4th Division, Gra Valkas Imperial Army
An armored column of tanks pushes the frontlines through the hollow mountains. Inside one of the tanks, tank commander Malta was talking with his subordinates.
“We’ll finally be past the hollow mountains in a short while.”
“What the hell. This topography just feels like something out of a joke…”
Looking upwards, the stones look like they were forming three-dimensional stitches stretching in all directions. However, the surface on which they were trodding along was completely flat.
“The initial velocity of Mu’s guns are slow. If they want to fire at us, they’d have to be substantially close. We’d probably spot them first, blowing them to bits with our tank gun. Still, even if they were to take the initiative, their large caliber guns would simply bounce off our armor.”
Since the hollow mountains are composed of rock formations that form web-like structures, howitzers, which lob shells at a parabolic arc, and air support coming from outside are virtually useless. If the enemy then deploys direct-fire guns as their main force, their tanks have the overwhelming advantage. Furthermore, they have not yet found a country that mobilizes armored vehicles. In short, the empire is the strongest, and so everyone’s confidence deepened.
A tank commander opens their top hatches and looks around. All around them were tanks lined up in intervals with armored vehicles and cars following them from behind. There were so many that even if he was used to it, he couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed…
“Ah, what the hell. The empire is unstoppable! No one in this world can stop our march!”
His impressions were outspoken.
Suddenly, a light flashes from the front.
“Hm?”
The surroundings are dim with some level of light shining from above, only allowing them to see about 1km in any direction. Something was shining from beyond this range. In the following moment, the tank advancing in front shook as the sound of metal clashing against metal echoes all throughout.
“An attack?!”
The tank in front which seemed to have received an attack suddenly stopped like a marionette that had its strings cut. It had just stopped without any sort of explosion. Shortly afterwards, 10 other tanks shook violently and stopped at roughly the same time.
“Wha-what the hell happened???”
Nothing exploded and yet they stopped still. Unable to grasp what is happening, the platoon commander radios the tanks in question to verify the situation.
No response.
The platoon commander tasks commander Malta and his vehicle to ascertain what happened. Moving to the side of one of the stopped tanks, he notices something peculiar yet definitive.
“Th-there’s a hole!!!”
A massive hole has opened up on where the tank’s crew cabin was. It seemed that something had pierced the armor all the way to the back.
“It’s an attack!!! Inform the entire division!!!”
“Yes, sir!!! 2nd Platoon to all units, we’re under attack!! We’re currently under attack!!!”
While they were radioing back, the attack resumed. The Type 10 tanks had reloaded HEAT-MP rounds in place of APFSDS before resuming.
“What the?! How many are they?!”
Their tanks fiercely explode in quick succession. They still didn’t know where their enemy actually was, but the tanks in front began firing in different directions.
4th Division commander Borg trembled in fear as he listened to his comrades scream in confusion over the radio. The sounds of guns firing and explosions reverberated within the mountains, making worse the already tense situation.
“1st Platoon is annihilated!!!”
“3rd Platoon is also annihilated!!!”
One of the observation personnel nervously radios back.
“What’s going on?! What’s happening to us?!”
“We still don’t know where the enemy is!!! Moreover, the enemy’s firepower is much more stronger than that of ours and they’re hitting almost all of their shots!!! We’re currently suffering immense damage!!!”
“Wha… That’s not possible!!!”
The tanks of the Gra Valkas Empire boasted staggeringly powerful firepower in the old world. It ran around at 38km/h and was armed with a large gun. Armed with 2 heavy machine guns to deal with infantry and unarmored objects, a single tank can scare off any enemy. It truly is an invincible land dragon; a force to be reckoned with. In this world, it was basically invincible, and so mass production on them began. Those same tanks that are supposedly invincible are now being blown away one by one.
“What kind of firepower do they have?!”
Their tanks were being silenced in quick succession. The report that all their shots are hitting may have just been the product of the confusion in battle. It’s possible that the enemy is simply a force far bigger than they imagined. Borg trembled from the depths of his soul.
