“C-could they be dummy signals?! This isn’t possible!” “Reconfirm!” “That can’t be! An enemy division has already appeared on top of Second Area Army Command!!” “But what other explanation is there?!” “A division is supposed to be the absolute limit of what the Empire can muster in the East right now!” “But an apparent division has already been confirmed!” “There’s no mistake!” “The other unit is another division, at least! They’re all mages!” “There’s more! The signal detector is already saturated!”
A degree of confusion began to spread throughout the operations center, but for the duty officer in charge, there was only one thing to do as a person who considered it his duty to take necessary measures, even at his own discretion and responsibility.
“Everyone, calm down.”
“But, comrade! The mages!”
“Please calm down, comrades. The necessary course of action is already clear, is it not?”
After pursing his lips for a moment, the duty officer stood up as if he had made a decision.
“Switch all units on standby alert to airborne alert! Lift off immediately! Remaining personnel, prepare all hands for departure! Inform army command that we are ready for an immediate response! Do it now, gentlemen—immediately!”
“U-understood!”
“Orderly! I’m sorry to ask, but please report the situation to the regimental commander and the political officer immediately. Move as fast as you can.”
The reason for the duty officer’s haste was simple: An aerial force is most fragile while sitting on the ground in standby mode. Even if they are inside bunkers, it is all a matter of degrees. The more experienced a soldier is, the more that lesson has been hammered into their skull by the expensive and ferocious teacher known as experience.
As soon as the massive enemy mana signal was detected, the duty officer, despite not being the regiment’s commander, took matters into his own hands. Usually, such a thing would not have been possible, but he had faith that the political officer and the regimental commander would not hesitate to ratify a correct decision.
From a purely military perspective, this decision, made possible only by the unit’s comradeship and iron bonds of trust, was an admirable display. When those at the top stand firm, the bottom does not waver.
The on-duty guards joined the responding telegraph personnel, analyzing the mana signatures they had just detected in an attempt to bring clarity to the murky fog of battle.
“Check for the possibility that a Named could be increasing power and making dummy signals!” “What’s the status on wavelengths? Check faster!” “Compare it with radar. If it’s an airborne attack, they should be in formation.” “Pay attention to ground troop communications! If there’s been contact, there should be reports of engagement…”
Despite the clamor, the voice of a guard echoed clearly throughout the room.
“Comrade Regimental Commander is now entering the room!”
The soldiers stood as one and saluted. Colonel Sergei quickly returned the salute, saying what any down-to-earth field officer would in such a situation.
“Back to your duties.”
The men all returned to their work while Sergei, as commander, briefly questioned the duty officer on the situation.
“I’m sorry it took me so long. Major, what’s the status?”
“It looks like the enemy is serious. It’s hard to believe, but we’re picking up multiple mana signatures in addition to the ones near Second Area Army Command.”
That was when Colonel Sergei received the worst news yet.
“We haven’t been able to ascertain the scale, but there appears to be at least a division of mages possibly targeting the nearby Baruch Bridge.”
“Could they be decoy signatures…?”
“We’re looking into it, but it seems that at least a division’s worth is probably real.”
In other words, those damned imperials still have enough breathing room to project, at the very least, two divisions for airborne operations. Sergei was just about to groan that things couldn’t get any worse when an unseen voice interjected, insisting that, in fact, they could.
“Alert! We’re getting an all-directions request for assistance from Nork Station. The holding garrison is under attack by a powerful aerial mage unit and is on the verge of being routed!”
First it was Second Area Army Command and Baruch Bridge, and now a third attack at Nork Station, which was an impressive junction with plenty of shunting yards and material stockpiles.
“A whole airborne division at Nork?!” “Communications are going crazy!” “We’re getting requests for relief, as soon as possible!” “Are there any orders from high command?!” “It’s no good; there’s too much chaos…”
Sergei couldn’t suppress a groan as he sat in his chair.
“Three divisions… How can this be…?” he murmured without noticing the words slipping from his mouth. Fortunately, as commander, he managed to mask his shock. Had he not been worried about causing a scene, he probably would have screamed.
Impossible! Nork Station, as well?! Not just Second Area Army Command and Baruch Bridge?! Three whole divisions of mages?!
