Chapter 3: Poking The Sleeping Behemoth.

-M29. 671. Special Region. Zalvus Hills-

The Saderan's reinforcements are waiting in the hills, started to feel uneasiness on their skin. Their vanguard did not return, leaving them without any message or report.

General Alius, a leading member of the Saderan army, was stationed near the Gate to protect their invasion army from behind and eventually give them aid when the time came.

But, as time only continues to spin. Alius began to tense. Various unpleasant thoughts clouded his mind.

Waiting on his horse, the General only pondered while ready to unleash his armies.

His clouding mind was shattered by the sound of hooves approaching him. Directing his eyes, Alius could see a confident man. But it was unsettling as the face of that said man was terrified beyond words, pale like a corpse.

"What is wrong, soldier?" Alius asked.

The soldier was beyond terrified. His eyes dilated with turmoil, his armor tattered by dust as the horse bathed in blood and burning scars. The Saderan legions consisted of the best the Empire could offer. Young men from the skilled foot soldiers, hardened by battle and years of experience. Thus, they earned their place in the expedition force.

But, the reality before the General is dramatically different. The soldier looks like a child who has witnessed a ghost. No, it would be an understatement. This fear that radiated from the soldier was like he had seen the true terror.

"TT..." He shuddered violently, unable to talk as he breathed uncontrollably.

"Breath, soldier. Breath!" The General commands him, and the soldier complies.

"The expeditionary forces. T-They have been exterminated!" He shouted in terror.

The claim shocked the General and anyone who was near him. Murmurs began to grow among the reinforcements, doubting the claim and even accusing the soldier as a fool.

But the General did not buy it. Instead, he stared deeply into the man with intense eyes.

"What do you mean by that, soldier?" He asked coldly.

The soldier only fell silent for a moment, thinking of the appropriate words to choose. Gulping, the soldier answered.

"The Gate. When we arrived at the place beyond it, we saw a price beyond measure. A-A world with beauty beyond comparison. Cities that float on heaven and metallic buildings that reach the sky." He said in awe.

"HA! Kid, you must be drunk or hallucinated! There is no such thing in the barbarian world. We Sadera is the center of civilization. You need a slave to warm your bed!" One of the officers barked, followed by others who laughed at his claim.

"Then, what happened to the rest of your legion, soldier?" The General demanded.

At this question, the soldier only shakes in fear, grabbing his head as he remembers something beyond terrible.

"There was the culling begin." He speaks quietly. "The giant. The guardian of that paradise came to us—massive metal golems that shoot rays of death. They rain us in green flame, burning our essence. They ripped our flesh and bones, destroying our bodies like a blur. I... I, my gods."

"You speak nonsense, soldier. You dare to underestimate the Imperial army?!" This one is the General's shout. This soldier's behavior infuriated him beyond anything he had ever felt.

"Of course not, General. I would never underestimate the Imperial army. They are just like my second family. But this? My apologies, General. This is something beyond our mortal realm." The soldier was adamant, despite fear consuming him, closing his eyes to accept whatever came to him.

"Death would be a mercy for a person like you, boy. After we annihilate the enemy. I would strip your rank and throw you, unworthy imbecile, to the dog's cage." The General said with venom, smirking in satisfaction to torture the soldier before him.

"NO! Please, General. You must not enter that Gate!" Strangely, the soldier did not fear his death. Instead, he was apprehensive about the fate of the rest of the Imperials.

"Did you think we must retreat and be executed by the Emperor as an act of treason?! Bastard. We are unstoppable, and I will prove it to you, imbecile!" Alius grabbed the young soldier's collar, choking him in the process.

Nearly fainting, the young man tried desperately to fill his lungs. However, it was futile because Alius did not let his hand off his neck. Thus, suffocated the man, ultimately causing him to faint. The General throws the soldier from his horse, hitting the ground.

"A coward like you should die long ago when you entered the legion, boy." The General spat the unconscious young man. Did not express any pity on his face, only disgust and arrogance.

"He deserves it. A coward like him should have died!" Orius' officer shouted in approval.

"Ha! I wonder how he managed to gain his rank!" Another insult left the mouth of the Centurion.

"Silent! Discarding his claims, we must push back the invaders and destroy those barbarians!" The Imperial General shouted as he smirked for blood and glory.

