First Contact

After an exhaustive search that produced no leads, combined with growing tensions on both sides, the Megalomesembrian Senate ultimately moved forward with the election of a Dictator. This title granted a single person the 'absolute authority of the state to deal with a military emergency', and, following the collapse of the Megalomesmbrian Monarchy, it was the highest position of authority in the entire Confederation.

What made the position of Dictator unique among other official titles was that the designate didn't have to be a member of the Senate prior to receiving the post. Instead, the position was often held by the most senior Legatus, the Confederation's version of a High-Ranking General Officer. This was a precautionary measure designed to prevent Senators from using the position to further their own political agenda, requiring a three-fourths majority just to designate candidates for the position.

Needless to say, the designation of a Dictator was tantamount to an official declaration of war, so, before the candidates could be finalized, the Emperor gave his consent to engage the Confederate fleet along the Argyrian border. The icy region was the location of the largest freshwater lake in the entirety of Mundus Magicus, and, every time there was a major war between the two superpowers, it often served as the most important battlefront that determined victory or defeat.

Immediately following their Emperor's decree, the Southern Fleet, comprised of a five-hundred-meter long Superdrednaught, three three-hundred-meter long Airborne Motherships, seventeen two-hundred-fifty-meter long Cruisers, thirty-seven one-hundred-eighty-meter long Destroyers, one-hundred-nineteen Airwhales of various size, and countless AAS-Class Individual Assault Craft charged over the Argyrian border. Their mission was to secure the side of Argyre occupied by the Confederation, the Naval State of Besperus, in the hopes of establishing a Forward Operation Base that would allow them to surround Megalomesembria from the West and South.

Fortunately, depending on who you asked, the Megalomesembrian Fleet was more than prepared for the Hellas Empire's assault. Their fleet was also much larger, so, while the strength of an average Confederate soldier was much lower than their Hellasian contemporaries, they had unquestionable air superiority. They had also stationed three of their Superdreadnaughts along the Argyrian border to protect a new Prototype Flagship, the Svanhvit. This was a monstrous vessel that was nearly an entire kilometer in length, and, while it took a monumental amount of resources to operate, it was equipped with ten of the most powerful military assets in the Confederation, a type of autonomous Magical Construct known colloquially as War Gods or Demon-God Soldiers depending on the side you were fighting on.

With the average Demon-God Soldier standing one-hundred meters tall and possessing a Base Power of 2800, calling them Gods wasn't entirely based on hubris. The average citizen of Mundus Magicus only had a BP of 2 without years of schooling or special training, so, from the perspective of normal people, they were incomprehensibly powerful. After all, even a Magic School Graduate was considered inordinately powerful with a BP averaging around 100, and, even if they trained for decades, it was exceptionally difficult for even skilled Magic Teachers to exceed 300BP. This was the reason Dragons were considered so powerful, as, even without magical power, their average BP was between 500~800 depending on their age.

Fortunately, despite having nothing comparable to a Demon-God Soldier, which secretly took tens-of-thousands of sacrifices to produce, the Hellas Empire had always been known for its inordinately powerful knights, summoners, and beast tamers. They even had a batallion comprised of more than a thousand Dragon Riders, which, under the right conditions, could rout an enemy fleet or decimate a ground army using superior mobility and overwhelming firepower.

While summoned beasts and tamed monsters might not seem particularly useful in an aerial battle between two aerial fleets, this was far from the truth of the matter. After all, even immature magical creatures were exponentially more powerful than the common residents of Mundus Magicus. They often had phenomenal reserves of magical energy, and, with considerable training, they could even be used in Ritual Magic Formations to cast devastatingly powerful spells against enemy forces.

Though the average Demon-God Soldier could sweep through hundreds of summoned and trained magical creatures, their production requirements made it impossible to deploy them without ample consideration. Losing even a single one was the equivalent of losing a Superdreadnaught, as, with a few exceptions, the average BP of a 500m vessel was approximated to be 2500. This didn't account for the personnel on board, which greatly affected a vessel's effective output, but, from a logistical standpoint, it was a lot easier to replace a thousand personnel than it was to manufacture a single Demon-God Soldier.

Due to both sides exercising a certain degree of caution, the Empire's blitzkrieg quickly devolved into an exceptionally slow push into Confederate-occupied territory. They had to maintain a tight formation to benefit from the magical link that allowed ships to transfer energy between each other to power ritual magic and barriers. This was a capability vessels within the Megalomesembrian Fleet didn't possess, so, as one of their few advantages, the Empire slowly advanced while deploying their elite ground forces to disable anti-air batteries and communications arrays.

