Across the boundless sea, burning steel stretched into an unbroken expanse, painting the clear, post-storm sky with the blazing colors of a sunset.
This was an unnamed stretch of water less than five hundred nautical miles from the Baiyue Strait. Nearby lay only a small islet spanning under a few square kilometers, historically known as Seric Island.
Near this tiny island, the fleet of the Southern Legion and the fleet of the South Sea Alliance had engaged in an encounter battle.
The Southern Legion fleet had committed twenty-three naval vessels in total, along with five iron airships.
In contrast, the South Sea Alliance fleet possessed merely one cruiser, the *Harpoon*, four destroyers, and three nuclear-powered submarines, in addition to a single land-based anti-ship railgun deployed in advance on Seric Island.
Fresh from its civil war, the South Sea Alliance had suffered crippling losses; in particular, the battleships that formed the core of its naval combat strength had been sent to the ocean floor.
Judging strictly by the numbers on paper, the disparity in strength between the two sides was nothing short of staggering.
It was precisely for this reason that, upon spotting the South Sea Alliance fleet, the Southern Legion had paid it no heed at all, surging forward with head held high to engage.
The entire clash had lasted for several hours.
Yet the battle's ultimate outcome left everyone utterly flabbergasted.
Confronted by the Southern Legion’s grand "Invincible Armada," the South Sea Alliance had kited them from afar using anti-ship missiles and gun-launched drones. With just a few tactical maneuvers and at virtually zero cost to themselves, they had sent every single one of the enemy's twenty-three vessels to the bottom of the sea!
Not only that, but two of the five iron airships providing air support had been brought down by the land-based anti-ship railgun, leaving the remaining three with no choice but to flee the battlefield in disgrace!
To be honest...
This victory had almost been too easy.
Inside the bridge of the *Harpoon*, an adjutant holding a pair of binoculars peered out at the clusters of flames drifting on the water, unable to suppress a sigh of disbelief.
"To think the Southern Legion amounted to nothing more than this..."
Of those twenty-three vessels, half were actually diesel-powered; a single missile strike had sent thick black smoke billowing out of them.
Beside him, the staff officer wore a similarly conflicted expression as he nodded.
"...Two-thirds of those twenty-three vessels were littoral support craft. Aside from the five iron airships, which barely counted as a threat, the rest were hardly threats at all."
Compared to the bewilderment felt by his officers and men, Commander Li Minghui took the victory in stride.
The Legion relied far too heavily on its airships—a weakness that was especially glaring in the Southern Legion.
When dealing with native survivor factions, iron airships did indeed possess an overwhelming advantage. Both their projected firepower density and strike efficiency far surpassed ground artillery and conventional aircraft, and when loaded with specialized warheads, they could achieve the miraculous feat of making one shot hit with the force of ten.
However, this unconventional instrument of war was another matter entirely when pitted against a peer opponent.
Through multiple confrontations with the Legion, the Alliance had accumulated a wealth of experience in countering iron airships, later assimilating technologies from various other factions as well.
From a distance, fire anti-ship railguns to overload their shields; at close range, employ phase cannons to pierce shields and paralyze engines. The Alliance and its allies had already established a mature doctrine for combating airships, and now the Alliance had passed those methods on to the South Sea Alliance.
Of course, it was worth noting that while the Southern Legion's naval force felt like an auxiliary appendage to its army, that did not represent the entirety of the Legion's maritime strength.
For instance, the naval power of the Western Legion stationed in the New World was not to be underestimated.
Judging solely by their reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance capabilities, their strength was likely on par with that of the South Sea Alliance.
Yet perhaps for that very reason, those people had refrained from truly intervening until the very end.
This might have sounded difficult to comprehend, but Li Minghui understood the logic behind it.
The South Sea Alliance had envisioned the Legion's airships as its hypothetical enemy, which was why it had developed a fleet doctrine centered around battleships.
And the Western Legion's fleet doctrine happened to be centered around battleships as well...
To call that a coincidence was stretching credibility.
Those so-called businessmen had never intended to climb aboard the Southern Legion's sinking ship from the start.
