Since the legendary dragon attacked Japan's gold reserves a decade ago, their centuries long path to dominance had been disrupted.
Like a high speed train losing its tracks, they slowed down and even came to a complete stop.
This significantly impacted their ambitious plans, even causing major internal divisions. Clashes arose between conventional and mystical forces.
Conflicts erupted between the navy and the army. The country's inadequate infrastructure and lack of military supplies forced Japan to resort to loans and even desperate measures.
Their initial attack on the Soviet Union, was met with fierce resistance. The frigid Siberian plains lay within the Soviet Union's sphere of influence.
Japan launched surprise attacks and achieved some early victories, but their reckless actions were quickly overwhelmed by the Soviet Union's counterattack.
The Soviet Union's overwhelming military might halted the overconfident Japanese advance across the Siberian plains.
The supposedly two million strong Japanese Kwantung Army suffered a devastating defeat.
The remaining troops were forced to rely on geographical advantages and retreat to their various defensive lines in the northern mountains.
Faced with such enormous losses, significant disagreements arose even within the army itself, altering the course of their southward campaign.
The only notable difference was in the Pacific.
The Japanese navy forcefully maintained most of its allocated resources, allowing the fleet to continue according to plan.
Those at sea feasted on beef and coffee, while the army on land could only eat biscuits and pickles, occasionally drinking cold water.
This explains the severe conflict between the navy and the army.
However, within Japan, thanks to its strict isolationist policies, ordinary citizens remained unaware of the outside world.
They continued their lives shrouded in lies.
Garfield arrived in Kyoto, Japan, but showed little interest in the Japanese soldiers, who were less than 1.5 meters tall. His first stop was their gold storage area.
But after sneaking inside, he was greatly disappointed to find it sparsely stocked.
After several days of investigation, Garfield discovered that due to the severe conflict between the Japanese navy and army, they no longer kept their funds in banks.
Instead, they deposited all their gold in their military camps or headquarters.
Each side deployed heavy troops to guard their respective areas. High walls and electric fences surrounded the outside.
Inside, machine guns and landmines were everywhere. The army also had dozens of lightly armored tanks.
The navy kept their gold near their naval ports. Inside the ports, a battleship was permanently stationed.
Anti aircraft artillery regiments were stationed on both sides, ready to deal with any sudden crisis.
Who were the anti aircraft guns meant for? Naturally, they were preparing to attack some dragon.
Garfield was overjoyed when he received the news. It was good that they were separated. It would make his actions easier.
As usual, it was late at night when Garfield arrived at the army headquarters first. He raised his paw and unleashed a palm strike from the sky.
"Meteorite Fall."
The night sky was originally empty. But meteorites were summoned from the depths of space into the Earth's atmosphere.
With the help of magic, the moving meteorites rubbed against the air and produced sparks. The soldiers of the Japanese army headquarters, who had been on edge for years, saw the strange sight in the sky.
They had been constantly reminded to defend against aerial attacks. Now they let out screams like pigs being slaughtered.
"Meteor."
"Meteor."
The sounds from the slaughterhouse naturally attracted the attention of their companions. When they looked up at the sky, they were instantly dumbfounded.
Some of the Onmyoji hired by the army had experienced the last dragon attack. They instantly recalled the fear of being dominated on that day.
"Quick, raise the barrier. Sound the alarm. Call for help."
The piercing alarm sounded. The large group of Japanese soldiers began to wake from their sleep.
When they assembled and saw the sky full of meteors, they were instantly dumbfounded. Could they, a group of ordinary Japanese soldiers, withstand this enemy attack?
Thump.
The first meteor fell overhead. It was blocked by the barrier raised by the Onmyoji and exploded.
The Onmyoji who had raised the shield were shaken by the magical feedback generated by the meteor's enormous force. Thankfully, they withstood the impact.
The second meteorite struck. Their hands and feet trembled.
The third meteorite fell. Their hearts trembled.
The fourth meteorite fell. Their bladders trembled.
The fifth, sixth, and seventh meteorites struck. The Onmyoji vomited blood and urinated uncontrollably, collapsing to the ground.
The eighth meteorite landed on their heads, instantly taking them away with their agony.
After this meteorite shower, almost no part of the Japanese army headquarters remained intact.
The buildings were destroyed. Japanese body parts were scattered everywhere.
Garfield reached the basement and packed all the gleaming gold bricks into his pocket.
Then, simulating a dragon's roar, he created a phantom image with magic before disappearing.
When the arriving Onmyoji came to provide support, they wept bitterly at the desolate ruins of the Japanese army headquarters. Their long term livelihood was gone.
They also knew that in a few days they would have to wrestle and shift blame with the remaining military personnel.
The Japanese army headquarters was reduced to ruins.
All the funds for their world invasion were gone.
The navy, upon receiving the news, expressed deep sympathy and immediately announced a grand memorial service for their fallen army colleagues, the same colleagues with whom they had clashed and even fought.
Of course, a grand meeting wouldn't be complete without dinner. The navy budgeted a considerable sum for food and drinks, even inviting guests from all walks of life.
The surviving army officers naturally resented this. A battle ensued.
The army responded frantically with various means, and the navy refused to back down. The two sides fought back and forth for a long time.
Seven days later, the navy opened their secret vault and discovered that all the gleaming gold bricks had turned to stone. Only then did they panic.
How could someone have accomplished this so quietly?
Especially considering the confident assertion that no creature in the entire universe could breach their defenses silently.
The Onmyoji finally made a crucial decision.
They sacrificed a few unimportant members, announcing that some of their men had been secretly bribed to steal funds from within.
As for who it was, they claimed ignorance and dared not say.
At naval headquarters, a group of high ranking Japanese officials and a representative of the Onmyoji sat together.
"What exactly happened? Why was the gold missing? Please explain in detail, Lord Koinu."
The Onmyoji representative, Koinu, replied, "Some of our men were bribed. They attacked their own colleagues and used various means to steal the gold."
"According to our secret investigation, we discovered that the stones in this batch are made of the same material as those used in the army's treasury."
He lied seventy percent of the time, leaving the remaining thirty percent for the other side to handle.
Several days later, international news reported that a civil war had broken out between the Japanese army and navy.
Time flew by. It was already the end of July.