Using their superior numbers, exceeding the Southern Fleet by a factor of three, the Confederation attempted to slowly surround the advancing formation. This was noticed by the Vice-Amiral of the Southern Fleet, but, rather than give up their advantage, he directed the fleet to adopt a formation that would allow them to create a massive spherical barrier over the region they had captured. This would effectively trap them within Confederate territory, but, at the same time, it effectively cut off access to the Great Lake of Argyre, the most important tactical objective in the region.

Seeing through the Empire's intentions, the Commander of the Svanhvit, Legatus Dalmas, a favorite to hold the position of Dictator, took it upon himself to authorize the deployment of three Demon-God Soldiers to halt the advance of the Empire's ground forces. At the same time, he instructed all three of the Superdreadnaughts to ascend high into the sky. This was a maneuver that would allow them accurately target the enemy fleet with their main batteries, but, at the same time, it also left their comparably soft underbellies exposed to enemy fire.

As could be expected, the Empire did not hesitate to focus fire on the Svanhvit and the other three Superdreadnaughts. It would be a major achievement to so scuttle even a single Superdreadnaught during a war, as they were often protected by the rest of the fleet, so the Empire couldn't resist the bait that had been laid out for them. This diverted a considerable amount of fire from the deployed Demon-God Soldiers, and, though it nearly crippled two of the Confederation's Superdreadnaughts, it allowed them to prevent the Empire from securing their foothold.

With Demon-God Soldiers capable of producing spears that could penetrate the most powerful of magical barriers, the Empire was gradually forced to withdraw before the colossal figures could get into a position to skewer their relatively exposed underbellies. They had tried to repulse the massive automatons by using Anti-Demon Lightning Cannons designed specifically to counteract the rather infamous entities, but, as could be expected, Megalomesembria hadn't slacked off when it came to upgrading their most powerful military assets.

Though other countries might have become somewhat complacent during the extended peace that had followed the previous war, Megalomesembria wasn't considered the most preeminent military superpower for naught. Technological innovation wasn't even their main focus, yet, time and again, they were leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the world. They invested between seventeen and twenty percent of their annual budget on the military, so, every time a war broke out, they always enjoyed an overwhelming advantage in the early stages of the campaign.

Fully aware of the so-called countermeasures against the greatest military asset, Megalomesmbria had produced a number of War God that were distinctly different than the rest. The standard variety was predominately white in color and possessed a humanoid figure that allowed them to use large scale versions of existing magical spells. These were still the most common model available, as they weren't exactly something that could be recycled, but, rather than deploy this variety, the three War Gods sent to halt the Empire's advance had a unique black coloration.

At the cost of being able to use most external magics, the black variation of the War God had been given the ability to absorb magical energy and convert it into raw physical power. This characteristic wasn't known to the Empire, so, without hesitation, countless magical munitions were expended in a vain attempt to halt trio of onyx-skinned monstrosities. This wasn't completely ineffective, costing one of the colossal automatons an arm, but, with the ability to regenerate using the magical energy it had absorbed, it was inevitable that the Empire was forced to retreat.

Even prior to the initiation of the battle, the Empire had little hope of being able to secure a lasting advantage against the Confederation. This wasn't the first time they had contended against the rival superpower, so, rather than risk losing ground when the Megalomesembrian Fleet pushed into their territory, their penultimate goal was to force the Confederation to reveal some of its cards. The only way to win a war against Megalomesembria was to starve them out and formulate countermeasures against their advanced weaponry, so, while the battle ultimately ended in their defeat, it was a small victory towards the war effort.

In the end, the Empire managed to retreat without any substantial losses while the Confederation was forced to withdraw two of its Superdreadnaughts for repair. This subsequently forced Legatus Dalmas to rescind his candidacy for the position of Dictator, and, though this wasn't considered a grievous loss from the perspective of the Senate, Vahn couldn't help but find the turn of events a little interesting.

In the original timeline, Legatus Dalmas would have ascended to the position of Dictator by a vote of 273 for and 27 against. He was a true loyalist of the Confederation and had held the position of Legatus for more than seventeen years. This made him one of their most experienced commanders, and, while he had made his fair share of mistakes during the war, his tactical brilliance was credited as the principal factor behind the Empire's defeat during their counter-invasion.

