Previous Chapter: March of the Overlord 1
The ocean south of the Rodenius continent
Not a single cloud obscured the great sky. The grand, blue heavens unfurled toward every single corner and the waves across the ocean gently rocked back and forth. Seabirds leisurely floated on the ocean surface. The serene and heavenly landscape suddenly changed as those people arrived.
Parting the waves, a powerful, strong iron ship advanced through the ocean. Great, steel birds appeared over the skies as if to watch over the ships that travelled below them, letting out an unsettling sound as they cut through the skies. The iron ships that first appeared were immediately followed by other iron ships, swelling into a massive fleet. The great mass of ships moved from west to east with the goal of linking up with another fleet coming in from the southwest.
Completing their resupply in the Qaiz Kingdom, the 1st Advance Fleet and the 2nd Advance Fleet that was coming from the Groot Knightland are about to converge in this area. In total, they numbered 440…
Mirkenses, commander of the Gra Valkas Empire 1st Advance Fleet, was looking out into the ocean from the bridge of the flagship, the superdreadnought Valcer. The empress Mirkenses, who possessed enough power to be considered one of the Three Great Generals, looked young for her age and possessed countless fans that adore her from her shadow.
“Commander! We will soon be making contact with the 2nd Advance Fleet. We have also received a letter of greeting from the 2nd Advance Fleet commander.”
Once the 1st and 2nd Advance Fleets link up, they will advance as the 2nd Fleet. Converging with a sufficient combat force of 210 ships, their duty is to pave the way for the other fleets as they reach Japan’s foremost bases. After the link up, Mirkenses will serve as fleet commander while the commander of the 2nd Advance Fleet, Aurones, will become vice-commander.
“Whew…”
She lets out a weak sigh.
“Still… What could go wrong… Our fleet is immense, after all…”
Battleships and cruisers which specialize in anti-air warfare surround the flagship Valcer in an ellipse as the rest of the fleet fill the entirety of the ocean up to the horizon. Close to the flagship is one of the empire’s proud, massive aircraft carriers, advancing triumphantly with the rest of the fleet. The sight of over 200 massive ships is indeed overwhelming.
“Commander! We have received a message from the fighter patrol squadrons in the outer edges. They have sighted 40 wyverns heading for the fleet 300km south of here and have shot them all down. We lost no aircraft and all fighters have not suffered a single hit.”
Resspot, captain of the battleship Valcer, reported to commander Mirkenses.
“Hmph. What a waste of ammo.”
Mirkenses muttered with an uninterested look.
“Good grief. The barbarians of this world simply don’t understand the disparity in power between us and them. Since they also don’t possess the ability to attack at night, they simply just don’t pose any threat. This is nothing but a waste of our ammo and skill… If anything, our number one threat is the lack of rest… Looking at our situation from here in the flagship, I intend to relax our posture depending on what other surprises the enemy has for us.”
Following their departure from the Qaiz Kingdom, the attacks from sailing ships have stopped entirely. The rate of enemy attacks fell below their initial expectations, earning suspicion from everyone in the Imperial Navy when it was simply that the speed of the Gra Valkas Empire fleet was far faster than what their enemies could achieve. In exchange, enemy wyverns intermittently flew towards their direction, getting caught in the empire’s anti-air defense web and are shot down one after the other.
“This march is nothing but superb. Looking at this massive fleet, I’m sure there isn’t a single person alive in this world that won’t be afraid of this.”
“Indeed. Our staggering numbers will crush any clever move the enemy could pull.”
“R-reporting in!!!”
A comms officer cuts in between the commander and the captain. The comms officer’s face showed signs of bewilderment. The commander and captain felt a bit nervous at the report which seemed to be grave enough to be worth interrupting them.
“What’s wrong?”
“We have received a warning from the radio saying: This is a warning from Japan. Turn back now or we will attack. The warning repeated 5 times.”
“Hoh! I’m sure they understand that sending out a radio message will give off their location. They must be stupid, if not cocky! Have you determined their location?”
“We… don’t know that yet.”
The comms officer felt embarrassed.
“Huh??? Why don’t you know yet?!”
