Ch.245The Black Coast of Yenisei. The Lorelei Federation (1)

Time flew by quickly, and already three weeks had passed.

The soldiers’ movements, while still at a level that could make one burst with frustration, had successfully reached a somewhat acceptable standard. In the final training exercise, they finally managed to complete maneuver drills without getting tangled up even once.

“At this level, at least they won’t make a disgrace of themselves… I’m not sure about actual combat, but since they’re armored units, they should be able to fight well enough.”

“There’s a big difference between having something and not having it. I looked up information on Cairalie, and while they seem to have plenty of cavalry, they don’t have any units that could match tanks and armored vehicles.”

“What about their allies?”

“Their two allied nations do have some armored units, but even combined, they’re inferior to what we possess, so you needn’t worry too much.”

“Hearing that from the division commander puts me at ease.”

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles without peril. This means if you know yourself and your enemy, you won’t be in danger even after fighting a hundred times.

In some places, the saying has been upgraded to “know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles,” but at least where I was from, “without peril” was the mainstream version.

Anyway, if the division commander said so, then it was as good as saying we had no match.

I read in a book about a country that had no tanks, and after suffering at the hands of enemies who did have tanks during their civil war, they became so obsessed with the humiliation that despite being a relatively small nation, they fanatically focused on building up armored forces that could overwhelm neighboring countries.

“Three weeks have passed like an arrow… Soon we’ll be at Lorelai…”

In just two hours, we would arrive at the Lorelai Federation, and as if to prove it, the crystal orb began to glow brightly, reflecting a person’s face inside.

[Greetings to you?]

“Hello there.”

[That large warship approaching now, could it be…?]

“That’s right. The Sky Warden. Flagship of the Solar Army.”

[Ohhh… It’s overwhelming in size even from a distance; I imagine enemies would faint at the sight of it up close. The enemies, of course.]

“Speaking of enemies, how is Cairalie responding?”

When I asked this, the face in the crystal orb darkened dramatically.

It seemed the situation was not particularly positive.

[Not well at all. Three days ago, the Cairalie Alliance formally declared war on our Lorelai Federation and invaded.]

“Huh. On what grounds?”

[They claim we spread false information damaging their national prestige and exercised exclusive rights over coastal areas, illegally monopolizing international waters. It’s absurd, of course… but there’s a saying that might makes right, isn’t there?]

Numbers have power.

Perhaps not authority, but they certainly create power.

And when that power combines with greed… most outcomes tend to end terribly.

“Don’t worry. My army will arrive within two hours. How is the war situation?”

[So far, we’re desperately holding them back along the mountains and rivers. It’s only been three days, after all. However, given the difference in scale, if the enemy finishes their reconnaissance and pushes forward with overwhelming force, we’ll have no choice but to retreat.]

“Hmm…”

The fortunate thing is that the war has only been going on for three days.

While Lorelai may be “relatively” weak, they are still a nation maintaining a regular army, so they’re putting up a fierce fight in their own way. The problem is that they’re facing an alliance of multiple countries, so regardless of quality, they simply can’t match the pure quantity of the opposition.

[Solar Apostle, I have a request.]

“Call me Luminator. What’s your request?”

[Yes… Luminator. The thing is, rather than coming directly to our capital, we’d like you to destroy the enemy fleet that’s attempting to blockade our coast.]

“Fleet?”

[Yes. Since the war began, they’ve stopped dumping harmful substances, but they’ve brought a fleet to blockade our ports. There’s been no damage yet, but we’re at such a disadvantage at sea that our navy has devoted all its forces to port defense. If this continues, we won’t be able to export black pearls, and the Lorelai Federation will suffer severe financial difficulties.]

“I see.”

That makes perfect sense.

When I was about 13 years old, a Kraken caused havoc off the coast of Parsifal, cutting off all trade for a month. My goodness, I never imagined vegetables, not even meat, could become so expensive.

