Chapter 96: Wave-Motion Gun! Fire—!!!
Around the time Kazuma departed from the Earth Sphere, Ema and the others found themselves in a desperate predicament.
“Energy levels approaching red line!”
“I-Isn’t there anything we can do!?”
“Shall we make a kamikaze attack on that flagship-looking thing way in the back?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! The leaders of other nations are also on this ship!”
“I think it’s their fault for being on board.”
“That may be so… But even then, a kamikaze attack is out of the question. Are there any other ideas?”
“How about using all remaining energy for the secret weapon to wipe them out in one fell swoop?”
“If we had something like that, you should have done it from the start!”
“No, it’s a secret weapon we built half-jokingly, half-seriously, so if we use it, this ship will be out of commission for a while. It’ll still be capable of navigation, but that’s it, so we’ll be turned into a sitting duck.”
Towards the playfully smiling crew member, Ema slammed his hand on the armrest of the captain’s chair and scratched his head.
“Damn it! Earth is in peril, and yet why am I surrounded by such fools!”
“We anticipated an alien invasion, but we never imagined it would be on this scale…”
“By the way, can this ‘secret weapon’ of yours truly wipe out the enemy fleet?”
“If it hits, that is…”
“Meaning it’s useless if it doesn’t hit…”
It was the ultimate choice between two paths leading to death.
Ema pondered how to buy time until reinforcements from Earth—specifically, Kazuma—could arrive.
They were currently under concentrated fire. They had prioritized evasive maneuvers without raising the Barrier to conserve energy, but their remaining energy was already nearing the red line.
According to the crew, once they reached the red line, only minimal functions would remain, and the Barrier and all coating would be disengaged.
In that case, should he take an all-or-nothing gamble and use the secret weapon to shoot down the enemy flagship?
If he did, the enemy might retreat.
However, the troublesome part was the sheer number of enemies.
Even if they shot down the flagship, a replacement might appear immediately.
If that happened, the battle would continue, and since they would have expended all their energy, being turned into a sitting duck was a certainty.
“Emergency communication from Hawaii! Kazuma-kun is currently heading this way!”
“Energy levels have reached the red line! Further combat is dangerous!”
“Hope and despair arrive at the same time, huh…! How long until Kazuma-kun reaches us!?”
“Approximately five minutes!”
“Will the energy last until then?”
“Calculations show we can just barely make it if we cut all unnecessary consumption!”
“Then we have no choice but to do it! All hands, prepare yourselves!”
“Yes, sir!!!”
For the five minutes until Kazuma’s arrival, a desperate battle on the brink began.
The crew conserved energy, focused on evasive maneuvers, and desperately bought time.
They disengaged the coating, weaving through the barrage of fire as if minor hits were of no concern.
“Take down an enemy ship and buy us even a little time!”
“No good! We’ve been trying, but their armor is too tough. Our firepower can’t take down their ships!”
“Then destroy their turrets or any other weak-looking parts!”
“I told you, we’ve tried all that! Our firepower isn’t enough!”
“Damn it~! At this rate, the Amatori-maru won’t last until Kazuma-kun arrives!”
The crews in the spherical small craft were trying their best to support the Amatori-maru, but their lack of firepower rendered them helpless.
At most, all they could do was shoot down approaching enemy small craft.
However, there were too many, and some slipped through, latching onto the Amatori-maru.
“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
“Enemy craft, it’s ramming us!?”
One of their small craft launched a suicide attack on an enemy small craft clinging to the Amatori-maru.
The enemy small craft was destroyed by the suicide attack.
As a price, the friendly small craft became inoperable, turning into a piece of scrap drifting through space.
“You idiot!? What are you doing!”
“Heh, hehe… As expected of a spaceship we built.”
“What were you planning to do if you died!”
“When that time comes, that time comes…”
“You damn fool…!”
Though it had become space scrap, the pilot was unharmed and was recovered by an ally, averting disaster.
However, unable to fight anymore, he decided to find something he could do within the Amatori-maru and resist until the very end.
“This is bad… The enemy seems to have gotten used to us, and our allied craft are starting to struggle.”
“Another crisis at this juncture…”
“Less than two minutes until Kazuma-kun’s arrival. Incidentally, two minutes until we reach our operational limit.”
“This time you’re not joking, are you?”
“No. At this rate, our remaining energy will be depleted in two minutes.”
“…If it comes to it, I’ll use the secret weapon.”
