Kingdom of Krosnia
New World Year, 1556 (2026EY)
March 1st
Border City of Drackow
The 111th Royal Ground Regiment of the Krosnian Armed Forces, one of the most elite units in their military, stands as a formidable force that boasts arch-artillery units, cavalry, knight infantry, and several arch-gun squadrons.
However, the prestige and honor they so proudly once claimed from the battlefield were now being stripped away in a symphony of humiliating defeats.
The Soumian Army had completely overrun them, with a surprise lightning attack by using a large-scale invisibility spell that should have otherwise been impossible by known standards of warfare, yet it was a very much real feat.
The enemy decisively defeated all friendly positions at the border and pushed past the towns of Swarme, Czek, and Vivl, completely annihilating everybody who dared to raise their swords against their mighty army. Pillaging, kidnappings, sexual assault... Nothing was out of boundary for the barbaric march that had crossed Krosnian sovereign territory. Of course, the key difference between these battles and the one waged at Drackow was that those positions were not guarded by the legendary 111th.
A young arch-gunner observed the battlefield from a watchtower, the structure was attached to a greater stone wall that allowed the man to have both a good shooting position and plenty of cover within the area should he need to move.
While Close Quarters Combat units, such as the knight infantry and cavalry remained inside the medium-sized town, building defensive positions and preparing for the assault, the arch-gunner squadrons' job was to scout — using their deficient, but functional by Cybelian standards scopes — to watch farther away, create chaos in the enemy ranks with the goal of buying time for the infantry to set up everything properly, and give information to the arch-artillery units they had set up on the walls when it came to enemy positions and general directions.
The arch-gun was a fascinating thing on its own, resembling an early bolt-action rifle — similar in physical appearance to a Kar-98 — it demonstrated that technology truly develops out of necessity and with the right conditions. While the people of Krosnia and many countries native to Cybelia had yet to discover Earth's revolutionary gunpowder, they had instead adapted to develop a system that fit their capabilities and necessities.
The weapon glowed with intricate blue patterns and outlines as the young man's eyes brightened in a kaleidoscope of greens and yellows, oozing with magic power, he put a round inside the rifle's chamber — which lacked a casing due to the fact that the propulsion didn't come from anything else than pure mana — and took a deep breath.
"The power of my faith is ever greater, for it's thee that we puny humans ought to serve with the dignity of a hundred stars, thou power shall flow within this soul, Mana Shell!" He screamed with vigorous emotion, as a shockwave that rattled even the imposing stone walls of the twin reverberated throughout the air with the potency of a cannon shot, the superheated steel alloy projectile traveling to the air with a trail of plasma and magic particles that would look mesmerizing for anybody with the perception necessary to properly react.
The Soumians saw the brilliant flash of light with only a fraction of a second to spare, the event was able to be barely registered in their brains, and after that, nothingness. A massive explosion rocked the formation of what looked like to be a cannon fodder unit.
The men screamed in agony, many of them losing multiple limbs or receiving the excruciating impacts of shrapnel inside of their bodies, while others were just instantly killed by the hand-held mobile artillery that had just hit them. The carnage was nauseating, but the men defending the Kingdom of Krosnia had no sympathy towards these invaders, who came here looking for honor, glory, and war.
They would attain no honor or glory, but they would get their war complete with appetizers, main dish, and dessert.
The arch-gunner let out a breath, which he held before to steady his hands, satisfied with the results of his actions. The green-eyed, black-haired young man moved from his position slightly to get another shot, however, just before he could properly set himself up, someone called out to him.
"Squad leader, come down here, the commander is about to announce something!" Claimed one of his squad mates.
"How many times do I have to tell you to just call me Evan? I am not used to the title yet...", said the now-identified Evan with a hint of annoyance in his voice.
The young man slung his rifle, removing it out of his hands and into his back, and then went down in an agile drop from the 10-meter tall tower while using his over-the-top, but otherwise very impressive, acrobatics, to reach a safe landing. A combination of mana reinforcement and skill let him pull such a stunt without any harm done, such was the way of the elite 111th regiment.
