Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 214
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Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 214
49. The King of the Duchy Is the Problem Solver (3)
The invasion of North Korea for the unification of the Korean Peninsula.
Naturally, the main attacking force was South Korea, and Reiers County was playing the role of backing them up.
But even without Reiers County, North Korea wouldn't have been a match for South Korea in the first place.
With many nations having suffered severe damage from the Great Catastrophe, South Korea's military power could be considered world-class fourth.
And an outdated North Korea dares to face such a military powerhouse?
That's an utterly absurd fight.
The outcome was all but decided from the start.
However, there was one part of North Korea's military that could never be ignored the core of their asymmetric warfare capability.
Missiles, including nuclear ones.
"The war against China already proved Reiers County's interception capability sufficiently, but experiencing it firsthand, this is even more incredible than I thought. They're really intercepting everything."
"I never even imagined they could intercept artillery shells too."
"That weapon is called the Heaven-Piercing Fortress, is it? A fitting name. Isn't it an absolute iron wall?"
"The Heaven-Piercing Fortress is impressive, but that weapon called the Spirit Tower is no less so. It's no wonder they call it a dedicated defensive weapon."
Fortunately, since Reiers County's forces intercepted North Korea's main strength its missiles the Korean military could push forward with unstoppable momentum without any worries.
Fighting the enemy while taking not a single hit, and beating them one-sidedly.
There's nothing more thrilling than that.
Thanks to that, even with the terrifying situation of war unfolding, Seoul, South Korea remained utterly peaceful.
President Kim Min-guk and the Minister of National Defense watched the situation through video and communications sent from the battlefield, wearing expressions of utmost satisfaction.
Korea's navy, the new ruler of the seas, its powerful air force boasting the latest stealth fighters, and its army with tank, self-propelled artillery, and attack helicopter combinations worthy of being called the strongest all were certainly impressive, but in sheer might, none could match the Heaven-Piercing Fortress of Reiers County's forces.
"Compared to fighter jets, its sheer size is truly enormous."
"The Heaven-Piercing Fortress allegedly weighs between 600,000 and 800,000 tons depending on the model."
"Whoa...."
President Kim Min-guk thought it was truly fortunate that they were on their side.
Then he suddenly asked the Minister of National Defense.
"If we were to fight them, how do you think we should deal with the Heaven-Piercing Fortress and the Spirit Tower?"
"Huh? Um...."
The President had asked casually without much thought, but the Minister of National Defense's expression grew increasingly serious.
"Don't misunderstand. We have no intention of clashing with them."
The Minister of National Defense let out a sigh of relief, saying he was glad to hear it.
"Honestly, I can't see any openings. The only method worth attempting might be pouring out so much force at once that they can't defend against each one individually. Other than that...."
"Other than that?"
"We'd need America's help. Their railguns and hypersonic missiles wouldn't be easy for even them to intercept."
"Hmm...."
America's military capabilities, unknown to the public.
But anyone in the know was well aware that they possessed railguns and hypersonic missiles.
"However, I believe the truly formidable force to watch out for in Reiers County's military isn't the fortress in the sky, but their ground forces."
"Ground forces?"
The President showed interest in the Minister of National Defense's words.
"I've heard that wars in Rondel, the world where Reiers County was located, are fought through the Heaven-Piercing Fortress and the Vanguards."
"Vanguards? Ah, you mean those personal armaments that look like the Iron Man suits."
"Yes. As the primary combat force of a world that has the Heaven-Piercing Fortress, they absolutely must not be underestimated."
"Indeed, that makes sense."
The President had been so captivated by the Heaven-Piercing Fortress that he hadn't paid much attention to the Vanguards.
Unlike the Heaven-Piercing Fortress, their combat power wasn't properly known, and fundamentally, he assumed that no matter how helpful a suit worn by a human might be, it could only do so much.
"Right, in that case, it would be good to see the Vanguards in action. Even though they're our allies now, we never know what the future holds, so it's necessary to properly grasp Reiers County's full military capability."
The President seemed to have already forgotten all about North Korea.
At his proposal, the Minister of National Defense seemed to think it was a sound judgment and nodded, saying he understood.
