Chapter 61

Chapter 61 \n<h1>Chapter 61 – The Great Sea Battle off Baltica 4</h1>\nThe waters north of Baltica

A fleet that instills a sense of profound dread to anybody watching is advancing through the ocean. Leaving white trails in their wake, the dignified fleet consisting of battleships bestows upon onlookers a sense of inevitable victory. Just from its appearance, even the escort flotillas of the Self-Defense Forces seem frail in comparison.

The 36-ship strong 1st strike group consisting of 8 battleships, 8 heavy cruisers, and 20 destroyers; splits off northeast of the Combined Fleet and towards the Holy Mirishial Empire’s main magic fleet to attack it.

They advanced through the ocean, having been given the duty of administering the first strike and making use of their full strength since the number of enemy ships this time around was especially high.

Kaonia, commander of the 1st strike group, stares out into the ocean from the bridge of the flagship Be Tergis. Standing next to him is Baht, a veteran military officer nearing retirement.\n“The first strike on the enemy grand fleet… This will be a tough fight.”

“Indeed. However, our goal is to cause confusion on top of attacking them.”

While the two continue to talk, the communications officer seems to be troubled.

“What’s wrong?”

Commander Kaonia asks the communications officer.

“Message from the main fleet… A gigantic aircraft is approaching the enemy fleet from behind! It is believed that they are linking up with them. Orders are to take extreme caution while continuing with the operation. Furthermore, attack squadrons are projected to attack the gigantic enemy aircraft and are currently taking off.”

A momentary silence…

“A gigantic aircraft? Confirm with them on how big it is!”

“Yes sir, confirming right now.”

While they are conversing with the communications officer, the radar observer cuts in.

“We’re picking something up on radar! I think it’s the flying object you were just talking about… N-no way! This size…! ”

The radar observer was at a loss for words. The commander and the other staff hastily gathered on the radar screen and looked at the screen.

“!!!”

An exceptionally massive light spot was projected on the radar screen along with friendly aircraft flying straight towards it.

“What the hell is with its size?!”

“What a monster!”

The feeling of anxiety went up as they faced this unprecedented, never-before-seen type of enemy.

・・・

18th Squadron, Gra Valkas Imperial Navy

“The enemy is an unusually massive flying object. Take caution not to miscalculate its distance to prevent collisions!”

A strenuous order comes in from the radio.

“What kind of aircraft is it?”

“It seems to be a battleship-esque object that flies in the sky. Can you believe that?”

Cleos and Norgio, riding onboard a Jupiter-class dive bomber, were perplexed by the unusual order that, if true, depicts an enemy they have never encountered in the previous world.

“It’ll soon come into view…”

The two kept their sights on the sky in front.

“Hey, look over there!”

The pilot Norgio sighted something flying low in the 10 o’clock direction. A gigantic flying object with slender leaf-like structures stretching outwards in 3 directions surrounded by a massive ring was slowly moving across the sky.

“Oi, oi, is this some sort of joke? Look at how big that thing is!!!”

The surprised Cleos tried to signal after spotting the target but it seems that the escort fighters have also already caught sight of it. With no other enemy aircraft in the vicinity, 13 Antares carrier-based fighters went in front and banked, changing their heading towards the 10 o’clock direction. 

They put on full throttle and began charging at the flying object.

“The escort fighters have gone ahead.”\n“It’s an easy target with its humongous size.”

“Yeah. I sure hope we can damage that massive thing…”

The dive bomber group ascended while heading towards the target just in case the attack from the fighters proved inefficient.

Pilot Heinida, in control of an Antares carrier-based fighter, accelerated rapidly and broke off from the bomber group.

“I’ll be the spearhead that first pierces this monster!”

The Antares carrier-based fighter was unparalleled in its strength in the previous world… Now, in this world, it is simply invincible. 

Right after they transferred, the wyverns of their neighboring countries which they attacked… After that, the wyvern lords of the remnants of the so-called superpower Leifor, did not amount to anything. Furthermore, they engaged the fighters of Mu, which were horribly underpowered in comparison with the empire’s fighters, and it simply felt like they were fighting babies.

Even the fighters of the Holy Mirishial Empire, the “strongest in the world” and bearer of prestigious titles, are a far cry from the Antares fighters in terms of acceleration and turning ability. Heinida placed great tremendous faith in this formidable fighter.

“Alright! Let’s go!!!”

Maxing the throttle on the engine, the fighter began to dive. The distance to the target rapidly closed, and he set his sights on the target.

“Goodbye.”

Whispering one word, he pressed on the trigger.

・・・

The ancient superweapon, the aerial battleship Pal Chimera, Holy Mirishial Empire

“Atrates Cannons (Roaring Continuous-type anti-aircraft light magic cannons) are ready to fire.”

“Enemy aircraft are heading towards this direction and are beginning to dive.”

