an aerial combat group powerful enough to wipe out a small town.

It was truly an incredible sight to behold.

"What have they done?" Prince Elwarg said in shock as he watched the surviving wyverns fly away with tails between their legs.

"They've destroyed themselves!" Duke Ligur said and placed a hand on the young prince's shoulder, "And there's nothing we can do about it."

After seeing what the Britannians were capable of, the Northern Alliance representatives understood well what was going to happen to the Southern Vassal Kingdoms now.

Despite their differences, Admiral Cornelia supposed that they were still fellow Falmarians or in this case, fellow Redonians so it made sense that they felt bad for the Southern Vassal Kingdoms. Since there was no point to dwell on this further, Cornelia decided to move the meeting forward.

"Now that is out of the way, I believe it's time we move onto the more important matters." She then turned to Ambassador Wilkinson. "Geralt, tell them about the deals and how they can help us!"

"Yes Ma'am!" Ambassador Wilkinson said and opened a file on his datapad. "Representatives of the Northern Alliance, before we go into details of our official discussions, we would like to give you an overview on the exchanges we can conduct with you in the foreseeable future."

This had their attention as they listened more intently.

"If you agree to assist us in our operations and open diplomatic channels with our countries, we can establish profitable trade agreements with your kingdoms."

"What do you have to offer us in return for our cooperation?" King Durand asked, his interest was piqued by the Britannian's offer.

"The list we have is quite long so I will give you an overview!" Ambassador Wilkinson listed a long list of items that would interest the Northern Vassal Kingdoms' leaders, according to Count Formal. He also used the holo-screen to help the representatives understand better what these items were.

"For instance, we can provide you with more advanced farming techniques and tools, better medicines and means of cleanliness, advanced transportation vehicles, and many more. Additionally, we offer to upgrade your nations' infrastructure in exchange for proper resources. Take Count Formal's case for example. After we secure the regions around Ithalica, we can begin modernization work to reshape his city state to improve the life quality of his people, as well as the surrounding settlements."

"Will you sell us weapons, armored carriages, war golems and the technologies to create and maintain them?" Prince Elwarg asked. His voice was hopeful and excited at the prospects of having advanced weapons and technology for their militaries.

"Unfortunately, we cannot do that!" The Britannian Ambassador's answer made them feel a little disappointed, "The Empire has implemented the Technological Outflow Prevention Act to prevent advanced weapons and technology from falling into the wrong hands. This Act is also complied and enforced by our Terran allies. Besides, even if we do sell them to you now, your kingdoms lack the industrial capacity and technology to maintain them anyway. In the future, you might be able to purchase certain items once you are upgraded to modern standards but I cannot tell you when that will happen though."

As the meeting went on, both parties – the Northern Alliance and the United Earth Defense Force – were satisfied that they were moving in the right direction.

After the meeting was concluded, the Northern Vassal Alliance agreed to leave behind several guards to serve as liaison officers between them and the UEDF Coalition. This group was led by Vice Captain Mrain of the Elbard Royal Guards and consisted of four young guards from the other kingdoms' royal guards. They would be trained by the Britannian Special Forces operators in handling advanced communication equipment so that they could maintain seamless communications between the Terrans and the Northern Redonians.

Once King Renthar recovered from his injuries, he would depart along with the other representatives. As for the other vassal kingdoms in the Northern Redonius Alliance, the representatives would relay the information and contents regarding the Britannians' discussions and let them decide from there.

With the influence King Durand, Duke Ligur, and Archduke Fransol had on them, Cornelia had no doubt that the other Northern Vassal leaders would follow suit in no time. Her tactical mind began making plans on how to deal with the incoming ground and aerial forces headed in their direction.

---

Location: Saderan Aerial Assault Fleet – West of Alneuz Hill

Over 4,000 meters in the air, a fleet of majestic aerial warships surged forward, led by one of the largest airships built by the Saderan Empire. At the ship's beak stood a young man clad in scarlet wyvern knight armor.

He cast his gaze at the impressive airships forming around his flagship which was a basic aerial battleship modified into an aerial wyvern carrier. He marveled the incredible technology and engineering that led to the creation of Airships.

It was the first time the empire has mobilized their aerial forces on such a scale. If they had not been fighting a powerful enemy from another world, he would have thought that they were setting out to destroy a vassal kingdom with a force this size.

Because Airship was the latest addition to the Saderan armed forces, the empire has managed to modify the infrastructure of only a few cities in order to build, repair, maintain, and house them so far. Tarmog was one of them and it was used as the staging point to launch their fleet toward Alneuz Hill.

Two wyvern overlords flew past either side of his ship, followed closely by the third specimen. As their master, he admired the massive beasts with pride. It didn't matter how impressive their airships were, he still preferred leading their forces into battle with his wyvern overlords.

Unlike the traditional dragon airships used by the nobles and common citizens, airships used by the Saderan armed forces belong to the Arcane Airship, with the second type being mechanical airships. The Arcane technology that allowed such large vessels to fly was invented and monopolized by the Tolshan Kingdom, a superpower hailing from the Nelgrak Continent – Nelgrak is located Northwest of Redonius.

Around 170 years ago, the Divine Empire of Sadera made contact with the Tolshan Kingdom when one of the Kingdom's expeditionary fleets found Redonius. Seeing their advanced technology and powerful military, the Saderan Emperor at the time seized the opportunity to establish diplomatic relations with the Kingdom, thereby securing profitable deals for the empire for years to come.

Targarys genuinely admired his great grandfather's wisdom and foresight in such endeavors because they allowed the empire to have access to such advanced technology and weapons.

However, there was a caveat to this.

Thanks to their economic power and abundance of resources, the empire could theoretically build hundreds of Arcane Airships but they could never replicate the sophisticated technology that enabled their flight capabilities. Even the most brilliant Rondallis mages were stumped as to how this technology worked, let alone recreate it themselves.

As far as they knew, the Tolshan Kingdom maintained absolute monopoly on this technology. Even when they were up against other Falmarian superpowers, they were adamant in keeping it the most significant state secret in their history. For that matter, the Saderans focused their resources in building and maintaining a large surface fleet and army instead.

