Chapter 251: Long Few Months

April 1st, 626

Chief Ironheart had seen many things in his long life. There was little that could impress or surprise a man like him, who stood at the top of the world. 

A few years ago when this large child had first visited his city, he hadn’t thought too much of it. Based on what little information there was about him, he was an orphan with no family to speak of. There were no records that anybody could follow to find his point of origin. He simply appeared in the Capital City one day and made connections with several of the most powerful organizations in the black markets. 

Though at the time, the most notable thing about him was the fact that he had wooed the eldest daughter of his ally, Talexia. Then he had won a duel with mysterious weapons, attracting the attention of Shadowbane in the process. 

Even then, he could have never imagined anything like this. He would have called himself senile back then if he had thought that the large child would go on to do anything like this, let alone the way he was doing it. 

How else was he supposed to comprehend a sea of steel?

He glanced to the side, seeing John standing with Umara, his fiance. Talexia was beside him, all of them watching the procession of Superheavy Battle Tanks. 

There were 500 of them, moving in columns, speeding across the newly laid road. John had laid this road in parallel with the River of Life, its starting point at a distribution center some distance away from Wonderland, its endpoint around the City of Valence. 

His newest tools had made it unbearably easy to lay dozens of miles of road every day, multiple teams at multiple checkpoints all laying different stretches of the road at the same time over the last month. 

It was wide, capable of accommodating three Superheavy Battle Tanks side by side with enough room for troops to march beside them comfortably. There had never been a road so wide or long built in the Kingdom’s history, nor built so fast. 

However, the tanks before them were making a stop at the moment. The small city they did so at had been blessed to be one of the many checkpoints along what John had called the Road to War, receiving a large boost to its economy by consequence. The City Lord had been more than willing to become a checkpoint, even agreeing to John’s rather stringent contracts. 

But it wasn’t why the tanks were stopping. 

It was for the funeral that was currently taking place. 

Chief Ironheart looked to the front of the ceremony, seeing a woman in black, the wife of John’s friend, Avicia Malgerius. 

The ceremony had proceeded normally, John remaining not far from the tanks. He was dressed in his normal long coat, watching silently. 

Until the funeral came to its final moments. It was when Avicia had walked over and grabbed John, bringing him up to say a few words. 

He kept it simple, formal, professional. Ironheart could recognize the speech of a man who hadn’t been able to deal with the deaths of those he had fought with. 

Then the speech ended, and John mustered 7 of the tanks. Their massive barrels pointed to the sky, across the top of the ceremony, over the city. 

John gave his commands. 

“7 Guns, all ready!”

With his command Ironheart could see a few enchantments flash on the bodies of the tanks. There was no sound, no shifting, just heavy metal sitting on thick treads, menacing in presence. 

These tanks were fully equipped for war. 

“All hands! Salute!”

Ironheart raised his hand, as did a few hundred others. Nonnen Malgerius was a well known man. He had made many friends during his time in the military and nearly all of them were here, including a couple Generals. All of them saluted the casket, closed and heavily enchanted in order to prevent the body within from destroying everything around it. 

Then, John yelled, his command echoing in everyone’s mind.

“FIRE!”

The seven tanks fired, such obscene power exploding from their barrels that it shook the atmosphere and sent a tremor through the ground. Ironheart looked up to see a massive explosion in the sky. It was the tank shells, detonating only a second after being fired, yet exploding over a mile away. 

“FIRE!”

After a few seconds of odd sounds coming from the tanks, they fired again, and Ironheart watched the explosions release shockwaves of fire mana that incinerated the very air around it. 

Such attacks could turn an Authority 9 Royal to mist and detonate to kill every monster around it for two dozen meters. 

“FIRE!”

They fired once more, Ironheart noticing the treads of the tanks digging into the grass beneath them. 

Everything went silent.

Salutes fell, and the ceremony ended. 

The tanks continued on their way, heading toward the River of Desolation at 80 miles an hour so they could eventually cross into the battlegrounds of the north. 

John lingered a bit more, speaking with the widow before ultimately leaving. 

They boarded a helicopter that would take them to the north in advance of the tanks. There were already Kingdom forces accumulating in the City of Valence, as well as the small amount of troops that John had been given thus far. 