A monotonous voice echoes these reports within the ship. The view of the enemy diving is projected onto a giant screen lined with fantastical lights set up on the bridge.

“Irritating, these flies are… Spread out magic particles, reinforce the armor!”

At Meteos’s order, the armor on top of the ship was instantly strengthened. Due to the immensely high output of the ancient superweapon in comparison with the magic engines used by the Holy Mirishial Empire, a sequence that would usually take time is carried out in an instant.

The Pal Chimera is wrapped in a blue screen, and due to the magic particles, the light is warped slightly. After a while, bullets of light unleashed from the enemy fighters find their mark on the Pal Chimera.

20mm rounds from the Antares carrier-based fighter’s machine guns hit the Pal Chimera, unleashing their power onto the armor. Membranous magic particles radiated away from the places where the bullets hit like splashes of water rippling from where pebbles land. Tracer ammunition mixed in with the machine gun rounds bounce off the armor and fly off in various directions.

The slightly unsettling sound of the bullets hitting the Pal Chimera echoed within the bridge. The enemy aircraft made additional attacks before lifting their noses and dispersing. Since the Pal Chimera was flying at a low altitude, they decided that slipping underneath it was out of the question.

“No abnormality in ship function.”

A monotonous voice reports.

“Maybe perhaps some paint was scratched off…”

“The flying objects deemed to be dive bombers have begun descending!”

An observer once again reports in.

“Heh. Will it be possible for their dive bombers to hit an object moving at speeds above 200km/h? Let’s see! Conduct evasive maneuvers and shoot them down with the Atrates Cannons!”

“Roger.”

“A weapon that fires 3000 magic light bullets per minute, created to shoot down guided light magic munitions… They won’t be able to dodge this.”

6 turrets armed with Antrates Cannons affixed on the Pal Chimera’s ring point towards the sky. After particles were sucked into the muzzles, they began to roar into life.

“Squad 1, beginning dive bombing run!”

Norgio reports to Cleos.

The view from beyond the canopy… Due to the rounds from the Antares carrier-based fighters’ machine guns bouncing off the enemy armor, it was concluded that fighters couldn’t deal damage, and so the 1st squad of dive bombers flying ahead began to dive.

“Huh?!”

Lights began to concentrate on parts of the ring of the enormous enemy ship.

“Are they attacking?”\nFriendly forces have already begun their dive and their sights have already been adjusted to release their bombs. Norgio, having doubts as to what the enemy was doing, was about to talk to Cleos when in the following moment, an intense barrage of anti-aircraft fire was unleashed from the enemy.

“Wha-! What the fuuuck!!!”

The light bullets hurled into the sky looked like an intense shower of light and within those lights, the advancing 1st Squad began to explode one after the other.

The advancing 1st Squad was easily and completely annihilated, sparing them no time to report back.

“Wha…”

No words could come out.

“What absurdity, that monster!”

Norgio and Cleos shook in terror.

“2nd Squad, cut in from the north! 3rd Squad from the east, 5th Squad from the west, 6th Squad from the south! Begin dive bombing run! 7th Squad, commence high altitude horizontal bombing!”

Precise commands from the 18th Squadron commander are sent over the radio.

“We’re going to do horizontal bombing?!”

The chance that they will hit the enemy is low, but since their chances of surviving are high, they took a sigh of relief. Flying in perfect formation, they went around to their respective places and commenced their attacks simultaneously.

The bridge of the aerial battleship Pal Chimera

“The enemy has begun scattering. It seems that they will all attack simultaneously.”

“Annoying flies, all of them… Shoot them down. I’ll leave the timing to you.”

Magical energy instantaneously fills the Atrates Cannons. No matter how much he had experienced it, Meteos was astonished by the tremendous amount of magical energy. The aerial battleship Pal Chimera once again fired its Atrates Cannons against the scattering enemy aircraft.

Magical energy is converted into electrical energy, which is then radiated outwards as electrical waves. The enemy’s speed, the light bullet’s speed, and the enemy’s future position are instantly calculated from the waves that bounce back. Sights are then automatically configured to point at that future position, and then approximately 3000 light bullets are fired in a single minute. 

An approximate total of 18000 light bullets fired from 6 turrets all light up the sky like tracer ammunition, painting the sky in their color.

After the barrage had stopped, the enemy aircraft that had tried to attack are now in near-complete shatters, with the aircraft that managed to survive intact engulfed in flames and falling out of the sky.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

In an instant, the 18th Squadron was wiped out. The escort fighters, however, managed to escape.

The airframe rattled and shook violently. Norgio desperately moved the joystick, but the aircraft won’t listen to what it’s saying. The Pal Chimera’s attack found its marks on the engine and right wing, causing a great deal of damage to the aircraft.

The engine in front ceases to function and black smoke blocks his view. There were flames burning bright on the edges of the wings. The aircraft loses its balance and begins to fall in a spiral.

