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Historia Shoukan Chapter 9
New World's Reaction and Alliance's Next Move

Date: May 8th, HS 2069/CC 1639
Location: Jin-Hark, Louria Kingdom
Place: King's Antechamber, Hark Castle

After accepting humiliating, borderline submission-like terms, they finally got support from a Superpower. After letting them undergo 6 years of Superpower-level soldier training, his army was finally ready to materialize his unification of Rodenius continent. Devoting many resources and much of the kingdom's power and lending decades worth of loans, he established the army with as much care and delicacy as he could.

They should have won overwhelmingly.

Until... Something that didn't make sense happened.

A nation called Historia, possessing horrendously absurd strength, entered the war and almost wiped away his delicately amassed army.

If only he had treated their envoys, who had come to establish diplomatic relations, with much more respect in spite of their demihuman equality principals. He should have found out more about their nation.

They were a barbarian nation with limited number of wyverns? Preposterous. They were a nation which possessed a very high level of civilization that renders wyverns obsolete. Yet they still used them in conjunction with their flying objects, which horrifies him even more.

The remnants of their great navy were subjected to intense attack from the air and sea, reduced to ash together with the harbor.

Despite his army receiving near total casualties, their enemy hardly suffered a single death. It was horrendously lopsided. Even if a country outside the civilized areas were to duke it out with a Superpower, the result wouldn't be as horrific as this.

No matter how much he regretted and regretted, he couldn't stop running out of things to regret.

The enemy is soon to be upon him.

As if it owned the place, their insect-like objects circled above the skies of the capital. With the Wyvern Corps already gone, there was nothing more they could do.

It seems that war has reached the room that he was in. Successive, unfamiliar sounds dryly echoed across the interior of the castle. He could also hear the screams of his Royal Guards.

Together with the sound of the door being kicked open, peculiar-looking troops with strange uniforms flooded into the room. Mixed in with them were soldiers wearing navy blue uniforms. They held objects that resembled magical staves, with some of them having swords of their own. Most likely, all of them are skilled mages and magic knights.

(AN: Which isn't exactly wrong for Gensokyo Union Fighters because of Spell Card Rules.)

The fairy tales of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire… the Demon Emperor's army… comes to mind of the king.

"W-wait… Are you the army of the Demon Emperor?!"

Trembling in terror, Hark Louria XXXIV asked them.

One of the navy blue uniformed people walks up to the king.

"If by that you mean the forces of Ravernal Empire, then no. My name is John Burton of Allied Forces' Peacekeepers. You're Hark Louria XXXIV, correct? You're under arrest for sanctioning a genocide campaign against Qua-Toyne Principality and Quila Kingdom. We have the warrant, and you have the right to be silent. Any words you spoke can be used against you in the court."

Handcuffs were placed on both hands of the Lourian king, who gasped at how nonchalant the uniformed people mentioning the true name of Ancient Sorcerous Empire.

Date: May 11th, HS 2069/CC 1639
Location: Parpaldia Empire
Place: National Strategy Bureau

The flickering flame of candles cast shadows on two men in a dark room.

"…That would be all. The Lourian king was captured by what we believe is Historia forces. With no king and no one to reign in the domains, the kingdom is currently in a state of anarchy."

The man reported to his superior, sweating profusely.

"Don't give me this shit. Do you know how much support we gave to Louria Kingdom? Naturally we'd cover this incident up but if the emperor gets word about this, our department is doomed! It's not just you and I but everyone in this department!"
"M-My apologies!"
"You already know that the aid to Louria Kingdom was our decision. If everything had gone well, we would have grasped both the resources on Rodenius and our interests there in one go and we would have reported this great achievement to His Grace… We could have silenced the other departments and our prestige would go up but… Now, we have to consider that our lives are at risk!"

The subordinate bowed to the point where his head touched the ground.

"I have nothing to say for myself!"
"Still… Louria Kingdom alone, moreover with our support, could have toppled any uncivilized country. I can't believe it… Just what did the enemy use?"
"About that… We have already ordered our spies to find out more about Historia forces but on the day that we gave the order, we lost contact with them soon after they reached their destination. Unfortunately, we don't know any details about their army."
"Can't we inquire for information from any civilians that have seen the battle?"
"We have… It's just that every civilian we asked all gave the same, ridiculous descriptions."
"Like?"
"Their air power is primarily composed of iron dragons which surpass the speed of sound and they have shot down Lourian wyverns in a single hit. As for their ground forces, they use iron beasts that possess breaths that mowed down their mounted knights. Their explosive magic was able to clear the earth of several tens of thousands of soldiers and its destructive power surpassed what 10,000 great mages could summon…"
"That's already a lot of fabricated imagery! Historia must have regulated the information that gets out to get civilians to shut up. How sly."
"Do we have to give the information we have to the Foreign Affairs Department?"
"Do you have a death wish? Because you're asking for it! Burn everything we have on Historia and our records on the support we gave to Louria! Don't leave a single trace regarding our involvement! I don't want any harm on our families and on this department..."

