Harmony Training Field.
Ed joined the soldiers in their training. He used a steam rifle and hit all the practice targets accurately. Then he ran several miles, traversed an obstacle course, and sparred against the ordinary soldiers.
"Forge!" A man's voice interrupted his training.
Ed turned around and spotted a tall blond man. "Yes?" He questioned.
"Please check out our training!" The man requested while saluting. "I don't know if you remember me, but I was the first superhuman soldier you created!"
"Oh?" He thought for a moment before nodding. 'This was the first test subject from when I created the superhumans. Come to think of it, I never did train with them. The assassination attempt on my life ended up changing my original plans.' He gestured towards the soldier. "Let's go."
"Yes!" The soldier nodded enthusiastically, a big grin on his face. He began walking towards a separate training field that was exclusive to the superhumans. "Oh, by the way, my name is Eli."
"Eli?" Ed nodded. Did Ray put you in charge of the superhuman soldiers?"
"Yup." He confirmed. "That's why I was first when you took on soldiers for the project. I'm one of Ray's right-hand men!"
The duo reached the training field. The 200 superhumans had divided into 20 squads of 10. They flew in the air together in sync, releasing constant streams of flame against the scorched ground beneath them.
"Not bad." Ed smiled as he watched. "How good are your men at individual combat?"
"Not good." Eli sighed. "We're really good at group combat, but weak in single combat. It's to the point that Ray ordered us to always stick in squads. Of course, we can always beat ordinary people in a one versus one fight, but we stand little chance against espers in that situation."
"Makes sense." Ed agreed. "You guys lack strong bodies. You're the equivalent of glass cannon air support.
"That's why I invited you!" Eli replied, a serious look on his face. "Help train us for individual combat! There's no way we'll be able to consistently remain with our squads throughout the entire war. The enemy will do everything they can to break us up once they know our weakness."
Ed frowned. 'If that's true, then they probably already know the superhumans weakness. Nexus would have found out by now.' He closed his eyes and thought of potential solutions. 'Mana infusion? No. The manullium in their bodies would interfere. Make their bodies stronger by using ordinary animal flesh? The minor difference wouldn't be worth the time and effort. Exo Suits would be the ideal solution, but we lack the technology to make them. There must be a simple solution I'm overlooking...' He thought for a few more moments when it suddenly hit him. He smiled while slamming his fist into his palm, indicating his success. "How about adrenaline shots?" He questioned.
"Adrenaline shots?!" The soldier repeated in confusion. He was looking for a more unique solution that would be related to Forge's powers.
"Right." Ed nodded. "We don't have the technology to give you guys strong gear right now. I'm also unable to upgrade your bodies significantly. However, we can easily secure a few hundred adrenaline shots for you and the other superhumans. It won't be a game changer, but it might just end up saving your lives if you end up in single combat against any espers."
The soldier rubbed his chin and agreed. "It could work, I suppose."
"Good." Ed took a notebook out from his pocket and scribbled a note on it. Then he tore the page and handed it to Eli. "Take that to the hospital. They'll give you what you need."
"Mm." The man nodded and began jogging away.
Ed left the training field and met with Ray. The two sat down in Ray's outside office, which was near the training field.
Ray hesitated a moment before speaking, "Forge. What's with this delay? When are we going to war?"
"That's confidential for now." He replied as he sipped a cup of tea. "I'm not here for that though. I want to hear your strategy for when the war starts. We're outmanned in number of soldiers. We do have a lot of steam mechs and tanks, but so does the enemy. We have almost no espers. Basically, we're completely outclassed. How do you plan to win in these disadvantageous conditions?"
Ray lowered his head in thought for a moment. "You left out the 200 superhumans and 200 chimeras from those numbers? Can I take that to mean I won't have access to them during the war?"
"Maybe. Maybe not." Ed smiled. "I can't risk revealing everything I plan, and not everything is final. But for the sake of your plan, let's just assume our special soldiers don't even exist at all. How would you go about winning? Keep in mind that simply dragging it out into a draw won't work. Our soldiers are loyal now, but that'll hardly last through a long war. The organization is too new for them to feel true loyalty."
Ray sighed while shaking his head. "In that scenario, I'd truly prefer guerilla warfare tactics. Florida would become a mess as a result, but we'd likely win the war by default after a decade or two." A sharp gleam appeared in his eyes as he looked towards Ed. "But since that isn't an option, then we have no choice but to blitzkrieg."
"The German rushing tactic?" Ed questioned. "Won't you need air support for that? To my knowledge, the engineering department has built only a few steam quadcopters."
"It'll be enough if we play our cards right." He replied. "We can drop a compound of oil mixed with fire mana-powder. It'll explode as it hits the ground. Then we'll immediately penetrate their forces and attack their rear lines. We'll need to utilize mana-radio well to coordinate the attack properly across our entire army."
