Aleksandra beheld her most recent deed for only a moment, though perhaps that had been a moment too long. The Rune Knight was quick in her thinking and quick to act, and when the Marshal of the Imperial Army dashed backward to gain enough distance to utilize her oracle, she realized the other's true intentions as she watched through a stream of bright magical power. She scoffed, waved her hand, the ray attack that raced towards her dispersing with the same ear-splitting shriek. When the Marshal stopped, it was already too late. Her opponent had grabbed the corpse of the fallen Cardinal. She scanned the Fiorean, debated whether she should act to cut her down as well, but, to her surprise, it seemed that the other... conceded.
How very interesting.
If that was the case, there were larger objectives to fulfill. Her attention was better spent elsewhere instead of focussing on one little, insignificant soldier. The Rune Knight vanished with the slain form of Vivian Salvina, leaving Aleksandra behind, the Marshal's face displaying that same cold absence of emotion that was so characteristic of her, the light of flares racing into the sky reflected in her eyes. The Biomancers of the Imperial Court certainly would've loved to study Salvina's corpse a little more, see what kinds of secrets the depths of her mind held. She was somewhat annoyed that the Rune Knight had taken her remains. She'd keep that woman's face committed to memory. The Marshal raised her hand to her ear, once more activating the electronic device on her head.
"General, prikazhite atakovat' vtoruyu volnu. Istrebite ikh i obespech'te sebe pobedu! Vernite dobrovol'tsev obratno. Slava prinadlezhit soldatam Pergranda." (General, order the second wave to charge. Eliminate them and secure our total victory! Retreat the volunteers. The glory belongs to Pergrande's soldiers.).
As soon as she had given the order, the thunderous cheers of Pergranti troops echoed across the battlefield. A brief display of triumph before the troops would charge with a united, seemingly ever-present battlecry that gave form to the Empire's first victory, resounding and mighty.
"URA!"
As it would become clear later, Pergrande soundly and overwhelmingly defeated the forces of Bellum on that day. The amry that Bellum had deployed, a combined force of Crusaders and Rune Knights, suffered heavy casualties, losing approx. 50,000 men and women in the defense of Bellum, while Pergrande sustained inconsequential losses in the thousands. The majority of these losses were part of the Crusader Order, though several thousand Rune Knights laid down their lives, as well. Pergrande had achieved its first victory and a strategic objective: Gaining control over the border regions between Bellum and the Empire.
The Imperial Army and Imperial Navy, however, learned a valuable lesson on that day: Their technology and their weapons did not make them invincible. They had overestimated the capabilities of their implements of war. Especially high-ranking mages proved to be an uncompromising threat to Pergrande's war machinery, and they would continue work on their technologies and adapt their stance accordingly.
The true potential of Psionics and their power in battle became much clearer with the might displayed by the Marshal of the Imperial Army of Pergrande.
Unbeknownst to Pergrande, a spy had infiltrated their forward operations base undetected and escaped with plans for just such a technological implement in development by the Empire currently, their officers and intelligence being none-the-wiser. This would make clear to the forces of the Luminous Covenant just how much of a threat Pergrande posed, and where elements of the Alliance of Bellum and Fiore had previously greatly underestimated the Empire, it had become exceedingly obvious that the Luminous Covenant was simply not equipped to fight back against the Ironheart Pact in the long run.
If the tides of war were to be turned, something had to be done. For now, the struggle over Bellum was not over, but as millions of Bellian citizens flee further inland or leave the country altogether to find refuge in allied nations, the path to the capital, the seat of Bellum's Cardinals and Holy Council, was now wide open...
