Of all the countries wronged by the Gra Valkas Empire-at least the ones that hadn't been conquered-the Holy Milishial Empire might've been the most scorned. They'd been attacked first at Magdola Archipelago, and their prized 0th Fleet was sunk. Then the enemy had attacked Cartalpas, the Holy Milishial Empire's most important port and trade city, and wrecked it so bad repairs were still being done. Worst of all, they'd ruined the Eleven Nation's Conference, an event the Holy Milishial Empire had hosted for centuries as the world's most powerful and prestigious country. It was slight after slight after slight, and it had roused the Central World's anger in a way never seen before.
Milishial VIII, the Emperor, was no different, but the most powerful elf in the world showed his anger in a more dignified way. He maintained a calm fury through it all. He hadn't ordered an immediate and careless counterattack like so many other rulers might. He was methodical. He ordered the military to carefully study and plan a counterattack, and Foreign Affairs to gather as much international support as they could. He'd personally reviewed what his national servants provided and questioned them to make sure everything was thought out.
But even when things were satisfactory, he did not stop worrying. Adequate was not enough, he wanted certainty. To that end, bypassing the Milishial Senate and using his own authority, Milishial VIII had done something never before done in the long and storied history of the Holy Milishial Empire.
He ordered the deployment of ancient superweapons.
The Ancient Sorcerous Empire-the Ravernal Empire-had ruled the world until the Gods themselves had forced them to leave. It had been a quick and sloppy departure; numerous weapons, facilities, and even some Light Winged People themselves had been left behind. The Mirishient Continent, known today as the Central World or the First Civilization Area, had been a treasure trove of remnants from the world's former overseers. Using or reverse engineering those were how the Holy Milishial Empire had become so powerful, even if their attempts to make the technology themselves wasn't as powerful as the original. Even to this day, there were ancient weapons and artifacts in their possession they only had the most basic understanding of. Some they knew how to use but had no means of recreating. All were equally valuable and kept secret.
But for this counterattack against the Gra Valkas Empire, the Emperor had decided the threat was significant enough and this battle important enough to lift the curtain to the rest of the world and risk some of his nation's most prized possessions. To that end, he'd ordered the Ancient Superweapons Analysis and Tactical Operations Department (the non-military branch responsible for researching these relics) to deploy two Pal Chimera flying battleships, Units 01 and 02. The one Japan had picked up was Unit 02; Unit 01 was an hour behind it.
To the people not from this world like Mu, Japan, and the Gra Valkas, the idea itself was the realms of science fiction. To the world's natives, it had once been a very true threat, a recurring nightmare, and even thousands of years later stayed a fearful legend. But they were very real, and now they were here at the Baltica Sea.
From a purely descriptive standpoint, they resembled flying hollow disks 260m wide with the outside ring constantly rotating as it flew. Three support pillars on the inside of the rings converged in the center to form what most resembled the bridge of a warship. For otherworldly humans, it heavily resembled the common perception of a U.F.O To the Japanese exclusively, it bared an uncanny resemblance to the logo of a certain automotive company.
There were fixtures on the top and bottom of the three support pillars, six in total, that were obviously some kind of gun. These were Arthratates magical rapid-fire cannons. The mechanical nations of Mu and Gra Valkas would've called it an anti-air gun. The Japanese would've referred to it as a close-in-weapon-system (CIWS). Since the Ravernals had included them to shoot down anti-air missiles, the Japanese assumption would've been more correct, although it was just as capable of shooting down planes as missiles. But these were only the secondary armament.
The primary weapons were on the outside of the rotating rings: six turrets, each containing three 150mm cannons in a rotary arrangement that allowed rapid firing. Once one fired, it was only seconds before the rotating outer ring could bring another turret to bear on the exact same spot, creating a scenario where devastating fire could be launched faster than any single naval ship had a hope of matching.
There was one last aspect to the Pal Chimera's offensive capabilities, but it was not visible from the outside. Only the crew piloting the flying battleships knew about them for now.
That would change in a few hours. Soon, the Gra Valkas Empire was going to learn firsthand the offensive power carried by Pal Chimeras. The two superweapons entered the vast expanse of the battlefield, carrying overwhelming firepower and the will of the world's recognized #1 superpower.
In the skies above the Nigrat Union, the JASDF's E-2C and YS-11EB had broken out of their normal orbit and were flying south together to take up a new one roughly parallel to the World Union's fleet. The E-2C's radar could detect things over 500km away. But with the Gra Valkas fleet being south of their air space and the World Union Fleet being over 200km south of that, the AWACS couldn't see as far south as the MSDF's squadron could with their own radar. It was only a short flight south, but it would cut into the time both planes could remain airborne.
"Contact acquired." The radar officer reported. "Distance: 140km south of friendly forces. Altitude: 200m. Speed: 190km/h." That was rather slow for most aircraft, but unsurprising given how massive it seemed. But there was something else about the contact that was quickly noticed.
"If it's emitting radar, can we be sure this is from the Holy Milishial Empire?" Colonel Yuudai asked his staff and other military officers. Even while he said it, he was flipping through the written version of the MoD briefing from the previous day. Satellites had detected the massive contacts taking off from there, but the Milishials were purely a magic society. It would be strange if they just randomly had radar technology and nothing else.
