The Pacific War: The Beginning of a One-Sided War
I can’t believe it --- was my first thought. After the Servant we sent on a mission to Argentina was defeated by Adolf, we have taken every possible countermeasure. Starting with strengthening the frames of all Servants, reinforcing our communication systems to prevent hacking, strengthening the barrier, and even installing additional detection buoys around Ama no Murakumo territorial waters.
Intelligence gathered from around the world revealed that attacks and assassinations of important figures had occurred in various countries. But despite the efforts of each country's special forces and intelligence agencies, they were still unable to track Adolf or even his followers. Then, just a while ago, a surprising report about the appearance of a gigantic airship over Moscow's airsapce came in.
"*beep*.... Displaying the live footage."
Following Octa One’s emotionless voice, an image of the sky above Moscow, Russia, showed on screen. Over there, a massive, around 800-meter-long airship with a swastika inscribed on its silver hull, was slowly flying while being encircled by Russian fighter jets.
"What the hell is that...?"
"*beep* Judging from its appearance, it looks like Graf Zeppelin that Germany once possessed. That being said, it’s more than three times the size."
"Is Adolf really planning to revive the Third Reich? What's Russia's response?"
"*beep*.... The order to evacuate civilians seems to have been issued. Their fighter jets have also opened fire on the airship, but since their communication channels are being jammed, we cannot grasp the detailed situation."
Truss One seems to have discovered it through satellite image. Even Octa One was apparently unaware of its presence, suggesting the airship has a fairly advanced stealth system.
Despite being showered with machine gun fire from fighter jets, the Graf Zeppelin look-alike suffered no damage. More precisely, the attack could not hit the target because it was stopped by a transparent barrier surrounding the airship. Missiles were not used since they were flying over a densely populated city. It was clear that the Russian side was in a disadvantageous position. Then, as if saying; 'I have no enemies. No one can stop me.', the Graf Zeppelin look-alike continued to fly leisurely westward.
"This must be how they see Ama no Murakumo.... Objectively speaking, I can see that it is truly a threat."
"Master, we've received communications from various foreign ministries. They were asking if the airship over Russia is affiliated with Ama no Murakumo."
"Tell them that we have nothing to do with it! I don't want them to think that we are connected to that monster."
I was a little agitated and unintentionally raised my voice.
"Truss One, is it possible to analyze their combat power?"
"*beep*.... That would be difficult just from the footage. But if it's the strength of their force field, I can roughly estimate it. Their force field is only half as strong as Ama no Murakumo's according to my calculations. More than that, we need to send our personnel there."
"Even if it's only half as strong, I don't think Earth's weaponry will be able to destroy it."
"*beep*.... Negative. They do have something that could destroy the Graf Zeppelin look-alike's force field. However, using it would be a foolish move."
"They do? Oh, I think I know what it is...."
Nuclear weapons. That would be their final choice.
"By the way, what would happen if we were exposed to a nuclear attack?"
"*beep*.... Our force field can withstand the blast, but the radiation will pass through. The surrounding ocean would become uninhabitable."
"What would happen to the people on board?"
"*beep*.... Unable to answer due to insufficient data."
"Seriously? Truss One, continue to monitor the Graf Zeppelin look-alike's movements."
"*beep*.... Understood."
"*beep*.... The fleets of various countries around Ama no Murakumo have begun to move. They appear to be heading for their home countries."
"You can ignore them. I'm sure every country is busy coming up with countermeasures, even if it's a little late."
As I glared at the screen, the Graf Zeppelin look-alike suddenly flashed, then disappeared.
"Can they also use dimensional dive?"
"*beep*.... I believe it was some kind of optical camouflage. After activating it, the airship accelerated upward and moved away from Moscow."
"How did you come to that conclusion, Truss One?"
"*beep*.... I didn't detect any gravitational waves."
"Is it possible to track it?"
“*beep*.... Since we rely on satellite image, we won't be able to track the airship as long as they're in stealth mode."
"Does that mean they can approach Ama no Murakumo without being detected?"
“*beep*.... Even if they're in stealth mode, the moment they entered our territorial waters, our security system will detect them."
In other words, they could still get within 22 km of Ama no Murakumo without being detected. That would be tantamount to an ambush.
"Continue to strengthen our tracking system, and let me know immediately if you notice anything unusual."
"*beep*.... Understood."
"*beep*.... Understood."
Even I was quite shocked by this incident. I'm sure Russia has it worse.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
On the same day, a little earlier. Suddenly, a gigantic airship appeared over Moscow. It had not descended from high altitude, nor had it flown in at high speed from somewhere. The airship simply appeared out of nowhere. Immediately, the Russian Air Force issued a scramble order and flew towards the airship to issue a warning. But to their surprise, they saw a familiar swastika flag painted on the hull of airship.
Ama no Murakumo had previously warned the UN about Adolf's resurrection. However, not all the permanent members of the Security Council took the warning seriously, with some started taking measures, and others just watched the situation with mockery. Since then, acts of sabotage and assassinations believed to be done by the Third Reich followers began occurring around the world.
The affected countries were mainly those that had been Allied powers in World War II, including Poland and the United Kingdom. There were still some countries that had not yet suffered damage, but they were already anticipating similar attacks based on information from other countries. Then this airship appeared.