However, there were no explosions on the ground. Seeing that it is only their tanks exploding and going up in flames, the soldiers judged that the enemy was indeed hitting all of their shots.
The radio was filled with soldiers talking over each other as confusion engulfed the battlefield. No one knew where the enemy actually was. However, they had an understanding of the general direction from where their attack was coming from. Borg understood that the 4th Division was a large force, so falling back wasn’t an option.
“All units!!! Advance at their general direction of attack at full speed!!! Overwhelm them with our numbers!!!”
If the enemy were employing tanks, their reverse speed should be slower than their forward speed. He thought of destroying them by overwhelming them with their numbers. The armored forces of the Gra Valkas Empire’s 4th Division advanced into the fray of death as their allied forces continued to get wrecked.
“F-found them!!!”
By sheer coincidence, light filtering in from above the hollow mountains shined on the armor of the enemy tanks, illuminating them. Malta and his tank from 2nd Platoon had finally sighted the enemy tanks.
Their powerful allied tanks continued to explode. The fear of the possibility that life will end in a flash.
“Hey, hey, you’ve gotta be kidding me!!!”
“I’m not!!! What the fuck are they doing?!”
There were only several of them and no matter how much you look at them, they were tanks. The tanks that were displayed in their viewports were far larger than the proud tanks of the empire and carried an even bigger cannon. Even more surprising was the fact that the enemy continued their barrage as they slowly retreated from them. The enemy tanks continuously fired at a rate unimaginable for normal tanks despite the common sense that a gun fired at a moving target from a moving platform will never hit its target.
The ground isn’t completely flat and the gun wobbles while the tank is on the move. Normally, to hit a moving target, a tank must come to a complete stop in order to set their aim and fire. However, not only were the enemy tanks retreating, they were moving from side to side, making it difficult for them to be targeted. They were doing all of that while firing. They shouldn’t be hitting their shots at all.
“Wha-what the fuck!!! How are they doing that?!”
Their attacks which shouldn’t have hit land perfectly on their comrades’ tanks. Trembling in fear, Malta notices something even more unbelievable.
“Wait… They all hit different tanks!!! Their shots don’t overlap!!!”
It was common sense for targets to overlap in an attack. In a confusing battlefield where one must fire on a lot of enemies, even if a range of targets were set and the gunners were well-trained, it’s simply unthinkable for their attacks not to overlap with one another against a lot of targets. Despite that, an impossibly impossible phenomenon was unfolding before their eyes.
Their military common sense has collapsed.
Shaking in fear, Borg continued to issue orders.
“The enemy’s deployment area is narrow!! All vehicles, spread out and lay down suppressive fire!!! Our numbers are overwhelming!!! Destroy the enemy tanks!!!”
The proud tanks of the Gra Valkas Empire marched ahead at 38km/h and fired their 47mm guns. Over a hundred tanks split from their respective formations and fired. Gales formed from the near-simultaneous fire of over a hundred tanks as flowers of fire emerged from the muzzles of the empire’s proud 47mm guns. Just as much of their comrades burst into flames, they single-heartedly fired at the direction of their enemies.
The sound of intense explosions echoed throughout their surroundings as clouds of dust emerged from where their shots landed.
“Take that!!! Our single-direction suppressive fire!!!”
Their single-direction suppressive fire focused all of their attacks at the area where the enemies were deployed. It was an attack that can be carried out by their huge numbers and is considered to be the Gra Valkas Empire’s winning tactic. Dust fluttered about the air above where the enemies were as smoke clouded their vicinity.
Boom boom boom boom boom…
Sounds of their guns firing echoed throughout the interior of the hollow mountains, creating an eerie jumble of sounds.
“We don’t know how many they were but… Yeah, this is it for them.”
The enemy was strong. They must have suffered a considerable amount of casualties. If there were as many enemy tanks as they had, it would have hardly been a fight.
“What a powerful enemy… Who the fuck are they???”
Malta’s inquiries were forcibly interrupted. The tank to his right blew up, scattering its bits and pieces all over the place.
“Wha-what the hell?!”