Ed considered the proposal and frowned. He held up two fingers. "There are two flaws in your plan. First, we have a very limited supply of mana-powders. You'll have to use light mana-powder instead, which will cause more initial damage but less chaos overall. Second, it's an all or nothing strategy. If you fail, then everything is over. Our forces will be entirely decimated, giving us zero chance of winning the war."
"Right." Ray nodded. "It's all or nothing. There's no such thing as a guaranteed victory in war, but I think this is the most suitable strategy, for we lack supplies and manpower. A quick victory is our only hope. Fortunately, there hasn't been a major war in the world for decades. The generals that have been promoted through the military are lazy and corrupt. War comes with many horrors, but it also creates great men and great generals."
"You have no experience either." Ed interrupted, smiling while resting his head against his hand. "What makes you think you're any better than those that lead the enemy?"
"I'll show you when the time comes." He replied confidently while standing up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go make some preparations with the engineering department. I'll admit that I made a huge oversight, so I'm thankful the war is delayed, even if only by a few days. It was foolish of me to assume the superhumans and chimeras would always be under my direct command."
...
The days quickly passed. Ed spent most of the time mixing with the soldiers, engineers, and other Harmony members. Morale increased greatly as a result. Soon, the day of the Harmony War arrived.
Ed was currently flying near Miami, flames blasting from his feet. The enemy defenses were tight. Soldiers had dug trenches in the ground and set up sandbags as far as the eyes could see. Riflemen kept watch for any enemies. Steam tanks, mechs, and cannons were positioned far behind the trenches. The cannons would release a constant bombardment of fire against any enemies. The tanks and mechs were ready to roll out at a moment's notice.
"Pathetic." World Walker clicked his tongue. He stood in the air next to Ed, his power over gravity holding him in place. A black glow covered his body.
"You mean how tired the soldiers are?" Ed questioned. "That was all part of the plan. We should have an easier time now because of it."
"No." Bolin shook his head. He pointed towards the top of the city walls. "I'm talking about them. Those espers sit in the back and send their men to their deaths. Not only that, but it's their fault the soldiers are tired in the first place. I can smell their overconfidence from here."
"I figured you'd side with them if anything?" Ed replied. "I thought you disdained ordinary humans."
"I do." He agreed. "However, I'm different from them. I treated my members well and actively participated in our missions. How can I be compared to these corrupt fools?"
"Treated your members well?!" Ed's eyes widened in shock. "How do you explain Jarrod then?"
"That's different." Bolin shook his head. "I didn't consider you three as true members when you first joined. You and Mordy passed Stone's test. Jarrod failed miserably and wasn't worth nourishing."
"Tsk." Ed harrumphed while crossing his arms. "To think you were such a shameless old man. Hypocrite."
"It's beginning." Bolin said while pointing at the ground beneath them.
Thudding sounds rang out in a chorus. Rows of soldiers marched towards Miami. Steam tanks and mechs drove on either side of them. It was a spectacular sight to behold as they marched across the wastelands. There seemed to be no end to them. The humid air created a thin fog, which made it appear as if an army was appearing from nowhere. Soon, they stopped marching. Everything went eerily silent.
"100,000 soldiers." Ed sighed while watching. "Even with all of our efforts, we still fall short. Miami alone has the same number of soldiers as us."
"Mm." Bolin nodded in agreement. "Bless the souls that are about to enter the endless abyss. May God relieve their burdens and bring them into the holy land."
'Eh?' Ed's eyes widened in surprise as he turned towards Bolin. 'I never took him for the religious type.'
Suddenly, a loud shout echoed from the armies below. "ARAHHH!!!" The ground shook as the entire army charged forward in sync. Twenty steam quadcopters flew past the army, heading directly towards the city.
Normally, the espers on the wall should have been able to shoot down the quadcopters with their powers and still had time to spare. However, they weren't paying diligent attention. The quadcopters shot past the walls. Barrels filled with a mixture of oil and light-mana powder fell from the skies, exploding as they hit the ground. Buildings crumbled, and screams rang out. Fires began to spread in the city.
"A pity." Ed murmured while shaking his head. "Fire mana-powder would have made a lot more of the city go up in flames."
"I'm surprised you'd bomb the city." Bolin replied. "Aren't you afraid of making the citizens hate you?"
Ed grinned. "Do you think the city isn't barricaded by soldiers? We have no choice but to infiltrate it, regardless of cost. Besides, I have other reasons for wanting to bombard it."
"Oh?" Bolin's face made a curious look.
"Tell me, Bolin. What do you think faith is?" Ed questioned.
