September 23. Whether or not it was truly his intention, under pressure from the Russian Orthodox Church, Russian Federation President Soldier I. Krainikov issued a declaration of war, announcing that unless Academy City responded to Russia and disclosed its most advanced scientific technology before midnight Moscow time on September 24, Russia would declare war on Academy City.
In response, Academy City's Board of Directors stated that there was no need to wait until tomorrow. They could give Russia their answer right now. If Russia wanted scientific technology, there was no chance in hell. If they wanted a fight? Come on, then!
The Russian Federation subsequently formally declared war on Academy City.
Italy, located on the Apennine Peninsula where the Roman Catholic Church had its headquarters, followed immediately afterward. Willing or not, since the partner chosen by Fiamma of the Right had already stepped forward, the Italian government under Roman Catholic control, as one of the principal parties involved, immediately followed suit.
Now that both sides had openly torn off the mask, the Roman Catholic Church was not shameless enough to indulge in the self-deception of fighting without declaring war, nor would its believers have accepted such a thing. What they wanted was an open and righteous "holy war."
Amid worldwide panic and cries of despair, governments throughout Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, and North Africa issued public communiqués formally declaring war on Academy City.
At 4:00 p.m. that day, inside the Board of Directors Building in School District 1, the Board of Directors held a vote during its adjudication session and released a statement vehemently condemning the Roman Catholic Church's shameless actions. The directors then unanimously passed a motion declaring war on the Roman Catholic Church and its allied nations.
Without question, this declaration of war was not intended solely for the Roman Catholic Church. It was also a signal.
At 6:00 p.m. that evening, the nations of the Americas, Oceania, and Southeast Asia, led by the United States, followed Academy City's lead and formally submitted declarations of war against the Roman Catholic Church and its allied nations.
At 7:00 p.m., the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, together with every member state of the Commonwealth, formally declared war on the Roman Catholic Church and its allied nations.
At 8:00 p.m., the Roman Catholic Church and its allies declared war on Britain and every ally of Academy City.
At 9:00 p.m., the Russian Orthodox Church declared war on Britain and all of its allies, then dispatched magical combat units together with the ground and air forces of Russia's Eastern Military District into the Elizalina Alliance of Independent Nations, drawing open the curtain on yet another continental European war.
Following this succession of declarations, global stock markets immediately plunged by half. Some suspended trading, others imposed controls, and even in countries untouched by the fighting, panic spread rapidly. Hoarding food, stockpiling guns, looting stores... every imaginable form of chaos emerged.
Invisible fear and malice began spreading across the entire world.
Although the shadow of war between the Roman Catholic Church and Academy City had hung over every nation and individual before this, no one had expected the war to begin so suddenly.
Inside the office on the top floor of the Board of Directors Building, Selene sat silently behind her mahogany desk, her burning gaze fixed upon the holographic screen resting above the desktop carved with the image of a double-headed eagle.
"So it really is... just as expected... Carissa chose France as the first target for the knife. What a pair of old enemies. A centuries-old blood feud."
Watching the coast of the Strait of Dover on the holographic display turn orange-red beneath a barrage of missiles, Selene flipped open a folder and twirled her fountain pen. A silver bracelet bound around her wrist shimmered with an indistinct radiance as she propped her chin upon her pale, faintly bony hand and chuckled.
Whether in terms of national governments or collective memory, the two countries had already accumulated centuries of hatred. With Germany no longer serving as a common enemy, friction between them had occurred more than once. Worse still, one now followed the Roman Catholic Church while the other followed the Anglican Church, putting them directly at odds even in matters of faith.
After all, the true leader behind modern France was known as the "Woman Who Topples Nations" and hailed by the public as the "Saint of Versailles." And where did that inherited style of title originate?
Saint Joan of Arc.
And against whom had Joan earned all that glorious experience?
England!
Britain's decision to support Academy City had already led to it being denounced throughout France as a traitor to Christianity, a rebellious child of the Heavenly Father, a dog of the science side, and countless other things.
As soon as the war began, aside from the Russian Orthodox Church sending a large army into the territory of the Elizalina Alliance of Independent Nations, the fiercest fighting belonged to the two old enemies, England and France, after they declared war on one another.
During a nationwide address, Second Princess Carissa, acting as regent in her capacity as heir to the throne, confirmed that the undersea tunnel beneath the Strait of Dover had indeed been destroyed by France. She simultaneously announced the capture of a French nuclear-powered submarine operating in the strait.
Clearly, besides the Roman Catholic Church, Carissa had also chosen France as a target through which to establish her authority. Nothing was better suited for such a display than a centuries-old enemy.
The deep-sea sonar imaging technology and other high-tech weaponry that Selene had authorized Academy City to provide were certainly useful. As expected of the leader of the science side.
Relying on preparations made long in advance, Carissa began actively mobilizing for war at home while deploying the Royal Navy and mixed units composed of Anglican forces and the Knights into the Strait of Dover. They had already broken into Calais and Gravelines, two major coastal cities in northwestern France.
France was currently rather stunned.
