Flashback
Manuel's time when the operation was starting
Operation weather: Evening, and little snowfall
Off the coast of the objective, the 4th patrol fleet, along with a single supercarrier escorted by two destroyers and 20 transport ships carrying specialized marines with an artillery detachment, was ready. On the flagship Verds, Manuel, along with his staff and different officers on call, was in the strategic room.
"So tell me, how many soldiers are there on the coast?" Manuel asked, as he was not yet made marshal.
"Over 100,000, sir. Most are elite troops drawn from the nearby cities and mercenary companies who have not departed for the war on Pangea," one of his officers spoke up.
"So our viable target is the port city Uttagrat, which is the main hub of military and economic activity. But if we attack it, we need more than 20,000 soldiers. Once we establish a beachhead, we will face a war of attrition for which we are not ready," he said as he looked over the coastal map of the Nordic Empire. He then decided on another location, not far from there but close enough to strike at any time.
"This region right here, since we border two nations. One of them has friendly relations with the empire, and the other, I don't know, is isolationist," he finished with a shrug. The others started piecing it together and eventually agreed.
"Alright, let's start by targeting the Frustora region!" he shouted, and everyone nodded. Soon, a naval invasion plan was put forward.
A few hours later
Across the transport ships, many soldiers began readying their weapons, most of them on standby.
"Open fire!" the admiral in charge of the combined fleet task force commanded. Soon, the guns aimed towards the coast opened fire as the first shots of the Draconian arrival were announced. On the aircraft carrier, they launched five multi-role fighter jets, three A-10 Warthogs, and two experimental propellered support planes.
After two hours of firing repeatedly, the order was given for amphibious vehicles to advance. Within 10 minutes, the first marines landed, wearing winter gear but designed to avoid drowning easily.
"Arrows incoming! Get behind the vehicles!" a marine captain shouted as arrows rained down on his position. His squad followed orders. Once the arrows stopped, he ordered a charge.
"Men, advance! Let's not waste time!" he shouted as he fired a few burst shots at a Nordic archer who stood out.
The other marines who arrived started advancing despite the hail of arrows. Their body armor was able to take most of the damage, but a few lucky shots injured them. The marines began gathering as over 5,000 were in total at the beaches. Manuel saw something different.
"Have them begin pushing. I want them to reach the vicinity of Frustora," he said in a tactful voice.
"And for the next wave, have them begin creating a defense line to prevent reinforcement in the east. The last two groups should establish a primary defense line where we can set up artillery and a proper beachhead," he said as he watched the combat footage.
In a few hours, the marines had to fight through poorly constructed defense lines, as the Nords had not expected them to push so deep. Meanwhile, the 2nd group arrived at their designated spot and were ordered to hold their position. The 3rd and 4th groups were landing and assisting in creating a primary defense line.
Five hours later
Occupied beachhead
Manuel was holding his commander baton slowly as the camp on the beach was almost complete. He saw the medical tents lined up as doctors began healing the wounded, pouring healing potions over the soldiers who stifled their screams.
"What's the casualty count?" he turned to ask his officers.
"Over 500 in total, sir. Only injuries, no deaths," one responded, and Manuel nodded.
They arrived at the command post, where the map was laid out.
"Okay, I want to capture Frustora first. Then we can send out two battalions to commence a cleanup operation in the region while stationing a battalion on the borders here," Manuel pointed out.
"For now, conduct recon. Use any available aircraft to lift the artillery pieces for the siege to start. Inform them that only three battalions will take it; the other two will assist in the cleanup operation. Give me a status update on the second group," he said in quick succession, and everyone followed the orders.
A few minutes later
"Hostile force counting 50,000 is heading towards the second group's defense line," one of the officers reported.
"Send two A-10 Warthogs for air assistance and—" he paused, then spoke again. "Has the Black Watch regiment landed?" He turned to his second-in-command.
"Yes, sir. They are just waiting for orders."
"Alright, have Mathias command them to assist the 2nd group," he said as he prepared backup plans, even considering a full-scale retreat.
2nd group POV
"Sir, enemies are on their way!" one officer reported to his commander, who was looking over the map.
"For now, create a few kill zones here, here, and here," he said, pointing at the different steep hills. His entire brigade held a choke point, and since this region's border to the rest of their empire was quite small, he and his brigade could hold out.
"Sir, command has sent two battalions of the Black Watch regiment to assist us," one communication officer reported.
"I see. Tell the soldiers to hold out until they are defending this position!" he shouted, and everyone shouted in response.
A few hours later
The banners of the Nordic army appeared. Long lines of axe-wielding soldiers wearing full chainmail armor shouted war cries, while the archers behind them readied their bows.
"Seems like their cavalry force is minimal," the company commander observed their movements. Seeing that they were going to send their vanguard, he turned to his officers.
"Tell the men to get ready. They are coming. Have our mortars ready to fire!" he shouted and turned to his communications officer.
"Send word to command that the enemy is beginning their attack!" He shouted and grabbed his firearm, walking toward the first line.
"Don't waste your ammo! Aim properly!" he shouted to the soldiers next to him.
The vanguard, mixed with cavalrymen and infantry, charged as they shouted their war god's name.
"For Odin!" they all shouted.
"Open fire!" all the officers commanded as the defenders began firing. Some aimed for the officers, but it didn't slow the attackers down.
"Mortars, do your thing!" the officer shouted.
As the mortar shells rained hell upon the Nords, they didn't stop. Some managed to withstand the bullets, only to be taken down by knife thrusts to the face.
