Honor of Autiria
Annonrial Battlegroup Center
In the southern sea of Millicent, four fleets converged at the center of the known world, gathering over a thousand ships, from high-speed gunboats to gigantic carriers and battleships, anchored 150 kilometers north of Centway Island, scattering their enormous armada throughout the region.
Thousands of ships should have been in constant motion to achieve their objectives; however, they found themselves stagnated due to the issues plaguing their Armada.
"How in the throne can no one pinpoint who the saboteurs in the fleets are!?"
A voice boomed throughout the high-level meetings between admirals of the fleets.
"It must be the elf hybrids! They must be spies of the Milishials!"
"You arrogant bastard! Who do you think you are to judge our loyalty to the empire and the emperor!?"
Each of them blamed each other, searching for a scapegoat for the lack of progress in the past week, other than being forced to withdraw from some captured Milishial islands north of Centway. These islands were deemed impossible to defend, and rumors circulated about a potential Milishial naval counteroffensive that could strike at any moment.
"Enough! Everyone, order!"
"You damned elves are the cause of this! You are not trustworthy! You must be cohorts with the knife-ears of Milishials!"
"Say that again, you muscled cubicle dogs! You beasts that tainted the glorious race of winged folks! There's no dogs with wings-only unsightly abominations!"
"You bastard!"
The situation was so chaotic for every fleet that one of the fleets, originally heading to Leifor to reinforce the crumbling front there and relieve the 17th Fleet, was forced to divert to cope with the losses they suffered in Millicent Sea. They had fallen into a trap laid by Gaius against the Annonrial invasion force, along with subsequent harassments that bore unexpected fruit.
Distrust among themselves
Not only did they have to contend with their increasing losses, the mounting resistance from the Milishials, and the frequency of naval skirmishes, but the situation was also taking a toll on Annonrials. These scenarios had never been part of their training or simulation of combat situations, leading to low morale and paranoia among sailors. Rumors and anxiety seeped through the crews of the Annonrial Armada, from whispers of disappearing fleets to fears of death, betrayal, and traitorous sailors among them. The grand-scale surprise attacks from the Milishials were proving to be a very taxing situation for everyone involved, and who knows when they would strike.
As plans for landing troops in Milishial were extended from a mere month to over four months, the sailors aboard the transport ships began to experience homesickness, anxiety, and growing paranoia. These cramped ships carried hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and with the constant delays, the signs of discontent among the soldiers became more apparent with each passing day.
Promises and expectations had been shattered multiple times, as the naval fleet of the Annonrials and the admirals addressing the ground forces on transport experienced repeated setbacks. As a result, the soldiers on the transport ships grew increasingly discontented and distrustful. The tedious and slow life aboard the ships led to the spread of rumors and a sense that things were spiraling out of control.
"Why do I have to cooperate with the elves? I could easily penetrate Milishial's defense perimeter and devastate their coastal cities and infrastructure without any issues! You're just burdening me with unnecessary baggage!"
"You fuck! Where do you think your aerial fighter screen is coming from? It's the 15th fleet, you fool! Battleships and cruisers won't protect you from being slaughtered by Milishial air power!"
As they continued to argue and point fingers, the situation worsened. They were indecisive and lacked backup plans beyond attempting to break through Milishial's defense perimeter littered with hundreds of ships and aircraft patrolling the area, and the constant threat of hidden ambushes that could once again catch the Annonrials off guard.
This division among Annonrials, driven by racial differences and the mixing of various bloodlines, was not uncommon. Elves, often associated with Milishials, were frequently subjected to bullying and isolation. The Emperor had implemented measures to prevent internal racial conflicts within the empire, often directing hostilities toward non-winged individuals in order to simmer down tensions among his subjects, with some results.
The other Fleet Admirals could only sigh at this sight. The Battlegroup Center was essentially divided into three factions. One faction remained neutral, while the other two were in conflict, primarily attributing blame along racial lines, without even mentioning tactical or strategic losses and failures.
After a minute of silence, the two arguing factions began to lose momentum in their tantrums and unnecessary arguments. Actual military discussions surface as Annonrial Admiral Tuskin, representing the neutral faction within Battlegroup Center, spoke up. "Eight flotillas have disappeared within the last four months. This includes three raiding flotillas and five scout and regular flotillas, totaling a force of 96 ships. The last sighting was of the 33rd scout fleet, in southern Canossa, approximately 790 kilometers northwest of Centway," he informed the assembly.
