Chapter 60: The Demon Lord of the Sky
People referred to that as.
―― “The Demon Lord of the Sky”.
12 dragon riders racing across the plains, raising a thick cloud of dust.
These Moruro giant lizard riders are a reconnaissance unit dispatched from the main force of the Battine Army. Proceed ahead of the entire army, make contact with the Yamato Imperial Army, and scout for information.
Battine decides how to move after that.
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
……But despite that.
“They told us to scout out or survey the area. Who says I will obey?”
“I don’t care if it’s Yamato or whoever it is, but in this plain, we are the strongest. Let’s kill them with our own hands!”
The reconnaissance team themselves apparently have no intention of conducting reconnaissance. Attacking the Yamato Imperial Army ahead of the main force. He was full of eagerness to take the lead.
Among the people of the Moruro, where barbaric customs persist, it is an honor of inestimable value to be the first to go into battle. Being the first to launch an attack and deal blows to enemy forces will earn them a great reputation.
If that happens, it would increase the chances of being remembered by Emperor Khan, and thus receiving a higher rank in the future.
Prioritize their own battle achievements over the victory of the entire army.
The more they think about it, the more alluring it becomes to be the first one to enter battle.
This is especially true of Totty, the commander of this scouting party, he is still young. There must have been a mistake in his judgment due to his youth.
Like a typical Moruro, with dirty, unkempt hair, he shows a slight smile as he lets the giant lizard run.
“Hehe, the soldiers’ morale is also high. This could work… No one will complain about anything I do as long as I produce results.”
Anticipating the results of what’s to come, he drools due to excitement.
There is no creature on the plains that surpasses the Moruro giant lizard.
……Well, it might be different if they were attacked by superior monsters like wyverns and dragons, but there’s no enemy army using those things.
If they are attacked by an overwhelming number, even they would eventually be defeated, but they have maneuverability that others do not possess. They were confident that they could escape if they wanted to.
Whether it’s Balka or Yamato, who cares who they are, in this plain, we are the rulers!
This Totty cannot be satisfied with being the commander of such a pathetic scout team.
Devouring whatever this Yamato is, and getting promoted. He will become a splendid general who leads ten thousand troops.
They continue to move forward with confidence and high spirit, flying their ‘bright red flag’.
……But, they were unfortunate.
They couldn’t be even more unfortunate.
They have met, unfortunately. The entity that the ground forces should not meet the most.
And then, they ended up raising it. A bright red flag that ends up being wholeheartedly targeted by that entity.
As they approached 50 kilometers from the Yamato army’s front line, they heard an unfamiliar booming sound.
It is the sound produced by the liquid-cooled six-cylinder engine.
But they don’t know that.
“Hmm, what’s that noise? Hey, anyone know what is it?”
“It seems to be coming from the sky… It doesn’t sound like a wyvern’s cry.”
Wondering what it was, they looked up to see where the sound came from.
But, the Grim Reaper wouldn’t ignore such vulnerabilities for a long time.
Within a few minutes, the Demon Lord appeared in the sky above them.
It is a four-plane formation of the Type 5 Fighter, a new type of aircraft newly developed by the Yamato Army. Their primary purpose is reconnaissance. The secondary objective is to attack enemy ground units.
This time, it seems they intend to attack because they have spotted the enemy.
The squadron leader’s aircraft is one of the prototype models among many Type 5 Fighters, this prototype is known as the ‘Kanonen Vogel’, which is equipped with a 37mm cannon on its nose as a motor cannon.
“Red flag! The Red Army? ――I’ve finally found my prey.”
The man who boards the squadron leader’s aircraft is… He is a certain dive-bombing maniac from the Luftwaffe, who is being called “Lolicon of the Sky”, by the Imperial Guard maids.
By the way, he himself does not understand why he is called a lolicon.
If there is anything that he can think of, it would probably be getting married to his wife who is 28 years younger than him. However, she was an adult.
Therefore, he is not a lolicon.
The Führer of this so-called Yamato nation has a youthful, quite cute vibe, he secretly thinks in his heart, but he’s definitely not a lolicon.
……Now then.
Having found the prey, he made his wingman wait in the sky, and like a wild eagle, he swooped down alone.
The number of enemies is twelve, there is no need to attack in large numbers for such a small number of enemies.
Rapidly approaching ground. Without being afraid of anything.
Even with a sharp ninety-degree-angle descent, this man handled it like nothing more than a game for elementary school kids, effortlessly handling such a difficult maneuver like a child’s play.
And then… He fires the 37mm nose cannon at the giant lizard.
“What is that? A new species of Wyvern?” Then the bullet landed on a lone Moruro soldier who looked up curiously.
He got blown away together with the body of the giant lizard.
“What…!? Hey, guys! It’s an enemy attack!”
“What are we going to do, Totty! The enemy is in the sky!”
“It’s not our fault if there’s nothing we can do… Let’s get the hell out of here.”
His comrade just has become a piece of meat right next to him.
It was done by “something” that was flying around making a strange noise.
He doesn’t really understand it, but the one in the sky is the enemy! So Totty made a quick judgment call.
He relies on his experience of slaughtering people in what he calls “hunting” and his experience of escaping when he was being attacked by wyverns.
When exposed to an attack from the sky, the best thing to do is to run away. Immediately retreat and escape to a place where you cannot be seen from the sky.
However… They didn’t know.
They cannot escape from the Demon Lord.
