Chapter 275: Countermeasures Against Bombardment
“Is it true that a high-output combat machine the size of a Communicator Android stands no chance at all?”
“…If it is combat-specialized, it might be able to resist. Given the current energy balance, it is possible to replicate the molecular structure of Superior-class materials. If we disregard mass production, we can manufacture specialized units using high-performance materials as raw materials.”
There are limits to the strength and energy output of elements that can be harvested from the ground and the molecular structures that can undergo chemical reactions. Ringo explained that by infusing super energy, we can forcibly create higher-order materials and break through those limits. Naturally, the feasibility of mass production is nearly nonexistent. It would ultimately be more efficient to allocate the vast energy required for manufacturing to resource gathering.
While the prospect of preparing high-performance units is enticing…
“Well, I mean, it’s not like we’re actually going to create one. It’s hard to imagine a situation where we’d need that level of combat power.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
For now, we had gained some insight into the combat capabilities of the enemy monk soldiers. Next, we needed to assess their response to long-range attacks. The Strategic AI, Iris, had already dispatched commands.
The land battleship, Jotun, hull number four, began to move upon receiving the command.
The main cannon equipped on the Jotun slowly pivoted. If someone had keen eyesight, they could probably see its movement from the walls of the Holy Capital.
Fire!
The metallic shell, launched at a speed far exceeding the speed of sound, struck the wall in the blink of an eye. If it could penetrate the wall, we wouldn’t have to struggle to breach it.
“I’ve confirmed the Defense Membrane.”
However, it wasn’t that simple. The shell, which was expected to easily pierce through the stone wall, shattered instead. A pattern of light raced along the wall.
It was a light Defense Membrane, likely deployed by some of the Threat Creatures.
“Oh… Akane, any similarities?”
“The pattern has been confirmed to be similar. It closely resembles the Defense Membrane deployed by Threat Creatures.”
The armor-piercing shell that had embedded itself in the membrane was obliterated by its own kinetic energy, scattering into smoke around it.
“…At the very least, they possess the technology to create that barrier on a city-wide scale.”
“We need to secure that technology.”
“Should we inform Iris to consider acquiring it?”
At Ringo’s murmur, Akane responded. Ringo took a moment, likely simulating the situation if it were entrusted to Iris, before nodding.
“Essentially, let’s leave it to Iris. However, it is true that this will increase the load. As a backup, I will deploy the aerial aircraft carrier, Gigantia, hull number three, Eurytus.”
“Understood.”
While Akane issued instructions to Iris, Eve was reviewing the footage of the recent impact in slow motion. The shell, colliding at an astonishing speed of approximately 8,000 m/s, spread out like a liquid before shattering into pieces. It was a rare academic video demonstrating that even metal behaves like a liquid upon colliding with a rigid body at such high speeds.
“Perfect Rigid Body, indeed.”
“It appears to be a theoretical substance, but it seems to be replicated through magic.”
A Perfect Rigid Body is an ideal substance that never deforms. At least, according to the analysis conducted by Ringo, no deformation was observed on the barrier side.
“If it is similar to the barriers used by Threat Creatures, it can be neutralized through saturation attacks.”
“For instance, could we neutralize it by ramming the Jotun into it?”
Despite behaving like a rigid body, strategies for overcoming it had been established through numerous battles with Threat Creatures. If we continued with consecutive bombardments, breaching it would be possible. Alternatively, we could use a massive object like the Jotun to strike it. However, it was certain that ramming the Jotun would cause significant damage.
“If we use multiple units to continuously apply damage with a ram, it should be feasible.”
“A ram… It does seem like there’s a mechanism for that…”
We could attach a ram to the Jotun. A shock dispersion mechanism that penetrated the center of the hull from the front to the rear had been prepared from the start. While it was intended to prevent catastrophic damage in case of collision with some obstacles, it seemed they had also anticipated the operation of attaching a ram from the beginning.
“Well, since it seems we can manage with bombardments, there’s no need to take the risk of a dangerous ramming attack.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
The Jotun is equipped with six main cannons. All of them are coil cannons, which, while having an initial velocity of about 6,000 m/s, are significantly larger in caliber than railguns. Naturally, the kinetic energy projected is correspondingly immense.
With four Jotun ships equipped with such main cannons, a total of 24 coil cannons were aimed at the Holy Capital.
“Fire all at once!”
As Akane whispered, the screen lit up. The shells, fired with a slight time delay, struck the walls of the Holy Capital. The Defense Membrane deployed, blocking all the shells.
“Analyzing… Comparing with Rain Kroin and Wyvern, it has been determined that the duration is longer.”
“It seems the monk soldiers are starting to move.”
The sustained pressure from the bombardment, albeit with slight time delays, appeared to be withstood by the Defense Membrane, at least for now. However, something seemed off, as we could see the monk soldiers hurriedly climbing up the walls.
The monk soldiers began to line up on the walls, maintaining a distance from each other.
“…What could they be planning?”
“Communication from Asahi. She says it might be Ritual Magic.”
Through the network, Asahi, who was engrossed in analyzing the Threat Creatures, seemed to be monitoring the situation as well.
“Ritual Magic… It sounds like they’re planning to use some massive spell with multiple people. Whether it’s for attack or defense…”
“Let’s find out. Akane.”
“Understood. I will propose it to Iris.”
Akane sent a proposal to Iris to continue the bombardment. Iris incorporated the possibility of Ritual Magic into her predictive calculations and agreed to the proposal.
The 24 cannon muzzles once again launched their ultra-supersonic shells.
“Impact. No change in the barrier.”
“Continuous bombardment or outer perimeter breach. Iris is seeking opinions. If there are no specific proposals, she plans to commence the outer perimeter breach as initially scheduled.”
“Hmm. I’m curious about those monk soldiers, but… I think we should prioritize the outer perimeter breach. We can adjust as needed if they make a move; it doesn’t seem like they’ll attack immediately, so they might be leaning towards defense.”
Eve’s opinion was immediately relayed to Iris, who began to take action.
The quadrupedal tank units that had been surrounding the area began to move all at once. The frontal assault units and the rear bombardment units. The main cannons of the Jotun remained aimed at the walls, while the secondary cannons and small turrets targeted the enemy fortifications.
“Commence the attack!”
Akane murmured. Then, hundreds of turrets unleashed their shells.
The plasma light emitted by the railguns illuminated the battlefield.
The rain of shells blew away horse barriers and moats. The precisely controlled trajectories avoided all the charging quadrupedal tanks, destroying only the enemy defenses.
The falling shells plowed into the ground. The horse barriers shattered, and earth flowed into the moats. With direct hits from ultra-supersonic armor-piercing shells, even the monk soldiers stood no chance. The evaluation of their combat power was rapidly diminishing.
“The quadrupedal tanks have made contact.”
Just as most of the defensive installations were obliterated, the quadrupedal tanks surged forward. The monk soldiers, who had been hiding in the moats, noticed and rushed out. Additional High Priest-class soldiers had joined the front lines, aside from the southern front where the initial power reconnaissance had taken place.
In an instant, the front lines fell into chaos.
“Yikes…”
The combat power evaluation values for the Prava Divine Nation and the assault units were rapidly decreasing. The rate of decrease favored the assault units. However, the assault units had no plans for reinforcements in the near future. To be honest, the number of enemy casualties was higher than expected.
“Iris is contemplating a change in the strategic plan.”
Given the situation, the Strategic AI, Iris, was preparing to update the battlefield parameters.