He doesn’t know what became of his friends. There were times when he thought bullets of light were passing in his general vicinity.

“Fuck!”

He pressed the button on the radio to talk but no one responded.

“Hey, Cleos! Are you alright?!”

Cleos, who was supposed to be sitting behind him, didn’t respond.

“I’ll eject!”

He manually wrenched open the canopy. Ear-piercing synthetic winds interweave with thunderous sounds…

“Hey, Cleous! He-Ah, shit!”

Cleos was already dead. However, if he gave himself up to sentimentality, he too may perish.

“I’m sorry…”

Carrying indescribable feelings and a parachute, he ejected from the aircraft. While he was falling from the sky, he verified the situation around him.

“Wha-! What the hell happened?!”

A rain of fire descended from the blue sky.

“We… we were all wiped out?!”

In the short time since the Imperial Navy Air Corps was established, they have been virtually annihilated. His heart shivered in dread.

\n・・・

Flagship Be Tergis, 1st Strike Group, Gra Valkas Empire

The fleet has already moved into a state ready for battle, and they are in perfect shape to intercept and attack the enemy. Commander Kaonia and operations officer Baht stared at the empty horizon and the staff on the bridge focused on their responsibilities to carry out their duties to the very best.

Communications officer Cyanos focused his attention on the communications equipment so as to not miss coded messages from the main fleet and radio signals being sent in various frequencies.

“…riends.”

?!

He felt as if he heard a voice coming from the frequency being used by their aircraft.

“My Gra Valkas Empire friends.”

The voice from the radio was perfectly clear but the closest enemy aircraft they can reach was still too far from the fleet.

“What a strong output!!!”

He was shocked by how powerful the radio output was. The voice was obviously trying to talk to them and so he promptly reported the unusual situation.

“Enemy ship broadcasting on the aircraft communications frequency!!!”

Commander Kaonia, carrying questions such as how the enemy managed to figure out the empire’s radio frequency, moves towards the communications machine. There is a possibility that they could give away their position to the enemy by sending out radio signals, but since the huge enemy aircraft was already heading for them, he thought that the enemy was already aware of their position. Since they use the radio to make frequent contact with the main fleet, radio silence was out of the question, so he moved his hand towards the radio machine.

“Who are you? State your affiliation, rank, and name!”

“You have finally responded to my calls. You guys not using magic communications made this more difficult… I am Meteos of the Antiquities Department of Ancient Arms Analysis Tactical Operations of the Imperial Ministry of Countermeasures Against the Ancient Sorcerous Empire and the captain of the aerial battleship Pal Chimera.”\n“What’s your business with us?”

When he said “aerial battleship”, they thought of it simply as a gigantic aircraft, but if it had the same defense capabilities as a battleship, it would be outrageous. With sweat accumulating on his forehead, Commander Kaonia asks Meteos.

“Well, I am simply trying to give you a warning.”

“A warning?”

“You see, I… have no interest in one-sidedly slaughtering the weak. Before we annihilate you, turn tail and head home. With these words of salvation, tell your main fleet to vacate the district of Leifor.

I will say it again~ I have no interest in one-sidedly slaughtering the weak.”

If for some chance, a native of the world the Gra Valkas Empire came from had heard of this broadcast, they would feel sorry and pray for the burned souls of the country that dared to slander the Gra Valkas Empire.

“Do you think we will withdraw on the basis of that bluff?”

“The ship that I’m currently on is a ship of the ancient sorcerous empire, the Ravernal Empire, which used to have ruled the entire world with fear. Do you, mere monkeys of the non-civilized areas, know what that means? Perhaps, you lot are fools who don’t understand the difference in power? Your aircraft, despite their number, have all been annihilated without inflicting a single damage on even a single ship!”

“We will not lose to those who believe in the relics of the past and refuse to look to the future.”

“You, who possess no magic and have tenaciously opposed the empire, are indeed honorable. However, you will advance no further. We are in places where those who possess no magic will never ever reach. To the fools that dare oppose the Holy Mirishial Empire, this is the last time I will be compassionate; withdraw now.”

Silence… Those words made him look like a fool, so the veteran general Commander Kaonia hands the radio device to the communications officer.

“Hey, officer Cyanos!”

“Sir!”

“Tell them, kiss my ass!”

“Sir?”

“Are you deaf? Tell them, KISS MY ASS!”

“Y-yes, sir!!!”

Cyanos presses the push-to-talk button and with a clear voice, he declares.

“KISS MY ASS!”

Communications with the Holy Mirishial Empire’s aerial battleship cease. The superweapon of the ancient sorcerous empire (Ravernal Empire), the aerial battleship Pal Chimera, continues in its incursion to lay waste to the 36 ships of the 1st Strike Group of the Gra Valkas Empire.