No one from either the SDF, Mu, or the Nigrat Union had a response to that. The radar contact did look similar to what their satellites had picked up. But it hadn't been mentioned anywhere when the World Union was forming up. It was rapidly approaching the Milishial fleet, but that was still a relatively short distance from the World Union and MSDF and they had no idea what weapons, if any, it might have. For the overly cautious Japanese, an unknown on the battlefield was very stressful.
"We can try contacting it." The signals officer suggested. In the JSDF, the signals officers on every military staff had learned to rapidly adjust to the need to communicate with other nations using outdated or completely foreign methods of communication. "If they have radar, we can assume they have radio." Radar (Radio Detection and Ranging) used radio waves, so it was easy to assume any nation with it had radio communication first. But this was the New World and assumptions were dangerous. "It's still far enough from the Gra Valkas fleet that we can broadcast openly without the risk of interception."
"Alright." Colonel Yuudai decided. "Do it. Confirm its identity and what it's doing if you can. We'll readjust our plans based on that." They'd been waiting for the Milishial fleet and Gra Valkan fleet to engage each other, but at the current speed and headings that flying object would make contact first.
The structure at the center of the Pal Chimera was, in fact, its bridge. Onboard it looked like a scene straight out of a sci-fi movie from either Earth or Yggdra. Moving images were being displayed on flat screens with no wiring and on the floor and ceiling of the bridge itself, showing incomprehensible numbers, symbols, and an external view of the sky around and the ocean below.
There were numerous people on the bridge, none of whom looked military. They were all adorned in either fancy clothes or cloaks, and everyone was wearing a mask of some fashion. The ministry responsible for studying and operating the Pal Chimeras was a civilian organization, not military, so while its members adhered to secrecy, they didn't have the visual cohesion.
The individual standing in front of the captain's chair had gray hair and was wearing a white half-mask. His ears didn't stick out behind his mask like most of the rest of the bridge; the captain was human. That itself spoke to his credentials, since humans were always weaker than pure or even half-elves (the majority of the Holy Milishial Empire's population) in magical aptitude, and the Ancient Superweapons Department naturally only recruited the best magical minds in the Empire.
"Our forces are doing well." The man mused out loud. One of the magical instruments on the Pal Chimera was a viewing apparatus that, through unknown means, could zoom in and display sights up to 200km away. Right now, he was looking at the Milishial Navy's Combined Fleet. It didn't look like they'd lost any ships. None even appeared damaged. "I figured we were only here for show."
On top of their clothes not being military, many of the people onboard didn't have the discipline or professionalism of the military either. Being the best of the best minds entrusted with the greatest secrets; they were even more arrogant than a military person might be. None had seriously considered their presence here necessary, being instead a show of force to scare their brutish new enemies.
"I'd like to think of it as a live fire exercise, Meteos." An elf wearing an almost identical white mask addressed him. "After all, we've never fired the weapons at an actual target before."
The captain, Meteos (no one used their last names in the department) mused. "Of course you'd think of it like that, Colmed." Colmed was a technical director in the Department and the Chief Technician of Unit 2. "Their ships are nearly equivalent to ours, are they not? Testing the Pal Chimera's weapons against them will be an important lesson for the return of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire." These men were government drones, thinking in terms of efficiency and hardly carrying a thought for the more than 20,000 Gra Valkan sailors they'd kill today. Even with a policy of peace and a leadership role, foreigners were still inferior in many Milshials' minds, barbarians even more so.
"Wahlman is still 200km behind us?" Meteos asked next. Captain Wahlman was commanding Unit 01. A capable man for certain, Meteos still thought he was arrogant, which was saying something when Meteos didn't even recognize his own arrogance.
"He's on a heading to assist the World Union." A technician confirmed. It hadn't looked like the World Union needed help either, but that might change by the time they got there. Emperor Milishial VIIIhad told them to help them too, so they would.
"I believe it's time we introduce ourselves to our friends on the sea." Meteos took his gaze away from the ships on the screens. Contact them through Channel 1." He ordered. Channel 1 was the magical frequency the Holy Milishial Empire used for the most important messages. Its use was so drastic that any official or military officer was obligated by law to answer it.
The officer in charge of the communications equipment was moving things on his screen rapidly, but he'd been doing that before Meteos gave the order.
"Uh, sir. You should hear this first." The technician moved another thing or two or the screen, and suddenly a transmission was playing directly on the bridge.
"-fense Force reaching out to the Milishial aircraft at-" The message contained the exact coordinates for where Unit 02 was flying. It repeated again, allowing Meteos to hear the full thing. "This is the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force reaching out to-"
"Wha-?" Meteos was baffled. There was no doubt that message was meant for them. The details were too precise. "Japan?" He was incredulous. He only knew the basics: It was a transferred technological nation from the Third Civilization that had toppled the Parpaldia Empire. The fact that they could locate the Pal Chimera, let alone contact it, was absurd. But his ears weren't lying. It was really happening. With a snap of his fingers, Metos established a connection. "Yes? Who is this?" He spoke bluntly.
