Although the Sonia Sea is not as foggy as the Sonia Sea, the northern part of the sea is still often shrouded in a thick fog on autumn and winter mornings.
Alger Wilson's " Blue Avenger " is sailing in these conditions, returning to the coast of Loen along the border of Sonia Island.
He has been in the North Sonia Sea for too long and must return to give a report.
In the pale mist, the ghost ship sailed silently, appearing and disappearing like a dream that left no trace.
Alger was entangled by the wind, suspended in mid-air by the window, admiring the white world outside, letting his thoughts wander freely in different directions.
Suddenly, his gaze sharpened, and a hint of silver Blink in his pupils as he saw a massive ship with sails hoisted silently sailing past in the distant fog.
The ship was not alone; many of its kind followed behind it—one, two, three... forming a long fleet.
" Feysac's Sonia Sea Fleet... they've all set out... where are they going?" Alger's feet suddenly touched the deck.
His gaze immediately turned to the other side, to the location of Sonia Island.
Through various exchanges at the Tarot Club, Alger had already determined that the world situation was tense and war was imminent. At this moment, he made some connections and guesses.
For the Feynapotter Empire and the Kingdom of Loen, Sonia Island is a very important place. If Loen occupies it, Feysac's eastern navy will be blocked in the cold north, unable to compete for the various colonial islands in the Sonia Sea, and unable to go to East Balam. At the same time, after they start a war, if they want to threaten the heartland of Loen, they must cross the Amanda Mountain Range or cross the Sonia Sea and pass through the defenses of several counties, which is extremely difficult.
If Sonia Island is occupied by the Feynapotter Empire, all ports in northern and central Loen will be within range of attacks, including but not limited to Enmat Port and Pritz Harbor. If Feysac's commanders are bold enough to disregard losses, they could even directly target Loen's capital, Backlund, which is not far from the ports.
This is why the two countries engaged in the Twenty Years' War, in which the Feynapotter Empire emerged victorious and gained the crucial "southern passage."
In the subsequent " War of Broken Oaths," Loen won the war but failed to reclaim the territory, achieving only half of its strategic objective.
Alger gazed at the scene for a moment, then whispered with a rather serious expression:
Is war about to break out...?
Backlund, a large and well-organized force of Feysac airships cut in from the North Borough and arrived over the metropolis.
As soon as they approached, the Saint Samuel Cathedral and other places seemed to have made some preparations. The howling wind suddenly intensified, transforming into one after another giant bluish-black blade, whistling towards the target, just like cannonballs fired into the air.
Just as these giant blades were about to strike the airship formation's airbags, an invisible defense appeared, blocking all the attacks.
Under the furious onslaught, the transparent "wall" began to sway, but ultimately managed to hold on.
At the same time, the airship's cannons, machine guns, and launching ports opened one after another, aiming downwards.
Bang!
As a hurricane formed around the Saint Samuel Cathedral, explosive sounds echoed in all directions.
In such a terrifying Storm, the airships were like ships sailing on the sea, rising and falling in the mountain-like waves, about to be thrown far away.
Just then, on the lead airship, a flash of light, like blood and rust mingling, enveloped all its companions, connecting them one by one.
Suddenly, Feysac's airship fleet stabilized in the hurricane, no longer resembling tiny vessels in giant waves.
The higher levels of power associated with the " Red Priest " path belong to war, and war is the art of gathering the masses!
This is the authority of the " War Bishop "!
After the Feysac withstood this wave of attack, before the rest of the counterattack could arrive, they launched bombs one by one from the drop ports, letting them fall downwards.
In the midst of a hurricane, the trajectories of these bombs become unpredictable, even to themselves.
Boom! Boom!
Sparks Blink from the corresponding cannon muzzles, fully displaying the joy of the God of War.
The airship fleet did not attempt to cross Backlund; upon entering the North Borough, it immediately turned towards the West Borough, the political center of the Kingdom of Loen.
North Borough, Backlund University of Technology.
The withered leaves of the Intis plane trees fluttered in the wind, and students, carrying books or bags, moved back and forth on campus.
As members of a higher education institution, as the first batch of students in this newly established university, these young people are full of vigor and aspirations for the future. They gather together every day to discuss their ideals, recite poetry, and study technology, living a simple and happy life.
Melissa Moretti walked among them, glanced up at the wall clock atop the main teaching building, and quickened her pace slightly involuntarily.
Today she's going to Principal Momont's office to help with preparations for the soon-to-be-established mechanical laboratory.
This is something she really enjoys and is very interested in, which makes her feel happy every day, and makes her feel that campus life is so wonderful and her classmates are so lovely.
Subconsciously, Melissa glanced again at the Steam train engine in the center of the square, its massive and complex body showcasing the boundless charm of the mechanical field.
Many students like to gather there, tinkering and studying the structure, but the school neither encourages nor prohibits this.