“Hmph, this is easier than hunting the tanks of those fools.”
Then, the demon lord repeated its descent attack.
Descend once and fire a projectile. The projectiles never miss their mark. Only the hero can escape the Demon Lord’s attack.
One strike, and another strike.
Each time, a victim arises among Totty and his group, departing this world.
“Eek, Hieeek! What the hell is that, monster!”
“Even dragons don’t attack like that! There’s no way we can win!”
Terror.
A one-sided nightmare.
This is almost exactly what they do on a daily basis to the locals, who do not have proper weapons, through the manipulation of giant lizards.
Desperate to survive, the dragon riders frantically dodged from side to side. However, the Demon King doesn’t miss them.
Twelve times, that’s the number of descent attacks, the same number as Totty’s 12 Calvaries.
That’s all.
With just that, there were no more giant lizards living on the plains under the demon lord’s eyes. It is utterly annihilated.
“Phew, nothing else to say… This aircraft is not bad, it’s terrible compared to Stuka, but it’s not completely unusable.”
Even from his own ally, “Wha, what’s with this guy? He didn’t miss a single shot, are you a monster?” The demon lord left the battlefield while being feared.
A lone Moruro soldier, who had his mount killed and barely escaped with his life, later said this. He said there was a monster that could kill 12 dragon riders in a few minutes.
And then, today is not the only day that the Moruro army has suffered devastating damage.
In a plain about 100 km between the Battine Army and the Yamato Imperial Army. The dragon riders who tried to cross that place for reconnaissance will end up losing their lives.
Every time the Demon Lord soars into the sky, 12 giant lizards lose their lives. This number, 12, is the number of shells that the “Kanonen Vogel” carries.
This number will be remembered by the people of Moruro as the “Devil’s Number,” which can send shivers down your spine just by hearing it.
The legend of the Demon Lord, feared by enemies and allies alike, had begun.
☆☆☆☆☆
It has been about a month since we landed in the Moruro Empire.
I lie down on the bed of the camping trailer, which I have become accustomed to, and read the report handed to me by Ayame-san.
“112 giant lizard riders, 34 horse cavalry was defeated… Is this in a month?”
“Yes, these are the battle results of the 16 Type 5 fighters of the 1st Squadron of the Imperial Guard Air Force… Incidentally, the feat of defeating 108 giant lizard riders is attributed to the aforementioned lolicon.”
Humph! Ayame-san puffing out her small chest while she showed me the report.
This is the Imperial Guard Air Force Combat Results Report. Speaking of the Imperial Guard, Ayame-san is in charge of that jurisdiction. I guess you could say that this battle result is also Ayame-san’s achievement.
Looking at her proud expression, it seems that it was the result of what she had planned.
However… This battle result is unusual.
“If I remember correctly, the number of giant lizards in the enemy’s main force was about 1,000, right?”
“Yes, based on the results of aerial reconnaissance, it’s about that much… Oh, it seems they call those giant lizard cavalry ‘dragon riders.’ I have extracted this information from the prisoner.”
Is it from the prisoner?
When you hear words like “The Imperial Guard extracted information from the prisoners”, don’t you somehow feel a very unsettling atmosphere?
I get the sense, or rather, it seems like the information certainly wasn’t obtained by proper means…
“There is no need to worry, Eryu-san. It is within the boundaries of the law.”
There are loopholes in that law, aren’t there? I’m sure of it.
……Well, I don’t care how the Imperial Guard treats the prisoners.
“Um, that means we have crushed one-tenth of the total military power of the enemy’s main force just with air power.”
“It’s the result of me deploying the aircraft into actual combat early.”
So, that’s what you mean. I’ll give you a compliment. If you’d like, I don’t mind giving you a lap pillow.
Eh, you would rather give me a lap pillow instead of giving you one? …I got it, I will be spoiled then, so please pamper me.
Then…
“This Type 5 fighter with a 37mm cannon can be officially adopted. I liked it.”
“The Kanonen Vogel? I will add it to the production line immediately.”
Mm, thank you.
I really liked its performance, which was able to destroy over 100 dragon riders with just one machine. Let’s make it the top priority for mass production.
With this, the Imperial Air Force will be able to obtain more combat power than ever before.
……Ayame-san, your hand has stopped stroking my head, you know? Please do more.
“Already, Eryu-san, you are a very spoiled child… It’s a pleasant miscalculation that you’ve become so dependent. I guess I could call this conditioning a great success, couldn’t I?”
What’s conditioning… You mean that thing you do every night, right?
Well, as for me, I don’t dislike Ayame-san and I don’t have any complaints, so it’s all good, right?
=====
A brief explanation of the weapon: “Kanonen Vogel”
Specifications:
Maximum speed 160 km/h
Maximum altitude 5000m
Flight range 250 km
Ascent rate 3 m/s
Liquid-cooled reciprocating engine with 200 horsepower.
Armament: 37mm nose motor cannon, one unit, ammunition capacity 12 rounds.
No explosive charges.
1 crew member.
A new type of 200 HP engine, which can be equipped with weapons using a motor cannon method, has been developed and experimentally installed on this aircraft.
The balance of the aircraft collapsed because a romance gun, a 37mm cannon, was installed in the nose of the aircraft. It turned into a monstrosity that can only be used by some freaks.
There appear to be similar modifications made to airframes during World War I. Anyone who is interested should check it out.
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