Dust should have still obscured their vision. However, their cannonfire parted the smoke as shells flew straight for their tanks, smashing them apart. The accuracy of their marksmanship was unparalleled, catching even their comrades that try to split from the main group.
“How is this happening?! What the hell is going on?!”
Something impossible by their military knowledge was unfolding before their eyes. Their comrades were continuously erupting into flames. The fear of death engulfed everyone. It wasn’t just tank commander Malta, but also his subordinates.
The Gra Valkas Imperial Army’s 4th Division has descended into a state of panic.
“Agh!!!”
The main gun of a Type 10 tank hits the tank being commanded by tank commander Malta. The powerful kinetic energy of the 120mm round allowed it to penetrate the tough armor of the tank and unleash its metallic jet inside. Furthermore, the round itself generates its own explosion, unleashing all of its power inside the tank. The rapidly expanding air finds the weakest place in order to escape, blowing the turret off the tank hull. In an additional bout of bad luck, the ammunition it carried was also set on fire.
Tank commander Malta and his subordinates were engulfed by the intense light and departed from this life.
The scopes of the Type 10 tanks of the GSDF function even in bad weather, night, and in foggy conditions, allowing for clear recognition of the enemy. Due to their superior gun stabilizer, their sights won’t miss the enemy even in movement. The turret always keeps the gun turned to the enemy even when the tank moves in a slalom. The FCS accurately tracks the muzzle velocity of the gun, the tank’s speed, and the enemy’s movement to allow the gun to aim at the enemy’s future position. The initial velocity of the 120mm smoothbore gun far surpasses that of a rifled gun, producing a kinetic force that can deliver powerful destructive force.
12 Type 10 tanks in 3 platoons of the Ground Self-Defense Force’s 7th Division made contact with 200 tanks of the Gra Valkas Empire’s 4th Division, destroying 135 tanks. The Type 10 tanks, having achieved their operational goals, retreated from the scene.
・・・
Their massive force of tanks conducted suppressive fire against their unidentified aggressors. However, they didn’t know whether their shots had landed or whether the enemy was defeated, but a fierce counterattack from within the dust clouds bit them back. Their tank platoons fell into disarray. When the clouds of dust that engulfed the enemy positions cleared up, the enemy was nowhere to be seen. Recon platoons sent to search the area also couldn’t find them.
Details of the battle and the damage they suffered began to fill in all around 4th Division commander Borg.
“What?! Despite this, we still don’t know the scope of the enemy and whether they were using vehicles or not?!”
“No one has been able to confirm the details, but there’s information from witnesses that the enemy were using tanks. Based on what has been verified, there were only around 10 of them.”
“And we haven’t been able to verify any other enemies…”
He was stunned by the fact that they didn’t even manage to identify the scale of the enemy.
“Moving forward, the damages we sustained are…”
The reports continue. Up to this point, the tank prided itself on its invincibility. Consequently, they were the ones that were in front. Despite all of that, the 4th Division lost 135 tanks to the attack, shaving off more than half off of their entire armored force.
“Commander, your orders!!!”
Attacks from the sky aren’t possible within the hollow mountains. Even Mu’s aircraft posed a great threat to them if they hadn’t secured air superiority. Consequently, the Imperial Army calculated that they wouldn’t suffer massive casualties in the hollow mountains where aircraft couldn’t operate. As for what Mu can do, they can simply conceal their artillery and wait for them to get close. From their perspective, that was all that they could do.
The damage they suffered from this unidentified attack was enormous; truly unprecedented. Borg’s subordinates were awaiting orders for what to do next.
“We will be out of the hollow mountains in a while. We will push through to the town just as planned! However, we will drop our march speed, increase motorcycle reconnaissance patrols, and maintain maximum vigilance!”
“Yes, sir!!!”
The scope of the enemy is unverified. A far more powerful enemy may be awaiting them at their destination. However, for an imperial soldier to retreat based on such reasons is impermissible. Borg continued to relay orders to the troops as they advanced while maintaining vigilance. Several hours later, the 4th Division of the Gra Valkas Empire exited the hollow mountains without encountering a single enemy, completing their deployment in the fields before the town of Kielseki. They planned to run back into the hollow mountains in the off-chance that Mu’s air squadrons catch them by surprise.
