“Direct hit confirmed. Damage assessment in progress.”
“Magic Barrier emission observed just before impact.”
The warhead, traveling at hypersonic speeds of around Mach 6, unleashed its kinetic energy to the fullest. Perhaps the impact couldn’t be completely nullified, as Froz’s body was sent flying.
“Estimated that 20% to 30% of the kinetic energy reached the main body,” ＜Iris＞ calculated, and Ichigo repeated.
In the video, Froz, slammed into the ground, rolled several times before regaining his footing and glaring at Jötunn A.
“＜Iris＞, temporarily suspend the attack. Initiate deterrence.”
＜Iris＞ determined that it had inflicted definite damage and changed the tactical objective to intimidation. The cannons of the surviving automatons were aimed at Froz and stopped.
“Analyzing the footage. Blood confirmed at Froz’s mouth. Likely internal damage.”
“The attack didn’t hit his mouth, though~”
“Is he spitting blood~?”
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. It was proof that the impact had penetrated internally. Finally, they had managed to land an effective attack on Froz.
However, as far as they could see, he didn’t appear to have any other injuries.
It seemed the damage wasn’t enough to impair his movement.
“Well… I think we’ve both shown our strength…”
It was unknown how much intelligence the ＜Fenrir＞ species possessed, but analyzing their actions so far revealed that they were operating quite rationally.
Therefore, if they understood that their chances of winning were slim, or that winning would be extremely troublesome, there was a possibility they would choose to retreat.
Froz was slowly moving his limbs, and the cannons aimed at him were making minute adjustments in response.
A brief standoff.
Eventually, Froz began to slowly back away.
“＜Iris＞ seems to be observing.”
The confrontation continued, with the distance gradually increasing.
Once a sufficient distance, more than 1 km, had been established, Froz turned and began to run. He must have been moving at considerable speed, as he kicked up an explosive cloud of dust and disappeared from sight in an instant.
“＜Iris＞ has declared the end of combat. Calling in reconnaissance aircraft.”
“Beginning to collect damage reports.”
Hearing the report, Eve nodded emphatically and stood up.
“Alright, first battle is a victory! We can’t let our guard down yet, but we’ll analyze the combat situation and prepare for the next one!”
“Yes, Onee-sama!”
Thus, the first contact between the ＜Fenrir＞ species and ＜The Tree＞ came to an end.
They had managed to inflict effective damage, but they hadn’t actually been able to eliminate him. Whether this result would be a blessing or a curse remained to be seen.
◇◇◇◇
Additional Land Battleships were landing at Yakari Port. The number was three. They would be deployed to the frontier village near the Demon Forest, to be used as fixed artillery emplacements and for power supply.
If the opportunity arose, they might also be used for land clearing.
The Land Battleship ＜Jötunn＞ possessed powerful striking force, but its defense was lacking.
No, considering them as massive structures, they had sufficient strength.
It was just that the enemies they faced were too strong.
Nevertheless, they were in danger of being labeled as weapons that were difficult to use relative to their cost. Mainly in Commander (Eve)’s mind.
“Still, that flame that Froz spat out was incredible…”
However, it was inappropriate to discuss the usability of the Jötunn based solely on its compatibility with the ＜Fenrir＞ species. Ground targets capable of moving at supersonic speeds and withstanding direct hits from cannon shells didn’t even exist in the game era. Apparently, they existed in space.
“The wreckage of the heavily damaged Jötunn B has been recovered, but most of the internal structure has melted. There were also traces of surface melting on the cemented tungsten carbide, so it’s possible that heat exceeding 3,000°C was generated instantaneously.”
“Three thousand…”
For an iron-based alloy, that was enough heat to not only melt but also boil and evaporate it. If they were hit with a projectile with that much heat, at least the weapons currently possessed by ＜The Tree＞ would have no means of defense.
Pure tungsten armor coated with plenty of heat-resistant paint might be able to withstand it, but it would have problems with resistance to things other than heat, and it was a rare element that couldn’t be mass-produced in the first place.
“Hmm… Is it finally necessary to put energy fields or some kind of non-material armor into practical use…?”
“To face monsters (fantasy), that level of equipment might be necessary!”
Asahi happily agreed with Eve’s words.
For Asahi, just thinking about equipment to counter fantasy was apparently enjoyable.
“Energy fields react with atmospheric molecules, so their use on planets is severely restricted. Just moving with the field deployed consumes a huge amount of energy.”
Normally, energy fields, a type of non-material armor, are used in outer space to protect the hull from interstellar matter. The general function is to generate repulsive force to repel approaching matter.
Due to this mechanism, using them on planets with atmospheres constantly generates repulsive force, placing a large load on the field generation device.
“I think the optimal solution at this point is to use Magic Barriers that utilize the Magic Stones of Threat Creatures…”
“You’re not giving up, are you, Asahi?”
Eve smiled wryly, but she was beginning to think that it might be necessary to authorize experiments on their use. At least, in the Demon Forest development, if they didn’t use Magic Barriers, they could incur huge losses every time something happened.
It would be a financial problem if Land Battleships were scrapped every time a Threat Creature appeared.
“Even if we can’t elucidate the principles, we can make predictions based on results. Science has developed that way after all. Not using something because we can’t elucidate it is nonsense, even from us children of science.”
“Well, yeah…”
In the end, she was just refusing because she didn’t like it. Eve was vaguely aware of that.
“Anyway, let’s think about that again once this matter is settled. Now, let’s move on to the next stage.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” “Yes, Onee-sama.”
◇◇◇◇
The A-Class Strategic AI ＜Iris＞ had achieved a tentative victory.
One Jötunn heavily damaged, one moderately damaged. 125 Quadruped Tanks heavily damaged, 56 damaged. 38 Multi-legged Tanks heavily damaged, 22 damaged.
That was the damage from this battle.
Jötunn B and the Multi-legged Machines deployed around it were completely destroyed.
Jötunn D also had accumulated damage to its legs, and its decommissioning had been decided.
However, in order to inflict effective damage on the ＜Fenrir＞ species, large, high-output weapons like the Jötunn were essential, rather than Multi-legged Machines.
It might be possible to inflict damage by focusing the laser cannons of the Multi-legged Machines, but they couldn’t keep up with that movement speed at all. They couldn’t keep up with a target that was leaping at supersonic speeds, and they would be flattened from the start.
By preparing an obvious enemy, no, a target, called Jötunn, they were finally able to land attacks.
＜Iris＞ thought.
At this point, there was no need to worry about damage.
In that case, wouldn’t it be most efficient to use decoys to destroy them?
This time, they somehow managed to force Froz to retreat.
But from Froz’s point of view, he could probably predict the bottom of their strength.
From his actions so far, Froz was expected to have a certain level of intelligence.
If so, there was a good chance that he would come back to attack them again with some kind of countermeasure.
Come to think of it, I feel like this is the first time we’ve had a battle where both sides clashed head-on and ended in a draw.
It’s an episode with a lot to learn from.