"Canossa? Isn't it the Muish vassal nearby?" asked Admiral Yerkes, a winged folk-beastman hybrid. "Intelligence and recon suggest they only have a few hundred aircraft, mostly outdated biplanes and a few old warships. Ground troops number at two divisions," he stated to the assembly. There had been a plan to bomb Canossa to take down its infrastructure and prevent it from being used by Milishial aircrafts, but there was no confirmed information indicating that Milishial and Mu were cooperating militarily. Both sides seemed to have no military units attached to each other, raising puzzling questions.
"How did Mu manage to sink ships? That's impossible," chimed in Admiral M'cer, a mix of elven ancestry and winged folk. "They are technologically and militarily inferior to take down even a flotilla. They shouldn't have cannons that can reach our ships since our specifications are obviously superior. Is it naval mines or mass air attacks? If that's the case, they are being careless fools, wasting the precious ships bestowed by the emperor," he commented.
Yerkes added to the discussion as he looked at the images on the table. "But there's a cruiser there. A single cruiser could wipe out up to 80 targets within a minute. Mu, even if they numbered in the hundreds, being surprised with losses of nearly a hundred should force them to withdraw immediately. That's the logical situation for them as they are yet to know..." He mumbled about the situation before being cut off by Admiral Iskaer, who was leading the fleet supposed to reinforce Leifor and the 17th fleet.
"Actually, the Muish have arrows of light. They attacked our ground forces in Leifor with some degree of accuracy. Though the damage and firepower is inferior to our nearest equivalent."
Yerkes questioned, "How? How could they possibly possess arrows of light? Did they excavate and replicate them?"
"I don't know," Iskaer replied.
Both of them wonder for the moment, seeing this, M'cer decided to set gaze to Tuskin.
"So, they've used them against us?" Admiral M'cer asked, seeking a straightforward answer from Tuskin.
"Yes," was Tuskin's brief reply, which made Iskaer bite his lip, M'cer take the situation more seriously, and Yerkes focus more on the images.
"This is a serious matter." Said by M'cer, they already knew Milishial have arrows of lights, thus, it's challenging as they're a near peer competitor in this war, added with the fact Mu have arrows of lights that could strike hundreds of kilometers away with accuracy is now more troubling aspect.
"Do we need to use core magic to wipe out Mu off the map before they can fully deploy these weapons on the battlefield? Our only choice may be to destroy every single major city on their map so they succumb," Iskaer suggested a radical solution. "I have three dozen catalysts for core magic. They were intended to be used on Gra Valkans, but they have never been a priority. Thus, all the core magic warheads in Leifor are inactive," he explained to the others.
"The problem with core magic, while powerful, is that it drains regions of magic. This means that the moment we fire those things, the affected region will be devoid of magic, forcing us to manually direct Mana resonators on the ground or via aircraft to target that region for an attack with guided weapons," M'cer countered.
Core magic was an incredibly powerful weapon, bearing some similarity to nuclear bombs. The fundamental difference lay in its non-existent radiation, and the general harmlessness of its effects to the various species inhabiting the New World and Earth despite it's destructive power. When core magic was employed, it was geared towards the absorption of a significant amount of Mana. This absorption process served as the fuel for a fission-class explosion by depleting the entire region of its Mana. This, in turn, initiated a chain reaction within the core magic active warhead, culminating in the splitting of nuclei, and consequently, a colossal release of energy. Spontaneous occurrences of this reaction were possible, but in certain nuclei, the process could be externally induced. This induction relied upon the deployment of a catalyst, which was essentially an artificial, high-concentration Mana injection. This catalyst acted as a form of neutron that targeted the nucleus of the warhead, like a gun - fired to collide on the expanding nucleus, thus prompting instability and fission.
Essentially, a magic EMP even before the actual explosion. This is why, whenever Milishial and Annonrials deploy core magic, there's a massive void on their m/radar screens. It's akin to a vacuum where magic is siphoned away to nothing within mere seconds. The duration of the flight, the class of the catalyst, and the richness of Mana in certain regions all amplify the extent of destruction it can unleash, spanning from minor 30 kiloton explosion to incredibly large margins of over 10 megatons.
"So, what's the plan now?" Yerkes asked in a low tone, directing his question to Tuskin and Iskaer. "Do we have a plan?"
"We believe that Mu lacks the air power to defend against air attacks. Their weaponry seems to be primarily designed for ground and anti-ship roles and should be still at infancy," Tuskin explained to the group. "However, we can't afford to become complacent. There may be conventional anti-aircraft guns waiting for us to expose ourselves before they open fire."
