Summoning America

Chapter 9: Operation Shock

Parpaldian Empire

"What the ASE? The transmission was cut off!" A man exclaimed.

"Goodness, what were those sounds in the background? I certainly heard explosions, but that other sound... it was as if the sky itself was being torn apart!"

"Lord Aeveron, shall I attempt to reestablish contact with Varhal?"

"You may, but I don't think it will be necessary. Judging from the sounds of the conflict, I think it is safe to assume he has been killed or captured. Let us begin work on analyzing his messages."

"Of course, sir. The first message he sent was a description of the opposing metal ships, when they were first encountered. From a distance, he guessed that the ships were somewhere around 200 or 300 meters in length, made completely of metal or some sort of gray material, and seemed to travel at speeds greater than our fastest ships, even when equipped with the Tears of the Wind God."

"Then, how do they travel?"

"The ships were not reported to have any sails. Based on the description, I think they match Mu's warships, although 300 meters seems quite excessive."

"Battleships and dreadnoughts from Mu, then? What of the metal vessels' armament?"

"They boast a single large cannon at the bow."

Aeveron paced around the dark room, his shadows dancing in the background as he moved. He stopped by the glowing orb, similar to a lightbulb, in the center of the room, creating a large shadow behind him. "Only one cannon? Are they unable to create more cannons?"

"Sir, Varhal also described several smaller cannons around the ship. Apparently, the singular cannon is their main weapon and is used in anti-ship combat."

"Peculiar. How did the battle progress?"

The subordinate scratched his head. "Well... right before you walked in, Varhal said that the five ships were able to lay waste to a hundred of the Lourians' vessels in about a minute."

"So, the reason why they only have one cannon is because it fires quickly?"

"And accurately, sir. The one hundred Lourian ships were each sunk by a single shot from the Mu lookalikes."

"So what is this, Mu waging a proxy war on us and testing their new weapons?"

The subordinate shrugged. "I am unsure, sir. Varhal also reported the presence of aircraft. They had no propeller like Mu's biplanes. Instead, they had some sort of light engine at the back, similar to the Holy Mirishial Empire's combat aircraft."

Aeveron sighed. "Alright then. Do we know where these vehicles originated from?"

"The United States of America."

"What do we know about them?"

"We only know information from merchants' hearsay. The few who have actually been able to visit their mainland, which is about a couple thousand kilometers away from the easternmost portion of Rodenius, describe it as a land of steel and glass, with towers reaching into the sky. One of my friends, who was one of the lucky few, said that their land is about the size of Rodenius, if not larger. Their population sits at over 340 million and they are composed only of humans."

Aeveron scoffed, "Hah, what? He must have gone daft! I might believe it if, perhaps, a small chain of islands went undiscovered. A nation the size of Rodenius?! We would have found it and pillaged its riches long ago if that were true!"

"Well, believe it or not, sir, their products do certainly exist," the subordinate said, producing a pen from his pocket. "This 'pen' is a writing instrument I purchased from my merchant friend. Much better than quill and ink."