The National Strategy Bureau of Parpaldia Empire, which had sent support to Louria Kingdom, had thoroughly covered up the full story of the war started by Louria Kingdom.

'So it's true... Guess the next trial is a step-up from the Lourians recently and the Saderans back in 2040s. Your ignorance will be your downfall, Parpaldians.'

Once again, KVL Shadow Division is on the move. This time, they shifted their focus on Parpaldia Empire, the true cause of the recent Historia-Louria War.

Date: May 12th, HS 2069/CC 1639
Location: Sios Kingdom

"This is bad! This is bad, Your Majesty!"

Sios Kingdom is an island nation situated on the outskirts of the Third Civilization Area. Out of breath, a civil official entered the royal audience room.

"What kind of matter is it for you to have to hurry?"

The king judged that it might be a matter of urgency based on the official's behavior of bypassing audience protocols.

"Our kingdom's biggest trading partner, Louria Kingdom, has commenced hostilities against Quila Kingdom and Qua-Toyne Principality..."
"Ohhh... So they've finally begun their unification of the Rodenius continent. All three of them are important trade partners though... How vexing..."

The official swung his head as much as he could.

"Your Majesty, that is actually not what had happened! Louria Kingdom has been defeated! Can you believe it? That Louria lost!"
"...Huh?"

After a moment of disbelief, the king let out an airhead-like response.

"Louria Kingdom has been defeated in just less than a month!"
"Bullshit! Considering the ratio of power between the combatants, even if Louria experienced some setbacks in its invasion, there's absolutely no way they would lose! Even a total dolt in the art of war would see that crystal clear! Moreover, Louria's military capabilities surpass ours. If they didn't get some support from other countries, their scale would have been unthinkable!"

The Sios king had also been keeping a keen eye on events for the past several years. The forces of Louria Kingdom, which had been swallowing up neighboring countries, only continued to swell and just some months ago, they finally reached a point where they could wage a full-scale war against Qua-Toyne Principality and Quila Kingdom. Even the Third Civilization Area countries could see the writing on the wall.

"Our diplomats on site said that Louria Kingdom had been helplessly pelted with defeat after defeat ever since a nation called Historia Shoukan Dominion entered the war. They also said that we must never ever be on Historia's bad side. Your Majesty, I think we need to send a diplomatic mission to their nation to see what kind of nation they are. I also think that we should consider opening up diplomatic relations for our national interests."
"A sudden emergence of a powerful nation... If they're like the Superpower Parpaldia Empire, it's possible that sending a diplomatic mission would just be kicking the hornet's nest."
"Indeed, but... the fact remains that Historia defeated Louria. Our biggest trading partner is gone. At any rate, we need to establish contact with Historia."
"Okay. First, gather any info you can find regarding this nation..."
"Actually Your Majesty, their diplomatic envoys have arrived just this morning."
"Already? Very well. I'll meet with them."
"Of course, Your Majesty."

I sure hope they're friendly…

It's possible that Louria Kingdom's demise could have been a more serious blow to Sios Kingdom than if they unified all of Rodenius continent. The king worried whether establishing trade with Historia would harm the kingdom's interests or not. Still, their envoys are here, and he will see for himself whether they can compensate for the loss that Sios suffered after the recent war or not.

Date: May 12th, HS 2069/CC 1639
Location: Jin-Hark, Louria Kingdom

Heavy infantryman Schwal, bringing with him his trusted shield, fully repaired by Historia Shoukan Dominion (much to his surprise), walked back home.

The Heavy Infantry Battalion of the Louria Kingdom's Capital Defense Knights charged against Gensokyo Union Fighters Combined Forces entrenched south of the capital Jin-Hark where they were annihilated by their tanks' Red Spear placements. The sole survivor of the battalion, Schwal, was able to survive because of his legendary shield, which was passed down his family for generations and rumored to be crafted by the Ancient Sorcerous Empire.

While he advanced, he luckily fell into a natural hole on the ground as massive explosions rocked the earth soon after. Had he walked a few meters off to the left or to the right, he would have died. Losing consciousness from the ground-shaking barrage, he felt more bullets and gale pass over the hole he fell into. He was eventually rescued by Historia forces after the battle had ended.

Operation Trident Fall took many of his comrade's lives as the King of Louria was captured by Historia.

Schwal looked at the shield he carried on his back. Previously, said shield is peppered with dents and scratches. There were cracks on some places, and dirt smudged its shiny plating. He's still bewildered with the fact that Historia Shoukan Dominion can repair his shield, not knowing that the Dominion took the time to study said shield while he's being treated.

"Looks like I should thank my wife later... This shield really saved my life."

Looking back, it was a battle they had no hope of winning. He could only call himself fortunate to have emerged onto that battlefield and come out alive.

He walked up the hill while he pondered how heavy his life is. He exhausted his stamina and his body stank from being covered in dirt, sweat, and blood. Then, he unexpectedly received treatment from Historia forces. Once the ordeal is finished, the first thing he wants to do is to go home, then eat, and finally get some sleep. Upon finally arriving at his home, he knocked his hand on the door he could never get used to seeing.

