Previous Chapter: March of the Overlord 2
“Fire fire fire fire fire fire fire!!!!”
Ratatatatatatatatatatat
Gunfire reverberated across the surface of the ocean. The gunfire from more than 200 ships drowned out any other noise. Captain Parbolt of the cruiser Terra Valka glared at their target. One of these things landed a hit on the fleet earlier but they were also able to catch another one with their powerful anti-air defense network. In other words, they were able to prove that the enemy’s attacks could be blocked.
“The enemy attack comes in the form of a rocket munition! Set your sights on those rockets and shoot them down!!! Engine, full speed!!! Conduct evasive maneuvers as we fire!!!”
Parbolt thought that the enemy attacked by knowing the exact coordinates of their target and sending a rocket which calculated a route to follow. The bullets of light launched from the other ships gave a confidence that the curtain of fire would bring down the incoming attack. Their target began to climb.
“Fire fire fire!!! Just aim for it and it’ll be hit!!! Quickly!!! Shoot it down!!!”
Once the rocket had risen, it slowly turned its head towards them. They understood that the dot-looking object was heading straight for their ship. A chill ran down Parbolt’s spine.
“Shoot it down now!!!”
The ship’s movements felt horrendously slow. It was frustrating. What was also frustrating was that the rocket matched its direction to the heading of the ship, showing no signs that it would miss.
“Here it comes!!!”
Someone shrieked.
“Shoot it down!!! Shoot it-”
They were able to shoot it down a while ago. It should have been brought down by the empire’s impenetrable anti-air defense network. However, it showed no signs of being hit by their shots as the rocket mercilessly closed the distance.
“Aghhhh!!!”
The anti-ship guided missile flew straight towards the ship, hitting its bridge and unleashing its explosive power. The blast spread through the weaker sections of the structure, emerging as a massive explosion. The upper part of the superstructure was blown away by the intense blast.
Captain Parbolt departed this world with the flash of light.
・・・
Flagship Quasar
Tragedy unfolds before commander Aurones’s eyes. The enemy attacks easily slipped past their overwhelming rain of anti-aircraft gunfire as they landed on their targets one after the other. Their explosive power was staggering, manifesting as multiple fireballs that could seem to dwarf a cruiser.
“Cruiser Terra Valka sustained serious damage!!!”
“Destroyer Carron sank!!!”
Reports continue to come in mercilessly.
“Grrr!!!”
An anti-ship guided missile struck the aircraft carrier Cerberus running along the right side of the flagship Quasar, unleashing a blinding light. All the bombers and torpedo bombers that were waiting on the deck to take off were all blown away by the explosion as the bombs and torpedoes they carried were caught in the blast. A massive, simultaneous explosion erupted on the deck as seawater continued to flood the ship interior. The ship’s bow rapidly rose as the ship itself seemingly stood on the ocean surface. As Cerberus continued to sink, it dragged the seawater around it down, resulting in strong ocean currents forming around the ship.
“Ahhhhh!!!!!”
“Arghhh!!! Save us!!!”
The screams of crewmen getting pulled by the ocean currents were heard all the way to the interior of other ships. Aurones’s chest tightened.
“Damage report!!!”
The ships that were hit rapidly lost speed as they fell behind the rest of the fleet as it marched. Aurones’s mental stability felt like collapsing due to the unprecedented, one-sided attack.
“The enemy launched 11 rockets, hitting 11 ships. 7 were sunk and 3 were seriously damaged and rendered inoperable. The battleship Ante was hit, but it only received moderate damage and is still combat worthy.”
“All shots hit?! We weren’t able to stop all of them… Fuck!!!”
“However, we have learned that the enemy cannot sink a battleship with their attacks.”
He didn’t listen to the vice-commander’s statement. Unable to find a vent for his outrage and dread, he punches the wall of the ship with force.
The empire’s anti-air defense network was easily breached. Adding insult to injury, tragedy struck in front of hundreds of onlookers as an aircraft carrier was helplessly sunk by a single rocket. It wasn’t just the commander who shuddered in fear. Every single soldier that saw it happened couldn’t stop shaking.
“Have we still not determined where they have launched from?”
“Not yet!!!”
“Grr… Find them now!!!”
Aurones tried to squeeze out his voice. For now, the enemy attacks have ceased.
