Chapter 61
The accuracy of machine guns fired from a mobile platform like a wyvern wasn't particularly high.
Still, it didn't matter.
Even stray bullets sprayed haphazardly had enough power to tear apart fourth-rate frigates and below with ease.
Faced with the unexpected attack, the mages' response was slightly delayed.
"Bring the fleet to a halt and begin interception!"
Vwoooooom-!
The red heat ray cast by an 8th-circle mage split through the middle of the wyvern formation.
Then, the fleet's mages simultaneously spread out antiaircraft magic circles.
Lightning, wind, fire, ice... Vivid colors of every element filled the sky.
The antiaircraft magic of veteran naval-combat mages.
Even against attacks that would have left ordinary people standing gaping before being struck, Victor and the knights under his command flew about while casually executing evasive maneuvers.
"Ha! At that speed, you think you'll hit us!?"
The Southern Fleet's antiaircraft barrage was not limited to this.
To men who had seen the rainlike beams emitted by machine guns and antiaircraft guns, this level of firepower was no great threat.
Moreover, because of the limits of human processing power, the mages were unable to launch rapid-fire attacks and couldn't establish an effective antiaircraft barrage against wyverns flying at 2.5 kilometers.
"Target the weak spots in their antiaircraft barrage!"
Following Victor's order, the twenty wyverns circled the fleet and probed its weak spots.
The wyvern unit hurt too much to ignore, yet it was too elusive to shoot down when the enemy tried to engage it properly.
The Eastern ships became hopelessly bogged down before them.
As the distance between the abyssal monster unit and the surface fleet widened, a new fleet was entering the battlefield.
***
A bright, cloudless sky at noon.
An endless expanse of open sea, with not even a common reef in sight.
And a fleet sailing across the calm sea as usual.
At the head of the fleet, a massive battleship sailed proudly, showing off its enormous bulk. Black smoke from its smokestacks trailed behind like a long tail, while its gigantic bow silently opened a path, pushing white foam to either side.
Light cruisers followed on either side of the battleship at regular intervals. The guns and bridges shining in the sunlight gleamed with a soft metallic luster.
Behind them, the destroyers followed the fleet in an orderly single-file line.
At a glance, it was an utterly peaceful scene... but in truth, it was closer to the calm before a storm.
The bridge of the Dreadnought alone was already incredibly hectic.
"Starboard lookout report! Bearing 0-1-5, range 20,000! Enemy fleet sighted! It is currently engaged with the wyvern unit!"
The moment the enemy fleet came into view, red sirens began wailing madly across the deck. It was the signal to take shelter, because naval gunfire would begin soon.
I was lost in thought as I listened to the orderly footsteps reverberating through the deck.
The Dreadnought's maximum range was close to 20 kilometers. Even if we began bombarding them now, they were well within striking distance.
"Don't open fire yet."
But our objective was to annihilate the enemy's sailing fleet.
To completely break a fleet of nearly a hundred ships, we had to get inside the range of our destroyers.
"We'll close to 8 kilometers."
"A message from the Horizon Air Wing! They've expended all their remaining ammunition and can no longer continue the engagement!"
"Recall them and begin the second air strike. What about the submarine unit?"
At the order, colorful signal flags were hung from the long mast atop the battleship. Following the flags fluttering in the sea breeze, the flight deck handlers on the makeshift carriers signaled in unison.
Immediately, twenty wyverns kicked off from the deck of the second aircraft carrier, the SDS Katarina, and took flight.
As I watched the wyverns fly over the fleet and charge bravely toward the enemy fleet, a report came in almost immediately.
"The submarine fleet is currently about 40 kilometers from the main fleet and continuing to move away. The abyssal monsters won't be able to join this area for at least another hour."
"I see."
The maximum speed of a sailing ship was less than half that of a destroyer.
In other words, now that the enemy fleet had come into our sight, a decisive fleet battle was unavoidable.
The enemy admiral seemed to have reached a similar conclusion, judging by the way he rearranged his fleet into a massive wedge.
"The enemy fleet is turning its bows this way with the ironclads at the front!"
"I can see it too. What about the Katarina Air Wing?"
"They're engaged, but... they aren't inflicting any meaningful damage. The enemy has too many antiaircraft mages."
