March 29, 1641

Ragna, Gra Valkas Empire

Nivles Castle

Navigating through a labyrinth of brightly lit hallways, Emperor Gra Lux strutted toward the northern wing of the complex, where the Department of War had its main offices. Four Imperial Guardsmen followed closely behind him, their steps perfectly synchronized with each other. Gra Lux soon found himself standing before a set of ornate wooden doors, decorated with nothing but a simple sign that said ‘Gra Valkas Empire Department of War’. Two of the Imperial Guardsmen opened the door for him and he entered, being immediately greeted by reverential bows from his subjects.

He scanned the room and its occupants. Senator Guinea Marix – the head of the War Committee – as well as other prominent war hawks were present, as were the Three Great Generals and their closest assistants. Standing together, Siegs, Mirkenses, and above all – Caesar – represented the three brightest strategic minds in the entire empire. Beside the legendary trio was a man who he considered the most important individual in the room aside from himself and his generals: Director Morius Akkan from the Bureau of Intelligence. Without him, the brilliant plans drawn up by the Trio of War could never have existed.

Gra Lux’s eyes fell on Akkan, who showed no reaction. “Fall Albus was scheduled to commence two weeks ago, delayed by insurgent sabotage. Director Akkan, I trust that you bring me good news?”

Akkan stared straight at the wall, responding emotionlessly, “Your Excellency, my agents have managed to apprehend almost thirty men connected to the initial attack. Our interrogations have thus far yielded fruit; we have identified a possible person of interest: an individual named Malero.”

Gra Lux gave a satisfactory nod. “Good. I will partition additional resources for your cause. Have you managed to secure any information on further sabotage plans?”

“Indeed we have, Your Excellency,” Akkan grinned internally. With sensations of pride swelling within him, he reported confidently, “Already, we have foiled two of their plots and raided one of their safe houses. This will place them on the defensive and should buy us enough time to complete Fall Albus.”

“You shall be rewarded generously for your accomplishments, Director.”

Akkan bowed, thankful for the Emperor’s gift.

Gra Lux then set his sight on the Trio of War. “General Mirkenses,” he said, “What is the progress of our deployments?”

Mirkenses bowed, “Your Excellency, our patrols have secured all routes to the border. All units are in position for the commencement of Fall Albus, with reinforcements close behind. General Kinley is ready to move the 8th Army at your command.”

“See to it that he does. Ensure that he has not grown overconfident from our victories over Leifor. Although Hinomawari has but a fraction of Leifor’s power, we mustn’t be careless.”

“It shall be done, Your Excellency.”

“And Director Akkan, what is the status of your assassins?”

Akkan responded, “My Sicarius operatives have made their way into the country, and are now determining the locations of their leadership.”

“Good,” Gra Lux said, troubled by a minuscule anxiety. “If they discover anything anomalous, report it to myself and to General Kinley immediately.” He then turned his attention to Caesar, “Admiral Roland, what is the status of your Navy?”

“Your Excellency, the First, Second, Fourth, and Seventh Assault Fleets have completed their resupply efforts from Magikareich and our Conshal bases. The First and Second Assault Fleets have already moved to enact military exercises along Mu’s eastern coasts.”

Gra Lux felt his anxieties fade away after hearing this bit of news. “Wonderful, wonderful. When they’ve completed their exercises, begin preparations for Fall Caeruleus. Sonal and Nigrat shall be ours by the end of summer.”

——

Somewhere Along the Leifor-Hinomawari Border

Heavy steel ravaged the earth below, treads tearing apart the verdant greenery of the plains separating the former state of Leifor and the Hinomawari Kingdom. Composed of Wilder Heavy Tanks, Hound Medium Tanks, and Shafer Light Tanks, the infamous 4th Division spearheaded the 8th Army’s invasion of Hinomawari. The unit was as rugged and experienced as its commander, Brigadier General Borg Flats.

He led his tanks to a hastily constructed wall along the border, built by the Hinomawari in anticipation of an invasion. Although Flats commended their military preparedness, he couldn’t help but find amusement in their futile efforts. On his order, the 4th Division came to an abrupt stop three miles from the wall — just outside of cannon range. Then, distant booms emanated from behind their formation, originating from powerful Gra Valkan artillery pieces.

Within a minute, the sound of whistling entered the battlefield, marking the commencement of Fall Albus and hostilities against the Hinomawari Kingdom. These whistles of death — unfamiliar to the primitive defenders — were quickly followed by the familiar sound of detonations. Shells landed all around the defensive embattlement, destroying sections of the stone wall and igniting ammunition. Orange, yellow, and blue coalesced for a split second as conventional explosives mingled with esoteric magic gems, producing a brilliant light show over the border walls. The combined force of the blasts shattered what remained of the wall, leaving nothing but rubble and charred bones.

While engineers moved forward to clear the debris and create a path for the 4th Division and the rest of the 8th Army, General Flats took the time to address his men over the radio. “Soldiers of the Gra Valkas Empire! Today, we begin Phase 3 of our conquest of the Mu continent: Fall Albus! As the pride of the Eighth Army, it is our duty to crush the enemy and bring glory to the Empire! To reward your valiant efforts, I shall tolerate looting of any abandoned buildings and captured government facilities. Officially, I cannot condone unrestricted pillaging or rape any longer, due to new treaties signed by our government. Those who are caught,” he said, emphasizing the last word, “Will be reprimanded severely. I expect that this change will not impact your unwavering loyalty to the Emperor. Meine Ehre Heisst Treue!”