・・・
Getting hit by only a single shot will result in near-certain death. The empire’s impenetrable anti-air defense network is useless. The crew of every single ship understood these realities as dread continued to propagate.
“Have 2 destroyers rescue the survivors!!! As for the rest of the fleet, find the enemy’s positions now!!!”
“Affirmative!!!”
They will be rescuing the survivors of the previous attacks. Aurones continued to promptly issue orders.
“XO! Considering the scale of our fleet, we can consider that we haven’t received that much damage. Once we pinpoint the enemy’s launch positions, we should be able to destroy them… right?”
“Of course. Let’s eradicate these lowlifes who dare make a fool of the empire!!!”
“Reporting in!!!”
The comms officer shouts. Tension runs through the bridge once more.
“1 rocket at 3 o’clock!!! Enemy attack incoming!!!”
“Tsk!!! Intercept them!!! Intercept them at all costs!!!”
A rain of anti-aircraft gunfire emerged from the fleet once more. Still, they were not able to land a single blow and another ship has sunk. After a certain amount of time, another missile came, landed, and sank another ship. The fleet once again shuddered in terror.
・・・
Submarine Ōryū
At a depth of 500m, unreachable by the submarines of the Gra Valkas Empire, silently lurked the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force’s latest submarine.
“Captain. It seems that our allied submarines have met expectations with their attacks.”
The other submarines that lurked in the same area were gradually participating in the attack against the enemy fleet. Setting an interval between launches that each landed on their targets, the morale of the enemy crumbled and the fleet was thrown into disarray.
“We were able to enter torpedo range faster than I thought.”
Since the Ōryū lay on the trajectory of the enemy fleet as they both advanced against each other, they were able to get closer to the fleet far earlier than anticipated.
“Target has entered torpedo range.”
A quiet report was made inside the silent interior of the submarine.
“Alright. Attack the enemy large aircraft carrier. Ready the Type 89 torpedoes! We will be launching 2!”
“Type 89 torpedoes are ready to launch!”
Preparations to launch the torpedoes were swiftly completed.
“Launch!”
Faint, subtle sounds echoed across the silent submarine interior. After a short delay, the second torpedo was launched.
“Next! Target enemy battleship! Ready 2 Type 89 torpedoes! As soon as you’re done, launch!”
“Affirmative!”
The submarine Ōryū fired a total of 4 torpedoes. Unbeknownst to the Gra Valkas Empire, a deep-sea monster commenced its attack as it moved to take down more prey.
・・・
2nd Advance Fleet, Gra Valkas Empire
The sun now tilted at an acute angle, dying the sky red. Just before the sun set, commander Aurones on board the flagship Quasar was about to lose it. The enemy attacked with a single rocket at set intervals. They poured all that they could into shooting them down with their anti-aircraft guns but the rockets all flawlessly found their targets, bringing down with them an entire ship. Having yet to ascertain their launch positions, they do not know where they were being attacked from.
Even after several hours of being picked off one by one, the enemy attacks showed no signs of stopping. With the sudden death of hundreds of their comrades, they were overcome by the fear that death might come for them at any moment. After several hours of tension, the soldiers’ spirits plummeted as their morale equivalently sunk.
“It will soon be sunset, huh. The enemy guided rockets may not be able to attack without light.”
“I sure hope they don’t have the ability to attack at night.”
“Still… I wonder why we haven’t been able to determine their location.”
“I don’t get it either. They may be coming from submarines but if they were, then the sound of their engines should be heard underwater. The amount of noise coming from our fleet should muffle them out but with the attacks that have occurred so far point to a large enemy presence. There’s no way our destroyers shouldn’t be able to pick them up.”
“Then how?!”
Their inquiries continue.
The crewmen monitored the radar screens to their fullest. Since the enemy rockets flew very close to the ocean surface, the planet’s curvature interferes with their detection, making them difficult to catch with radar. Patrols constantly monitor from above, but since the rockets were painted to blend with the sea, they too have a hard time spotting them. Everyone conducted their duties with full concentration.
A faint dot of light appeared.
“Incoming attack at 2 o’clock!!! Distance, 35km!!!”
The destroyers on the outer edges of the fleet began to fire their anti-aircraft guns.
“Shit!!! Here they come again!!!”
The enemy rocket closed the distance in the blink of an eye as it began to rise.
