So here we go, next chapter. This might be a bit of a slow burner but don't worry, there will be some action towards the end. Thank you for the reviews.

prussia1991: I'm sorry, but I will have to disappoint you, for now. At least for the first half of the story, Germany will remain the only modern force in Falmart. But let's just say I didn't put all that exposition into the prelude chapter for nothing ;)
Also, about the lack of nationalism from the peoples of Falmart. The concept of a nation or nation-state has only formed in the wake of the French Revolution. Before that in Ancient and Medieval times, your Average Joe was more loyal to his own province rather than to one larger whole. So it kind of makes sense why people in Falmart have a 'meh' response to the Empire being under threat, especially if said province was conquered by Sadera previously.

Also, I decided to use Word instead of Fanfiction's own Copy-N-Paste, so if it looks different compared to the previous chapter that is why.

Without further ado, let's begin!

Reichstag, Berlin, 27th of May 1948

"Esteemed members of the Reichstag, I give the floor to Reichskanzler Hermann Müller." The Speaker of the Reichstag declared, and the familiar form of the Chancellor could be seen ascending to the podium. The reception of the representatives was less enthusiastic than on the previous session of the Reichstag more than a month ago, even from Müller's own coalition members. Their reasons were not due to distaste or displeasure, in the case of the SPD's coalition, that is, but due to the circumstances of the day's special session. Among the men and women that made up the representatives, aides, and reporters, both German and from the world at large, that were looking at Hermann as he prepared his speech, were armed soldiers of the Heer standing guard in the chamber and from the galleries above them. If one glanced outside the windows to the Königsplatz, they could see more soldiers patrolling the square, while several tanks and armored personnel carriers were idling in front of the steps to the building. The attack on Berlin last month was still vivid in the memories of the assembled and signs of the fighting were apparent on the Reichstag building as well if one looked close enough.

Hermann looked at the assembled, took a moment to fix his glasses as he put the papers containing his speech down on the podium. He gestured with one hand for the applause to come to a stop, ending the muted ovation he received before addressing the Reichstag, his words broadcasted on radio and television alike to Germans and the peoples of the world.
"Members of the Reichstag. As you all know, our nation was attacked by a previously unknown enemy on the 12th of April. Their country is not on any map of this Earth, and everything that lies beyond the "Gate" in the Tiergarten is a mystery to the entire world. However, it is an undeniable fact that there are lands and peoples on the other side that have made their way to our capital city. During the battle for Berlin, several perpetrators of the attack were apprehended, and are currently held as prisoners of war. Their language appears to be similar to Latin, and thus we have learned the name of the country that attacked our nation; The Saderan Empire. Destroying the Gate is not an option. Aside from the unforeseeable consequences of such an act, there remains every possibility that another such Gate opens up somewhere else in Germany, or the world."

Hermann paused as a murmur went through the elected officials before him before the Speaker's gavel returned order to the chamber.

"Members of the Reichstag, we are faced with an enemy we have not seen in recent memory. Our beloved capital has not been threatened in such a manner since the Napoleonic Wars more than a century ago. This enemy has made their desires and intentions unequivocally clear. To loot, to pillage, burn, slaughter, and enslave. This, they falsely named an 'Empire'. We have faced such enemies, and such evil, in the Second Weltkrieg, in the fields of Flanders and France, in the frozen lands of Norway and Russia, in the jungles of East Asia, on the seas and in the skies. Now, our heroic soldiers are called again to defend the German people against a new evil. Make no mistake, it is evil that we face. An evil that threatens not just our wealth, our livelihoods, but the free spirit of Germany and Europe we fought so hard to defend. Many of our fellow countrymen have gone missing since the attack, and it is more than likely that the cruel fate of slavery now awaits them in an unknown land. It is time for the German People, unyielding and righteous in character, to show the world once again, that tyranny, when facing freedom, is vanquished every time."

Another round of applause erupted in the Reichstag. Not only from the SPD, from members of the Liberale Volkspartei, the Agrarian and Minority parties, the Christlische Volkspartei, and even the Deutsche Konservative Partei. There was nothing trepid or lacklustre about the applause this time.

The Chancellor waited until it subsided. "I ask that the Reichstag declare, in light of their unmistakable acts of aggression and hostility, a State of War now exists between the Deutsches Kaiserreich and the Saderan Empire."