While they were flying, Ironheart broke the silence with a comment. 

“Seeing that power makes me more confident, I admit.”

“Seeing is believing, sometimes.”

“Hm.”

Ironheart nodded. 

He didn’t doubt John. He knew that the kid was smart beyond belief, that he made true on his promises. He never exaggerated, didn’t deal in nonsense, and had already brought him riches that would only compound in the future, his stockpiles starting to equal and surpass what had been accumulated over many years. 

But seeing those tanks had finally cemented his belief in them. Ultimately he was placing great trust in John’s abilities by handing him what was going to be 25 thousand troops, even more than Talexia who was going to mobilize 15 thousand, if not more. These were their soldiers too, not random citizens of other territories. The soldiers were loyal because their families resided in the territories of those who employed them. This was especially the case for those who came from the Whetted City. 

There would be no outsiders in this army, but simultaneously it meant that there was great risk for Talexia and Ironheart. If he failed, and those soldiers were wiped out, then they would be unspokenly crippled. 

Ironheart still had some doubt, the kind that was simply there, regardless of trust or hope. But seeing those tanks eased the mind. 

A show of massive strength. Perhaps John hadn’t simply brought those tanks to action for the sake of the funeral. Maybe it was just a coincidental opportunity for another showcase. 

For them, and for anyone else who would go on to spread the word. 

After some hours they landed in the City of Valence. It was there that they met with some individuals, those who John were most concerned with knowing personally. 

First was Feiden, who looked different from before. His hair was shimmering gold, more so than before, and he looked like he put on some serious muscle mass, making him slightly less lean than before. 

Second was Shadowbane, now one of the most influential people here, being Ironheart’s most trusted connection to the budding army. 

Third and fourth were Polly and Jasmine. The fifth was a full General named Daithy Gaffney, a female summoner. The sixth was a Marshal named Elsie Rourke, a female knight. 

Jaya stood behind Feiden, being one of the contracts John bought from Gurns alongside the others. After that was someone none of those from the Magisterium Calamity Class had seen in a while. 

Ponteck Gulliard. The strongest of the Calamity Class before John came and stripped him of his crown. Surprisingly, he hadn’t been in special operations when John sought out the name. 

But that didn’t mean he was lacking. It was clear from his Authority 8 Aura that he was as talented as he had been proclaimed to be at the Magisterium. 

There would be several other Major Generals and Brigadier Generals like Polly, several other elite fighters who were renowned names in the Whetted City. Some friends of Talexia’s would be resurfacing and John himself had brought on some dark characters from places worth forgetting. 

Many strings were being pulled and old favors were exchanged in order to not just build this army, but turn it into a force that could far surpass any other in Kingdom history. John’s tech was great but it demanded elites who could allow the army as a whole to exercise its might. Without top end combat power, the army would crumble before they could even establish a foothold. 

John glanced across all of them before smiling, a cigar in his mouth. He let out a cloud of smoke with a long breath. 

“Welcome to Iron Legion. Over the next week I will be detailing everyone involved in the Operation codenamed Euclid’s Anvil on their roles and the plans regarding the establishment of the main operating base Glass Desert. There will be phases of advancement, there will be training, and this Operation will take time. But time is not our ally. The Scourge waits for no man, and the more time passes, the further they will advance. My weapons are great tools that promise their destruction but I will not step onto a battlefield with an army that lacks the training and knowledge to use them. I will not waste resources, human or otherwise, on stupidity. That is why, like the soldiers, the leaders above them will be thoroughly educated on how they need to operate. If, by the end of my training and by the time of the establishment of the Glass Desert, the leaders do not understand the fact that there will be no retreat, then they will be stripped of their rank and discharged into the oncoming hordes by the very people they failed.”

Frowns suddenly surfaced, especially on the full general’s face. 

He carefully spoke. 

“What do you mean, no retreat?”

“I mean it as I say it. There will be no retreat. Generals will not be allowed to leave their posts. Brigadiers will not be allowed to leave their battalions or platoons. Marshals will be at the head of every major movement acting as the tip of the spear. This means that the leaders will live and die with their troops and at their posts. Desertion will be met with death, especially by leaders.”

The full general met John’s piercing golden eyes before looking down and nodding. 

He received no other arguments, continuing. 