Vastly different from the hollow mountains where entire armies could hide, the vast open plains were where their force’s numbers made the difference. The sky was clear and lands distant from them were visible, making close-range surprise attacks difficult to pull off. Their mood eased down a bit. However…
“Hey comms, there’s still no response from the base???”
Numerous attempts at contact were being made. According to what’s been agreed upon, Kielseki and the enemy army deployed nearby should have been bombed and reduced to rubble.
“We may be in a radio dead zone or a geomagnetic storm special to this planet is happening. To go forward with the operation or not… The special contact plane may not come because we are already 3 hours behind schedule…”
The comms officer speaks out his thoughts. The frontline base of the Gra Valkas Empire, Valkyries, was catastrophically damaged by Japan’s bombing and Mu’s air attacks, leaving them unable to dispatch their scheduled contact plane. However, the 4th Division wasn’t aware of this fact.
“But… It’s gonna be more than an hour since we emerged…”
In the event that the contact plane didn’t come as scheduled, they would contact back via radio, but since there’s a possibility they’re in a radio dead zone, it was also planned to have at least one Antares fighter fly over to check on them. However, even the backup Antares fighter didn’t show up. Just a while ago, they were attacked unexpectedly, and now they couldn’t contact their base. Anxiety wells up within everyone in the 4th Division.
・・・
Kielseki’s western reaches, Mu
Just west of Kielseki was a small plot of flat land and just beyond them lies a 429m tall mountain. The flat plains continued on west for about 22km before reaching the foot of the hollow mountains.
Commander Hokugō of Mu National Army’s Western Army breathed out a sigh as he looked at the forces deployed before him. His forces were all deployed here to the west to defend their railway hub, Kielseki, as well as to stop the enemy invasion dead in its tracks. Their equipment was also state-of-the-art and were issued in numbers previously unheard of, and so they prided themselves as the strongest elite units of Mu. However, further ahead of the Western Army was the 7th Division of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force wrapping up their forces’ setup.
“Commander Hokugō, from this point forward the GSDF 7th Division will conduct a surface suppression of the Gra Valkas Imperial Army.”
7th Division commander Ōuchida Kazuki explains to Hokugō.
Neatly lined up before Hokugō were self-propelled howitzers, vehicles not even envisioned yet in Mu, pointing their gigantic muzzles to the west. Furthermore, weapons known as multiple launch rocket systems were lined with them facing west.
“We have already sighted the Gra Valkas Imperial Army and will commence our attack in a while.”
“The empire is deployed around 30km from here, is it not?”
Hokugō verifies.
“Yes. That is certain.”
Not only were the enemy troops deployed on the other side of the mountain facing them, but they were also 30km away. A land cannon that can lob shells at such a huge distance seems so far from reality. However, their power has already been verified by information in all sectors.
How does it feel, I wonder, to be attacked from an invisible position far from the range of your own guns…?
He heard that after the enemy took Alue, they conducted so many savage acts. However, his heart ached a little at the fact that so many soldiers will die without even noticing it.
The Gra Valkas Empire’s strongest armored division, the 4th Division, possesses guns that can reach a maximum of 22km, and since no one in the world before or now surpassed their range, it was outside of their expectations that they would be attacked at an even further range. The SDF, however, deployed far outside their search range.
GSDF 7th Division commander Ōuchida Kazuki offered a silent prayer before the attack. He then opens his eyes.
“Commence attack!!!”
“FIRE!!!”
Smoke flowered from the guns as thunderous sounds resounded across the flat, open, field. The 155mm self-propelled howitzers that were neatly lined up commenced their bombardment. Beyond them, flames breathed out from behind the rocket launchers as rockets successively flew out. The MLRS, which can level 6 football fields in a single salvo, have also commenced their attack.
The 7th Division of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force have begun their bombardment of the Gra Valkas Imperial Army’s 4th Division deployed around 30km west of their position.