As he thought about his empire's achievements, Targarys was reminded of the harsh pill that he, as well as many others, had to swallow.

It was the fact that the Britannians were powerful enough to warrant such powerful assets and cowardly tactics this early into the war. Given how prideful and arrogant the other high-ranking commanders of the empire were, he was sure that they would find this task even more challenging and, in some cases, might even denied it outright.

According to the reports from Diavos, Shadow and Mercenary guilds under the empire's employment were able to inflict some casualties and damage the morale of the Britannians during their night raid. However, their reports were lackluster and based mostly on conjecture due to their inability to get closer to the frontline without exposing themselves to the Britannians' destructive weapons and war golems.

If they truly wanted to win against the otherworld enemy and drive them back to their world, the Saderan Empire must commit everything it had and not shy away from such unconventional tactics.

"Your Highness!" Someone called out to him from behind.

Prince Targarys turned around to see the familiar form of his Adjutant, the man's regal clothing fluttering in the wind. Iodyn Narvok kept his head low as he bowed to the imperial prince. "We've received reports from the Flame Strider and the Jade Grizlen."

The first guild – Flame Strider – is a mercenary guild who was tasked with contacting the Plyroth Alliance and luring them to Alneuz Hill, using gold and riches provided by the prince's personal funds. Meanwhile, Jade Grizlen was tasked with infiltrating the royal guards of the Northern Redonius Alliance to spy on their kings and if possible, sabotage their meeting with the otherworld empire by assassinating the diplomats on either side.

"Took them long enough!" Targarys said and walked towards him, "So, what do they have to report?"

"Flame Strider reported that the Plyroth Alliance was wiped out by the Britannians, according to our plans!" Iodyn read from his papers, struggling to hold onto them due to the wind, "As for Jade Grizlen, they reported that they lost contact with all of the 'Shadows' embedded in the royal guards of Mukwan Kingdom, Balruth Kingdom, Salpen Kingdom, and Leagual Principality."

Since the Plyroth Alliance was expected to be annihilated by the Britannians anyway, Targarys was satisfied by Flame Strider's report. However, he was puzzled by the Jade Grizlen's report.

"What do you mean 'lost contact'?" He asked with an eyebrow raised, "Did their Shadows get captured or something?"

"They are unsure about that, Your Highness!" Iodyn continued reading, "They said that their Shadows were tailing the Northern Vassal Alliance representatives to the meeting area where they would meet with the Britannian representatives. Telepathic communication with the spies has been lost for two days so they assume that all of their spies were either killed or captured."

When it comes to infiltration and assassination work, Jade Grizlen's Shadows were known to be some of the best in the empire's underworld. The fact that they lost all of the embedded spies in one night just like that was unsettling. Prince Targarys thought about it for a few seconds. The strong wind did nothing to interrupt his train of thoughts.

This development had many implications but the most likely explanation was that the spies were all dead by now. Their Shadows were not only well trained and experienced but they were also loyal to their guild and the empire. Even if the Britannians captured them alive, they wouldn't spill the beans on their masters so easily.

Since there was no point in pondering this issue any further, he decided to just leave it at that. Regardless of the outcome, he knew that the Britannians were wary of the Northern Vassal Kingdoms now, making it impossible for both sides to ally with each other.

Hopefully, the Britannians would be enraged by this development and divert some of their resources to fighting the Northern Vassal Kingdoms as well, thereby forcing them to fight the Saderan Empire on multiple fronts at the same time.

The Southern Vassal Kingdoms on the other hand, still had some value so he and Diavos worked together in order to keep them on the empire's good side, for as long as their father allowed it of course. If the Northern Vassal Kingdoms fell to the Britannians, the Southern Vassal Kingdoms would be given those territories and tasked with policing them, thereby helping the empire deal with the inevitable challenges of state assimilation.

"Two birds with one arrow! A truly genius plan, as expected of Diavos!" Targarys mused, "But still…" Losing so many experienced "Shadows" didn't sit right with either him or his brother, especially during times of conflicts.

Just then, one of his wyvern overlord broke through the cloud cover and landed on the ship's deck, causing the vessel to tilt to one side. The technicians and mages began working the ship's mechanisms to compensate and regain its balance. Due to their size and weight, the ship could only carry two wyvern overlords or four wyvern lords at once.

The mighty beast dropped its fresh kill onto the floor and ate it voraciously.

"It's unfortunate that we lost so many experienced Shadows," Targarys said while petting his mount's majestic scales, "If they succeeded in making the Britannians divert their forces to engage the Northern Vassal Kingdoms, then it's worth it. What about the Great Dragons?"

Iodyn replaced the reports on his hand with another set from his personal bag before answering, "According to the Rondallis mages and their associated dragon tamers, the Great Dragons are moving along their expected trails toward the holy hill but their behaviors are more volatile than they expected. Our tamers' latest reports indicate that the dragons were hunting the beasts in Alneuz Provincia to sustain themselves before resuming their original course."

Targarys sighed in frustration at the delay in their operations. Using their eggs to lure the dragons to their targets was the most effective and least damaging method but it also ended up causing unexpected setbacks.

Those great dragons were gifts granted to the Saderan Empire by the Apostle of Hardy so the empire couldn't afford to use them arbitrarily. Despite what their propaganda said to the citizenry, they couldn't assert absolute dominance over the great dragons either.

Although they were able to tame the great dragons to a degree, controlling them was difficult and resource intensive. Even with the support from Rondallis mages, the best they could do was to throw the dragons at the enemies they wanted to destroy, not control them like how they did to the Wyvern Overlords and the Tarrasques. The last time the empire used those dragons was during the Orthanys War and they served their purpose greatly.

This time, they were setting the dragons upon the Heretics once more, but from another world. The remaining dragons in their custody were still juvenile so they would be outmatched and killed by the Britannians' powerful weapons.

Suddenly, the wyvern overlord swiveled its head around, as if looking for something. The beast also growled at the direction it was looking at. The prince, his Adjutant, and the sailors nearby looked but they couldn't see whatever the beast was looking at.

Just then, something that defied their comprehension happened.

An alien object made of metal broke through the cloud cover and flew upward right in front of them, then it maintained a fair distance away from their ship. The metal object was roughly triangular in shape; had silver and black overall colors; had a long and sleek body at the center.