Both men walked briskly, but with an air of confidence and professionalism, towards the Command and Control tent where their squad leader, alongside many other officers — including the commander of the entire force guarding the settlement — resided. Once they entered, the entire squadron of arch-gunners, from which Evan was the leader of, as well as the aforementioned military leaders, snapped their eyes toward the new arrivals.
The young men briefly stood at attention, the commander nodded hurriedly and began giving his debriefing with urgency.
"Men, the Kingdom of Soumia is here uninvited, and by Her Majesty's direct orders, it is our duty to expel the enemy from our lands with haste and bravery. As such, I expect nothing less from you, the 111th Royal Ground Regiment has been tasked to defend this settlement at all costs, alongside the 99th Territorial Defense Guard and the 17th Gryphon Air Division", said the decorated man with firm determination and patriotism.
"Therefore, we are to become the crack that allows the rest of our army to perform a strategic counter-offensive, with the aim to recapture all the areas lost along the border and exploit any breakthroughs on the front as far out as possible. All the arch-gunner and arch-artillery units that we possess will be used in this attack, you will be the 'tip-of-the-spear'", proclaimed the commander, moving military units in the map around to visually symbolize what he meant.
"Meanwhile, the 17th Gryphon Air Division will give you Close Air Support in the area while our knight infantry waits for their lines to be softened up enough to lead the charge", the man briefly stopped, taking a sip of water from a cup besides him, he then looked up from the map spread on the table and continued.
"Your task, arch-gunners, is to give them support using your magic, all spells are allowed according to the situation, but avoid using Mana Shells once our friendlies are close to the enemy, a Sniper Shell spell would be more suitable for individual support, and a Rapid-Fire spell for suppression of bigger enemy units is also a recommendation I can give. But at the end of the day, I will leave that up to you, squad leaders, just be mindful of our knight infantry", the man finished, taking his eyes back to the map.
'Straight back to the frontline, it is, huh? Well, I guess that checks out with another normal Tuesday around here...', thought Evan, his heart as solid as steel and his mind ready for the challenge.
The commander spent over one hour detailing the specifics of their mission as well as their designated positions and minimum objectives. However, nothing else of note was mentioned.
"You will move out in three hours, make sure to stock up on rounds and soldier potions, you will need them...", the commander smirked knowingly, an action that his men mirrored, from their knowledge, the enemy did not possess any arch-gun or arch-artillery units in their army, even if they had archwizard superiority, the advantage wasn't so big that they would get demoralized just with that knowledge, rather, the elite unit was itching to do something.
They do say all good soldiers are a little bit screwed in the head...
With that, the commander dismissed everyone in the tent, including all the squad leaders.
All of them left the room with a sense of satisfaction, they all wished to complete their mission and get these invaders out of their land, however, one of them had an aura of rage that immediately let everybody else know that they should stay away from him.
"It's time to finish what they've started, I swear on my name, Evan Granheirt, that I will make them all pay for this...", muttered Evan with killing intent seeping through his voice, 'Back then, and now too... I knew it, these bastards don't change, and they never will, no matter how many years pass!'
With a look that could kill a black bear in seconds, Evan entered his quarters, shuffling through supply boxes while only one last thought remained.
'I'll kill them all!'
Kingdom of Krosnia
New World Year, 1556 (2026EY)
March 1st
Sea of Swords, Keraunia Harbor's surroundings.
Admiral John Thompson quietly observed the image that showed up on one of the many screens around the bridge of the Iwo Jima, satellite imagery began to show several staging grounds close to the Soumian border's cities and towns. This included things such as barracks, supply grounds, weapon depots, command bases, what seemed to be airbases filled with insect-looking creatures, and many other High-Value Targets.