“That position… It’s aiming for the Hillo!!!”
Aurones glared at the rocket.
Dun…
“What the?!”
He felt a different, low register sound cut through his gut. Aurones looked towards the direction of what felt like an explosion. A massive column of water had emerged from the 2nd Advance Fleet’s largest aircraft carrier, the Capella. There was no explosion on its deck or superstructure as the huge column of water further rose up to eclipse the ship’s height.
“Capella was hit by a rocket!!! Wait, no! It appears that it was hit by a torpedo! The Capella sustained damage to its propellers and is losing speed!”
“Now it’s a torpedo! Shit, a torpedo swarm?! Tsk! There must be submarines inside the fleet!!! Find them!!!”
“Since the rocket attacks started, all destroyers have taken turns reducing their speed to 5 knots to send short signals to look for submarines. However, they still haven’t detected anything!”
“Ridiculous!!! The empire’s destroyer sonar can detect anything as far as 3km at 5 knots! Since we’re now being attacked by torpedoes, they should be within that range!!! No way… Are they using magic?!”
Aurones thought within the common sense of their weapons and the range of their own torpedoes. He has not come to the point that there may be torpedoes that can go further. While they were discussing, an anti-ship guided missile landed on the cruiser Hillo, engulfing it in flames.
This world contains something as nonsensical as magic. If they have something that prevents soundwaves from bouncing or something that absorbs it altogether, it will be truly nightmarish.
He was absorbed in his thoughts. However, reality never gave him the opportunity to ponder at his own pace. Another column of water emerged from the aircraft carrier Capella.
“Capella was struck again!!!”
A massive gaping hole opened up on the Capella‘s starboard. The Type 89 torpedoes’ destructive power surpassed the expectations of the Gra Valkas Empire, causing much more damage to the ship interior than the point of water insertion. A large amount of water rushed into the interior as the aircraft carrier tilted. The planes that were being prepared for takeoff slipped from the ship’s deck, falling into the ocean like toys. Since water was coming in from the starboard, they injected water into the port side as they desperately tried to save the ship’s balance. However, the amount of damage the torpedoes caused surpassed what they could do with damage control.
“Capella could no longer sustain her balance!!! She’s gonna capsize!!!”
“Bastards!!!!!!”
Aurones’s eyes were red from rage. The aircraft carrier turned on its underside in front of his eyes. The munitions stored within the carrier rolled out of their storage. One of the bombs explodes, triggering a cascading domino effect as other bombs ignite one after the other, unleashing their combined power throughout the ship. A gigantic explosion emerged from the underside of the capsized carrier, splitting the Capella into two as it sank, bringing with it the sailors that didn’t manage to get out.
“Aircraft carrier Capella… has been sunk!!!”
The bridge fell silent. The Gra Valkas Empire’s great fleet was sinking beneath the waves. A feeling of helplessness hung in the air.
“How?!?! How have we still not found the submarines that are close enough to launch those torpedoes?!”
With a voice that felt forced, he struck upon an unfathomable dread.
“We don’t know… For them to be able to hit our aircraft carrier with torpedoes, they should be really close. It wouldn’t be strange to say they’re within visual range but we still haven’t found them.”
“Could those bastards’ submarines be made out of technologies unknown to the empire? Maybe they’re just extremely skilled…”
“Torpedoes detected!!! 2 torpedoes have been detected as they passed the destroyers on the outer edges!!! Distance, 12km!!! They’re heading straight for us at 2 o’clock!!!”
Tension ran through the bridge.
“Find out where they came from! Tell every ship of the torpedoes’ positions and commence evasive maneuvers!”
“Yes, sir!!!”
“We were able to detect them at 10km. We must assume there are more of them. They’re probably just shooting from a far position to deceive us so we won’t find other submarines. There should be submarines nearby. We must find them at all costs!!!”
When the Gra Valkas Empire conducts a torpedo attack, they do it at ranges of 5km to 25km. Since the torpedoes are unguided, they’re naturally expected not to hit as several torpedoes are needed to score a single hit. Furthermore, in the event that torpedoes are detected at more than 10km from the target, there was no way they were expected to hit.
The flagship Quasar slowly turned. It was at that moment when…
“Enemy torpedoes have changed their path!!! They’re now facing our direction!!! They’re gonna hit!!!”
