39 Chapter 36 - Declaration of War

POV: Baldur

Royal Palace, Genosha

1943

Two weeks have passed since preparation and mobilization. Now, only execution is left. I must say it was a fine job by all involved to prepare so quickly.

"Alice, let's review things."

Seated on my throne, a holographic screen appears in front of me.

"As you wish," Alice responds.

"How is the mobilization of the army and other forces going?"

The holographic screen shows all soldier positions ready for the attack, along with additional information.

"Eighty percent of the army is fully mobilized, equipped, and prepared to embark on the transport ships. The remaining twenty percent will stay in Genosha for defense."

Genosha has around four million inhabitants and eight hundred thousand soldiers. Of that number, six hundred and forty thousand, mostly infantry, will participate in the attack.

"And the Air Force?"

"All drones and planes are fueled up, transport planes and medical units are also in position."

Genosha's air force is monstrous, and our planes are equipped with camouflage to prevent detection by enemies.

"Magical Squadron?"

"They are waiting in position in case of need. Queen Amora has already departed to deal with the enemy navy."

Our army's only weak point is the lack of a navy. That was one of my mistakes. If we had submarines and ships surrounding the island, the enemy wouldn't be able to use their submarines. Unfortunately, I didn't pay attention to maritime development. We'll change that in the future. So, to deal with enemy vessels, I'll use Amora. I'm excited to see what she'll do. The magical squadron will stay in the city, as they are one of my biggest hidden cards.

"And our enemies?"

"Nazi leader Adolf Hitler remains in his home at Berghof. But the movements of Wolfgang von Strucker have changed. He has made contact with the secret organization called The Hand. Intelligence says he is proposing an alliance to prove his sincerity to them. Strucker has kidnapped a promising agent from the Red House and intends to offer her as a gift to The Hand. They are now in Madripoor."

I didn't expect The Hand's involvement in all this, but I'm not surprised. They are powerful, but their influence hasn't reached us. This is a good chance to catch Strucker off guard. As I thought before, I'll leave Red Skull for Steve to handle.

"Alice, have the War Dogs in Madripoor prevent Strucker from receiving news of the attack. Create false reports to deceive him, and also prevent my declaration of war from being transmitted to them."

"Yes, sir."

Once Strucker discovers my attacks, he'll surely rush back to one of his bases in Germany. I won't miss this chance. I'll personally go after him.

"Sir, we received another message from King Azzuri. He's asking if you'll accept Wakanda's help."

"Reply saying no. I don't want to drag Wakanda into my mess, but thank him."

When I reported my attack plan, Azzuri tried to provide me with help. With Wakanda's army, the war would end in days, but I don't want to force Wakanda out of the shadows.

(A secret nation emerging out of nowhere is enough.)

"Have you located the weapon yet?"

"Not yet, sir, but all sensors are at maximum. I'm confident I can locate any future missile launches on land."

The War Dogs' information made me believe the Nazis are working hard on a secret mass destruction weapon. Intelligence gathered so far suggests it will be a trump card for victory. I immediately thought of a nuclear weapon and asked Alice to be alert to any missile launches until we find its location.

"Alice, along with our attack plans and taking into account the surprise factor we may face, calculate the outcome."

"Calculating... Calculating... Calculations complete. Considering enemy firepower and numbers, the chances of victory are ninety-nine point nine percent."

"That's good enough for me."

"Sir, it's time. We're ready."

I rise from my throne and head towards the castle entrance. As I walk, I activate my power, reshaping my clothing into nearly complete golden armor, leaving only my face exposed. With my faithful weapon in hand, I walk among several guards wearing silver armor.

POV: Third person

The World, 1943.

During an ordinary day for all countries involved in the war or not, a unique and extraordinary event occurred. All those close to any means of transmission were initially curious.

At noon (American time), all transmission channels lost signal for an hour. Ordinary people were outraged by the lack of signal, while experts, frightened by the event, tried to figure out why. However, the static was just a way to draw more attention to the message.

Shortly after, all televisions in the world showed the same black and white image. In it, there was a handsome man wearing armor with a sun motif and a spear on his chest. In his right hand, he held a spear, and a little behind him stood several soldiers in a formation with long spears pointed skyward, all wearing full-face armor. The background image was a majestic castle that seemed to have come out of an enchanted story.

"Hey! Change the channel, I'm not interested in movies right now. I want to see the news from the battlefront."

In a bar, a man asked the waiter, but all channels were broadcasting the same thing.

"I don't think it's a movie!" Some began to think.

"Ladies and gentlemen, sorry to interrupt your daily schedule, but I have a statement to make."

The voice of the man on TV seemed to hypnotize everyone, not only in bars but also in homes around the world. All people leaned closer to the TV, waiting for his next words. Some were even more frightened when they realized that the man's voice was also being broadcast on the radios. The whole world was listening to him, even without realizing it yet.