'Knock knock'

"Coming..."

He heard the voice of his wife, bereft of liveliness. Then, he heard the sound of the lock being opened and the door which hardly fit the entrance to their house opened.

"...Huh?!"

He was greeted by the tear-swollen eyes and grief-stricken face of his wife. Looking directly into Schwal's eyes, her pale cheeks suddenly turned red and her swollen eyes opened in disbelief.

"I'm home!"

Schwal put up a smile as wide as his face.

"D-Dear?! You're safe!"

With an expression of disbelief, his wife plunged straight into Schwal's chest and arms.

"Thank goodness... Thank goodness... When I heard that the Heavy Infantry Battalion was wiped out... I haven't heard about you for days, and yet you're still alive..."
"Yeah, I'm here. And I have you to thank for."

She wept tears of joy at the realization that Schwal was alive.

"...The shield you pushed onto me saved me. Look."

Schwal showed her the previously stained, dent-ridden shield.

"My comrades' shields were easily penetrated and broken by Historia forces' bullets of light. However, only this shield was able to stand up. I thought my body was gonna collapse from the shock of their attack! Hahaha! At first, I thought that this shield has outlived its use... But much to my surprise, when I was being treated, my shield are being repaired, and now it's good as new!"
"It saved your life... I bet your ancestor is glad that it did!"

His wife still didn't let go of him.

"Welcome home!"

In the city stricken with despair, smiles returned to a single household.

Date: May 15th, HS 2069/CC 1639
Location: Qua-Toyne Principality
Venue: Governmental Meeting

"…and with that, King Hark Louria XXXIV has been taken into Historia's custody. With the loss of their king, they couldn't quell the dissatisfied lords within their domain and they have now devoted all their resources into pacifying them. Unable to free up resources to deploy soldiers outside their country, they have also pulled back their men from surrounding lands. Since Louria Kingdom suffered massive casualties, we have completely secured the sovereignty of Qua-Toyne Principality and Quila Kingdom."

The meeting got noisy. The assembly members who initially doubted the Alliance's power were now silent and several assembly members suddenly wanted to be on their good side.

"How many soldiers does Louria have left?"

"Since they initially have a huge population, their army still stands at 400,000 men but since these are mostly made up of levies from the lords, when the lords started to oppose them, the kingdom currently has no power to deploy their army outside of their borders. Of the casualties suffered by the Louria Kingdom in this war, their wyvern corps suffered the most and has been driven to near total annihilation. Furthermore, it seems that their cavalry and infantry also suffered considerable casualties. As for their navy, almost all of their warships have been destroyed.

However, we have heard that the Alliance managed to secure 60,000 POWs from their land forces, 400 wyverns, and 2,000 ships including their crews. Due to the current pacification effort, the Alliance will keep them until the situation calms down, in which they will return them back to hopefully making the new nation not completely defenseless.

Since Louria Kingdom was traumatized by the Alliance's attacks, they currently have no desire to mount another invasion on us being a member of Historia's 'bloc'. Some of the lords have sent us letters wishing to improve relations. Furthermore, there were no civilian casualties."

Prime Minister Kanata raises his hand and slowly begins to talk.

"Whatever may have been the case, the fact that our country was saved remains. This in itself is something to be celebrated. I would like us to continue our good relationship with the Alliance."

The war on Rodenius continent, which was started by the attack of Louria Kingdom on Qua-Toyne Principality, has concluded due to the intervention of Historia Alliance.

Date: June 26th, HS 2069/CC 1639
Location: Gim, Qua-Toyne Principality

The leaders of Historia Alliance, Qua-Toyne Principality, Quila Kingdom, Fenn Kingdom, Gahara Thearchy, Louria Kingdom, and Sios Kingdom are gathered in Gim, the site of the first land engagement of Historia-Louria War. In that city, they announced the creation of "Zeroth Civilization Area", which will include the nations outside First, Second, and Third Civilization Areas. Not only that, all participating nations also agreed to form "Shoukan Defense Council", which soon will be written in the history book as the first collective security organization and military alliance formed at the New World/Shoukan.

As for Louria Kingdom itself, since they managed to stabilize their nation, Historia Alliance decided to return the captured forces back with two conditions: change their government form into either democracy or constitutional monarchy and eliminate the discrimination of demihumans. Since the first condition is already met (via parliamentary democracy), the forces are returned, but the Alliance place their forces at northern port as supervision to make sure that there are no anti demihuman sentiments in Louria.

Date: July 1st, HS 2069/CC 1639
Location: Gra Valkas Empire, Zeroth Civilization Area
Place: Imperial Intelligence Bureau

Electrical sounds continuously ring out from multiple electrical radio receivers lined up. If a modern day person were to hear these sounds, they'd probably think that these were something along the lines of morse code.

"Your Excellency, we have received a report from the Rodenius continent."

A man wearing a dazzling, yet sharp black uniform was about to read the report.

