Dinosaur Extinction Simulation [Crustal Tsunami] part 1
「The time for the battle is almost here.」
Nyanta’s report was met with a nod from Aimer. The time was 9 a.m.—the designated hour for the battle to commence.
「Enemy aerial fleet emerging from the ocean surface. They’ve begun their advance!」
Aki transmitted the visuals. The massive aerial fleet loomed closer. Outis’ commanding voice thundered.
「To all Aubade Force vessels, begin submersion!」
The grand fleet of the Aubade Force, with Astraea as its flagship, initiated a synchronized submersion, including the escort ships. The entire fleet sank into the depths of the sea.
「Up until now, we’ve given the impression that we were preparing for a traditional fleet battle—a reckless confrontation between sky and sea.」
Outis coordinated with the leaders of each fleet while confirming the formation.
「The enemy fleet is descending from the air. They’re heading directly toward the P336 Fortress Area.」
「Understood.」
Aimer’s report was met with another nod from Outis.
「They’ll reach the continent in about two hours.」
「I see. In that case, victory is ours.」
Through the Trireme communication network, Outis proclaimed their triumph. The confidence in his voice left no room for doubt among the Trireme crew.
「Victory? Are you planning to annihilate them completely?」
「If the space fleet is destroyed, humanity’s overall military strength will take a massive hit. I aim to destroy one ship and render the others powerless if possible.」
「That’s more difficult than wiping them out entirely, Outis. What groundwork have you laid?」
Robin pointed out the recklessness of engaging the space fleet affiliated with headquarters while showing restraint.
「A move so devastating it could wipe out all life in the world.」
「Th-that’s…」
「The antique silhouettes, those dinosaurs left behind by technological evolution, and the interplanetary war-era spaceships that once thrived and fell into extinction. Let’s make them extinct once more…」
As Outis spoke with a sly tone, Robin felt an emotion akin to fear. He sensed the foreboding of an attack beyond comprehension.
「I’ll prepare the ‘shrike’s offering.’ It’ll unsettle them, don’t you think?」
「An offering, huh…」
Robin didn’t want to imagine the fate of the spaceship chosen as the sacrificial offering. The ‘shrike’s impaled offering’ was a term synonymous with brutality, practiced by shrikes across Earth—a horrifying act that had become a metaphor for merciless execution.
「Of course, I Okeanos for his permission to use it. He put restrictions in place, but it will suffice for that fleet. Aubade Force fleet, dive deeper!」
「Understood.」
The tense commands reverberated throughout the ships. The idea of an attack capable of eradicating all life on the surface of the planet was unfathomable. Each fleet hurriedly maneuvered toward the deepest parts of the ocean.
「To all personnel of Trireme! The enemy will soon receive a crushing blow from the heavens. To prepare for this, immediately after the battle begins, implement anti-flash and noise suppression measures across the entirety of planet Asia!」
Outis gave his orders to the Trireme network.
「Asia, I need you to notify all neutral parties across the planet, including the Stones, with the same message.」
「Understood! But what are you planning to do? When you say ‘the heavens’, it can only mean that!」
「There’s no time to explain. I’m counting on you.」
The scheduled moment arrived.
「Declaration: combat is now authorized.」
The words of Okeanos resounded across the planet.
「Commence battle!」
The enemy flagship, Gorgias, a massive space carrier over two kilometers long, began moving alongside its fleet to provide protection. Positioned roughly 300 meters above sea level, they maintained a height low enough to submerge into the ocean if necessary.
High-powered, long-range lasers fired relentlessly at the Aubade Force fleet, but their underwater position rendered the attacks completely ineffective, leaving the fleet unscathed.
「The enemy intends to wait us out in the sea and strike a pincer attack with their land forces, huh? Fools. Instead, we’ll invade directly and overwhelm them in one swift strike. We’ll land on the continent and occupy the P336 Fortress Area first!」
Oedipus, commanding the Gorgias from its combat operations center, confidently ordered the advance. He was certain no one could stop the simultaneous advance of over ten space battleships.