Though it wasn't like Legatus Dalmas would no longer participate in the war, being demoted to the position of Conciliar Imperatum, effectively making him little more than an Advisor, was bound to have far-reaching consequences. His replacement, earning only three votes over the necessary 225 required for candidacy, had only been a Legatus for three years. To make matters even worse, they had never even participated in a war, and, though they were a top graduate of the Confederation's International Tactical Command Academy, their career advancements had been more so the result of political maneuvering than command prowess.

Needless to say, the average soldier within the Megalomesembrian military wasn't all that enthused by the appointment of an untested leader to the most coveted position in the entire Confederation. It didn't help that, almost immediately after his appointment as Dictator, the relatively young forty-seven-year-old man, Lars Laetorius Primulus, wasted no time in promoting several of his friends and confidants to other high-ranking positions within the military. This included implementing his Uncle to the position of Magister Militum, the highest rank a person could hold within the military.

Though it wasn't particularly uncommon for a Dictator to place people they trusted in a position of power, the fact his Uncle was a former Consul didn't go over well with many people. Unfortunately, the provisions established by the Constitution of the Megalo-Mesembria Confederation allowed an appointed Dictator virtually unchecked power so long as it directly related to their duties. Since the appointment of a Magister Militum was well within the scope of their authority, it would take more than a three-fourths majority within the Senate to even contest the decision...

---

While the affairs of Megalomesembria were worthy of notice, Vahn wasn't particularly concerned by the unprecedented developments within the infamously corrupt Confederation. It didn't matter who had been designated as their puppet ruler, as, behind the scenes, the organization with the greatest amount of power was the secret society established by the Demon Nobles of Venus. Behind them, it was the members of Cosmos Entelecheia pulling the strings, so, in the end, it didn't matter if it was the Dictator or the Megalomesembrian Senate; neither was truly in charge.

It had always been a matter of time until Vahn was forced to butt heads with both the Empire and the Confederation, so, rather than worry about the inevitable, he was focused on more important matters. Though there had yet to be a public declaration of war, even children would be able to tell that the conflict had already begun. As a result, Eva could no longer delay her departure, so, after a few more days within the Space-Time Orb, they were entangled in a long embrace near the border of Tempe, a nation of Mercenaries and Treasure Hunters that bordered the Holy Land of Wealth and Mystery, the legendary Noctis Labyrinthus.

Tempe also happened to be the actual Holy Land for wielders of Earth Magic, but, despite a general interest in all the Great Spirits, Vahn wasn't in a hurry to meet the infamously obstinate Tempe Terra, the Great Spirit for which the Continent itself was named. They were known to spend most of their time cooped up within an ever-changing Labyrinth beneath the Capital, so, unless you were willing to overcome thousands of traps and countless monsters, gaining an audience with them was nearly impossible...

Ignoring all matters related to the Great Spirit of Earth, at least for the time being, Vahn continued to hold Eva, his expression somber as he asked, "Do we really have to part like this? I'm not sure my heart can-"

Preventing Vahn from completing his words, Eva tiptoed to give him yet another peck on the lips before adopting a chiding tone and saying, "I have already explained it to you countless times, you stubborn oaf. Just as you have things you must attend without me, there are some things I need to resolve on my own. Now, unhand me. The sooner I depart, the sooner we can reunite. Neither of us will be happy if I have to force you to release me..."

Though he knew she was being serious, Vahn didn't immediately release the stern-looking blonde. Instead, he held her even closer, deeply inhaling her fragrance as he affectionately nuzzled the nape of her slender neck. It was only after several more minutes had passed that he finally released the red-faced beauty, caressing her face one last time as he reiterated, "I love you, Evangeline Athanasia Katherine McDowell. Even when the final star in the night sky burns out, you will forever occupy one of the largest and most important places in my heart..."

Taking note of the fact that Vahn said 'one of' the largest places in his heart, Eva couldn't help but turn her eyes up at him. Despite this, she chose to refrain from commenting on his choice of words, forcibly restraining her embarrassment as she stated, "You kept your promise and saved me from an eternity that I did not choose. Though I cannot promise you another eternity, I swear that we will be together until my ego has faded away into nothingness. The Gods know you would probably drown the heavens with your tears if I actually had the heart to leave you..."

Punctuating her words, Eva placed her hand atop Vahn's heart, planting one final kiss upon his lips before pushing away several tens of meters. Then, like a phantom dissipating into the void, her red-faced figure vanished from view. In its wake, a cold chill spread through the area, but, hidden within the veil of the icy wind, a familiar warmth and a pleasant fragrance continued to linger for several seconds following Eva's departure...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'I would not want to be a soldier on the ground...','When the system itself is a corrupt farce, it doesn't matter who is on top','That's amore...')

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