"I'll take care of that," M'cer declared, causing Yerkes to glare at him. "I have carriers at my disposal for this very purpose." He addressed the group further. Yerkes, meanwhile, groaned in annoyance. His fleet primarily consisted of surface combatants such as cruisers and battleships, with only one LHD class ship mainly intended for transporting aircrafts, making its decks unavailable for their present needs as they were already loaded to brim with aircrafts.
"Yes, and our initial target will be the southern part of Canossa, near where the 33rd scout fleet was destroyed. We've identified only two airstrips, a coastal city, and a few smaller settlements in the vicinity, along with some farms. These are relatively small, closely grouped targets. We'll test their defenses there before moving on to the major islands where larger Muish defensive formations are likely located," Tuskin explained to the group.
"Shouldn't we consider attacking multiple targets simultaneously? Why focus on a single island?" Iskaer inquired.
"While that's an appealing idea, we must also remember that we're still be facing a Milishial fleet on the north. A few dozen aircraft and few ships should suffice for the job, and if they failed, it won't itch at all. If there's nothing else to discuss, we'll conclude our meeting," Tuskin stated, and with that, the members of the meeting departed, each heading back to their respective flagships, and embarking on their various duties, whether it was formulating strategies for breaking through Milishial's defensive perimeter or hunting for potential but non-existent traitors within their ranks.
Leaving Admiral Tuskin in the room, massaging his temples after dealing with the hardline and prideful admirals like M'cer and Yerkes, someone knocked politely on the door and entered. "Admiral Tuskin," he said.
"Speak," Tuskin replied.
"Our recon aircraft was shot down just now," the person reported.
"It's the Eizan, right? It was flying at over 60,000 feet. No Muish aircraft or anti-aircraft guns should be able to reach it, let alone intercept and shoot it down. Is this an accident?" Tuskin asked.
"No," the person shook his head. "It was attacked by an unknown assailant, whether an aircraft or arrows of light, we don't know. All we can confirm is that it exploded in mid-air according to our scanning instruments, it's been interpreted as shotdown," he explained.
Tuskin could only look at the person and the report with bewilderment, contemplating how such an incident could have occurred.
"Should we relay the information to the other admirals about Eizan being shot down?" the messenger asked. Tuskin's fleet was the only one that operated Eizan.
With a short pause, Tuskin replied to the messenger, "No." He opened his eyes in response to the admiral's message. "Let's see how they would fare," Tuskin mumbled to himself in a low tone. "That would be a good cause," he added, although the messenger couldn't hear these last words.
The messenger politely left, unaware of Tuskin's inner thoughts.
Central Law Kingdom
Drieden Airship Base
Several 70-meter-long military-grade transport and recon blimps of Central Law Kingdom's Aeronautical Support Division are flying overhead the base. The vast flat ground leads to a mountainside where a large cave, an artificial one acting as an underground fortress and hangar capable of housing 18 airships. For Central Law, being in a nearly constant situation of below-freezing temperatures throughout the year, they lack wyverns as air force units, like other civilizations in the New World due to weather that makes cold-blooded wyverns impossible to survive. Instead, they rely on their magic and fairly advanced scientific knowledge of lighter-than-air machines. Thus, they've produced these blimps to act as fast troop transports for a unit of highly trained, unique to Central Law, magic swordsmen and mana archers.
Magic swordsmen are capable of tearing through iron and bronze armor from lower civilizations like paper, thanks to their high physical strength enhanced by magic and rune enchanted equipment. Mana archers on the other hand, can fire condensed Mana through their runic bows with the power equivalent to being hit by a .50 caliber machine gun, which is sufficient to penetrate most infantry-level armors in the New World. Theoretically, their arrows could even pierce light armored vehicles, as concluded by the Southeast Asian attaché. The only drawback is that they need a lengthy break after firing 15 to 20 arrows in consecutive release, or risk Mana drain, which could potentially lead to unconsciousness or even death.
With the Central Law Kingdom joining UDEA, a move that is essentially a slap in the face for Milishials, given that the Central Law Kingdom is a Millicent country, however, that was mitigated significantly due to the cultural, ethnic, and historical differences between Central Law and the rest of Millicent, making them something of an exception.