「Hostile fire detected from several Fortress Areas. They’re targeting us with anti-ship glide bombs, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles with evasive maneuvers.」
「Counter them with anti-air lasers.」
「Understood!」
Moments later, a scream shattered the tense atmosphere.
「A massive object is rapidly approaching from beyond orbital altitude! Visuals are unavailable—it’s too fast! Hypersonic…?!」
「What?! Shoot it down!」
「We can’t! Anti-air fire and plasma barriers… nothing works!」
「What did you say?!」
The Gorgias shook violently, sending every crew member and silhouette within its walls hurtling into the bulkheads as the ship reeled from the impact.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
A blinding flash and a massive fireball that could be seen from over 3,000 kilometers away engulfed the ocean. The heat from the collision caused everything within the vicinity—not just the Gorgias but also the surrounding atmosphere, seawater, and even the seabed—to melt and disintegrate.
A towering pillar of fire pierced the sky, followed by a deafening roar that echoed across the entire sea. In its wake, a colossal water column shot upward, soon turning red as it descended.
On the ocean’s surface, countless ripples radiated outward. These ‘ripples’, born from the edge of the massive fireball’s impact, were in reality enormous tsunamis. The cavity created by the impact on the ocean surface collapsed in a rebound effect, generating a multitude of rim waves.
The Gorgias’ heavily armored structure, which had been its pride, became its undoing. The sheer force of the celestial impact transformed the ship into a two-kilometer-wide slab, splitting the ocean to the extent that the seabed was exposed. The scorching heat generated by the Gorgias’ own collision began to trigger magma formation, mixing with seawater to create towering columns of fire.
The ground, scorched red and violently upturned, formed a fiery curtain that rose to the heavens, engulfing the surrounding area in an inferno.
The molten magma reached all the way into outer space, where it encountered the frigid vacuum of 3 Kelvin—around minus 270 degrees Celsius—cooling rapidly. Debris hurled upwards from the impact soared over 100 kilometers high, striking even the Eirene that was moving at high speed in low orbit. The shattered earth and rubble, flung far into the atmosphere, formed a terrifying spectacle.
Much of this debris would eventually fall back to planet Asia as meteors, though the majority would burn up in the atmosphere before reaching the ground.
The apocalyptic scene struck terror into all who witnessed it. The Gorgias, now reduced to molten magma, slowly sank into the fiery red sea it had created.
Heaven-shaking, earth-rumbling—the heavens trembled, the earth quaked, and the sea was torn asunder.
「What are you thinking, Kou?!」
Asia’s scream echoed. The planetary management super-AI, Asia, was so shocked by the unprecedented phenomenon that it was left in a state of utter dismay.
「Sorry, Asia. It had to be done.」
Kou’s response was completely unapologetic.
From the heavens, something had fallen at an unimaginable speed, striking with devastating force. It was a fireball, but on an incomprehensibly grander scale. The velocity was so immense that hardly anyone could even track it.
「Eh…」
Aimer was rendered speechless. The event occurred the very moment the battle began, but she couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. The display showed the aftermath: a star-shaped, spindle-like object. Without a doubt, it was a variation of the Skyhook-type Panjandrum that had entered the atmosphere at hypersonic speed and struck the Gorgias directly.
「Did you use the Hanged Man?」
「Nope. That’s Star. It’s a new model. A Skyhook-type Panjandrum using the tether mechanics of the Hanged Man and a yo-yo principle—but with some clever upgrades.」
Kou’s eyes gleamed with amusement. Even he hadn’t expected it to work this well.
「Upgrades?」
「First off, the spikes. See those? They’re designed to pierce straight through the deck.」
The image of Star on the screen appeared almost spherical but had a clear axis around which its tether was wound. The surface was covered with menacing, conical spikes.
「That’s terrifying.」
「It’s because penetrating takes time. But I overdid the raw power of Star itself. Destroying the ship in a single hit makes the spikes kind of pointless, doesn’t it?」
Kou grinned mischievously. Watching the Gorgias sink into the molten sea, he seemed quite satisfied with the results of his creation.
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