At that moment, someone entered the tent, catching Trese's attention and she greeted the newcomer warmly.
"Major General, you're here!"
All eyes turned towards the entrance to see a black-attired figure who wore an unsettling gas mask. Melian suddenly sensed the atmosphere in the room became unsettlingly cold, a reaction even she found surprising, given her fondness for winter.
The Major General may not have been the largest man physically in the room, but he possessed an eerie presence that made everyone else around him feel small.
Every officer there held their breath as they intently watched the black specter move through the tent. His clap of his heavy footsteps echoed ominously, causing their hearts to skip beats with every step.
Meeting the man's gaze made even the hardest veteran in the room blink and look away. Hearing the man's raspy breath from under his gasmask made everyone's skin crawl.
Only General Alexandra Trese did not seem to be affected by this man's unsettling aura in any way. The small smirk she gave pointed out that she took some amusement in everyone else's discomfort with the man.
"Sorry I'm late, comrades," the Major General's monotonous voice cut through the tense atmosphere. The weight embedded in those last words made some people in the room uneasy. "It seems you're becoming quite adept at commanding the officers, my dear," he remarked, his gaze fixed on Trese, who visibly swelled with pride.
"Thank you, General," Trese replied warmly. "And thank you for entrusting me as your successor for this division."
"I trust that you continue to do so. More so in the coming days, Brigadier General," the General simply gave a curt nod in response to this. His mechanical breathing still echoing through the room and soon, he turned his attention to Amelia and Melian. "Are these the little visitors sent by the Emperor himself?"
Trese nodded with a friendly smile. "Yes, this is Amelia from the IDAC, and Floria Melian Shelberry, a Queen from the kingdom with whom our nation had our first contact in this world."
"A North American and an Alien Witch," the General scoffed dismissively. "Why does Emperor Maximo, or even the Lord himself, tolerate their presence?"
Melian felt a sharp pang of discomfort, sensing the General's growing hostility toward her and Amelia, mostly Amelia for some undisclosed reason. Either the two have some history or simply nationality discrimination.
"Either way, General," Trese continued, "This elf is a good valuable asset for us."
"An asset?" The Major General scoffed in disbelief. Treating the word like a bad joke. "A 2mm Kolibri pistol is more reliable than this one."
"The alien witch here considers herself trained and in control of her powers for decades. Nevertheless, I assured you that she is capable."
"I'll be the judge of that," The Major General said as he turned to face Melian. A thought came to mind however that made him say to Trese, "Oh, and don't go treating the Alien Witch like a dog."
This surprised Melian upon hearing this. Perhaps she misjudged this human a bi-
"...It's an insult to those loyal cute fluffy beasts."
...Nevermind.
"Um... yes sir," Trese responded with a wry smile.
Whether or not it was the General's intended as a joke or as a serious note was hard to pinpoint. But it was funny either way for the sadist woman General since she was awkwardly holding back her laughter so as not to insult the General. A struggle that she was obviously failing.
"My comrades. My Knight Templars," the General addressed the assembled officers with solemnity. "The enemy has saved us the trouble by gathering here before us. Let us not waste this opportunity. The enemy has come to us expecting a massacre. I would hate to disappoint them."
The Officers laughed amongst themselves.
"My comrades of the 19th," the Major General continued, his voice carrying weight. "Let us show these demonic scum that the servants of the Lord and humanity never back down! Let us unleash the wrath of God's servants! Let the pride of old Maharlika pulse through our veins and echo throughout the Empire!"
"For God and Glory! For Maharlika!" All of the officers saluted as one.
"Now, let us all bow our heads in prayer before we begin our preparation," the General commanded.
"Yes, General..." echoed throughout the room in unison.
"Altogether now..." The Major General called out. He took a deep breath and began to speak the Gospel.
"Lord Jesus Christ, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit...
Maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. Begotten from the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made. Of the same essence as the Father. For us and for our salvation...
Through him all things were made...
He came down from heaven...
He became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary...
And was made human...
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate...
He suffered and was buried...
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures...
He ascended to heaven...
And is seated at the right hand of the Father...
He will come again with glory...
