The escort squadron scrambled in different directions as the Novoros squadron fighter planes formed groups of four, trying to gain altitude and begin diving to prevent the enemy from catching up to the bombers, who had to come in from the rear.
"To all Novoros fighter planes, keep the enemy at bay! Reinforcements are heading to our location at this moment. And to all Draconian planes, use all air-to-air missiles, and if you're out, head back to dock fighting," the Draconian overall escort squadron ordered through the radio.
The Novoros squadron commander spoke up.
"It's better to divide them up since they are not as fast as us, so divide and conquer," he said. Everyone agreed. Soon, the planes dove into their formation as they fired their machine guns, tearing the birds to bits.
"Take that, you little shits! You think your birdies can fly fast!" a Novoros pilot said as he maneuvered his plane to the next target. His call sign was Berserker, known for hunting his prey and never letting his target leave his sights.
"Out of the way!" he shouted as a Warhawk tried to use its claws on the body of the plane. Luckily, he dove down, avoiding the sharp claws, and soon found his target again, who was trying to escape with an injured rider, who was strafed by earlier shots.
"Fuck, this guy is not leaving me alone." Despite the difference in speed, the Novoros pilots did not want to overshoot, so he maintained his course, and the rider, holding his left shoulder as blood poured out, muttered as he saw that he couldn't escape.
**BRRRTTTTT!**
Soon, another controlled shot was fired, and this time his mount was impaled by the bullets, quickly losing control.
The battle had just started and was reaching twenty minutes, but over 6,000 riders and their mounts had fallen in battle. Yet, they continued to fight despite the difference in firepower. They managed to take down a Novoros plane by ganging up on it and hitting the engine with a long lance, but luckily the pilot ejected and parachuted down. His friendly pilots blocked the way of the riders heading towards him.
"We need reinforcements! We're getting ganged up on here!" another pilot said as he tried to swerve around and was running low on ammunition.
"They're about to arrive. Prepare to retreat," a Draconian pilot said as he fired off flares to scare off the Warhawks that were chasing him. Seeing everyone was low on ammunition and had taken some damage, he planned to order the retreat.
A minute later, reinforcements from the Draconian Air Force and some Novoros Air Force surrounded the enemy air force while their allies organized a retreat towards the nearest airbases.
"You did your job well, boys. Re-arm and fix up, then head back to escort your bombers," the commander of the reinforcements said as he fired off an air-to-air missile, killing the commander of the Warhawks, who was trying to order a pursuit. As their commander died, all the soldiers under him shouted in rage and began fighting with no discipline or tactics. The reinforcements fought with great efficiency as they separated into groups and picked them off.
During that time, the Draconian bombers finished their objectives on the Cossack front and moved to the Draconian front, and lastly the Olympus front, as the Cossack front blazed; the Chronos defenses were on fire, and massive craters were seen burning in the night sky.
A few days later, the regrouping of military assets took longer than expected, but Alex anticipated this, so he ordered the troops to enjoy two days, giving them some morale boosters and a new drug that was distributed. It stimulated confidence, removed fear, and boosted loyalty, allowing them to go without sleep for a maximum of six days but a minimum of three. Initially, it was tested on the Novoros soldiers on the Tyrell front, which showed no side effects. When the Draconian-Chronos war began, the quantity that could be distributed was small, so Alex ordered rapid manufacturing while maintaining the drug's quality.
Over 80% of the inventory was distributed to the Draconian soldiers across different fronts, and the remaining was packaged and sent to the Tyrell continent. The current commander, Marshal Koji, oversaw the distribution and security of the drugs. However, sad news arrived that one drug was missing from the inventory. After extensive searches, there were no clues leading to its disappearance.
Alex suspected the pantheons were involved, now that they had joined this game. He ordered Assassin X to steal or commit terrorist acts, trying to disrupt their political sphere by assassinating different elven families. As for the dwarves, destroying their precious mountain fortress would do by isolating some of their cities. He ordered the creation of a new war plan to cause much pain and a slow advance. Marshal Koji drew up battle plans, and with a resource of 240,000 combat personnel and 10,300 non-combat personnel, he decided to call in reinforcements from Esdos.
Over 200,000 soldiers were added, along with the 600,000 soldiers of the Novoros army participating. He devised a slow and methodical advance that could cause psychological suffering while maintaining strategic goals. Alex allowed the use of chemicals in the war, so over 50% of the chemicals in the Draconian military inventory were slowly in transit, with imperial guards guarding them, along with two Executioners from the Imperial Guard branches overseeing the fleet.
