Another Worldly Summons

Chapter 94: Aetherial

Gra Valkan Imperial XVII Army Group

With a combined force of 120,000 troops and bolstered by the XI and XIV Army groups, which in total exceeded 300,000 personnel, they made landfall on the shores of Leifor. The former territory's shoreline brimmed with hundreds of landing craft, facilitating the disembarkation of thousands of troops, while overhead, hundreds of aircraft patrolled the skies. Below, a multitude of military vehicles rumbled forward, and scores of infantrymen advanced across the rugged terrain of Leifor.

Large artillery pieces were towed by their transport vehicles, and a multitude of tents sprang up as soldiers prepared their bases. Enormous landships unloaded their heavy cargo of ammunition and supplies, which were swiftly gathered and transported to logistics units' trucks. This logistical operation aimed to distribute these vital resources to advance units, supporting their mission to eradicate the remnants of the Annonrial armies that remained in the northern region of Leifor.

The western shores of Leifor lay in ruins, scarred by the overwhelming barrage of Gra Valkan artillery, airstrikes, and bombing operations. The landscape was marred by large smoldering fires and thick billows of smoke from the air. The occasional crackle of gunfire and distant artillery bombardments indicated that the battle was far from over, and the front lines were not too distant from the landing force.
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60 kilometers from the shores

Two massive and imposing Viracel main battle tanks from the Annonrial RAAS units reversed at a staggering speed of over 28 kilometers per hour as their 117mm cannons swung towards the advancing Gra Valkan Hound medium tanks, and they opened fire with their enormous rifled cannons. The rounds fired were Armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) projectiles, and they hit their mark. The shots effortlessly punched through the Gra Valkan tank's 80mm frontal armor with ease, over-penetrating and striking a Shafer light tank behind it, and whatever happened within the tanks was a catastrophic for their crews. The Gra Valkan Hound tanks came to a sudden stop, with flames and smoke billowing from the breaches in their armor. Before long, the fires reached their ammunition, cooking them up, resulting in a fiery explosion.

Loading their guns again, the Viracel tanks fired once more. The dense penetrator rod projectiles sped through the air at over 1,400 feet per second. However, the Gra Valkan tanks continued to advance, firing their own 37mm, 57mm, and 75mm guns. The battlefield was enveloped in thunderous roars as the Gra Valkan tank rounds flashed through the air, but due to their unstable and non-gyroscopically stabilized gun systems, their accuracy suffered. The rugged terrain didn't help either, causing many of their shots to miss their moving targets. Nevertheless, some rounds found their mark, but the Viracel tank's frontal armor, boasting over 300mm of thickness, shrugged off these hits, with many shots harmlessly ricocheting.

Before a crisscrossing fire flared up on the flanks of Viracel, the high-speed 75mm armor-piercing ballistic capped high-explosive with tracer (APCBC-HE-T) rounds of Gra Valkan Imperial Naval Infantry's C-13E Canine medium tanks roared. These tanks featured long-barreled cannons reminiscent of the IJA Type 3 Chi-Nu, complete with rudimentary gun stabilizers that had minimal effect on rugged terrain and high-speed maneuvers. They spat their shells out as they spiraled out of the barrel blazing.

"Hit the side!" roared the tank commander over the radio as five Canine medium tanks engaged the Annonrial RAAS main battle tanks in flanking maneuver. It was a showdown between marines and the airborne division, tanks against tanks on the burning steppes of Leifor.

"Identified!" the gunner bellowed.

"Fire!" the commander commanded.

"On the way," the gunner shouted as he pulled the trigger, igniting the propellant. The ensuing recoil jerked the breech loader and trembled the tank.