"Give me the summary."
"Sir! Less than two months ago, Louria Kingdom's invasion of Qua-Toyne Principality and Quila Kingdom have ended in failure due to the intervention of Historia Shoukan Dominion. With the royal house gone, Louria has shifted to a form of democracy."
"What?"

The man referred to as 'Your Excellency' is a tact commissioned officer that usually agrees to just hearing the summary, letting his subordinates do the work while taking responsibility for them. He raises an eyebrow at what he had heard.

"Immediately after the war ended, the Dominion expanded their naval activity. In fact, our western fleet can clearly see their increased presence in that region. I believe it has something to do with the recent declaration of 'Zeroth Civilization Area' which comprises any countries or nations that are located outside First, Second, and Third Civilization Areas. Based from what we managed to gather on the continent east of us, we're technically included in said Zeroth Civilization Area."

The report continues.

"The western fleet reported that the Dominion currently placed 96 Destroyers, 32 Light Cruisers, 8 Heavy Cruisers, 8 Battleships, and 6 Aircraft Carriers near our maritime territory. 4 of said Aircraft Carriers are filled with fixed wing aircraft while 2 of them houses rotary wing aircraft. Just from their fleet size, one thing is made very clear. The Dominion is technologically more advanced than us."
"I see... You were assigned there when it happened, correct?"
"Indeed, Sir. I even able to acquire multiple videos that shows how Louria Kingdom was defeated once both our fleets contacted each other. Turns out, these fixed wing aircraft are the one that shot down the remains of their Wyvern Corps, showing that the Dominion also uses wyverns, albeit as part of their land force instead. I can totally see why, judging from the video that shows the attack on the capital. Flying creatures are rendered obsolete when faced with aircraft."
"Hoo... They also uses wyverns in conjunction with their rotary wing aircraft, huh... Actually, if you think about it, the effect must be very devastating considering that these wyverns can also function as close air support. Our military is still developing rotary wing aircraft, so they got the edge there. And judging the number of the ships deployed, the Dominion also came from a war-torn world."

The conjecture continues.

"Compared to the countries of this world, their technology advances along the same route as ours. Most likely, they're also a transferred nation. Still, for them to be able to exert their influence by creating the Zeroth Civilization Area... I believe a diplomatic meeting is in order."
"Right away, Sir. I'll report this to the Imperial family."
"One more thing. One of the Second Civilization Area's Superpower, Mu, also have aircraft just like us, albeit less advanced. That also should be put into consideration. Once we establish the diplomatic relation with the Dominion, test the waters with the other Superpower, Leifor, by contacting Pulse Kingdom."
"Why I got the feeling that it will turn out horribly bad for us..."
"Most likely because it will. The reason why the war in the west started in the first place is because Louria attacked Qua-Toyne and Quila, which are allies of the Dominion. Prior to this, the Dominion must've tried to establish contact with Louria, only for them to be turned down. And if what I suspect is correct, then they're backed by another Superpower, Parpaldia Empire. Hence why we'll need the expert's advice. This might prevent us from doing something stupid, like declaring war to the entire world."
"That seriously reminds me of the war with Kain Divine Kingdom, Sir..."

Date: September 1st, HS 2069/CC 1639
Location: Off the coast of Leifor, Second Civilization Area

The diplomatic relation between Historia Alliance and Gra Valkas Empire turns out to be very beneficial for both of them. For the Alliance, now they have someone to watch the Second Civilization Area. For Gra Valkas, they have protection of a Superpower in addition of the boost in their tech level. After being told about the reason behind the creation of Zeroth Civilization Area, the Empire then contacted the Second Civilization Area with caution. It certainly helps that they only subjugated the countries around them in self-defense.

"So, the negotiation fails, and Gra Valkans decided to teach the Leiforians a lesson, which they did by subjugating Paganda. Good thing the Union have completed the Super Battleship Palanquin."
"Did they tell Mu about this, Captain Murasa?"
"They did, Amazu."

Unfortunately, said contact ended up in disaster. Leifor turned them away despite the fact that Gra Valkas actually asked Pulse Kingdom to act as intermediary, and instead being redirected to Paganda Kingdom. Their goal was to eventually speak with Leifor directly, but Paganda treated them like barbarians, insulting them and demanding bribes. They even knew that Gra Valkas' chief negotiator, Hilas, was a member of the Imperial family.

To the Pagandan royalty who were negotiating, Hilas was just some uncivilized barbarian diplomat, and Paganda was protected by Leifor, so they could act however they wanted. Remembering the Alliance's advice, Gra Valkas decided to not pursue further because the insults were considered as lèse-majesté, which gave them justification to declare war on Leifor. The Alliance decided to assist Gra Valkas after hearing about the disaster.

