Summoning Thunder A Warhammer 40k X Summoning Japan

Chapter 8 - Feast of the Flame King

Information about the major defeat at the Great Naval Battle of Rodenius was withheld from the front lines for fear of affecting morale. However, some of the higher officials were not given this courtesy...

The Hawk Knights, part of Rowlia's eastern vassal army advance force, were currently in shock. They had just received news that the hundred knights of the 15th cavalry regiment, who were scouting in force about 25 kilometers east of Gim, had been eradicated. According to the officer, they didn't detect any large-scale magic power, such as from wyverns, but, nevertheless, not a single knight had returned. If an unforeseen situation had arisen, at least one person should have been able to escape. It was possible that they were completely encircled and wiped out by a large army, but, considering how mobile cavalry were, it was a pretty far-fetched idea.

"Don't you think something strange is going on? The only enemies should be Kua Toinan demihumans... Officer Washuna, what is your opinion?" asked Duke Junfilla, who had originally organized the eastern vassal army.

"Regarding the magic power detection, there was no reaction at all, at least nothing that anyone noticed as unusual. That means there weren't any magic beasts on the level of wyverns, nor were there any magical attacks such as the wyverns' fire blast."

"So then, what do you think happened?"

"It couldn't... possibly..."

"What is it!"

"This was circulating among the officers recently... something mentioned in a communication, something completely fantastical. It was so absurd that we paid no attention to it, but..."

"Right..."

"During the Myhak invasion, a fourth of the fleet was destroyed, and the three hundred and fifty wyverns sent to engage the enemy flagship were completely annihilated. The operation ended in failure..."

Everyone there froze in shock.

"Wait a minute, let me get this straight. The fleet and wyverns that we dispatched should have been capable of conquering Kua Toine all on their own. Even if they were to attack the Papaldia Empire with their renowned naval encirclement, they had the numbers and firepower to break out of even that and make it to land. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the largest single fighting force in history. But you're saying they were defeated? And by fucking Kua Toine at that?!"

"Actually... after Gim, a country called Imperium apparently joined the war. This report was sent to us by a fellow officer, but... it said that, in the naval battle, they had a giant warship controlled by mages who continuously fired magic that sank an entire ship in a loud explosion with a single shot. They also had a spear of light that chased after wyverns, and, when it hit, the wyvern was blown into pieces."

They all began to wonder... was this some kind of mythological battle? Or maybe just a crazy story? It couldn't possibly have happened. However, they had been wondering why seventy-five of the advance force's wyverns had been recalled... If this story turned out to be true, then...

"Speaking of the Hawk Knights, the captain of the squad that was eliminated was quite strong himself. The horses they used were faster than other knights' horses too. It should be difficult to completely wipe them out..."

There was a separate matter that worried the eastern vassal army's officials. They had received an order from the main force that came from the infamous Lieutenant General Adem. Mobilize your troops and set up camp 3 km west of Ejey. Standby there, join up with the main army.

After reading that order, Junfilla had suffered a stomachache. Unlike Gim and the other surrounding towns, Ejey was constructed by Kua Toine specifically to defend against attacks from Rowlia. It was a fortified castle town and also a military base. Gim's defenses couldn't even begin to compare to Ejey's.