As the final ovation broke out and slowly subsided, Hermann Müller yielded the floor, and allowed the Reichstag to carry out its usual proceedings. The matter was swiftly brought to a vote, and passed the Reichstag 403-3, with nine abstentions and three against, and in the Bundesrat with 89-0. At 14:21 on the 27th of May 1948, the German Empire declared war on the Saderan Empire.

Barracks of the Gardes du Corps, Berlin

"…it is now official that a State of War exists between the German and the Saderan Empires."
All men in the simple common area of the barracks listened to the radio broadcasting the speech of the Chancellor and the news of war before the radio returned to its usual music. Some cheered in approval, some remained silent. Oberleutnant Karl Schmidt let out a frustrated groan as he leaned back in his chair.
"What's up, Karl?" Asked Hans Fischer from next to him.
"Can we go fight a war later? Got a book here I want to finish…" Karl said, waving around the book in his hands for emphasis. It appeared he had only just started it, if the mass of pages on the right side was any indication.
"Come on, don't you want to make the bastards pay?" Hans asked in response.
"Yeah but one war was enough for me already and I'm way behind on the books I want to read. You know how hard it is to read just one chapter in the field? Ever since I got that damn award, I could kiss my days off goodbye, now this…"
"Didn't you get the Iron Cross Second Class and a promotion? The hell you are complaining about?"
"None of those get me more time to read, now do they? In fact, that promotion means I must deal with more paperwork…" Karl groaned.
"So you just… don't really care about your career?"
"Bingo! If someone made me choose between reading and the Heer, I would not hesitate at all to choose the former."

"You know… I got my hand on that new book from Tolkien yesterday…" Hans mentioned a cheeky look on his face.
"Wait, for real?!" Karl perked up. "Oh man, you gotta show me where you got it! What else have you read? Know of Dunsany's works?" Karl asked in rapid succession.
Before Hans could react in any way to his friend's sudden burst of enthusiasm, another soldier burst into the barracks room, a big case of beer in his hands.

"Alright boys, we are now at war! That portal, or whatever is in the middle of Berlin, so you can bet your ass they'll be sending us in. Drink up, you won't get to drink much from tomorrow onwards!" He said to much cheering as he handed everyone a bottle.

"Well, guess we'll just have to endure, eh Karl?" Hans said as he clinked his beer with Karl's. "Who knows? Those bastards are from antiquity. This time we might actually be back home by Christmas." He remarked as he watched the impromptu party develop around them.
"Yeah… Maybe…" Karl said with a few nods before he and Hans took a big sip, one of many they would take tonight.

Potsdam, Headquarters of the Gardekorps, 5th of June, 1948

Friedrich von Rossler was once again feeling quite nostalgic, walking through the familiar courtyard of the Gardes headquarters. The last few days had gone by in a blur for him: interviews from practically every German newspaper; an award ceremony that granted him yet another medal to his collection furnished by both Weltkriegs; an audience with the Kaiser after to receive his personal gratitude. Honours, all, but exhausting ones. He arrived a bit earlier than he was supposed to, yet he didn't mind as he got to watch the raising of the German tricolor above the Courtyard. He smiled to himself, remembering a buffoon messing up the drills in the same courtyard and how their platoon was put on blast by every officer on site as a result.

"God, I miss you, Albert… May God rest your soul, you old bastard…" He sighed to himself as he watched the flag of his homeland flutter in the breeze. He checked his watch and saw that it was nearly time. He walked through the compound, turning to the Officer's quarters.
"Good day. I'm here to see one Generalleutnant Klemens Stauber." Friedrich said to the young soldier standing guard at the entrance.
"Ah yes, he told me you were coming, Herr Rossler. Second floor, 6th office to the right." He answered with a nod.
"Thank you." Friedrich said before making his way inside. He ascended the stairs and found himself in front of the door with the correct name on it. He knocked a few times and soon received a "Come in!" from beyond it.

