Mob No.142: “[Gungnir], fall back! All other units, advance! The entire army will intercept! Buy time until [Gungnir] can fire!”
Thirty-six hours had passed since the planet Itotakia was reduced to cosmic dust by the beam fired from the ancient weapon bearing the name of the divine spear.
To neutralize this superweapon, the Imperial Army devised a strategy.
The plan was to deploy a portion of their own fleet as decoys to face the superweapon head-on while the remaining forces launched a flanking attack from beyond radar detection range.
The decoy unit was ordered to evade at all costs if the enemy fired that beam, then strike during the interval before the next shot.
The one who proposed this strategy—clearly prepared to accept heavy casualties—was Vice Admiral Carlos Dertling, commander of the Central Fleet’s 2nd Subjugation Fleet, whom I had encountered before.
Before this ruthless proposal, there had been a plan to infiltrate disguised as traitors and disable the weapon from within. However, it was concluded that such a tactic would not work in the current situation. The meeting dragged on, but no better plan emerged than Deertling’s, and so his strategy was adopted.
And, unsurprisingly—or perhaps inevitably—Vice Admiral Dertling’s 2nd Fleet was not assigned as the decoy unit. Instead, the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th Fleets were given the role.
“[…And that’s the operation decided in this meeting. Just the fact that that slimy man proposed it already pisses me off, but what I hate most is how he pushes the decoy role onto us instead of taking it himself. If you propose it, you should do it yourself, damn it!]”
Vice Admiral Vescolés explained the operation’s outline to her forces with a pained expression, clearly furious at Deertling for suggesting it.
To add further speculation, the commanders of the 4th, 5th, and 7th Fleets could be considered rivals standing in Dertling’s path to promotion.
Unfortunately, I don’t know much about the 6th Fleet.
“Still, since the order’s been given, we have no choice. Of course, I don’t plan on dying easily. If you see any sign of the weapon firing, everyone is to use their own judgment and immediately evade the line of fire.”
Even Vice Admiral Vescolés didn’t seem fully convinced by this operation.
But it was clear no better alternative existed.
“Operation begins in 10 hours when we reach the vicinity of Nekirelma space. From there, it’s about another hour to the combat zone. I’d prefer if everyone wrote and submitted their wills beforehand. I don’t plan on dying, but just in case. Until then, maintain minimal alert levels and get your affairs in order. That’s all.”
After Vice Admiral Vescolés’ announcement, a sense of solemnity hung over the crew.
Some mercenaries considered deserting, but the presence of disciplinary squads crushed those thoughts.
Yet among them, one person burned with fighting spirit.
Lambert Liagraz—the “Feathered Helm,” a warrior of Bishop-class rank.
Well, in this situation, he’s practically the only one who could turn things around.
To be precise, it’s thanks to his partner, the ancient weapon—the small combat vessel WVS-09 “Rosweise.”
There’s actually one more… or rather, one more person.
While they’re supposedly part of the 7th Fleet, their presence is highly dubious, and their current whereabouts are unknown.
Still, even without them, Lambert and Rosweise should be able to handle things.
That said, we can’t afford to let our guard down.
As always, on the battlefield, the first to die are those who grow careless.
☆☆☆
[Side: Kaiese-Dowin]
“Enemy fleet confirmed! Approximately four fleets in number! They’re closing in!”
“Dammit! The charge will be complete in just one more hour!”
“What are your orders, Your Majesty?”
As the enemy fleet approached before them, the subordinates began to panic.
I had expected them to come eventually, but they arrived a little sooner than anticipated.
They didn’t seem to have figured out the weapon’s cooldown interval—
instead, they’d resorted to a foolish strategy.
In that case, I’ll play along exactly as they wish!
“[Gungnir], fall back! All other units, advance! The entire army will intercept! Buy time until [Gungnir] can fire!”
As long as [Gungnir] can be fired, no number of enemies will be a threat.
That’s why we’re concentrating our forces here. Make yourselves useful, soldiers!
★★★
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As the enemy fleet and fighter squadrons reacted to our movements, our own sortie orders came through.
The ancient weapon slowly retreated, keeping its bow pointed toward us.
I couldn’t tell if it was still in cooldown or simply holding its fire, but just the sight of that barrel aimed at us made cold sweat pour down my back.
Might be good for weight loss, but gambling with my life is no joke.
To make matters worse, the enemy numbers were overwhelming.
Even if we broke through swarms of drones and small fighters, medium, large, and super-large combat vessels were lying in wait. And just when you thought you’d made it past them, another wave of drones and small fighters would appear—it felt like an endless loop. Even skilled fighters like Arthur, Dan, and Artept were struggling.
Yet amidst all this, Lambert and Rosweise—the “Feathered Helm”—advanced without issue.
They effortlessly dodged every beam with inhuman maneuvers, annihilating enemy fighters in the blink of an eye while outmaneuvering pursuers. They weaved between medium, large, and super-large vessels, baiting them into collisions or slipping through barrages to blast holes in hulls—it was like watching a scene straight out of a movie.
Still, the enemy forces showed little sign of weakening, and our own side was taking heavy losses.
The thought of [Gungnir] activating at any moment was unbearable.
We were waiting for the flanking force to arrive, but for all we knew, they might only engage after [Gungnir] fired.
Grand Marshal Breskin wouldn’t do that—but Vice Admiral Deertling just might.
As these thoughts raced through my mind, time passed, and both sides sustained further losses—until finally, [Gungnir] began to move.
I assumed the enemy would retreat immediately, but they didn’t. At first, I thought it might still be unable to fire or was simply repositioning—but then, energy began gathering in [Gungnir]’s barrel.
The enemy, caught off guard, scrambled to evade, but their own dense formation left them unable to maneuver quickly.
Our side still had some room to move, but a full retreat was nearly impossible.
Just as everyone braced for the inevitable—
A crimson beam lanced down from above, piercing straight through [Gungnir]’s hull.
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