"Then I will request that Vanguards from Count Reiers' army be deployed in support of the Pyongyang occupation battle."
"Right."
And a short while later.
As the Pyongyang occupation battle began, the two men were able to properly witness the combat scenes of the Vanguards they had been curious about.
"Whoa..."
They had thought that, as surface forces, the Vanguards might occupy a position similar to tanks.
But seeing them in actual combat, they were not something to be evaluated that simply.
With a single sword, they destroyed every enemy in sight tanks, and even fighter jets.
Sometimes they ran across the ground, and sometimes they took to the sky on Hoverboards while unleashing beam attacks.
Only then did the President realize that the Vanguards were essentially miniature versions of the Heaven-Piercing Fortress.
They sliced through tank shells with their swords, and took mortar fire straight to the body truly, they showed more than anything one could imagine.
"I-I think we should stay on friendly terms with our neighbors."
"See? We never had any intention of fighting in the first place."
Seeing the overwhelming power of these foreigners could make one feel cowed, or it could stir a sense of crisis.
But at this moment, what flashed through the President's mind was this:
"Wouldn't it be perfect if we could apply that technology to our own military?"
* * *
South Korea's campaign against North Korea was advancing with unstoppable momentum.
So much so that neighboring countries couldn't even react in time.
And there were nations expressing concern over South Korea's momentum namely, its immediate neighbors, China and Japan.
Among the four splintered states of China, both 'traditional China' centered on Beijing and 'New Balhae' centered on the Three Northeastern Provinces had great concerns, but the nation watching this situation with even greater bewilderment was 'Japan.'
"What are those New Balhae bastards doing? Didn't they say they'd support North Korea?"
"Ah, it seems that the South Korean bastards' military strength can't be ignored, and on top of that, that foreigner Count Reiers is fighting alongside them."
In the Great Disaster, island nations suffered extremely heavy damage.
England in Europe was like that, Indonesia in Southeast Asia was like that, and Japan in East Asia was like that.
The number of Japanese deaths from the Great Disaster alone reached about half the total population.
Furthermore, a massive earthquake tore the entire nation apart, and floods submerged countless homes.
And right after the Great Disaster subsided, a vast expanse of poisoned lands spreading from Mount Fuji turned the area from Shizuoka to Tokyo into an uninhabitable wasteland.
As a result, Osaka had become Japan's current center, and the survivors were living in days of despair.
"Damn it, they're not going to swallow North Korea and then set their sights on us in Japan next, are they?"
Due to the Great Disaster, Japan's standing had plummeted dramatically.
Moreover, it was impossible to know how much time recovery efforts would still take.
It was a regression of civilization.
Yet Japan, having suffered such tremendous damage, deeply resented the fact that Korea was unscathed.
With their populations now similar in size, and the Korea they had never stopped cursing at rising through sheer luck as the leader of a new era.
"T-That won't happen. Like it or not, aren't both our countries allies of America? Surely America will step in to stop them."
"If they were to attack, what would our win rate be?"
"Our navy still holds a partial advantage. The air force is roughly even. The problem is..."
"The army, you mean."
"Yes. The damage suffered by the Japanese fleet is too great for us to stop landings by Korea's marines and army."
If Korean ground forces landed on the Japanese mainland, the rest would be all but certain.
Even before the Great Disaster, Japan's army was no match for Korea's.
And that made sense, because South Korea's army was at a level that could be called third-strongest in the world.
And now, the gap between the two had grown even wider.
Japan's Prime Minister, who had miraculously survived the Great Disaster, bit his nails roughly, and finally, apparently deciding there was no other option, spoke to his secretary.
"Please connect me with the commander of the US Forces Japan."
"Yes!"
The Prime Minister ultimately judged that receiving America's help was the best course.
But the call to the US Forces Japan commander would not connect easily.
"What's going on? Did something happen to the communications at the US base?"
"This is a satellite phone, though..."
"Is that so? Damn it, keep trying until he answers."
"Understood."
It was only after a long while that the Japanese Prime Minister was finally able to hear the voice of the US Forces Japan commander.
The Prime Minister felt displeased, but he did his best not to show it and got to the point.
He started by saying that Korea was invading the North, and shouldn't they be stopped.