“W-what?!”
As Aurones was disoriented by shock, the captain issued precise orders, resulting in the bow of the ship turning to another direction.
“Enemy torpedoes have changed their direction once more!!!”
A blade turned to face them. It was a foul, game-breaking weapon: a guided torpedo. The comms officer reported with a scream.
“F-f-fuck!!! The torpedoes are guided?!?!”
With the existence of guided rockets, it was no stretch to think that guided torpedoes also existed. However, to the men who are used to the old weapons, there was no way they could anticipate and fight such futuristic weapons.
“S-shit!!! We must inform the main fleet that the enemy possesses guided torpedoes!!! Comms officer, send a transmission to the fleet regarding the summary of what’s been happening!!!”
Reports are usually done after the outcome of the battle has been already decided to an extent but Aurones considered the gravity of reporting at this point in time.
“Yes, sir!!!”
The comms officer immediately tried to send a transmission to the main fleet but…
“Did they get it?!”
“No… I haven’t been able to get a response… Furthemore, I couldn’t seem to contact the other ships!!!”
“Reporting in!!! The radar screen has gone white! It’s out of service!”
An attack that cannot be prevented. Torpedoes that don’t seem to miss. In their current situation where their limbs have been bound, their radio and radar have been stripped from them, masking their eyes and mouth. Commander Aurones continued to tremble uncontrollably.
・・・
Mainland Defense Command
Two men were talking in the command room.
“It seems that our submarines have succeeded in delivering the first attacks.”
Mitsugi, a man with a slender build, says to his coworker.
“Indeed. They will now be moving to our next operation: a torrent of anti-ship guided missiles from a regiment of BP3-C bombers and F-2 fighters. How pitiful our enemies have become…”
“We were lucky that they split up into advance fleets and not a single force. Because of their strategy, we could procure more ammunition for our operations. A single BP3-C can carry 4 anti-ship guided missiles. 70 of them have been deployed to the Nahanath Kingdom and the Mu airfield in the western princely territories of Louria. Since we cannot have the P-1 deployed outside the mainland in the event something unexpected happens, it will just be these 70 BP3-Cs and 35 F-2s who will clean up this fleet.”
“Louria always seems to approve our requests for the use of their airfield.”
They have fought against the Louria Kingdom before but they were still far from a friendly country.
“That’s probably just because they feel the threat of the Gra Valkas Empire’s hegemony.”
“Yeah. Still… we will be launching more than 400 anti-ship guided missiles in one go, huh. It’s a really good thing that our factories are in full swing mass producing these missiles.”
“We owe it to the necessity of having the 200 or so enemy ships virtually annihilated by tomorrow morning. We also won’t be stopping there, too. Whew… It truly is a pity. However, we just can’t let them spill a single drop of Japanese blood.”
The battlefield continues to develop.
・・・
750km west of the Nahanath Kingdom
The sun has long set as the bright moon shone in the night sky. Some things were flying 100m above the surface of the ocean at the speed of sound. Their blue color allowed them to melt into the ocean, making them hard to see from above. The radar-absorbing paint on their wings make them difficult to catch on radar.
10 F-2 fighters of the Japan Air Self Defense Force flew through the night as each of them carried 4 anti-ship guided missiles. Their target: the Gra Valkas Empire fleet which advanced in front of them.
At the 11-country conference, they sank a patrol ship of the Coast Guard and publicly executed its crew. They have tried numerous times to commence dialogue with them but they didn’t relax their grip on their desire for invasion and have dispatched a large fleet to attack the Japanese mainland. Representing Japan’s will, the F-2 fighters are about to carry out not a psychological attack, but a critical damage blow by saturating their fleet with anti-ship guided missiles in a night operation.
Roughly 400km behind them, an E-767 airborne warning and control aircraft cruised through the sky, giving them precise orders.
“Commence attack!!! Commence attack!!!”
They heard the orders loud and clear. The pilots went on to fulfill their jobs precisely.
The fighters launched their 4 missiles one after another. The Type 93 air to ship guided missiles (ASM-2) launched from 10 F-2 fighters ignited their turbojet engines. 40 Type 93 air to ship guided missiles, each boasting a range of 170km, accelerated to around 1150km/h, carrying the payload that would eradicate the Gra Valkas Empire fleet.
