Chapter 109: The Battle of the Londeria Strait, Part 2
The Kussainer fleet is under a fierce attack by the Yamato Empire in the Londeria Strait.
At this stage, they faced considerable damage from multiple assaults, such as flooding from submarine torpedoes, the commander collapsing under heavy bombing from strategic bombers, and all ships suffering damage except for one.
Fires broke out on many ships in the fleet, and parts of the ships not made of ice, such as turrets and bridges, were engulfed in flames. They are not only trying to stop the flooding damage caused by torpedo attacks but are also busy with firefighting efforts.
However, the attack is not over yet.
In the narrow strait, a second wave of attackers led by the Demon Lord attacked the immobilized Kussainer fleet.
The force consisted of 96 standard attack aircraft Toryu, and 48 light bombers that had been modified by removing the signature 37mm gun for a 500kg bomb payload.
There are 144 aircraft in total.
Then…
Although the Demon Lord is heading over the enemy fleet to attack… Strangely enough, there were hardly any interceptions from the Kussainer.
“It’s strange, no one fires anti-aircraft guns.”
Gadermann, the Demon Lord’s partner, questions why the enemy is not resisting… Actually, the reason for that is simple.
Most of the Kussainer fleet’s anti-aircraft equipment was damaged by the first wave attack squadron’s bombing, leaving them unable to fire even if they wanted to.
……Well, that kind of thing is irrelevant to the Demon Lord.
“Maybe they are trying to conceal themselves using the smoke from the fire. It’s convenient, I don’t have to worry about having my legs blown off. Let’s go, Gadermann, we’re going to attack.”
As long as they can’t use the anti-aircraft guns—the Demon Lord’s only weakness—they are nothing but targets.
“…Alright, each flight squadron, target the enemy battleships.”
Under the command of the Demon Lord, from above the fleet, 144 units of Toryu simultaneously dive down at once.
They are each divided into three groups of 48 aircraft and descend in a row like a single chain.
Each group targeted the Basileus-class cruisers Khoroshiy Lenin, Tsar Stalin, and one Graf-class cruiser that was mistakenly identified as a battleship.
Among them, Kussainer’s Khoroshiy Lenin was not particularly fortunate.
This ship was targeted by the 1st Squadron of the Imperial Guard.
An elite group thoroughly trained by the Demon Lord.
The Demon Lord himself is observing from a little distance away without participating in the attack in order to assess his subordinates’ abilities, but… Even so, it is not comforting.
“Alright, let’s proceed as instructed by the instructor!”
Once they are in position above the enemy ship, the lead aircraft performs a flipping maneuver by turning its body and diving sharply.
“Second Lieutenant, Second Lieutenant, look at that! The enemy’s flying weapon is plummeting straight down! They can’t be planning to crash into us, are they?!”
“Calm down, sailor! Our job is to put out the fires! Hurry up and put out the fire, or the mana tank will explode and the ship will blow up!”
“Ah, Second Lieutenant! The enemy dropped something! Something black… It’s a bomb!”
“Damn it… Stop looking up and get down, you dumb sailor. Do you want to get obliterated!”
While the elves are working hard to extinguish the fire on the deck, something is happening above them, something descends to an altitude of 800 meters and then drops bombs.
It struck the central part of the hull of the Khoroshiy Lenin, which was at a standstill and unable to perform evasive maneuvers.
“Second Lieutenant! We were hit by the enemy’s bomb!”
“I don’t need to look at that to understand! Don’t lift your head, you idiot! The blast will blow your head off!”
And then, the bomb exploded right in front of the elves who were doing their best on the deck. Except for several individuals who were able to hide behind an object immediately, the rest were wiped out.
The bomb’s impact was devastating, the Khoroshiy Lenin thrashed violently and a large hole was blown open in the central deck, accompanied by a burst of flames.
“Report! The bomb dropped by the enemy hit the center of the ship’s hull! The ice on top of the mana engine, as well as the armor, was blown away!”
“What? That’s a big problem! If something happened to the mana engine, the mana in the ship would spiral out of control, and lead to simultaneous explosions! Do something about it!”
A huge magic circle peeked from the big hole caused by the impact.
