Vol-2: 082. The Formation of the Tenchi Akaban Battalion: A Life on the Line
082. The Formation of the Tenchi Akaban Battalion: A Life on the Line
Caramel Snail was dragged into the martial hall to begin his training, and soon, the sound of his screams echoed from inside.
"It seems he's enjoying himself. Other pro players will likely head my way too—but no rush, let them wait."
Li Aozi checked the time, decided it was about right, and casually made his way towards the outskirts of Nuliang City.
He had another important reason for coming to this rundown industrial city.
Using the map on his terminal, Li Aozi located the position of Huxin Town. He activated his stealth flight and wound his way through the forest on the outskirts until he arrived at the small town. With his strong charisma, he smiled his way past the town's security and made his way to a familiar establishment—Raging Highway Bar.
Outside the bar, heavy motorcycles were parked in rows, many of them draped with white flags bearing the bold brushstrokes: A Life on the Line. Two men dressed in full biker gear stood watch near the bikes, each with a katana hanging from their waists. When they saw a Red Arrow citizen approaching, confusion spread across their faces.
"Hey, Imperial," one of the men said coldly, "do you even know where you are?"
The other man placed a hand on his sword hilt, issuing a warning, "This is the base of the Tenchi Akaban Battalion, a military group. This isn't a place for your kind."
"It's exactly because I'm from Red Arrow that you should welcome me."
Li Aozi didn't need to add any force to his voice. With the arrogance exuded by his Days of Yore outfit, his presence agitated the two men deeply. Yet, thanks to his [Aura of Kindness], they didn't sense any hostility.
They exchanged glances, only able to conclude that this well-dressed Red Arrow aristocrat had urgent business.
Realizing this, they fell silent and waited to see what this proper-looking imperial citizen had to say.
"The Tenchi Akaban Battalion is an aggressive organization with a reputation for advocating the overthrow of the clans and the samurai class, aiming to strip power from the royals and abolish the Four Nations system."
Li Aozi continued calmly:
"However, due to your repeated acts of terrorism, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians, you've been labeled a terrorist organization many times over."
"What Tianhuan does is none of your Red Arrow Empire's business," the man gripping his katana sneered.
"I'm merely stating the facts," Li Aozi casually replied. "But for some of your actions, the Empire is actually quite grateful—especially your strikes, protests, and anti-war demonstrations during the Huameida Archipelago incident, which effectively halted the Hojo Group's security forces from landing."
His tone grew heavier:
"Respect to the anti-war students. They made great sacrifices to stand against Prime Minister Park's reckless war."
The Huameida Archipelago was a disputed region. In the old days, it had once belonged to the Red Arrow Empire—no, to be precise, it was when Red Arrow had yet to be formed, still existing as a fragmented alliance of chieftains.
Yes… The empire that now dominates the seas and commands global power had once been a loose confederation of chieftain states called Blumor.
The Blumor Alliance was a peaceful, self-sustaining country, isolated from the world, like a paradise.
The old Blumor enjoyed rich fishing and farming resources, with vast land and seas. However, because of its high-latitude location, much of its territory consisted of tundra and permafrost, which meant it never developed into a powerful industrial nation. Even during the same period when Yamilio was hailed as the light of humanity, the Blumor Alliance remained a laid-back, gentle agricultural and maritime civilization.
But when the Calamity struck, global sunlight was blocked, and every nation became equally deprived. Tianhuan, Frost-Plated Kingdom (during the Twin Queens period), and dozens of mid-sized nations set their sights on Blumor's territory.
Previously, the abundant resources of Yanxia had made land grabs unnecessary, but that changed with the Calamity. The whole world turned into a wasteland of snow and ice, and Blumor's oceans froze, turning its sea lanes into open land channels. This exposed undersea resources—natural gas, manganese nodules, oil, gold, silver, helium—and these critical resources suddenly became accessible.
People often say adversity reveals true intentions, and that's exactly what happened.
Led by Frost-Plated, Tianhuan, and Zhenxu, the old empires suddenly developed a deep and sincere love for Blumor's lands.
Blumor was a simple chieftain alliance, lacking internal unity or communication. It had entered the advanced era of universal sufficiency too early, so it had no sense of nationalism. The individual states of the alliance had no will to resist when faced with foreign invaders.
With no national identity or cohesion, Blumor was swiftly carved up, leaving only one remnant state of less than 2 million square kilometers, barely surviving under the weight of the three superpowers.
At the time, no one cared about this small state. One day, a Tianhuan pilot, drunk, accidentally dropped a nuclear bomb on one of its glaciers, destroying its vital water source.
Despite the desperate pleas of its diplomats at the GTB summit, no one listened. That same afternoon, Tianhuan's air force, disoriented by a storm, dropped bombs on a humanitarian refugee camp, killing thousands of starving women and children.
Frost-Plated seized their mountains and fertile lands, driving the surviving citizens to the inhospitable tundra.
Abyss Heavy Industries, eyeing a patch of tundra, casually released a few bio-experimental creatures, sparking a biowar that saw tens of thousands of Blumor citizens torn apart by wild beasts.
Tianhuan's samurai strolled in and claimed their swamp forests—lands rich in wildlife—and the all-important Huameida Archipelago, leaving the small state defenseless.
Even Zhenxu, usually the paragon of justice, couldn't resist kicking them while they were down, using immigration policies to siphon off the population.
At the time, it seemed clear—the nation's demise was inevitable. With no fertile land, no natural barriers, and no people, how could they survive?
In hindsight, though, people deeply regretted ignoring the cries of this tiny nation.
They would pay the price—listening to the mechanical armies of the empire roar over their frozen corpses, crushing their icy rivers, shaking the earth with their deafening march.
That small, dying nation was called Red Arrow.
"If you won't hear my cries, I'll make you listen to my cannons. Whatever mistakes we made can be forgiven—because the world owes us."
—First Emperor of Red Arrow, Caesar Imperad I.