The air in the room was thick with tension, the silence punctuated only by the sound of rustling papers and the occasional cough. A large, oval table dominated the center, its surface strewn with maps and reports, each marked with red circles indicating the areas of conflict. Sunlight filtered through high windows, casting long shadows that danced across the faces of the high-ranking officials gathered there.
Emperor Alberto, with his neatly combed hair and tailored uniform, stood at the head of the table, his brow furrowed as he scanned the documents in his hand. "SO UNTIL NOW, ONLY WE HAVE MANAGED TO OCCUPY SEVENTY PERCENT OF THIS LAND," he said, his voice steady but tinged with frustration.
"Huh!" The Minister of Defense exhaled in disbelief, shaking his head. "That's sad. One thousand three hundred sixty-three soldiers killed, three thousand seven hundred eighty-nine wounded, sixteen tanks, and forty-seven military vehicles either destroyed or damaged. Ah! We also lost a helicopter and a destroyer ship was damaged." He leaned back in his chair, the weight of the losses heavy on his shoulders.
The room fell silent, the only sound a faint ticking from the ornate clock on the wall. Everyone exchanged grim looks, the reality of their situation sinking in.
"Your Highness," the Army Chief began, his voice low, "These monsters are very powerful. We are giving our best, but the enemy is relentless."
"Yet here we are," Alberto replied, his tone is sharper now. "WHAT DO YOU SAY ABOUT THE DEFEAT OF OUR FORCES NEAR MOUNT TITUS IN THE SOUTH?"
"Um... Your Highness, I am so ashamed of this," the Army Chief stammered, his gaze dropping to the table. "Our forces encountered slimes. Bullets have no effect on them. They're capable of melting our weapons and tanks. We were outnumbered—hundreds of thousands of them. I have sought help from the Department of Magic and Science & Technology regarding this matter."
Alaric, the Magic, Science & Technology minister said in, his eyes bright with urgency. "Your Highness, according to our analysis, their weakness is fire. We can use napalm bombs."
"Your Highness, Our department has developed an improved version of this bomb using a combination of magic and science—MS Napalm 2.0. This could wipe out the slimes as well as other monsters in the south. Those giant spiders, Titans, and trolls will no longer be a problem for us. I will email you details about this. "
"Ah! That's great!" Alberto's expression brightened for a moment, the glimmer of hope momentarily lifting the heavy cloud in the room.
"I lost so many of my men to those giant spiders, Titans, and trolls," the Army Chief said, a smile breaking through his earlier somberness. "If we destroy them completely, we will have no one left to deal with."
Alberto's fingers danced over the keyboard of his laptop, searching for detailed information on the bomb. Which was sent to him. "Hmm. You have done a great job," he said, his voice a mix of admiration and relief.
"We are pleased to serve the Empire, Your Highness," the Head of Magic, Science and Technology Minister Alaric replied, his chest swelling with pride.
"Okay, Lopez," Alberto said, turning his gaze to the Chief of Air Force.
"Yes, Your Highness," Lopez replied, straightening in his seat, his demeanor professional.
"How many bombers do we have?"
"Sir, we have a total of two hundred fifty bombers, including thirty Tupolev Tu-95s manufactured by our aircraft manufacturer," Lopez replied, his voice steady, though a hint of concern flickered in his eyes.
"HMPH, VERY GOOD. PREPARE ALL BOMBERS. I DON'T WANT TO LOSE MORE PEOPLE. BOMBARD THE AREA WITH THE SLIMES FIRST. THEN TARGET THE AREAS WITH GIANT SPIDERS, TITANS, AND TROLLS AS WELL. DESTROY THEM ALL."
"But, Your Highness..." Elizabeth interjected, hesitation creeping into his voice. "It will cause significant damage to the forest."
"I KNOW" Alberto snapped, his frustration boiling to the surface. "BUT THIS IS MY DECISION. ORDER A HEAVY BOMBARDMENT OF THIS THIRTY PERCENT AREA."
"Understood!" Lopez responded, his resolve firming as he nodded.
"Yes, Emperor," the others echoed, though uncertainty lingered in their expressions.
Alberto leaned back in his chair, the weight of leadership pressing down upon him. "WE MUST ACT DECISIVELY. THE LONGER WE WAIT, THE MORE LIVES WE LOSE. OUR PEOPLE NEED TO SEE STRENGTH, NOT HESITATION."
————
****
.
.
.
The Royal Britannia navy was patrolling the seas, the fleet is commanded by Admiral Nicholas Haddock, his fleet was observing the seas for any dangers. He was tasked to patrol their trade routes in the seas, to protect it from pirates and monsters that may disrupt the trade of other countries, with them as the trade is essential for the economy of their kingdom.
Adward who is Admiral Nicholas Haddock's subordinate spoke to the observing Admiral, " Admiral, Do you really believe that there are countries in Monster sea?"
"They will come today to meet the queen. But it seems unbelievable to me too. That sea is cursed. Many people went to search about monster sea. But no one has returned till date. How did they get here past those sea monsters? I heard they have huge metal ships. But even then it is absurd."
The crew run towards Nicholas and Adward and reported, " Admiral we have found 3 fast-moving Islands from the south, heading for our direction."
Admiral furrowed his eyebrows from the report he heard.
"Are these ships of The Empire?"
"Looks like they are."
"Their ships are bigger and different than those dwarves' ships. hmm If they have such large ships, it explains how they got this far."
"Admiral, what shall we do then?"
"They are allowed to enter. Guide them to the Port Java"
The 3 ships got closer to the fleet.
The ships managed to get closer and passed through them where all the royal navy ships felt intimidated by the Yamato, and it's escorting destroyers.
All of them were surprised at the speed of the 3 ships that pass them, all of them were dumbfounded at the ships that almost made them look like boats.
After a few minutes.
Port Java—
Everyone who saw the ships from the port felt mix emotions. Some are scared, others were amazed, and others were shocked.
One of the people commented "was the royal navy defeated?" and another," Is this an unannounced invasion of a dwarves."
The people in the Port of Java was confused about the purpose of the giant ships.
The battleship Yamato and its two escorts were planning to dock at the port, but there was a problem the sea was too shallow for the ships. The corals might actually damage the propeller of the ships which is the worst-case scenario for these giant ships.
Aruga who is Yamato's captain approaches the Foreign Affairs Minister.
"Minister James, this port is too small so we can't go near the port"
Foreign Minister, James Thompson says with a smile. "Their port is not for such big ships. So it's normal. We will go by boat from here. "
"I understand."