"Belief in a higher power, of course?" He replied. "There's also faith energy, where the people have faith in espers. It's a mixture of love, worship, and respect."
"You're only half right." Ed shook his head. "I theorize that there is another type of faith. The faith and worship that comes from fear." A wicked grin appeared on his face, his teeth completely visible, and his eyes wide. "Those that join me will provide the faith you suggested! Those that are my enemy will offer me the faith of fear and dread! The hopelessness of war will only increase the numbers of both types of faith, leaving me to benefit! Every time somebody on either side sees a Harmony mask, they will feel a sense of worship towards me, and I'll gather much more faith energy as a result!"
Bolin went speechless for a moment at the revelation. Cold sweat dripped down his back. "Is... Is that why you started all this?!"
"Of course not." He denied. "I had no choice but to start this war. The governor will keep himself protected behind strong forces until he recovers. I'll make sure to end him before then. But if I have to start a war anyways, then I'll be damned if I don't gain everything there is to be had from it!" He pointed at the ground. "The battle's finally starting."
The Harmony soldiers charged forward at incredible speed, like a wave traversing the ocean towards a beach. Bullets and cannon fire flew everywhere, echoing a sympathy of explosions across the battlefield. Blood splattered into the air as the first wave of soldiers fell before even reaching the trenches. Steam mechs took the lead, blocking most of the enemy barrage. Enemy steam tanks targeted the mechs and fired, causing many Harmony mechs to fall.
The enemy mechs began climbing up from the trenches and charging towards Harmony. The Harmony tanks fired, holding them at bay. The Harmony soldiers continued to drop like flies from the enemy fire. Soon, a wave of soldiers breached the trenches. Shouts and screams came from every direction. The blood-soaked soldiers charged through the snaking trenches, killing every enemy they crossed.
Once the first wave of Harmony soldiers reached the trenches, it was like the hull of a ship being breached by water. The soldiers kept pouring in. The quadcopters continuously flew overhead and dropped the light mana-powder kegs, exploding the enemies deeper within the trenches.
The mechs and tanks on both sides started their own battles. If two mechs ever became locked in close combat, it was only a matter of seconds before tanks on both sides blew them into scrap metal. Collapsed mech suits lied all over the battlefield, their insides filled with crushed bodies and blood.
"HOORAH! HOORAH! HOORAH!" The Harmony soldiers cheered loudly as the Miami forces fell back.
"Looks like the enemy commander closed the city gates and left his men to die outside." Bolin pointed out. "What a vile man."
"Mm." Ed nodded. "They'll soon regret the decision."
The espers atop the walls began lobbing attacks down towards the approaching troops. Fire, wind, water, earth, lightning, light, and dark attacks flew through the air. However, the troops suddenly came to a complete stop, just outside the range of most of the espers attacks. The enemy espers' mana was wasted as the attacks slammed into the ground, causing little damage to the Harmony army.
A whistling sound rang out, so loud as to cause a man to lose his hearing. Over the horizon of soldiers, 50 columns of steam traveled through the air. The ground trembled as 50 machines resembling tanks passed through the soldiers. Each one was nearly the size of a house. Large drills were situated on the front and back of each machine.
"Those are the Hell Bulls that Rupert made?" Bolin questioned.
"Right." Ed nodded. "Honestly, I never expected such an unusual machine to be so useful during the war. The first version he made was only useful for demolition work at best."
"They still look ridiculous though." Bolin scoffed in reply.
The espers sent a continuous barrage of attacks against the bulls as they got closer, causing dents and scars to cover them. But not a single one stopped moving before reaching the wall. All 50 Hell Bulls tilted downwards and began digging humongous holes in the ground, aiming to breach the city walls by going underground.
One bull had a side-hatch open, revealing the soldiers inside. A brown-haired girl in a black and green officers uniform stepped outside, her Harmony mask covering her face. She left the Hell Bulls behind and walked towards the nearby soldiers. An aura of confidence radiated from her as she began pointing at the soldiers and shouting orders. She entered a trench that was just outside the range of the enemy espers atop the city walls. She lifted her foot high into the air and slammed down on the ground, causing an earthen wall to appear. Then she moved further down the trench and repeated the process. Soldiers and tanks lined up behind the newly created wall, firing towards the enemy espers atop the city walls.
'Terra's improved a lot, and it looks like Dupe didn't betray me.' Ed thought as he watched. 'Otherwise, there's no way we'd win Miami so easily.' He turned to look at Bolin. "It looks like things are going well here, but it'll take a while for them to penetrate the walls. It's time we begin our own mission."
"Right." Bolin nodded. A black portal appeared in front of them and they stepped through it. When they reappeared, there were 200 superhumans and 200 chimeras standing in formation. Eager looks appeared on their faces as they spotted their glorious leader, Forge.