Redefining Asia’s Heavy Fighter Craft
The number of Coulsons swarming around Astraea steadily decreased.
Increasing the number of aircraft with anti-ship loadouts backfired on them.
A lot of them had already run out of ammunition, but they had suddenly suffered unexpected missile attacks from the Pleiades formations that came swooping in.
The Coulsons were shot down one after another.
The enemy bombers were also brought down one by one by the anti-aircraft missiles fired by the Aellos.
Apart from the ones getting shot down, the ones that had run out of ammunition had no choice but to turn back, further reducing their number.
The Arulars were still focusing on destroying the deck elevators of Astraea.
They used their high-frequency electric heat swords to cut down the edges of the elevators.
The Arular was a transformable Silhouette. Instead of carrying the entire fighter component on its back like Jenny’s Tachycineta, the Arular wore separate fighter components on different parts of its body.
Thus, it ended up being a lightweight and medium-armored Silhouette.
The Astraea’s deck was reinforced by high-dimensional projection armor powered by a high-output A-Carbuncle and was incredibly tough.
More than ten Arulars were working together just to open an elevator up.
However–
A fighter that came swooping down suddenly transformed. It brandished a giant longsword and slashed at an Arular.
「Suspend work operations! Switch to combat mode!」
The pilots of the Arulars were the Lakedaimon – excellent humans specifically chosen by the great Stones.
They possessed excellent judgment and high Silhouette piloting skills.
「What type of transformable Silhouette is that?!」
One of the Lakedaimon yelled in inquiry.
What appeared in front of them was the Yoania of Misumaru Heavy Industries.
This machine that was used by Pleiades was also the type that wore separate fighter components on different parts of its body.
However, its transformed appearance was very different from the Arular.
Despite being a transformable Silhouette, it was a medium-sized unit that sported relatively thick armor.
Its appearance was akin to that of Zhong Kui, a guardian god who was said to be the origin of the Yoania spider lily. It held a sword of condemnation and looked prepared to smite its enemies.
「This is a pretty wide deck! It’s just perfect for a duel stage!」
「It’s heavily armored even though it’s a transformable machine?!」
A Lakedaimon screamed. He found it absurd that such a heavily armored machine was actually a transformable Silhouette that was supposed to focus on being lightweight and speedy.
Yasuyuki’s Yoania glared at the enemy machines.
The Arulars shot anti-aircraft missiles horizontally from their shoulders.
The Yoania merely crossed its arms and took the hits without even flinching.
「What thick armor…… Huh?!」
The Yoania suddenly accelerated and appeared right before the lead Arular in the blink of an eye.
It unleashed a diagonal downward slash that bit into the enemy machine’s chest. The electromagnetic armor was of no use. It was only effective against long-range shooting weapons after all.
The Yoania kicked the Arular off its sword and dealt a finishing blow.
「Yoania squadron, draw your swords! Wipe the enemies out!」
At Kurose’s command, the other Yoanias behind his own put their long-range weapons away and drew their swords. They all sported slender longswords.
「You now need to revise your definition of heavy fighters. This machine will herald a new revolution. This is a machine that will fully redefine Asia’s heavy fighter crafts.」
Heavy fighter. Just as the various types of tank roles were integrated into the main battle tank, fighter roles were also integrated in the 20th century. The light fighter category managed to remain only because it can also serve as training aircraft.
Light fighters pursued turning performance and maneuverability and focused on aerial dogfights, and aircraft that prioritized acceleration and climbing rate like bombers that focused on hit-and-run tactics were eventually classified as heavy fighters. Firepower and armor weren’t really factored in when differentiating between the two categories.
Unlike on Earth, the Yoania was created with an emphasis on mobility, armor, and firepower. It aimed to be the new definition of heavy fighters on the Nemesis warfront. It was a machine that placed particular emphasis on acceleration and armor. It was created under the premise of being capable of performing both aerial combat operations and suppression of ground targets.
It was designed by Kinukawa Eiji as the definitive heavy fighter of Planet Asia.