The prince also noticed that its wingspan was almost as large as the wingspan of a wyvern lord as it was clearly keeping pace with their ship. At its tail, there were two angular cylinders that spat blue flames. Judging from its appearance, Targarys believed that this thing was one of the flying golems used by the Britannians to make contact with the Southern Vassal Kingdoms.

It was just as they had described. The most notable and unnerving thing about these things was their asymmetrical multi-colored eyes as they scanned the environment before locking onto him and his people.

As soon as his Wyvern Overlord saw the object, the majestic beast roared at the object in defiance and intended to charge it.

"HORVEX, STAY!" Targarys gave his command, causing the beast to halt in its track. It then turned its head to him, expecting further command from its master, but its expression suggested that it was eager for a fight.

"Stand down and restrain yourself, Horvex!" He said, more softly this time, "Only move when I tell you to!"

The beast complied and took two steps back into its stable. He then turned to the sailors and mages who have gathered on the deck due to the alarms. "The same goes for you all as well. Unless that golem does something to us, stand down for now!"

The battle mages and sailors listened to his orders but they maintained vigilance, their attention fixed on the alien golem in front of their ship.

As Targarys and his people were considering what to do about the flying golem, a booming and unholy voice came from it, "This is the Britannian Air Force. To the Saderan Airship Fleet and its escorting wyverns, you are on a course approaching Britannian sovereign airspace! Identify yourselves and state your intentions!"

The golem's words took everyone within earshot aback. They were still over 300 leagues away from the Alneuz Hill and yet, this golem or the Heretics controlling it stated that they were approaching Britannian sovereign airspace?

"The nerve of these Heretics!" Targarys thought to himself. To claim that the whole sky of Alneuz Provincia as their own, there was no greater insult to the Saderan Empire than this.

Targarys stepped forward and spoke with a firm tone to correct these insolent Otherworld Heretics. "I am Targarys Liav Albrentus, the second prince of the Divine Empire of Sadera! Hear me now, Heretics from another world! How bold and outrageous of you to claim the sky above Alneuz Provincia as your own this early! Our mighty fleets and armies are coming to Alneuz for the sole purpose of cleansing the holy hill of your heretical existence."

The Britannian golem remained silent and didn't react to his obvious taunt. He continued. "Do not expect us to hold back for your insolence! You will all perish under our united strength and…" He was interrupted by the golem's booming voice.

"Your intentions are acknowledged!" The golem said, through unknown means again, "We will respond to your aggression accordingly!"

Then, the golem turned upward and flew away at an astonishing speed. By the time their wyvern overlords and flame wyverns reached their previous position, the Britannian flying golem already disappeared from visual range, leaving its pursuers with nothing but dust in the wind.

Targarys smiled at this, believing that he had managed to scare these Heretics to a degree. While the surrounding Saderans cheered at their prince, he thought about the Britannians' abilities for a moment. If they were advanced enough to create such golems, then they surely possessed other abilities that he and his brother weren't aware of.

All of a sudden, he felt something creeping up his spine.

It was like his instinct was telling him that something was wrong and they must brace themselves for it. He turned to his Adjutant and began issuing new orders. "Iodyn, tell the wyvern carriers to deploy half of their wyvern knights and increase our security! Also, tell our battle mages to ready to cast Guardian Shields on my command!"

"You want each ship to deploy half of their contingent, Your Highness?" Iodyn asked, confused by his order.

"Yes, now get to it!" He said sternly.

Noticing his serious tone, Iodyn didn't question him any further and proceeded to carry out the prince's orders.

As the sailors, technicians, and mages performed their work, Targarys scanned the horizon for anything unusual. It was nothing but clouds and landscape below as far as he could see. Even still, he couldn't shake this feeling of dread. He felt less tense when he saw the increasing number of wyvern patrols deployed from their carriers and the mages making preparations to cast their magic shields.

Hopefully, their preparations were enough.

---

UEDF Fourth Air Expeditionary Group

Location: Alneuz Provincia Airspace

Terran Calendar: December 12, 2135

A fleet of Terran aircraft was cruising at the alien planet's stratosphere. Onboard the E-370 Star Warden, Colonel Nikholai Smilas watched the holo-display of enemy formation on the central table. On one side, the 3D-display showed the movement of the Saderan Airship Fleet and their escorting wyverns. On the other side, the display showed the movement of his air groups, divided into four separate viewscreens.

The Colonel was tasked by UEDF High Command to command the assault on the Saderan Airship Fleet and the two hostile armies headed toward Alneuz Hill. Technically speaking, the Army could easily wipe out the enemy ground forces with their artilleries and rockets before the Falmarian natives even knew what hit them. However, UEDF High Command wanted to create shock-and-awe effects on the natives so they had his bombers and drones handle the hostile armies during the first phase of the attack.

As an Air Force commander, this mission actually had some benefits because it gave his pilots some good combat experience. It also allowed him and High Command to evaluate how well Britannian pilots could work with pilots of the other nations. Unconventional targets as they were, the Falmarian aerial assets served as good target practice.

As they waited for the response from the Saderans and the order from High Command, Colonel Nikholai Smilas studied the 3D-display of an interesting invention of this world: Airship.

When they first saw the images of Saderan Airships, every Terran was fascinated that such a primitive civilization could create and use something so incredible. Their general appearance resembled the aquatic sailing ships used by both Terrans during the Age of Sails and the Saderans in this world.

However, that was where their similarities ended.

Each of these Airships had a ring-shaped metallic structure connected to its hull with support beams made of the same materials. The ring was engraved with intricate runes and had four magical engines that emitted bluish white light around the vessel. When their drones scanned it, the scientists were astonished to learn that these engines were emitting gravitic waves that allowed the Airship to fly and conduct three-dimensional movement. The propellers at the stern seemed to serve as additional thrusters only.

After learning about this interesting invention, the scientists made requests to UEDF High Command and wanted to study these vessels more closely. Because the Coalition had other more important priorities right now, scientific research on "Magical Airships" wasn't high on their list right now. For now, they decided that capturing one airship would be enough, making the rest target practice for the Coalition pilots.