“Their position… changed 5 times with each location being extremely far from the others. We calculated one of the positions where the message came from to be within our fleet. We are currently doing our utmost best to discern where the message originated from but the strength of the radio waves doesn’t match the positions.”
“Maybe they have multiple sources. Still… One of them is within our fleet?! Did a submarine get past us?!”
Resspot raises the question.
“It is different from the type of frequency a submarine emits. We have concluded that the possibility of it being in the ocean is low…”
Mirkenses opens her eyes.
“Save the link up for later! There’s a very high chance that they sent out a wired beacon to transmit radio messages from underwater! Send aircraft to the far away sources and a destroyer to drop depth charges near the source inside the fleet!!!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Orders were promptly issued.
・・・
The empress Mirkenses glared at the ocean from the bridge of the flagship Valcer.
“Have you not found the enemy yet?!”
“Not yet, ma’am! We are searching over the areas where the sources are thought to be but we have not yet found any enemies! In addition, we looked for enemy submarines and dropped depth charges just in case at the source within the fleet but we still haven’t found any enemies!”
“Where the hell are they broadcasting from…”
Sweat formed on Mirkenses’s forehead. There are 5 points of origin and all are far away from one another. Furthermore, one of them is located within the fleet itself… Nothing comes to mind other than a submarine source.
“No… From above?!… Wait, even if they were that high, we’d notice on our radar…”
The main ships are equipped with anti-aircraft radar. None of those ships have reported any signs of enemy aircraft. The possibility of all these ships experiencing a malfunction is infinitesimally small.
The Gra Valkas Imperial Navy was greatly confused by the warning issued by Japanese satellites in orbit.
・・・
Underwater, about 130km east of the Gra Valkas Empire 2nd Advance Fleet
650m below the ocean surface silently advanced a black, cigar-shaped object. It was in a region that was far deeper than the maximum depth that the Gra Valkas Empire submarines could submerge to; a region where light almost never reaches. It was the Ōryū, the 11th Sōryū class submarine of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force. It was Japan’s most advanced submarine and the first submarine in the JMSDF to be fitted with air independent propulsion (AIP), allowing it to stay out at sea for longer periods of time. Its hull is coated with sound-absorbent materials, making the submarine extremely difficult to detect using sonar.
“Captain! The imperial fleet will soon be within range! What an impressive number of ships they have over there!”
It was a massive fleet which surpassed 400 ships. They boasted a combat power similar to those in the Second World War. In the face of overwhelming numbers, the crew of the Ōryū naturally felt tense. Their plan is to cause confusion with the initial stage entrusted to the submarines. The first one to launch the attack will be them. The silent interior of the submarine further added to the tension. They were soon about to enter the 110km radius of the fleet.
The captain closes his eyes.
In a single word from him, hundreds of people with whom he bore no grudge will die. However, if they don’t attack them now, thousands of Japanese people will be killed. As a member of the SDF, he understood that there was no other way, but he still didn’t want to kill anyone. Even though it was for the country and for the people, he still didn’t want to do it.
However, if he doesn’t get rid of his self-indulgent thoughts, the enemy will push forward to Tokyo, where his family and the families of his other comrades live. He was convinced that he mustn’t be merciful to anyone who dared point a sword on his family.
The captain opens his eyes.
“Commence attack!!! Let us sink as many enemies as we can!!!”
The Sōryū class submarine, Ōryū, of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force turns its blade against the invading Gra Valkas Empire fleet. The curtain opens on what will later be known in history as the turning point in the war.
・・・
Flagship Quasar, 2nd Advance Fleet, Gra Valkas Empire
“Have you not found the sources yet?!”
The 2nd Advance Fleet was travelling ahead of the 1st Advance Fleet commanded by Mirkenses. Commander Aurones was at his limit at their inability to pinpoint the location from where the warning was issued.
“What the hell is going on?! Why can’t we find them?!”
Several hours had already passed since they detected the warning. Aurones unleashed his irritation at the possibility of an incoming attack and the yet to be found enemy to the vice commander of the 2nd Advance Fleet.
