Summoning Japan × The New Order: Last Days of Europe

Chapter 22

June 15, 1963, 16:00

Rodenius Sea

"Anti-aircraft shells, ready to fire!"

"Our target is... hostile aerial organisms... They have entered the Yamato's firing range!"

"Interlocking control by computer is green! We can fire at any time!"

"Turret number one... fire!"

At Itō's command, the sound of gunfire from the 46-centimeter guns fired from the battleships Yamato and Musashi shook the eardrums of Brueye on the bridge, and even from a distance, it could be seen that the sea surface was trembling from the vibrations of the sound.

'What is this explosion!? The firepower is beyond what I imagined!'

The air itself was vibrating, and the sound of gunfire, which contained a power that even legendary sorcerers couldn't achieve, echoed.

With Brueye's knowledge and magic, there should be no weapon with such destructive power.

However, witnessing the phenomenon unfolding before his eyes, it became an important indicator of the power of the main guns of this battleship owned by Japan, and in the event that war broke out between Qua-Toyne and Japan, it was certain that Maihark would be completely obliterated by these main guns.

'There are still water splashes rising at sea... I don't even want to imagine how much damage would occur if they were fired toward land...'

If diplomatic negotiations had failed, Brueye couldn't help but shudder at the thought that they might have been hit directly overhead by the shells from the Yamato and Musashi. At this moment, Brueye once again realized that the country had been saved by Prime Minister Kanata's political decision.

'If... Prime Minister Kanata's political decision had been wrong... Maihark Naval Headquarters, along with myself, would have been blown to smithereens by these main guns...'

"Target hit! Disappeared from the radar! Confirmation of the elimination of 250 enemy aerial organisms that were approaching the main fleet! All eliminated by anti-aircraft shells!"

"It's easy to get hit with that dense formation... especially against an enhanced anti-air defense with improved Type 3 shells, there are no living creatures that will survive."

"It was originally developed to shoot down aircraft such as fighter planes... Even if those wyverns had some bulletproof capability, it would be impossible to defend against them."

"It's like putting targets in the air. And if they're clustered not just vertically but horizontally and backward, it's even more impossible to avoid being hit. The Lourians are underestimating us."

Itō and Unabara casually expressed their impressions of the Lourian wyverns as if they were participating in an exercise, but Brueye, who was listening next to them, was completely frozen.

'Not only they were unfazed by 250 wyverns... they considered them as targets...!? Did one artillery barrage just seriously slaughter 250 wyverns...?'

Even the artillery fire from the battleship was an incredible achievement for Brueye at this point, but what was even more surprising was that they had switched to high-explosive shells and started firing toward the Eastern Conquest Fleet.

Despite the Eastern Conquest Fleet advancing without changing course, every time the Yamato and Musashi fired, water columns would rise from the surface, and debris would fly up, visible to Brueye. And with each shot hitting the sea surface like underwater volcanoes erupting, the explosions and reverberations could be heard echoing.

'This... This is like a completely one-sided onslaught! ...They're unilaterally pounding a fleet of 4.400 ships! They're utterly crushing the numerically superior Lourian fleet with overwhelming force!'

Brueye's expression was apt. With each shell from the Yamato and Musashi, the Eastern Conquest Fleet's ships were incapacitated by blasts and high waves, taking down more than 50 ships at a time. Ships directly hit by the shells were blown away along with their crews, while those within a 300-meter radius suffered damage to their hulls from the high and lateral waves, sinking amidst the surging waterspouts and turbid currents caused by the explosions.

It was a one-sided onslaught from long range. And this onslaught showed no signs of stopping.

After bombarding the Eastern Conquest Fleet with over 30 shells in 10 minutes, attacks from the carrier-based jet attack aircraft Seiryū carried by the Taihō and Shōhō began.

Each of the 60 Seiryū planes was armed with 20 mm autocannons and 600 kg bombs, and in this fully armed state, they relentlessly attacked ships that had escaped the gunfire from the Yamato and Musashi. Ships hit by the 20 mm guns sank in an instant, and priority was given to bombing ships serving as fleet relay stations. In the absence of wyverns, the Lourian anti-aircraft weapons, sailing ships, and galleys without speed are nothing more than targets for the attack aircraft.

Within an hour of these wave-like attacks, the Lourian navy was annihilated, and what Brueye witnessed was the scars of a fierce battle. In the area where the Eastern Conquest Fleet had been, debris and wood fragments were scattered, and the bodies of sailors torn apart floated here and there. Only those barely alive were hoisting white flags indicating surrender, so the survivors were rescued as prisoners of war by the First Fleet and detained.

"Is this... all wreckage from the Lourian fleet?"

"Due to our attacks, the Lourian fleet will no longer be able to mount organized resistance. Even if they weren't directly hit by the Yamato's gunfire, wooden sailing ships' hulls will collapse from the blast."

"And any ships missed by the Yamato and Musashi's fire would have been pulverized by the Seiryu. All our aircraft were deployed in this battle, and we conducted repeated attacks, so I believe the results speak for themselves."

"Hmm... With this many warships sunk, it will be difficult for the Lourians to rebuild."

"Now, it's time for information gathering from the prisoners... Regarding that, it will fall under the jurisdiction of the Military Police, so let's send the Taihō's transport helicopter to Maihark to hand them over. Brueye-dono, could we ask for your coordination?"

"Y-yes... I also wish to offer advice and coordinate."

"...I'm concerned about the remaining strength of the Lourian military no matter what... Although the victory belongs to our country, it's now up to the Army folks... After rescuing the survivors, I want to complete resupply in Naha and then coordinate with the Army for the invasion of Louria."

Thus, the Naval Battle of Rodenius came to a close with the victory of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Out of the 4.400-strong fleet, only 150 ships remained, and there were 180 survivors and prisoners. Among them was Fleet Commander Sharkun, whose identity was sent to Maihark.

Brueye meticulously compiled the results of this great naval battle into a report and submitted it to the political council.

However, due to the terrifying nature of the report's contents, it caused chaos among the councilmen...

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Political Council: "What the hell is this battle result? The Japanese didn't even get a scratch? There's no way we can win against an enemy like this!"