Business was just business, after all.
"After this battle, the Southern Legion is no longer a concern. It is time we adjust our strategy regarding hypothetical adversaries."
Lowering his binoculars, Li Minghui spoke.
The adjutant standing beside him understood his meaning.
"You mean... the Western Legion?"
"Yes," Li Minghui nodded, speaking in a solemn tone. "We won this time, but I have a premonition that this will mark the beginning of the Legion's awakening... The Southern Legion was merely a sacrificial pawn they pushed forward. More troublesome adversaries await us after this."
The staff officer pondered in silence for a long while before suddenly recalling what had been discussed at their last symposium with Alliance officers.
"Facing a combat doctrine centered on battleships... developing aircraft carriers and carrier-based aircraft might be a good way forward."
The adjutant smiled wryly.
"History truly is a circle."
If he remembered correctly, things like aircraft carriers were relics from the era preceding the Era of Prosperity.
It was only when the emergence of space-based weapons pushed advanced aerospace platforms onto the historical stage—shifting the entire theater of war from the surface into the heavens—that those obsolete weapons had been phased out one after another.
If the Wasteland Era did not draw to a close soon, perhaps after their gravity wells were established, they would tread down those same beaten paths all over again.
Of course, that was merely a possibility.
Li Minghui nodded, adopting an equivocal stance.
"I, for one, doubt the road ahead will simply repeat itself. Let us take it one step at a time for now."
...
Inside the modestly furnished municipal hall of Settlement No. 10, Chu Guang put on his azure power armor once more.
Although he no longer had much practical need for it, the significance of this suit of armor to the citizens of the Alliance had long transcended its utilitarian value.
It was like a totem.
Facing the camera lens, Chu Guang reached out to straighten the microphone. Under the watchful gaze of countless eyes, he spoke in a steady, resolute voice.
"Today is a momentous day."
"Over the course of the past week, we have witnessed a series of appalling events unfold."
"Without any warning, the Southern Legion detonated a nuclear warhead with a yield exceeding ten thousand tons within our actual area of control, recognized by the Slime Mold Consortium."
"And just when we optimistically hoped this might have been a misunderstanding—and that not a single Alliance citizen had perished in that nuclear blast—twenty thousand heavily armed Wilante soldiers barged into our homeland..."
"The detonated nuclear warhead, the twenty thousand soldiers, and the twenty-three naval vessels dispatched toward the Baiyue Strait... It is hard for us not to connect these three events."
"And this is, beyond any shadow of a doubt, an act of war!"
"A beast clothed in human skin, having concluded its hypocritical probing, has finally torn off its last disguise and bared its vicious fangs to us."
"I believe there is no need for me to explain what they intend to do. Up until yesterday, they were still using clumsy lies and sanctimonious pretense to gloss over their image as peace-loving, modest, and courteous."
"But we will no longer be deceived. The war has begun."
"I have full faith that our armed forces, relying on the united resolve of our people, will achieve inevitable victory!"
"We will thoroughly bring an end to this mistake lingering from a century and a half ago. We will thoroughly liberate all survivors oppressed by the Southern Legion, including the Wilante people oppressed under its rule."
"On behalf of the Alliance, I declare that in response to the Southern Legion's despicable act of waging war without a declaration, the Alliance and the Southern Legion are now in a state of war!"
"This is a formal declaration of war!"
The moment Chu Guang's words fell, the live broadcast of his speech was carried across the entire territory of the Alliance via laid cables and signal towers.
The Alliance had officially declared war on the Southern Legion!
The conflict in Brahma Province was no longer merely a contest between volunteers and mercenaries.
And simultaneously, the war between the two sides was no longer confined to the battlefields of Brahma Province!
In a tavern in Boulder City, the three-minute speech finished playing on the television mounted behind the bar counter.
The instant that ringing, powerful voice ceased, thunderous cheers and applause erupted throughout the entire tavern.
They had waited for this moment for far too long.
Those big noses had acted clever time and time again, trying to push past the Alliance's bottom line.