To judge the and the dead...
His kingdom will never end...
And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life...
He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified...
He spoke through the prophets...
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church...
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come. Amen."
The Major General inhaled greatly for air as he finished professing the Creed.
For the Elf Queen, she was struck with great mystery as she heard every word in detail. A God in three forms, both Father, Son and Spirit? Came down and became a man? This 'God' was vastly different from the Pantheon of Gods she knew in her world.
In her realm, gods were distinct beings with specific domains. Normally the God Pantheons just choose a champion and bless them with power and might to fight whatever force that stands opposed to them. This happened many times throughout their history, examples such as during a massive Magical Beast tide, the Resurrection of a Fallen Rebel God by Evil Cults, the Armageddon War by the Orc Horde, the Vampire War, and many others.
But the idea of a singular God encompassing everything and taking on human form was entirely new and perplexing to her. It stirred memories of tales she had heard about a Foreign God worshiped by these humans making prophecies long ago about freedom and liberation of their race before they were executed. They mostly referred to this Foreign God by many names and believed to be both man and deity.
Despite these parallels, she lacked concrete evidence or understanding to draw a definitive connection.
As she contemplated these thoughts, Melian couldn't shake the feeling that there might indeed be some link waiting to be uncovered.
"You, witch."
Just then, the ice-cold voice from the man with the gas mask broke her thoughts as she noticed the meeting was already finished and everyone began to leave the office, which was only her, Amelia, and the Major General present.
"Yes?"
"I do not hide my dislike of you. And I don't care if you were seen as an important figure by the government. What I do care about is your usefulness in my army. For now, follow my orders and my orders alone to the letter. And if you ever hesitate, I will send you straight back where you belong without any teeth. Am I clear?"
Melian nodded solemnly, "Yes, sir."
After that, Malien and Amelia exited the office. While the Agent was reading the plans of the defense, Malien wondered something back in the meeting, especially the intimidating mask person.
"Miss Amelia, who is this man in the strange mask back there. He always spat insults and behaved incredibly hostile to both of us, even though he is fully aware that I'm the Queen of a nation."
Amelia paused for a moment, contemplating how to explain further.
"He goes by the name of Francisco Dianopra Agraviador XII, also known as General Agraviador. He is one of the major figures in the Liberation Army, but he's extremely controversial, because he is known for his... extreme views, particularly his strong dislike for non-Filipinos, which many people compare him to some of our historical enemies in World War 2 like the German Reich, especially comparing him to Hitler, which is a little exaggerating. Before his military career, he was actually a priest in the Catholic Church in Vatican City, Italy. He also leads a secretive church task force known as the Templar Knights."
Melian listened intently, absorbing the information about this enigmatic figure. When Amelia mentioned World War II and a certain leader, Melian's curiosity deepened.
"Wait, your world has experienced a war involving many countries?" Melian asked, seeking clarification.
"Yes, that's correct," Amelia confirmed. "World War II was a global conflict that involved numerous nations."
"And who is this Hitler you speak of?" Melian inquired further.
Amelia went deep in thought and tried to elaborate more to make the elf understand.
"Hmm... I heard your mention that your brother has certain authoritarian and extreme views, especially towards us humans. Is he-"
"Alright, you don't need to elaborate."
"Okay, as I was saying," Amelia continued in a serious tone. "During the siege of Berlin, there were reports that Hitler had supposedly shot himself and the Soviets took his body, but in reality, it was the Templar Knights led by the Major General who secretly eliminated him as he attempted to escape through a secret passage. What exactly they did with his body remains unknown. Later on, when the Fascist party regained power in Italy, madam President Fiammetta, who had a fierce atheist view, waged a purge against the Catholic Church. This forced Francisco to return to his homeland, where a new settlement for Catholics was established."
Melian listened attentively, absorbing the historical and political complexities of Amelia's explanation. However, her curiosity persisted.
"I have another question," Melian said thoughtfully. "If this military division is so widely disliked, even by your leaders, why hasn't it been disbanded? Or why hasn't the General been removed from the military?"