——

The 4th Division carved a path through the small kingdom, encountering only minor resistances in the form of small villages that surrendered with little fight. Sparing no time for any breaks, Flat’s tanks continued past these villages, leaving them for the 8th Army to occupy. Owing to the efficiency of their blitzkrieg strategy and the relative sparseness of the Hinomawari Kingdom itself, the 4th Division was able to reach the capital city of Harynagakyo in mere hours. He stopped miles away, sending reconnaissance motorcycles to investigate a solitary structure that stood between them and the capital.

On the outskirts of the city stood a lone pyramid-like fortress, ancient in design and surrounded by trenches and makeshift tank traps around the base. All of the defensive structures were covered with a tarp overhead, obscuring them from preliminary scouting. Due to the geography of the region, it was impossible to navigate around, unless Flat spent days traveling around mountains to the other side of the city. In accordance with the outlined strategies for Fall Albus, he opted to attack the fortress directly, in spite of the defenses there.

Although confident in his victory due to the sheer technological edge of his army, he still felt unease over the Hinomawari defenders’ level of preparedness. Tank traps, trenches, and camouflage netting are modern tactics, yet the backward primitives of this kingdom — who still utilized swords and bows as their primary weapons — somehow managed to learn them. Concerned, Flat ordered his men to hold position while artillery shelled the defenses.

The first volley of shells impacted the array of tank traps that were deployed far from the trenches. The shoddily welded iron constructs were pulverized, as were the mines hidden beneath them. Columns of dirt shot into the air, each one signifying the detonation of a mine. Curiously, bluish wisps followed each explosion, implying the usage of magic gems.

Such explosives were similar to the ones used in the Leiforian Resistance ambush weeks ago, where a convoy was obliterated by a chain of hidden magic IEDs. Having studied the new tactics shown by the natives of this world, Flat erred on the side of caution and gave the order to prepare mine flails. While his men mounted these devices on the Wilders, the shelling continued.

The bombardment crept forward, inch by inch, until the shells finally reached the trenches. Whatever screams the defenders released were drowned out by the deafening blasts. Mercilessly, they were cut down. Most remained trapped within the trenches, like fish in a barrel. Some attempted to climb out, with a few managing to make it to the fortress.

Eventually, the shelling reached the fortress, which withstood the relentless pounding. Each shell took out a chunk of the fortress, but Flat deemed it ineffective. He could wait for his artillery to reduce the fortress to rubble, but this effort would take nearly as long as a detour. To save time, he instead ordered the artillery to cease their fire while his men advanced alongside the recently arrived Tenth Battalion.

Their heavy tanks took the lead, clearing mines with their flails. They traversed slowly, but surely. Within an hour, the entire force reached the trenches, which were efficiently cleared by flamethrower units from the Tenth Battalion. The Gra Valkans marched past the writhing bodies of the burning samurai, some of them pausing to put them out of their misery. They continued past ruined structures. The towers and other fortifications around the fortress were abandoned; most of them were destroyed. Finally, they reached the fortress entrance.

There, they encountered a locked gate, which was blown apart by a Wilder. Flamethrower units then unleashed continuous streams of fire into the entrance. In a surprising turn of events, the Gra Valkans were reminded that they now existed in a realm where potent magic existed. A strong gust of wind blew the flames back outside, sending the Gra Valkans staggering back.

Flat watched the engagement with curiosity. Encounters with magic users during the Leiforian Invasion were few and far between, since their military made a tactical blunder of having them grouped up in a transport. The few encounters they did have however, were against relatively weak magic users who were easily defeated by the accurate marksmanship of Gra Valkan infantry units.

Only one encounter compared: a proficient magic user who demonstrated mastery over the elements and illusory spells. After a significant loss of men, they were able to finally capture the mage when he collapsed of mana exhaustion. Seeing a weakness he could exploit, Flat quickly ordered the flamethrower units to continue their assault to drain the mage’s energy.

However, a new consideration popped into his mind: if the mage inside had access to abundant magic gems, then this stalemate could be sustained for a prolonged period of time.

There weren’t any further threats that could harm his men, but he couldn’t just ignore the fortress and allow a potential ambush from behind. As primitive as these people were, they have so far demonstrated keen tactical preparedness.

He analyzed the structure, finding no other entrances or openings aside from the single gate. Reserving his critiques of the structure’s awful planning for later, he concluded that he would be forced to push through the deadly choke point if he wanted to capture the fortress. Disregarding the structure’s integrity, he decided to use brute force to resolve this predicament. “Have the Wilder’s crew fire into the entrance.”

Reflective of the fortress’ ability to endure artillery, it also managed to endure a detonation in its interior. The Gra Valkans tossed stun grenades inside before entering, finding only bodies. As they climbed the levels of the pyramid, they continuously fed updates to Flat via radio.

After eliminating the mage on the first floor, they encountered dwindling resistance the higher they went. The Gra Valkans sustained only a few casualties, from the odd blade shrouded in the dark or the occasional lucky musket strike. Eventually, they reached the top, which was empty save for a single, open chamber. Inside, a massive magic gem stood atop a supporting pillar, refracting light that came from an opening in the roof and drawing beautiful patterns on the walls.

The commanding officer present described the situation to Flat, who acknowledged it, “Excellent. Have the Tenth Battalion leave behind a security team. The rest of their men shall join us in the final offensive on the Hinomawari capital city.” With a giddy deviousness, Flat turned his sights on the walled city in the distance. “I sense that the treasures shall only become more bountiful from here.”