Chapter 338: Did We Do It!?
“The target has been lost.”
The zoomed-in footage on the front display showed nothing but a cloud of rising dust.
There simply hadn’t been enough time to place sensors deep within the Demon Forest, so battlefield observation could only be conducted remotely.
“The reconnaissance drone is en route. It should arrive in approximately ten minutes.”
“We couldn’t send it ahead, so there’s no helping it…”
To avoid detection by The Reflector, no automated machines had been dispatched nearby. Some had been attached to its massive shell, but they were all destroyed in the earlier attack. Currently, the reconnaissance drone that had been on standby was being rushed to the scene.
“The dust cloud should clear in a few minutes. We should be able to visually confirm The Reflector then.”
RINGO reported while analyzing the information from the scene.
The footage switched, revealing a distant view.
There, a colossal mushroom-shaped cloud, or perhaps a fog, was displayed.
“Oh my… this is quite the situation…”
The surrounding atmosphere, heated by the immense heat generated by the Redstone, had reached extreme temperatures, creating a rapid updraft. The mushroom cloud continued to grow, rising with considerable force.
“Older Sister! The analysis results from the footage are in!”
As Eve silently observed the scene, Asahi rushed over, shouting.
“Oh, and I’ll pass this along to Iris too! If you have time, please take a look!”
“Understood.”
Iris, who was managing the scene, likely didn’t have the luxury to check detailed data. She was probably only reviewing the summary information created by Asahi. Depending on the results, future operational actions could be significantly impacted.
“In just a bit, we should be able to confirm the visuals! For now, I’ve estimated the effectiveness based on the information gathered before the dust cloud obscured everything!”
The Reflector must have sustained some damage from the direct hits of the shells. The kinetic energy of the warheads had transformed much of its mass into light and heat upon impact.
Both light and heat could be observed remotely as infrared signals.
By integrating the data from multiple sensors that picked up these signals, they could estimate what had transpired at the scene.
“Now, now! I was a bit curious about this! The Redstone warhead collided with the magical barrier, generating an incredible amount of heat…”
In the ultra-slow-motion footage, the Redstone warheads collided with the magical barrier one after another. The warheads crumpled instantly, and a dazzling sphere of light appeared immediately afterward.
The extreme heat generated at a single point heated the surrounding air, resulting in the formation of fireballs.
Then, the heat rays radiating from these fireballs began to scorch The Reflector.
As the footage rapidly filled with fireballs, there was a brief moment when it appeared that The Reflector pulled its head back into its shell. There was hope that it had sustained damage to its head, but it seemed that was too much to hope for.
Nevertheless.
The footage confirmed that the heat rays emitted by the Redstone had inflicted sufficient thermal damage on The Reflector’s shell. Experiments using the Rain Kroin had demonstrated that the flesh of threat creatures scorched by Redstone heat significantly weakened.
In other words, it was highly likely that The Reflector’s shell had lost its magical (Fantasy) resilience.
“As you can see, the shell has been thoroughly heated, and its surface has deformed! This means that heat has penetrated through the magical barrier! At this rate, the subsequent depleted uranium warheads should have struck directly…”
However.
The next footage was shocking.
“Here it is! I’ll play it in slow motion repeatedly. It seems several warheads likely struck directly! However, this shell… it appears to have exploded all at once, separate from the timing of the warhead impacts!”
In the footage, the shell erupted. Fragments of various sizes scattered like shrapnel. At this point, the smoke and fireballs generated expanded, obscuring The Reflector’s body. Thus, no further information could be gleaned from the footage analysis.
“It seems the shell exploded on its own! The analysis suggests that most of the subsequent shells collided with these fragments before striking directly!”
“What… what is that…?”
The surface of the shell, having sustained damage, exploded automatically. It was as if…
“Reactive Armor…? Does that monster have such a function????”
Eve murmured in disbelief. But Asahi quickly added a clarification.
“Actually, Older Sister! This is still in the realm of speculation, but the analysis indicates that it doesn’t seem like a reactive armor function was originally built into it!”
According to Asahi.
The moisture or some substance contained within the shell rapidly evaporated due to the intense heat, expanding explosively and causing the shell’s surface to shatter.
“The analysis AI suggested that because it was an attack involving high temperatures, this kind of reaction occurred! However, this reactive armor phenomenon poses a problem…”
If these fragments collide with the high-speed incoming warheads, they would impart significant shock to the warheads. Consequently, the shock pressure would cause the Redstone embedded in the tip to heat up. This could lead to the generation of heat that weakens the magical (Fantasy) resilience much earlier than anticipated.
“The plan was to strike the shell directly, causing it to heat up and penetrate through it in one go! However, the thermal damage inflicted on the shell may have been significantly reduced!”
Of course, the destructive power of the depleted uranium warheads, flying at supersonic speeds, was tremendous. Without the magical barrier, they should have been able to inflict substantial damage. However, it was undeniable that combining it with Redstone allowed for a greater shock to be transmitted.
“If the shell contains materials with high thermal conductivity, such explosive phenomena could occur. The analysis AI has provided some sharp predictions! I must say, it was worth the effort to educate it!”
“…This isn’t going to be easy. The smoke should clear soon.”
While Asahi was explaining, the situation on-site was changing moment by moment. The intense updraft generated by the impact of the shells was causing the dust and smoke to thin in some areas.
Through a gap in the smoke, The Reflector’s form was finally visible.
“Oh! It’s coming into view!!”
“What… what does this mean…!?”
In the shimmering, heat-induced mirage, the damaged shell of The Reflector was visible. And it appeared to be stained red, a sign of blood.
“Damage confirmed on the target. Assessing the extent of the damage.”
Receiving this information, Iris continued real-time analysis.
How much damage had this series of bombardments inflicted on The Reflector? If it could be confirmed as an effective means of attack, they could simply repeat the process.
However, that hope would soon be dashed.
“Detecting large-scale vibrational phenomena.”
Iris, stationed closest to the front lines, was the first to notice the occurrence.
The ground was shaking. A sound like a rumble or a roar echoed throughout the area.
“…!? It’s sinking!?”
In the footage, The Reflector’s massive body was visibly lowering at an alarming speed.
“…Ah! Older Sister, The Reflector is trying to escape underground!!”
“Wait, wait, wait! Is that even allowed!?”
Amid Eve’s panicked screams, The Reflector vanished into the ground with astonishing speed, as if being swallowed whole.
A giant monster escaping into the ground is a classic trope! (Or maybe not?) The Tree’s miscalculation was that The Reflector was tougher than expected. It was supposed to soften under the Redstone bombardment…!
★ The Hungry Fortress Wants to Create a Battleship in Another World – All 3 Volumes Available Now!
KADOKAWA Official: https://www.kadokawa.co.jp/series/417083/?i=322212000471