“We are already searching for the enemy in force yet we still haven’t found them. How the hell are they able to broadcast those warnings…”
“Navy Headquarters had pointed out the possibility that Japan is strong. There’s even the exaggerated possibility that they possess stuff like guided munitions which sound fraudulent to me. Instead, they pointed out that it was extremely possible that they are equipped with pinpoint accurate large caliber guns that can engage aircraft as well.”
“It’s all because the Home Fleet that was sent to Otaheit had been wiped out… Although the attack force that was sent was puny, the fact that they possess pinpoint accurate large caliber guns is a big threat.”
The Imperial Navy Headquarters had told its officers of the possibility that Japan may be powerful. They’ve also pointed out that this may have been due to fraudulent information. To the officers who have accumulated experience from successive victories, the information that was given to them was too unbelievable.
However, the eeriness of the mystery warning and the fact that they haven’t been able to find any enemies irritates them.
“Once the enemy shows up this great fleet will stomp the living hell out of them!!! I heard that the entirety of their fleet is far smaller than even our Advance Fleets! The power of imperial guns and speed given by imperial engines have already reached the logical point where they cannot be made any more stronger! Even if their ships boast somewhat good performance and a high hit rate, we will simply overwhelm them with our superior numbers!!!”
“I agree. The enemy force is significantly puny. Not only that, but the empire’s guns are confirmed to be far larger than theirs. There simply doesn’t exist any edge that the barbarians of this new world have against the empire. Even if they were to be pinpoint accurate, they’re just no match for us.”
The vice commander also laughed off the information given to them by the Imperial Navy Headquarters.
“Still… It’s been too quiet…”
No matter where he looked, everything was serene. The sight of the Gra Valkas Empire fleet was awe-inspiring. It gave off a dignified aura that sufficiently gave them the confidence to believe that they’d be victorious over anyone. Aurones crushed his instincts with the reasoning that he may have just been overthinking.
“Hm?”
He felt that something was off.
“We spotted something on the radar!!! Distance-“
The person manning the radar reported in a loud voice. Almost immediately after he started reporting, a destroyer that was travelling ahead of them was suddenly engulfed by a shockwave. In the following moment, the destroyer was swallowed by flames.
Kaboom!!!
After a delay, they heard the reverberating sound of an explosion.
“What the?! What the fuck happened?!”
The Gra Valkas Empire 2nd Advance Fleet, which had been taking its time advancing, was suddenly enveloped by tension.
“Destroyer Itoqua has been hit!!!”
“Tsk!!! That was so powerful!!!”
The massive explosion which easily engulfed the destroyer Itoqua was far more powerful than any explosion the main batteries of a battleship could produce. They had never seen anything like it. A dreadful chill ran across the battlefield.
Scrubbing his eyes, he looked at the direction of the explosion. A cloud of black smoke slowly rose before it revealed only the violent waves of the ocean. There was nothing left of the Itoqua floating.
“Itoqua sunk with all hands!!!”
“What the fuck happened just now?! Was it a mine?!”
“No. The explosion happened on top of the Itoqua. It’s neither a mine nor a torpedo.”
“Then what was that just now?! It only took a single hit… Haven’t we been able to detect anything?!”
“Immediately after a faint point of light emerged near the fleet on the radar, the explosion happened!”
A Harpoon anti-ship guided missile launched from the submarine Ōryū changes into turbojet flight after being propelled by a rocket booster for 7 seconds. Skimming the ocean surface at Mach 0.85, it is difficult to be detected by radar. Once it neared the enemy fleet, it suddenly climbed and dove back, piercing the Gra Valkas Empire destroyer from a diagonal angle. The missile then unleashed its destructive power, creating a massive fireball. The air on the edge of the explosive pressure is accelerated to beyond the speed of sound, producing a shockwave. The explosion expanded outward from within the destroyer, engulfing it in the fireball and manifesting over the ocean surface.
“Battle stations!!! It’s an enemy attack!!! Intercept them at all costs!!!”
They couldn’t comprehend whether it was an enemy attack. However, Aurones came to the conclusion that they were receiving attacks from somewhere up in the sky. Orders were promptly issued. Buzzers rang out within the ship, increasing tensions further. The crewmen on break were also hurriedly rushing to their stations. The aircraft carrier with them accelerated and began launching fighters one after another as the fighters which were already patrolling above them further expanded their search area.