He entered the tastefully decorated office, a pair of African spears crossed on the wall opposite and was greeted by a man of similar age to Friedrich, dark hair and eyebrows giving way to grey, whose eyes lit up when he saw him enter.
"Ah, Friedrich, my friend! Please, sit." He said as he gestured at the chair opposite to him across an oak table.
"It's nice to be back here, Klemens." Friedrich smiled as he took a seat, and the two men shook hands.
"It's good to see you too." Klemens said as he got up and retrieved a bottle from a cabinet. "Care for a drink? Bought some fine Jameson whiskey from Ireland."
"Just a little, thanks." Friedrich said as Klemens poured some for the two of them.
"To the Gardes." Klemens raised his glass.
"To those we lost." Friedrich toasted after him as they clinked their glasses together and sipped their drinks. They sat quiet for a moment before Friedrich spoke up again.
"Thank you for your warm welcome, Klemens, but I have a feeling you didn't tell me to come here this time just to chat about old times."
"Observant as ever, Friedrich." Klemens said as he put his glass down. "That was a hell of a fight you and your people put up there in Mitte. But I'm sure you've heard that a thousand times since then."
Friedrich chuckled. "Indeed… I swear the reporters still swarm me like I'm some movie star." Friedrich said with a shake of his head.
"And who can blame them? You led the Second Death Ride, saved hundreds of people, and came back from it alive. It's not just reporters, you know. Some important people took notice of your deeds that day." Klemens said as he pulled out a letter from his drawer and handed it over to Friedrich.
"I'll spare you the details. We're now at war as you know, and we really could use someone with your experience. The Gardekorps needs you back, and more importantly, the Kaiser himself has requested you come back into active service. If you're up for it, you can join the Heer again and you'd keep your previous rank as Oberst in the Garde Panzer Division. There are some in the War Office who would want someone younger, but you have a flawless record that goes back to the Battle of the Marne, and you just helped save the capital."
Friedrich stared at the letter silently, at the signatures and seals on the bottom of the page, one with the Hohenzollern seal in the middle. He remained motionless for almost a minute before he nodded.
"Alright. I accept." He said before he pinched the bridge of his nose. "But my wife won't be happy at all…" He groaned. "You should have seen her when I came home from Berlin in the middle of the night after the attack. I swear she never clung to me that tightly, even when I came home on leave during the Weltkriegs…" He said, his expression soft and his voice full of concern.
"Look, Friedrich, this isn't an order. After all you did during your service and in Berlin, no one would blame you for refusing this offer. We have plenty more retired officers to call back who could fill in for you if you refused. Go home, think this through, talk about it with your wife, visit your kids and grandkids, and come back in a few weeks once you've come to a decision.

Two weeks and three days later, after a tearful goodbye from his wife and three children, Friedrich von Rossler was officially a member of the Gardekorps again.

Großes Hauptquartier, Berlin 11th of June, 1948

General Heinz Guderian made his way into the small briefing room of the building. He was tasked with organizing the deployment of three divisions with more to follow up to the other side of the Gate. The Tiergarten was under lockdown. It, and the Pariser Platz, was cordoned off from the vast majority of the public and plans were drawn up to requisition the train stations in Central Berlin and ports along the Spree river to get the equipment and supplies into Berlin en masse. Heinz was also requesting a closed-off strip of road from Alexanderplatz to the Gate so the supplies that would eventually be sent through wouldn't get bogged down in rush hour traffic.

But that wasn't the reason why he was entering the small, dark room with a projector sitting on a desk. Barely a day had passed after the fighting in Berlin concluded when the government requested that Albert von Einstein, head of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Physics, assemble a team of researchers and try to make sense of the Gate. Now, practically the entire Solvay Conference was in Berlin, with Nobel-prize winning names like Schrödinger, Heisenberg, Planck, Bohr, and Fermi being only some of them.

He looked around the room, spotting among the audience more officers of the Heer and Luftstreitkräfte and even some officers of the Kaiserliche Marine alongside non-descript individuals in suits. Members of the Abwehr, no doubt. He took an empty seat and watched as the half dozen scientists prepared their presentation. One of them, with dishevelled white hair, wearing a sweater, leisurely trousers and a pair of sandals stood forward and cleared his throat, which got everyone's attention.
"I do believe that's everyone here, correct?" He asked as a few more officers hurriedly entered the room and took their seats. Receiving a few nods from the assembled, the man motioned for the aide to put the first slide into the projector, the bold letters appearing on the wall that read 'PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF THE TIERGARTEN OBJECT'.
"Then let's start the presentation, shall we?" He spoke. There was no need for introductions from him. Almost everyone recognized Dr. Albert von Einstein, one of if not the most brilliant minds of the age.

"Following will be the summary of the Tiergarten Object, which some have come to call a 'Gate' which is an apt description in my opinion. Next slide please." He said, the image changing to pictures taken of the Gate from several angles, as well as a detailed illustration of it.
"The structure containing the Gate is approximately 100 meters long, 50 meters in height and 20 meters in width, with the sole entrance being around 15 meters in width. Samples taken from it show that it is made up of marble, granite and a previously unknown cyan-blue crystal lattice that we have come to call Berlinite. Research into it is still in its infancy, so there's not much I could tell you about it, other than that it appears to be completely harmless. Next slide please."

