Several hours later...

29th of April, 21:00

In the Quistadorians' encampment to the north of Gibraltar

After the first failed attack on Gibraltar, the Duke of Nethiolor, Rictiovarus, summoned his aides including Gaiseric and Sigmund into a meeting which eventually concluded that if attacking in broad daylight didn't work, then it was time to attack under the cover of darkness and thus, the Quistadorians decamped and quickly marched towards Gibraltar under the overall command of Gaiseric.

Although Sigmund tried to convince Rictiovarus to stop all further attempts at attacking for the time being while their engineers construct proper siege equipment like trebuchets and ballistae, Rictiovarus insisted on continuing the night attack. As a vassal of the Duke, however, Sigmund has no other choice other than to agree to disagree as Gaiseric was already leading his formations towards Gibraltar, it was far too late to stop anything.

As they got ever closer to Gibraltar, one of the horses at the very head of the formation accidentally tripped over a wire. Its scream and neigh could be heard from miles away but that wasn't it. The wire triggered by the horse, in turn, activated a tripflare which suddenly started burning and illuminating the area, to the shock of the Quistadorians who quickly tried to extinguish it, to no avail.

Just as the Quistadorians tried to extinguish the burning tripflare, the entire area was illuminated by even more flares burning down from the skies, completely depriving the Quistadorians of their only cover, the darkness, and even temporarily blinded some of them as they stared into the skies, from the sheer brightness of the flares alone, and panicked. It was as if the sun, which should've already set long ago, was coming right at them.

Gaiseric, upon seeing this, immediately shouted out the order for his men to charge right away. They weren't going to become targets to those strange explosive magic spells, unlike what happened several hours earlier. But even then, the distance between their formations and Gibraltar is still considerable, so they might or might not make it before the Franco-British responds but he is willing to take that risk.

Unfortunately for the Quistadorians, however, they were right inside the kill zones prepared, specifically for them by the Franco-British Army. Soon, massive volumes of medium machine-gun fire were unleashed on the Quistadorians from a range of about 600 metres, followed by other small arms. The light that illuminated the area allowed the Franco-British defenders to identify targets and bring down very effective fire while the Quistadorians were forced to charge over large distances in disorganised formations.

It was a one-sided slaughter, thousands of men caught in hails of bullets left with no other choice other than to charge or to retreat to their camp, both of which would certainly lead to doom in one way or another. Although veterans of many campaigns, the foot soldiers and the archers decided to retreat to the camp while the knights, both dismounted and mounted, pressed on. Unlike last time, however, the FBU wasn't going to be so generous.

Suddenly, the sound of several small explosions could be heard, followed by a shockwave that can be felt through the shaking ground as Gaiseric looked back, only to see clouds of dust, kicked up by explosions of some sort. As the clouds of dust cleared, it revealed the horrific fate of those who tried to make it back to the camp as almost all of them lay on the floor, either dead or severely wounded from the fragmentation that was everywhere.

Some of the knights quickly stopped their advance and rushed to their comrade-in-arms aid. As for Gaiseric and the rest of the knights, they weren't going to last any longer than their counterparts. They were last seen attempting a futile charge before they were also enveloped into a series of explosions, never to appear again...

Back inside the camp, Rictiovarus and Sigmund were shocked by what they've just seen. 3/4 of their army were completely wiped out without a single enemy casualty.

Rictiovarus: [C] "H-how is this even possible? Only the legendary ancient empires should be capable of doing this... Don't tell me they've decided to return after so long?!"

Sigmund: [C] "My lord, I am afraid but that's quite absurd. If they have already returned then they would've already made themselves known."

Rictiovarus: [C] "Do you have any explanation for our defeats then, Gaiseric?!"

Sigmund: [C] "..."

Once upon a time, two mighty empires once ruled the planet of Petram, Brittia and Kêr-Is, often referred to as the Two Ancient Empires. For hundreds of years, they were bitter enemies, both fighting for complete domination over Petram. After all, two superpowers could never coexist in peace.

According to the legends, the Two Ancient Empires fought in numerous wars against each other, so much so that neighbouring countries were often, if not always, forced to choose between the two sides. That was until the two seemingly disappeared, leaving behind "two flying ships" and several valuable relics scattered all around the world.

However, this continent wasn't even the place where the Two Ancient Empires were located, so, realistically speaking, there would be no reason for them to appear at Tariq.

