"When you go to visit your enemies, enter through the front door. When you go to annihilate them, just walk in."
Spread from basic education to the children of Cermina, phrases like this become mantras and prayers present in the pre-sleep routine of every inhabitant corrupted by the values of the arsenal nation.
Soldiers, Lieutenants, Elite Agents and Generals repeated their own mantras in their minds as they sailed to Dendalion. Many of them similar, they expressed in murmurs or even in adrenaline-charged screams, creating unique war songs.
Even for political purposes, even for the smallest of soldiers, war represented something more. War represented the opportunity for ascension.
To earn more money for superfluous purposes or for their families, popularity for the more self-centered, or respect for the more honorable warriors. Every good performance on blood soil was prestigious. Alive or dead, the fruits of wars were given to those who inherited them.
The inheritance of spilled blood.
The great ship Deep Spear, now in the possession of the Cermina government, was approaching the port of Dendalion.
Port workers and a few soldiers were moving to tie up the ship commanded by Gior.
In the control room, Gior counted precisely every second since the ship had arrived in the harbor. Along with the soldiers Cermina, Tilian, Tyr and Liz were counting with the same precision the seconds for the ship's bridge to be cleared and the attacks to begin.
"Five..."
Cermina checked his own weapons.
"Four..."
The ship's rear cargo room gate was beginning to open.
"Three..."
Each breath weighed tons.
"Two..."
Images of the dozens of Cerminas ships were beginning to appear on the horizon.
"One..."
Deep Spear's cargo room opened wide.
Shouts of fury and adrenaline were mixed with the heavy footsteps of hundreds of armed Cerminas running out of the warehouse. If chaos had a sound, that would be it.
Several Cerminas were running out of the warehouse as they attacked with slashes and shots every Dendalian they saw in front of them. Workers or soldiers, women or children, all were killed as they passed Cermina's agents.
The Dendalians who tried to flee were shot at by giant harpoon shots and cannons from Cermina's ships that came closer and closer.
With each second, the white and golden ground of Dendalion turned red and black, like Cermina's. The Blood of the enemy stained every inch of that port.
Loudspeakers all over Dendalion began to sound the attack alarm. Trumpet sounds revealed to the entire nation the beginning of the war. From the City-State to the villages on the shores received the announcement.
The defensive movement began. Many men dressed in white and gold armor took up defensive positions in the passage that connected the port with the City-State.
The squires stood in horizontal rows, blocking the free passage. Behind the squires, men with focus weapons and swords strategically positioned themselves around the terrain. The same formation was repeated in twenty-five rows after the first.
That formation was called "the great golden wave".
The Great Golden Wave is a versatile warfare strategy designed for hostile invasion and ground defense.
Its entire formation makes the enemies' attack weaker and weaker for each row they try to pass. And with the mixture of large shields, firearms, and bladed weapons. Aggressive and rapid onslaughts are paused immediately, as any irregularity in movement on the part of the enemy attackers would result in death.
Previously the major weakness of this strategy was its vulnerability to air attacks, but over the years, special foundations were developed for the shields used in the formation. Such engineering created compatibility and versatility of shield movement with the terrain used. These foundations coupled with the ground, severely increasing the shield's resistance against strong explosions and objects.
Within minutes, it was possible to see from miles away the defensive formation being completed around the walls of the City-State.
At the command of General Tyr, the Cerminas stopped their onslaught.
.
.
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After all the ships docked in the already destroyed port of Dendalion, Gior, who was still in the port, was trying to find out, together with some scientists, the technology that worked those biological weapons produced by Gran Tlaboc.
-Sir, we have a hypothesis. - One of the scientists addressed Gior. - We found here in the main command platform, a voice recognition system and a list of function words. Perhaps their helmets pick up specific sound waves, and with this they can be controlled from a distance, but we believe that the voice command only works for a voice that is already registered. -
-Could you follow the approximate frequency of the recorded voice? - Gior answered the scientist.
-Yes, sir, we can. -
-Great, then do it. -
As the scientists prepared the approximate frequency identification system, Gior took the microphone and started repeating the word " turn on " several times, always in a different tone of voice.
The metamorphic abilities of that man, together with his intellect confirmed the reason for his presence in the list of Cermina's best agents.
.
.
.
All the way through the Country arsenal had already been destroyed. Villages burned, rivers of blood of innocent citizens. All breaches of defenses for the general population, unlike the great City-State. Protected at all costs by the entire Dendalian arsenal. Although despicable, the war revealed the truth about those who participate. Nothing is more important than power and those who hold it, the rest is still rest, and only war statistics, forgotten in red stains on the ground, and torn flesh that would later be buried in any ground away from the great nobility.
And all was done quietly.
Both Cerminas and Dendalians were silent. Everyone looked at each other carefully. Even if it was about a mile and a half away from one army to the other, their movements were followed by the eyes of their enemies.
On one side, General Tyr leading his soldiers into war, using all his brutality and courage, on the other side, Prince Lance Asten, coordinating the entire defensive formation.
Clustered footsteps echoed, and seconds later, stillness again.
General Tyr Kirve could see a standardization happening. Every five minutes, the Dendalian army seemed to approach. At first, Tyr imagined that this might be a major defense failure.
The Cerminas men also noticed the movement of the Dendalian army and began to demand some kind of action, since everyone there was just standing around watching the golden army approach.
-SILENCE! - With a shout, Tyr silenced his soldiers again. The war general seemed calmer than usual.
Beside Tyr and Tilian, Lizandra was leaning on her spear stuck in the ground.
-Apparently they are walking to their deaths. - The girl commented in boredom, while she tidied her hair, which was messed up by the wind.
-They're not walking. - Tilian, who was watching everything beside Tyr, answered Lizandra with a worried look. - Those soldiers from a few minutes ago didn't move a muscle. - Tilian's pupils resembled those of an eagle. The young man was able to see miles away clearly.
-So what the fuck is this movement? - Lizandra was impatient because she didn't understand.
-They are new soldiers. - Tyr entered the conversation. - Their formation has been increasing by the minute. -
Tyr turned to his army, and looked at them with fervor in his eyes. War was fuel for that man.
General Tyr Kirve looked away for a moment, looking down as he brought his right hand to his ear. He seemed to be listening to some message through the electronic earpiece he wore.
After a few seconds, Tyr looked back at his army.
-SOLDIERS, MAKE ROOM! -
The Cerminas soldiers divided into two huge rows, making room in the center. At the end of the corridor, dozens of naked men appeared, moving slowly like wild animals. All of them had a metal helmet on their heads, and several poison gas bombs spread over their bodies.
Despite the horrified looks from the Cerminas soldiers, they all knew that this was necessary. And that if those biological weapons had not been stolen, they would be used against them.
In the end, this was not about who has more power or even who is right or wrong. It was simply about standing over your enemy.
And so all hell broke loose on the golden land.