“We’ll halt them with automated machines at the front lines, then saturate them with hypersonic missiles. Based on Froz’s reaction speed and durability from last time, the calculation results indicate that this should take them down, but…”
“Froz looks visibly stronger, Onee-sama!”
“How can someone get that buff in just a few days…?”
Eve was taken aback by the footage of Froz, whose neck and hind legs were clearly thicker.
That said, beyond bio-related technologies lies the node of artificial life creation, so physical modification in a matter of days is just the beginning. The problem is that he’s accomplishing it without any technical basis or equipment.
“As long as there’s a possibility that magic shapes the consciousness and desires of living beings, then ANY-THING is POS-SI-BLE!”
“Well… isn’t that still just a hypothesis…?”
Asahi said so with confidence, but Eve was skeptical. Naturally.
Well, what Asahi says is mostly just a guess, so it’s okay to ignore her.
“But Onee-sama, it’s actually happening, so we have to accept it as such! We need to consider that Froz’s athletic performance has improved in proportion to his hypertrophied muscles!”
“I know, I know~. Haa, I thought we were pretty extreme, but they’re on another level. Well… we’ve taken sufficient safety margins, so in that sense, is it within expectations?”
“Yes, Ma’am. ＜Iris＞ has determined it to be within acceptable limits. We even anticipated the appearance of a juvenile, ＜Hati＞, so in that sense, we still have plenty of leeway.”
The worst-case scenario was the three ＜Fenrir＞ attacking in coordination. ＜Hati＞, although juvenile-sized, is conversely small, agile, and a powerful Threat Creature. A nightmare would be a creature smaller than a Multi-legged Tank, yet more powerful, rampaging freely.
“I didn’t think the kid would actually show up. Well, we haven’t touched their forest territory, so I thought we’d be okay.”
Hati is someone Froz and Yarun must protect. If all three were to attack, it would probably be when their forest territory is invaded.
“＜Iris＞ has declared the start of combat.”
“The output of the overhead power-supply Drones has increased to combat level.”
“Jötunn M is requesting full combat output from all ships~”
“Rear Jötunn is also shifting to combat output~”
A massive amount of energy began to gather on the battlefield. The vast energy produced by the Fusion Reactor was poured in, and the output of the microwaves skyrocketed.
And it seemed that Froz and Yarun also recognized the situation. With a shockwave, the two made their huge bodies jump.
They should have been several kilometers apart, but the distance between them closed in an instant.
“Froz, followed by Yarun, within effective range.”
“Ballistic calculation… complete, commencing firing…”
Railguns, Multi-Stage Electromagnetic Cannons, and Laser/Maser Cannons activated simultaneously. They were unleashed to restrict the movement of the two targets.
“Confirmed multiple hits, no damage.”
“Magic Barrier confirmed, unable to neutralize.”
“Froz is fast~”
“Top speed is over 600m/s~”
Froz, moving at a speed approaching Mach 2, and Yarun, keeping up with him, plunged into the swarm of Multi-legged Machines that deployed in seconds.
Just stepping down generated a shockwave, and simply moving destroyed many Multi-legged Machines. Metal chunks that came into contact with a perfectly rigid body moving at supersonic speeds simply crumbled and scattered like sand.
“Heavy damage to Quadruped Tanks~”
“Concentrate attacks on their hind legs~”
The Local Tactical AI initiated delaying tactics. Attacks were focused on the hind legs, which were essential for movement.
Since they needed to kick off against something to move, even if their movement speed was high, that one point was easy to predict.
Unfortunately, the Multi-legged Machines that were used as footholds were destroyed by Cannon Shells as valuable sacrifices.
The sensors buried in the ground were also being silenced one after another, but even so, based on the data collected from various directions, ＜Iris＞ and the Local Strategic AI continued to calculate the predicted movement destinations of Froz and Yarun.
There was the unexpected factor of Froz’s hypertrophy, but that information had already been entered, and the prediction accuracy was improving exponentially.
“Yarun breathed Fire. Direct hit. Jötunn M-3 is heavily damaged.”
“Jötunn M-2 has moved in to cover. It seems that its movements stagnate when it breathes Fire. We can aim for it next time.”
Froz and Yarun destroyed the local forces one after another while taking attacks. At this rate, the front-line units would soon be annihilated.
But, of course, this situation was already anticipated.
“Onee-sama, the missiles are arriving!”
Asahi informed her in a lively voice.
“I hope this works out…”
Anti-Magic Barrier Missiles, launched from the rear at the same time as the start of the battle. Large missiles equipped with hypersonic mass projectiles.
There were a full 16 of them.
It was truly a saturation bombardment that relied on sheer quantity.
Last time, Froz had launched what appeared to be anti-air Fireballs. Therefore, the missiles were scattered, each taking a position where it would not be caught up even if targeted.
Warheads plunging in at six times the speed of sound, over 2,000m/s. The warhead weight was 4 tons, and adding the weight of the missile body, even with fuel consumption, its weight would approach twice that, 8 tons. The kinetic energy it possessed was, simply calculated, approximately 16 GJ (gigajoules).
Considering that the initial energy of a gunpowder-based armor-piercing Cannon Shell, with a Cannon Shell weight of 20 kg and an initial velocity of about 600 m/s, is about 3.6 MJ (megajoules), this is a whopping 4,400 times the amount of energy.
Furthermore, unlike Cannon Shells, acceleration continues until the moment of direct impact. The speed does not decrease, and the impact penetrates the target completely.
“Missile group, 5 seconds until impact~”
“Reaction from Froz, followed by Yarun.”
“Oh! They moved!”
The missile group was still flying nearly 10 km away. But the two ＜Fenrir＞ clearly showed signs of noticing them.
But the encirclement by ＜The Tree＞ was not so lenient that they could do anything about it.
No matter how high their athletic performance, their momentum could be reduced by targeting the legs and the ground, which were the starting points for their movements, with artillery fire.
However, it seemed that they were gradually adapting to this method as well.
The timing of their steps was changing, and movements that seemed to be treading on empty ground were beginning to be observed.
“But… it’s too late!”
Along with Asahi’s excited shout, streaks of light pierced the battlefield in the video.
Unfortunately, Eve’s dynamic visual acuity could only recognize the Mach 6 missiles as lines of light.
Probably, several of them hit directly. The missiles were approaching from above at a shallow angle.
They predicted even the escape routes of the two Threat Creatures and dispersed the missiles to the most likely points.
The missiles that missed their targets crashed into the ground, causing huge explosions. The warheads were just simple metal Cannon Shells, but the collision speed was extraordinary.
The ground was turned up, and a huge amount of earth and sand was blown up.
Breaking through the wall of earth and sand, the two Threat Creatures rolled out.
“We are observing. Damage confirmed, judged to be effective.”
Froz and Yarun were captured in the video. The two were clearly damaged.
Froz’s left foreleg was hit directly at the base, and it was dangling limply.
Yarun had injuries to its head and back, perhaps. Both showed laceration-like injuries.
But even so, their actions seemed to be hardly hindered.
The two, who had jumped up, glared at Jötunn M while growling.
Assuming a weight of 8 tons at the time of missile impact, 1/2 x 8t x 2000 x 2000 = 16GJ.
The energy of 1 ton of TNT explosive is said to be 4.184GJ, so the kinetic energy alone is equivalent to nearly 4 tons of TNT.
If it were a nuclear warhead, well… But nuclear explosions are conspicuous.