4th Division, Gra Valkas Imperial Army
An armored column of tanks pushes the frontlines through the hollow mountains. Inside one of the tanks, tank commander Malta was talking with his subordinates.
“We’ll finally be past the hollow mountains in a short while.”
“What the hell. This topography just feels like something out of a joke…”
Looking upwards, the stones look like they were forming three-dimensional stitches stretching in all directions. However, the surface on which they were trodding along was completely flat.
“The initial velocity of Mu’s guns are slow. If they want to fire at us, they’d have to be substantially close. We’d probably spot them first, blowing them to bits with our tank gun. Still, even if they were to take the initiative, their large caliber guns would simply bounce off our armor.”
Since the hollow mountains are composed of rock formations that form web-like structures, howitzers, which lob shells at a parabolic arc, and air support coming from outside are virtually useless. If the enemy then deploys direct-fire guns as their main force, their tanks have the overwhelming advantage. Furthermore, they have not yet found a country that mobilizes armored vehicles. In short, the empire is the strongest, and so everyone’s confidence deepened.
A tank commander opens their top hatches and looks around. All around them were tanks lined up in intervals with armored vehicles and cars following them from behind. There were so many that even if he was used to it, he couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed…
“Ah, what the hell. The empire is unstoppable! No one in this world can stop our march!”
His impressions were outspoken.
Suddenly, a light flashes from the front.
“Hm?”
The surroundings are dim with some level of light shining from above, only allowing them to see about 1km in any direction. Something was shining from beyond this range. In the following moment, the tank advancing in front shook as the sound of metal clashing against metal echoes all throughout.
“An attack?!”
The tank in front which seemed to have received an attack suddenly stopped like a marionette that had its strings cut. It had just stopped without any sort of explosion. Shortly afterwards, 10 other tanks shook violently and stopped at roughly the same time.
“Wha-what the hell happened???”
Nothing exploded and yet they stopped still. Unable to grasp what is happening, the platoon commander radios the tanks in question to verify the situation.
No response.
The platoon commander tasks commander Malta and his vehicle to ascertain what happened. Moving to the side of one of the stopped tanks, he notices something peculiar yet definitive.
“Th-there’s a hole!!!”
A massive hole has opened up on where the tank’s crew cabin was. It seemed that something had pierced the armor all the way to the back.
“It’s an attack!!! Inform the entire division!!!”
“Yes, sir!!! 2nd Platoon to all units, we’re under attack!! We’re currently under attack!!!”
While they were radioing back, the attack resumed. The Type 10 tanks had reloaded HEAT-MP rounds in place of APFSDS before resuming.
“What the?! How many are they?!”
Their tanks fiercely explode in quick succession. They still didn’t know where their enemy actually was, but the tanks in front began firing in different directions.
4th Division commander Borg trembled in fear as he listened to his comrades scream in confusion over the radio. The sounds of guns firing and explosions reverberated within the mountains, making worse the already tense situation.
“1st Platoon is annihilated!!!”
“3rd Platoon is also annihilated!!!”
One of the observation personnel nervously radios back.
“What’s going on?! What’s happening to us?!”
“We still don’t know where the enemy is!!! Moreover, the enemy’s firepower is much more stronger than that of ours and they’re hitting almost all of their shots!!! We’re currently suffering immense damage!!!”
“Wha… That’s not possible!!!”
The tanks of the Gra Valkas Empire boasted staggeringly powerful firepower in the old world. It ran around at 38km/h and was armed with a large gun. Armed with 2 heavy machine guns to deal with infantry and unarmored objects, a single tank can scare off any enemy. It truly is an invincible land dragon; a force to be reckoned with. In this world, it was basically invincible, and so mass production on them began. Those same tanks that are supposedly invincible are now being blown away one by one.
“What kind of firepower do they have?!”
Their tanks were being silenced in quick succession. The report that all their shots are hitting may have just been the product of the confusion in battle. It’s possible that the enemy is simply a force far bigger than they imagined. Borg trembled from the depths of his soul.