The image on the wall changed once again, depicting another illustration of the Gate, this time bigger with another end, while its middle was hollowed out. A flat square grid stretched on below the structure, while its middle was bent and morphed into a cuboid shape.
"Inside the Gate is what could best be described as a portal. We have a plethora of theories as to how it could work, which I won't bore you with, gentlemen, except for the current working theory that is that the Gate bends spacetime between its two entrances in a way that allows the passage of objects and energy between them, which may be separated by an incredibly vast distance, if not more, all the while the actual passageway created by it, we estimate, is no more than a few hundred meters in length. How it achieves that without ripping the planet apart with the amount of gravitational force it would require and allows the passage of living beings, all without the usage of any visible machinery, is a mystery to us and will likely remain so for now." Einstein said, having the aide switch to the next slide, which was similar to the last, except for the addition of clocks showing different times above each entrance of the Gate and the middle 'passageway' part.

"Which brings me to the issue of possible time dilation. Time may pass differently for observers on this side and the far side of the Gate, and even for those "inside" the Gate itself. What is 5 seconds to us in Berlin might be half a minute for those in the passageway of the Gate or on the other side of it. This is why I recommend any scouts you send through it to synchronize their watches with the observers on this side, and the first few 'excursions' to only venture into the passageway without crossing over to the other side, if possible. That way we can determine whether time dilation affects those using the Gate and if so, to what degree." He explained.

"Why is that necessary, doctor?" One of the Abwehr agents asked. "That invading army that came out of it certainly did not look like it was marching for days on end. We found full baggage trains with food and spare equipment. We should be fine sending our own people through, no?"

"While that is true, there is no guarantee that those warriors we beat back that day haven't come home to the news that it has been 10 years since they entered the Gate. I believe it would be better to err on the side of caution on our part. The phenomena of time dilation may not be consistent in this case." The doctor answered.

"Not to mention the issues that could cause in logistics and communications." Generalleutnant Klemens Stauber commented from Heinz's left.

"Any other questions, gentlemen?" Einstein asked as he looked across the room.
"Yes, doctor." A Luftstreitkräfte Generalmajor said. "Do you have any idea how that Gate could have appeared?"

"We have many theories, but no way of confirming any of them at the moment. The structure containing the Gate is obviously manmade, and yet it simply appeared out of nowhere in the Tiergarten. I'm not even sure if it simply coming into being broke any currently understood laws of physics." Einstein said, not doing much to reassure the attending officers.
"Do you have more questions?" He asked, and after a good half a minute of silence, the doctor spoke up. "Thank you, for attending, in that case."

"Thank you for the briefing, doctor. Keep us informed." Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt said from the first row, to which the assembled scientists and officers started packing their things and filing out of the room.

Heinz was among the last to exit the room, and among the officers and scientists going about their business, he spotted Klemens, looking out a window, his hands on the windowsill as he stared in front of himself. Heinz, noticing the man's worried expression, approached him.
"Generalleutnant." He said as he stepped next to him. Klemens jumped a little as he was suddenly brought out of his thoughts, but quickly turned to face him and saluted.
"General."
"At ease, Klemens." Heinz said. "Is everything alright?"
The slightly younger officer opened his mouth to say yes, but hesitated, glancing down at the windowsill before looking outside again. "Honestly, sir? No." He said after a few seconds of silence.
"We are about to go through something that essentially breaks reality to go fight in a war against a nation we never even heard of a month ago, on their own turf, no less." Klemens said, looking back at Heinz. "We just don't know what we can expect. When we fought the Syndies, the Russians and the Japanese, we knew what to expect. This is different, sir."
"I share your worries, Klemens." Heinz said as he put his hand on the Generalleutnant's shoulder. "Believe me, I'm not too keen on this either. But we are at war. Those medieval bastards can come back through that thing any time. The only way we can ensure Germany's safety is if we control both sides of the Gate." He spoke. "Besides, we have staff officer meetings where we can talk these things out. Get some rest before today's meeting at 14:00. We'll have to get the Gardekorps and the 6th Infanterie Divisions ready in a few months."
"Of course, sir." Klemens said.
"Good man. We've beaten the Syndies and the Russians, haven't we? We'll make quick work of these 'Saderans'." Heinz spoke encouragingly before leaving Klemens to his thoughts.