“Are you sure, Captain?”
“A man of Japan must show his resolve.”
Having said that, Ema made an announcement to the VIP room where the leaders of various countries were waiting.
『My apologies to the leaders of all nations. This vessel has decided to resist to the end, to fight until its last breath.』
“…I see. We’ve been watching the situation outside on this monitor. You must be facing quite a struggle. We have our thoughts… but we entrust our lives to you.”
『I am truly sorry… No, thank you. We have duly received your resolve.』
The leaders had been monitoring the battle situation on a screen in the VIP room and knew they were in a dire predicament.
Perhaps they had been prepared for such a moment to come.
Ema expressed his respect for their resolve and thanked them before cutting the announcement.
Though, if one were to say it was their fault for boarding without permission, that would be the end of it.
“Phew…”
“What was the leaders’ reaction?”
“They all seemed to have steeled their resolve. Now we can use the secret weapon without any reservations.”
“Ooh~. That’s fortunate, isn’t it?”
“By the way, does the secret weapon’s power increase in proportion to the energy amount?”
“Well, rather than power, it’s more like the firing duration extends.”
“So, with the remaining energy, it’ll be about a few seconds?”
“Yes. Around three seconds, I’d say.”
“Can I get my hopes up?”
“Please do. It’s less something Kazuma-kun and we devised, and more a recreation of humanity’s dream.”
“Could it be… that secret weapon is that?”
“I don’t know what the Captain is imagining, but if your thoughts are the same as ours, then it’s undoubtedly that.”
“O-Ooooh…! If it’s that, then we can certainly have high hopes!”
If it was the that Ema imagined, it could indeed wipe out the enemy fleet in one go. Provided it didn’t exceed their imagination, that is.
Still, it might be the optimal way to buy time until Kazuma arrived.
There were limits to evasive maneuvers, and the Barrier’s energy reserves were also precarious.
In that case, if they could stun the enemy with this secret weapon and stop their movements even for a little while, it would be a gain.
“…Captain’s orders. Do it.”
“Aye, aye, sir!!!”
With permission granted to use the secret weapon, the crew excitedly operated the equipment.
They might die in a few seconds, but if their dream could be realized, it would be their greatest wish.
Besides, even if they died here, Kazuma would surely save Earth.
It was because they believed this that the crew burned with a passionate flame and prepared the secret weapon for firing.
“All hands! Brace for impact and watch out for the flash! Captain! All that’s left is for you to press the fire button!!!”
“Umu!!!”
A firing switch emerged from the floor at the captain’s feet.
Seeing it, Ema gulped.
Pressing this might turn the tables, or it might lead to defeat.
But there was no time left for hesitation.
Less than a minute remained until Kazuma’s arrival.
And their energy was almost completely gone.
This would be the final, all-or-nothing blow.
“This is the true power of humanity, of Japan!!!”
As Ema shouted from the depths of his being and pressed the button, a tremendously thick, pale blue flash of light was unleashed from the Amatori-maru’s bow.
Like a comet, it slipped through the large enemy fleet, gradually thinning before vanishing, leaving only its trajectory behind.
Then, in the next instant, the sections of the fleet positioned where the comet had passed erupted in a massive explosion, turning into cosmic dust.
“Wh-what was that just now!? What happened!?”
“It was a bombardment from the enemy ship… A beam of unbelievable power.”
“What are the damages!?”
“Confirming now!”
Even Kakka was visibly shaken by the outrageous turn of events.
The calculation for how much damage had been inflicted by that single blow came in.
“…Forty percent. Forty percent of our ships have been sunk.”
“…………Our grand fleet had forty percent of its ships sunk by a single vessel? This is no laughing matter. This warrants punishment.”
“Wh-what shall we do, Kakka?”
“Take down that ship, no matter what! I’ll make them pay dearly for this!”
Wary of the previous attack, the aliens reformed their ranks.
Once the redeployment was complete, Kakka issued his orders, becoming desperate to shoot down the Amatori-maru.
However, that brief moment proved to be fatal.
Kazuma had appeared on the battlefield.
Riding in a crimson mech themed after the Crimson Knight, spreading the angel-like wings attached to its back, he made a flashy entrance with the majestic air of something out of a famous robot anime.
Inside the cockpit, BGM with a heavy bass was playing, and Kazuma was incredibly hyped.
“I’ve come to end this war!”
Ripping off a line from a certain famous manga, Kazuma put on his most triumphant, smug expression.