“Where the hell are they attacking from?!”
There were no visible enemies in the sky. There weren’t any ships or objects on the ocean surface going against them and they weren’t able to find anything down below either.
“Incoming report from Squadron 31!!! They spotted a low flying object approaching from the fleet’s 2 o’clock about 30km from here! Visually, the object was travelling at about 1000km/h and they were not able to intercept it!”
“1-1000km/h?! Not even our fighters can catch up to that… No! All ships, prepare for anti-air combat!!! Shoot it down at all costs!!! Fire at will!!!”
30km is terrifyingly close. Travelling at 1000km/h, the object will soon emerge in the skies over the fleet in about 100 seconds. Still, they have time to prepare in those 100 seconds. Having also pinpointed its direction and distance, the possibility that they could intercept it increased.
Ships travelling at the front of the fleet began firing their anti-aircraft guns. Tracers fill the sky like a rain of light. As the target suddenly climbed in altitude, the rain of light launched from dozens of ships followed the target as the anti-aircraft guns turned to the sky from the horizon.
“Is that it?!”
He could see a long, slender object flying at ultra high speeds. Up to that point, they hadn’t been able to verify what had been attacking them but now that they had, every other ship that hadn’t been able to attack joined in the fray. Even more tracers were launched up into the sky. A single hit means the end for a destroyer. Every single crewman that manned an anti-aircraft gun desperately tried to shoot it down as they were overcome by fear.
The battlefield was drowned out by ear-piercing sounds of anti-aircraft gunfire. The thousands of bullets of light launched into the air hauntingly paint the blue sky.
“Shoot it down!!!!!”
Aurones looked up at the weapon that had come out of nowhere and shouted at it.
However, a miracle happened. One of the shots fired by the anti-aircraft guns on the flagship Quasar managed to get close to the Harpoon missile. The proximity fuze designed and manufactured by the empire worked perfectly, exploding midair and catching the Harpoon by its tail.
“Fuck yeah! We got it!!!”
Aurones clenched his fists. The missile, which lost its altitude control, slowly spiralled out of the air and fell into the ocean. Upon colliding with the ocean surface, the anti-ship guided missile exploded, throwing a huge column of water outwards.
“Woah!!!”
Shouts of joy and exhilaration.
“See that?! That was the power of the empire!!!”
“Not even those bastards could get past the empire’s impenetrable anti-air defenses!!!”
The soldiers, which had been temporarily freed from their terror, started shouting words of vigor. The flagship Quasar was similarly enveloped in cheers of triumph. In the midst of the atmosphere of relief, commander Aurones sweated profusely.
“XO… Order everyone to quickly find the source of that thing… This is bad!…”
“I have already ordered them to find where that thing had been launched from. It didn’t show up on any of our anti-aircraft radars and there were no ships in sight when we were attacked. I could only think that either it was launched from a ridiculously far point or that it was launched from a submarine. Still… This is bad!… you say?”
“That thing… It was able to sink a destroyer in a single hit and it was also terrifyingly difficult to detect. It was able to climb upwards to strike from above. In other words, it means that it was flying very close to the surface of the ocean. Anything that flies that close to the ocean would naturally be hard to detect via radar.
And then… that thing headed for the ship as if it were clinging to it. What a terribly accurate attack… Navy Headquarters’ fears turned out to be true in the worst possible way. If those things could attack at night…”
“It’s certainly bad. Still, we’ve just seen it for ourselves that if we are able to see them coming, our anti-air defense network is good enough to block those things.”
“Yeah but…”
“Report!!! Incoming message from our patrols!!! 2 of those flying objects are coming in from 7 o’clock, 3 from 9 o’clock, 2 from 12 o’clock, 1 from 2 o’clock, 3 from 5 o’clock!!! We are still confirming their distance since there’s radio interference!!!”
The report came in like a scream. The mood on the bridge suddenly changed.
“W-what?!”
11 more of those things are headed for the fleet.
“Intercept them! Intercept them!!!”
Aurones’s voice cracked. He couldn’t help himself peeking at the radar screen. Faint dots of light surrounded the imperial fleet.
A horrible chill ran down Aurones’s spine.