Since all the trouble had been manufactured by those bastards, why not send this fountainhead of evil straight into the grave?
A thoroughly drunken patron stood up, shouting at the top of his coarse lungs:
"The Manager is calling me! I'm joining the army tomorrow! It's time to put an end to this damn guessing game!"
A brewery worker beside him rose as well, clapping a hand on his shoulder.
"Count me in! If the Southern Legion wants a fight, we'll give them one hell of a beating!"
Those words resonated with everyone in the room and drew boundless support.
Not just from brewery workers, but from militiamen as well.
People whistled, cheering and applauding for these brave young men.
They could not hide behind the vault dwellers forever.
Boulder City had emerged from the haze of crisis; now it was their turn to shine and pull their weight.
They would not shirk their duty; they would stand shoulder to shoulder with everyone across the Alliance.
From the front-line trenches to the factories in the rear!
They would fight on until every jackal on this planet that dared to bare its fangs at their brothers and sisters was thoroughly eradicated!
A heavily intoxicated fellow clambered onto a table, yelling at the cheering crowd:
"I hereby declare! The 1st Division of the Boulder City Expeditionary Force is officially formed! Just you wait for our good news—we'll follow Mr. Manager and fight our way straight into the nest of these marauders!"
Waves of voices echoed in support of that nameless nobody, expressing the shared sentiments of thousands of Workers' Association members.
"Relying solely on the Workers' Association throwing money around will never save our worker brothers in Brahma Province! We have to pick up our guns... Dammit, we should have done this long ago!"
"Not just our brothers in Brahma Province, but those in the Great Desert too! And Avente City!"
Passionate responses answering the call to war were not limited to Boulder City, the bastion of the Alliance's radicals.
From Dawn City to Daybreak City to Luoye City, people who had lived in peace and security for so long took up arms once more.
From Weifu City to Port French Fries and Settlement No. 1, it was the exact same story.
Whether radical or conservative, at this moment everyone reached consensus on a single truth:
Civilized methods apply only to civilized people; when facing shameless beasts, one must use fire and steel!
As long as they lived on this planet, it was impossible to turn a blind eye to what was happening upon it.
To achieve true peace, the thorn in their side that was the Southern Legion had to be permanently removed!
...
At the same time, in the Supreme Leader's Residence in Tiandu.
Sitting behind his desk, Absaik stared fixedly at the television, watching the broadcast of the Alliance Manager's speech relayed by the Golden Gallon Port TV station.
When he heard Chu Guang utter those final words, Absaik grew as giddy as a child. He sprang out of his chair with a swish, pacing three full circles around his desk.
Clenching his hands into tight fists, his voice trembled with exhilaration.
"By the fallen Tiandu above... The Silver Moon Goddess aids me!"
The Alliance had declared war on the Southern Legion!
The Alliance was finally formally entering the war!
After sacrificing millions of soldiers and civilians, they had held out through sheer endurance, successfully waiting until this turning point arrived!
As the supreme leader of the State of Brahma, no one understood better than he what this truly meant!
His electrifying vigor startled the cat napping beneath the desk, sending its fur standing on end.
Absaik looked at the Defense Commissioner standing by the doorway and issued a spirited command:
"Pass the order to the entire army: prepare for the counteroffensive!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Defense Commissioner executed a solemn military salute, turned on his heel, and strode out the door.
Watching the exuberant Supreme Leader, however, a hint of worry crept across the brow of Internal Affairs Commissioner Vadiya.
Lately, the local forces in Snake State had been making considerable moves.
Furthermore, the Gray Wolf Army, locked in ongoing seesaw battles against the Southern Legion across southern Wolf State, had grown like a loach in muddy water, expanding relentlessly.
The pawn the Supreme Leader had once placed in the south to keep Shahrukh in check had now grown into an unwieldy, perilous dilemma.
Compared to the stalled advance of the Southern Legion, he felt this internal trouble posed an even deadlier threat to the State of Brahma.
"What about Shahrukh..."