Not long ago, when they saw the political upheaval and chaos on the British Isles, with even Buckingham Palace more than half collapsed, it was not as though they had never considered taking advantage of Britain's misfortune... Ahem, sending them some warmth. But looking at the speed with which the British forces had come charging across on the very night war was declared, along with the ferocity of their offensive...
Yes, war had been declared, but France's preparations were nowhere near as complete as Britain's. Who could have known the Roman Catholic Church would launch the war at this exact moment, or that Carissa would stabilize Britain's domestic situation so quickly? France was still mobilizing and deploying its main forces when Britain came knocking at the door.
One could hardly accuse the border troops stationed there of dereliction of duty. France had already been cautious enough to quietly reinforce the area before war was formally declared. Even if those were tens of thousands of pigs, it would take at least several days to catch them all, which should have been enough time for the country to complete its mobilization.
Yet the result was that the border defenses were smashed through in the very first clash, while the air force that scrambled to intercept the attackers also suffered severe losses.
Requests for reinforcements flooded toward Paris like snowflakes.
Large numbers of new heavy armored units had been encountered. Confirmed models included HsWAV-15 "Ten-Foot" main battle tanks manufactured by Academy City's Schicksal Military Industries, military robots, HsPS-15 powered suits, HsF-01 large supersonic fighters...
In short, it was not that our forces failed to fight hard. The enemy simply had Gundams. The technological gap between our weapons was too enormous. We couldn't take it!
Once they understood what was happening, the authorities in Paris nearly turned green with rage.
What the fuck?! You've already imported and deployed this much high-tech weaponry from Academy City... and you still dare call yourselves innocent? Victims of aggression? Have you no shame at all?!
So you motherfuckers were the ones planning this all along!!
Furious though they were, France was still a great power, and it lacked none of the competence expected of one. The Paris authorities made an immediate decision and sent every fully assembled formation straight toward the Calais-Gravelines front.
Maximum efficiency. Whatever had finished assembling was sent forward immediately. Insufficient transport capacity? Move as much as possible!
Driven into a corner, the Paris authorities deployed not only modern military equipment but magical armaments as well.
If the enemy reached the gates of Paris again, would the Gallic Rooster have any face left at all?
"Using energy supply as the point of attack. Sharp instincts... Now we'll see who gets desperate enough to snap first."
During the first wave of attacks, most offshore drilling platforms, energy transmission pipelines, and major national power-grid lines along the northern French coast were struck. It was foreseeable that northern France's energy and electricity supplies would suffer for some time. Even Paris had been affected, with more than half the city experiencing system failures and blackouts.
"Still, I wonder whether France's buff of only winning wars under the leadership of women and foreigners is still active..."
Extending a slender finger, Selene slowly swept it across the holographic screen. As she watched footage being broadcast by France's national television network, she recalled an old joke about the French.
By this point, news that the two major cities of northwestern France had fallen had already spread across the global internet. At a live broadcast from the Palace of Versailles, the true leader of France, the "Woman Who Topples Nations," emerged from the palace where she had long been secluded in order to rally the morale of the military and the public.
Blonde-haired and blue-eyed, the "Woman Who Topples Nations" possessed an unhealthy pallor, with slightly sunken eyes. She wore an elaborate gown made primarily from loose white fabric.
Watching the passionate scene of cheering crowds and firing salutes, Selene reached her conclusion. "Their morale is usable... France can still fight."
At least both sides were still exercising restraint. No one had opened the war by throwing nuclear warheads around.
Expand the continued supply of military equipment to the British armed forces. Airlift or transport it by sea through Academy City's affiliated organizations and military bases around the world. If necessary, authorize the sale of blueprints and production lines.
Selene quickly issued her approval.
Yes, that was right. Although Aleister remained Academy City's Chairman of the Board in name and had also represented the science side in signing the joint declaration of war, Academy City's actual authority had already fallen into Selene's hands. She was also the one handling the actual coordination and command.
As for Aleister himself?
He had indeed emerged from his life-support apparatus, only to shut himself away again inside a domain occupying the same region as Academy City—the Imaginary Number District: Five Elements Institution.
He was conducting the final adjustments, waiting only for Selene to seize all the Roman Catholic Church's scriptures and "miracles" and hand them over to him so that he could complete the "Artificial Heaven."
"The invading Slavic air force has been destroyed. Meanwhile, a patrol fleet has discovered unidentified submarines..." Continuing to flip through the reports, Selene could not help laughing silently when she saw this intelligence.
As the true ruler of the Russian Orthodox Church, one of Christianity's three great denominations, Bishop Nikolai Tolstoy was far too naive.
Trying to compete with Academy City using technology?
More than twenty Russian submarines had been detected off the coast of Indonesia after circling through the Pacific. Analysts believed their objective was to intercept supplies being shipped to Academy City by sea and thereby blockade Japan.
The Tokyo Cabinet Office sent someone to ask Selene how they should respond, and whether they should expel...
Expel, my ass. Why did they even need to ask? Sink them.
