Gate: Thus Line Ark Fought There

Chapter 6: The Calm

No plan ever survives first contact with the enemy. That applies to every situation in war, regardless of any overwhelming advantage you may have. And this is further proven with the JSDF's counterattack to the other side of the Gate, which will serve as the beginning of their campaign against the Saderan Empire.

It goes without saying, the operation did not go as expected. The Imperial army had taken the few weeks of respite to prepare and set up fortifications around the Gate's entrance, and they had dozens of catapults, Ballistas, archers and mages aimed at the Gate, ready to fire at the moment someone or something comes through.

The assaulting force had a couple dozen injured in the opening of the battle, with about eight dead through an enemy saturation attack. Thankfully, their main battle tanks were the first to come in and took care of the brunt of the enemy force, or else the casualty count would've been much higher.

If it did, it'll be a massive PR nightmare that the JSDF wouldn't be able to easily recover from.

"If it weren't for those anti-war politicians to bicker and stall for time over the Gate issue, these guys wouldn't have the time to get ready against us... damn it!" Itami Youji, the Hero of Ginza, thought to himself, irked at the incompetency of certain individuals seated at the government to no end. "What a mess..."

"Hey LT, you okay?" Itami looked at his fellow soldier (and weeb/otaku, whatever you guys consider them as) Takeo Kurata, who is currently looking at him with concern.

He then replied to the earlier question, "Yeah, it's just... They never displayed this much tactics back at Ginza, did they? Although, it's probably a more competent general that took over, I can't brush away the feeling that something riled up these guys, and it's most likely coming from whatever came out of the other Gate at the Inland Sea."

The Inland Sea... according to the maps of Falmart that they've procured, it is a large body of water reminiscent to Earth's Dead Sea. And from what information they've gleaned from the POWs of the recent battle, whoever came from the other Gate are militarily and technologically superior, if not an equal compared to modernized Japan.

The thought of a bigger fish existing out there in the ocean bowl that is Falmart is very worrying, indeed; even more so in the scenario that the other invaders haven't come to this world with benevolent intentions in mind...

Kurata gave him a pat on the shoulder, "Don't worry about it, LT! I'm pretty sure the SDF can take on what this world throws at us!" Although it wasn't much, the reassurance seemed to ease Itami's worries. "I hope you're right." Taking notice to the man's behaviour, he then inquired, "You seem cheerful today. Why's that, Sergeant?"

The lower-ranking soldier scratched the back of his head in mild embarrassment, "Ah, well... I've been thinking, this is a fantasy world where elves and dragons exist, so maybe catgirls exist here?" Itami owlishly blinked at that for a second before replying, "Ehh... maybe, I guess? They're cute in anime, but catgirls aren't really my thing."

He turned and walked back to the base under construction. "Come on, let's join up with the others and regroup! I was planning to binge watch some anime for tonight, so hurry!"

"Righto, Lieutenant!"

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At the newly-christened military base set up by Line Ark, lined with civilian buildings and public infrastructures yet to be completed, aircraft of different shapes and sizes are taking off by the hundreds. And the event is not only occurring in the sky, as various ground vehicles and mech units are also rolling out to their objectives.

The massive recon op is happening today, with nearly ten thousand personnel participating. However, the 2nd Mechanized Infantry Regiment weren't included, as they were relegated on patrol duty at that time. And so, there they are, busy policing the outlying area of the base, they were bored like hell.