Berlin, Königgratzer Straße (1), 12th of July 1948

Central Berlin looked much different compared to how it did before that fateful April day. Gone was the serene, optimistic post-war atmosphere that dominated Berlin for the past two years. It has been replaced by a mixture of tension and sorrow, as soldiers patrolled the streets at all times, especially around the Tiergarten and the sight of Second Weltkrieg-era air defence batteries returned to many squares and parks. The inhabitants of the city went on with their day in spite of the threat of an enemy army appearing in the heart of the city again. Besides the defences, two new monuments were constructed in the city. One statue sat atop a pedestal on the right of Königgratzer Straße, commemorating the German horse guards' daring charge, depicting a German horseman in parade uniform killing a wyvern in the style of St. George killing the dragon. The white marble column was wrapped in a sheet of metal, upon which the names of all those who lost their lives or went missing in the fighting was emblazoned. Flowers laid by those who grieved for lost loved ones covered the base of the column.

The other statue was directly across it at the opposite side of the street. The statue was based on a photo taken on the day of the battle near where the invaders' last pocket of resistance was broken by German tanks. A soldier, this time dressed in a modern combat uniform was delivering a mercy kill to a Wyvern brought down by German air defences, with the bayonet of his weapon, stabbing at the wounded animal's neck in-between the scales. The statue rested atop a simpler platform, raising it only slightly above the ground.

In-between the monuments, Karl Schmidt stood in formation with a hundred other soldiers of the Gardekorps as the Heer's departure ceremony to the other side of the Gate began. The soldiers presented arms in salute as the national flag and regimental colours were brought in front of them, and Reichskanzler Hermann Müller stepped up onto the podium set up in front of the formation. Looking out over the soldiers and the tanks set up a few dozen meters behind them, he cleared his throat before beginning his speech.

"Soldiers of Germany! You stand here today for the nation needs you once more, and you have answered the call, just as you have in the Second Weltkrieg! As you did before, now again you shall carry the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of the free German people with you in defence of all that we hold dear. Remember what you fight for as you bring the torch of freedom to a new land. Serve with distinction. We shall expect nothing less of you."

After the Chancellor's short, yet inspiring speech, he yielded the podium over to a man wearing a high-ranking officer's uniform. "I'm Generalleutnant Klemens Stauber, your commander for this operation. Several scouts have reconnoitred the area over the last four weeks. So far, all of them returned safely, but we still have little idea of what we could be facing. Therefore, be prepared to be attacked the moment you have reached the other side. We will be moving out shortly. Gott mit uns! Let's show the bastards how German soldiers fight!"

At that the formation let out a cheer before the orders came in to mount up. The soldiers turned around on their heels and marched back to their vehicles in an orderly fashion before loading their weapons and flipping the safety off. Karl then climbed inside one of the newer 'Kätzchen' armoured personnel carriers with 12 others, waiting for the column to move.

Front of the column, same time

Oberst Friedrich von Rossler was standing up from his commander's seat inside his Tiger II, which he and his crew had come to call 'Benedikt', the first in a column of five Tiger IIs in front of a dozen or so Panzer IVs and Vs themselves in front of several platoons of infantry transported by Kätzchen and .251 personnel carriers, which were in turn followed by a small group of two Kugelblitz air defence vehicles and a further two . 251/21 'Drillings'. He looked in front of himself on the street and at the memorials. People crowded around the edge of the cordon set up for the Heer, some enthusiastically waving the black-white-red flag of Germany and the Reichskriegsflagge while others watched on in silence, the news of Germany becoming embroiled in another war so soon after the Second Weltkrieg had ended, had a mixed reception among the German people.

"Commander, we have the green light, we can start moving inside the Gate." He heard the radio squawk in his earphones with the professional, yet slightly shaky voice of his young radio operator, Alf Bohn. Besides Alf, he had Mathis Kerbs, his driver, Winfried Feld, his gunner, and Stephan Ahlers, his loader. It was a, younger, less experienced crew than he served with during the Second Weltkrieg, but they were eager and all looked up to him, sometimes calling him 'Grandpa Rossler' affectionately when they thought he wouldn't hear them. He knew they'd make a fine crew for Benedikt.
"Got it, radio. Driver, forward. Careful when turning to the left, yeah?" He ordered without tearing his gaze away from the Gate in the Tiergarten and the tank's engine soon roared to life with a familiar growl to Friedrich, lurching the vehicle forward at a steady pace as the tracks rattled and the tank moved forward on the street.