Another problematic aspect is Central Law's desire to remain unpredictable like allying themselves to the Muish while Millicent countries is supporting Leifor decades ago. Furthermore, Central Law Kingdom has a strong obsession with both magic and science. Their advanced magical capabilities could potentially enable them to create Milishial battleships, with blueprints similar to Milishial warships like the Silver-class cruisers. The third batch of these ships, in particular, was specifically revised by Central Law's magitech engineers while silently acquiring it's blueprint for references. Moreover, some licensed Tears of the Wind God, which act as propulsion technology found in some of most advanced civilizations in the New World like Parpaldia and Leifor, are sourced from Central Law. Milishials, having the knowledge and ability to reproduce Ravernal Mana engine constructs, have not bothered to create their equivalent of "Tears of the Wind Gods". However, the country can't still produce any Milishial equivalent ships due to the sheer complexity of acquiring the necessary know-how, industrial capacity, and facilities. Furthermore, for eight months of the year, the ports of Central Law are frozen, rendering the idea of creating a large naval force impractical from their perspective.
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Joint Task Force Central Law Command
At the headquarters of the ad hoc units deployed by ASEAN as forward units in its commitment to defend its coalition members, multiple small units have been converged and unified under this command. This includes two recommissioned MiM-23 Hawk launchers from the Singaporean reserves, one located in the capital and the other in Drieden. Each launcher is stocked with 16 missiles each. Additionally, several 20mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns and dozens Man-Portable Air-Defense Systems (MANPADS) have been deployed to complement the hawk, available in both twin mounts and infantry-carried models.
The atmosphere at the moment is relatively tense and heavy. Multiple F-15 aircraft are warming up on the runways, with ground personnel loading missiles onto the bomb racks and finally attaching fuel tanks to the aircrafts.
"Double-time!" a voice blares over the speakers as ground personnel hurry to prepare 8 F-15SG aircraft, lining them up on the runway. They are getting ready for takeoff to Canossa as an emergency request for reinforcements blares through the command center of JTF-CLC, urgently asking for air cover.
"Get those loaded as quickly as possible!" shouts the Southeast Asian officer, gritting his teeth. "And bring them to air!"
In the midst of a light blizzard, a pair of F-15 fighter jets roared to life, their afterburners creating bursts of light from their nozzles. With a screeching sound, they shot into the sky and quickly disappeared beyond the horizon. Their destination, Canossa, where reinforcements were urgently needed as the region was on the brink of becoming a battlefield.
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Tuareg Island, Canossa Archipelago
"Prioritize the kids and women!" was the command echoing through the Iyar port city.
Several steamships and cargo vessels of both Muish and Southeast Asian origins were docked at the bustling port city. Muish gunboats ran back and forth, ferrying civilians to and from the city.
The ships were in the process of evacuating people off the island, as the place was closing into a battlefield. Southeast Asian MANPADs equipped infantry moved in and out of the city, overseeing the evacuation, while Mu's AA gunners stood guard with artillery positioned around the city, their watchful eyes fixed on the sky.
Dug in not far from the city were the ACCULAR and EXTRA rocket artillery systems, defended by the Spyder air defense system, the very system that had shot down the Eizan reconnaissance aircraft with Derby missiles. The m/radar systems of Eizan unable to detect the incoming threat due to the high concentration of Mithridates ore, thus, got shotdown without evading the incoming threat.
Further, two trailer trucks with SE-ASHM-1 launchers stood imposingly, each carrying three anti-ship missiles. With total of 570 Southeast Asian soldiers garrisoned, all presently deployed on this island alone.
Sitting on a rooftop beside an M40 Recoilless rifle mount, a Southeast Asian soldier let out a sigh, gazing down at the port. "How long until that Annonrial fleet reaches here?" he mused.
His buddy thought for a moment. "Best-case scenario, tonight. But if they decide to send aircraft, it could be an hour. Didn't they mention those folks having an aircraft carrier in the debriefing?"
"Yeah, fuck it's like US carrier group going for our ass," he groaned, slouching against the sandbags and settling onto the hard cement rooftop of the marketplace.
"Plus, no air support," his buddy added as they watched the civilians evacuating below.
"Muish might have some," the soldier said.
"Cannon fodder," the other muttered, instantly dismissing the idea.
"Ugh, I wanna return to the Philippines," he whined, leaning on the sandbags as he gazed up at the sky. "What about you?"
"No plans to return to Nonthaburi," his buddy replied.
"Where the heck is that?"
"It's in Thailand."
"Why?" the Filipino asked, curious.
"I'm going to get married to a furry in Lauria," he said with a smile. "A catgirl, hahaha." He laughed awkwardly.
"A massive red flag?"
"Really?"