"Before I say what I have to say so that everyone can return to their daily lives, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Baldur Odinson, King of Genosha. An island that several nations coveted due to the ancient legend of the city of gold. But that doesn't matter now. What matters is the message."

Genosha's name was known only to its people, but several scholars speculated about the golden island of legends.

"Hey, Steve, you have to listen to this."

In a small town in Germany, soldier James Buchanan 'Bucky' Barnes takes a small radio to his friend to listen to the broadcast the moment King Baldur says his name.

"My friend, what's up?" Steve asked, confused.

In an ancient Buddhist temple, several people dressed in strange robes gathered around a small radio, all very focused on what was being broadcast. They did not notice a bald woman a little further away, her face filled with astonishment.

"The future has changed!" she spoke in shock.

Scenes like this were repeated in various other secret places around the world.

"A week ago, a group of agents from the Nazi secret organization invaded our beaches. We never cared about the foolish invasion attempts of other countries."

The man in golden armor, who introduced himself as the King of Genosha, continued to speak, but now with a more serious tone in his voice.

"During their invasion attempt, two children were killed and two more were injured. Our children's blood was spilled. And this is my fault. For years, I thought you would leave us alone, that we were protected. But that's not what happened. So what can I do now? Forget about it and let time make us forget about that attack, Genosha Soldiers. Tell me, what should I do?"

Without turning to his soldiers behind him, Baldur screamed.

"WAR!" Screamed one of them.

"WAR!" "WAR!" "WAR!" "WAR!" "WAR!" "WAR!" "WAR!"

The screams made the ground tremble. Everyone who was watching also trembled. They felt in their bones the bloodlust of those men, even though it was just a transmission.

The king raised his hand, making all the screams stop.

"Very well. Then we will have a war. I Baldur Odinson King of Genosha, declare war against all of Nazi Germany. I swear on behalf of my father that my army will destroy city by city, soldier by soldier, until I get to where the leaders who ordered this attack are. Then I will arrest them and bring them here to be judged by our laws and our people."

"DUM!" "DUM!" "DUM!" "DUM!"

The soldiers began to slam their spears on the ground in accordance with the words of their leader.

"I don't care who stands in my way. All soldiers wearing German uniforms are our enemies. Kill them all. Spare only the cowards. There's no honor in killing cowards!"

"DUM!" "DUM!" "DUM!" "DUM!"

"And for those who try to help my enemy, I give a warning. I don't mind fighting the whole world if I need to. So get out of my way!"

With these words, the transmission ended. Shortly after, the media returned to normal, but the people did not. Everyone remained still, trying to understand what had happened.

"A small country still using spears wants to defeat Germany alone? HAHAHA! That's the funniest thing I've ever heard," a drunkard exclaimed loudly in the bar.

"Idiot, what small country has the technology to hack into our TVs and radios like that?" retorted another patron.

Discussions began everywhere, with some still believing it was just a movie or a stupid prank, while few believed that the transmission was true.

In a small snow-covered town, Steve and his friend stood holding a radio.

"Can he really do this?" Bucky asked his friend, who recounted his encounter with Baldur in Africa.

"It seems like this madness of war might finally end," Steve said, smiling.

On a mountain in an unknown location, a woman dressed as a monk sat in the lotus position on an ancient Persian rug.

"So he's one of Odin's sons, but why can't I predict his future?" The woman opened her eyes and pondered alone.

"I also sense a strong magical power defending his city." The Elder had no means to probe the future altered by Baldur; all she could do now was pray that this would lead to a good outcome.

POV: Baldur

In Front of the Royal Castle of Genosha, 1943

When the transmission ended, Baldur looked at his soldiers and shouted, "Board!"

"YES, SIR!"

In an organized manner, they entered large transport ships. Most of his soldiers were already on their way to the invasion; these were the elite of the elite who would provide support to the troops in need.

"Well, since I declared war, the honor of the first attack should be mine."

"Alice, give me the coordinates of the Nazi ship near Genosha."

"Yes, sir."

Shortly after, a hologram appeared in front of Baldur, showing a real-time image of the ship. The image was displayed by a surveillance drone that also provided the enemy's coordinates.

"Well, let's get this started."

I assumed the stance of javelin throwers in the Olympics, but I wasn't using a javelin; it was my spear, Sigel.

Shortly after, the spear began emitting a great amount of heat and light, and then I threw it.

"BOOM!"

With my strength enhanced by the runes and my power, the spear broke the sound barrier, crossing the entire island and startling the residents. I focused on the drone's image, and a few seconds later, I saw my spear hitting the ship squarely.

"Bullseye!"

When the spear hit, there was a large explosion of golden light, obscuring the drone's vision for a few seconds. Then the image returned to normal, revealing a ship split in half, with both ends engulfed in flames. Some people could still be seen alive, drowning in the water—they were the unlucky ones who didn't die in the explosion. It's better to have a quick death than to drown.

"Alice, relay my order to all troops: begin the attack!"

"Order sent."

"Then let the chaos begin!"

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