“You will all learn how I will conduct war. My weapons of destruction demand the mindset to use them. They demand trust. Trust in the forged steel of the tanks, in the support of the aircraft, in the integrity of the battle formations, and most importantly, in the strength of the leaders demanding their charge. The soldiers will not be the bravest of those on the battlefield. Instead they will find their bravery in their leaders because they know that those who hold their lives in their hands have the courage and knowledge to lead them to victory. They will not wonder whether they will be abandoned, but whether they can drive their spear hard enough into their enemies. I will know if any of those under my charge fail to live up to this standard, and I will not hesitate to send the cowardly into the maws of those they fear. I believe a cowardly or incompetent ally is worse than a strong enemy, and I refuse to compromise my ranks with so much at stake.”

After some silence John motioned. 

“Now, although not everyone is here, I see no reason not to start now. Boris, if you could take us to the meeting room.”

“Of course.”

Boris led them all away, vehicles there for them to board and ride to the nicest hotel in the city. 

It was there that John went over some of his plans, though he primarily briefed them on his overarching philosophies and approaches regarding the war. 

He already had all of his plans. Everything from how he would train every type of soldier in every type of position to the strategic movements of his army into the desert, movements that would facilitate the establishment of the Glass Desert in the most effective manner possible. 

Most of them were eager to hear these plans, all of them nervous given what was at stake. However, the details were so thorough and all encompassing that when they saw how much data was on the Orbs he used, they shied away, suddenly not as nervous and not as eager to hear all the details. 

Nobody could say that John was moving into this recklessly. He was as meticulous as his industry. 

Operation: Euclid’s Anvil was already in effect, and the first phase would be completed as soon as the troops were mustered. Outside the City of Valence there was already a large garrison and proving ground that would serve as the training area for the new army. The buildings had already been constructed and staff was already manning them. Batches of weapons, gear, and vehicles were being flown in every hour, filling warehouses and armories and fields like a mothballed fleet. The only reason the tanks were driving was because it was more efficient than airlifting them on the few C-400 planes they actually had. 

Troops were still being transported, but all of them would be at the garrison by the middle of the next month, hundreds being flown in every day, more being slated to arrive with every hour. 

Tens of millions of coin were being dumped into the operation, and all of the Sawn Industries facilities were working overtime. However, the trees of industry John had planted were already bearing fruit. Material was being processed in such vast volume that it couldn’t be consumed fast enough, even with the assembly lines and fabrication plants working at maximum capacity. However, the capacities of every facility were constantly growing and expanding. 

Sawn Industries, in the past month alone, had produced a number of products equal to its entire lifetime’s record. The numbers alone were bafflingly large, the company working at a scale never before seen in the world. 

So although they would be slightly late getting the desired amount of gear pieces and enchanted items to the garrison, by the time John officially marched to establish the Glass Desert, they would not just fulfill their quota, but be producing enough to start selling to everyone that had already come to them for contracts. 

They were losing money now. But Sawn wasn’t concerned, as the sum of the contracts that they had on standby would surpass the original contract they had received from the Kingdom.

However, there was one major question that had yet to be clearly answered, a question that could potentially make or break everything. 

It was asked at the end of the night of John’s meeting. It was the general who asked. 

“Sir Cooper…”

“Hm?”

“The Treehouse fell to a Sovereign Royal. If that same army continues to march down, what will we do when it arrives once more?”

John lifted his head, looking at the general for a few seconds before looking back down. 

“Don’t worry about the Sovereign. For all intents and purposes, that problem has already been taken care of.”

“…Would you mind elaborating?”

“Yes. Take this as your first taste of the new classification system you’ll be encountering while working on my base.”

John looked him in the eye.

“That information is need to know, and you don’t. All you need to know is that it won’t be a problem that you’ll have to worry about until the sandstorm shows up. And when it does, you’ll just need to stay focused on killing as many enemies as possible. From this day forward, you will be training yourself so when that time comes and you are pushed to your breaking point, you’ll manage to hold yourself together and not crumble. Focus on your job and what you can control. Everything else is under my purview, and I’ll do the same.”

The General didn’t ask anything more, everyone silent as John let out a breath. 

“We have a long few months ahead of us, and I will not fail in my tasks.”

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