Selene calmly stamped a huge red "X" across the Tokyo Cabinet Office's proposal.
Spineless cowards. After the Russian Orthodox Church issued its declaration of war, the weak and incompetent Tokyo Cabinet government had maintained a passive attitude throughout. It had even tentatively demanded that Academy City immediately accept Russia's conditions in order to avoid war.
Selene had given the diplomat who came to relay the message a savage dressing-down. Academy City's students had more backbone than these vermin. On the spot, she stripped the Tokyo Cabinet Office of command authority, took control of the Self-Defense Forces, and dispatched mixed units composed of Schicksal's private armed forces, combat robots, and powered-suit mobile teams to place all of Tokyo under military control.
She would give them enough face not to remove them from office. They could continue handling domestic administration as usual. But when it came to foreign affairs and the military, they could content themselves with serving as messengers.
"The North American Allied Forces have crossed the Bering Strait and landed at Cape Dezhnev in Siberia. They're requesting tactical guidance from Academy City... Oh, so they want technology and equipment. Fine, fine, give it to them."
Seeing through America's little scheme, Selene almost felt embarrassed to call it out. They were attacking Siberia rather than Europe, claiming that their main forces were still being mobilized and reorganized at home and that they were simply striking the nearest target first. But in truth, they were just afraid of taking casualties. What else could it be?
Tsk. All this coy hesitation really doesn't suit Uncle Sam's image as the world's policeman.
Still, she could understand. This world contained far too many supernatural forces such as magic and alchemy, with monsters and freaks emerging in wave after wave. Uncle Sam was simply too "young," only two hundred years old. (PS: When it comes to mysterious magic, the longer the history and the more ancient it is, the more ridiculously powerful it gets.)
Approved. Provide the North American Allied Forces with combat supplies suited for high-latitude, extreme-cold environments, along with the formula for the previous-generation special medication used to prevent frostbite and supply the body with heat.
Second, under orders from Chairman Aleister, open a second theater in West Africa and drive French forces out of West and Central Africa, thereby assisting allied Britain's offensive from the flank.
Although those regions of Africa had gained independence, the remnants of French colonial influence were hardly so easy to erase. The local languages were French, and the currency in circulation was still the franc. Leaving everything else aside, the supply of food, minerals, energy, and other resources from those regions remained extremely important to France.
Without the slightest psychological burden, Selene used Aleister as the arrogant "villain" while she herself played the conciliating intermediary.
"The Strait of Malacca has encountered a Roman Catholic 'holy war' punitive force. Traces of the Queen of the Adriatic Sea have been discovered and confirmed... The Level 5s have all entered combat..."
It was Selene who had dragged Academy City's Level 5s straight to the front line against the Roman Catholic Church. Seriously, they were all treasures of the science side. Why waste time fighting civil wars? Go fight foreign enemies instead!
Knock! Knock!
Just as Selene was about to check the other intelligence reports, someone suddenly knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Selene did not look away. She merely answered softly. The next second, the door opened, and a powered-suit guard as large as a small hill stepped aside. An anxious voice rang out from a black-haired boy with spiky hair. "Selene, World War III... Is it really happening?"
So you've come, Kamijou Touma. The final piece on the board. I've only been waiting for you to take your position.
At those words, Selene finally shifted her gaze. Her scarlet diamond-shaped pupils silently studied the boy whose capacity for the unexpected surpassed anyone else's.
"I..."
"Stop that so-called naively adorable speech of yours before you even start, Kamijou."
Knowing exactly what Kamijou Touma intended to say, Selene cut him off without hesitation. "Do you remember what I told you? We weren't the ones who started this war. It was..."
Snap!
With a crisp snap of her fingers, the wall behind Selene, which resembled an elaborate relief-carved screen, instantly became transparent, revealing the broad neon-lit nighttime cityscape outside.
At that moment, wooooooo!
"—them."
The instant Selene finished speaking, shrill air-raid sirens erupted across the city. Academy City's terminal air-defense systems activated as countless streams of fire, interceptor missiles, and other projectiles launched into the sky.
At the same time, a tremendous droning roar came from above the clouds, while the orange-red exhaust trails of missiles descending from beyond the heavens illuminated the night sky.
Bzzzzzz!
The next second—BOOOOOOM!!
The blaze of the explosions scorched the clouds thousands of meters above with searing heat. Amid the thunderous rumbling and rising balls of flame, clusters of orange-red firelight were reflected in Kamijou Touma's stunned eyes.
"Russian-made missiles launched at close range by covert agents. They were secretly transported onto Honshu during the Daihasei Festival, or possibly even before it began. They've exposed this many deeply embedded operatives and paid such an enormous price just to throw missiles onto our heads."
"Tell me, what do you think they're doing it for?"
Selene's words struck Kamijou Touma like a hammer blow, making his eyes widen.
"Greed? Profit? No."
Rising to her feet, Selene narrowed her scarlet eyes as she stared at the boy on the opposite side of the desk.
"There is no right or wrong here, only differences in faith and position. So, Kamijou... can Academy City trust you?"