Melissa smiled slightly and was about to look away.
Suddenly, a dark gray object fell from the sky and landed in the center of the square.
Boom!
The ground trembled violently, and all the windows of the main teaching building were shattered. If Melissa hadn't been far away, she might have been blown away by the blast wave.
Countless screams followed, and Melissa, like the other students, scattered in panic, not knowing what had happened.
She was only sixteen or seventeen years old and had never truly experienced such a scene before.
As the billowing smoke and dust settled, Melissa, who had taken cover behind a tree, instinctively turned her gaze back to the spot where the explosion had just occurred.
Her expression froze instantly, and her gaze became blank.
The Steam train engine was completely shattered, with parts and fragments scattered everywhere.
Among the students around and passing by, some lay on the ground, mutilated and lifeless, while others were covered in blood and charred, still groaning in pain.
The scene was like an oil painting, so unreal that Melissa stared in stunned silence, momentarily unable to process what was happening.
Carter, a male classmate she knew who was very research-oriented, always confidently declared during discussions that he wanted to become a naval engineer. Now, he's just half a body, his intestines spilling out.
Eudora, a classmate of hers, was studying mechanical engineering but had a deep love for poetry and was quite talented in it, making her very popular with those around her. Sometimes, Melissa would attend their gatherings and quietly listen to Eudora recite poetry, thinking she was a truly charming girl. But now, one of her legs was a bloody mess, and she was groaning in a semi-conscious state.
In just a few seconds, these people's futures were cruelly altered.
It wasn't until many teachers rushed out of the teaching building to rescue the injured and organize the students to evacuate that Melissa came to her senses and hurriedly joined the teachers.
"Listen to me! You'll split into two groups. One group will go to the lab, and the other will go to the Tingen Church. Both have underground areas where you can hide." One of the teachers, though his face was also filled with fear, remained calm and gave instructions in a clear and loud voice, as if he had received special training.
He looked around and, seeing that the students were still hesitant to leave their teacher's side, quickly added:
"Don't worry too much, the enemy airships have changed course and headed to the West Borough. There's no danger here anymore."
His words were accompanied by a series of booming explosions coming from the southwest.
The West Borough... The kingdom's council, various departments, and the city hall are all over there... Melissa heard her teacher's words and immediately connected many things to her mind.
Her eyes flickered, then she suddenly pursed her lips, turned and ran towards the school gate, ignoring the teachers calling after her.
Following the sheltered path, Melissa quickly reached the street. She was panting heavily as she looked around, trying to figure out which way to go.
At that moment, she saw the nearby subway entrance. Although she was flustered, she remembered what her teacher had just said:
"... There are underground areas where you can hide!"
The subway is underground, isn't it? The bombing has just started, the subway shouldn't have stopped operating yet... Melissa's thoughts raced as she rushed towards the entrance that showed signs of bombing.
Once underground, she discovered that there weren't as many people as she had expected; most untrained ordinary people wouldn't have thought to hide here at first glance.
The subway was indeed still running, but no one was checking tickets anymore. Melissa, who had been waiting for a while, ran up, her lips tightly pursed and her face full of anxiety.
Three stops later, the subway stopped at " King's Avenue," and Melissa squeezed through the crowd and rushed off the train.
Her strength had been restored, and she ran faster and faster up the stairs, quickly reaching the ground.
At that moment, all she could see was chaos. Many buildings had collapsed and were engulfed in crimson flames. Limbs, corpses, and blood were everywhere, and shouts, screams, and commands rose and fell.
Seeing this, Melissa became increasingly anxious and tried to run towards the four-story building where the Kingdom's Ministry of Finance was located.
However, the area has been sealed off, and many of the windows are broken, the walls are riddled with bullet holes, and traces of explosions remain in some places.
Melissa circled the cordon, trying to get in, but was stopped by the soldiers maintaining order. She grew increasingly anxious, and her eyes were already slightly red.
Just then, she saw a familiar figure— Benson, who wasn't wearing a hat, had black hair and brown eyes.
As soon as Benson saw Melissa, he rushed over, his anxious expression softening into anger, and shouted:
Why did you come here? Why didn't you hide underground! I'm perfectly safe here!
"Quick, come with me over there!"
"You didn't go underground either..." Melissa, who had never been yelled at like that by her brother before, wanted to retort, but her vision had already blurred.
"Phew..." Benson exhaled after yelling, softening his tone, "It's good that you're alright. Quick, don't wander around the streets."
Upon hearing this, Melissa's panic and worry subsided miraculously. At that moment, she felt that even death wasn't so terrible; at least she wouldn't be all alone at home.
At that moment, a bomb was blown in by a mid-air hurricane and fell on the area.
Suddenly, the bomb abruptly changed direction and flew sideways.
Boom!
It exploded in mid-air, only stirring up some waves.