Chapter 45: The Monster – Rain Croin
“I found it.”
“Combat Formation Type 2.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
The situation was dire. To the southeast of The Tree, only about 30 kilometers away, a whale-like sea beast had been spotted by the solar-powered reconnaissance aircraft, Swift, as it was attacked from below. Ringo, monitoring the situation, immediately contacted the Commander, Ma’am, who ordered the fortress, The Tree, to go on high alert due to the proximity of the threat.
“Sisters, head to the secondary command center. Ringo, stay close to me.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
As she summoned the reconnaissance Swift, preparations were made for the deployment of attack drones. At a distance of 30 kilometers, they were well within operational range. Unfortunately, the microwave power supply was not available this time due to a lack of equipment and gear. However, the target area was close enough for battery-powered weaponry to be utilized.
“Ma’am, Combat Formation Type 2 is complete.”
“Okay.”
She rushed into the command room with Ringo. It didn’t necessarily have to be the command room, but she certainly didn’t want to be in the cafeteria at a time like this.
“Show me the footage.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
A series of windows popped up, displaying live footage transmitted from the Swift. In the video, a group of sea beasts was being slaughtered.
“Wow… what is this?”
The large creature moved with an agility that was almost unnatural for its size. Analyzed data was projected from the footage.
“Approximately 80 meters in length. Excluding the tail, about 60 meters. It resembles a crocodile. Its swimming style involves undulating its entire body and tail. This is how it preys.”
The footage showed a slowly swimming group of sea beasts. A smaller individual in the center seemed to be the first target. Just as a shadow appeared beneath the water, it leaped out, mouth wide open, rising vertically to engulf the sea beast. It soared about 3 to 4 meters into the air. The term “crushed” was fitting.
The sea beast caught in its powerful jaws was torn apart before it could even resist. In one bite, the severed head and tail fell from either side of the massive creature’s mouth. Almost simultaneously, its enormous body crashed into the water, sending a spray of blood-red liquid everywhere.
“Wow…”
And this was happening just 30 kilometers away, a stark reality.
“I’ll begin the analysis. Defining various analysis functions. Commencing calculations.”
Ringo dedicated all its processing power to analyze the footage. With computational abilities that could rival even the world’s most advanced systems, Ringo showcased its prowess.
“Analysis complete. First, this large creature is a scientifically impossible entity.”
“Hmm…?”
“Based on its expected movement capabilities, it is impossible for any known biological tissue to perform such actions.”
The issue at hand was the creature’s predatory behavior. It opened its mouth from below and consumed the sea beast.
“The resistance of seawater during such a movement would be insurmountable for a body of that size. No matter how you calculate it, the muscles would tear, the skin would peel, and the bones would shatter.”
“…Continue.”
“Yes, Ma’am. The expected strength cannot be achieved by any known biological tissue. It might be possible if the skeleton were made of titanium alloy and the muscle fibers were carbon nanotubes, but that would be nonsensical. Previous analyses of recovered biological tissues showed no signs of such special molecules or structures, so we assume there is some unknown mechanism at play.”
“…I see. So, that means it has magical properties?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Some method has reinforced the structure of this large creature.”
In the footage, the massive creature was still gnawing on the head of the last remaining sea beast. It was bleeding profusely, likely already dead. However, it seemed the creature had no intention of consuming this last individual. It moved its short limbs, seemingly checking its position.
“What is it doing?”
“It doesn’t appear to be playing, so it must be some meaningful action.”
“It’s hugging it.”
“…There seems to be some activity around its waist. I can’t confirm it from the footage.”
Eventually, satisfied, the large creature released the sea beast’s body and remained still, as if swimming alongside the drifting carcass.
“…Is it sleeping?”
“Its activity level has decreased. However, this is not a good sign. It is currently drifting towards the rocky waters near The Tree.”
The large creature was gently washed by the waves. If it continued to remain still, it would likely wash ashore near The Tree in about four hours.
“It’s coming this way… Well, I suppose there’s no helping it…”
She sighed.
“Ringo, Combat Formation Type 1. If it moves away from The Tree, we’ll only track it. Set a defensive perimeter with a radius of 5 kilometers. The attack radius is 10 kilometers; we will commence an attack if it crosses that line. We will use the fortress’s 150mm smoothbore cannon for the attack.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Combat Formation Type 1.”
“And from now on, we will refer to the target as Rain Croin.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Rain Croin, is it? Quite a minor name.”
Thinking the name was a bit long, Ringo obediently changed the marker display on the strategic monitor to Rain Croin.
“Well then, we have about two hours to wait. I’m glad it’s still morning. For now, I’ll take a short break. Let’s call the sisters as well.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Rain Croin, confirmed to have crossed the attack line.”
“Commence battle.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Commencing battle.”
At the command of Ma’am, Ringo immediately fired the 150mm smoothbore cannon. The initial velocity of the projectile was approximately 1,000 m/s. At a distance of 10 kilometers, Ringo’s computational abilities allowed for precise targeting.
The ammunition type was armor-piercing shells. After a flight time of ten seconds, the shell struck the target, Rain Croin, directly in its torso.
“Hit.”
The projectile traveled at about 800 m/s, with a warhead weight of approximately 60 kg. The hardened metal shell released its kinetic energy fully, lifting Rain Croin’s massive body out of the water. A shockwave blasted through the seawater, creating a tremendous spray.
“Damage assessment in progress.”
The Swift above captured the moment of impact from multiple angles. Analyzing the footage, Ringo predicted the state of Rain Croin, which was still enveloped in a cloud of spray.
“No damage detected.”
“What!? Not even with that!?”
The shell had clearly struck directly, and she had seen the creature’s massive body lift, yet no significant damage was evident, causing Ringo to shake its head.
“Displaying the footage.”
The moment of impact was played back in slow motion. The shell, coming in at a high arc, made contact with Rain Croin’s torso from a slightly elevated angle. At that instant, a ripple of light spread across Rain Croin’s skin.
“This ripple appeared at the moment of impact, radiating outward from the point of contact. It expanded across Rain Croin’s entire body in an extremely short time.”
And the crucial shell, like spun sugar, shattered into pieces, losing its length as it crumbled. It failed to penetrate the surface of Rain Croin’s skin, disintegrating from the tip under the shock. The fragments scattered and plunged into the water, creating a splash. Some kinetic energy must have been transferred to Rain Croin, as its massive body was pushed upward, bouncing off the water’s surface.
However, even after that, it showed no signs of having sustained any damage.
“Rain Croin has been visually confirmed. It is swimming.”
Amidst the splashes hitting the water’s surface, Rain Croin’s massive form began to swim beneath the waves. Its speed was astonishing, circling around the drifting sea beast’s body.
“It’s moving at over 50 km/h. Indeed, no damage detected.”
“…Did it just crush the armor-piercing shell head-on? If it had deflected it, I could understand that being an angle issue…”
“Yes, Ma’am. It seems our current armor-piercing shells are ineffective. While they can displace it somewhat, defeating it will be difficult.”
Although Rain Croin continued to swim cautiously, its speed began to slow. It appeared startled by the sudden attack but still refused to distance itself from the sea beast’s body.
“Hmm… It looks like it’s protecting it…”
“Ma’am, shall we continue the attack?”
“…Well, to be honest, I didn’t expect it to be this tough. If we can drive it away, it might reduce the risk. Alright. Continue the attack, and keep using armor-piercing shells.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”