That shouldn’t have been possible. The Federation had executed a strategic surprise attack, and now three whole mage divisions were dropping deep into Federation territory.
As Sergei stared at the map, half bewildered, he suddenly froze. Three key locations. Three possible chokepoints. Three.
Such a widespread attack was incredibly similar to another airborne operation the Imperial Army had once carried out in the past.
“I-it can’t be… They can’t be pulling the same stunt, can they?!”
Sergei shouted, almost screaming. The others in the room were left speechless as they glanced at the map.
A thin, curved line revealed the bitter pill, the same trickery the Empire had pulled before. Cutting off supplies via airborne attack, diverting the main force to deliver a counterpunch. The Imperial Army had already done this.
“They’re targeting our chokepoints. How can they, at such a scale…?”
The railway junction, the lifeline across the great river, and the area command that had been deployed solely to oversee these key locations. If they were planning an attack against all three, with an even bigger airborne force than last time…
“Transfer of command from Second Area Army Command to all currently deployed aerial mages has just been announced by First Area Army Command!” “Nork Station has been seized! The friendly holding garrison has been routed. I say again, the Nork Station garrison has been routed!”
“Ah…! The Baruch Bridge holding garrison and the 121st Aerial Mage Regiment are still alive and well! The 121st is currently engaged in air defense! The Imperial mage regiment is extremely powerful, but we are still resisting!”
Nork had fallen, and Second Area Army Command had gone dark, but Baruch Bridge still stood. In that case, Sergei made an independent decision. The decision of an exemplary officer, perhaps.
“153rd Aerial Mage Regiment, prepare to sortie! We are coming to Baruch’s aid!”
He did not hesitate. He was only doing what needed to be done, when it needed to be done. As far as dedication to one’s duties went, Colonel Sergei was unmatched.
The sad fact, however, was that in war, survival rates and goodness of character are not directly proportional. This harsh reality—destined to bring tears and mourning to loved ones awaiting their return—was not in the men’s minds as they lifted off that day. All that mattered to them was the urgent desire to help their fellow soldiers.
They rose into the air and formed ranks in the sky. Sergei himself led at the front of a battalion ready to deploy immediately. The troops that followed formed ranks in quick succession, joining at near-combat speed.
The Federation Army’s 153rd Aerial Mage Regiment cut through the dim night sky, gallantly flying in a straight course toward Baruch Bridge.
They raced to meet the enemy. That was when they heard it. “We are the aerial mages of the Empire! No one can stand against us!” A fierce roar, chanted in Imperial, like they wanted every ear to hear them, far and wide.
“What was that? What are the imperials shouting?” the men seemed to ask, exchanging glances. It was in Imperial and didn’t make any sense until one of the communications personnel, his voice strained, explained, “They’re bragging. They said, ‘We are the aerial mages of the Empire. No one can stand against us’… Maybe it was meant to disrupt communications.”
Sergei shrugged lightly. “The larger the bark, the smaller the bite,” he said with a laugh meant to display his mettle. Whatever the chant was about, it had helped his unit relax. Sergei and his mages knew full well that letting the enemy get into your head was a surefire way to lose before the fight even began.
However, while they understood the threat posed by fear, the men also processed the implicit level of danger—if the Colonel felt it necessary to put on such a show, then the threat must be real.
“I see them! It’s the 121st Aerial Mage Regiment. They…they’re…” A soldier began to announce what should have been good news, but his voice withered.
“What is it?!” Sergei demanded.
“Comrade Sergei, I can’t believe this! Is that…is that really all that’s left of the regiment?” The soldier’s words confirmed Sergei’s worst fears. He turned his eyes doubtfully in the direction indicated.
In the darkness, the young soldier’s vision was sharper than his own. After much straining and eventually the use of a formula, Sergei finally spotted the unit. He was speechless. Their friendly forces were down there, but after facing heavy fire, what should have been a regiment had been reduced to the remnants of a battalion at best. And the imperial troops were still cruising arrogantly overhead.
They had lost. The 121st Aerial Mage Regiment had lost.
Sergei immediately upped his assessment of the enemy’s threat, yet he raised his voice, still committed to saving their fellow soldiers.
“We’re here! The 153rd is here! Comrades! We will take it from here!”