However, there were no explosions on the ground. Seeing that it is only their tanks exploding and going up in flames, the soldiers judged that the enemy was indeed hitting all of their shots.
The radio was filled with soldiers talking over each other as confusion engulfed the battlefield. No one knew where the enemy actually was. However, they had an understanding of the general direction from where their attack was coming from. Borg understood that the 4th Division was a large force, so falling back wasn’t an option.
“All units!!! Advance at their general direction of attack at full speed!!! Overwhelm them with our numbers!!!”
If the enemy were employing tanks, their reverse speed should be slower than their forward speed. He thought of destroying them by overwhelming them with their numbers. The armored forces of the Gra Valkas Empire’s 4th Division advanced into the fray of death as their allied forces continued to get wrecked.
“F-found them!!!”
By sheer coincidence, light filtering in from above the hollow mountains shined on the armor of the enemy tanks, illuminating them. Malta and his tank from 2nd Platoon had finally sighted the enemy tanks.
Their powerful allied tanks continued to explode. The fear of the possibility that life will end in a flash.
“Hey, hey, you’ve gotta be kidding me!!!”
“I’m not!!! What the fuck are they doing?!”
There were only several of them and no matter how much you look at them, they were tanks. The tanks that were displayed in their viewports were far larger than the proud tanks of the empire and carried an even bigger cannon. Even more surprising was the fact that the enemy continued their barrage as they slowly retreated from them. The enemy tanks continuously fired at a rate unimaginable for normal tanks despite the common sense that a gun fired at a moving target from a moving platform will never hit its target.
The ground isn’t completely flat and the gun wobbles while the tank is on the move. Normally, to hit a moving target, a tank must come to a complete stop in order to set their aim and fire. However, not only were the enemy tanks retreating, they were moving from side to side, making it difficult for them to be targeted. They were doing all of that while firing. They shouldn’t be hitting their shots at all.
“Wha-what the fuck!!! How are they doing that?!”
Their attacks which shouldn’t have hit land perfectly on their comrades’ tanks. Trembling in fear, Malta notices something even more unbelievable.
“Wait… They all hit different tanks!!! Their shots don’t overlap!!!”
It was common sense for targets to overlap in an attack. In a confusing battlefield where one must fire on a lot of enemies, even if a range of targets were set and the gunners were well-trained, it’s simply unthinkable for their attacks not to overlap with one another against a lot of targets. Despite that, an impossibly impossible phenomenon was unfolding before their eyes.
Their military common sense has collapsed.
Shaking in fear, Borg continued to issue orders.
“The enemy’s deployment area is narrow!! All vehicles, spread out and lay down suppressive fire!!! Our numbers are overwhelming!!! Destroy the enemy tanks!!!”
The proud tanks of the Gra Valkas Empire marched ahead at 38km/h and fired their 47mm guns. Over a hundred tanks split from their respective formations and fired. Gales formed from the near-simultaneous fire of over a hundred tanks as flowers of fire emerged from the muzzles of the empire’s proud 47mm guns. Just as much of their comrades burst into flames, they single-heartedly fired at the direction of their enemies.
The sound of intense explosions echoed throughout their surroundings as clouds of dust emerged from where their shots landed.
“Take that!!! Our single-direction suppressive fire!!!”
Their single-direction suppressive fire focused all of their attacks at the area where the enemies were deployed. It was an attack that can be carried out by their huge numbers and is considered to be the Gra Valkas Empire’s winning tactic. Dust fluttered about the air above where the enemies were as smoke clouded their vicinity.
Boom boom boom boom boom…
Sounds of their guns firing echoed throughout the interior of the hollow mountains, creating an eerie jumble of sounds.
“We don’t know how many they were but… Yeah, this is it for them.”
The enemy was strong. They must have suffered a considerable amount of casualties. If there were as many enemy tanks as they had, it would have hardly been a fight.
“What a powerful enemy… Who the fuck are they???”
Malta’s inquiries were forcibly interrupted. The tank to his right blew up, scattering its bits and pieces all over the place.
“Wha-what the hell?!”