"This is an Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force monitoring the airspace above the World Union. We detected you half an hour ago. Please verify your identity."
Detected us half an hour ago?! Meteos couldn't believe that. The World Union's fleet was over 200km away, out of detection range even though Meteos knew they were there. The Japanese would need a detection device with a longer range than the one on an ancient superweapon…it was unthinkable!
"What kind of aircraft is that?" Colmed questioned where it wouldn't be transmitted. The name sounded pretty explanatory, but the concept was so foreign they couldn't visualize it in their minds. But Meteos was too impatient to dwell on it. He was on a mission given by his Emperor. He didn't have time to mess around with the World Union.
"This is Captain Meteos of the Holy Milishial Empire. Our Emperor has graciously sent us to assist you in fighting these barbarians. You have the honor of being supported by two of the ancient superweapons: The Pal Chimera Flying Battleship!" He finished grandly. There was a short delay before the response.
"Understood." The Japanese person on the other end spoke no differently than before. "The Gra Valkas fleet has split into four groups. The most forward one is 400km east of your position. All of its aircraft carriers have been neutralized so air cover will be minimal."
Tch! Meteos was inwardly offended at the casual response. His response was frosty. "Hmph. We'll handle them." With a snap of his fingers, he cut off the transmission. "I guess all transferred nations can't recognize power." He wasn't the only one on the bridge that seemed offended. "I'm sure they'll change their tune when they see what we're capable of. Hmm. Wahlman should be flying over the World Union fleet on his way to the Gra Valkan apes. THAT should inspire them. Now, Channel 1." Meteos ordered again.
While the Pal Chimeras moved towards the Gra Valkas' surface fleet, the MSDF was still hunting its submarine fleet. As Captain Tamuramaro had predicted, the Holy Milishial Empire was more than willing to assist with its fighters. Ten had been sent to the requested air space, found and shot down the Gra Valkas seaplanes (sending the submarine fleet retreating under the surface yet again), and held it until the MSDF's helicopters reappeared with more torpedoes.
The Milishial pilots were amazed by the foreign aircraft, especially the ones that had trained with Muan pilots before. It obviously wasn't a fighter, but just the fact something like that could fly and even hover without magic was astounding. They were still certain-rightfully so-that something like that would be easy to defeat. Even helping their allies, the Milishials found a way to prop themselves up.
But they were paying close attention to how it destroyed the submarines. As far as they could tell, it used its ability to hover to get right above the submarine and drop a bomb that sunk before detonating. They didn't have bombs that could reliably do that, and the average Sigrant pilot would have a hard time matching that accuracy. They weren't even sure how Japan could tell where they were after they went beneath the waves. But there was no doubt they were succeeding because they witnessed the wreckage floating to the surface. And even if they didn't fully understand what they were seeing, they relayed all of it back to the main fleet as they'd been ordered.
Back on his flagship, Lettal Kauran was carefully going over all of it. Part of it was to distract themself; Meteos had already contacted them, and his condescending attitude wasn't held back just because they were countrymen. The Milishial sailors were grateful for the support, obviously, but the fact the emperor had decided they alone were enough to defeat the Gra Valkans simply rubbed them the wrong way.
"Any thoughts, Captain?" He asked Tagus.
"Depending on how deep those underwater boats can sink, we might be able to damage them by shelling the surface of the sea. But only if we know they were there." Naval guns were powerful; even a near miss impact on the sea would shake a ship. But the force lessened considerably the further it traveled down. Tagus was technically correct in that they could sink a submarine at periscope depth by shelling the sea. They could even damage one slightly below the surface.
"Hmm." Lettal Kauran thought about it. He trusted the other man's word, but he recognized it was inefficient compared to the "sinking bombs" the Japanese were using. Magic, including magical technology, was based on mixing different elemental properties in exact measurements to get the desired effect. Normal naval artillery relied primarily on air for traversal and a fire and lightning combination for destructive power. Mixing in the water element might help in creating a shell that could sink and detonate underwater. It was a thought to bring back to the Navy when they finished here.
What Karuen really wanted to do was pick the minds of his carrier and air commanders. According to Captain Lerjen in the World Union fleet, Japan was launching aircraft from its cruisers. Those were the same ones his Elpacio 3 pilots were seeing detect and sink the submarines. The Japanese called it a "helicopter". It was completely foreign, just as much as underwater boats. But so were cruisers carrying aircraft and underwater boats carrying aircraft. The Japanese had asked for help because the latter were good at defeating the aircraft they used to sink the underwater boats. They were all utterly foreign concepts, but they all existed to counter one another. It all fit.
"Warfare has become a lot more troublesome since all these transferred countries showed up." Lettal Karuen said out loud. He said it after such a long pause it almost felt like he'd said it randomly. But no one questioned him because it was true. Japan and the Gra Valkas had turned the entire world's perception of warfare on its head and now they had to catch up.
Once Unit 01 appeared on their radars, it was tracked by the JSDF all the way until it finally reached the World Union fleet. Unit 02 had already passed the Milishial fleet and was getting closer and closer to the Gra Valkas fleet. Since sending fighters to get a look at it might send the wrong message, it was up to the MSDF to visually observe and document the Pal Chimera. All four crews had picture and video cameras ready. The timing coincided with the Squadron 6 having just launched its helicopters for a 4th sortie against the enemy submarine fleet, which meant the helipads were open for use as viewing platforms.