Previous Chapter: March of the Overlord 2
“Fire fire fire fire fire fire fire!!!!”
Ratatatatatatatatatatat
Gunfire reverberated across the surface of the ocean. The gunfire from more than 200 ships drowned out any other noise. Captain Parbolt of the cruiser Terra Valka glared at their target. One of these things landed a hit on the fleet earlier but they were also able to catch another one with their powerful anti-air defense network. In other words, they were able to prove that the enemy’s attacks could be blocked.
“The enemy attack comes in the form of a rocket munition! Set your sights on those rockets and shoot them down!!! Engine, full speed!!! Conduct evasive maneuvers as we fire!!!”
Parbolt thought that the enemy attacked by knowing the exact coordinates of their target and sending a rocket which calculated a route to follow. The bullets of light launched from the other ships gave a confidence that the curtain of fire would bring down the incoming attack. Their target began to climb.
“Fire fire fire!!! Just aim for it and it’ll be hit!!! Quickly!!! Shoot it down!!!”
Once the rocket had risen, it slowly turned its head towards them. They understood that the dot-looking object was heading straight for their ship. A chill ran down Parbolt’s spine.
“Shoot it down now!!!”
The ship’s movements felt horrendously slow. It was frustrating. What was also frustrating was that the rocket matched its direction to the heading of the ship, showing no signs that it would miss.
“Here it comes!!!”
Someone shrieked.
“Shoot it down!!! Shoot it-”
They were able to shoot it down a while ago. It should have been brought down by the empire’s impenetrable anti-air defense network. However, it showed no signs of being hit by their shots as the rocket mercilessly closed the distance.
“Aghhhh!!!”
The anti-ship guided missile flew straight towards the ship, hitting its bridge and unleashing its explosive power. The blast spread through the weaker sections of the structure, emerging as a massive explosion. The upper part of the superstructure was blown away by the intense blast.
Captain Parbolt departed this world with the flash of light.
・・・
Flagship Quasar
Tragedy unfolds before commander Aurones’s eyes. The enemy attacks easily slipped past their overwhelming rain of anti-aircraft gunfire as they landed on their targets one after the other. Their explosive power was staggering, manifesting as multiple fireballs that could seem to dwarf a cruiser.
“Cruiser Terra Valka sustained serious damage!!!”
“Destroyer Carron sank!!!”
Reports continue to come in mercilessly.
“Grrr!!!”
An anti-ship guided missile struck the aircraft carrier Cerberus running along the right side of the flagship Quasar, unleashing a blinding light. All the bombers and torpedo bombers that were waiting on the deck to take off were all blown away by the explosion as the bombs and torpedoes they carried were caught in the blast. A massive, simultaneous explosion erupted on the deck as seawater continued to flood the ship interior. The ship’s bow rapidly rose as the ship itself seemingly stood on the ocean surface. As Cerberus continued to sink, it dragged the seawater around it down, resulting in strong ocean currents forming around the ship.
“Ahhhhh!!!!!”
“Arghhh!!! Save us!!!”
The screams of crewmen getting pulled by the ocean currents were heard all the way to the interior of other ships. Aurones’s chest tightened.
“Damage report!!!”
The ships that were hit rapidly lost speed as they fell behind the rest of the fleet as it marched. Aurones’s mental stability felt like collapsing due to the unprecedented, one-sided attack.
“The enemy launched 11 rockets, hitting 11 ships. 7 were sunk and 3 were seriously damaged and rendered inoperable. The battleship Ante was hit, but it only received moderate damage and is still combat worthy.”
“All shots hit?! We weren’t able to stop all of them… Fuck!!!”
“However, we have learned that the enemy cannot sink a battleship with their attacks.”
He didn’t listen to the vice-commander’s statement. Unable to find a vent for his outrage and dread, he punches the wall of the ship with force.
The empire’s anti-air defense network was easily breached. Adding insult to injury, tragedy struck in front of hundreds of onlookers as an aircraft carrier was helplessly sunk by a single rocket. It wasn’t just the commander who shuddered in fear. Every single soldier that saw it happened couldn’t stop shaking.
“Have we still not determined where they have launched from?”
“Not yet!!!”
“Grr… Find them now!!!”
Aurones tried to squeeze out his voice. For now, the enemy attacks have ceased.