Sigmund: [C] "...When I went into Tariq, I was amazed by the level of technology inside, my lord. It was much more advanced than what we have, needless to say, it could even be comparable to those used by the Two Ancient Empires, however, guessing from the red white and blue flag they flew, they were definitely not one of the Ancient Empires, my lord."

Rictiovarus: [C] "So you're suggesting that the ones defending Tariq are an entirely different nation we've never heard of?!"

Sigmund: [C] "I am afraid, yes, my lord."

Rictiovarus sighed out loud as he stared at the map on the table. With only 25,000 men left, the situation was hopeless as the once-mighty Southern Imperial Army was reduced to nothing but a shadow of its former self. The only choice left was to retreat once the sun rises and meet up with other Quistadorian armies along the way.

Unfortunately for both of them and what was left of their army, however, they wouldn't live to see the sun rises, just like others before them. Just as Sigmund stepped out of the tent, he stared into the skies, only to see several round-shaped objects falling from the sky before it ejects hundreds of submunitions that, upon impact with the ground, blew up the entire camp and everyone inside, including the Duke and Sigmund to kingdom come, thus ending the Fifteenth Siege of Gibraltar that would go down in history as the shortest yet deadliest siege of Gibraltar ever with casualties in the hundreds of thousands on the Quistadorians' side.

The Quistadoria Empire's 2nd Attack Result - 100,000 dead, the Quistadoria Empire's Southern Imperial Army completely wiped out.

* * * * *

At the same time...

Cabinet Office Briefing Room, Cabinet Office, 70 Whitehall, London

Inside the classified facilities of the COBR, the National Security Council and the Defence Council of the Franco-British Union, comprising of the Prime Minister, senior ministers from major departments, representatives of the Security Service (MI5) and the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS/MI6), senior officers of the Armed Forces, and Civil Servants, were currently in a meeting regarding the situation at Gibraltar.

On the screen were live footages from the same Protector RG Mk1 that monitored the Quistadorians before the siege and the very same UAV that dropped 18 RBL755 cluster bombs on their army, to devastating effects.

RBL755 is the latest version of the BL755 cluster bomb, every bomb contains 147 submunitions stored in seven bays that will be dispersed over an area equal to a single football pitch. Although each submunition has a HEAT warhead designed to deal with tanks, it was more than capable in its anti-personnel role mainly because each submunition can produce around 1,400 anti-personnel fragments, or to put it frankly, more than enough to deal with the massive armies the Quistadorians possessed.

Unlike most countries back on Earth, all the four superpowers, the USA, the FBU, Russia and China weren't signatories of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, as such, the FBU continued producing and stockpiling cluster munitions for conflicts in the future, although officially, it's been mostly reduced to territorial defences purposes for "humanitarian" reasons.

As the dust settled, it revealed the extent of the damage caused by the thousands of submunitions, ranging from the ruined camp and the devastated landscape, filled with nothing other than the remains of humans and horses alike. At least, there weren't any casualties on the Franco-British side.

Josué: "Brian, were there any responses to our demands?"

Brian: "No, sir. Our diplomats were turned back right away because they assumed we were from a "barbaric nation", sir."

Campbell: "I suggest we activate elements of the JRRF (Joint Rapid Response Force) immediately, Josué. If they aren't willing to negotiate, then we can give them a spectacular show of force."

Josué: "Who's our current SLE battalion, Campbell?"

Campbell: "It's the Royal Marines, Josué. 40 Commando."

Josué: "Deploy 40 Commando to Gibraltar, oh and please get me an Amphibious Task Group centred around HMS Mistral."

Campbell: "What are you thinking about, Josué?"

Josué: "An amphibious assault, Campbell. While the 3rd Division pushes across the border, the 3 Commando Brigade can conduct an amphibious assault on one of these coastal cities here on the peninsula's eastern coast. If we press our advantage from all fronts, they wouldn't have the chance to properly react and retaliate. But first, we'll have to take out their air and naval capabilities."

Brian: "What if we accidentally cross the border into one of the neighbouring countries, sir?"

???: "I am afraid that's impossible."

Suddenly, everyone's attention was diverted to a man pinning his back against the wall. He was definitely in his 50s, although he doesn't look like one. He threw Brian a large portolan chart that was old yet extremely detailed, it was then that satellite images of the peninsula were brought onto the screen.