Dust should have still obscured their vision. However, their cannonfire parted the smoke as shells flew straight for their tanks, smashing them apart. The accuracy of their marksmanship was unparalleled, catching even their comrades that try to split from the main group.
“How is this happening?! What the hell is going on?!”
Something impossible by their military knowledge was unfolding before their eyes. Their comrades were continuously erupting into flames. The fear of death engulfed everyone. It wasn’t just tank commander Malta, but also his subordinates.
The Gra Valkas Imperial Army’s 4th Division has descended into a state of panic.
“Agh!!!”
The main gun of a Type 10 tank hits the tank being commanded by tank commander Malta. The powerful kinetic energy of the 120mm round allowed it to penetrate the tough armor of the tank and unleash its metallic jet inside. Furthermore, the round itself generates its own explosion, unleashing all of its power inside the tank. The rapidly expanding air finds the weakest place in order to escape, blowing the turret off the tank hull. In an additional bout of bad luck, the ammunition it carried was also set on fire.
Tank commander Malta and his subordinates were engulfed by the intense light and departed from this life.
The scopes of the Type 10 tanks of the GSDF function even in bad weather, night, and in foggy conditions, allowing for clear recognition of the enemy. Due to their superior gun stabilizer, their sights won’t miss the enemy even in movement. The turret always keeps the gun turned to the enemy even when the tank moves in a slalom. The FCS accurately tracks the muzzle velocity of the gun, the tank’s speed, and the enemy’s movement to allow the gun to aim at the enemy’s future position. The initial velocity of the 120mm smoothbore gun far surpasses that of a rifled gun, producing a kinetic force that can deliver powerful destructive force.
12 Type 10 tanks in 3 platoons of the Ground Self-Defense Force’s 7th Division made contact with 200 tanks of the Gra Valkas Empire’s 4th Division, destroying 135 tanks. The Type 10 tanks, having achieved their operational goals, retreated from the scene.
・・・
Their massive force of tanks conducted suppressive fire against their unidentified aggressors. However, they didn’t know whether their shots had landed or whether the enemy was defeated, but a fierce counterattack from within the dust clouds bit them back. Their tank platoons fell into disarray. When the clouds of dust that engulfed the enemy positions cleared up, the enemy was nowhere to be seen. Recon platoons sent to search the area also couldn’t find them.
Details of the battle and the damage they suffered began to fill in all around 4th Division commander Borg.
“What?! Despite this, we still don’t know the scope of the enemy and whether they were using vehicles or not?!”
“No one has been able to confirm the details, but there’s information from witnesses that the enemy were using tanks. Based on what has been verified, there were only around 10 of them.”
“And we haven’t been able to verify any other enemies…”
He was stunned by the fact that they didn’t even manage to identify the scale of the enemy.
“Moving forward, the damages we sustained are…”
The reports continue. Up to this point, the tank prided itself on its invincibility. Consequently, they were the ones that were in front. Despite all of that, the 4th Division lost 135 tanks to the attack, shaving off more than half off of their entire armored force.
“Commander, your orders!!!”
Attacks from the sky aren’t possible within the hollow mountains. Even Mu’s aircraft posed a great threat to them if they hadn’t secured air superiority. Consequently, the Imperial Army calculated that they wouldn’t suffer massive casualties in the hollow mountains where aircraft couldn’t operate. As for what Mu can do, they can simply conceal their artillery and wait for them to get close. From their perspective, that was all that they could do.
The damage they suffered from this unidentified attack was enormous; truly unprecedented. Borg’s subordinates were awaiting orders for what to do next.
“We will be out of the hollow mountains in a while. We will push through to the town just as planned! However, we will drop our march speed, increase motorcycle reconnaissance patrols, and maintain maximum vigilance!”
“Yes, sir!!!”
The scope of the enemy is unverified. A far more powerful enemy may be awaiting them at their destination. However, for an imperial soldier to retreat based on such reasons is impermissible. Borg continued to relay orders to the troops as they advanced while maintaining vigilance. Several hours later, the 4th Division of the Gra Valkas Empire exited the hollow mountains without encountering a single enemy, completing their deployment in the fields before the town of Kielseki. They planned to run back into the hollow mountains in the off-chance that Mu’s air squadrons catch them by surprise.