"We're going to rendezvous with Gra Valkas' Super Dreadnought Grade Atlastar. Once we're there, Grade Atlastar will take the lead. We'll sail for Leifor and teach them a lesson."
"Yes, Captain."
"It's very likely that Grade Atlastar alone will be enough to deal with whatever Leifor can throw at it, which means we're most likely will be the observer. How's the status of the space flagship?"
"Palanquin-class construction is on schedule, Captain. We can expect it to launch in 2070 and commission it six months after that."
"Good to know. I'm just glad that STI still keep their alliance with the Union after all these years."
"Me too, Captain."

48 ships under Leifor's banner were advancing westwards. A burgeoning, emergent nation calling itself The Eighth Empire suddenly appeared to the west, subjugating barbarian countries around it and, out of all things it could do, declared war on Leifor. Naturally, Leifor ignores them, thinking they're just a barbaric country, but when they suddenly attacked and subjugated Paganda Kingdom, a protectorate of Leifor located to its west, they incurred the wrath of Leifor Emperor. The Emperor ordered the main fleet, consisting of dragon carriers and 100-gun ships of the line, to lay waste to the enemy fleet deployed off the coast of Paganda Kingdom.

Using the Tears of the Wind God, a magic utility that creates a surge of wind, they blasted their sails with it and turned south at a speed of 12 knots.

"Commander! We've received reports from the dragon knights sent on recon that they've found two enemy ships!"

Wyvern lords sent from their dragon carriers for recon relayed the report back using their manacomms.

"There's only two enemy ships but… Both of them are over 250 m in length and has unbelievably enormous cannons mounted on it."

Commander Bal's brow shriveled.

"Set course for the enemy ships! Have the dragon carriers leave 3 dragon knights for the fleet's defense while the rest are to attack the enemy ships!"
"Yes, sir!"

Parting the waves, Leifor fleet changed its direction towards the enemy ships. One can infer from their flawless, unified movement their undeniably high skill. From the motherships, known as dragon carriers, lifted off the attack unit of wyvern lords. They flew straight into the blue sky, neatly flying in formation and faced west to where the enemy ships are thought to be.

Grade Atlastar, a Super Dreadnought belonging to Gra Valkas Empire's Imperial Judgement Fleet, sailed east alongside Palanquin, a Super Battleship that belongs to Gensokyo Union Fighters. Their gigantic hulls parted and swept the sea as they advanced.

Grade Atlastar: 3 turrets sporting massive, triple-mounted 46cm guns, for a total of 9, faced towards the horizon gallantly. In the middle of the massive ship was the castle-like bridge. Triple-mounted anti-aircraft guns pointed to the sky are peppered around the superstructure like a hedgehog and are armed with proximity fuses, recently developed by Gra Valkas Empire. These proximity fuses, due to the built-in radar allowing them to notice nearby objects, don't have to directly hit an airborne target and will explode in the vicinity of an object. Up until a few years ago, the empire had been using timed fuses, but since the introduction of the proximity fuse, the accuracy of their guns leaped 20-fold. Due to the introduction of radar-aided gunnery, their 46cm guns also experienced an increase in accuracy. Its destructive power also far surpassed any big gun this world could field. It's max range amounted to about 40km, making it undoubtedly the biggest and most powerful battleship Gra Valkas deployed in the world before and in this New World. It's most heavily armored sections also boast the strength to be able to withstand a direct hit from a 46cm shell, causing the ship to take on the alias 'The Unsinkable Battleship'.

Palanquin: 10 turrets sporting three 40.6 cm guns each for a total of 30 guns made the primary armaments of the super battleship. Then 10 twin 12.7 cm secondary guns pointed to the sky alongside 5 Sinker CIWS are sprayed around her. In addition, 2 Vortex SAM launchers and 2 Anchor SSM launchers are installed in case there are some heavy targets that needs to be destroyed. Due to the fact that she is installed with battlefield control system, the maximum range of the ship also increased, especially with radars. Unknown to Gra Valkans, Palanquin is built using 22nd century technology, which means the damage she can deal and sustain surpasses that of Grade Atlastar. Her captain, Minamitsu Murasa, is known as 'The Phantom Shipwrecker'. Together, they make their first debut in Shoukan Dimension.

Standing on the bridge of Grade Atlastar was Captain Luxtal, glaring at the sea which unfolded in front of him. His counterpart at Palanquin, Murasa, also watches the sea.

Grade Atlastar

"We've spotted something on radar. Captain! Multiple flying objects have emerged from Leifor fleet and are heading towards us."

The Gra Valkan comms officer reported.

"All hands to your stations! Prepare for category 1 combat!"

Palanquin

"Multiple contacts detected on the battlefield control. Judging from the direction they came from, they're most likely Leiforian wyverns."

Miyo Amazu, Palanquin XO reported.

"Prepare the guns and CIWS. We've got an air attack."

Normal POV

They were flying dragons called wyverns. For Gra Valkas, it was their first time fighting a unit that employed wyverns when they annihilated Paganda's Royal Dragon Corps. Yet, their fighter units suffered zero losses. In the face of the empire's Antares carrier-based fighters, the wyverns were basically helpless. This further solidifies the Alliance's reasoning as of why wyverns are obsolete as part of air force, and instead serves better as close air support unit.