"Really."
"Umm," he paused for a moment, "I'll die not a virgin, so it's alright." He said with a laugh.
"Bruh."
Then, awkward silence ensued as one of the gunboats, filled with natives of Canossa, finally left the port with a horn blowing out.
Kids waved at them as they looked back, waving to the children.
"Isn't it too late?" the Thai asked.
"No... I don't know," the Filipino replied with uncertainty.
The approaching fleet was not something to be taken lightly, especially a first encounter with carriers escorted by Kirov-class cruisers in an eight-ship formation. A foe with decks filled with combat aircrafts to brim, and ships loaded with massive amounts of VLS. Unless they could get close to their coastal batteries undetected, they could demolish them with a mass missile strike to ensure their sinking. Adding to the tension, they had just shot down a high-altitude aircraft that was presumably some kind of spy plane, like a U-2, over the skies of Tuareg.
As a result, many officers in Canossa, both Muish and Southeast Asian, along with the nearest SEADF operation command in Central Law, concluded that the entire region was compromised and at risk of attack. It might be better to abandon it rather than risk encirclement and unnecessary losses of equipment and men by defending a hopeless, isolated region.
Plans to evacuate all the men and equipment from the region were in the planning stage in Central Law. However, evacuating the significant population and military units of Mu in Canossa proved to be nearly impossible, especially given the fact that Arakal Sea and the southern Millicent Seas were riddled with countless Annonrial ships indiscriminately attacking anyone. The only seas that could be considered calm were the Millicent Northern and Eastern Seas, as well as the territories controlled by ASEAN in the Third Civilization Enclaves, which were meticulously guarded. They brought as many shorebase AShM batteries and aircrafts to patrol and defend these areas, with fleets of ships patrolling 24/7 along the coasts of Philades and Rodenius.
Thus, the only thing the defenders of Canossa could do was to buy extra time to evacuate more people from this trapped region or to move them to larger islands where they could hide until the storm passed. This was a relatively optimistic thought in the midst of what seemed like an impossible situation.
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Amid the calm sea of Arakal, the colossal Annonrial supercarrier Eigal emerged like a behemoth, rivaling even Kitty Hawk-class supercarriers in both size and capability. It was a floating fortress, brimming with an astonishing number of aircraft. On its immense deck, 65 aircraft stood ready, a force comprising Galleria VTOL attack aircraft and Phantom air superiority fighters. These war machines were the spearhead of Annonrial airpower.
Accompanying this massive carrier were heavy missile cruisers, guardians of the fleet, their formidable silhouettes casting shadows on the water. They acted as a protective shield for the aircraft as they embarked on their mission.
The objective was Tuareg Island, a distant target lying on the shimmering horizon. The carrier's mission was to strike with precision, to unleash destruction upon its assigned target.
With the command given, the first wave of 51 aircraft catapulted into the sky, their engines roaring to life. Afterburners ignited, and they shot off the deck like deadly arrows. In a menacing formation, they soared toward Tuareg Island, their purpose clear - the annihilation of Muish installations.
Soon after, massive plumes of smoke and enormous fireballs rose from the VLS of cruisers, as 60 ballistic missiles shot into the sky, rapidly ascending to ever greater altitudes.
And the time had come. The first head-on clashes between ASEAN and the Annonrials had begun. There was no declaration of war, no acknowledgment of a state of war, and little concern for what to come.
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Vooooonnggg!
The air raid sirens blared across Tuareg Island, and SEADF helicopters quickly deployed from the outskirts of the city. Military equipment was hastily evacuated as civilians panicked, creating traffic jams on the roads. They were soon ordered to flee on foot towards the safety of the forest.
"Commander Somsak! JTF reports over 50 aircraft and more than 40 ballistic missiles climbing to altitude. They'll be here in half an hour!"
"So fucking great," the commander muttered upon hearing the grim report.
"The enemy fleet is maintaining a cautious distance. They're about 600 kilometers away, out of firing range of our anti-ship batteries... launching missiles and launching aircraft there."
"I hate enemies with brains," Somsak replied as he grabbed the radio in the command truck. "Contact Spyder command and control units. Inquire if they can intercept those missiles."
A quick response came after a brief bout of static.
<Affirmative, Commander. We can potentially lock on and intercept short-range ballistic missiles.>
"Prioritize the missiles over aircrafts."
<Are you certain, Commander? We have only 16 firing units. We might not have time to reload them if aircrafts are coming.>
"Have the MANPADs handle the aircrafts, understood?"
