Another Worldly Summons

Chapter 95: Fade To Black

Honor of Autiria
Annonrial Battlegroup Center

In the southern sea of Millicent, four fleets converged at the center of the known world, gathering over a thousand ships, from high-speed gunboats to gigantic carriers and battleships, anchored 150 kilometers north of Centway Island, scattering their enormous armada throughout the region.

Thousands of ships should have been in constant motion to achieve their objectives; however, they found themselves stagnated due to the issues plaguing their Armada.

"How in the throne can no one pinpoint who the saboteurs in the fleets are!?"

A voice boomed throughout the high-level meetings between admirals of the fleets.

"It must be the elf hybrids! They must be spies of the Milishials!"

"You arrogant bastard! Who do you think you are to judge our loyalty to the empire and the emperor!?"

Each of them blamed each other, searching for a scapegoat for the lack of progress in the past week, other than being forced to withdraw from some captured Milishial islands north of Centway. These islands were deemed impossible to defend, and rumors circulated about a potential Milishial naval counteroffensive that could strike at any moment.

"Enough! Everyone, order!"

"You damned elves are the cause of this! You are not trustworthy! You must be cohorts with the knife-ears of Milishials!"

"Say that again, you muscled cubicle dogs! You beasts that tainted the glorious race of winged folks! There's no dogs with wings-only unsightly abominations!"

"You bastard!"

The situation was so chaotic for every fleet that one of the fleets, originally heading to Leifor to reinforce the crumbling front there and relieve the 17th Fleet, was forced to divert to cope with the losses they suffered in Millicent Sea. They had fallen into a trap laid by Gaius against the Annonrial invasion force, along with subsequent harassments that bore unexpected fruit.

Distrust among themselves

Not only did they have to contend with their increasing losses, the mounting resistance from the Milishials, and the frequency of naval skirmishes, but the situation was also taking a toll on Annonrials. These scenarios had never been part of their training or simulation of combat situations, leading to low morale and paranoia among sailors. Rumors and anxiety seeped through the crews of the Annonrial Armada, from whispers of disappearing fleets to fears of death, betrayal, and traitorous sailors among them. The grand-scale surprise attacks from the Milishials were proving to be a very taxing situation for everyone involved, and who knows when they would strike.

As plans for landing troops in Milishial were extended from a mere month to over four months, the sailors aboard the transport ships began to experience homesickness, anxiety, and growing paranoia. These cramped ships carried hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and with the constant delays, the signs of discontent among the soldiers became more apparent with each passing day.

Promises and expectations had been shattered multiple times, as the naval fleet of the Annonrials and the admirals addressing the ground forces on transport experienced repeated setbacks. As a result, the soldiers on the transport ships grew increasingly discontented and distrustful. The tedious and slow life aboard the ships led to the spread of rumors and a sense that things were spiraling out of control.

"Why do I have to cooperate with the elves? I could easily penetrate Milishial's defense perimeter and devastate their coastal cities and infrastructure without any issues! You're just burdening me with unnecessary baggage!"