Antares carrier based-fighters employ a low-wing design, which is advanced in comparison to the general biplane design, and are mounted with a reliable 10,000hp engine. With an air-frame like that of a sharpened blade, the result of an over-fixation of making it lightweight, it could fly at 550km/h and it was second to none in its turning capabilities in the world before. Mounted with powerful 20mm auto-cannons and reliable 7.7mm machine guns, its attack capabilities were also nothing to snuff at.

The wyverns used by Paganda Kingdom could only fly at approximately 230km/h. To the empire's highly skilled pilots, they were merely sitting ducks. They could shoot fireballs from their mouth but they're slow and could only be fired one at a time. One could also avoid it by simply turning away. There was no way the empire's proud pilots would ever get shot down by something like that.

"They're flying at 350km/h."

According to the comms officer report, these wyverns are a bit faster than the wyverns used by Paganda Kingdom. Although this is a barbaric world, they are still a country that calls itself a Superpower. They must have done some selective breeding. And according to the Alliance, this particular wyverns are called "Wyvern Lords", which would explain the higher speed.

"They will enter visual range in 8 minutes."

Without the imperial pilots that shot down the wyverns, how will a battleship fare? How far could it go in a situation where there is no air support? Despite being mounted with several anti-aircraft guns armed with proximity fuses, there was still some anxiety. Fortunately, Grade Atlastar is accompanied by Palanquin, and it served as morale booster.

"We will be able to see them shortly."

In the sky to the far east, they started seeing black dots. Since they were slow, they didn't get any bigger.

"Prepare for anti-air combat!"

At Luxtal and Murasa's orders, Grade Atlastar's AA gun turrets and Palanquin's Sinker CIWS began to turn.

"Captain! Why don't we try out AA shells of our main guns?"

Up to that point, their 46cm guns used timed fuses for anti-air combat but with the recent development of proximity fuses for the 46cm guns, they were currently fitted for experimental purposes. Since they can't be used in close combat, they have to be used as the first strike. The enemies are still 30km away. Considering their relative speed, now would be a good time to strike.

"Good idea... Prepare the main batteries. Load AA ammunition into turrets 1 and 2 and set them to fire simultaneously. Have everyone who's above deck back into the ship. I'll inform Palanquin about the plan."

The sailors working outside the ship evacuated back inside as the main guns began to move. Luxtal then informs Murasa about the development.

"Palanquin, this is Grade Atlastar. We're going to try out our new AA shells to deliver the first strike. How copy?"
"Solid copy, Grade Atlastar. Go for it."
"Acknowledged, Palanquin."

The 2 turrets in front, sporting 6 guns in total, slowly turned towards the sky, giving off a sensation of their girth as they moved.

"Preparations complete."

Calculating the approximate relative distance to the enemy, the turrets' angles were set.

"Fire!"

6 guns roared to life simultaneously. The shockwave, accompanied by a thunderous boom, reverberated from the battleship and shook the air around it.

50 wyverns from the dragon carrier task force of Leifor are flying in formation to attack the colossal enemy ships.

The enemy may deploy wyverns to attack them. Preparing for an assault and to cover any blind spots, 25 dragon knights formed into a dense formation and another 25 dragon knights formed into a similar formation behind them.

"!?"

Somebody noticed that something's off. 6 black dots could be seen in the sky.

'What are those?'

At the moment multiple people saw it, explosions and thunderous booms occurred in the vicinity. In a single moment, 25 of the 50 dragon knights flying in close formation received direct hits from 6 46cm proximity fuse shells. Unimaginably massive fireballs bloomed like red flowers in the air. The 25 dragon knights that were moving ahead were gone, leaving only smoke and the smell of burnt flesh. The 25 dragon knights that weren't hit fell into chaos.

"Dispersseeeeeee!"

Judging that a dense formation is dangerous against a foe using such potent explosive magic, the unit commander screamed. Shortly afterwards, two behemoth ships entered their sights.

'What mammoths! And they don't have any sails?!'

Shaking off his fears, he and his unit of Leifor's proud and glorious wyvern lords continued to fly towards Grade Atlastar and Palanquin.

"Palanquin, looks like the wyverns still intent on charging despite the casualties."
"Then you know what to do, Grade Atlastar. Ready the AA guns."
"Got it."

The powerful, massive shells no longer flew towards them and were instead replaced by countless veins of light from Grade Atlastar's AA guns and Palanquin's Sinker CIWS.

"T-there's too many! We can't get past it!"

It seemed like a gale of light was being hurled at them. In the midst of the torrent of light being fired at them, they pushed on towards the enemy ships. When the gale of light neared them, something suddenly exploded, shooting down a dragon knight, and then another one, and then another one. It looked as if they had no choice: get killed by getting hit by it or get killed by it blowing up when they only grazed it.

'This... is just too foul...'

After 10 minutes, there were no longer any dragon knights left flying in the sky.

"W-we've lost contact! The dragon knight unit sent to attack them has been annihilated!"
"W-what the hell did you just say?!"