Anita – the AI Specialist assigned to his Air Group – appeared on the holo-table and reported to him. "Colonel, High Command just gave the order!"

"Is it 'Go' or 'No Go'?" He asked her.

"It's a 'Go', Sir!" Anita said and sent him the message which read: EXECUTE OPERATION PAYBACK!

Seeing the emboldened words on the holo-screen, Nikholai grinned and rose from his seat. "Open a line to all 'Drake' units, Anita!"

After being grounded for months waiting for the base's construction, the Air Force finally got to see some action. Letting the Army and Navy take all the glory didn't sit right for him and the others after all.

"You are connected, Sir!" The link was opened to all combat units of the UEDF Fourth Air Expeditionary Group.

"This is Big Glaurung to all 'Drakes'! Foxtrot! I say again, Foxtrot! All units, acknowledge?" He said on the general comms channel.

After a few seconds of static, the voices of each squadron commander came through the comms link almost at the same time.

"This is Eagle Alpha! Foxtrot confirmed!" The Commander of Eagle Squadron said through the link.

"This is Gostir Alpha! Foxtrot confirmed!" The Commander of Gostir Squadron said through the link.

"This is Viking Alpha! Foxtrot confirmed!" The Commander of Viking Squadron said through the link.

"This is Drogon Alpha! Foxtrot confirmed!" Lastly, the Commander of Drogon Squadron said through the link.

"Copy that! Proceed to your AOs and execute! Send BDA after completion! Big Glaurung, out!" Nikholai gave the orders. One by one, the Squadron Commanders acknowledged his order and started their respective mission objectives.

"Roger, Drogon Alpha moving in!"

"Roger, Eagle Alpha moving in!"

"Roger, Gostir Alpha moving in!"

"Roger, Viking Alpha moving in!"

On the holo-displays, the "Drake" Squadrons began to change their trajectories and accelerate toward their targets. All of their comms chatter was monitored closely by the comms officers and Anita onboard the Star Warden.

Each of those squadrons carried enough ordnance to level a small city. As much as he wanted to feel bad for the Saderans and the Southern Vassal Alliance, they made their choice.

Now, it was time for them to face the consequences of their decision and action.

After a few more seconds, the Drogon Squadron reached their effective firing range and their pilots started to give out the callsign.

"Drogon One-One, Fox Three!" The pilot of the F-264 Vulture Tactical Fighter designated "Drogon One-One" said and fired his missile. He was followed by the rest of his flight.

"Drogon One-Two, Fox Three!"

"Drogon One-Three, Fox Three!"

"Drogon One-Four, Fox Three!"

"Drogon One-Five, Fox Three!"

"Drogon One-Six, Fox Three!"

As the missiles sped away from the Vultures, Nikholai wondered how many missiles it would take to kill each great dragon. The Japanese Flight assigned to the squadron followed suit with their own missile barrage.

Since they were dealing with the (supposedly) most powerful creature in this world, the UEDF made sure to equip their Vultures and F-182 Kamaitachis (Japanese National Air Force) with radar-guided anti-ship missiles. If the missiles weren't enough to deal the killing blow, they had contingencies in place to take those creatures down.

As for the Saderans and their vassal forces, he and every other Terran knew that their fates were already sealed.

---

Somewhere West of Alneuz Hill

For many eons, most races have known that the animal kingdom of Falmarius was ruled by the Trinity of Beasts. On land, there was the Tarrasque, a beast so ferocious and powerful that it could destroy everything in its path and challenge mightier creatures than itself. At sea, there was the Leviathan, an aquatic creature so large that seafarers often mistook it for a small island.

Lastly, there was the undisputed ruler of the sky: Great Dragon.

The beast's wingspan was the size of a small mountain; its roar could be heard for hundreds, if not thousands, of kilomaters away; its body possessed scales stronger than steel, allowing the beast to take devastating attacks from its opponents. The mere presence of this beast was more than enough to terrorize every living being, except for the Tarrasque, in the region.

Right now, two specimens of this species were flying toward their intended target. Those insolent bipedal vermin have stolen their eggs and manipulated them for longer than they liked. Had it not been for the Apostle's influence, they would have slaughtered all of those insolent pests and destroyed their puny empire a long time ago.

As the Great Dragons flew unimpeded across the vast landscape of Redonius, they were suddenly struck by a strange sensation.

They slowed down, hovered in the sky for a few minutes, their wings flapping nonstop to keep themselves in the air. Their long scaly necks turned in every direction, looking for the cause of this foreign sensation. For reasons unknown to them, they felt that something was wrong. It was like their animal instinct was trying to tell them something they couldn't understand.

At some point, their sharp eyes caught strange objects emerging from the clouds at their sides.

Before their non-sapient brains could comprehend it, the strange arrows slammed into their sides and exploded violently. The first pair of arrows was followed by another pair, then another, and another.

Every single strike resulted in spectacular explosion that tore through the Dragons' tough hide and scales as if they weren't even there, pulvering the organs within their bodies. Each Great Dragon was struck by ten arrows in various areas, such as the head, chest, wings, and stomach.

By the time the barrage was done, both Great Dragons sustained more damage than they have ever taken throughout their millennia-long life. If there were someone there to witness this incredible event unfold, they would be shocked to find that one of the Dragons was still alive despite its mortal injuries.

The female Great Dragon suffered grave wounds across her body but she remained conscious and alive thanks to her mate taking most of the attack. When her eyes caught the falling body of her mate, she was distraught by what she saw. The male Dragon not only lost half of its head, wings, arms, and legs but also had multiple gaping holes on its chest and torso.

Her gaze lingered on her mate's mutilated corpse for a few seconds as they both fell down onto the earth below. Their gigantic bodies crashed onto a mountain and rolled onto the forest below, breaking the whole mountain and flattened a large area of the forest.

When the dust settled, the female Dragon stared at the lifeless body of her mate on the ground. Slowly but surely, she felt something that was once thought to be impossible for her kind: Absolute Rage.

She would find and tear whoever or whatever had done this to them apart with her own fangs and claws. The female Great Dragon used all of her willpower and let out an earth-shattering roar, one that could burst the eardrums of all creatures within several kilometer radius.