The column of tanks passed by the Brandenburg Gate, past the spectating crowds before turning to the left, driving past the machine gun emplacements set up in front of the Gate in the Tiergarten, and then finally drove into the Gate, his driver guided by a pair of soldiers at the entrance of it with a pair of bright red flags into the entrance covered in darkness. The driver switched the headlights on, though it did not have much effect. Whatever the passageway was made of swallowed the light up entirely, making it seem like they were driving through an endless black void. And yet, Friedrich could see a small point of light directly in front of them, steadily growing larger as they got closer to the exit.

The point of light turned soon turned into a wall of light that swallowed his tank up as they drove through it. The light was then soon replaced by darkness, though thankfully the tank's headlights illuminated the green grass of the small hill he found himself on top of. Friedrich let out a deep breath he didn't know he was holding. He rubbed his eyes as they got used to the darkness of a moonless night before he decided to use the FG-1250 Sperber IR-sights affixed to his right on the cupola.

With the flick of a few switches, the reflector was turned on that emitted a stream of infrared light, looking into the image receiver he saw only an empty field for the roughly 600 meters the device was effective while the rest of the Tiger tanks in the column made it through as well, forming a semi-circle around the Gate behind him as the rest of the IVs and Vs trundled through after them. There were no signs of life nearby for a few tense seconds before he spotted movement in the corners of the image receiver, beyond 600 meters. Before Friedrich could react, he spotted the light of a torch in the distance, almost a kilometre away. And then another appeared. And another. Dozens, then hundreds, then thousands, plates of armour, swords and points of spears reflected the torches' light, and Friedrich could make out the outline of boxy formations of foot soldiers, horsemen, the hulking forms of ogres, trolls, and other bestial half-man creatures, while above them the scales of flying Wyverns glinted in the light of the torches.

"Enemy army sighted at 12'o clock straight!" Friedrich hollered into his throat microphone. "Radio, transmit to all forces, enemy forces dead ahead, less than one kilometre!"

A few minutes earlier, inside the Gate

Karl and a dozen other soldiers were inside the first group of Kätzchens following behind the tanks. Everyone was staring emptily ahead of themselves inside the transport, trying to appear calm for each-other. Some were making the sign of the cross, or kissing crucifixes hanging from their necklaces, while trying not to look up too much at the unnatural darkness above them through the open roof of the transport. It was a strange feeling for Karl. He felt he was moving forward with the vehicle; the rumbling engine and clanking tracks told him as much too. And yet, there were no bumps on the surface they moved along that could indicate such a thing, and the completely featureless darkness above his head made it look like they weren't moving at all.

"Hey, Karl." Said Hans sitting in front of Karl. "I heard there's elves and the like on the other side. Think it's true?" He said with a small grin.
Karl grinned back at him as well. "Hell, if they had those pigheads, why wouldn't there be elves too?"
Just then, the vehicle's radio operator turned to the troops.
"Okay listen up! The first tank wave is reporting enemies approaching their position. We'll have to hold until the rest of our forces can get through!"

A serious mood returned to the vehicle, and soon they arrived on the other side, stars becoming visible above them in a night sky. The Kätzchen came to a halt and the rear ramp opened.
"Go! Go! Defensive positions! Move!" Karl bolted out of the vehicle, taking cover behind a fallen tree with Hans and a few others. The darkness of the night made the uncountable torches the enemy army carried almost impossible to ignore. Karl tried to ignore how many there must have been compared to how few Germans were on the battlefield, though their numbers were steadily increasing as more APCs and trucks brought in soldiers to reinforce their tanks. He adjusted his sights and made ready for the enemy's attack.

Saderan Legionary Camp near Alnus Hill

Legate Antonius El Rutilus awoke with a jolt not too long ago as one of his aides rushed into his tent with clanking armour and quickly kneeled in front of his bed, telling him that the Otherworlders had sent their own troops through the Gate. He got his troops into battle formation in front of the camp, which was made thankfully swift by his previous order that all soldiers were to sleep with their armour on and weapons close by. His aim was to encircle and crush the Otherworlders while the enemy's own troops could only trickle through the Gate slowly.

If only he had the full army to accomplish that. That fool Tiberius led the vanguard and let nearly half their legions be destroyed, the panicked survivors that made it back were speaking of flying machines and iron elephants that spewed death being led by an army of green-clad mages.