The Japanese were far from the only ones watching the skies. The rest of the World Union had been flabbergasted when the attached Milishial fleet announced their nation would be deploying mythical superweapons against the enemy. Most knew the legends, but few really believed they still existed. The only ones not as excited were Mu. Like the Japanese, they were curious, but unlike the Japanese they weren't making as much an effort to document the "flying battleship"
The Japanese immediately noted its U.F.O qualities. Sailors were quickly writing down any observations the officers were making to go with the pictures and footage being taken.
"Possibly using VTOL technology." A circle wasn't aerodynamic, and it didn't look to have any propulsion on its body, but the air and sea surface below it were clearly being disturbed. Vertical Take-Off and Landing was the same technology behind the Harrier Jet and the B variant of the F-35 back on Earth. It allowed planes to take off from either very small airfields or the deck of amphibious assault ships and helicopter destroyers (something Japan had been interested in the F-35B for before the transfer made such an acquisition impossible). But it was extremely fuel intensive just to take off and land, making them wonder if any flying object could function for long just on that principle alone.
The truth was the Pal Chimera was powered by 9 anti-gravity engines, something the Milishials barely understood and the Japanese could hardly conceptualize. The Pal Chimera wasn't propelled from the surface, it literally overrode natural physics to make something that couldn't fly actually fly.
"Front of the ring is slightly tilted. It may maneuver like a helicopter." All four hanger commanders make the same observation. It was accurate; by readjusting the output of any of the anti-gravity engines, the Pal Chimera could tilt different sections to determine direction. Engine output was also how it created speed. But unlike a helicopter, the Pal Chimera could fly any direction while maintaining its top speed, not just forward.
"Possible bomb bay on the structure in the middle." The Japanese were sharp enough to notice the final hidden weapon the Pal Chimera had. But on the bridge of the Kirishima, they were still focused on the main armaments.
"Those are pretty light armaments for a battleship." Captain Tamuramaro was surprised. They only looked to be between 13cm and 15cm. The three actual Milishial battleships accompanying the World Union had batteries between 33cm and 35cm. But the 'Pal Chimera' had more guns and batteries than any ship. "What a bizarre thing…"
"Depending on the ammo, it should be able to take out the enemy destroyers without issue, but the battleships will be harder." Nakashima hadn't seen the bomb bay and it would be a while before the officers on every ship compared notes.
"The CIWS placement leaves the outer part of it vulnerable." Even though it was an allied unit, the fact it existed naturally made the captain wonder about how they'd fare against something like it.
Speeding past the World Union fleet at 200km/h, the Japanese couldn't make observations forever. But they'd made enough, and they had pictures and video now to transmit back home. There was still a submarine threat to deal with.
The Great General Caesar and his entire staff were in a bad mood. That description sounded juvenile on a battlefield, but it was the truth. They were annoyed and angry. Not at their enemy, but at their own country. Good military men were able to adapt and overcome the chaos natural to a battlefield, but they still needed good information to make their decisions. The Intelligence Bureau had failed to warn them about the superiority of Japanese aircraft, and it had cost them a significant portion of their fleet already. Now it was apparent the Intelligence Bureau had missed another critical fact that made the Navy's job harder.
The submarine attack on the Milishial fleet never happened. As soon as the 3rd Submarine Fleet started moving in close, the Milishials increased their speed and rapidly put distance between them and their ambushers. At first, they saw it as bad luck; the Milishials started racing to face them at that moment. Then they got a call from the 1st Submarine Fleet that completely blindsided them.
Not only had they been discovered, but they'd taken losses. Japan, the same country that had already stunned them once, revealed a specialized anti-submarine aircraft equipped with sonar and was using it to whittle down the 1st Submarine Fleet. A country in the New World knew what submarines were, had anti-submarine weapons, and probably had submarines themselves. After that, they couldn't discard the Milishials' escape as just fortunate timing.
The 1st Submarine Fleet hadn't sent any more transmissions. The Combined Fleet's staff assumed they were hiding under the waves to avoid the Japanese and hopefully still moving in to attack the World Union. The 3rd Submarine Fleet was following the Milishial Fleet, but they weren't going to catch up before it made contact with the main body of the Combined Fleet. Since they couldn't discount the possibility of Japanese submarines being deployed, the four groups the Combined Fleet had organized into dispersed some of their destroyers to constantly search for submarines.
All the carriers were lost, a battleship was lost, many heavy and light cruisers were lost, and now at least four submarines were lost with more likely to follow. This was the Imperial Navy's darkest day since the transfer, and easily one of the worst in its whole history. By the time this battle was over, it was certainly going to be worse.
But they had no idea just how bad it would get.
