Alexander The Great Mage

"Surprised?" One of Aragosh Dragonos' bodyguard asked with a chuckle. He was a massive Royal Dragon named Giastarnama Sabdinharuna. We all call him G. "I'm sure all of you have a rough idea as to why we're here. We want to outperform Thirteen and put them in their place. The Eternal Battlefield is the perfect place for that. However, it is actually more than that."

"Is it okay to tell me all these?" I asked hesitantly.

G glanced at Aragosh Dragonos and received a little nod.

"Yes, it will not remain a secret for much longer. Don't you feel that the Eternal Battlefield is rather weird and inexplicable? Sure, the allure of Shora Crystals is very real. Gaining control of that mine will definitely allow for Symphonia to create many more Starships. Maybe even another fleet of fifty. THAT would definitely change the power dynamic in the upcoming war with the Harans.

But battling for it across three to four solar systems is more than sufficient. Beyond that, it's pointless for both sides. The fleets and soldiers would be better off diverted to wrest control of the other mining planets around the border. The mining planet is not the only mining planet under contest. There are bigger and richer planets which are currently being fought over, and yet, the scope of those battles never exceed a solar system or two.

Have you ever wondered why this battlefield can encompass an entire Star System? Forty seven solar systems! That's incredible! AND mysterious."

"I've always believed the explanation that we are all fighting to better support the next ring of fighters in the closer solar systems…" I smiled sheepishly. Apparently I was still extremely naive.

"Ha Ha Ha!" Aragosh Dragonos laughed out loud. A few of his personal guards in his retinue also shook their heads and smiled.

"The real reason behind all the fighting is the core of the mining planet." G explained patiently as we rose into the sky. Within a few seconds, the city disappeared from sight and all we could see was an endless blue. Deep Blue was certainly a beautiful, beautiful planet.

"It is emitting a unique radiation that is not only somehow creating Shora Crystals, but which also has the power to cause physical mutation, allowing the mutant to have resonance and affinity with Shora Crystals.

Do you know what that means? Very soon, the universe will be full of 'Shora Crystal Hounds' who will be able to 'sniff' out planets with Shora Crystals. The more such mutants each side can create, the more Shora Crystals they will eventually have, and thus the more top tier war vessels they can create.

This isn't a battlefield to for Shora Crystals. This is a battlefield for space.

The closer we get to the mining planet, the more radiation we'll be exposed to, the higher the chances we will get someone who is compatible with the radiation and develop a 'nose' for Shora Crystals."

"So that is why the military reserved the nearest five solar systems for themselves." I nodded in understanding.

"Yes. The military couldn't allow mercenaries and other non-government organisations to gain the lead in detecting Shora Crystals. They need those Shora Crystals desperately. However at the same time, they also needed the support of all the mercenaries and other super powers of the empire to even the playing field in the Eternal Battlefield.

That is why they spent so much resources on the merit system. They needed a clean system to attract the powers."

"How strong is the radiation? Would it be useful if we only stayed at the seventh solar system?" I asked with a frown.

"The seventh system is already chock full of powerful Advanced Auxiliary Regiments (AARs) fielded by the Harans. The AARs are the Haran equivalent of a mercenary group. The only difference is that the AARs have received some sort of military training and are officially part of their military. Effectively though, they are like mercenary groups, who live on contracts instead of being paid by the military.

The Haran Empire is much stronger than The Symphonian Empire. Even though we may be a top ranked mercenary group in Symphonia, we are not as powerful as their top ranked AARs.

At our level, the seventh solar system is probably near the limit of what we can handle."

"We can't handle their top ranked AARs?" I frowned. "Not even with Rona and Zas?"

"Theoretically? We can. But I'd rather not put that to the test so soon. Let us hang out in the seventh solar system for a bit. It may be abit far from the mining planet, but worry not, the radiation emitted by the mining planet is extremely powerful.

In fact, there are rumours that the sweet spot for the creation of mutants who could detect Shora Crystals are solar systems four - eight. Most of the official mutants who were recorded come from these five solar systems.

I even think that too much Shora radiation is detrimental to the creation of 'Shora Crystal Hounds'."

I nodded heavily as I processed G's words.

"The Eternal Battlefield had been going on for so long, how many 'Shora Crystal Hounds' have are there?" I asked curiously.

"Officially? Less than ten thousand." G replied. "Our spies in Hara have confirmed that they have a similar number as well. Unofficially though, nobody really knows. The Empire is offering a ridiculous amount of money to hire the awakened hounds, and many have flocked to them. But I am pretty sure that the loyalists of all the big organizations won't go to the empire. I estimate that there are around fifteen thousand in the Empire."

"Enough to discover a few mines in the vast universe, enough to whet their appetite for more, and definitely enough to warrant a long term investment in the Eternal Battlefield." I nodded in understanding once more.

"Yes. Our objective this time is to defeat the top AAR in the seventh solar system, then move on to the sixth solar system and slowly rise up the ranks." G replied. "Hopefully we can have an awakened come from within our ranks. That would make our future so much brighter. If not, then we will get the highest rank possible within the sixth solar system, then leave."

At that point, our battle fleet came into view. Aragosh Dragonos had purchased ten full-fledged Symphonian battlecruiser as well as a fifteen destroyers for the mercenary group using his disgustingly massive and overflowing war chest, courtesy of the Black Hexacrow Beast Core sales.

Each Regimental Commander commanded either a battlecruiser or a destroyer.

I have to admit, we look pretty impressive for a mercenary group.

I had time for one more question before we reached the ship. "What's the ranking like in the sixth solar system?"

"The Lin Family is perennially at the top spot. The Siber Clan, The Roth Family, The Global Group and The Warren Group often switch positions within the top five. Death is a lock on the sixth, and is the only mercenary group in the sixth solar system. Our goal is to hit seventh place."

"What's that?" I pointed at a tiny bright spot that was growing brighter by the second.

"Pirates." G choked with laughter. "They must think that we're easy pickings."

"Blackfire. Lead your regiment and clean them up." Aragosh Dragonos said with a chuckle. "Don't be late for dinner."

"Yes Sir!" I saluted smartly and immediately left to gather my troops. I needed to do a clean job. I will be spearheading our mercenary group's first battle of the mission! I will be the one to set the tone for this entire mission, and I would make damn sure that I set the right tone.

Death and destruction to those in our way!

I smashed the code red button on my communication device and instructed the entire regiment to man their battle stations and prepare for battle.

Mine was a hybrid regiment.

I had ten dragons, including me, in the regiment. And so I placed a thousand soldiers under each dragon, giving me ten battalions to work with.

My battalions were all structured very similarly.

The core of each battalion was the hundred heavily armed dual-pilot mechas that could lay waste to almost anything within its relatively short range. Each heavy mecha was armed with three rapid-fire heavy cannons, three high-grade laser cannons and a short-range magical bombard.  The mage, because of the physical enhancements he or she could cast on him/herself, would usually be the pilot and the magical bombard gunner, while the second member of the mecha would usually operate the six cannons.

I had four hundred light mechas serving as long distance gunners and another four hundred medium mechas serving as skirmishers to bait and lead the enemy into the range of our heavy mechas.

It's a very simple regiment, actually, one that is very effective when deployed defensively.

I spread my battalions out to cover as much space as possible without being too far away to provide support for each other.

My light long-range mechas got into position behind my heavy mechas and waited for the enemy to come within range, while my medium skirmishers began to disperse ahead to harass and bait the pirates to come right to me.

The first sign of trouble came with the first report back from a skirmisher.

"Commander! There are millions of them! These guys aren't a single pirate group. They are a pirate coalition!"