"It's fine. For now, tell them to circle around and wait for an opportunity."
On the surface, the matchup was our submarines being chased VS the pursuing Eastern abyssal monster unit, and the Southern surface fleet VS the Eastern surface fleet.
A battle between surface fleets without any variables.
The Eastern fleet knew this as well and advanced confidently. In terms of total tonnage and numbers, their side was far superior.
As the fleets facing one another reached maximum speed, the distance between them closed in an instant.
"Range to the enemy fleet, approximately 13,000!"
"Fleet, change course to bearing 3-1-0. Turn ahead of the enemy fleet and seize its head!"
The most efficient direction for a fleet to project its firepower was from the side. It was no coincidence that the terms 'line of battle' and 'ship of the line' had similar names.
The same applied to our fleet.
The ideal formation for the battleships of the twentieth century was a T-shaped formation: a fleet presenting its broadside to an enemy approaching in a line and training all its guns on them.
Then, between the massive sailing fleet of more than a hundred ships and our fleet stretched out in a line, who would turn first and seize the other's head?
Naturally, our side.
Bwooooooo-
With a deep rumble that seemed to shake its very core, the lead battleship was the first to heel over.
As the tens-of-thousands-of-tons battleship shoved the sea aside and changed the direction of its bow, dazzling white foam traced a long curve in its wake.
The fleet following behind also began turning while maintaining its exact spacing. As the gray ships traced curves one after another, enormous curved wakes were etched in layers across the blue sea.
The fleet that had stretched out in a long vertical line only minutes earlier now extended into a long transverse line, completely blocking the enemy fleet's course.
The enemy ships also hurried to change direction, but...
"Tell the Katarina Air Wing to climb higher and drop aerial bombs! Stop the enemy fleet from turning!"
But the wyvern unit blocked them by climbing to an altitude beyond the reach of magic and disrupting their turn with aerial bombs.
And so, the moment the distance between the two fleets fell below 8 kilometers—
"Bearing 0-9-4 degrees relative to our ship! Range 7,740!"
"Turret No. 1, aiming complete!"
"No. 2, turret aiming complete!"
"Turrets No. 4 and 5 report that aiming is complete!"
"Fire as soon as you're ready!"
KABOOOOOM-!
A thunderous cannon report burst forth.
***
Without the slightest warning, one of the ironclads at the very front of the fleet was torn apart.
In a flash, a mark like that left by a beast's claws raking across the deck was carved into the ironclad.
In the instant the ironclad was torn into five pieces, it felt as though every sound in the world had vanished.
Then, the delayed cannon report shook heaven and earth.
Kugugugung-!
It sounded as though the sea itself were collapsing. Thunder that stirred the primordial fear engraved in human instinct.
The eight streaks of light that pierced through the center of the fleet were enough to make the overconfident captains realize that something had gone wrong.
But by then, it was already too late to retreat.
By now, the distance between the Southern Fleet's battle line and the Eastern sailing fleet bearing down on it was about 6 kilometers.
The sailing ships turned slowly, while vessels in the rear that had yet to grasp the situation continued piling forward.
"At this range, what in the..."
But there was no time to stand dazed in shock.
While the Eastern fleet stared blankly at the enemy fleet, the Dreadnought's main guns had already loaded their second shells.
Once again, the 305mm naval guns belched fire.
Kugugung-!
Along with a blinding flash, an explosive shockwave crushed down upon the sea. Pitch-black gun smoke billowed like clouds and covered the decks.
At the same time, every ship lined up behind the battleship opened fire.
As twenty-four 152mm guns and seventy-five 76mm guns fired in unison, countless red shells filled the sky.
Under normal circumstances, seeing shells with the naked eye was almost impossible because of the limits of human visual tracking.
But the captains aboard the ships at the very front could see the red shells pouring down like a rain shower.
It was thanks to the phenomenon of a life flashing before one's eyes.
In the instant the shells were fired, everyone aboard the first row of sailing ships instinctively sensed their impending death.
"...That's impossible."
At that moment, Ernst, the admiral of the Eastern fleet who had believed he could easily crush the Southern Navy, muttered hollowly,
Massive firepower capable of bringing down mountains and reshaping terrain rained down upon the Eastern fleet.