Even their ports and dockyards were completely visible — many of which were filled to the brim with vessels seemingly getting ready to join the action. Many juicy targets for his fleet's armament of Tomahawks, however, the Rules of Engagement dictated to only attack the highest priority targets this way, since their production capabilities were very limited at the moment, and each missile was a precious asset.
Normally, if a proper Carrier Strike Group was here, they would just bomb the area to dust with JDAMs, however, they didn't have such a luxury at the moment, meaning that they would work with what they had, risking rotary-wing assets at this moment was not allowed by High Command due to the real possibility of a very contested airspace.
They would follow their orders properly, at the very least.
"Are all the preparations ready?" Asked the admiral with a sense of nervousness, this would be the first U.S. Navy operation in another world outside of Mother Earth, his name was going down in history for sure and he was ready for it.
"Aye admiral, all launch coordinates have been checked and double-checked, we are ready to begin at your command, sir", said one of the sailors, ready to relay the order to all of the other ships present on his Expeditionary Strike Group.
John's forehead was damp with a thin layer of sweat, as his own anticipation began to make him feel the weight of the actions about to be carried out in a moment's notice.
The man took a deep breath, "Begin Operation New Freedom", he declared.
Kingdom of Soumia
New World Year, 1556 (2026EY)
March 1st
Capital City of Solaume
A gruff, white-haired muscular man gazed forward from his grand throne, his cold gray eyes glaring holes into the military officials that sat around the strategy meeting table. He wasn't particularly angry, rather, he was extremely pleased with the reports he had gotten so far, however, he couldn't allow his subordinates to slack off after just the initial success of his masterful plan... No, he had to keep them on their toes at all costs.
The King's mana filled the room with a thick blanket that made the air feel almost slimy when inhaled, making it very difficult for the men to breathe properly, however, they had to keep their composure, lest they be punished on the spot for displeasing the man.
...
"I am pleased with the results you, my subordinates, have achieved so far. The humiliation that they must be feeling is something I relish, especially on that wretched witch they have for a Queen... I will personally go all the way to her castle and kill her myself using my indomitable magic!"
The King's wicked smirk sent shivers down the spines of all the men present in the room, but none of them said anything, fearing to offend the very volatile ruler.
"How dare she receive these impure animal bastards disguised as humans with open arms? We have lost thousands of slaves due to her, she even ignored my absolute demands! She will pay the ultimate price for crossing me!" Claimed the King with fury, slowly tightening the room's mood further.
The King glared with fiery intensity as the air in the meeting hall became completely unbreathable, "However... I won't forgive you if somehow you throw this success down the drain, remember that many powerful individuals have given us... Tokens of their friendship, if bad rumors spread, I will dispose of you myself. Is that clear?" He finished with a tone that promised a slow, painful demise.
All of the subordinates croaked weakly, "Y-Y-Yes... Your Highness...!"
The pressure receded and they were able to breathe once more. All of the commanders and high-ranking officials in the room felt the immense risk of what failure would entail. Thus, they would do anything and everything in their power to succeed, their necks were on the chopping block here, after all.
However, just as the meeting had been adjourned, a strange sound, similar to a dragon's mighty roar, filled the silent room with subtle fury. All the individuals inside, including the King, strained their ears to make out what could possibly be causing this noise.
It got louder and louder, until suddenly, a massive explosion rocked the entire castle, and then another one, and another... A rain of fire fell upon the Capital City of Solaume with unlimited fury and precision, the men inside began to rush towards the windows to see what was happening, only to witness the silhouette of a streak of light approach the direction of the Royal Knights barracks.
A massive explosion followed by a deafening roar forced the ground to shake under the incredible power that had just struck the barracks, which now were nothing more than a ball of fire and smoke.
Two more streaks of light approached the Royal Fleet dockyards and harbors, and less than 3 seconds later, smashed both positions with divine ease.
In response, many Air Force units were being deployed to attempt an interception on whatever was hitting their city with impunity, but before all forces could be deployed properly, impacts were felt around the Insectoid Air Base, killing a significant, but otherwise not crippling amount of their aerial assets.