All the scout planes had run out of fuel by that point; the pilots had bailed out and been recovered by the auxiliary fleet at the very back. All they had now to detect the enemy was their radar. The Unit 02 Pal Chimera was so massive that Strike Group 1's radar picked it up at the maximum range of 200km. It was moving so fast it was only ten or so minutes before the Grade Atlaster and Strike Group 2 picked it up as well. The radar operators and technicians were baffled, thinking it was a glitch because surely nothing that massive could fly. But after being caught off guard twice, Caesar took it seriously from the beginning.
"Tell every ship to prepare for anti-air combat!"
"Judging by the speed, it might be a bomber of some kind." A staff officer speculated.
"Probably another Japanese weapon…" Another said, carrying everyone's unease. There was no doubt now that Japan was the one country in this world the Imperial Navy had to be cautious of. But the truth revealed itself in the most unexpected way.
"My dear friends the Gra Valkans…"
"What?!" A voice suddenly blared on the bridge of not only the Grade Atlaster, but every ship in the fleet. The technicians couldn't even fathom how powerful a signal would have to be to intrude on so many ships at once.
"...what hideous ships you have." The voice finished. Fuming, Caesar took over the bridge's radio.
"Who is this? Identify yourself!"
"Ah, so you can hear us." The voice said, just as condescending. "Tell me, am I speaking to the commander of the Gra Valkan fleet? I am Meteos. Emperor Milishial VIII has sent me to deliver a message to you barbarians." Milishial?
"Are you the massive aircraft on our radar?" Caesar demanded.
"So, you can see us too." Meteos suddenly sounded annoyed. "Hmph. Yes, but this is no 'aircraft'. We are the talented few capable of operating the legacy of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire, the flying battleship Pal Chimera!" He declared boldly.
Those words didn't make sense together, leaving the Gra Valkans temporarily speechless, something Meteos mistook for stunned silence.
"Ah yes, you apes aren't from this world. The Ancient Sorcerous Empire ruled this entire world thousands of years ago. What they left behind is what we built our whole civilization on. Our warships are replicas of the same ones that once conquered everyone."
Caesar had lent out the Eastern Fleet's carriers to the Judgement Force for the attack on the 0th Fleet and the World Conference. He'd read the after action reports. He didn't completely know what this "'Ancient Sorcerous Empire'" was, but he knew how the battles had gone.
"We sank all your ships in battle!" He barked angrily.
"Yes. You insulted us gravely." Meteos' tone turned dark. "That's why we were sent here. It's time you barbarians learned what true magical might is! Unless you want mercy." Their verbal tormenter's tone eased again. "Mass slaughter is really unbecoming of the greatest country in the world. So, we'll give you a chance to save yourselves." Meteos' tone hardened again. "Abandon your holdings in Leifor and take all your people and ships back to your insignificant country. Try to venture out again and we'll put you in your place."
Caesar was fuming. His whole staff was fuming. Every officer and sailor on the bridge was fuming as being treated so condescendingly by a county with no grounds to act. The Eastern Fleet commander did not let that stand.
"You think we're scared of a 'flying battleship'? None of your forces have been able to do anything this entire battle against us! The Japanese have caused us more harm in this battle than your 'greatest country' has done this entire war!"
"Grr!" Meteos was sloppy enough to let his frustration leak into the transmission, which only encouraged Caesar further.
"If you're here to stop us, go ahead and try! Otherwise, fuck off!" And with that, Caesar cancelled the communication. He handed the microphone back to the communications staff and stepped back, the whole bridge in awe of the Eastern Fleet Commander's legendary temper let loose.
"Whatever the hell comes," he told his staff and Captain Luxtal, "we're going to stop it."
After hearing that full exchange, the crew of the Japanese YS-11EB listening in on the Gra Valkas Empire's communications could only muster one response.
"What the hell was that?"
"Oh well, I gave them a chance." Meteos tried to regain his composure after his outburst. "Continue on the present course. We're going to sink their entire fleet."
"Uh…right." Comed said awkwardly. "There's four groups…" He almost said, 'like Japan had said'. "Closest group consists of 50 ships: three Mithril-class battleship equivalents, two Gold-class ship equivalents, seven medium sized ships, and at least three dozen small ships."
"That'll do for our first target." Meteos decided.
"Second group consists of the Grade Atlaster and a Mithril-class equivalent. Both look damaged. Five medium-sized ships and another three dozen small ships." Colmed continued.
Probably done by the Japanese. Meteos thought distastefully.
"Third group considers a Mithril-class equivalent, Gold-class equivalent, and a dozen small ships. Final group consists of small ships and auxiliary vessels." Colmed finished the summary.
"We'll work on the first group until Wahlman catches up with Unit 01. We'll move to the second while he finishes up with the first." Meteos decided. He wanted the pleasure of sinking the Grade Atlaster now.
The distance closed in less than an hour. The Pal Chimera had been able to see the Gra Valkas fleet through the viewing apparatus the whole time, but now they could see them on the displays showing outside the bridge. The Gra Valkas could see them too, growing larger and larger as they approached. There were still Elpacio 3s Commander Kauran had dispatched to keep an eye on the Gra Valkas. They buzzed around like small children in front of a street performer, eager to watch.
"That one will do for a start." Using the Captain's console, Meteos highlighted a Gra Valkas destroyer a short distance away from the rest of the fleet, one of the anti-submarine pickets.