It is a part of the mana engine that drives the Khoroshiy Lenin. If it were a regular ship, you might think that the engine room would be completely exposed.
If it happens to get hit there, however sturdy it may be, the Basileus-class frozen ship might not avoid sinking.
We need to do something before it triggers a secondary explosion… That thought crossed the elves’ minds as the relentless bombing raged on.
The second and third aircraft drop bombs, and then the whole formation attacks one after another.
“The bomb of this aircraft has hit the rear of the enemy ship! The following aircraft No. 12 and No. 13, also hit their targets with bombs! Oh, aircraft No.14 also hit their target!”
“…So far, the accuracy rate is close to 80%. This should satisfy the instructor.”
“We might receive a medal from the Führer!”
The accuracy rate is an impressive 80%.
40 of the 47 aircraft that dropped bombs successfully hit their targets.
That’s how many bombs have been struck Khoroshiy Lenin, so it’s no surprise…
“C-Captain! It’s no good, an enemy projectile has hit the mana engine! It will trigger an explosion!”
“I-I don’t know! Besides, I have been purged by Comrade Kussainer! I am not responsible!”
Several bombs hit the mana engine, then detonated mana tanks throughout the ship, breaking the hull in two.
Khoroshiy Lenin is sinking.
“Second Lieutenant! Second Lieutenant, the ship is sinking! Please help!”
“Ah, you’re such a bother! Don’t worry, there’s a lifeboat!… Hmm, what is this stench?”
“Ah, Commander Kussainer! Commander Kussainer came flying while still unconscious! Let’s put the commander on the boat!”
The hull had been cut in half and was torn further apart at the bow and stern by the subsequent bombardment, it split into four pieces before disappearing among the waves.
Almost all of the crew, including the captain, shared the fate of the ship, and there were very few elves who managed to escape.
The Tsar Stalin and a Graf-class ship that were similarly targeted suffered the same kind of damage.
Although they could not match the accuracy of the first squadron of the Imperial Guard, which was trained by the Demon Lord, each squadron was still able to drop more than ten bombs.
If that many bombs hit just a single warship, it obviously would not escape unharmed.
Each ship triggered a detonation of its mana engines and exploded. It sank to the bottom of the Londeria Strait before an order to abandon the ship could be issued.
Thus, the Kussainer fleet lost two battleships and one heavy cruiser.
This alone is a sufficient outcome for an air attack.
But it’s not over yet.
Yes, the Demon Lord hasn’t dropped the bomb yet.
The demon lord carrying a bomb flies above the fleet, carefully assessing which enemy is deemed worthy of being sunk.
……Meanwhile, around that time.
A lifeboat escaped from the sunken Khoroshiy Lenin.
“Second Lieutenant! We managed to escape somehow! Now, let’s raise our voices so that a nearby ship can pick us up!”
“That’s right… Hey! Someone, help us! The commander is here too!”
The second lieutenant and sailor waved and raised their voices, asking for help from nearby ships.
As if in answer to their call, the battleship Tsar Putinokov approaches, cutting through the waves.
“Ooh, help has arrived. Good for you, sailor, now we won’t be left behind in this cursed strait.”
“That’s right, second lieutenant… Isn’t the speed of that ship approaching fast? It’s almost full speed, isn’t it?”
“That’s true……Hey, stop!”
The two men are desperately calling the approaching ship to stop. However, there was no sign of stopping at all. On the contrary, it accelerated even more as if it was about to run over and crush the boat that the two are on.
“No, it’s no use, there are no signs of stopping, sailor! Jump off the boat with the commander! We’ll get run over!”
“Eh, but, second lieutenant. I can’t swim!”
“Haah? I’m surprised you managed to become a sailor. Seriously, you’re such a handful! Hold on to me and make sure you hold the commander firmly so you don’t drop him.”
They are jumping off boats in a hurry. A few seconds later, the boat was run over and sunk by the Tsar Putinokov.
The second lieutenant and the sailor look at each other while floating on the sea.
What on earth is…?
In order to know that, one would need to look into the bridge of the Tsar Putinokov.
“Shit, I can’t stay in a place like this! Our ship will take the lead in changing course! Full speed ahead!”