The creatures looked very similar to Earth's Dragonfly, but they possessed a much less threatening appearance thanks to their docile breeding, however, these were some of the fastest mounts in Cybelia, surpassing the famed Gryphons in terms of sheer speed.
If a Gryphon was a Close Air Support beast, the Dragonfly was bred to be an Interceptor demon.
However, even their impressive speed was no match for the mind-numbingly fast rockets, all of which just passed the insects as if they were standing still.
This relentless pounding of the once glorious city continued all around the massive human settlement dragged on for several minutes. Buildings collapsed under the weight of the collateral damage suffered by the impacts, people, including civilians, were crushed into a mush of meat by debris, while others were caught in the nearby areas of the targets and instantly perished.
The Dragonfly riders desperately attempted to intercept anything, just to save their countrymen and women from this horrible fate, however, nothing could be done. They had been defeated by something completely alien to them, and now their capital had become a smoking, fiery hellscape.
One last roar filled their eardrums with dread, as a final impact crushed the weapons and cannon gunpowder storage close to the coastline, causing a massive explosion followed by a powerful shockwave, destroying windows and finishing off any structures that had already severe damage in their foundations.
"Run! We need to r-!" Said a man before being crushed by the roof of his house.
A woman, running with her child, attempted to find cover, however, the shockwave of the last explosion caught her completely off guard, the impact instantly knocked her to the ground and put her into the darkness of unconsciousness alongside her son.
"Save me, someone save me!" Screamed a man whose lower body was crushed in between a wooden structure, but the panicked people didn't notice him as many ran over the man, their steps eventually killing him due to head trauma.
"Aaaauuuuugh... koff... someone... koff...", muttered a burned man, who was close to the barracks when they were struck, the man, agonizing in pain, squirmed on the floor, and many people in the same state were present around the scene, with some sitting down and leaning on the wall of another building, unconscious, and others missing body parts entirely.
This was complete madness.
"In the name of Hestia... What the hell is going on?!" Screamed the commander of a knight battalion, all of which were in charge of patrolling the slums, they had left their posts as soon as they heard the commotion, but what they saw was frightening, their mighty Kingdom had been dealt a very severe blow, and they didn't even know who or what hit them.
Ships began to blow up as a result of the collateral damage received by the explosions, many burning brightly due to the massive cook-off of the gunpowder and munitions in the now charred, smoking warehouse.
"What did we... just witness?" Muttered one of the military officials observing the situation from the castle. The King's face showed a rage never seen before in the man, which was impressive considering how quick he was to rage, but this was different. His face was red, all of his head's veins bulged almost as if they were about to burst, the frown on his face was as intense as the eruption of a volcano and his lips drew blood with how hard he had been clenching his feet on top of them. His eyes, bloodshot in shock and madness, quickly glanced at all the awestruck men.
'What kind of damned trick is this?! Th- That fucking bitch, I will... I will kill and torture her once I get my hands on that disgusting swine!'
The King's face was covered by a thick shadow, as he then spoke, "All of you... You better get to the bottom of this, if the Krosnians were able to pull this off, then we have severely underestimated them! It's time to put all of our forces on the offensive, I demand that you crush the Krosnian savages — do it before I change my mind and begin killing every single one of you!" Screamed the King with wrath, before marching up into his throne once more.
The Soumian ruler closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down, before once more continuing with his tirade.
"This must be... some kind of sorcery, bring 'them' into the city to inspect the impacts, we should be able to understand what happened by studying the mana residue left behind."
The King clenched his throne's armrests with silent anger, as the wood groaned under the weight of his mana-enhanced grip strength.
"Do not fail me, get out of my sight", he ordered with finality, as all the men knelt in front of their King one last time before leaving the room. As the doors closed, a gut-wrenching scream made itself known, laced with magical power, a name was uttered with complete loathing and frustration, "Damn you...! Kiarinshka!"