The roar of spirits erupted from the legion. Their hunger for women, gold, and glory manifests the everlasting morals in their souls. Their metal foot began to walk again, ready to unleash whatever the enemy would throw at them.

As they marched, the Dragon Riders flew to the sky, gaining their place as the most dominant power in the blue heaven. Nothing could stop the Imperial army; history never wrote their defeat.

As the Gate became apparent, the General wanted to see the armies trying to defile the sacred hills.

But something is wrong. There was nothing.

No soldiers, no cavalry, no legions. Only the Gate itself was open. Yet, there was no one standing outside it.

Alius expect many. From a horde of vicious armies, bloodlust warriors, and even crazed warlords to wreak havoc on his army.

"It seems we faced cowardice foes, men!" The General shouted, followed by thunderous laughter.

"Like what, I guess. That useless child must be hallucinated by the heat." The officer beside the General said while laughing.

As they felt the victory was near, the Saderan Armies marched with their utmost low guard. Their pride was at its peak as the imaginary price filled their mind.

"Now let's att-" Before the General could give his order. A blue explosion erupted from behind him. The ground shackle as the sky itself turned black. Arius was thrown away from his horse, landing several meters from where he was standing.

Fear began to take root within the General's mind. Slowly, he turned his head. Arius saw an unbelievable sight, paralyzing his body and soul.

Some portion of his army is gone, only molten stone and ash. As he began to fully recover, the Saderan General could not believe what happened to the ground at that exact spot of the explosion.

The ground was burned, and a large crater of fire raged across the land. Even from a distance, Alius could feel the heat scorching his skin as his own metal armor made the sensation even worse.

Then, he heard a crackling sound from behind him. Taking all of his bravery, Alius turned his head again.

He saw thousands of metallic giants, each holding staff with glimmering blue light. Behind them are half a dozen house-sized carriages with no horses to carry them. What makes him tremble to the point he cannot believe his eyes is: The metallic carriage is floating from the ground.

That was impossible for his logic. Nothing that heavy could float.

"Impossib-" A flash of blue came from the carriage's blue muzzle. And at that moment, Alius witnessed a beam of pure blue light coming to claim more lives.

As much as he thought it was wrong, the blue spears struck the ground where the rest of his army was. The same blue explosion manifested. As if the second sun has born, Alius saw his men burn and die before they could ever express their pain.

The nightmare did not stop there. At the top of the behemoth carriage, a blast of red energy surges from its twin head; as fast as Alius could follow the rays of destruction, his mortal eyes were still slower than he could ever hope. The only thing he could see was where the light landed. In contrast to the blue sun, the crimson light only resulted in a violent shattering sound.

Alius could feel his ears bleeds, torturing his head with the sheer scale of the destructive pitch. As the voice dies out, Alius can fully understand the true horror of the invader.

The part of the hills, the ground, and even his men was turned into a mountain of ashes.

Thus, the nightmare continues. The other behemoth structures fired their vast arrays of power, followed by the iron giants using their staffs to decimate the holy hills and the Saderan armies.

Alius is frozen in terror. He wants to gauge his eyes to escape from this misery. They have angered the gods beyond the Gate, and now they must pay the price with their lives.

Still grieving for the loss of his men, hatred began to appear deep beneath his heart. Even if they are gods, they dare to defile his men. Killing them from a distance like cowards, using magic instead of swords.

No, they are no gods. They are a bunch of dishonorable barbarians, nothing more.

"Surrender or be annihilated?" One of the giants spoke with his booming voice while pointing his small staff to his forehead.

"You cowardice bastar-" Before he could finish his sentence, a flash of red flooded his sight before everything went dark for the General.

___________________________________________

Raias held his breath, releasing it as he withdrew his Volkite pistol. On the ground, laying the body of a burning general.

"What a pity and waste." The Solar Guardian remarked. Even though they had significant intel thanks to Colt Formal and his officers, another prisoner would be sufficient for negotiation and iteration.

"Captain, we already captured the remaining armies." The vox communication informed into his ear.

"Acknowledge, bring them to the rendezvous point. Stay tuned for further commands from the Colonel." The Captain replied to his subordinate.

"Understood." With that, the box channel ended.

Raias glanced once again at the pile of ashes of the body. Sighing, he walked away.