・・・
Getting hit by only a single shot will result in near-certain death. The empire’s impenetrable anti-air defense network is useless. The crew of every single ship understood these realities as dread continued to propagate.
“Have 2 destroyers rescue the survivors!!! As for the rest of the fleet, find the enemy’s positions now!!!”
“Affirmative!!!”
They will be rescuing the survivors of the previous attacks. Aurones continued to promptly issue orders.
“XO! Considering the scale of our fleet, we can consider that we haven’t received that much damage. Once we pinpoint the enemy’s launch positions, we should be able to destroy them… right?”
“Of course. Let’s eradicate these lowlifes who dare make a fool of the empire!!!”
“Reporting in!!!”
The comms officer shouts. Tension runs through the bridge once more.
“1 rocket at 3 o’clock!!! Enemy attack incoming!!!”
“Tsk!!! Intercept them!!! Intercept them at all costs!!!”
A rain of anti-aircraft gunfire emerged from the fleet once more. Still, they were not able to land a single blow and another ship has sunk. After a certain amount of time, another missile came, landed, and sank another ship. The fleet once again shuddered in terror.
・・・
Submarine Ōryū
At a depth of 500m, unreachable by the submarines of the Gra Valkas Empire, silently lurked the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force’s latest submarine.
“Captain. It seems that our allied submarines have met expectations with their attacks.”
The other submarines that lurked in the same area were gradually participating in the attack against the enemy fleet. Setting an interval between launches that each landed on their targets, the morale of the enemy crumbled and the fleet was thrown into disarray.
“We were able to enter torpedo range faster than I thought.”
Since the Ōryū lay on the trajectory of the enemy fleet as they both advanced against each other, they were able to get closer to the fleet far earlier than anticipated.
“Target has entered torpedo range.”
A quiet report was made inside the silent interior of the submarine.
“Alright. Attack the enemy large aircraft carrier. Ready the Type 89 torpedoes! We will be launching 2!”
“Type 89 torpedoes are ready to launch!”
Preparations to launch the torpedoes were swiftly completed.
“Launch!”
Faint, subtle sounds echoed across the silent submarine interior. After a short delay, the second torpedo was launched.
“Next! Target enemy battleship! Ready 2 Type 89 torpedoes! As soon as you’re done, launch!”
“Affirmative!”
The submarine Ōryū fired a total of 4 torpedoes. Unbeknownst to the Gra Valkas Empire, a deep-sea monster commenced its attack as it moved to take down more prey.
・・・
2nd Advance Fleet, Gra Valkas Empire
The sun now tilted at an acute angle, dying the sky red. Just before the sun set, commander Aurones on board the flagship Quasar was about to lose it. The enemy attacked with a single rocket at set intervals. They poured all that they could into shooting them down with their anti-aircraft guns but the rockets all flawlessly found their targets, bringing down with them an entire ship. Having yet to ascertain their launch positions, they do not know where they were being attacked from.
Even after several hours of being picked off one by one, the enemy attacks showed no signs of stopping. With the sudden death of hundreds of their comrades, they were overcome by the fear that death might come for them at any moment. After several hours of tension, the soldiers’ spirits plummeted as their morale equivalently sunk.
“It will soon be sunset, huh. The enemy guided rockets may not be able to attack without light.”
“I sure hope they don’t have the ability to attack at night.”
“Still… I wonder why we haven’t been able to determine their location.”
“I don’t get it either. They may be coming from submarines but if they were, then the sound of their engines should be heard underwater. The amount of noise coming from our fleet should muffle them out but with the attacks that have occurred so far point to a large enemy presence. There’s no way our destroyers shouldn’t be able to pick them up.”
“Then how?!”
Their inquiries continue.
The crewmen monitored the radar screens to their fullest. Since the enemy rockets flew very close to the ocean surface, the planet’s curvature interferes with their detection, making them difficult to catch with radar. Patrols constantly monitor from above, but since the rockets were painted to blend with the sea, they too have a hard time spotting them. Everyone conducted their duties with full concentration.
A faint dot of light appeared.
“Incoming attack at 2 o’clock!!! Distance, 35km!!!”
The destroyers on the outer edges of the fleet began to fire their anti-aircraft guns.
“Shit!!! Here they come again!!!”
The enemy rocket closed the distance in the blink of an eye as it began to rise.
