Chapter 305: Deployment of Aerial Combat Forces
“Smart shell, descending at Mach 9.”
Since then, a tense standoff had continued between the two Fenrir, Froze and Yalun, who were slowly retreating. The Jotun M facing them remained stationary, its main cannon trained on the foes.
Amidst this stalemate, a searing warhead rained down from above. The propulsion unit detached from the cluster bomb unit, plunging down as a mass warhead. Moments later, a multitude of smaller explosive devices showered the area.
The two Fenrir noticed the incoming warhead just before it struck. However, they were caught off guard by the simultaneous approach of an ultra hypersonic missile. The smart warheads and cluster bombs tore through the ground, sending debris flying as Froze and Yalun attempted to escape. Despite the chaos, the two Fenrir managed to kick off from the unstable ground and narrowly evade disaster. Their movements exceeded the speed of sound, making it impossible for even the ultra hypersonic missile to react in time. Several mass warheads grazed past them, obliterating the earth beneath.
This seemed to be the decisive blow.
The already demoralized threat creatures spun around at breakneck speed.
A full retreat was underway.
At that moment, the pursuit forces from The Tree struck.
The Jotun M and the multi-legged machines unleashed a barrage of shells, while lasers crisscrossed the battlefield.
Additional barrier penetration missiles were launched one after another, driving the two Fenrir further into a corner.
The Gigantia Unit, comprising Eurytus, Theia, Leia, and Themis, initiated a full-scale bombardment.
Their attacks were meticulously calibrated to block the escape routes of the Fenrir. Although Froze and Yalun danced around the onslaught, their evasive maneuvers prevented them from gaining any significant distance. The operational AI, having thoroughly analyzed the movement capabilities of the two creatures, was predicting their actions with increasing accuracy as time passed.
“Wow…”
The visuals were engulfed in smoke and dust. Eve could no longer discern what was happening, leaving her to simply watch in silence. Each unit and Fenrir was displayed in wireframe, but Froze and Yalun moved so swiftly that they were nearly impossible to track.
“The attack aircraft have launched barrier penetration missiles; they are on approach.”
The smart warheads fired from Blazabrik rained down, accompanied by a deluge of ultra hypersonic missiles and shells, creating a hellish battlefield. Yet, despite this chaos…
“It seems Iris predicts that we won’t achieve a kill even with this, older sister!”
“If we hit them, we could take them down…”
The problem was that the attacks were not landing. Even when they blocked escape routes to force a hit, the Fenrir could still evade with concentrated effort. Without traps to immobilize them, capturing these Fenrir would prove impossible.
“Would something like a capture net be feasible…?”
“If we had known they possessed such explosive speed, we could have considered mobility-inhibiting equipment. Indeed, countering threat creatures is quite challenging.”
In response to Eve’s lament, Ringo replied. These creatures defied the boundaries of existing biological classifications, even transcending the laws of physics. They were expected to recognize and accurately evade the rain of ultra hypersonic shells and smaller explosives, consistently taking optimal actions.
Unfortunately, the sensors set up in advance had mostly been destroyed by the bombardment. Thus, information gathering relied solely on the automated machines present on-site. Nevertheless, they had likely collected the minimum necessary data for future encounters with the Fenrir species.
Ideally, they would simply retreat.
“Iris is intentionally creating an escape route! It seems Froze and Yalun are aware of it! What an incredible ability!”
“Both Froze and Yalun are undoubtedly trying to flee. Iris intends to let them go.”
Iris was effectively cornering the target, sealing off their escape while guiding them toward the Demon Forest. The two Fenrir followed this path, gradually increasing the distance between them.
“…What are our next steps?”
“Yes, Ma’am. We will continue to deploy aerial combat forces to increase pressure while pursuing them toward the vicinity of the Demon Forest. Afterward, we will maintain the initially established defense line, construct defensive facilities, and patrol with defense machines to define the boundary. The territory gained during this battle will be abandoned, establishing a buffer zone to signal our intent not to expand further.”
The ultimate goal of the plan was to push the Fenrir family back to their original territory in the Demon Forest. While extermination was one option, it risked devolving into chaos due to territorial disputes among threat creatures. Thus, forcing a retreat was the best possible outcome.
“Older sister, the escort fighters have reached the combat zone.”
“This will be the last bombardment from Blazabrik!”
“The fighters are commencing ground attacks!”
Furthermore, additional aerial forces arrived overhead to deliver a final blow. While they lacked the firepower of ultra hypersonic missiles, the supersonic missiles would still serve as a significant source of damage. Some aircraft were equipped with unguided bombs, but they were ineffective beyond distraction and were too fast to hit their targets, rendering them mere dead weight.
“The ground attack squad is beginning missile deployment.”
Bombers opened their belly hatches wide, releasing missiles in rapid succession. The missiles, cast into the air, ignited their rocket motors one by one, soaring toward their targets.
An overwhelming number of fire trails painted the sky.
Moreover, following the missiles, the fighters descended for machine-gun strafing.
With a massive wave of missiles approaching at supersonic speeds, accompanied by multiple fighters, the Fenrir seemed to sense the impending threat. Yalun turned back, unleashing a flash of light. Froze shielded the slowed Yalun with its own body.
“Yalun is executing what appears to be a fireball attack. Initial speed ranges from 800 m/s to 1,000 m/s. Multiple fireballs confirmed.”
“The ground attack squad has been hit!”
“Some missiles have been shot down!”
Anti-air attacks erupted. An explosion occurred in the midst of the tightly packed bombers, resulting in half being marked for destruction. Additionally, six fireballs detonated in various locations, ensnaring the flying missiles and fighters.
“Bomber loss rate: 13%. Fighter loss rate: 7%. Missile loss: 22%. Quite impressive firepower and range.”
“However, it seems Froze has taken another hit from a barrier penetration missile…”
With the pressure from ground attacks diminishing, the two Fenrir seized the opportunity to bolt away. Froze, bleeding from the impact of deflecting a missile, continued to flee with an intensity that belied its injuries.
“Report from Iris: Yalun and Froze have retreated into the Demon Forest.”
Once the hindrance from the shells was lifted, their top speed reached supersonic. The two Fenrir vanished in an instant.
While they had escaped, the operation’s objective of accurately conveying the threat posed by The Tree had been achieved with flying colors.
“…Alright. A lot of unexpected things happened, but the result is good!”
“Yes, Ma’am. Iris declares the completion of the Walking the Dog operation.”
Thus, The Tree successfully drove the Fenrir back to their original territory, expending a significant amount of automated machines and munitions in the process.
When comparing the sheer resource consumption, it far exceeded that of the Prava Divine Nation invasion operation.
Multiple Jotun were severely damaged, with three mock-up Jotun M ultimately deemed destroyed. The number of quadrupedal and multi-legged tanks lost was staggering, with over a hundred evaporating without a trace. The consumption of shells and missiles was immense, and the energy expended was substantial, including a significant amount of nuclear fusion fuel.
Still, compared to the resources that could potentially be acquired in the future, the losses were not catastrophic. The Tree had once again secured vast lands as territory. Although they had not been able to survey the area due to it being under the Fenrir’s domain, projections based on the surrounding land suggested that considerable mineral veins lay dormant.
“Let’s review the results later together. Is there any urgent work to attend to?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Everything is proceeding smoothly. Including Iris, let’s hold a debriefing session first.”
Finally, we managed to drive them back. Aren’t the monsters in this fantasy world too strong? It feels like attribute compatibility is a must…
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