"Calling us barbaric. Yet, you are the one who seeks to enslave your own species." He said to himself, beginning to take the complete picture of this world's order.

As he arrived at the opening of the Gate, Raias watched various Grav-vehicle begin to unload their cargo. From their appearance, it was construction specialists. The size of those vehicles was enough for Raias to predict what kind of building. No, it would be sufficient to build the entire Acrology. The Emperor and the High Lords seemingly take this world as a top priority.

As his eyes darted at a certain point, Raias watched the war prisoners being gathered at the said location.

"Captain," A voice is calling from behind him.

Raias recognize the voice as his superior as well as his old friend. Turning his body, he could see Solar Guardian, who bears the symbol of Aqualia and a thunderbolt in its talons, indicating his rank as a Colonel.

"Colonel Grax, Captain Raias at your service." Raias saluted the man.

Returning the salutation, Grax sighed in amusement. "Raias. Did you think I didn't know that sarcasm of yours?"

"Well. It was just a salutation." Raias chuckled.

"I have known you more than two hundred years, Raias. I could see it as clear as day. Because you never call me with honorific manner." The Colonel implied.

"My apologies then." The Solar Guardian simply said.

"Well. Let's head back to our job. Did you manage to capture the General?" Grax asked, feeling suspicious by the ashes behind the said Captain.

This question, Raias did not answer immediately. He only pondered, unflinching, and stared intensely at his superior.

"Did something happen?" Gax asked. "Don't tell me he's dead?"

Sighing in defeat, Raias caressed the back of his neck. "Something unfortunate occurred."

Gax narrowed his eyes from beneath his helmet. Grabbing his head, Gax shooking his head. "This time is different from the past, Raias. The War of Retribution has ended."

The statement made the younger Solar Guardian clench his fest. He lowered his head in regret, and even though it was minimal, the enchanted eyes of the Solar Guard made Gax notice that his friend was shaking.

"The General. He rebelled in the process of being arrested." Raias change the topic in an inhumanly neutral tone.

"And it doesn't mean you can kill him, Raias. Please, calm your nerve. That time has long over." The Colonel placed his hand on the Raias' shoulder, trying to calm him down.

Raias took a deep breath as his nerve began to come serene. The Captain nodded his head, causing the older man to chuckle warmly.

"After this, I will treat you to some drinks," Gax said pleasantly.

"Thank you." The younger Solar Guardian replied.

"But unfortunately, that must wait," Gax glanced at the prisoners. They shouted and cursed their captors, leading them to receive a stun gun fired upon them. Their nature as a primitive civilization, watching what was happening as magic or sorcery.

"We must take care of those delusional bastards," Gax said, disgust and tiredness radiating from his voice.

"They are primitive. A backward society that dishonored their own species. Yet, they insulted us as being primitive. What a tragic term. With that, I doubt they will understand." Raias mused. "I mean, they charged blindly into the enemy's territory."

"A solid point, Raias. But remember to consider everything on this planet. The Emperor himself dedicated such amount of resources to this planet. Something is indeed hiding in this world." Gax said not only with caution and stoicism but also experience. Deep in his voice, the horrible history hides behind his tone.

Not pushing it even further, Raias decided to reply with the same flow. "I can see it. The arcology-sized project will start, and then assimilation will follow. And the demi-human, as they are called on this planet, has endured for too long."

"That is our duty to put them under the Imperium's aegis. But until that moment comes, we must wait for the order." Gax replied neutrally.

As the two soldiers walked to the prisoners, other Imperial war machines and soldiers came out from the Gate. It was another dozen Alastrius scout tanks. What more are the people that came out from the leading tank. It was the face Raias knew very well because of the report he had received.

"Colt Formal? What is he doing here?" Raias asked.

"That might be the reason why." At the same time, Gax said that Raias noticed what the Colonel meant.

On his shoulder plate, there is a symbol marked by gold. The Imperium of Man's Aquila.

"It seems this war would be more interesting," Gax stated, smiling broadly under his helmet.

____________________________________________________________

Colt Formal feels that he has been reborn as a new man. Since he met with The Emperor of Mankind, something has been moving from his heart. That golden man is the answer of all, Emperor among Emperors. The warmth of the sun, charisma, and power of a god.

And when such a being extends his hand with benevolent intent. Colt only answers with his utmost loyalty. But unlike belief in something akin to a god. But a man.