The chemicals to be used were named the Crimson Wave, a painful gas that could cause internal pain, organ failure, and might entice victims to end their lives quickly due to the intensity of the effects. Alex ordered it to be used as a last resort. Other gases were named, such as tear gas, which caused pain, temporary vision blindness, and breathing problems.
The Heizomat gas could melt skin, and the Ferdon gas could activate dormant diseases, causing the victim much anguish and affecting the human body. Alex didn't care for the lives that would be lost in the next war; it would be the enemies' blood that would drown their lands, not his or his allies'. He would take a step back in this war and only interfere if the pantheons decided to act, and he would bring them extinction.
Alex knew that new weapons of war must be invented since sightings of scout ships from unknown factions outside his radar made him worry. But he pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the present.
"Your majesty, the 1st legion is ready, along with the rest of the fronts," a commander approached Alex. Hearing this, Alex nodded. He was currently wearing armor plating that exposed his weapons and polo, but his long overcoat was next to him, hanging over his sword.
"Alright, tell them once I launch my attack to order the artillery pieces to fire all out," he said as he breathed in deeply. Soon, the space around him began to distort as he tapped into power that was not native to this world.
"It's been a while since I used these powers," Alex said as the demonic energy began circulating around his body, and his veins became visible around his neck. Soon, an array of dark energy spears hovered in the sky, long and large like missiles under production.
"Fall," Alex muttered. The five long spears were soon launched forward, and a resounding explosion echoed as a mini-nuke was set off. The dark energy began expanding, causing the deaths of many Chronos soldiers.
"Open fire!" an artillery officer shouted as the first shells of a new offensive began. Across the different frost soldiers in the trenches, they readied themselves and took a single pill, which lifted a burden from their shoulders.
Thirty minutes later…
"All soldiers charge! Follow the tanks!" the officer leading a regiment shouted while in his command vehicle. Seeing him out in the open, the soldiers equipped their bayonets and began charging.
Alex led the charge on his steed, Fedrin, an upgraded version of the standard steed of the Forbidden Cavalry. The soldiers of the First Legion and Olympus Army were inspired, raising their banners and charging like hounds following the shepherd, which was Alex. A select group of Imperial Guards stayed close to protect him.
In a span of a few seconds, they clashed with the Chronos defense line. With his first swing, Alex cut down a dozen soldiers. He slashed with greater force as the energy surrounding his sword began cutting them down like grass.
**On the Northern Sea…**
**BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!**
Battleship guns aimed at the shores of Pangea rained hell upon the defenders as marines on troop ships prepared to head toward their amphibious vehicles. The naval ships showed no mercy, as the battleships focused on hard defenses while the smaller guns targeted enemy supply bases, destroying groups of soldiers who exposed themselves.
A commander stood in front of a company-sized group of marines, all looking at him. The commander wore his combat gear and was in his thirties, while his marines stood with serious faces, waiting.
"Marines of the Empire! We have long been away from the taste of battle. We have enjoyed the back lines for far too long. Now we must go to war! We shall show them who we are and what we are made of! We're not the same as the Draconian Legion; we are the ones who run across the waters and land on the beaches. We land and fight to gain a foothold. As the Emperor's marines, we must show good results along with the other marines with us today." He paused after a battleship fired its guns, and the shell sailed overhead
"So, board our vessels! May we see each other on the beaches for blood and fire!" the commander shouted. Soon, the marines, along with those who heard his speech, began boarding the amphibious assault vehicles. The marines, wearing standard black combat gear, looked at the afternoon skies as they prepared for battle.
A few minutes later...
As the vehicles neared the beaches, ballista bolts and cannonballs began landing. Some vehicles were forced to turn, while others were crushed under the weight of the projectiles. Luckily, the majority landed safely and began advancing while firing their guns.
"Marines, advance! What are you doing, sticking around?" a marine officer shouted.
"We don't have armor support, sir!" a marine responded. The officer looked around, noticing no tanks or any kind of armored support.
"Fuck!" he muttered. Just as he turned his head, an arrow flew past him.
"It's all in luck now! Soldiers, advance! We don't want to waste time!" he yelled. Soon, the marines advanced. However, due to the lack of full armor to reduce their transport burden during the assault, some soldiers were hit by arrows, which stuck into their bodies.
This was the start of the final battle, as Alex, along with the other commanders, personally led the assault.
Draconian 1st Fleet Flagship
"Morris, get my weapon. It's time for me to intervene," said Grand Admiral Incursio.
"Yes, Grand Admiral," Morris responded.