Another Worldly Summons

Chapter 107: Far From Expectation

Without warning, the colossal continent of Latistor emerged from the eastern seas, triggering chaos across Southeast Asia and the surrounding islands. Seismic activity rocked the entire world, followed by massive tsunamis surging towards coastal regions, including neighboring island countries of Gahara, Fenn, Sios, and the eastern coastal regions of Philades. The towering waves crashed onto shorelines, engulfing towns and villages in their path and causing widespread devastation.

In Gahara, coastal communities were inundated by the relentless force of the tsunami waves, leaving behind a trail of widespread destruction. Fishing villages and monasteries along the coastline were swept away, and infrastructure such as ports and harbors were severely damaged. The island's capital city faced significant flooding, with streets submerged and buildings partially or completely destroyed.

Similarly, in Sios, the arrival of the tsunamis brought devastation to coastal settlements and islands. Low-lying areas were submerged underwater, and residents were forced to flee to higher ground to escape the deluge. Although the islands' population and industrial areas concentrated in the western edges suffered less damage, but agricultural areas and fishing towns were severely affected as vital infrastructure and crops were destroyed.

Meanwhile, in the eastern coastal regions of Philades, the impact of the tsunamis was catastrophic. Cities and towns along the coastline were battered by towering waves, with coastal defenses overwhelmed by the sheer force of the water. The port cities of Rheem, Nastav, Duro, and Topa were particularly hard hit, with docks, warehouses, and shipyards reduced to watery rubble.

As the immediate aftermath of the disaster unfolded, the entire world watched in shock and disbelief at the scale of the devastation wrought by the sudden catastrophe, to be slapped by the emergence of Ravernal as an added bonus. News reports and satellite imagery revealed the extent of the destruction, with entire coastlines transformed into watery rubbles.

International aid organizations and the armed forces of ASEAN, along with its paramilitary groups and allied countries of UDEA, mobilized to provide emergency assistance to the affected regions. However, the sheer scale of the disaster overwhelmed relief efforts. Humanitarian crises unfolded as displaced populations sought shelter, food, and medical care amidst the wreckage of their homes and communities. The disruption halted their military operations in Philades, providing respite to the northern Coalition despite their ongoing military efforts.

Over 2,000,000 worldwide lost their lives, and hundreds of thousands were wounded, with tens of millions more displaced and countless billions to trillions worth of economic and infrastructure damages recorded throughout the world.

The eastern seaboard of Southeast Asia, particularly northern Philippines and its eastern regions, as well as Papua all the way to East Timor and the surrounding islands of Indonesia, bore the brunt of the tsunami and earthquake, with millions displaced and over a hundred thousand dead in Southeast Asian alone.
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Flying from Naga airport once the earthquake and subsequent tsunami alerts subsided, the 45th Training Wing of the Southeast Asian Federal Air Force, consisting of 14 F/A-16 Mk. 1 fighter jets, flew in formation with a Casa C-212 as they patrolled and surveyed the extent of destruction below them. Cities and coastal regions were swept by tsunamis and knee-deep floods in the aftermath of the unexpected catastrophe the day before.

Deemed as quite suicidal, once they finished their survey below, they began to head east towards the location of Ravernal. The aircraft were only equipped with rocket launchers and a machine gun, lacking even short-range IR missiles like those fitted to the Mk. 2 deployed in Philades, or even as simple as rotary cannons. These were the first iterations of their replicated fighters, primarily tasked as point defense fighters in Luzon, Mindanao, and West Papua. However, the majority of Mk. 1 versions were now used as trainers rather than combat units, as Southeast Asians were increasingly receiving more capable Mk. 2 versions from production lines.