Episode 300: Dancing Giant
The beams emitted from hundreds of laser cannons converged on a single point.
The injected high energy was converted into heat, turning the atmosphere into plasma. Intense light and ultra-high temperatures spread around.
“So bright~”
“The sensors are whiting out~”
Due to the extremely intense electromagnetic waves and visible light emissions, the surrounding sensors exceeded their detection limits. The screen turned completely white, and most of the observed values maxed out.
“Was that too much…?”
“We need to review the installed sensors.”
The data displayed in the command room switched to remote observation. At the center of the image, a pure white radiance, like a sun, was born.
With this amount of heat, even something as large as ＜Fenrir＞ shouldn’t be able to withstand it under normal circumstances.
However, Threat Creatures are Threat Creatures precisely because of their irrational (fantasy) power.
“Mobile reaction!”
“Froz confirmed!”
Froz burst out from that ultra-high temperature location.
Originally, the aim should have been adjusted to match Froz’s movement, but the machines at the front lines, with their sensors whited out, couldn’t manage that level of response.
“…Damage confirmed.”
But even so, this ultra-high energy attack seemed to be effective against Froz.
Analysis of the telescopic image confirmed that the surface of its body was significantly burned.
“Oh, it seems laser attacks are effective against Froz!”
Asahi, after confirming the image, cheered.
“It might have been mitigated by the magic barrier! With that amount of heat, it wouldn’t be strange if its entire body evaporated!”
“I guess it won’t be that easy…”
Froz, having escaped the laser attack, immediately began to flee at full speed. It frantically evaded the automated machine group, which had started to change its aim according to the tactical data link’s instructions.
However, its movement speed was extraordinary.
Its top speed exceeded the speed of sound, and the earth and sand generated by its stomping obscured the view, making laser attacks difficult.
“No issues with Froz’s movements are observed.”
“There is damage to its fur, but the muscle tissue doesn’t seem to be damaged.”
“I wonder if it feels any pain~”
If it were a normal creature, the pain from the burns should have affected its movements. However, whether it was due to the excitement of battle or a structure that allowed it to ignore pain,
Froz continued to move with tremendous force, making it impossible to concentrate laser attacks.
“Onee-sama, it’s amazing. Its movements are too fast for the turret to keep up! If we don’t revise our tactics soon, we’ll be at the mercy of that speed.”
Asahi wasn’t involved in the operation this time, so she was leisurely offering such opinions. However, the local tactical AI was likely far from relaxed.
With the sensitivity of the sensors reduced due to the aftereffects of the concentrated laser attack, they had to continue attacking a target moving at supersonic speeds.
“Unable to perform effective attacks.”
“＜Iris＞ has shifted the basic policy to information gathering.”
Then, a strategic change was notified from ＜Iris＞, and the attack pressure on Froz decreased. The quality of attacks changed from aggressive destruction to hindering movement.
Froz seemed to have sensitively picked up on that change.
Its high-speed movement changed from evasion to attack.
Stomping, twisting its body, Froz rapidly approached Jötunn.
A cannon shell was fired from a railgun that happened to have its muzzle aligned with the Threat Creature coming from the front.
“It hit! …But as expected, there’s a barrier.”
The initial attack was somehow endured.
But the next one was impossible.
Landing while engulfing the deployed multi-legged tank, Froz charged straight at the Jötunn B in front of it.
Perhaps it had noticed the fact that attacks were only directed towards the turrets. There were no attackable turrets in the direction Froz was jumping.
“Damage confirmed. Main cannon number 5 is completely destroyed.”
Froz probably bit it off. The contact was momentary, but that alone destroyed the rear main cannon along with its turret, sending it flying into the air.
Lasers and cannon shells were fired from the surroundings, but Froz skillfully evaded them despite its massive size, continuing its movement.
From there, Froz pounced on Jötunn B two more times, destroying the main turrets. The local automated machine group was completely at its mercy.
“Jötunn B’s main cannons are disappearing~”
“This is probably impossible~”
Utsugi and Erika seemed to have calculated Froz’s movement speed and the turret’s rotation speed.
Unless they could accurately predict Froz’s movement a few seconds ahead, it seemed impossible to launch effective attacks with the current equipment. However, Froz was moving around at supersonic speeds, making it difficult to predict its movement path even a fraction of a second ahead.
And then.
In the video, Jötunn B suddenly spewed fire from within.
“Jötunn B, major damage confirmed!”
“Number 2 and 3 power reactors are stopped. Forcibly stopping the circulation of the working fluid.”
“Onee-sama, it looks like Froz spat out fire!”
In just a few minutes since the start of the engagement, Jötunn was defeated. Video analysis confirmed that a ball of fire released from Froz’s mouth directly hit Jötunn B. The speed of the fire was also supersonic, making it an attack that the sluggish Jötunn could never evade.
“Jötunn B, emergency stop. Starting isolation of the core room.”
“＜Iris＞ has selected to launch a barrier-penetrating missile!”
At this rate, the Jötunn unit would be annihilated soon.
Strategic AI ＜Iris＞ made that judgment and launched a hypersonic missile from the rear missile platform.
The missile, instantly accelerated to supersonic speed by the electromagnetic catapult, began flying at tremendous speed.
“Barrier-penetrating missile, accelerating. 28 seconds until impact.”
Hypersonic missiles have trajectory correction capabilities, but they cannot use their own sensors. Even if sensors were installed, the aerodynamic heating generated at that speed would cause the sensor apertures to become ultra-high temperature. To protect the missile body from the heat, a heat-resistant armor that removes heat through vaporization is equipped at the tip.
Therefore, the missile’s operation is performed externally.
The turrets of the quadruped tanks and multi-legged tanks synchronized and unleashed cannon shells at Froz. A massive number of metal cannon shells, hundreds per second, were fired at the target in waves.
However, they were unable to neutralize Froz’s magic barrier. Its movement speed was too fast to allow for direct hits. Still, they could restrain its movement path and attack actions.
The ball of fire that Froz spat out slightly deviated from its course and landed on the ground near Jötunn D. The fire ball exploded into flames, and the surrounding quadruped tanks melted and flowed like wax. The ground became lava due to the extreme heat, burning bright red.
“Jötunn D, operational issues have occurred in the front driving wheels.”
Jötunn D’s status display turned bright red. The parts near the point where the fire ball landed were damaged by radiant heat alone.
If this fire ball were to hit directly, it wouldn’t be surprising if it became inoperable in a single blow. The high heat would affect the entire ship body through the working fluid circulating throughout its body.
“Deploying multiple small-scale laser concentration points in the predicted movement path.”
Even if it wouldn’t be a fatal blow, they wanted to somehow land an attack. ＜Iris＞ abandoned attack power and, in order to land any effective attack, distributed the concentration of laser cannons to some extent, setting laser irradiation in order of the highest probability of the predicted movement path.
By chance, Froz jumped into one of those locations. The concentrated heat rays placed a high load on Froz’s barrier.
Froz hurriedly jumped back from that location.
“Anti-magic barrier missile, impact.”
Then, the warhead of the missile, glowing bright red, pierced Froz in the air.
Tanks being toyed with by a dog bouncing around. And a huge missile flying in from outside the field of vision.
By the way, doesn’t the expression of the warhead turning red due to aerodynamic heating make your heart flutter?