Her body was heavily mutilated and she already lost her left arm but her wings and tail remained intact. She mustered all of her strength to flap her wounded wings, creating a gale strong enough to uproot dozens of trees at the same time.

After a few more flaps, the Great Dragon soared high in the air and flew in the direction where those accursed arrows came from. Along the way, blood, scales, and bone fragments fell from the wounds on her monstrous body, leaving a gory trail on the forest and earth below.

When she reached half of the previous altitude, two dozen more of those death arrows appeared from the clouds and headed straight for her. She tried to dodge but her wounds slowed her speed significantly. The only thing she could manage was dive down to avoid the arrows.

Several of them soared past her previous position at unimaginable speeds. The Dragon looked back and was about to celebrate her brief victory when to her horror, the arrows changed course and chased after her.

Realizing that she couldn't dodge in time, the Great Dragon shielded herself with her wings. Unfortunately, she underestimated the explosive power of those arrows. The ensuing explosions completely destroyed both of her wings, causing her to fall down once more.

As she lost altitude and fell down, her consciousness began to fade due to the massive amount of blood loss and immense pain on her body. Even though she was losing consciousness, the female Great Dragon was able to see another massive arrow headed toward her.

She tried to do something but her body refused to obey her command. By now, her wings and limbs were nothing more than burned sinews and muscles sticking to broken bones; her body was riddled with more holes than her dead mate now.

Seconds felt like hours to her passed and her life flashed before her eyes. If that Apostle had not awakened her and those bipedal pests had not stolen her eggs, she wouldn't have suffered and met such a miserable end like this.

Instead of pain, she felt at peace. When the massive arrow struck her neck and exploded, her mind was consumed by darkness.

At that moment, two of the most powerful beasts who ruled over the lands and sky of Redonius Continent were no more.

---

Codar Village, Alneuz Provincia

The young mage wiped the sweat on her forehead and swapped her dirty medical dress for a new one before sitting down on her chair. She looked around the interiors of the building that was serving as a temporary healer guild for the village. Since the original guild was too small to accommodate a large number of patients, they had to use the estate built and abandoned by a Saderan noble many years ago.

Just beyond the door, there were over dozens of patients who have fallen deathly ill and shown no signs of improvement. In the barren field behind the building, the men were working overtime to dispose of the dead bodies while also doing their best to avoid catching the disease.

Admittedly, it wasn't the first deadly disease she has seen or learned about but this was her first time to see something of such a scale.

It all started around two months ago when a group of wounded imperial hoplites took refuge at this village. Unlike their haughty superiors, the soldiers were respectful to the villages and only wanted to have some food and a place to stay for a few nights before moving to Ularok. When one of them didn't feel very good and coughed up some blood, they decided to borrow a horsva-drawn cart and leave the village.

Unbeknownst to the villages at the time, it was the beginning of their predicament and hardships.

Around two weeks after they left, several of the villagers became sick and began showing the same symptoms as that sick imperial soldier. Their family members who took care of them also fell ill shortly afterward.

The situation began to worsen from there. As of today, over a third of the village was stricken by this disease and half of them were already dead.

The villagers believed that they were struck by a curse of evil spirits but her Master convinced them that it was a contagious disease and it required advanced healing or purification magic to cure. Although she and her master didn't have purification magic, they were at least able to teach the villagers crucial knowledge on how to handle the patients properly and protect themselves from this disease.

Interestingly, she discovered that this disease only affected Humans since the Dwarves, Lizardmen, and Voralden weren't affected by it. At least, they didn't have any symptoms as far as she could tell.

Even so, it didn't make the situation any better since they still had over two hundred sick people to deal. Healing Magic could only do so far since it helped lessen the symptoms and allowed the patients' bodies to heal themselves faster than their natural rate. However, it couldn't tackle a dangerous disease that manifested from inside the patient's body.

According to her Master, some mages in Rondallis possessed purification magic that could heal this disease. He also learned some useful knowledge from them in combating it. Unfortunately, the Mage City was too far away and the empire has sealed off many important routes leading out of Alneuz Provincia because of their war with the Otherworld Empire. If they traveled to Rondallis without using the main travel routes, it would be too late for the village.

Left with little choice, both her and her master decided to stay and help the few healer mages of the village however they could.

"Lelei, are you well?" The voice of Retha – one of the healer mages of Codar – interrupted her thoughts.

Her teal blue eyes locked onto the exhausted form of the young healer mage who just walked in from the patient's area. Retha's eyes were sunken, her disheveled brown hair was tied up hastily, her once-pristine robes had more wrinkles and stains than a vagrant in the slums, and her green eyes spoke more words than her mouth ever could.

"I'm fine," She replied, "What about you, Retha?"

Retha let out a sigh of exhaustion and took off her sweat-drenched mask before sitting down next to her. "It's getting worse. Another family fell sick today and the best I could do was to lessen the pain on their bodies. And that wasn't mentioning the bodies I helped the mercenaries dispose of."

Retha looked up at the ceiling and spoke dejectedly, "Why do the Gods allow this to happen? Why is this happening to our village?"

As a member of the Ruldo Tribe, her people didn't follow the Light of Falmarius or worship the Falmarian Pantheon like the majority of the Saderan Empire. Her people believed in the Ancient Spirits of the lands and that all races should live in harmony with the environment around them.

Since it was a sensitive topic, Lelei decided to change the subject. "What is the situation on our food, water, and daily necessities?"

"We have some stockpile in place to prepare for winter and rainy seasons so we can last for a little while," Retha replied but her tone wasn't positive in the slightest, "The problem is, most of the healthy men in Codar are either sick or occupied with dealing with the 'Curse of Evil Spirits' so all farmwork is halted. The same goes for water, medicines, and other essential items. If we don't have any merchants and peddlers pass by next month, we may suffer a shortage of everything soon enough."

She let out a wry smile before finishing. "That is… if this 'Curse' does not kill all of us by then."

Lelei tried to think of something to comfort her friend but she had nothing. Although she wasn't too close to the people of this village, she still had some attachments due to her Master's connections with them. Losing so many people in the village that they stayed for some time in certainly affected her more than she thought.