Previous Chapter: March of the Overlord 1
The ocean south of the Rodenius continent
Not a single cloud obscured the great sky. The grand, blue heavens unfurled toward every single corner and the waves across the ocean gently rocked back and forth. Seabirds leisurely floated on the ocean surface. The serene and heavenly landscape suddenly changed as those people arrived.
Parting the waves, a powerful, strong iron ship advanced through the ocean. Great, steel birds appeared over the skies as if to watch over the ships that travelled below them, letting out an unsettling sound as they cut through the skies. The iron ships that first appeared were immediately followed by other iron ships, swelling into a massive fleet. The great mass of ships moved from west to east with the goal of linking up with another fleet coming in from the southwest.
Completing their resupply in the Qaiz Kingdom, the 1st Advance Fleet and the 2nd Advance Fleet that was coming from the Groot Knightland are about to converge in this area. In total, they numbered 440…
Mirkenses, commander of the Gra Valkas Empire 1st Advance Fleet, was looking out into the ocean from the bridge of the flagship, the superdreadnought Valcer. The empress Mirkenses, who possessed enough power to be considered one of the Three Great Generals, looked young for her age and possessed countless fans that adore her from her shadow.
“Commander! We will soon be making contact with the 2nd Advance Fleet. We have also received a letter of greeting from the 2nd Advance Fleet commander.”
Once the 1st and 2nd Advance Fleets link up, they will advance as the 2nd Fleet. Converging with a sufficient combat force of 210 ships, their duty is to pave the way for the other fleets as they reach Japan’s foremost bases. After the link up, Mirkenses will serve as fleet commander while the commander of the 2nd Advance Fleet, Aurones, will become vice-commander.
“Whew…”
She lets out a weak sigh.
“Still… What could go wrong… Our fleet is immense, after all…”
Battleships and cruisers which specialize in anti-air warfare surround the flagship Valcer in an ellipse as the rest of the fleet fill the entirety of the ocean up to the horizon. Close to the flagship is one of the empire’s proud, massive aircraft carriers, advancing triumphantly with the rest of the fleet. The sight of over 200 massive ships is indeed overwhelming.
“Commander! We have received a message from the fighter patrol squadrons in the outer edges. They have sighted 40 wyverns heading for the fleet 300km south of here and have shot them all down. We lost no aircraft and all fighters have not suffered a single hit.”
Resspot, captain of the battleship Valcer, reported to commander Mirkenses.
“Hmph. What a waste of ammo.”
Mirkenses muttered with an uninterested look.
“Good grief. The barbarians of this world simply don’t understand the disparity in power between us and them. Since they also don’t possess the ability to attack at night, they simply just don’t pose any threat. This is nothing but a waste of our ammo and skill… If anything, our number one threat is the lack of rest… Looking at our situation from here in the flagship, I intend to relax our posture depending on what other surprises the enemy has for us.”
Following their departure from the Qaiz Kingdom, the attacks from sailing ships have stopped entirely. The rate of enemy attacks fell below their initial expectations, earning suspicion from everyone in the Imperial Navy when it was simply that the speed of the Gra Valkas Empire fleet was far faster than what their enemies could achieve. In exchange, enemy wyverns intermittently flew towards their direction, getting caught in the empire’s anti-air defense web and are shot down one after the other.
“This march is nothing but superb. Looking at this massive fleet, I’m sure there isn’t a single person alive in this world that won’t be afraid of this.”
“Indeed. Our staggering numbers will crush any clever move the enemy could pull.”
“R-reporting in!!!”
A comms officer cuts in between the commander and the captain. The comms officer’s face showed signs of bewilderment. The commander and captain felt a bit nervous at the report which seemed to be grave enough to be worth interrupting them.
“What’s wrong?”
“We have received a warning from the radio saying: This is a warning from Japan. Turn back now or we will attack. The warning repeated 5 times.”
“Hoh! I’m sure they understand that sending out a radio message will give off their location. They must be stupid, if not cocky! Have you determined their location?”
“We… don’t know that yet.”
The comms officer felt embarrassed.
“Huh??? Why don’t you know yet?!”