While the Lorelai Federation’s location may differ, its identity as a coastal city remains the same, so if the coastal blockade continues, they will inevitably suffer significant damage.

“Understood. I’ll change course and attack the enemy fleet. I’ll be using nuclear weapons, so make sure the ships in the port are securely moored and evacuate the people. Just in case.”

[Understood, Luminator. I wish you success.]

*

As the diplomat requested, the Sky Warden turned its guns away from the nearby Lorelai City and toward the alliance fleet blockading the port.

Weeeeeeee~!

-All gun turrets prepare for simultaneous fire! Load nuclear shells!-

“Move quickly, you lot! You think nukes will detonate with that sluggish pace?”

-Message to the helm! Increase altitude! Get out of the nuclear blast radius!-

Ping! Pakigik!

As we approached the fleet, ballistae, catapults, and anti-aircraft guns began to fire fiercely at the Sky Warden.

However, the heavily armored Sky Warden silently endured all attacks and pressed forward, and soon 60 loaded nuclear shells fell into the sea, creating massive craters.

In an instant, a 15-tier battleship literally vaporized, and ironclad ships flew across the water’s surface like paper boats, their steel frames and armor plates bending in bizarre and grotesque ways.

How meaningless and powerless are humans?

Newly impressed by how magnificent the Sun is, who burned itself to bring light to the world for such powerless humans, I offered a prayer to the Sun while watching the rising mushroom cloud.

“Before the Sun, their souls shall be purified. If they desired this fate, they shall pay the price of greed; if they were merely caught up in it, they shall find comfort in the Sun’s warmth and return to this earth again.

My soldiers, do not place too much weight on their deaths. How fleeting is human life? Only endless progression toward transcendence and fervent praise for the greatest being give value to the human soul.”

With those words, I turned my back on the completely devastated fleet.

May those who died under the Sun’s power be guided by its radiance.

I grasped the crystal orb again, and before long, the face of the highly excited diplomat appeared inside.

[Magnificent! To completely destroy such a large fleet…!]

“It’s nothing. The Solar Army merely wielded the power of the Sun. By the way, did you suffer any damage?”

[Some coastal facilities were damaged by the waves… but most of the damage is minor and can be repaired quickly. Please come quickly. With power like yours, I’m certain the Federation’s Chairman will personally welcome you.]

“I see. That’s something to look forward to…”

Having one’s value recognized by someone is always a pleasant feeling. Especially when it comes from literal state-level power.

Normally, mercenary groups that aren’t regular armies of other countries don’t receive personal welcomes from heads of state, but our Solar Army has nuclear weapons.

And quite a lot of them…

Originally, there was an agreement not to use nuclear weapons against civilians, which actually extended to antimatter weapons and dimension-warping weapons with terrifying destructive power—a kind of reflection aimed at preventing the massive slaughter and regression that occurred during the Age of Eclipse.

But as the Solar Apostle, I could use thermonuclear weapons, the power of the Sun, without any restrictions. This is the privilege of one who has ascended to the Apostolic Seat.

Of course, mass production of thermonuclear weapons is extremely difficult, and handling and producing the raw materials is challenging, so we don’t have that many.

Just significantly more than those who have none.

Some might argue about using nuclear weapons on civilian residential areas in Long Legs, but if you’re a civilian, you should at least uphold civilian duties.

Having committed the heinous sin of denying the very existence of the deity served by an apostle who represents God—don’t they deserve a death befitting such a crime?

“This is the Sky Warden. Preparing to land at the designated location.”

[Confirmed. A welcoming party will approach after landing.]

“Understood. Currently executing landing procedures.”

I calmed my mind and body inside the gradually descending Sky Warden, thrilled by having annihilated enemies in the name of the Sun.

Soon the welcoming party would arrive, and I needed to show dignity as the leader of the Solar Army.

Religious ecstasy is fine, but now was the time to play the role of a solemn military leader.