Absaik gave a soft chuckle, speaking with overflowing confidence:
"Shahrukh is a slippery rogue. Back when the situation was still murky, I truly had to fear him a little, since there was no guaranteeing he wouldn't defect to the Legion and stab us in the back. But things are different now. The war in Brahma Province has become a global war. That fellow is cunning, but he isn't blind; he knows what must be done."
Not only that.
Under this prolonged, grinding conflict, the military power of the State of Brahma was vastly different from what it had once been.
At present, fierce generals crowded beneath his banner and mighty soldiers stood in ranks, boasting not only tactical minds like the "Jungle Rat" Ishel, but also ferocious warriors like the "Butcher" Pickli.
Shahrukh?
A nobody who couldn't even make it onto the Southern Legion's deck of playing cards—how was he worthy of contesting Tiandu against him?
Listening only to one's own boasts carried little weight; one had to see how others measured you as well.
Seeing Absaik brimming with confidence, Vadiya forced a wry smile and nodded.
"Understood..."
...
Elsewhere, far away in West Sail Port, General Gulion learned from his own intelligence operatives that the Alliance had declared war on the Southern Legion, having reconstructed the full text of the speech from intercepted radio transmissions.
Initially, upon hearing that the flames of war had finally spread to the Alliance's homeland, an expression of excitement had lit up his face.
Yet the moment he realized the Alliance possessed an intimate grasp of the Southern Legion's full slate of operations—even listing every single operation codename verbatim—the smile on his face froze completely.
Looking at the officer standing before his desk, he lunged forward and seized the man by the arm.
"Where is our response?! Has Avente City issued a reply to the Alliance's declaration of war?"
The officer was taken aback. After a moment's hesitation, he replied with an uneasy expression:
"I... I don't know."
Seeing that this man was utterly clueless, General Gulion bellowed furiously:
"Then what are you still standing here for?! Go find out immediately!"
The officer nodded frantically and fled out of the office as if running for his life.
Returning to his desk, Gulion paced back and forth, the sense of foreboding in his chest growing ever more suffocating.
By all rights, this made no sense...
Under normal circumstances, had the Chief of Staff's masterstroke succeeded, he should have received the news well before the Alliance did.
Whether it was the General Staff or High Command, they certainly would have notified him of the subsequent plan in advance, preparing for the impending invasion of the Alliance's homeland.
Just like the military operations that followed the tragedy of West Sail Port.
Back then, after Olette dispatched troops to secure the situation, they had redeployed their main forces almost immediately afterward, completing every preparation prior to the invasion.
Yet now, when the entire operation had reached its most critical juncture, everything had simply ground to a halt without a follow-up.
The entire General Staff was acting as though struck dumb.
And he, the supreme commander of this theater, actually had to learn the latest developments of the entire operation through his own intelligence personnel from the enemy's television broadcasts!
It felt as though it wasn't the Alliance that had been caught off guard, but rather themselves—dropping a stone straight onto their own feet.
Returning to sit behind his desk, Gulion took several deep breaths before his racing heart finally began to calm, muttering under his breath:
"At the very least, in the Brahma Province theater... the advantage remains in our hands."
Even as he spoke the words, he knew deep down that the outcome in the Brahma Province theater had never been something the pieces on this chessboard could decide.
Right at that moment, hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway outside. The officer he had sent to contact command came rushing back.
The man burst straight into the office, forgetting even to knock.
Yet seeing the man's ash-white complexion, Gulion had no time to fuss over such trivialities. He sprang to his feet and demanded:
"What did Avente City say?! What on earth is happening right now?!"
The officer's face was stamped with terror, his lips trembling for several long moments before he finally choked out a sentence:
"Enterprise... The people at the General Staff said that Enterprise just declared war on us as well."
Enterprise had declared war too...
Those turtles from the East Coast.
Hearing those words, Gulion froze in place for an entire minute. Then, without uttering a single sound, he sank back into his chair, where he remained motionless and silent for a very long time.
The situation had spun completely out of control, hurtling at breakneck speed down a path he had never once envisioned.
At this point, whatever decision Avente City made was no longer of any consequence. Only Triumph City held the power to decide where the destiny of the Wilante people would lead...
Chapter 922