“Captain, it seems we have run over a boat carrying friendly…”
“Hmph, it’s probably a boat used by cowardly sailors to escape. Never mind them.”
Indeed, this ship chose the option of abandoning its comrades to ensure its own survival and escape.
Escaping at maximum speed while making a sharp turn, even if it means running over and abandoning its allies that fleeing the sunken ship. The ship’s bow is directed towards the exit of the strait, sprinting at full speed.
A desperate escape is made in the attempt to save oneself.
However, that was a poor choice.
They don’t understand that prey that is strayed from the herd is targeted first and foremost by predators.
“Oh, there was still a ship that moved. Here we go, Gadermann.”
“You’re going to go even if I say no, right? Just be careful not to get shot down. I don’t want to drown and die like your previous partner.”
While the other ships remain stationary, one ship, the Tsar Putinokov, has begun to flee.
It became a conspicuous prey and ended up becoming the target of the Demon Lord.
Tsar Putinokov is fleeing at full speed.
However, there was no way to escape from the aircraft, and they were caught up to and subjected to the demon lord’s ultimate 90-degree vertical dive bombing.
“Captain! Enemy flying machines is diving down! The number is one!”
“Hmph, what can they do with just one air unit? This is a giant ship of 20,000 tons, knock it down quickly and turn it into sea debris! Prepare for anti-aircraft combat!”
“Prepare for Anti-Air Combat!”
Sirens sounded to signal an anti-aircraft battle to bring down the Demon Lord, and sailors attached themselves to the anti-aircraft guns that had fortunately survived.
The opponent is just one unit, then we can manage somehow. With that in mind, desperately operating the anti-aircraft gun, they attempt to conduct anti-aircraft fire, but…
“You can’t aim at the target? Is the enemy right above the ship!? To plunge in at a right angle, that’s ridiculous! We can’t get to that angle!”
The gunners are in despair.
The maximum elevation angle of the anti-aircraft gun they use is 75 degrees, which is insufficient to intercept the Demon Lord who is coming at an angle close to the right angle.
The demon lord was approaching.
At this time, the bomb he brought with him was a modified 800kg armor-piercing bomb, which was originally the main shell of a battleship’s gun.
Normal Toryu can only be loaded with up to 250kg bombs due to its performance specifications, but a special allowance was made because it was the demon lord.
“Altitude 1000… 700… 500! Alright, I’ll drop it.”
“Aah, hurry up! Drop the bomb and lift the nose, I’m scared.”
The demon lord drops the bomb and then pulls up the nose of the aircraft just above the surface of the sea.
The altitude was so low that the propeller hit the surface of the sea, which goes to show how much of a stunt it was.
And then, the bomb that was dropped…
“Evade! Hard-a-starboard… Gyaaaaaaa!”
“Roger… Wha, Captain? The captain is gone…”
“Look, there are holes in the ceiling and the floor, aren’t there? Something went through, and the captain was crushed.”
The captain, who was giving orders on the bridge, took a direct hit. It crushes him, penetrating deep into the hull.
Until finally… It exploded in the mana engine section. It detonated the ship’s mana and took its life in one blow.
Tsar Putinokov is smashed and blown to smithereens. The sinking is anything but certain.
As a result, the sunken ships on the elf side amounted to three battleships and one heavy cruiser.
On the surface, elf sailors emerged from the sunken warship, desperately asking for help from the surrounding ships.
“Second Lieutenant! Putinokov, it’s sinking!”
“Shut up, sailor, more importantly, here comes the rescue at last. Hold on to the rope.”
Some of them were fortunate enough to be rescued by friendly ships, like the lieutenant, but… Not everyone was as fortunate.
Because…
“Eryu-san, we have visually spotted the enemy fleet. One battleship and three heavy cruisers.”
“Huh, isn’t that less than what we were initially told? The number of enemy ships?”
“It appears that the demon lord took care of it for us. All that’s left is to deal with the remaining enemies.”
Yamato Empire’s Londeria expeditionary fleet, led by the flagship Akitsushima, comprising one battleship and four armored cruisers, has arrived at the battlefield.
The elf ship abandoned the sailors and stopped rescuing them, forcing them to choose between fleeing and fighting.
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