“d*mn bastards!!”
As soon as they heard that Azoff had left Borshunas Sea and launched attacks on the coastal cities of Maniopol and Fort Morok, the first to move was the 32nd Division stationed nearby.
This was a coastal defense division among the southern corps of the Okhraine Duchy, as battle-hardened and experienced in combat as the 8th Division, which regularly cleared out bandits or thief gangs in the northern corps.
During the last time the 8th Division drove out the thieves who had crossed the border and seized Belgorod Fortress, the 32nd Division successfully repelled Azoff’s pirates who had landed on the southeastern coast of Okhraine and raided nearby villages.
In fact, Major Kinbel Lezantchev, commander of the 32nd Division, had always been well-prepared for such sudden attacks. Immediately after Maniopol was captured, he successfully established a defensive line just 3 kilometers away.
However, no matter how capable the division’s combat power was, it could not respond adequately to such sudden surprise attacks.
“Why weren’t the mayors and the garrison commanders doing anything?!”
“They didn’t have time to resist because of the surprise attack.”
“That’s right. Of course, they didn’t properly deploy troops at the watchtowers near Maniopol.”
This happened more than once.
Every year, despite internal inspections, they would skillfully evade them by bribing inspectors.
Just a few months ago, they had caused such a fuss, so it’s no wonder that their air defense system, including their early warning systems, wasn’t functioning properly.
They probably only started responding hastily after most of their forces appeared near the harbor.
“These bastards haven’t moved properly even once!! What about contact from the navy?!”
“There hasn’t been any contact.”
The pen in the division commander’s hand snapped into a ‘G’ shape. It was completely broken.
How could they remain so calm when thousands of people in Okhraine had died horribly just ten years ago?
Major Kinbel Lezantchev wanted to grab his pistol and rush out to sh**t holes in the heads of the Maniopol harbor guard commander and city guard commander.
“Bring those two here immediately!!”
“Yes, sir.”
As the division commander erupted in anger, his adjutant calmly gathered items and was about to leave the field tent.
“…Sir!”
A soldier guarding the tent rushed in, pale-faced.
“What now?!”
“You need to see this! A huge battleship is in the sky!”
“Battleship?”
Kinbel immediately stood up and went outside the tent. His adjutant followed him out.
The usually stoic and dry-faced adjutant’s expression twisted in shock.
“My God.”
Three enormous balloons painted across the blue sky. Or were they balloons? They seemed more like airships based on what the soldier had said moments ago.
“It was real. The rumors were true.”
Kinbel recalled the words of his subordinate officers about a special unit led by Grand Mage Sony Chepelin.
Skyborne warriors riding giant battleships.
“…The 8th Assault Mado Infantry Battalion under the Special Response Brigade.”
The Joker card of the Okhraine Duchy had finally landed on the southern plains.
“Now, what forces are immediately available?”
“Our 124th Infantry Regiment, 101st Direct Artillery Battalion, and 18th Cavalry Regiment are ready.”
“What about the other regiments?”
“The 131st and 155th Infantry Regiments are currently assembling. The 20th Cavalry Regiment has been dispatched urgently to control Fort Morok.”
“So, one infantry regiment, an artillery battalion, and a cavalry regiment…”
I meticulously recorded all the information provided by the division operations officer. Chief of Staff Joseph Lebandovsky was already in discussions with the division commander and the regimental commanders, so I needed to gather as much information about the current situation as possible.
“Have you received any updates on the city’s status?”
“The guards who escaped last mentioned that all major locations, including City Hall, have been occupied.”
“We can assume the interior is completely under control.”
Not good.
The city itself was already a difficult battlefield for infantry. It operated with a completely different mechanism compared to trenches or primitive line battles.
Engaging enemies hidden in buildings and tracking bullets flying from unseen places while securing safety was the nature of the battle.
If we recklessly pushed our forces in, many casualties would be inevitable against Azoff.
Even if the 32nd Division was the elite among the southern corps, urban warfare still couldn’t be considered their forte.
‘Why did it have to be Maniopol.’
I couldn’t help but sigh when I first heard the news.
It was one of the hardest cities to break through in the top five cities when playing the Soviev Empire or the Rhinehardt Empire.
Due to its small size, there was limited space for landing troops.
An amphibious operation requires massive manpower, so even a little fortification makes it almost impossible for attackers to proceed smoothly.
Yet, these fools managed to take it in just five hours. They were no less impressive than the miracle of Kabul in three days.
Seeing my grim expression, Lumina hurriedly took out a cigarette from her pocket beside me.
Ah, indeed, she is the world’s best adjutant.
“Thank you, Lumina.”
As I lit the cigarette she gave me, the operations officer looked at me somewhat puzzled.
Is this a non-smoking area?
“Oh, sorry. If you’re a non-smoker, I’ll smoke outside.”
“No, it’s fine! I’m a smoker too. But what about the 8th Assault Mado Infantry Battalion… Does every captain have a personal adjutant?”
So that’s the case.
I puffed out some smoke and explained.
“I’m a special case. I hold the position of battalion commander.”
“Battalion… Commander?!”
The captain looked quite surprised. It was indeed strange for a captain to be a battalion commander when a major chief of staff was standing there.
But it was the reality. The officers of Okhraine were truly incompetent.
Sony Chepelin had no intention of placing a third party in the vacant position, as previously mentioned.
The candidates were already fixed as myself, Nikolai Hilbert, and Lieutenant Luna Aire.
I merely used my gaming knowledge to effectively eliminate mutants.
But this means at least three officers were saved in this miserable country.
Of course, not only the combat battalions but also the officers directly assigned by Joseph himself were equally professional.
They were true professionals deserving the title of ‘staff,’ and they transformed the 8th Assault Mado Infantry Battalion into a fully combat-effective unit. They were the genuine elite, selected even by the corrupt Ukrani military.
Ultimately, my stance would be no different from Sony Chepelin’s.
I am a Pokémon Master.
I explore the wild forests diplomatically, capturing useful individuals and recruiting high-quality personnel in advance to prepare for future wars.
I successfully positioned Roxanna Elrim and Bella Meyer as full-fledged officers right away.
“May I ask your name?”
“Captain Enok Revendale.”
“Oh… You must be the captain mentioned in the rumors!”
He extended his hand warmly.
“I’m Captain Rubern from the 32nd Division’s Operations Department.”
For now, he’s an operations department officer.
Given the close cooperation needed with the 32nd Division’s operations department in future plans, who knows if this seemingly insignificant captain might turn out to be a valuable asset later on?
“Despite the urgency, I look forward to working with you.”
I shook his hand lightly.
This was the first Pokémon I caught in the Azoff campaign.
“Report from Third Platoon.”
“Reporting.”
“Third Platoon total eight! Absent zero! Present eight! All set for deployment!”
“Rest, next is Fourth Platoon.”
Captain Claude Rain, commanding the vanguard company of the 8th Assault Mado Infantry Combat Unit, was calmly inspecting his soldiers.
Although they wouldn’t be immediately deployed into combat, forces always needed to be prepared in perfect condition.
Especially considering these Azoff scoundrels.
Those sc*m were crossing the sea again to threaten their necks. Losing another subordinate to them was unacceptable.
This time, he vowed to capture and k*ll every single one of them. To avenge his happiness taken away and the last hope stolen from the mud of life.
Claude suppressed his rising anger and murderous intent, continuing his inspection.
‘Lilia. Soon I will complete your revenge and join you.’
Memories buried deep within.
The spirit of a vengeful ghost was slowly consuming Claude Rain.