"Charge at 100%."
"Targeting data determined."
"Changing course for optimal accuracy." The Pal Chimera's powerful engines charged the outer cannons in seemingly an instant and its advanced magical instruments told them the exact elevation to fire."
Once they were 20km away from the small ship, one of the turrets fired off three shots in rapid succession. 150mm guns didn't have the same range as a battleship, but the fact the Pal Chimera was 200m in the sky helped increase the range. The calculations for making the shot land were just different from a warship.
The destroyer rocked under the impact. It may have been able to survive a single 150mm shell, but not three in as many seconds all in the exact same spot. One of the turret's ammunition began cooking off. That set off the depth charges and the torpedoes in the racks on the deck. Fire and explosions engulfed the small ship and it slowly drifted to a stop, already starting to sink. Sailors scrambled off the burning ship and into the Baltica Sea. All in 30 seconds.
"Small ship sunk."
"As I expected." Meteos didn't smirk or cheer.
"That was incredible." Colmed wasn't talking about how easy they'd sunk it; that had been a given. But he was amazed at how well the targeting instruments worked.
"The Ancient Sorcerous Empire's relics are amazing." Meteor agreed. "Such a shame we can't reproduce them yet. Oh, what's this?" On the screen, eight of the small ships had broken from the fleet and were charging them. All five battleships had also turned their turrets towards the Pal Chimera. At that instant, all 20 fired. The cannons' path and expected impact were immediately calculated and displayed on the same screen. The Pal Chimera smoothly started moving out of the expected areas of impact. The Pal Chimera was more than far enough away over half a minute later when 20 anti-aircraft shells detonated in midair in a brilliant display of fire and shrapnel. "Nice try. Target those small ships now."
Vice Admiral Kaonia quickly realized that the Pal Chimera wasn't going to get close enough for the anti-air cannons and machine guns on his ships to hit, so he ordered the battleships to begin firing anti-air shells and the destroyers to charge towards it with their own. All of his destroyers could fire out to 20km, but that max firing range accounted for explosive or armor piercing shells that flew in a complete arc, not anti-air shells that would have to detonate in midair before completing a full arc. The batteries on his battleships had a long enough max range that they could reliably sling anti-air shells out towards the Pal Chimera. He hoped he could force the flying disk to keep evading instead of firing, giving some of his destroyers a chance to close in and hit it with anti-air shells and autocannons.
But being 30km away from the battleships, Unit 02 had more than enough time to dodge the anti-air shells that took time to reach it. Worse for Strike Group 1, it could fire while evading. So, while the battleships filled the air with explosions, the Pal Chimera danced out of the way and effortlessly sank destroyer after destroyer with 100% accuracy. It only took one volley of 150mm fire to sink each one too.
The Gra Valkas widened their spread, covering large patches of the sky with fire. Since the battleships were traveling in a line and the Pal Chimera stayed on one side of the formation, they could use all the batteries with each salvo. But it wasn't enough. The battleships missed every attempt and in a frighteningly short amount of time, all eight destroyers chasing after it had sunk too. Still, the battleships kept up the fire, hoping for that one lucky hit.
"That is getting very annoying." Metos decided. "Bring us around behind their fleet." Since the Gra Valkas were traveling south, that meant getting on the north side of the formation. The Pal Chimera smoothly transitioned to the ordered location, sinking even more destroyers as it did. "Redirect energy to the armor." Milishial battleships and the Pal Chimera had the ability to redirect magical energy produced by the engines into magical shielding on sections of the hull. A faint blue glow enveloped the bottom of the Pal Chimera. "Close in and target the Gold-class equivalent at the end of their formation." He ordered.
The Pal Chimera gradually started closing in behind the Orion-class battleship at the tail of the line. As the circular terror muscled into the formation, the remaining destroyers finally had a chance to fire anti-air shells from their 127mm dual-purpose guns. 40mm autocannon fire and machine gun fire joined. The impacts caused ripples in the blue sheen coating the Pal Chimera but did no harm. The rattling it caused in the bridge made some of the crew uneasy, but they figured they were safe and continued their advance to the battleship.
As soon as it got within 20km, it fired a volley of 150mm rounds at the ship's aft section. The rounds all landed near the number 4 356mm twin turret. Both fired, but four anti-air shells were much easier to dodge than 20. Undeterred by fire from the battleship or its escorts, the Pal Chimera continued laying firing into the aft section of the battleship at an unbelievable pace. 150mm wasn't much when it came to battleship duels, but it wasn't harmless, and the Pal Chimera could fire quickly and accurately. One by one, holes started opening up in the aft half of the ship, causing its speed to decrease.
Acting on his own volition, the Orion's captain ordered his ship to make a hard turn port so they could bring all four main batteries on the Pal Chimera. The flying battleship smoothly changed to bombarding the left side of the ship, finding it much easier to destroy the 152mm secondary guns as well as the abundance of anti-air armaments on that side. The hull in the center had thicker armor than the hull near the aft of the ship, and those shells didn't have much of an impact.
