Magellan and Ozen were situated in close proximity to one another.
Historically, they were said to have once been a single nation.
Then, that nation split in two.
Whether this was the result of a major power's machinations or simply because they couldn't stand each other, I wasn't sure. Regardless, the two countries had lived as neighbors while maintaining a wary distance ever since.
Both nations served as crucial buffers, separating the major powers—Latarnia, the Taikyoku Nation, and Chronos—from one another.
Because of that strategic positioning, they had enjoyed a mediocre level of prosperity, coasting through life without having to exert much effort.
However, that prosperity met its end with the collapse of Chronos.
By now, the majority of Magellan had been integrated into Chronos. The regions that hadn't—including its capital planet—no longer functioned as a coherent state.
As for Ozen, they were likely already wiped out.
In the end, I suppose this was the inevitable fate of nations that existed solely to maintain a power balance between giants.
If I had been in their shoes, I would have turned my territory into an industrial hub, playing all sides to stay in everyone's good graces. When the Galactic Empire arrived, I would have welcomed them and offered my world as a supply base.
That would have been the only way to prolong my existence.
Ah, wait. The ones who actually pulled that off successfully were the Battle Dome and the Ogre God Nation.
People tended to look down on the Ogre God Nation as a bunch of idiots, but in terms of survival strategy, they weren't to be underestimated. They made sure they were never expected to be reliable comrades, yet they never crossed the line that would make them irrelevant to business.
I was truly fortunate that the first people I encountered were the Battle Dome and Saria.
No matter how you looked at it, that wasn't the kind of nation that belonged in a tutorial!
If I had turned the Ogre God Nation into an enemy, I think things would have been over for me long ago. I truly felt we had managed to seize the best possible outcomes from a series of difficult choices.
The Ozen fleet and the Chronos Army finally collided.
A fleet battle began.
The council had already formally decided that the Ozenians were extinct.
There was still some lingering opposition within the public opinion of the Grand Duchy of Chronos, of course. There were people with relatives in Ozen, after all.
But no amount of opposition would overturn the decision. Every single scrap of data indicated that Ozen was extinct.
That was why I would show no mercy.
This was no longer the "honorable combat" the council had once sought. It was a war of pure destruction.
An Ozen destroyer erupted into flames after taking a direct hit from our main cannon.
We didn't bother with rescue operations. In our eyes, they had been dead since before the war even began.
We showered them with beam cannons from long range, systematically dismantling them.
A technological gap? No. This was the sheer violence of production capacity. Even if the specs were similar, the side that could field greater numbers was destined to win. And Chronos was overwhelmingly superior in that regard.
We proceeded to overrun their fleet.
Mercy was a thing of the past.
We methodically erased the enemy fleet from existence.
"Enemy is retreating!"
We didn't even bother to pursue.
"Transitioning the operation to the destruction of enemy production bases," Claire suggested. I gave my consent immediately.
"Approved. Destroy the production bases."
"Understood."
We began leveling the factories on the nearby planets with missiles.
Unburdened by the complexities of a liberation operation, our fleet advanced at maximum speed. Up until now, we had been meticulously liberating planets one by one. Perhaps that was why the enemy thought they could push us around.
There was no way a great power like Chronos could lose to the likes of Ozen. We were just intentionally playing with self-imposed handicaps out of political consideration!
If we had no intention of occupying them, we could move as fast as we wanted.
We advanced, kicking aside fleet after fleet.
Then, a report arrived.
We weren't showing Ozen or Magellan any special consideration. We simply scattered their fleets, leaving the following units to handle the liberation.
"Your Highness! The Magellan Liberation Operation is concluded. Survivors have been secured."
"Interrogate the healthy ones to find out what happened. Treat the injured."
"As you command!"
The fact that they specifically mentioned "survivors" meant I could safely assume most were dead. With this, the liberation of Magellan territory was complete. I had fulfilled my obligation; the rest was up to Magellan's own judgment.
What little remained of the Magellanic forces headed toward the base.
We took a brief respite here. Once we merged with the following units, the Ozen Capture Operation would begin in earnest.
First, I checked the results of the Magellanic interrogations. I received a transmission from Rikochi, who was helping with the rescue efforts in the rear.
She looked exhausted.
"Leo-kun, it's just like we thought. The Magellanic people were converted into Mechanical Soldiers. It’s a total massacre."
Rikochi seemed absolutely livid, her words tumbling out in a rapid-fire rush.
"Ugh, I can't believe this! I don't understand it at all! How could anyone do something so horrible!"
"They probably didn't see them as having any value as living beings."
"Leo-kun, go take them down!"
"Copy that."
Well, it looked like they had finally managed to make an enemy out of one of the most powerful individuals in the Galactic Empire and the Chronos Army...
Now then, as for our strategy, it wasn't exactly rocket science. Crush the enemy's cards and force our own cards onto them. Super simple.
Our objective was to capture the Ozen Capital Planet. We had no intention of occupying it. The Magellan remnants were free to act as they pleased; they could even seize Ozen's planets for all I cared.
However, I had given strict orders: if they found survivors, they had to protect them. I’d attached Rikochi to them, so I wouldn't let them step out of line. If they did, they’d be permanently banned from Chronos.
Latarnia, the Taikyoku Nation, and the Ogre God Nation would follow behind to handle rescues and investigations. Though, in all likelihood, no one was left alive.
We waited for the rescue work to finish. During that time, Ozen units kept appearing, leading to constant skirmishes.
I’d like to say we fought long and hard... but in reality, we just swatted down whoever came. When they tried to swarm us—bam! We didn't let them do a thing.
I didn't care about the war expenses. We were overflowing with supplies and our energy reserves were infinite. Ozen, meanwhile, was at the absolute limit of their resources.
I wasn't going to give them an opening. We already knew the estimate of their total numbers, their deployment locations—everything. We had even predicted the lack of reinforcements from other factions.
No, in the first place, Ozen had already been abandoned by the rest of the galaxy.
I felt as though we had truly evolved as a force. And just before the rendezvous, a communication came through.
It was Ozen.
"Archduke Chronos... I challenge you to a duel."
I wondered if they'd try it, and they actually did.
"What's the identification code?"
"It is the Ozen Alliance President-exclusive Machine."
A garish, neon-colored exclusive machine flickered onto the monitor. The clashing primary colors were an eyesore; it was a paint job that would be unthinkable in the Galactic Empire.
"Huh..."
...Well, I certainly couldn't talk. Even though I was an Archduke, I had an exclusive machine, too.
But listen, I was a pilot long before I became an Archduke! What was an amateur doing with an exclusive machine?! It was completely pointless!
I was genuinely indignant.
I didn't realize it at the time, but this was the turning point. This was the moment I finally drove out Serious-san—the one who always tries to weaken the Jesters.