Vastly different from the hollow mountains where entire armies could hide, the vast open plains were where their force’s numbers made the difference. The sky was clear and lands distant from them were visible, making close-range surprise attacks difficult to pull off. Their mood eased down a bit. However…
“Hey comms, there’s still no response from the base???”
Numerous attempts at contact were being made. According to what’s been agreed upon, Kielseki and the enemy army deployed nearby should have been bombed and reduced to rubble.
“We may be in a radio dead zone or a geomagnetic storm special to this planet is happening. To go forward with the operation or not… The special contact plane may not come because we are already 3 hours behind schedule…”
The comms officer speaks out his thoughts. The frontline base of the Gra Valkas Empire, Valkyries, was catastrophically damaged by Japan’s bombing and Mu’s air attacks, leaving them unable to dispatch their scheduled contact plane. However, the 4th Division wasn’t aware of this fact.
“But… It’s gonna be more than an hour since we emerged…”
In the event that the contact plane didn’t come as scheduled, they would contact back via radio, but since there’s a possibility they’re in a radio dead zone, it was also planned to have at least one Antares fighter fly over to check on them. However, even the backup Antares fighter didn’t show up. Just a while ago, they were attacked unexpectedly, and now they couldn’t contact their base. Anxiety wells up within everyone in the 4th Division.
・・・
Kielseki’s western reaches, Mu
Just west of Kielseki was a small plot of flat land and just beyond them lies a 429m tall mountain. The flat plains continued on west for about 22km before reaching the foot of the hollow mountains.
Commander Hokugō of Mu National Army’s Western Army breathed out a sigh as he looked at the forces deployed before him. His forces were all deployed here to the west to defend their railway hub, Kielseki, as well as to stop the enemy invasion dead in its tracks. Their equipment was also state-of-the-art and were issued in numbers previously unheard of, and so they prided themselves as the strongest elite units of Mu. However, further ahead of the Western Army was the 7th Division of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force wrapping up their forces’ setup.
“Commander Hokugō, from this point forward the GSDF 7th Division will conduct a surface suppression of the Gra Valkas Imperial Army.”
7th Division commander Ōuchida Kazuki explains to Hokugō.
Neatly lined up before Hokugō were self-propelled howitzers, vehicles not even envisioned yet in Mu, pointing their gigantic muzzles to the west. Furthermore, weapons known as multiple launch rocket systems were lined with them facing west.
“We have already sighted the Gra Valkas Imperial Army and will commence our attack in a while.”
“The empire is deployed around 30km from here, is it not?”
Hokugō verifies.
“Yes. That is certain.”
Not only were the enemy troops deployed on the other side of the mountain facing them, but they were also 30km away. A land cannon that can lob shells at such a huge distance seems so far from reality. However, their power has already been verified by information in all sectors.
How does it feel, I wonder, to be attacked from an invisible position far from the range of your own guns…?
He heard that after the enemy took Alue, they conducted so many savage acts. However, his heart ached a little at the fact that so many soldiers will die without even noticing it.
The Gra Valkas Empire’s strongest armored division, the 4th Division, possesses guns that can reach a maximum of 22km, and since no one in the world before or now surpassed their range, it was outside of their expectations that they would be attacked at an even further range. The SDF, however, deployed far outside their search range.
GSDF 7th Division commander Ōuchida Kazuki offered a silent prayer before the attack. He then opens his eyes.
“Commence attack!!!”
“FIRE!!!”
Smoke flowered from the guns as thunderous sounds resounded across the flat, open, field. The 155mm self-propelled howitzers that were neatly lined up commenced their bombardment. Beyond them, flames breathed out from behind the rocket launchers as rockets successively flew out. The MLRS, which can level 6 football fields in a single salvo, have also commenced their attack.
The 7th Division of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force have begun their bombardment of the Gra Valkas Imperial Army’s 4th Division deployed around 30km west of their position.
