Chapter 238: Chapter 238: Prelude to Total War
An hour ago.
The Emperor of the Empire formally ordered General Budo to use ballistic missiles.
Thirty minutes ago.
The missile unit, under the command of the Air Force, received the order from headquarters.
Ten minutes ago.
At the underground missile base on the Marg Plateau, the missile was placed in the launch tunnel. Then the coordinates sent by the secret service reconnaissance team were entered.
Finally.
After a final confirmation, the launch order was given.
The next instant.
With a deafening roar, the rear of the ballistic missile began to expel intense flames. In the blink of an eye, it soared at high speed from underground space into the skies.
Little by little, the missile accelerated, and as it gained altitude, its speed increased until it reached three times the speed of sound.
When the missile reached an altitude of about two hundred kilometers, the engine was automatically shut off.
From this point, the missile flew by inertia towards its target, tracing a beautiful parabola in its trajectory.
At this moment, its speed exceeded ten times the speed of sound and continued to increase.
The air began to rub against its surface, creating a red glow and flames around the missile.
Finally, the vast snow-capped mountain range came into view, where a white colossus more than a thousand meters high was looking up, as if waiting to welcome the missile into its arms.
Inside the snowy valley, all the staff stopped, staring at Bullet's gigantic back.
Suddenly, everything seemed to go silent. Then a bright white flash covered everyone's vision, followed by a deafening roar that shook the bodies of everyone present.
[Boom!]
Under the glare of lightning, a gigantic mushroom cloud began to slowly rise from the valley.
Even the snowy mountain range trembled violently and turned purple, as waves of compressed air exploded around it, triggering avalanches throughout the region.
Fortunately, Bullet completely controlled the area around the base of the Dimensional Gate. So no matter how violent the avalanches or impacts were, they failed to affect the base.
After a while the glow faded, the lightning and thunder ceased, and the shock waves dispersed toward the horizon, leaving the sky clear. The icy wind ceased, and the falling snowflakes disappeared.
Everyone in the base looked up at the Snow Giant who had protected them. To their relief, they saw that his back had not suffered any damage.
What they didn't see was that the Snow Giant's front was in a sorry state.
His arms and hands were completely gone, and his chest seemed to have been hollowed out, with the surface turned to molten rock, from which thick lava flowed.
"It's so hot!"
Inside the Snow Giant, Bullet was breathing deeply as he helplessly watched the layer of melted earth in front of him. The explosion had been on the verge of reaching him.
"But it's not quite the same as the so-called nuclear bomb description. It feels more like lightning that is so dense that it's almost sticky."
...
On the Empire side.
Sabatini, who was in the town of White Horse, had observed the whole scene through his Teigu.
He was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth.
As the captain of the reconnaissance team, it was the first time he learned that the Empire had such terrifying weapons, and the worst thing was that the enemy had resisted the attack head-on.
"This is terrifying! Compile all of this and send it to the headquarters in the capital immediately!" Sabatini shouted.
…
Four days later.
The entire imperial capital had been transported to another dimension thanks to the Hachimon no Nirvana.
From the outside, everything looked the same due to the illusion, but upon entering the area, it was noticeable that, except for the ground, everything physical had disappeared. You could walk through walls and buildings without any obstacles.
At the same time, eight gates of light, of different colors and located in different directions, were protected by small walls that had been hastily constructed. Outside these walls, an army armed with automatic rifles kept watch. Inside, Imperial Fist disciples and Teigu users of the imperial guard maintained security.
At this moment, the sky in this alternate space was bright gold. Although there was no sun, the golden light illuminated the entire place, and the only disadvantage was the absence of night.
In the southeast, there was a vast expanse of green grasslands. There, various dangerous species that looked like cattle, sheep, and horses roamed freely.
This was part of the small spaces within the Dimensional Formation: Hachimon no Nirvana.
Since it was designated as a Strategic Level Teigu 600 years ago by the Saint Emperor, emperors of each generation have continued to develop it. Except for the Gate of Death, which was abandoned due to its magma and flame environment, the other seven gates, although not perfect, have been used in various ways.