Its increased weight was covered by its reactor’s output, and in a sense, it was an incredibly straightforward and brash combat machine.
The Arulars also switched to their high-frequency electric heat swords. On the narrow deck, they would just get cut down before they manage to fire a shot.
The heavily armored Yoania held an advantage on narrow battlefields.
Kurose and his men were quite used to close combat. This was also a point against the Arular pilots.
Then, further reinforcements to the Yoanias appeared. Several quadrupedal Silhouettes that the Yoania squadron pilots saw for the first time came out of an emergency hatch.
They held kodachis in their hands. Their kodachis emitted a flash of light every time they swung them, and they tore through the Arular’s armor like it was mere paper.
They and the Yoanias displayed superb coordination and steadily pushed the Arulars to the edge of the deck before defeating them. Several units fell from the edge of the deck.
It would be good for them if they manage to transform and fly before reaching the water, but once they’ve fallen in, they will have no choice but to die. A jet engine that had taken in seawater can no longer be used.
「Thank you for your help!」
When the number of enemy Silhouettes was reduced to half, a transmission came from one of Astraea’s quadrupedal Silhouettes.
A beautiful rabbit-eared girl wearing a Metal Iris jacket appeared on the Yoania’s MCS screens. It was Eira.
「Thank you as well, young lady!」
Yasuyuki responded with a smile and a thumbs-up sign.
He tried hard not to show that his heart was beating hard in his chest due to the girl’s cuteness.
「Uh, um. Um…… I think you’re a very cool, kind, and wonderful man, Yasuyuki-san. Ah. W-What am I saying? I’ll be happy if we can talk again later!」
For some reason, Eira also looked at Kurose with bright red cheeks. Her rabbit ears were drooping to the sides of her head.
She seemed very reluctant when she ended the transmission.
Kurose was left speechless due to the sudden development. No one had ever said a fat guy like him was cool until now. The thirty-something bachelor found blood rushing to his face in happiness and embarrassment.
However, they were still in the middle of battle.
「Captain, you better work hard to show off your good points!」
「That rabbit-eared girl just now was pretty cute!」
「I think it’s just flattery! No, it definitely is! Can I just cut you down from the back, captain?」
His subordinates started to make fun of Kurose.
「We’re still in the middle of battle guys! We are definitely gonna protect this ship! For my sake as well!」
The morale of the Yoania pilots shot up in a strange direction, and the rest of the Arulars were eventually forced to withdraw.
「The composition of the enemy forces has changed. A part of them had withdrawn and returned to resupply.」
『Their presence in the sky above us has become thinner. We’re currently struggling with the remaining enemy fighters for control.』
「Let’s take this chance to resupply our machines.」
Aimer issued an order to return and resupply to the Edge Swift squadron.
She then contacted Yasuyuki of Pleiades.
「Yasuyuki-san, this is Aimer. You can repair and resupply your machines inside the ship. Please feel free to land when necessary.」
「But I’m not sure if we use the same standard parts. We came from the other side of the ocean after all.」
「This Astraea was the one that set the weapon standards for the entirety of Planet Asia. She had created the originals. There is no ammunition type that we can’t produce. And even if there was, we’ll just quickly analyze it and manufacture some on the spot.」
「W-What? Alright, I understand. I will instruct our units to land here if they’re in need of resupplying or repairs. Please give them landing instructions on your end.」
Yasuyuki felt that he’d just heard an incredibly ridiculous fact, but he decided to just ignore it.
「Understood. I’ll tell our operator to guide them.」
Aimer cut off the transmission and sighed in relief.
They could finally take a much-needed breather.
『The Cimon-class is flying here at full speed. Combining our deck space, we’ll be able to house about 600 aircraft.』
The hull of the Cimon-class was long and narrow. It was quite different from Astraea which was in the shape of a rectangular container.
「Un. once we link up with Kou and the others, there’s no longer anything to be afraid of.」
She, Astraea, and Kou will be working together.
And there were also the people who came to help them.
Aimer no longer felt that they would lose.
Thanks for the chapter! Awesome translation as always! May God bless you!