“That position… It’s aiming for the Hillo!!!”
Aurones glared at the rocket.
Dun…
“What the?!”
He felt a different, low register sound cut through his gut. Aurones looked towards the direction of what felt like an explosion. A massive column of water had emerged from the 2nd Advance Fleet’s largest aircraft carrier, the Capella. There was no explosion on its deck or superstructure as the huge column of water further rose up to eclipse the ship’s height.
“Capella was hit by a rocket!!! Wait, no! It appears that it was hit by a torpedo! The Capella sustained damage to its propellers and is losing speed!”
“Now it’s a torpedo! Shit, a torpedo swarm?! Tsk! There must be submarines inside the fleet!!! Find them!!!”
“Since the rocket attacks started, all destroyers have taken turns reducing their speed to 5 knots to send short signals to look for submarines. However, they still haven’t detected anything!”
“Ridiculous!!! The empire’s destroyer sonar can detect anything as far as 3km at 5 knots! Since we’re now being attacked by torpedoes, they should be within that range!!! No way… Are they using magic?!”
Aurones thought within the common sense of their weapons and the range of their own torpedoes. He has not come to the point that there may be torpedoes that can go further. While they were discussing, an anti-ship guided missile landed on the cruiser Hillo, engulfing it in flames.
This world contains something as nonsensical as magic. If they have something that prevents soundwaves from bouncing or something that absorbs it altogether, it will be truly nightmarish.
He was absorbed in his thoughts. However, reality never gave him the opportunity to ponder at his own pace. Another column of water emerged from the aircraft carrier Capella.
“Capella was struck again!!!”
A massive gaping hole opened up on the Capella‘s starboard. The Type 89 torpedoes’ destructive power surpassed the expectations of the Gra Valkas Empire, causing much more damage to the ship interior than the point of water insertion. A large amount of water rushed into the interior as the aircraft carrier tilted. The planes that were being prepared for takeoff slipped from the ship’s deck, falling into the ocean like toys. Since water was coming in from the starboard, they injected water into the port side as they desperately tried to save the ship’s balance. However, the amount of damage the torpedoes caused surpassed what they could do with damage control.
“Capella could no longer sustain her balance!!! She’s gonna capsize!!!”
“Bastards!!!!!!”
Aurones’s eyes were red from rage. The aircraft carrier turned on its underside in front of his eyes. The munitions stored within the carrier rolled out of their storage. One of the bombs explodes, triggering a cascading domino effect as other bombs ignite one after the other, unleashing their combined power throughout the ship. A gigantic explosion emerged from the underside of the capsized carrier, splitting the Capella into two as it sank, bringing with it the sailors that didn’t manage to get out.
“Aircraft carrier Capella… has been sunk!!!”
The bridge fell silent. The Gra Valkas Empire’s great fleet was sinking beneath the waves. A feeling of helplessness hung in the air.
“How?!?! How have we still not found the submarines that are close enough to launch those torpedoes?!”
With a voice that felt forced, he struck upon an unfathomable dread.
“We don’t know… For them to be able to hit our aircraft carrier with torpedoes, they should be really close. It wouldn’t be strange to say they’re within visual range but we still haven’t found them.”
“Could those bastards’ submarines be made out of technologies unknown to the empire? Maybe they’re just extremely skilled…”
“Torpedoes detected!!! 2 torpedoes have been detected as they passed the destroyers on the outer edges!!! Distance, 12km!!! They’re heading straight for us at 2 o’clock!!!”
Tension ran through the bridge.
“Find out where they came from! Tell every ship of the torpedoes’ positions and commence evasive maneuvers!”
“Yes, sir!!!”
“We were able to detect them at 10km. We must assume there are more of them. They’re probably just shooting from a far position to deceive us so we won’t find other submarines. There should be submarines nearby. We must find them at all costs!!!”
When the Gra Valkas Empire conducts a torpedo attack, they do it at ranges of 5km to 25km. Since the torpedoes are unguided, they’re naturally expected not to hit as several torpedoes are needed to score a single hit. Furthermore, in the event that torpedoes are detected at more than 10km from the target, there was no way they were expected to hit.
The flagship Quasar slowly turned. It was at that moment when…
“Enemy torpedoes have changed their path!!! They’re now facing our direction!!! They’re gonna hit!!!”