At first, he thought they were spinning tall tales to excuse their cowardice, but the fact that all of them spoke of the same thing made it clear to him that it was no lie. It was now even clearer to him as the sun rose above the mountains, and he could see the stocky, grey beasts that now stood watch over the Gate, some disgorging the Otherworlders' soldiers from inside of themselves. However, there were still only a few of them, and the enemy footmen had no formation to speak of, while he had more than 7 Legions at his command. Disciplined legionnaires, knights and light cavalry, demi-human shock troop auxiliaries, and his greatest advantage; several Wyvern riders while the Otherworlders had no control over the skies. This would be a quick and easy victory.

"Forward!" He ordered, and the Saderan legions advanced to give battle to their enemies. Tiberius could see one of the iron elephants lower its snout towards his men. And then he could hear a loud thump and saw a flash of light at the end of their snout.

Other side of the Battlefield

Now that the sun had risen above the rim of the mountains behind the Gate, Friedrich von Rossler and his crew inside Benedikt could see the enemy army clearly, not having to rely on his commands as he was the only person in the crew who had an IR device. He could see several divisions' worth of enemy troops and cavalrymen, all in tight formation, armed only with swords, spears, other assorted melee weapons and bows and arrows. He had superior firepower, platoons of well-trained troops armed with the best firearms his country produced, and Panzers that were the height of German military engineering. The enemy fliers might prove to be a problem, but his air defence vehicles were only a few minutes away from arriving and the infantry carried prototype anti-air missile launchers. This would be a massacre.

"Loader, HE. Gunner, target that block of infantry at 2'o clock, 750 meters and closing." Friedrich ordered.
"Up!" Stephan reported as he loaded the shell and closed the breech.
"Fire!"
"On the way!" Winfried shouted as he fired the tank's main gun, the force of it rocking the Tiger as the 88mm shell was sent flying across the field, landing in the middle of the enemy's infantry block. The impact with the ground sent the fuse inside it into action, the shell detonating half a second later. The resulting explosion blew a hole into the enemy's formation.
"Reload! HE!"
"Up!"
"Gunner, target enemy cavalry, 10'o clock, 675 meters and closing!"
"On the way!"

As Benedikt's crew continued their well-practiced firing drills, the tank spat death at their enemies, joined by the other tanks of the attack group, shells impacted amongst footmen and horses, explosions erupting where neat formations used to be, plate armour and heavy shields were useless against the heat, pressure, and shrapnel, while bursts of MG42 fire from the tanks and infantry added to the carnage. The Saderans paid blood for every inch, but seemingly for every one of them that fell, two more took their place. The half dozen wyverns above their heads screeched as they dived down towards the German positions.

Elsewhere on the German side of the Battlefield

Karl Schmidt aimed down the sight of his Sturmgewehr, carefully firing single shots at the enemy formations at the very edge of his weapon's effective range, conserving his ammunition while letting the MG42s lay down suppressive fire on the approaching warriors. He noticed some large, wooden contraptions being brought up behind the lines of Saderans, towering above their heads. He heard a whooshing sound come from their direction and several barrels of flaming naphta landed a few dozen meters away, bursting into flames. Thankfully, the Saderan ballistae had missed the Germans, but their threat was still there. The tanks quickly turned the offending siege weapons into smoking splinters with their main guns. He then heard the animalistic screeches that made his blood run cold. He snapped his weapon up, seeing three Wyverns descending towards his position.

"Enemy air! Incoming!" He shouted as he flicked his weapon's fire selector to automatic as he fired in bursts at the closest airborne beast, trying to snipe its rider.
"Get those launchers ready! Quickly!" He exclaimed to the two soldiers around him who carried Fliegerfausts while everyone else fired up at the Wyverns, fruitlessly.
"Shit shit shit shit!"
"Son of a bitch…!" The soldiers exclaimed around Karl in a growing panic as the monsters showed no sign of slowing down.
"Fire!" Karl ordered. After a second that felt like an eternity, the soldiers fired their launchers. Each Fliegerfaust had nine barrels loaded with 20mm missiles, first only every other barrel fired the missile inside, followed up by the remaining five after a 0.1 second delay. The first soldier missed his target entirely, while the second scored direct hits with several missiles, leaving two bloody stumps where limbs used to be, a mauled wing and a bleeding mid-section as the Wyvern let out a final, painful screech before impacting with the ground, crushing its rider beneath its body.
The remaining two Wyvern riders, seeing the brutal demise of their comrade, immediately dove for the offending soldiers that brought one of their numbers down with such ease.