When she was in the middle of coming up with something positive to lift her friend's spirits, her ears picked up a strange sound outside. Retha seemed to have heard it as well since she asked her. "Did you… hear that?"

Lelei nodded and went outside to hear the sound better. Outside the building, she heard it more clearly. It sounded like thunder but the sky was clear and there were no signs of raining, from what she could tell.

By now, many villagers have also stopped their activities to hear the bizarre thunder. She had a feeling that this thunder wasn't natural as it sounded off somehow. It was more like the sound of cannons being fired, but many times more powerful.

As the villagers wondered what was going on, a new sound was heard across the whole village, one that they recognized this time.

It was the alarm bell used by the village guards. Since the guards were sick as well, it was being used by the mercenaries who were staying at the village.

After a few more rings, a Voralden mercenary came out from the street corner to inform the villagers of grave news. "People of Codar Village, we have an unknown metal golem coming for unknown reasons. Stay in doors so we and we can come up a plan to meet this creature and whatever faction it belonged to."

By the time she could ask him what that meant, the mercenary already went to the next block to deliver the news. With that announcement, everyone in the village began to panic and ran back to their homes.

Lelei, on the other hand, was intrigued by this news.

The fact that he said 'unknown metal beast' suggested that whoever was coming wasn't part of the empire. She wanted to see what this thing was and know its reason for coming here.

When she took a step forward, she was stopped by Retha holding her hand

"Lelei, what are you doing?" Retha asked her. "We have to return to our homes and keep ourselves safe."

"I'm going to see my Master!" She answered, "If there are bandits or people with malicious intent coming here, my Master will be there to confront them."

Seeing her reason, Retha hesitated for a moment but eventually, she let go of her hand. "B-Be careful, okay? We've lost… too many people to this 'Evil Curse' already. I don't want to lose you… or anyone to bandits or rogue imperials here."

"Don't worry about me! If the situation gets dangerous, I will just run away using my magic." Lelei reassured her. She then parted ways with Retha and began heading to the mayor's home where her Master was likely to be right now.

All around her, the villagers were moving hurriedly to their homes or to the village's perimeters to see what was going on.

Eventually, she reached the chief's house and met her master there. She saw that he was discussing something with the group of mercenaries, the village mayor, and several of the village's guards.

"Lelei, what are you doing here?" Her Master asked her, "You should go back to our home to protect the magic scrolls, books, and yourself."

Internally, she was glad that her master remained the same despite the difficult circumstances they have been dealing with for the past months. Outwardly, she was annoyed that he placed her importance below his precious scrolls and books.

Before she could answer, however, one of the mercenaries burst through the door and shouted. "Chief Krallen, Sage Kato, Mayor Baverk, that golem is coming here, and fast!"

The burly Lizardman Mercenary Chief wasted no time with idle questions. He looked at her Master and spoke. "Sage Kato, we have no time to debate now. We might need you and your apprentice in fighting this golem and whoever that might follow it."

Recognizing the severity of the situation, her Master agreed to come along and reluctantly let his apprentice come with them as well.

The Mercenary Chief told the village mayor and guards to barricade themselves in their homes and prepare to evacuate in case of combat. Although they were fearful of the implications, they complied with his words and organized the evacuation effort of the village.

When they reached the village's entrance, they were taken aback by what they saw. Roughly a hundred meters away, there was a massive metal object that was hovering in the sky. Its origin and apperance were unlike anything they have ever seen.

As Lelei studied the golem's strange appearance, a loud and booming voice came from it in Falmarian Common, startling everyone within earshot. "We would like to speak to the representatives of this village!"

The mercenaries and guards looked at each other, unsure on how to handle this bizarre situation.

After a few seconds of debate, her Master decided to step forward to speak to this unknown object. He was followed by the Mercenary Chief whose hand was gripping the sword strapped to his waist.

Sage Cato stopped roughly ten meters away from the position where the golem was hovering and spoke. "The village mayor and elders are unavailable right now. I am Sage Cato El Atestan and I will speak to you on their behalf."

He then glanced at the Lizardman next to him and signaled him to introduce himself.

"I am Krallen, Chief of the Mercenary Band 'Storm Claws'. We are currently under the employment of Codar Village to protect them from bandits and marauders. We shall serve as their representatives for now!" Chief Krallen spoke clearly.

"Who are you? Or what are you?" Sage Cato asked the flying golem or rather, the person controlling it.

"Greetings, Chief Krallen, Sage Cato!" The metal golem spoke with that same unnatural voice, "We are the United Earth Defense Force, a Military Coalition composed of many nations from the world beyond the Gate led by the Britannian Imperial Military. More specifically, I am part of the Britannian Army. In case you don't know, the Britannian Empire is the nation currently at war with the Saderan Empire! We are not here to harm you or this village. We are here to talk to you about the current situation of this village."

Their words shocked everyone who heard it. According to the Saderan imperials, the Britannians were Heretics who rejected Magic and embraced mechanical technology like the Orthanians over a century ago. Although the emperor has not made it official, many in the empire have begun to call this the war between the two empires a "Holy War of the Worlds".

Not only that, the supposed mage identified himself as part of a military coalition consisting of many different nations from another world. This part piqued Lelei's interest the most as she wondered how many countries were part of this coalition. Most of all, she wondered if they were just as powerful and advanced as the Britannian Empire.

Before any of them could ask questions, the Britannian mage continued speaking through the golem, "For some time, we have observed this village and the surrounding settlements but we refrained from making contact with you due to our war with the Saderan Empire. However, after seeing the situation you are in now, we have decided to act and initiate contact with you."

"Why did you decide to meet us now?" Sage Cato asked out of curiosity while Chief Krallen scanned the area for potential threats with his keen eyes.

"We want to help you."

The Britannian mage's answer was so surprising that it caused the Lizardman Mercenary Chief to snap his head up at the golem. He did it so fast that Lelei feared that he had discolated his neck somehow.

"What… do you mean… by that?" Sage Cato continued his questioning. Lelei noticed that her Master was just as surprised and confused as the rest.

"Like I said, we are here to help you!" The Britannain said, the synthetic voice was too difficult for them to figure out their emotions, "We have observed the disease that is afflicting this village and one other village a fair distance away from here. Although we are not certain without proper examinations, we believe that this disease comes from our world. Therefore, we have the knowledge and resources to help you deal with this disease and if possible, eradicate it completely."