Among them, the environment of the Gate of Life is the most beautiful. With a warm climate, fertile soil and vast areas of grassland, it is ideal for agriculture and animal husbandry. The emperors have developed this place as the last food storehouse for the imperial family, in case any catastrophe occurs, such as the destruction of the empire.
...
Inside the palace.
The Emperor, Budo, Najenda, Shaur, Esdra, and Dr. Stylish were gathered together again. However, the atmosphere was oppressive and serious. Everyone looked at the five detailed images on the table with gloomy expressions.
The images showed Bullet merging with the snowy mountain and transforming into a thousand-meter giant, resisting the attack of the ballistic missile.
"General Budo, can you deal with this monster?" Shaur asked in a low tone, unable to contain himself.
Budo took a deep breath, moved his stiff neck and replied in a deep voice: "I can't do it, Bulat, Esdeath and others can't do it either."
"This should be the combat power of the generals mentioned by the prisoners. I heard that each of their three major military forces, the navy, the army and the air force, has three generals, plus the marshal, that's four, if added up."
"It's a terrifying power, capable of launching a world-scale invasion war..." Esdra shook his head pessimistically. By now, he was already convinced that confronting the World Government would be an impossible task.
"But I think we are not without the power to counterattack. The damage caused by the ballistic missile is so great that if we had fired two missiles at that time, we might have been able to kill him directly!"
The emperor lifted the last image and shook it lightly, a calm smile softening his stern face.
"But, Your Majesty, although we can produce more ballistic missiles, our science academy can only make one a year. Now, with the five... No, four we have in reserve, this year we could only use five in total." Dr. Stylish touched his chin as he spoke in a low voice.
"Five... If two of them can take down a general, then we have the power to take down two generals. If we add my own Teigu, we could take down three."
The emperor stood up slowly, glanced at the ministers present, and said firmly: "That gives us bargaining power. I'm sure even the World Government wouldn't risk losing three of its generals so easily."
"That's true."
Shaur agreed. If they wanted to bring the other party to the negotiation table, they should have the strength to do so.
Budo, Najenda and others also nodded in succession.
What they didn't know was that the real ace up the emperor's sleeve was not what he had mentioned, but a powerful weapon that the Saint Emperor had secured for the empire 600 years ago.
"Even if we only have a few ballistic missiles, our missiles, rockets and mortars are abundant. We can launch a massive bombardment on them!"
"In addition, we have our armed forces, the Teigu users, the Imperial Fist Temple, the Danger Beasts units, the science academy's technology, our fleets, and soon we will have the alliance of the eastern and western nations."
The more the emperor spoke, the more confident his tone became.
"Gentlemen, even if that World Government has conquered other worlds, we can make them suffer great losses and run back with their tails between their legs, unable to invade us again!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Budo, Najenda, and the others knelt on one knee as they responded in unison.
...
The next day.
The Emperor issued an Imperial Edict, revealing the existence of the World Government to the entire empire and officially declaring all-out war.
Movements were not long in coming. General Bulat in the west and General Esdeath in the east began to mobilize their troops and fleets towards the north.
On the Marg plateau, soldiers of the missile force mobilized ballistic missiles.
Meanwhile, the Alchemy Kingdom in the west sent a large contingent led by a State Alchemist towards the Partas region, while the God Islands Kingdom was still hesitating and deliberating.
Finally, the Teigu World began to react violently to the invasion.
...
On the side of the Dimensional Gate.
The First Main Combat Corps of the Army was transporting 60,000 soldiers and 50,000 auxiliary troops day and night.
That day.
A man over three meters tall, muscular and dressed in a red suit and a black cloak that radiated a cold aura, emerged from the Dimensional Gate.
"General Sakazuki!"
Bullet greeted him without changing the expression on his face. Behind him, a row of lower-ranking officers saluted him.
"Hmm, you've done a good job." Sakazuki, always serious, answered calmly as he continued walking. "Have you already prepared the residence for the giants?"
"It's ready!" Bullet responded immediately.
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