"Shit! Scatter!" Karl shouted at the top of his lungs as he attempted to get as much distance from everyone around him as he could. Groups of soldiers were a prime opportunity for a beast of such size to wreak havoc. The winged monsters landed amongst them, crushing one German beneath its mass while another met a gruesome end as he was torn apart in its jaw filled with razor-sharp teeth. Karl gritted his teeth in anger as he took aim at the rider and fired a long burst from his weapon. The wild flailing of the animal as its rider skewered another one of his fellow soldiers did not make it easy to aim, but he could see the man grasp his shoulder where he did manage to hit him before his gun clicked empty. The warrior then looked him square in the eye and prompted his Wyvern to charge at Karl while he was busy reloading. Karl was about to turn tail and run before something exploded against the side of the beast from his left, obliterating both it and its rider in a shower of blood and organs.
Looking to his left, Karl could see the smoking barrel of a Panzer IV that turned its turret around to help out the infantry before the vehicle was beset by another Wyvern, the animal almost turning the Panzer on its side as it viciously tried to claw and bite through its armour.

Karl was about to take aim at the Wyvern that assaulted the tank, for all his Sturmgewehr was worth against them when it was engulfed in a stream of tracers as he heard the roar of heavy autocannons that tore the Wyvern apart. Looking back in the direction the rounds came from, he could see a pair of Kugelblitz tanks exiting the Gate, their autocannons already sweeping around the battlefield for more aerial targets. The last Wyvern rider, surrounded by soldiers and seeing their enemy get reinforced tried once again to fly to safety but the German vehicles already had him in their sights, sending a stream of lead up towards him. He dodged and weaved in the air as much as he could to evade, but the German vehicles were designed to take down much faster airborne enemies and their sheer combined volume of fire meant he had no chance as the autocannons tore the wings of his Wyvern apart and punched through its scales. The Kugelblitzes and the pair of Drillings that followed close behind them made short work of the remaining Wyverns before rolling forward to take their place next to the tanks, their autocannons raining hell upon the Saderan foot soldiers and cavalry, their ranks now in complete disarray, many fleeing back towards their camp in a rout.

"Karl, you good?" Hans asked him as he jogged up to him.
"Yeah… almost became Wyvern chow if it wasn't for the Nr. 5 tank. What about you?"
"I'm good. Command has just relayed us orders. We need to mount up and follow the tanks. We are going to flush the bastards out of their camp."
"Got it, let's go!" Karl said as they ran up to the Kätzchen they arrived with, quickly climbing inside as the remaining soldiers they started out with followed suit. The Kätzchen soon trundled forward, keeping a good 25 meters of distance between it and the advancing tanks while the radio operator handling the vehicle's machine gun let out long bursts at the fleeing enemies, the sound accompanied by the loud booms of the tanks' main guns and the long salvos of the air defence vehicles, now serving as fire support for the tanks, all unleashing their fury.

The Kätzchen again came to a stop and Karl dismounted quickly once more with his group. He quickly put some distance between himself and the Kätzchen as he lay down on the ground, taking in the half-collapsed palisade in front of him that was the wall of the Saderan camp, the smoking remains of a pair of towers that stood watch over the gates now standing like tree stumps as the infantry and vehicles poured fire into the fleeing Saderans inside and around the camp. He noticed a few archers peeking above the wooden wall to loose arrows at the advancing Germans before he took out one of them with a short burst, the rest were cut down by an MG-42. After a good half minute of the enemy not responding, he led his group towards the splintered gate, joined by a few others.

They pushed into the camp, and the ensuing engagement was swift and costly for the panicked Saderans, though Karl and his group spent most of it either advancing or clearing the still-standing tents. By the time they reached the other side of the camp, all they saw was a field strewn with corpses stretching on for hundreds of meters and a smaller group of a few hundred Saderans surrendering to German infantry. The tanks and vehicles had cut off their escape route. Those who tried to flee or fight back stood no chance while some of them who actually managed to listen to the German officers hollering at them in Saderan to surrender were spared.

30,000 Saderans were defeated by a force of only a few dozen tanks and little more than a thousand German soldiers. Some of those soldiers erected a flagpole atop the hill the Gate stood on and raised the Schwarz-Weiß-Rot flag of the German Empire together with a slightly smaller Reichskriegsflagge. The wind had picked up, carrying the smell of corpses and smoke as the flags soared proudly above the battlefield and the victorious German Army.

Aaand that's a wrap for now, folks! Huge thanks to Yorath once again, for helping me with this fic. See you all in the next one! Take care!

Notes:
1: If you want to find where this scene is taking place in Berlin, Königgrätzer Straße is now called Eberstraße, with the Gate being roughly where the Soviet War Memorial is at.