<Umm, Loud and clear.>
Somsak then set the radio down and turned to his nearby personnel. "Let's relocate," he ordered, and they immediately followed. Their command truck roared to life as they left the area behind.
A few minutes later
At the command and control unit of the SPYDER air defense system in Canossa, the ELM-2084 radar scanned the surrounding airspace, its primary focus directed towards acquiring its target – the incoming Annonrial ballistic missiles. This Israeli ground-based mobile 3D AESA multi-mission radar (MMR) had the capability to detect and track both aircraft and ballistic targets. It also provided invaluable fire control guidance for missile interception and artillery air defense.
As the radar operators anxiously monitored their screens, they fought to calm their racing nerves in the face of the imminent attack. The importance of this equipment was also immeasurable, not only for the operators' lives but also for the defense of Canossa. The ELM-2084's advanced capabilities were now being put to the test, designed to detect both aircraft and ballistic targets. Furthermore, these radars was rare in the ASEAN, with Vietnam and Singapore collectively possessing just over three dozen operational units. This scarcity left no viable replacements for these rare and precious systems.
Radar soon acquired the incoming Annonrial ballistic missiles, there was a heavy tension in the room. This was the moment they had trained for, the moment when their equipment and their skills would be put to the ultimate test. The responsibility weighed heavily on their shoulders.
As the missiles streaked across the sky, the radar operators provided the necessary tracking data for the missile interception systems. The process was swift and precise, a ballet of technology and human expertise working together.
Operators, each executing their roles with precision, began the countdown to missile launch. The sense of urgency filled the air as they aimed to intercept the incoming threats.
"Fire!" Officer's voice cut through the tension, providing the final order.
With that command, a salvo of 16 interceptor missiles streaked into the sky, racing towards their designated targets — to defend the stricken city that holds a few hundred civilians. The operators watched as the missiles soared, their eyes locked on the screens, tracking the hostile missiles.
In a display of remarkable accuracy, the interceptor missiles struck down 11 of the Annonrial missiles. Although they had missed 5, there were still 17 more missiles on collision course for Port City, facing the insurmountable threat, they needed to withdraw quickly to avoid being collateral.
In a heavy and focused tone, the officer made the call. "We've taken down 11, but there are over a dozen still inbound. Rapidly withdraw the launchers."
The operators knew that while they had successfully intercepted some missiles, not all could be stopped. The cold reality was that more than 40 ballistic missiles were now descending towards throughout the city, port, settlements, and nearby facilities.
The priority was clear – minimize the damage that these remaining missiles could inflict on their defense sector. With urgency, the order was relayed to the teams operating the launchers: disengage, pack up, and get out of there. Time was of the essence.
In a flurry of activity, the teams went to work, swiftly preparing to leave their positions. The launchers were critical assets, but so was the safety of personnels. The officer's decision was clear, and the operators executed it without hesitation.
With the launchers disengaged and on their way out, the radar operators tracked the incoming missiles as some began to plunged towards the city. These operators understood the dire situation and remained resolute.
Though the interceptors had not been able to stop every missile, the rapid withdrawal of the launchers could potentially save countless lives. The target locations was now left to confront the brutal reality of an imminent ballistic missile strike.
It was a harsh decision to make, but it was the best they could do under the circumstances. The operators had given their all in defense of Canossa, but the battle was far from over.
Thus, the peace of port city in Island of Tuareg was suddenly shattered as 17 blooming fireballs illuminated the sky, each explosion sending shockwaves that obliterated anything standing. The ground trembled, and earsplitting explosions resounded through the city.
In addition to these 17 strikes, 4 ballistic missiles hit the port, causing devastation. Several cranes were obliterated, and dozens of containers were sent flying like paper dolls in the wake of the missile's power. Fires began to emerge and spread throughout the city.
Civilians who had been unable to leave or chose to stay behind screamed in agony and fear as their beloved city transformed into a living nightmare. Nearby settlements, suspected of housing hidden anti-ship and anti-aircraft batteries, also felt the wrath of these missiles as they've battered repeatedly.
In the first 10 minutes of the attack, even the airstrips to the north of the port city did not escape unscathed. They took 8 missiles that resulted in the complete annihilation of the airstrips, leaving large craters on the once-glaring Muish installation.
The indiscriminate barrage struck 9 different targets in total, leading to over 200 deaths and more than 400 casualties among civilians and military personnel. The once-thriving island was now engulfed in chaos and destruction, with its landscape forever altered by then.
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