Chapter 335: The Awakening of the Giant Mountain
“Ma’am, The Reflector has begun its movement.”
“…Huh?”
In the midst of their usual tea party, the report came suddenly right after Ringo silently served the sweets.
“The Reflector has started to move. Kakitsubata and Iris have begun their countermeasures. The aircraft carrier Myrkvid and the battleship Blazabrik have entered combat readiness. A combat airspace has been established. The Gigantia Eurytus, Crythios, and the Aerial Escort Ships Chronos, Theia, Leia, Themis, Mune-Moshine, and Phebe have also commenced their movements.”
“A total war, huh…!”
The monitored The Reflector had finally begun to move. The entire Tree shifted into combat readiness in an instant.
Naturally, this information was also relayed to Duke Amagio Silverhead, who was online.
“…Hey, hey, the monster has started moving, huh?!”
“A-Amagio-san!”
Using the activated Tactical Data Link, Amagio sent a call. Since The Reflector was likely to have a significant impact on the northern nations, he had been provided with ample information.
“I caught a glimpse that the threat creature warheads have started to be deployed, but can we counter this thing?”
“Umm… It’s hard to say.”
“We can’t make an accurate assessment of its combat power yet. Its capabilities are unknown. We’ll have to test it out.”
The telescopic footage capturing The Reflector began streaming over the data link. In the center of that footage, a massive form that resembled a rocky mountain slowly began to rise.
“Sister! Asahi is heading over there too!”
Sensing the atmosphere of a major event, Asahi seemed intent on connecting to the Communicator Android stored within The Tree. Since she was currently staying in the Port Town of Terek, she appeared to have given up on joining in person.
“Do you think there will be any movement in a few hours?”
“That depends on its final speed, but I suspect that any serious response will likely come after tomorrow. I predict today will just be a wait-and-see situation.”
“Unless that big thing moves at an incredible speed, I suppose. It’s probably only going 20 to 30 km/h. Where it’s headed is also a factor…”
“Hmm…”
The Reflector, now standing, slowly extended its long neck. It moved as if searching for something.
Minutes passed.
The Reflector began to move slowly from its position.
The direction it was heading?
“Information obtained from the local observation aircraft indicates it is oriented towards the fortress Gladiolus. The estimated movement position has been displayed. It appears to avoid contact with the known territory of the Fenrir, but we need to keep a close watch.”
“Ugh… Seriously…”
In truth, this possibility had been considered.
Since the Magic Stones for generating barriers had been transported to the fortress Gladiolus, The Reflector had shown signs of activity. If that were the case, it was only natural to think that its awakening was linked to the activation of the barrier.
Of course, it was also possible that it was merely a coincidence due to timing.
“That fortress with the magical barrier, huh? Hmm, I wonder if it can detect something like that.”
“Who knows? The waves of magic essence I showed you before seem to spread quite slowly, but it wouldn’t be surprising if something different was being emitted…”
In response to Amagio’s question, Eve shook her head and replied.
It had been established that when some magical phenomenon occurs, the magic essence density spreads out like ripples on water. However, the movement of that essence is extremely slow, with the spread rate determined to be only a few kilometers per day through observation.
The ripple of magic essence generated by the activation of the magical barrier would, by simple calculation, take several years to reach The Reflector. Yet, here it was, The Reflector had begun to move.
At this point, it would be correct to assume that a phenomenon different from the ripples of magic essence was occurring.
“It doesn’t seem to be heading directly towards Gladiolus… It looks like its course is slightly off.”
In the footage, The Reflector began to move, its six legs propelling it forward. The observed speed of movement was about 20 km/h. And the destination, if you extended a straight line, was slightly north of Gladiolus, approximately 40 km away.
“At this point, it’s hard to say. Given the distance, it’s most likely that there’s a margin of error in its movement direction. For it to be heading so close to Gladiolus by coincidence seems unlikely.”
“That’s true…”
If The Reflector was indeed aiming for Gladiolus and this deviation occurred, it could be concluded that its detection capabilities or sense of direction were not infallible. However, considering it was still 1,000 km away, this level of accuracy was still quite sufficient.
“That thing can probably move faster, right?”
“I affirm that. Its normal movement speed is estimated to be around 30 to 40 km/h, so it’s likely just starting off slowly.”
The last time The Reflector moved was when it walked to consume a downed Wyvern. Even then, it moved slowly, but it was still faster than its current pace.
Just then, a lively fox girl burst in.
“Boom! Sister! Asahi has arrived!”
Asahi darted through the gap before the automatic door fully opened, running towards Eve.
The body Asahi was currently using was lightweight and weak for a humanoid android, the complete opposite of her true form. Thus, even if she dove towards Eve with the strength appropriate for her appearance, it wouldn’t result in an accident.
“Whoa there! Oh my, oh my! This little one has really picked up some bad habits!”
“Hehehe!”
Eve caught Asahi and began to ruffle her hair while giving a knowing glance to Ringo. Ringo, understanding the cue, began preparing some sweet treats that Asahi favored.
While the atmosphere inside The Tree was warm and cozy, the strategic AIs on the front lines were in a state of chaos.
Simply sitting back and watching was, of course, not an option. They needed to devise a counter-operation.
The A-Class Strategic AI Kakitsubata, positioned closest to the action, began gathering and analyzing local information. Using that data, the A-Class Strategic AI Iris was formulating operational plans.
Iris currently commanded the largest amount of combat power within The Tree. Meanwhile, her sister unit, Kakitsubata, was assisting her.
They exchanged vast amounts of information using underwater cables, constructing a countermeasure plan. The forces within the Prava Divine Nation and the aircraft carrier and battleship deployed at sea, along with two aerial carriers flying in the vicinity, were all considered. Additionally, they accounted for forces that could be transported from other regions.
How much offensive power could they muster? Or, what would be the forecast for force attrition?
Honestly, there were too many unknowns regarding The Reflector to make a solid prediction. The focus was on how to maximize their instantaneous firepower and minimize losses on The Tree’s side.
With these premises in mind, Iris prepared multiple plans and sent the compiled information to The Tree for final calculations.
Asahi-chan has become able to casually visit (remotely), but she’s still a bit reserved about it. Despite appearances, she might actually be going through a phase.
★ The Hungry Fortress: I Want to Build a Great Battleship in Another World 3 World of Sandbox
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