“Their position… changed 5 times with each location being extremely far from the others. We calculated one of the positions where the message came from to be within our fleet. We are currently doing our utmost best to discern where the message originated from but the strength of the radio waves doesn’t match the positions.”
“Maybe they have multiple sources. Still… One of them is within our fleet?! Did a submarine get past us?!”
Resspot raises the question.
“It is different from the type of frequency a submarine emits. We have concluded that the possibility of it being in the ocean is low…”
Mirkenses opens her eyes.
“Save the link up for later! There’s a very high chance that they sent out a wired beacon to transmit radio messages from underwater! Send aircraft to the far away sources and a destroyer to drop depth charges near the source inside the fleet!!!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Orders were promptly issued.
・・・
The empress Mirkenses glared at the ocean from the bridge of the flagship Valcer.
“Have you not found the enemy yet?!”
“Not yet, ma’am! We are searching over the areas where the sources are thought to be but we have not yet found any enemies! In addition, we looked for enemy submarines and dropped depth charges just in case at the source within the fleet but we still haven’t found any enemies!”
“Where the hell are they broadcasting from…”
Sweat formed on Mirkenses’s forehead. There are 5 points of origin and all are far away from one another. Furthermore, one of them is located within the fleet itself… Nothing comes to mind other than a submarine source.
“No… From above?!… Wait, even if they were that high, we’d notice on our radar…”
The main ships are equipped with anti-aircraft radar. None of those ships have reported any signs of enemy aircraft. The possibility of all these ships experiencing a malfunction is infinitesimally small.
The Gra Valkas Imperial Navy was greatly confused by the warning issued by Japanese satellites in orbit.
・・・
Underwater, about 130km east of the Gra Valkas Empire 2nd Advance Fleet
650m below the ocean surface silently advanced a black, cigar-shaped object. It was in a region that was far deeper than the maximum depth that the Gra Valkas Empire submarines could submerge to; a region where light almost never reaches. It was the Ōryū, the 11th Sōryū class submarine of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force. It was Japan’s most advanced submarine and the first submarine in the JMSDF to be fitted with air independent propulsion (AIP), allowing it to stay out at sea for longer periods of time. Its hull is coated with sound-absorbent materials, making the submarine extremely difficult to detect using sonar.
“Captain! The imperial fleet will soon be within range! What an impressive number of ships they have over there!”
It was a massive fleet which surpassed 400 ships. They boasted a combat power similar to those in the Second World War. In the face of overwhelming numbers, the crew of the Ōryū naturally felt tense. Their plan is to cause confusion with the initial stage entrusted to the submarines. The first one to launch the attack will be them. The silent interior of the submarine further added to the tension. They were soon about to enter the 110km radius of the fleet.
The captain closes his eyes.
In a single word from him, hundreds of people with whom he bore no grudge will die. However, if they don’t attack them now, thousands of Japanese people will be killed. As a member of the SDF, he understood that there was no other way, but he still didn’t want to kill anyone. Even though it was for the country and for the people, he still didn’t want to do it.
However, if he doesn’t get rid of his self-indulgent thoughts, the enemy will push forward to Tokyo, where his family and the families of his other comrades live. He was convinced that he mustn’t be merciful to anyone who dared point a sword on his family.
The captain opens his eyes.
“Commence attack!!! Let us sink as many enemies as we can!!!”
The Sōryū class submarine, Ōryū, of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force turns its blade against the invading Gra Valkas Empire fleet. The curtain opens on what will later be known in history as the turning point in the war.
・・・
Flagship Quasar, 2nd Advance Fleet, Gra Valkas Empire
“Have you not found the sources yet?!”
The 2nd Advance Fleet was travelling ahead of the 1st Advance Fleet commanded by Mirkenses. Commander Aurones was at his limit at their inability to pinpoint the location from where the warning was issued.
“What the hell is going on?! Why can’t we find them?!”
Several hours had already passed since they detected the warning. Aurones unleashed his irritation at the possibility of an incoming attack and the yet to be found enemy to the vice commander of the 2nd Advance Fleet.