“W-what?!”
As Aurones was disoriented by shock, the captain issued precise orders, resulting in the bow of the ship turning to another direction.
“Enemy torpedoes have changed their direction once more!!!”
A blade turned to face them. It was a foul, game-breaking weapon: a guided torpedo. The comms officer reported with a scream.
“F-f-fuck!!! The torpedoes are guided?!?!”
With the existence of guided rockets, it was no stretch to think that guided torpedoes also existed. However, to the men who are used to the old weapons, there was no way they could anticipate and fight such futuristic weapons.
“S-shit!!! We must inform the main fleet that the enemy possesses guided torpedoes!!! Comms officer, send a transmission to the fleet regarding the summary of what’s been happening!!!”
Reports are usually done after the outcome of the battle has been already decided to an extent but Aurones considered the gravity of reporting at this point in time.
“Yes, sir!!!”
The comms officer immediately tried to send a transmission to the main fleet but…
“Did they get it?!”
“No… I haven’t been able to get a response… Furthemore, I couldn’t seem to contact the other ships!!!”
“Reporting in!!! The radar screen has gone white! It’s out of service!”
An attack that cannot be prevented. Torpedoes that don’t seem to miss. In their current situation where their limbs have been bound, their radio and radar have been stripped from them, masking their eyes and mouth. Commander Aurones continued to tremble uncontrollably.
・・・
Mainland Defense Command
Two men were talking in the command room.
“It seems that our submarines have succeeded in delivering the first attacks.”
Mitsugi, a man with a slender build, says to his coworker.
“Indeed. They will now be moving to our next operation: a torrent of anti-ship guided missiles from a regiment of BP3-C bombers and F-2 fighters. How pitiful our enemies have become…”
“We were lucky that they split up into advance fleets and not a single force. Because of their strategy, we could procure more ammunition for our operations. A single BP3-C can carry 4 anti-ship guided missiles. 70 of them have been deployed to the Nahanath Kingdom and the Mu airfield in the western princely territories of Louria. Since we cannot have the P-1 deployed outside the mainland in the event something unexpected happens, it will just be these 70 BP3-Cs and 35 F-2s who will clean up this fleet.”
“Louria always seems to approve our requests for the use of their airfield.”
They have fought against the Louria Kingdom before but they were still far from a friendly country.
“That’s probably just because they feel the threat of the Gra Valkas Empire’s hegemony.”
“Yeah. Still… we will be launching more than 400 anti-ship guided missiles in one go, huh. It’s a really good thing that our factories are in full swing mass producing these missiles.”
“We owe it to the necessity of having the 200 or so enemy ships virtually annihilated by tomorrow morning. We also won’t be stopping there, too. Whew… It truly is a pity. However, we just can’t let them spill a single drop of Japanese blood.”
The battlefield continues to develop.
・・・
750km west of the Nahanath Kingdom
The sun has long set as the bright moon shone in the night sky. Some things were flying 100m above the surface of the ocean at the speed of sound. Their blue color allowed them to melt into the ocean, making them hard to see from above. The radar-absorbing paint on their wings make them difficult to catch on radar.
10 F-2 fighters of the Japan Air Self Defense Force flew through the night as each of them carried 4 anti-ship guided missiles. Their target: the Gra Valkas Empire fleet which advanced in front of them.
At the 11-country conference, they sank a patrol ship of the Coast Guard and publicly executed its crew. They have tried numerous times to commence dialogue with them but they didn’t relax their grip on their desire for invasion and have dispatched a large fleet to attack the Japanese mainland. Representing Japan’s will, the F-2 fighters are about to carry out not a psychological attack, but a critical damage blow by saturating their fleet with anti-ship guided missiles in a night operation.
Roughly 400km behind them, an E-767 airborne warning and control aircraft cruised through the sky, giving them precise orders.
“Commence attack!!! Commence attack!!!”
They heard the orders loud and clear. The pilots went on to fulfill their jobs precisely.
The fighters launched their 4 missiles one after another. The Type 93 air to ship guided missiles (ASM-2) launched from 10 F-2 fighters ignited their turbojet engines. 40 Type 93 air to ship guided missiles, each boasting a range of 170km, accelerated to around 1150km/h, carrying the payload that would eradicate the Gra Valkas Empire fleet.