Lelei almost had to pinch herself to check whether or not she was dreaming this event. These people claimed to be able to deal with this disease and eradicate it. Whether or not it was true, she didn't know but she felt that there was an array of hope to their suffering.

The others, however, didn't share her sentiment.

Sage Cato, the mercenaries, and the villagers were skeptical as to the intentions of these "Britannians" and their allies. Chief Krallen spoke their mind and asked the Britannian bluntly. "Why are you helping us? There must be some kind of ulterior motives behind your decision, no? I imagine that you want something from us or this village in return for your help."

The golem stayed silent for a few minutes, making everyone to be anxious. They knew that it was a legitimate concern and wondered what the Britannians wanted in exchange for their aid.

After some time of silence, the golem spoke once more. "All we want from you is your cooperation. Yes, our nation is at war with the Saderan Empire but we do not wish to harm the innocent people, especially those who have nothing to do with them and their atrocities. Yes, we have some conditions for helping you but we will not demand your subjugation or allegiance toward the Britannian Empire or anything of sorts."

The Britannian let his answer sink in for the villagers and mercenaries for a few moments before he resume the explanation, "When it comes to treating deadly diseases, time is of the essence. We can discuss about the minor details later but we advise you to take our offer for now. Our forces will reach this village to provide you with proper aid soon. The only thing that matters now is, whether or not you will let us help you."

"How long will your people get here?" Chief Krallen asked, "And how many of you are coming?" He was expecting the answer to be roughly a day or two since they were quite far from Alneuz Hill.

"Around an hour from now!" The Britannian mage's reply surprised them all, "When they get here, we advise you refrain from attacking them. There will be many [Untranslatable Words, the equivalents of your healer mages if you will, in our convoy and our people are extremely protective of them. They will do everything they can to help the sick people in your village. We hope that you can cooperate with them effectively. With that in mind, we suggest you make your decision by then."

The golem then ascended upward and flew up in the east. Having only an hour to make their decision, the villagers and the mercenaries discussed about it thoroughly.

Deep down, Lelei knew that they had no other choice but to accept the Britannians' offer. As she fixed her gaze on the direction where the metal golem flew to, she hoped that they would bring some supplies to help the village deal with their upcoming shortages.

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UEDF Humanitarian Aid Work

When that Britannian mage said that they would bring "many people" here, everyone else in the village expected a few dozen people on metal carriages at best. What they didn't expect, however, was a whole army of strangely dressed men and women riding on metal horseless carriages, hulking war golems, and metal airships currently parked roughly fifty meters away from the village's entrance.

Lelei and her friends curiously watched the Britannian soldiers exit their carriages and establish safe perimeters around the village at an impressive speed, followed by their giant war golems and carriages with large cannons. On the sky, there were ten large metal airships and dozens of smaller flying golems performing air patrols around the village.

Using his combat experience as reference, Chief Krallen explained to her Master and the village mayor that the Britannians were moving into positions for either a siege or a defensive mission. If these people were genuine in their intentions to help, then they certainly weren't taking any chances.

Although the mercenaries did a better job of hiding their fear, Lelei knew that deep down, they were absolutely terrified right now. If the Britannians attacked them or had malicious intent, there was nothing they could do to stop it. She also noticed that there were some differences between the otherworld soldiers in regards to their weapons, uniforms, carriages, and war golems.

Emerging from the biggest metal carriage with rough edges and alien components, a group of soldiers clad in obviously military uniform walked toward them. Lelei noticed that all of the Britannians wore some kind of masks on their faces, obscuring their facial features.

"I assume that you three are Chief Krallen, Sage Cato, and Mayor Baverk?" The lead Britannian soldier who was slightly taller and bulkier than the rest addressed the village's representatives. He was followed by several others in uniforms. Lelei noticed that one of them was a woman with blond hair.

"Yes, I am Chief Krallen of the 'Storm Claws' Band! And to whom we are speaking?" Chief Krallen said and stepped forward. His large build and position allowed him to protect the two elderly members in case the Britannians were hostile.

"I am Lieutenant Colonel Lyle Tiberius Rourke of the Britannian Army!" The tall Britannian officer introduced himself, "To make things simple, you can refer to me as 'Colonel Lyle'. I am the commander of this humanitarian relief force."

After the greeting section was done, Colonel Lyle Rourke asked them. "We take it that you have made your decision?"

"Yes, Colonel Lyle! We genuinely appreciate your help. However," Mayor Baverk seemed a little hesitant in answering him, "We… our poor village does not have much to offer you in return. I fear that… there is little benefit for you to go out of your way for us like this."

Colonel Lyle didn't react negatively to his words. Instead, he simply gave a light nod and said. "It's understandable that you are wary of us. However, like our people said before, we have reasons to believe that the disease ravaging your village came from our world. Our mission is to help your people handle it and if possible, eradicate it completely."

He let that sink in for the people of Codar Village for a moment. "Our world is no stranger to dealing with deadly pandemics. You may not believe me but helping you actually benefits us in the long run. Of course, if you do not accept our help, we will simply withdraw and not bother you anymore. Ultimately, the choice is up to you and your people, Mister Mayor."

The Mayor looked at Sage Cato and Chief Krallen nervously. Even though they already made the decision, the moment of truth was hardly an easy one to deal with when it finally came.

Eventually, the Mayor sighed and bowed his head slightly. "Colonel Lyle, we, the people of Codar Village accepts your help."

"You made a wise decision, Mayor Baverk!" The Britannian Colonel said, "We will do everything we can to help your people and wipe out this disease."

After that, things happened too fast for Lelei to comprehend.

Once the Mayor gave his approval, the Britannian forces began deploying their forces to examine and treat everyone inside the village using technology unknown to her. With the Colonel and his subordinates doing the explanation, the Mayor, the Chief, and the Sage learned that the Britannians and their allies – the Japanese and European forces – were conducting appropriate and thorough procedures to handle this deadly disease.