“We are already searching for the enemy in force yet we still haven’t found them. How the hell are they able to broadcast those warnings…”
“Navy Headquarters had pointed out the possibility that Japan is strong. There’s even the exaggerated possibility that they possess stuff like guided munitions which sound fraudulent to me. Instead, they pointed out that it was extremely possible that they are equipped with pinpoint accurate large caliber guns that can engage aircraft as well.”
“It’s all because the Home Fleet that was sent to Otaheit had been wiped out… Although the attack force that was sent was puny, the fact that they possess pinpoint accurate large caliber guns is a big threat.”
The Imperial Navy Headquarters had told its officers of the possibility that Japan may be powerful. They’ve also pointed out that this may have been due to fraudulent information. To the officers who have accumulated experience from successive victories, the information that was given to them was too unbelievable.
However, the eeriness of the mystery warning and the fact that they haven’t been able to find any enemies irritates them.
“Once the enemy shows up this great fleet will stomp the living hell out of them!!! I heard that the entirety of their fleet is far smaller than even our Advance Fleets! The power of imperial guns and speed given by imperial engines have already reached the logical point where they cannot be made any more stronger! Even if their ships boast somewhat good performance and a high hit rate, we will simply overwhelm them with our superior numbers!!!”
“I agree. The enemy force is significantly puny. Not only that, but the empire’s guns are confirmed to be far larger than theirs. There simply doesn’t exist any edge that the barbarians of this new world have against the empire. Even if they were to be pinpoint accurate, they’re just no match for us.”
The vice commander also laughed off the information given to them by the Imperial Navy Headquarters.
“Still… It’s been too quiet…”
No matter where he looked, everything was serene. The sight of the Gra Valkas Empire fleet was awe-inspiring. It gave off a dignified aura that sufficiently gave them the confidence to believe that they’d be victorious over anyone. Aurones crushed his instincts with the reasoning that he may have just been overthinking.
“Hm?”
He felt that something was off.
“We spotted something on the radar!!! Distance-“
The person manning the radar reported in a loud voice. Almost immediately after he started reporting, a destroyer that was travelling ahead of them was suddenly engulfed by a shockwave. In the following moment, the destroyer was swallowed by flames.
Kaboom!!!
After a delay, they heard the reverberating sound of an explosion.
“What the?! What the fuck happened?!”
The Gra Valkas Empire 2nd Advance Fleet, which had been taking its time advancing, was suddenly enveloped by tension.
“Destroyer Itoqua has been hit!!!”
“Tsk!!! That was so powerful!!!”
The massive explosion which easily engulfed the destroyer Itoqua was far more powerful than any explosion the main batteries of a battleship could produce. They had never seen anything like it. A dreadful chill ran across the battlefield.
Scrubbing his eyes, he looked at the direction of the explosion. A cloud of black smoke slowly rose before it revealed only the violent waves of the ocean. There was nothing left of the Itoqua floating.
“Itoqua sunk with all hands!!!”
“What the fuck happened just now?! Was it a mine?!”
“No. The explosion happened on top of the Itoqua. It’s neither a mine nor a torpedo.”
“Then what was that just now?! It only took a single hit… Haven’t we been able to detect anything?!”
“Immediately after a faint point of light emerged near the fleet on the radar, the explosion happened!”
A Harpoon anti-ship guided missile launched from the submarine Ōryū changes into turbojet flight after being propelled by a rocket booster for 7 seconds. Skimming the ocean surface at Mach 0.85, it is difficult to be detected by radar. Once it neared the enemy fleet, it suddenly climbed and dove back, piercing the Gra Valkas Empire destroyer from a diagonal angle. The missile then unleashed its destructive power, creating a massive fireball. The air on the edge of the explosive pressure is accelerated to beyond the speed of sound, producing a shockwave. The explosion expanded outward from within the destroyer, engulfing it in the fireball and manifesting over the ocean surface.
“Battle stations!!! It’s an enemy attack!!! Intercept them at all costs!!!”
They couldn’t comprehend whether it was an enemy attack. However, Aurones came to the conclusion that they were receiving attacks from somewhere up in the sky. Orders were promptly issued. Buzzers rang out within the ship, increasing tensions further. The crewmen on break were also hurriedly rushing to their stations. The aircraft carrier with them accelerated and began launching fighters one after another as the fighters which were already patrolling above them further expanded their search area.
