Double Drill — Archimedean Screw
「Leave this to me. The both of you should go ahead.」
「But-!」
「Let’s go, Kou. This is something Kurt-san needs to do personally.」
In certain aspects, the Raven could be said to be a higher-end machine compared to the Lanius C and Accipiter.
There were 12 Ravens before them. This number was a bit too heavy for a single machine to take on by itself.
「Mm. It’s just as Hyoue-san said. These bastards stole from me. That’s why I have to deal with them personally.」
Kurt readied the Gungnir and abruptly fired at one of the Ravens.
The Raven ate a direct hit and was knocked back. It was rather impressive that it didn’t fall with a single blow.
「Understood! Please take care!」
Kou felt Kurt’s determination and decided to move ahead.
Unit 5 and the Accipiter rushed out at high speed.
The two Ravens that attempted to give chase were slashed from behind by the Hrafnagud.
However, he failed to finish them off, and they continued chasing after Kou and Hyoue. Kurt himself had gotten surrounded by the other Ravens that appeared unafraid of death. They had decided to focus on eliminating Kurt’s Hrafnagud first.
「Nine left. –Let’s go, you damned pests.」
Kurt roared and his battle against the Ravens began in earnest.
In order to catch up with Unit 5 and the Accipiter, the two Ravens that were chasing them fired up their boosters and accelerated.
But in an instant, Unit 5 and the Accipiter that were advancing ahead suddenly turned back and crossed paths with their pursuers.
The two Ravens were both promptly cut down.
Turning back and slashing enemies that are chasing one from behind was a common tactic that was known by practically all Japanese swordsmanship schools.
The move Kou used to defeat the enemy that was chasing him from behind was a thrust. The moment the Raven’s body bent after suddenly getting its torso pierced, Kou destroyed its right chest armor by performing a jodan giri.
「Impressive, Kou-kun.」
It seemed that Hyoue also easily disposed of his attacker.
「It’s all thanks to the support of Unit 5.」
「Well said. How reliable.」
For Hyoue, fighting alongside Kou was an enjoyable experience.
Two carrier strike groups were advancing toward Fortress Area R001 in the 5 o’clock and 7 o’clock directions respectively.
The flagship of the carrier strike group from Gogyou Heavy Industries was a repurposed commercial transport carrier named the『Jun’you』. Like Astraea’s strike group, its escorts were just regular reactor-equipped ships.
The flagship was originally a mercantile transport ship prepared by Gogyou Heavy Industries in order to prepare for a Stones attack. It was a high-speed catamaran.
This large high-speed transport ship uses an A-Carbuncle that can power a Defense Dome instead of the usual A-Spinel. It sported defensive strength close to that of a spaceship. Otherwise, how could an escort-less transport ship survive a Murder attack?
This commercial transport ship was repurposed in preparation for the inevitable war by Gogyou Heavy industries.
It was named after an aircraft carrier that was converted from a passenger ship by a company back on Earth in the past.
The naming convention for the ships manufactured by Gogyou Heavy Industries strictly followed Japanese nomenclature. However, the names of their ships were written in katakana.
Jun’you wasn’t the only warship that Gogyou sent out. They also had a specially built amphibious assault ship among their ranks.
It was an amphibious assault ship that was designed to pave the way for the rest of the fleet. It also used an A-Carbuncle reactor just like the Jun’you.
The breaker amphibious assault ship『Souya』.
It was originally a resource exploitation research vessel meant to operate in extreme ice-covered environments such as the planet’s north and south poles, but it was converted into an amphibious assault warship that was capable of housing a large number of Silhouettes and reconnaissance aircraft.
The Astraea arrived behind the carrier strike group centered around the Jun’you.
They came in order to provide air support, but it looked like that wasn’t needed presently.
「They declared that they’re going to open a hole on the shelter covering the Fortress Area.」
Aki, who was serving as the Astraea’s operator, reported.
「Apparently. The ones that will be in charge of that will be the fleet from Gogyou. After that, the fleet from BAS will conduct a follow-up attack. Just in case things don’t go so well, we’re here to provide help.」
Apparently, that worry was needless.
A huge drill suddenly appeared from the bottom of the breaker amphibious assault ship Souya. No, there wasn’t just one. There were actually two drills!