A few moments into the battle, the Nordic army kept charging, slowly chipping away at the defense of the first line.
"Sir, we need to order their withdrawal! The line can't hold!" the commander in charge of the first line defense shouted.
"All right! Pull them back and set up a rear guard," the commander ordered, nodding silently to a unit waiting in reserve.
A few seconds later:
"Death Squad, move in!" a platoon captain shouted as he advanced with men clad in full winter camo, black skulls on their armbands. They launched a counterattack, some wielding swords, others axes.
"What the fuck? Are they drawing attention to themselves?" a soldier exclaimed as he watched the Death Squad cutting through the enemy ranks.
"Fire on the Nords' backs! Their attention is turned away!" their superior officer commanded, shifting his soldiers' focus. A hail of bullets hit the backs of the Nordic soldiers.
As the defense line seemed doomed to fall, something unexpected happened.
Nordic General Command Post
"Send all soldiers forward, including us," the Nordic general ordered, swinging his hand open and shouting, "For our great empire! May we destroy the accursed God of Balance!"
The general's mana began radiating as he drew his war axe and charged, his retainers following.
"Fuck! They're charging en masse! We need reinforcements!" a soldier shouted—until a roar of a fighter plane flew low over the battlefield.
BRRRRTTTTTTT
The A-10 Warthog unleashed the fury of its minigun, tearing through the ranks of the enemy soldiers.
"Black Watch has arrived!" a soldier cheered as the distinct war horns of the Black Watch Regiment announced their entry to the battlefield.
Men dressed in black charged into the fray. The first wave wielded close-combat weapons, while the rear supported with rifles.
"Maintain the line!" Mathias shouted as he swung his halberd horizontally, killing five Nordic soldiers—berserkers, though he didn't care, swiftly cutting them down.
"Marines, stay in position! Focus on supporting fire!" the marine commander shouted.
In the middle of the battle
Mathias was busy cutting down Nordic soldiers who swarmed him. He blocked or parried their strikes as he gathered mana. Though only a Knight-rank fighter, Mathias had joined the Magic Knight Order two years ago, only to drop out a week before taking his oath. He instead joined a regiment formed by Manuel called Black Watch, secretly supported by Alex under the "Dual Arms Act," an initiative abandoned due to imbalances with Sean's Magic Knight Corps.
"You're the commander of those accursed Draconians!" the Nordic commander shouted, swinging his war axe down.
Mathias swung his halberd upward, their weapons colliding and sending a small shockwave that created a circle around them as soldiers on both sides paused.
Mathias unleashed a series of fast, precise strikes at the Nordic commander's body. However, the man's war axe made it difficult for him to block every blow, leaving him frustrated.
"Die!" the Nordic commander roared, swinging his mana-infused axe down. Mathias sidestepped and thrust forward toward the commander's head. The blow grazed his cheek and sliced off his ear, but Mathias swiftly adjusted, striking downward toward his shoulder.
"Shit," the commander muttered, realizing he was trapped as he pulled his axe back, only to find it lodged. Mathias had pinned the weapon with his foot.
"Little shit!" the commander growled, releasing his grip on the axe and drawing his sword.
"Let's end this," Mathias declared as he charged forward. Mana began to swirl around him as the Nordic general launched an early attack, swinging his sword down. Mathias planted his halberd into the ground, locking the sword in place.
Fu—"
Just as the commander looked up, Mathias swiftly drew his sword. In an instant, a brief flash followed, and a head rolled to the ground. The enemy commander was dead—Mathias had won the battle.
"Let's end this now! Don't leave a single one alive!" he shouted.
The Black Watch, along with the marines, surged forward, tearing through the Nord ranks. Those who surrendered were killed on the spot.
After one hour of battle, the Nords had lost over 70,000 soldiers, while the empire had suffered only a few hundred casualties. As the region underwent a cleanup operation, Manuel set up a communication channel with the Dominican Federation. Using a favor owed to him, Alex arranged for the federation to provide a fixed amount of food once a month, free of charge.
The operation was deemed a success, though one of the objectives—the capture of the ports or cities along the coast—was not completed. However, Alex recognized the strategic value of securing a region near the Nordic Empire's main port. Knowing that Manuel lacked the authority to acquire the necessary supplies as a general, Alex temporarily elevated him to the rank of marshal to ensure he could fortify the region and integrate it as a territory under the empire.
End of flashback
Alex Luker's POV
Imperial Palace of Draconia
Alex sat in his office, where Grand Marshal Dimitri sat in a chair in front of his desk, clad in his grand marshal uniform adorned with a six-star insignia on his chest.
"So, Marshal Manuel is requesting information on the Thanatos Empire?" Alex said, reading a letter sent through the communications hub.
"Yes. It seems he might start an offensive in a year," Dimitri responded. He had been monitoring the situation on that front ever since Manuel's arrival. In case the offensive failed, he was prepared to prioritize the evacuation of the Black Watch regiment, followed by Marshal Manuel, and lastly, the marines.
"We could request the Muscovy soldiers, who are currently being trained by Draconian instructors, to join the effort. It would help them get accustomed to using our weapons in combat," Alex suggested. It had been six months since the end of the war, and he had since shifted his focus to the Tyrell front, where Dimitri was set to depart and take command for the final campaign.
"Well, when is the message going to arrive that Manuel has been officially declared a marshal of the Draconian Empire?" Alex asked, recalling the announcement he had made five months ago, officially appointing two new marshals—Koji and Manuel.
"When his General Cornaro arrives at the front lines, along with the information dossier on the Thanatos Empire," Dimitri responded.
To be continued