Commander Bal's eyes widened in shock at the comms officer's report.

"To think we'd lose to the likes of those uncivilized vermins... And to just two ships! If that's how it is then let's feed them to our ships of the line! We can't let Leifor's glorious fleet be dragged down by those that brought down our wyvern lords!"

Commander Bal committed himself to lay waste to the enemy ships.

"All enemy ships are about to enter within our range."

The comms officer reported.

"Hmm. We're already in range but we won't hit anything at this range… If I recall correctly, our intel says that the enemy's cannons only have a range of 2km, am I right?"

Luxtal asks the staff officer standing next to him.

"You're correct, Captain. However, as is the case with a nation calling themselves a Superpower, their shells explode. They're not the expected ball-shaped cannonballs and it seems that they use something other than gunpowder as propellant but other than that, I don't know for sure. Its destructive power is on the level of black powder."
"... So they're a hundred years behind us... They look down on us as barbarians yet their commanders are pitiful. If I remember correctly, the Alliance also have similar case with the Lourians, and just one of their destroyers managed to sink many Lourian ships. And it's obvious the Lourians are below Leiforians here. Regardless, I'm just glad the Alliance recognize us as fellow Zeroth Civilization Area nations."

Convinced of absolute victory, Luxtal then informs Murasa about the attack plan.

"Palanquin, after they've entered the 5 km mark, we will turn to our left and give them a broadside. You'll go and do the same from the right."
"Acknowledged, Grade Atlastar. The emphasis will be on fire control and radar sight, correct?"
"Correct. Leifor will soon learn the power of Zeroth Civilization Area."
"You and me both. Let's get ready, Grade Atlastar."
"Alright, Palanquin."

Orders were promptly issued through the comms officer.

Using the info last reported by the wyvern lords, the 48 ships of Leifor under Commander Bal turned their Tears of the Wind God to the maximum, pushing their sail ships at their top speed towards Grade Atlastar and Palanquin.

"We will soon see the enemy ships!"

Looking at his pocket watch and gauging their speed and distance, the navigation officer reported their enemy's current position. Hearing those words, Bal took out his scope and looked at the horizon with it.

"I see them!"

It felt much closer than what was reported but it was simply because of the massive size that it distorted their perception of distance. Still, they were Leifor's proud fleet, undefeated for 300 years. With their 100-gun ships of the line, they'd render any ship, no matter how massive they may be, into scrap.

With gunboats at the helm, they advanced in a single horizontal line.

"Let's give 'em a taste of our explosive magic-infused shells operated only by our country's elite troops!"

With their cannons ready to fire, they advanced at full speed and closed the distance to the massive, enemy ships.

There was still 6 km left in between them.

At that moment, the enemy ships turned to the side, showing their belly to Leifor fleet. Their turrets that sported gigantic cannons and the smaller turrets mounted in front of their bridge and behind them all turned their barrels to face Leifor fleet.

"Don't tell me... They can reach us from this distance?!"

Smoke engulfed the enemy ships.

"Enemy ships has fired!"
"It's a bluff! It's still out of range!"

Unfortunately for Bal, massive columns of water rose up in front of 5 Leifor ships. The columns of water that rose close to 3 of those ships were extremely tall, raining down several decks worth of seawater on them.

"W-what explosive power!"

Cold sweat rushed down his back as nervousness instantly gripped the rest of the crew. The enemy's secondary cannons once again barked smoke.

'They reload so quickly!'

Columns of water jutted out close to 2 ships of the line.

"They've already made corrections?!"

Shells were fired at them at breakneck pace as Leifor fleet grew impatient. Finally, sounds of something breaking into pieces echoed.

"Gaufoss was hit!"

One of the 3 shells fired from the Grade Atlastar's secondary guns hit the 80-gun ship of the line Gaufoss.

"Tsk!"

The shell easily pierced the Gaufoss's anti-magic steel plating and set its ammunition ablaze in a lucky hit, blowing up the ship.

Kaboom!

As black smoke and a shock-inducing thunderous boom rose from the Gaufoss, its hull split into two before being swallowed completely by the sea.

"Ship of the line Gaufoss has been sunk!"
"What?! Those... bastards! All ships, full speed ahead!"

The enemy ships fired their main cannons once more.

This time, they seemed to be aiming for 3 ships. A column of water rose up near 1 while the other 2 were hit directly. After drawing in seawater, the 2 ships engulfed in smoke slowly disappeared from the surface of the ocean.

"Ships of the line Trunt and Leifor have been sunk!"
"T-the Leifor?!"

Shock ran through the sailors. The ship of the line bearing the name of their country was the symbol of Leifor's invincibility. Boasting 100 guns and fitted with the newest anti-magic steel plating, it was touted as the world's strongest within Leifor. This same ship was easily and readily sunk by a single shot from the barbarian supermassive ship's colossal gun. This time, Grade Atlastar sunk Trunt while Palanquin sunk Leifor.

