"They just won't fall! No matter how much we fire at them, they aren't showing signs of faltering!"
The Ylvainans struck the first blow. Each and every Kronon taking part in this surprise attack had mentally prepared themselves to fight for the Protectorate and the Ylvainan Faith!
They knew that so long as they let the Star Faith Collective watch the Protectorate fend the sandmen off by themselves, the Star Army would inevitably take advantage and take the final prize!
Therefore, the brightest strategic minds of the Kronon Dynasty decided upon a very bold course of action.
Smash the noses of the Star Worshippers before the sandmen invasion arrived at their doorsteps!
With the Aurora Titans serving their vital function, the fanatical Ylvainan mech divisions managed to get close enough to destroy the defensive platforms and push back the spaceborn mech regiments of the Star Army.
"We shall grind the stars beneath our boots!"
The Star Worshippers had genuinely been caught by surprise. The short amount of time since the arrival of the Ylvainans into the Creinze System hadn't been enough to firm up their resolve. Every Star Worshipper thought that they would be the ones to invade their enemies, not the other way around!
These differences all proved pivotal as the spaceborn mechs of the defenders continued to give ground until they lost orbital supremacy over Creinze IV.
While the Star Army's spaceborn mech forces managed to retain most of their strength, they could barely keep their Ylvainan counterparts busy while they desperately tried to reconsolidate their disarrayed units.
The Kronon fleet inflicted such a shock that they easily managed to make enough room to land half of their combat carriers to the surface of Creinze IV.
All over the planet, several combat carriers landed at each local site. Nonetheless, most of the combat carriers landed near the capital city and the site of the main base and headquarters of the Star Army!
The combat carriers muscled their way through a torrent of anti-air fire. Some of the vessels opened their mech bays and released hundreds of aerial mechs, which quickly started to shoot fixed emplacements!
Most combat carriers managed to land on the ground intact. As soon as their hatches slid open, entire landbound mech companies and mech regiments started to form up into loose ranks.
Though the Kronons predominantly fielded their own mechs, some mech regiments were different.
They decided to form entire mech companies out of two distinct commercial mech models!
The Blackbeak and the Crystal Lord! When paired together, their effective performance did not fall short compared to regular military mech models, especially when piloted by highly-trained Kronon mech pilots!
What was more, the collective auras they exuded overlapped to such a great degree that they began to encompass every Ylvainan mech committed to the invasion!
"Bright Martyr! Bright Martyr! Bright Martyr!"
Before the landed mechs proceeded to assault the main base on Creinze IV, one last combat carrier landed amidst the throng of mechs and ships.
Different from the other combat carriers, the latest vessel exhibited a different coating from all of the mech regiments deployed for this assault. The vessel also lacked the standard Kronon heraldry affixed to every mech and ship.
"The Inquisition." The hushed whispers rang through the comm channels of the Kronon mech regiments.
Once the hatch slid open, a single, resplendent mech stepped forward.
One of the six Transcendent Messengers of the Ylvaine Protectorate made a personal appearance.
"Zeal."
Another series of whispers propagated through the channels. This time, they all sounded reverend, as if the Zeal deserved nothing less.
The three leading dynasties constantly argued over committing all six Transcendent Messengers to this risky operation. Yet the approaching sandmen threat convinced the radicals that the Protectorate had to succeed.
Not a single assault could fail! As long as the Star Army still retained one of their forward bases, they would always be able to press a knife into the back of the Protectorate!
Facing two existential crises at once, the leaders of the Protectorate decided that they needed to pull out all of the stops!
Taon Melin glanced at the thousands of Kronon mechs forming up on the local plot. His mech, the Zeal, raised its sword arm upwards and pointed the tip of the weapon in the air.
"The Great Prophet is watching over us. The Bright Martyr is watching over us! Will we allow these degenerate Star Worshippers to trample over the Protectorate our ancestors worked hard to build?"
"No!"
"Will we allow our faith to fall in front of the Great Prophet?"
"No!"
"Will we disgrace ourselves by allowing the great works of the Bright Martyr to come to harm?"
"No!"
"Then fight! You are the Protectors of the Faith, and it is time for you to embody your titles! Attack!"
The Zeal chopped its sword towards the Star Army's fortifications with force!
At the same time, Melin's conviction resonated with the intense faith and zeal of his hero mech, amplifying its aura! Its reach and intensity expanded considerably, causing every Kronon mech pilot within range to feel unprecedentedly sacred!
"YLVAINE SHALL PREVAIL!"