Amelia sighed heavily with a troubled expression. "Because he is considered one of the most skilled and successful generals in the Liberation Army. His track record is unparalleled, never retreating or losing a battle against enemies ranging from terrorists, insurgents, rebels, to wartime enemies. His victories have significantly contributed to the Liberation Army's success, winning a third of their battles. The Emperor himself is even impressed by his accomplishments. There have been thirteen assassination attempts against him, but all have failed, whether they were political or foreign in nature. Once, when a city filled with 1,000 insurgents took months, extensive resources, and hundreds of soldiers to reclaim, the 19th Armored Division was deployed. They executed a daring and fanatical action that seemed suicidal, yet they achieved victory... in less than a day, with only thirty casualties."
Melian was astounded. "How did they manage to achieve such victories?"
"Mostly through ruthlessness and frontal assaults," Amelia explained grimly. "The soldiers of the 19th Armored Division are fiercely patriotic and willing to sacrifice themselves for their nation and their beliefs. General Francisco himself often led these charges rather than staying in the back lines and instead let his second-in-command do all the strategic work. Despite high casualty rates, they emerge victorious. Many Catholics even believe he and his division are blessed by God himself, though such claims may sound absurd."
Amelia dismissed the notion with a scoff, but the Elf Queen's curiosity was piqued.
"For a mere human at a very old age, it's quite impressive," she remarked. Then she asked another question, "And why does he wear that weird mask?"
"Oh, he suffers lungs from his battles like chemical weapons or he got incurable diseases like fibrosis and tuberculosis, and the gas mask acted as his life support. Yet he could still slaughter a hundred men even without it," came the reply. "It's a miracle he was able to survive this long."
RIIIII-!
At that moment, the base's sirens suddenly blare a long whining note. The rumble of treads, boots, and wheels made the city tremble as the black-attired soldiers ran to their positions and echoes of the officers' commands were heard coming from the other sectors.
"What's happening?" Melian asked urgently.
Amelia's expression hardened. "They've arrived."
____________________
Austronesia Empire, Imperial Maharlika, Mindanao, Lanao del Sur, Lake Lanao.
2000, 3, 1st Week, January
Walking through the empty vast grassfields of Lake Lanao were ranks of warriors from Demonic knights, cavaliers, warriors, monsters, warriors, wizards, auxiliaries... and more. Much more. Millions upon millions of troops ready to march to war and conquest
"ROARRR!"
"ROOOAAARRR!"
"ROARRR!"
The continuous roaring set off surging sound waves. One after another, terrifying behemoths, each like small mountains, moved through the large field of grass and headed inexorably toward the next city they were destined for destruction.
Leading them was one of Demon Lord Andromalius' servants, a powerful Earl-rank Archdemon, and infamously known by many to be as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Lord Conquest.
He rode forth on his mount, a fiery horse known to ignite massive wildfires in any forest it touched, and the simple mounts rode by many Demonic Knights.
These are Hell Mounts.
[IMAGES]
In his hands gleamed his weapon, a giant axe of great power capable of splitting mountains.
"My legions!" His voice thundered across the assembled army. "You shall bathe in glory! Glory earned from the blood of our enemies!"
The beasts roared with fury, the demons cursed incessantly. Only a small number of monsters were silent because of their nature. Conquest beheld this scene with satisfaction and rejoiced in the vanity of the glory of a commander who was set to wage a war which was already deemed victorious.
"Mortals dare to believe they have the right to rule this realm! Show them their folly! Go forth and conquer the lands of this world, for the Netherrealms, for Lord Andromalius, and for the Prince of Darkness himself!"
His warriors surged forward, all advancing in different companies deployed and retracted to cover greater distances. This was to avoid the artillery of the enemy which had proved to be very effective against their conventional formations.
However, it was not just the ground troops who were on the move.
"SCREECH!"
SCREEEECH!!"
High-pitched screeches tore through the vast sky as Demonic Dragons, with the height of dozens of meters, bathed in flames, cut through the sky and headed toward Marawi City.
And they were not alone.
Swoosh~!
Swoosh~!
Swoosh~!
Like bolts of lightning, bird-like demons of numerous kinds streaked through the heavens one after another.