"Quite the hard target, aren't you?" Meteos said out loud. "Move in and get directly above it." He ordered. "We'll use the Givil." It was time to show the final trump card the Pal Chimera had in its bomb bay. Like a predator that had isolated the weakest member of a pack, the Pal Chimera closed in on the wounded battleship.
In the 7 minutes it took to approach, the Pal Chimera targeted and sank even more destroyers. Capped at a pitiful 25km/h due to damage, the battleship was powerless to move out of the way as the Pal Chimera slowed its own speed and took position directly above, matching it move for move so that it always hovered above. The Gra Valkan sailors scrambled, not knowing what the disruption below the Pal Chimera was and not wanting to be caught in it. They ended up caught in the anti-gravity field anyway, stumbling in absurd ways as they tried running through a level of gravity their bodies weren't used to. All anti-air fire stopped as the Gra Valkans were suddenly worried the Pal Chimera would fall directly on the battleship. The bomb bay opened, and the anti-air gunners on the deck ducked for cover.
"Dropping."
A bomb far bigger than any that could be carried by Sigrant aircraft dropped from the Pal Chimera, falling through a gap in the anti-gravity field left for this exact purpose. The Givil was a recent addition to the Milishial arsenal. Even though they had no Floating Ships capable of carrying it, they'd developed it in part because otherwise the Pal Chimeras would only have their cannons to work with. The rod-shaped explosive fell and hit the battleship right between the superstructure and the forward funnel.
The Givil was made using highly refined magic gems mixed primarily with the fire attribute. It didn't follow the same scientific principles as explosives manufactured by either Japan or the Gra Valkas Empire. But if a comparison had to be made, then the Givil exploded with a force a little greater than ten tonnes of TNT. The battleship was engulfed in a fireball bigger than itself. The extreme heat evaporated a large amount of sea water, creating a cloud of steam that enveloped the ship further. Even the Pal Chimera's shielding showed some strain, though the magic held.
"Huh?!" When smoke cleared, Meteos was shocked. The battleship was still floating, even if everything on the top half looked like it had been razed. The Givil shouldn't have left a single trace. What the hell were those ugly ships made off that they could survive that?
"The magic detection radar isn't picking up any signals below us." A technician called. The ship survived, but the crew hadn't. Magic weapons still interacted with natural elements in predictable ways. The massive explosion had sucked up all the oxygen in and around the ship. Any enemy sailor not instantly incinerated had his lungs forcefully ripped out of his chest, an arguably worse fate.
"These science-based nations keep disrespecting us." Meteos murmured. But the battleship was dealt with. "Keep circling the fleet and targeting the small ships." Although the Pal Chimera hadn't taken any damage, hearing all the impacts against the bottom had been annoying. Besides, he still had a lot of work to do, and taking any risk while there was still much to do was reckless.
Unit 02 continued its deadly dance in the sky. All the battleships could do was keep trying to do damage with a spread of anti-air shells, and all the smaller ships could do was hold close to the battleships where it was safer. But little by little Strike Group 1 was whittled down until only the battleships and cruisers remained.
"Captain Wahlman's Unit 01 will arrive in five minutes." Meteos was informed. With a snap of his finger, Meteos connected the other Pal Chimera.
"Nice of you to finally join us, Wahlman." Meteos said casually. "I was beginning to think I had to destroy these apes myself."
"Don't act like you had any difficulties." His counterpart jabbed back. "There was never any doubt."
"They are even more underwhelming than I expected." Meteos motioned to his people. Unit 02 disengaged Strike Group 1 and started heading for Strike Group 2. "Their battleships are surprisingly durable though. See for yourself."
"I watched you destroy the rest of the fleet and stop there. Really, Meteos? We have the superweapons of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire at our fingertips and you're being cautious." His equal mocked him.
"We have the irreplaceable superweapons at our disposal. Even if we could replace them, I wouldn't take so many risks." Meteos chastised him.
"So you say." Wahlman was dismissive. "Fine. You have fun with all those small ships. I'll use the Givil to destroy their battleships!"
"Be careful, Wahlman." Meteos warned, but only out of concern for the superweapons.
"Flying battleship heading this way!" A lookout warned. Strike Group 1 had been gutted and now was coming for them while another that had just arrived finished off Admiral Kaonia's group.
"Any orders, Admiral?" Luxtal asked. Caesar had been eerily silent the whole time Strike Group 1 had been engaged with the incomprehensible weapon called the 'Pal Chimera'. Vice Admiral Kaonia had done everything Caesar would've done. And none of it had worked. Watching one of his battleships being engulfed in an explosion even more impressive than the Japanese bombs, Caesar had a realization:
This battle was lost.
Had it only been antique forces, they would've won without effort. Even against the conventionally equipped Milishial Navy, they likely would have succeeded with little in the way of casualties. Caesar even still believed that if they'd closed in on the World Union fleet, he would have sunk the Japanese fleet with no problem.
But these flying battleships, magical weapons defying everything the Gra Valkas knew about warfare and science, were beyond any capabilities they currently had. Maybe if their carriers hadn't been lost, they could've stood a chance. But Caesar would never know for sure, since he was likely to die here.