Lelei wondered how their "medical screening" worked since it was different from their traditional methods of medical diagnosis. All they did was taking some of the patient's blood and skin tissue, then they got the results after half an hour at best, depending on the person. Apparently, this process revealed that the number of sick people was actually higher than they had expected due to the lack of visible symptoms.

When she asked them about what the disease was, she struggled to pronounce its name and understand the terminologies and concepts they used to explain it. For now, she simply referred to it by its old name, the "White Death" according to the Terrans' terminology.

Once they determined who was sick and who was healthy, the United Earth Defense Force people began separating them to treat the patients more effectively. Apparently, the Earth people or "Terrans" had advanced technology that could treat people with terminal illness easily. She was flabbergasted to learn that the Terrans were so advanced, they eradicated this disease and some others like it in their world over a century ago.

Even the most skeptical villagers and mercenaries have begun to open up on the Terrans or at least, they weren't as wary of them as before.

At the moment, she and two dozen more villagers, mostly women and young children, were waiting for their medical results from the medical screening test outside a medical tent set up by the Japanese National Army forces. Looking around, she saw that there were at least two dozen more of these tents set up by the United Earth Defense Force.

Beyond the row of utility tents, the hulking forms of Terran War Golems and war vehicles stood vigilant since the Britannian and European forces were in charge of their security and heavy work. Although she could hear them chatter occasionally, she was impressed by their professionalism and technology.

"Number 101, please!" One of the Japanese soldiers guarding the tent said out loud after a young woman walked out of the tent.

Since it was her turn, she stood up and approached the soldier. The Japanese soldier saw her paper and gestured for her to enter the tent. Her gaze lingered on the thunder staves slung behind the guards' back for a second before stepping inside.

Once inside, she saw that the tent's interiors was divided into four sections, each was occupied with two medical personnel and one patient. There were also the strange rectangular contraptions for the patients to lie on.

"Over here, little one!" The Japanese woman with black hair at the right corner called out to her. Upon approach, she saw that the woman was quite tall and dressed in the standard uniform of her country's military.

She wondered what function the strange device they wore on their ears was. Perhaps it was some kind of device that allowed them to understand and speak Falmarian Common.

"Good afternoon, young lady!" She greeted with a gentle voice muffled slightly by her mask, then gestured her to sit down opposite of her. "I am Sergeant First Class Mari Kurokawa of the Japanese National Army but you can call me 'Mari' or 'Sergeant Kurokawa'! I will now ask you some questions and conduct the medical screening test. Is that okay with you?"

Lelei simply nodded.

"The first question, what is your name?" Sergeant Mari Kurokawa asked.

"Lelei la Lalena!" She answered.

"Okay, would you mind if I just call you 'Lelei'?" The Sergeant wrote down the information and continued asking.

"It's fine! Everyone calls me that!" She said with a neutral tone.

"Very good! How old are you?"

"Sixteen years old."

"Are you a permanent resident of Codar Village?"

"No, I and my Master only moved here last year because of his research in magic. We originally lived in Rondallis."

The Sergeant's eyebrow raised for a second before she resumed her questioning. "Have you felt that your body is unwell in any way since the pandemic began?"

The Sergeant continued asking her about many things, mostly about her lifestyle, eating habits, and health conditions. Lelei saw no point in hiding anything so she answered all of her questions truthfully.

After she finished asking questions, Sergeant Kurokawa asked her to lay on the bed next to her for the medical screening test. The Sergeant explained to her that this medical device allowed them to see if there was something wrong with the human body in general, using means unknown to her.

She guessed that she wouldn't understand how it worked even if the Sergeant explained it to her thoroughly anyway, so she didn't ask anything about it.

The Japanese Combat Medic pressed some buttons on the machine's control panel and activated it. The machine hummed a blue light and began to spin the axis to scan her whole body. She was surprised to see two metal bars with blue light spin over her head but managed to keep calm and avoid panicking.

After five minutes of humming and spinning, the machine stopped and powered down. "Alright, we're done!" Sergeant Mari Kurokawa said, "You can get up now, Lelei."

She told Lelei the results of her screening after she sat up from the bed. "Your results are good. The blood test shows that you are not infected by the TB micro-organisms and the [Unknown Words] scan came up with no health anomalies. However, I suggest that you eat more healthy food since our screening results indicate that your body is lacking in some crucial nutrients. We will give you a detailed book on how to eat more healthy later if you want."

Lelei heard about this test from her friends in the village but going through it herself was quite a novel experience for her.

A thousand questions ran through her mind as she eyed the machine, the equipment, and other items she couldn't recognize. How were they able to tell whether someone was afflicted by the "White Death" or not so quickly? How were they able to examine her health conditions with that strange machine? How did it even work?

The more she watched them work and interact with the people of Codar Village, the more fascinated she became with these people from another world.

At that moment, she decided that she found another life goal aside from becoming the youngest archmage in Rondallis history: Learning about the Terran Civilization.

"Sergeant Kurokawa!" She called out to the Japanese Sergeant who was in the middle of working on a panel at her table.

"What is it, Lelei?" Sergeant Kurokawa looked up from her datapad.

"Does your country allow us, the people of this world, to work for you?"

Mari was surprised by her question so it took her a few moments to answer. "Well, our country is allied with the Britannian Empire but we don't have any special working programs for Falmarians. Not yet at least. However, the Britannian Empire and the United Europe have initiated a joint integration program for Falmarian natives to learn about our world, apply for citizenship or asylum, and work for them. If you want to know more, I can ask them about it later. Why do you ask?"

Lelei's eyes beamed at this revelation. She answered with a hint of excitement in her voice. "I want to apply for it."

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Author's Opinions:

Alright! I hope you enjoy this chapter. If you don't like my series, you are free to unsubsribe or click off. Either way, I hope that everyone who finds my fanfiction series enjoys it and stays for more.

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Worldbuilding Fact:

Star Warden: The E-370 Star Warden, or Star Warden for short, is an AWACS Dropship designed for exo-atmospheric, trans-atmospheric, and atmospheric operations during large-scale aerial combat deployment. Due to its intended role, the Star Warden is equipped with advanced long-range radars and passive sensors that allow the aircraft to detect and track air and surface contacts over great distances. It is also equipped with advanced long-range communications equipment to coordinate allied squadrons and relay real-time information between them.