Brian: "Your Grace?"

???: "The chart's in Spanish but it's still useful. As you can see, these walls act as the border between the Kingdom of Pais and the Quistadoria Empire, Prime Minister. Other than these two nations, there are no other nations nearby, needless to say, they were subjugated by the very same empire we're fighting, the Quistadoria Empire."

Josué: "...Just how did you get all this in such a short matter of time, Your Grace?"

???: "That's a secret of mine, Prime Minister. It is my business to know what other people don't know and if you'll excuse me."

Having finished his business inside the facility, the man excused himself before walking out of the room. As for the portolan chart, it was rolled out on the table as everyone in the room takes a look at it.

Campbell: "Well, I guess you couldn't ask more from the Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service."

Josué: "...Of course, Campbell. Although I am still surprised an aristocrat like him is even holding such a position nowadays."

Campbell: "Are you not used to it yet, Josué? Not only did he prove every single one of those doubters wrong, but he also exceeded their expectations. However, we shouldn't worry about it. As of now, we have more important matters to attend to."

Josué: "Of course, Campbell. Of course... And about this Kingdom of Pais, Brian, have we established proper relations with them yet?"

Brian: "According to the schedule, in several hours, HMS Ark Royal and her CSG should be appearing at this port city right here, sir. And from there, our officials on the ground will handle it."

Campbell: "In case anything happens, Mike Two Zero is ready to intervene from the inside of the city as well, Josué."

Josué: "Very well. Campbell, get me Northwood."

Campbell: "Right away."

* * * * *

The next day...

30th of April, 12:00

The Capital of the Quistadoria Empire, the City of Ellesmere, Quistadoria Empire

The aide of the Emperor of the Quistadorians, Igamaex, walked down the hallway, shaking in fear, after being informed that he has to report the Emperor on what happened to the Duke of Nethiolor's Southern Imperial Army.

Just a few minutes earlier, he and several other generals met and discussed the disaster at Tariq, if the Emperor heard of the slaughter where an entire army was wiped out by a barbaric nation, they would undoubtedly be the first to face the wrath of the Emperor. With that in mind, they decided to falsify the casualties and the cause of the slaughter.

Eventually, Igamaex found himself in front of a large door, the door leading to the throne room where the Emperor sat, waiting. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down before the door opened and he walked inside and kneeled. The man on the throne was the Emperor of the Quistadorians, Alaric Quistadoria IV. However, he was disgusted to see the "summoned hero" standing beside the throne, but, he wasn't here to pluck out that persistent thorn, at least not for now.

Igamaex: [C] "Your Majesty."

Alaric: [C] "Igamaex, I assume you have an explanation for the disappearance of the Duke of Nethiolor and his army."

Igamaex: [C] "Yes, Your Majesty. On the way to Tariq, they encountered a creature that our hero over there claimed to have defeated several weeks ago, Your Majesty, the Fire Dragon."

???: [C] "That's impossible! We've defeated that dragon with our own hands and we have even brought its head to you as the evidence, so, how is it still alive?"

A tall young Japanese man raised his voice. He was the summoned hero by the name of Kimoto, probably around the age of 18 or 19. Standing right beside him were two young and gorgeous women, who became his trusted companions shortly after he was summoned to the planet of Petram.

Like all other summoned heroes in this world, they were granted immense magic abilities, equal or even superior to that of archmagicians, or quite frankly, they were so valuable that nations often used them as trump cards during conflicts with other nations.

Alaric: [C] "Kimoto, please calm down."

Igamaex: [C] "Well, as it appears, Your Majesty, there wasn't one but two Fire Dragons in this peninsula. How did we know that? Take a look at this piece of clothing recovered from the site of the battle, Your Majesty."

Igamaex pulled out a burned and bloodied piece of tan cloth and presented it before the Emperor as Kimoto quickly walked over, snatched the piece of clothing, and analysed it. The burn marks can be clearly seen on the cloth, confirming the fact that they were burned to death.

Kimoto: [C] "..."

Alaric: [C] "Rictiovarus was a damn fine general and a good friend of mine. Igamaex, inform Baron Ozahl to prepare his regiment. Kimoto, I entrust you and your companions with the task of dealing with this Fire Dragon once and for all, for the sake of the Duke and the fallen as well, their deaths must be avenged."

Kimoto: [C] "...Yes, Your Majesty."