“Begin evacuating the citizens of Moscow immediately!! Tell them to not take anything except valuables they can carry on their person. The government will cover everything later. Time is of the essence!!”
President Fudin's voice echoed in his office.
Is this really the return of the Third Reich?
Why here, in our country?
While Fudin was contemplating, the person of interest --- Adolf Hitler, suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Are you the leader of Russia?"
There was almost no one left these days who knew exactly whether this face, voice, and everything were those of Adolf Hitler. However, from photographs and other archive footage, it was clear that his appearance bore a striking resemblance to the real thing.
“Are you the real one? Or are you just an impostor claiming to be him?”
"Hahaha. Although this is just a hologram, I am the same Adolf Hitler you know well from history.... First of all, I thank you for your cooperation in our declaration of war and the durability test."
Fudin instantly understood what he meant by durability test. He was referring to the invisible barrier like that of Ama no Murakumo.
"A declaration of war...?"
"You seem unfazed. That's right, this is also our declaration of war. Anyone who oppose us in this world, we will destroy them without exception. Those who wish to join us should show their sincerity. But if you still wish to fight us, we welcome you anytime."
*bang-bang*
Fudin quickly drew his gun and shot Adolf between the eyes. Naturally, the bullets passed through and hit the wall behind him. Even so, Fudin remained unfazed.
"Hmm, very well. Let me do you a favor by not involving the civilians this time. I will be waiting on the high seas. There, you'll learn the powerlessness of your own country."
“I find it unpleasant even to hear the ramblings of a ghost....”
“Well then....”
The figure of Adolf suddenly disappeared like how it appeared. When he stood before, Fudin found a mysterious button-sized object.
"Looks like we have traitors here. I will have to start by investigating the staffs."
Muttering this, Fudin picked up the hotline. It was a rarely used direct line to the White House. He used it to inform of what had just happened to the US president.
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The White House. President Howard Brender was left speechless after receiving a call from President Fudin. While it was not an actual attack, the enemy had successfully infiltrated the heart of their capital. Normally, this kind of information wouldn't be shared with other countries, but he judged that the Third Reich was a greater threat to the world. The call wasn't about a request for cooperation or a request to form a united front. Fudin was simply informing everything that had happened, without holding anything back.
"Notification to all fronts. DEFCON level 4 issued. Target: The Third Reich. Gather information quickly and carefully. The DEFCON level will be raised accordingly."
All fronts immediately began their operations. By evening, the DEFCON level was raised to 3.
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"So, what happened to the airship in the end? The information is all over the place."
"The Russian embassy has not made any statement yet. It seems they are also in the process of gathering information."
"Then gather the footage of that airship or whatever we can use from the internet. I want something to be ready for the evening news!"
The Japanese news stations were in chaos. Just when they thought they could get decent viewer ratings by sticking to the story of Ama no Murakumo, a gigantic airship suddenly appeared over Moscow airspace. Furthermore, it was reported that a large swastika was painted on its hull, causing panic among the general public. The Diet had declared a state of emergency and instructed the Ministry of Defense to be ready for military actions. However, the opposition party was making a fuss about it.
"Is it really necessary to declare a state of emergency when the information is still unclear?"
"You talked about dispatching the Self-Defense Forces, but aren't you jumping the gun?"
"Does the government not have accurate information about what happened in Russia? What have you been doing until now?"
Unlike those who only wanted to find fault with the government's decision, there were also those who were genuinely serious with the issue.
"Let's say the airship really belongs to a group called the Third Reich. So far, no damage has been done, hasn't it?"
"No, according to my sources, one of Argentine Navy submarines was stolen by this group."
"Nevertheless, our opinions are consistent, unlike those whose opinions are easily swayed by the mainstream media. The Self-Defense Forces are unconstitutional. The Self-Defense Forces won't be dispatched overseas."
With wavering parties, consistent parties, and parties that pandered to foreign countries, Japanese politics was in disarray. Still, there were quite a few politicians who seriously thought about Japan. How many votes they could gather during this election period would be their true test. On a side note, those who just wanted to find fault with the government's decision from earlier, refused to elaborate on how Japan should have responded to this incident.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
The next day, over the Pacific Ocean. The Admiral Graf Spee suddenly appeared at an altitude of 500 meters and had not moved since then as if waiting something.
"Your Excellency, what are we going to do in a place like this?"
"I'm waiting.... for our opponents and our troops. There must be ships unknowingly deployed with soldiers who have been injected with the Needle on board, right? Our current military strength is only this Admiral Graf Spee, but later, those ships would join our ranks...."
Adolf began to laugh with a semi-crazy smile on his face. However, there was no one on this airship who doubted his words or actions. Unknowingly, some of them were already under the Needle's influence and had sworn absolute loyalty to him. Looking at the monitor inside the bridge, Adolf saw fleets from various countries advancing towards the Admiral Graf Spee.
"Let us begin, the struggle!! O world, this is our Third Reich!!"
A scream-like voice echoed throughout the airship. Then, as the surface armor of the Admiral Graf Spee opened, countless cannon poked out like spikes.