He went on to say that if things continued this way, Korea might bare its fangs at Japan, so measures needed to be taken.
The Prime Minister asked the US Forces Japan commander for help for the sake of Japan.
But for some reason, there was no response from the other side, and when the anxious Prime Minister called the commander's name,
"Commander Douglas?"
The US Forces Japan commander's reply was this.
[See, wouldn't it have been better if we'd been on friendlier terms all along?]
"What did you say?"
[I'm sorry, but the President has issued orders not to interfere with Korea.]
"What does that "
[It means we can't help you.]
For a moment, the Prime Minister wore a dazed expression.
Was America abandoning Japan?
No, that couldn't be so he denied reality to the fullest and tried to persuade the commander again, but.
-Flash.
Like an electric spark, one possibility flashed through his mind.
"Don't tell me South Korea's invasion of the North isn't their own unilateral action, but something coordinated with America?"
[....]
The US Forces Japan commander paused for a moment, then.
[That's correct.]
He proved the Prime Minister's guess right.
[Korea is America's most important ally. Now that such an ally has a chance at unification, how could we stand in the way? Besides, it's a good opportunity to obtain data on the outsiders.]
"R-right, I understand that. I'll accept it. But surely you should at least stop their gaze from turning toward us?"
[That's something Japan and Korea need to resolve among themselves.]
At his cold, line-drawing remark, the Prime Minister couldn't help but feel the commander valued Korea more than Japan.
"Wasn't our Japan an important ally of America?"
[Japan is still an important ally.]
"Then!"
[But if we're weighing importance, Korea simply ranks higher. If you, Prime Minister, are reacting like this, doesn't the answer come easily enough?]
The Prime Minister staggered with a shocked expression, and his secretary quickly steadied him.
[Apologize to Korea now, while you still can, and beg forgiveness for past wrongs. I've held my tongue until now out of consideration for Japan's importance, but your attitude has made us frown more times than I can count.]
"What have we done wrong!"
[That very attitude is what's wrong. It's time to wake up. How long do you intend to cling to the glories of the past?]
With those words, the US Forces Japan commander unilaterally ended the call.
The Prime Minister and everyone else in the residence had faces turned pale.
* * *
While the Japanese Prime Minister was swallowing his anger from the call with the US Forces Japan commander.
In Rondel, Supreme Assemblyman Ricardo Ordein was receiving Adrian, who had visited without notice.
"I get to meet the hero at the center of all the talk. As a devout believer of the Sepia Church, let me first offer my thanks to the one who rescued the Saintess Ibril."
Adrian responded to Ricardo's greeting who yielded to no one when it came to honeyed words with a grin, and without permission took the head seat at the reception table.
"Have a seat."
And as if he were the master of the house, he gestured for Ricardo to sit.
At that, the corner of Ricardo's mouth twitched for a moment, but with transcendent acting he put on an apologetic expression and sat in the ordinary seat.
"What do you think I came here for?"
Ricardo answered Adrian's question without hesitation.
"I heard you're looking into President Izrael. As a key suspect, surely you've come to question me."
"To be precise, I'm not here to question I'm here to interrogate."
Even with the one said to overwhelm Aura Masters before him, Ricardo showed no great fear.
As if he already knew nothing would happen to him.
"You're quite confident, aren't you? You know you're the prime suspect right now."
"Because I have nothing to hide. And I'm not so weak as to be frightened by Your Highness the King's threats my homeland protects me."
Behind me stands the great nation of the Prius Republic what can you possibly do?
It was a perfectly sensible statement, one that showed a clear understanding of his position.
"The culprit's so brazen. I don't like it."
-Grip.
But Supreme Assemblyman Ricardo Ordein did not know.
That Adrian was not like ordinary politicians.
He suddenly rose from his seat, strode over, and grabbed him by the collar.
"W-What is the meaning of this?"
Faced with Adrian's villainous smile, Ricardo could only stare with wide eyes in bewilderment.
"What meaning? I told you I was here to interrogate."
"What?"
And as Adrian raised his fist, Ricardo Ordein let out a scream-like cry.
"Guards!"
There was a limit to absurdity Ricardo simply could not make sense of the situation.