"You! You are Colt Formal, Lord of Italica. How you came along with the enemy?" One of the prisoners shouted.

"YOU TRAITOR!" The other stand, trying to strangle the ruler of Italica. Yet, he was instantly grabbed by the Solar Guardian, pinning him to the ground.

To Colt Formal, the giant called Solar Guardian with their weaponry is something beyond mortal league. Apostle is the only being that came close to dueling the Solar Guardian. And what makes Colt shudder is the revelation that these Solar Guardians is the most basic foot soldier in the Imperium of Man.

"Honored Solar Guardian. Please, release that man, as I want to talk with them all." Colt asked the man politely.

"As you wish. But we will never leave our eyes on them." The said Solar Guardian dragged the Saderan to his group.

"Let me go, you barbarian!" The dragged man shouted furiously as he was coldly tossed by the Solar Guardian.

"I swear. When Sadera launched a full-scale attack on your barbarian country. No one shall be spared! Your women shall be ours!" Before the Solar Guard took any action, Colt Formal stepped first.

"Are you blind, soldier?" Colt asked the prisoner with a calculating look, leaving no weakness in his demeanor.

"Mind your own business, traitor scum! You have no right to talk with us, Saderan!" Another former soldier shouted with sheer animosity.

"Did you forget what they did to your army? What did they do to those green hills? Those floating behemoths?! As the one which witnesses their world. I assure you, nothing could stop them." Colt replied, pressing his voice to convince them.

"As you think, we will believe scum like you." Again, they resisted.

"I speak to their Emperor. A man that could only be described as a god. But he claimed he wasn't. At that very moment, I saw the entire truth. The Imperial Truth held by the Imperium of Man. I beg all of you. Listen to them, and we must unite to fight the real enemy of this world." The Colt Formal proclaimed, holding his chest with pride and conviction.

They fall silent as the charismatic voice of the Count makes the Saderan army lose their capability to speak. Almost all of them only stared at the man with distress.

The silence was broken by a man who suddenly rose from the ground.

"What kind of enemy are you talking about?" He asked with pure skepticism.

Colt held his breath. When he first heard this revelation from the Emperor, he could not believe it. The weight of this undeniable truth could shake the entire Falmart, and civil war will most likely arise when it comes to the public.

One sentence is enough. And one proof is enough.

"Honored Solar Guardian. I heard that this place would be a stronghold for the Imperium. When the construction began?" Colt asked the present Solar Guardian.

"It will begin in soon." The giant metallic man replied.

Nodding his head, Colt returned his gaze to the man. The ruler of Italica, the new subject of the Imperium of Man, open his mouth.

"Our enemies were the gods themself. Their arrogance and unending tyranny to rendering our species' birthright to just a mere dream." At the moment he finished his sentence, the soldier exploded into laughter.

"Gods? Do you think you could defeat gods?! What kind of jokes is that, Colt Formal?! Defeating gods, you say? You are mad!" The former soldier laughed hysterically.

Then a sound of whistling winds rang across the land. The ground shakes as the sound only grows louder and louder. Saderan soldiers' bravery was instantly destroyed, leaving them in fear and despair.

"Witness the might of the Imperium, men of Sadera." The old Italican proudly said.

Most of the prisoners open their eyes and thus making them one of the Falmartian to take a glimpse of how mighty the Imperium of Man is.

The infamous living metal flooded the Zarvus Hills, covering the rock and dirt with shimmering gray metal. The liquid steel screeching, creating an impossible shape of structures that reach the sky. Twisting in a form that their brain could not comprehend.

The wave of living metal surrounded them, enveloping every inch of their body. Unlike what they thought, the metal did no harm to them.

Even Colt, who had knowledge regarding this living metal, only froze in awe at the marvel of these so-called Omniphages.

He closed his eyes as the sound of metal still resounded loudly around him. In just a few minutes, the sound stopped.

Colt opened his eyes, and previously hills of dirt and stone turned into a metallic chamber. As he darted his eyes back at the prisoners, they were enclosed behind ethereal walls. It was a prison chamber, and miraculously the prisoners were relocated to their cells by the Omniphages.

"Wha-What happened?" The initially prideful soldiers only gaped in astonishment.

"This, my friend. Is one among untold miracles possessed by the Imperium of Man."