In spite of that realization, he was calm. Every soldier and sailor of the Empire put on their uniform knowing they might die any day. Caesar had accepted that risk many times before in the field. The emperor had told them to keep the World Union from reaching Leifor. Even if it hadn't been expected at the time, the order carried the implicit condition that if they couldn't, they were expected to die trying. If they had no chance of winning against a flying battleship, then the next best thing they could do was die in battle while doing the most good. Caesar knew there was still one important thing left they could accomplish here.
"We're still in contact range with the destroyers conducting search and rescue. Radio them and give them copies of all the information we've accumulated on the enemy during this battle: Japanese planes, Japanese anti-submarine measures, and these flying battleships. Every ship. Make sure they get it and tell them to scatter on their way back to Leifor. Give the same information and orders to our auxiliary fleet and tell them to retreat. Now!" Caesar demanded. Then he personally took control of the radio again, this time to speak to every ship in Strike Group 1, 2, and the Reserve behind. He laid out their situation with complete honesty.
"We can't outrun that thing, and we can't defeat it. If we retreat, we'll just be killed while we're running… The best thing we can still accomplish here is delaying those things to make sure this information makes it back to the mainland. Because without it, our Empire's future is in jeopardy. Maybe the submarine fleets will still accomplish something. Maybe reinforcements behind us will stop the enemy. Our fate here is sealed…But if we're going to die, we'll die like proud patriots, giving our countrymen the time they need to defeat our enemies!"
Being a military leader wasn't just about strategic and tactical poweress. It was about leading men and women, inspiring them to do the impossible for their country. The Imperial Navy had found itself in an impossible situation that was very much real. They couldn't escape it, but they wouldn't let it take them without a fight. They would not go down like the inferiors the Milishials taunted them as. Caesar had emboldened them like only a true leader could. One by one, every captain radioed back an affirmation to go down fighting. So did Admiral Kaonia. Meteos and whoever his comrade in the other flying battleship was were not going to have an easy time.
At Caesar's orders, most of the destroyers scattered and charged the incoming Unit 02. "Captain Luxtal, I'll leave our most powerful ship to the crew that knows it best." Caesar deferred to his host.
"We're all ready if today is the day." Luxtal swore. "But this ship might have one more trick up its sleeve." Caesar and the Eastern Fleet's staff watched him curiously as Luxtal picked up one of the Grade Atlaster's internal telephones. "Gunnery Officer Bragston. Fire the anti-air shells at your discretion. Once you do, load the front turrets with armor piercing rounds and await further instructions." Luxtal hung up and made an almost identical call to the rear gunnery station overseeing turret 3. When he was done, he had the attention of his crew and the Eastern Fleet officers alike.
"Sir?" Luxtal's own XO pressed him. The Grade Atlaster's captain explained what he'd determined seeing Strike Group 1 being decimated.
"We can't hit it from a distance. But its guns are too weak to destroy a battleship. If it wants to destroy this ship, it'll have to fly right over us and drop one of those bombs. There will be a tiny window in that time it's approaching where we can fire and it will have no time to dodge. Considering the amount of anti-air fire it survived, those shells won't be enough. Only armor piercing. It's a long shot." He admitted. "But I'd rather lose this ship making an attack that might work than one that certainly won't." It was unconventional, but in this moment of impossible circumstances, it came off as sane.
"Captain, you're a credit to the Imperial Navy." Caesar told him.
"Only if it works." Luxtal stayed humble.
Both Pal Chimeras continued their assault on Strike Groups 1 and 2. Meteos in Unit 2 stayed well outside the range of any of the small ships trying to charge him, sinking each methodically and efficiently. Captain Wahlman, meanwhile, positioned himself above Strike Group 1's flagship and prepared to drop a Givil. The rest of the group didn't hold back; even if they risked bringing it down on the flagship, they were determined to bring it down. Anti-air rounds and shells burst all around Unit 01 without doing any damage. Meteos watched from afar, confident in the Pal Chimera's magic shielding but unnerved by the sight regardless.
The Gra Valkas ships did not back down. It mildly annoyed the two civilians commanding the Pal Chimeras. But Wahlman kept flying from battleship to battle, crippling each with a Givil and finding time to sink the cruisers with cannon fire in between. Meteos meticulously outmaneuvered and sank every destroyer racing to challenge him. By the time Wahlman had finished destroying Strike Group 1, Meteos was still dealing with five destroyers. By the time Wahlman's Unit 01 had reached Strike Group 2, Meteos had finished up with the destroyers and both Pal Chimeras were approaching the Grade Atlaster, the other battleship, and the four cruisers. As Wahlman charged in, all six ships fired more bursting shells that failed to hit. Oddly, only the other battleship kept firing those shells; the enemy flagship became strangely inactive.
Meteos shook his head in disapproval and ordered his crew to focus fire on the cruisers. With two minutes left before Wahlman got above the enemy flagship, its turrets suddenly moved again, all turning to the left. With one minute to go, the massive ship made a sudden turn to starboard, the other battleship turning to port to give it space. All nine of the Grade Atlaster's 46cm turrets were suddenly pointed right at Unit 01. Meteos felt a sudden premonition in his gut. In haste, he contacted Unit 01 again. "Wahlman, be careful!"
But it was too late.