However, reality didn't give them the time to lament. The enemy's bombardment continued. The tough men that went through so many battles and their strong ships and equally strong sailors were erased from existence without even being given the chance to fire a single shot. Despite their Tears of the Wind God, the sail-less, gigantic enemy ships were overwhelmingly fast. At this rate, they will never enter within range. The enemy's bombardment relentlessly continued, enveloping Leifor fleet in explosive gales and sinking one ship after the other.

"Damn it all! Damn it all!"

Commander Bal, on board the 100-gun ship of the line flying the commander's banner Holly, trembled in fear. Every single ship besides them had been sunk. They were a Superpower. For them to lose to two ships from a barbarian country outside the Civilization Areas was unforgivable. It was simply impossible for two ships to outperform and outclass them despite their overwhelming numerical advantage.

Bal silently decided.

"... Raise the banner of surrender."

The faces of the sailors were wrapped in disgrace at the commander's orders. High on top of the mast of the Holly, the flag of surrender meant to signal surrender in this world was raised.

Luxtal looks at Holly as the flag of surrender being raised. He's about to order Grade Atlastar to approach the Leiforian flagship, but Murasa halts him.

"Hold on, Grade Atlastar. Let us come with you."

This alarmed Luxtal, and he immediately frowns.

"I suspect that you wanted to warn us against a fake surrender, Palanquin."
"Exactly. I can feel something fishy is going on."

After hearing Murasa's explanation, Luxtal nods.

"Very well. You can join, Palanquin."
"Got it, Grade Atlastar."

"The enemy ships are approaching!"

The gigantic battleships drew near.

"You bastards… Once the barbarians are close enough, fire all our cannons at the same time and sink the enemy ships!"
"B-but sir! Attacking after we've surrendered... It will be a stain on Leifor's glorious name!"

One of the staff officers voiced his opposition. Immediately afterwards, the dry sound of a gun firing echoed throughout the deck.

"The enemy ships fired at us and killed our staff officer... Am I correct?"

Commander Bal, with a hint of smoke leftover from his pistol, approached the captain with steady eyes.

"Don't you worry! No ship in the world would remain afloat after receiving a point-blank hit from our explosive shells! The enemy only has two ships! If no one talks, they won't know we did something bad, right?"

Bal glared at the closing enemy ships.

"…Prepare to fire."

The enemy ships thoroughly drew near. They passed through the 1 km mark. They were now within range for a direct hit.

"Fools… The price to pay for trampling on my fleet is high!"

Bal took a deep breath.

"Fire!"

50 guns on one side of the 100-gun ship of the line roared to life. The manner in which naval battles are fought in this world involve getting close to the enemy and inflicting damage using ballista or fire arrows and after making contact, hand-to-hand combat would ensue. That is common sense. With the invention of mounting cannons on ships, it has become possible to destroy and sink enemy ships, changing the course of naval warfare forever. The technology of making ships for the purpose of bombardment was isolated to only the glorious Superpower Leifor. With their primary ship of the line, they unleashed their power onto the armor of the enemy battleships. The shells landed precisely on the enemy battleships, exploding in fiery fashion. Smoke brought about by the bombardment engulfed the Holly while Grade Atlastar and Palanquin were engulfed in smoke from the shells landing on them.

"All shots directly hit!"
"Hahahahaha! Serves them right! Just another day of Leifor serving destruction to barbarians! Hahahahahaha!"

The smoke cleared. The enemy ship's turrets slowly took aim at the Holly.

"Enemy ships still intact!"

The comms officer screamed.

"I-it didn't have any effect?! Fucking monsters!"

Grade Atlastar's 9 46cm guns breathed fire. The blast of the propellant igniting, far larger than any ship of the line, shook the surface of the ocean. In a simultaneous attack at point-blank range, Leifor's last ship of the line, Holly, was erased from this world.

"... Attacking after they've surrendered... Is that the level of nobility they possess as a Superpower? I'm glad that we heeded the warning. It seems like we made the right choice when declaring war on Leifor. How many shells do we have left?"
"All guns have around 80 shells left."
"Okay. Does their capital face the sea?"
"Yes, sir. It's about 350 km east from here."
"Then their punishment will be delivered to them by cannons."
"Yes, sir!"

Luxtal once again forwarded the plan to Murasa.

"Palanquin, we got a new target. Tear Leiforia apart."
"... Acknowledged, Grade Atlastar."

In the evening the next day, Leifor's capital, Leiforia was reduced to ash by the full bombardment of Grade Atlastar and Palanquin. The emperor was killed when the castle was caught in the bombardment and the military surrendered unconditionally. Gra Valkas Empire incorporated Leifor into its territory and after a few days, settlement into Leifor began. Grade Atlastar and Palanquin easily crushing Leifor's 48 ship fleet then laying waste to the capital Leiforia which drove the country to surrender, shook the foundations of this New World. The battleships were engraved into the hearts of the world as the biggest and strongest ever built, cementing themselves as a legend.

Thus, Shoukan Dimension saw the rise of Zeroth Civilization Area.