“Where the hell are they attacking from?!”
There were no visible enemies in the sky. There weren’t any ships or objects on the ocean surface going against them and they weren’t able to find anything down below either.
“Incoming report from Squadron 31!!! They spotted a low flying object approaching from the fleet’s 2 o’clock about 30km from here! Visually, the object was travelling at about 1000km/h and they were not able to intercept it!”
“1-1000km/h?! Not even our fighters can catch up to that… No! All ships, prepare for anti-air combat!!! Shoot it down at all costs!!! Fire at will!!!”
30km is terrifyingly close. Travelling at 1000km/h, the object will soon emerge in the skies over the fleet in about 100 seconds. Still, they have time to prepare in those 100 seconds. Having also pinpointed its direction and distance, the possibility that they could intercept it increased.
Ships travelling at the front of the fleet began firing their anti-aircraft guns. Tracers fill the sky like a rain of light. As the target suddenly climbed in altitude, the rain of light launched from dozens of ships followed the target as the anti-aircraft guns turned to the sky from the horizon.
“Is that it?!”
He could see a long, slender object flying at ultra high speeds. Up to that point, they hadn’t been able to verify what had been attacking them but now that they had, every other ship that hadn’t been able to attack joined in the fray. Even more tracers were launched up into the sky. A single hit means the end for a destroyer. Every single crewman that manned an anti-aircraft gun desperately tried to shoot it down as they were overcome by fear.
The battlefield was drowned out by ear-piercing sounds of anti-aircraft gunfire. The thousands of bullets of light launched into the air hauntingly paint the blue sky.
“Shoot it down!!!!!”
Aurones looked up at the weapon that had come out of nowhere and shouted at it.
However, a miracle happened. One of the shots fired by the anti-aircraft guns on the flagship Quasar managed to get close to the Harpoon missile. The proximity fuze designed and manufactured by the empire worked perfectly, exploding midair and catching the Harpoon by its tail.
“Fuck yeah! We got it!!!”
Aurones clenched his fists. The missile, which lost its altitude control, slowly spiralled out of the air and fell into the ocean. Upon colliding with the ocean surface, the anti-ship guided missile exploded, throwing a huge column of water outwards.
“Woah!!!”
Shouts of joy and exhilaration.
“See that?! That was the power of the empire!!!”
“Not even those bastards could get past the empire’s impenetrable anti-air defenses!!!”
The soldiers, which had been temporarily freed from their terror, started shouting words of vigor. The flagship Quasar was similarly enveloped in cheers of triumph. In the midst of the atmosphere of relief, commander Aurones sweated profusely.
“XO… Order everyone to quickly find the source of that thing… This is bad!…”
“I have already ordered them to find where that thing had been launched from. It didn’t show up on any of our anti-aircraft radars and there were no ships in sight when we were attacked. I could only think that either it was launched from a ridiculously far point or that it was launched from a submarine. Still… This is bad!… you say?”
“That thing… It was able to sink a destroyer in a single hit and it was also terrifyingly difficult to detect. It was able to climb upwards to strike from above. In other words, it means that it was flying very close to the surface of the ocean. Anything that flies that close to the ocean would naturally be hard to detect via radar.
And then… that thing headed for the ship as if it were clinging to it. What a terribly accurate attack… Navy Headquarters’ fears turned out to be true in the worst possible way. If those things could attack at night…”
“It’s certainly bad. Still, we’ve just seen it for ourselves that if we are able to see them coming, our anti-air defense network is good enough to block those things.”
“Yeah but…”
“Report!!! Incoming message from our patrols!!! 2 of those flying objects are coming in from 7 o’clock, 3 from 9 o’clock, 2 from 12 o’clock, 1 from 2 o’clock, 3 from 5 o’clock!!! We are still confirming their distance since there’s radio interference!!!”
The report came in like a scream. The mood on the bridge suddenly changed.
“W-what?!”
11 more of those things are headed for the fleet.
“Intercept them! Intercept them!!!”
Aurones’s voice cracked. He couldn’t help himself peeking at the radar screen. Faint dots of light surrounded the imperial fleet.
A horrible chill ran down Aurones’s spine.