The drills were long. They were almost as long as the hull of the ship itself.
『A twin-drill amphibious assault ship that employs Archimedean screws. Judging from the build, they’re also designed to work on land. How utterly absurd……』
The ship sported an absurd design that amazed even the Super AI Astraea.
The giant drills were supposed to be used to advance in marshlands and drift ice, but it appears they could also be used as siege weapons.
The speed would be slower, but it appeared that they could also be used to run on land. The drills would scrape the ground as the ship advances. Design-wise, they weren’t suited to run on flat roads.
「Look, Voy! Look! It’s a double drill!」
Aimer excitedly called out to Voy.
「What is it? Oooh, amazing! As expected of a company from Kou’s home country!」
「I don’t think that’s really a factor, but it’s still amazing!」
『You absolutely can not let Kou see this. He might suddenly get an idea of building a drill tank that runs on the ground using Archimedean screws instead of wheels or continuous tracks.』
「That’s it! A drill-equipped tank running through drill propulsion!」
『Ah. ……That’s no good, Voy! Absolutely no good!』
Astraea finally panicked.
「I should talk to Kou about this!」
『Kuh. What a blunder!』
Voy hurriedly cut off connection.
Despite Astraea’s vehement distaste for it, Aimer’s eyes were sparkling as she gazed at the majestic giant drills.
As Aimer watched, the Souya drilled two holes to the left and right of the shelter.
If the space between the holes were to be hit with a ram, the section of the shelter would be destroyed immediately.
「Do you read me, Astraea? From here on out, the BAS company will commence their attack on the Fortress Area. They are about to arrive at the designated point.」
The Jun’you’s female ship captain, Okada Eri, contacted the Astraea.
「Understood, Captain Eri. We have already confirmed the IFF signals of another carrier strike group on our end.」
Aki, the operator, promptly responded to Captain Eri.
A huge ship’s silhouette had appeared from a distance along with IFF signals.
「That combat ship is really big.」
Aimer was surprised at the size of the ship displayed on the screen.
The gigantic form of the ship was bigger than even Astraea.
『It’s the super-dreadnought of the BAS company, the Gracious Queen. Its length is 1.5 kilometers. Its design concept seems to have combined an armored naval carrier and an aerial battleship. Although it is incapable of space navigation, it still boasts considerable combat strength. It boasts one of the best firepower among the newly built current era combat warships.』
「Its captain is a man named George Arbknot.」
Aki supplemented the information provided by Astraea.
「What kind of company is the BAS company?」
「It’s a British company. It’s said to place particular emphasis on grandeur and luxury. I heard they actually spent so much money on that Gracious Queen of theirs that they’re now in serious financial trouble. Rumor has it that things are so bad that they’re even willing to mass-produce and make use of previous failed weapon designs.」
「A-Are they gonna be okay?」
Astraea answered the uneasy Aimer.
『They seem to be a company that values British innovation and tradition. It’s no exaggeration to say that Great Britain once led the way when it comes to weapons development on Earth in the distant past. They were the first to introduce tanks on the battlefield. They were also the first to introduce a true MBT.』
「That’s amazing.」
『It is. Their navy was also a force to be reckoned with. Starting with the super-dreadnought, the battleship and aircraft carrier concepts first proposed by the British were also incorporated by other countries like Japan. They invented the angled flight deck that allowed for concurrent launch and recovery operations. The V/STOL aircraft was also one of their most successful innovations.』
「I feel like I kind of understand why they’re so proud of their history.」
Aimer obediently listened to Astraea’s words.
Astraea also tried her best not to say anything unnecessary.
『We can actually establish a data link with the weapons of friendly forces. Some things should be hidden from scrutiny, but we can at least check on what’s open to public view. As far as I can confirm with our radar, aside from the Gracious Queen, they are also employing an aircraft carrier and several escort ships of the same model.』
Astraea then performed a data link.
However, her expression turned increasingly wooden.
『Aimer……』
It was the first time Aimer witnessed Astraea make such a powerless expression.
「What’s wrong, Astraea?!」
『I have a proposal.』
「Un.」
Aimer drew back a bit from Astraea’s somewhat desperate gaze.
『How about we turn back now and return to the Silhouette Base?』
Astraea suggested such a thing with a straight face.
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