Tyranny of Steel

In less than an hour, the Emirate of Tlemcen was wiped off the map. The simultaneous detonation of twenty-five thousand thermobaric missiles which were capable of producing an explosive blast that was equivalent to a tactical nuke was enough to wipe out all life in the small coastal country.

Germany's massive arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles targeted every populated area within the nation. What was perhaps most shocking of all was that the Reich, which had deliberately gathered the world's leaders to sign the Vienna Accords, specifically to avoid the destruction of innocent life, had suddenly snuffed out millions of lives, as if it were an afterthought.

Even in Morocco, the people who were gathered in the Royal Palace could feel the tremors, and see the mushroom clouds which appeared over the skies of what was once Tlemcen, as the explosions rocked the region. A permanent scar had been formed on the Earth's surface as a result of Berengar's fury, and everyone who stood witness knew who was responsible for such an apocalyptic scene.

Ghazi was naturally aware of what had happened to his sister shortly after it had occurred, but even he did not expect his father to go so far to avenge the girl. A military invasion was one thing, but to annihilate the entire Kingdom? Something like this had never been heard of before.

It was at this moment that many of the kings of Europe remembered exactly who their master was. A warlord, a tyrant, and despot who cared more about the wellbeing of his family than the lives of the rest of the world combined. And now that same man had the ability to utterly destroy an entire Kingdom with a simple phone call.

Why had nobody in Germany decided to resist this madness? If one man, along the chain of command, had decided against launching these missiles, millions of innocent lives could have been spared? But what were the lives of backwards savages, when compared to the will of the Kaiser?

Berengar had led Germany to become the world's supreme power. Nobody in the world could resist their will. It was not just the power that the German people enjoyed, but wealth and luxury as well. All the results of one man and his efforts. A man who had brought them from a backward feudal Kingdom to a mighty modern Empire.

Of course, not a single German would dare to even think about disobeying an order from their Kaiser, especially not the upper echelons of the military, who had personally watched the man unite their people and lead their nation to unrivaled glory.

For the rest of the world, however, this was both a shocking reality and a painful reminder. That the Kaiser and his family were explicitly off limits. Any harm that came to a member of the von Kufstein Dynasty, and its cadet branches, even something as superficial as a punch to the gut, were met with untold destruction.

Ghazi gazed upon the smoke in the air, which emanated from the neighboring country, and could only take a deep inhale of the cold and chilling air. Today was supposed to be his wedding day, a day that was supposed to be joyous for all. And yet, it was a day now mired with the blood of millions of innocent people.

Naturally, the man could not marry his fiancee with such an oppressive atmosphere exuding throughout the region. And thus, he had no choice but to postpone the wedding until a later date. It did not take long for Berengar and Zara to return from the Reich, and when they did, they came with many more soldiers, to ensure that their family was truly protected from any and all threats.

The way the Arab leaders looked at Berengar was no longer one filled with disdain, instead of their eyes were filled with intense fear. Nobody knew how many of those missiles the Reich had, and to the more primitive monarchs, who had not witnessed the glory of the Reich in person until now, they did not even know how Berengar had achieved such destruction.

Perhaps the man was a god, who called forth the fury of the heavens to obliterate his foes.

What was certain was that Tlemcen, and every person who lived within its borders, except for maybe a few lucky souls, were now dead, its architecture destroyed, and its history burned. Nothing remained but ash and smoke. This was a feat that was entirely unheard of throughout the entirety of human history, and yet, Germany had achieved it.

While Zara was still struggling to overcome the complicated emotions she felt, after witnessing the lengths her father had gone to in order to avenge her. Berengar had a calm smile on his face as he approached his son Ghazi and hugged the man, who was looking at his own father as if he were a demon incarnate.

"I am so sorry about all that nasty business, but not that I have cleaned up that mess. I believe we now have a wedding to attend, do we not?"

Though Ghazi had initially intended to call off the wedding, at least temporarily, until a time where people could overcome their shock and disbelief. Yet now he did not dare disobey his father. The young Sultan had always known that his father was a bit excessive in pretty much everything he chose to do. But this? How could anyone possibly remain calm in such a situation?

It was simply unthinkable! And yet, there was no fluctuations in Berengar's expression, and the wrath he previously displayed as he personally beat the Crown Prince of Tlemcen to death, had suddenly vanished, as if it were extinguished alongside the lives of the millions of innocents who died in the fiery blasts of his missiles.

Ghazi found it incredibly difficult to speak in this moment, and switched his gaze to Zara, who had yet to recover from the guilty she felt after believing that she was responsible for such destruction. What was perhaps even more unnerving was that the girl appeared perfectly healthy. As if she was never even really harmed in the first place.

Berengar only now noticed the look on his beloved daughter's face, and quickly grabbed ahold of her, and stuffed her into his chest, as tears began to fall from her amber eyes, if he did not comfort the girl now then it was likely that she would not survive the guilt she was currently enduring. Thus, Berengar personally took the blame upon himself as he wiped the tears from the girl's eyes.

"Zara does not need to worry about a thing. You have done nothing wrong..."

The girl looked up at her father, and noticed he was no longer wearing a frightening expression, instead it was the same loving and affectionate gaze he had always given her, which made the girl's heart ease up just a slight bit. Even then, she still questioned what the man was saying.

"But... It is all Zara's fault! If Zara had not-"

However, she was completely cut off by her father, who placed a finger to his daughter's lips, and quickly assured her that nothing was her fault.

"No, it is not! You were assaulted, and I reacted in the way that any father would if they were in my shoes! You are a victim of all of this, and don't let anybody tell you otherwise. If you must blame anyone for the loss of life, then blame me..."

Of course, Zara could never find it in her heart to hold her beloved father responsible for all the death that his actions had caused, and instantly began to protest his words.

"No, it is not daddy's fault!"

Knowing that he had his daughter right where he wanted her, Berengar smiled and hugged his daughter once more, before saying something that would change her outlook on life forever.

"Then, if you must blame somebody for what has occurred on this day, blame it on that fat, worthless pig, who tried to have his way with you! If not for his actions on this day, then none of this would have happened.

After all, it is only natural that a father will avenge his daughter when she is assaulted, is it not? One day, when you finally get married, I hope that the man you choose is willing to go to the same lengths that I am willing to go to in order to ensure that you are safe, happy, and most of all respected."

Zara looked up into her father's loving gaze, as the tears that had once fallen from her eyes suddenly dried up. She no longer felt guilty for the deaths of those millions of people who had been incinerated by the missiles.

After all, it was like her daddy had said; she was a victim, and her father was simply responding the way any man would to a loved one who had been wronged. No, the ones who were truly to blame for this catastrophe were the Royal Family of Tlemcen, who failed to recognize their proper place in this world.

Thus, on this day, Zara suddenly formed two new requirements for the man that she would one day marry. Not only did he have to be willing to kill for her, but he also had to be willing to take on the entire world for her, even if everyone else hated him for it.

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