Ch.400The Road to Euphemia Continent (3)

“Enemy fighter squadron approaching from the rear! Approximately 200 in number!”

“Issue evacuation orders to the engine room personnel!”

On the 22nd day of the 13th month, with only three days left until reaching the Euphemia continent, the Sky Warden was once again engaged in an intense aerial battle with hostile forces.

Fighter squadrons of unknown origin had already lost over 1,000 aircraft, yet they continued to be reinforced from somewhere, determined to bring down the Sky Warden.

“The anti-aircraft turrets need more ammunition!”

“Turret 22 damaged! Inoperable!”

Operators on the bridge diligently monitored the status displays to check the ship’s condition, while the 200,000 troops fought against enemy forces that had infiltrated the vessel, securing corridors to deliver supplies to various locations.

Having infiltrated the Flagship of the Sun, these were no ordinary adversaries. All were high-tech troops equipped with powered exoskeletons and electromagnetic propulsion rifles. Moreover, judging by their fighting style, each one was a highly trained veteran elite.

Rat-tat-tat-tat!!!

“Keep firing! Pour on the firepower! They must not reach the critical facilities!”

“Aaaaargh!”

Boom-boom-boom-boom!

Of course, that didn’t mean they couldn’t be killed. The Sun’s forces were already renowned for liberally firing 155mm field artillery inside the ship.

In the end, battles between ordinary people below the level of Aura users are decided by command capability, even with significant equipment differences. In a world where bows can defeat guns, what difference does it make?

The Sun’s forces, blessed by the Sun, possessed superior physical abilities even as ordinary people. They fought bravely against the enemies without fear of death, engaged in fierce combat to protect the increasingly damaged Sky Warden until the end.

And naturally, at the center of it all, members of the Iron Walker party were slaughtering the intruders with one-against-a-hundred battles.

Swoosh!

“Gaaaack!”

“This one too… What are they trying to accomplish?”

Large numbers can pose some threat even to a god. However, that’s merely a threat, not something that can cause actual harm.

In this world’s reality, it wasn’t unusual for a small country to be completely ruined when a few Aura users harbored extreme grudges and honed their skills for years. Sending only ordinary people without a single Aura user against a massive flying battleship carrying two gods was simply absurd.

Among the approximately 3,200 intruders cut down so far, the number of Aura users was zero. Since forces were concentrated against Viktor, the strongest, their quality should have been the highest, but…

“They composed an infiltration unit with only ordinary people? Is their commander an idiot and a fool?”

The Sun’s words suddenly turned harsh. Anyone with even basic military knowledge—no, even common sense—wouldn’t create such a force composition.

With thousands of fighter squadrons and tens of thousands of infiltration troops deployed, they clearly weren’t short on funds. Given their unified equipment and coordinated movements, they weren’t hired mercenaries but deployed regular troops. Unless this was an intentional suicide attack, there was absolutely no reason for such a force composition.

“…Is delay their objective?”

Thinking about it that way made some sense. After all, skilled individuals—adventurers of Gem rank or higher—mostly belonged to the Adventurers’ Guild, not national armies. It was natural since adventuring paid much better than military service.

Below them, the situation was the same for Metal-rank Aura users, so the number of Aura users in each country’s regular forces probably didn’t exceed tens of thousands at most.

Moreover, not all Aura users could face off against an army. Though they were beings of a different caliber than ordinary people, Aura users were still humans with physiological limitations. They would die if they didn’t eat or drink, if they got too hot or cold, or if they fell ill.

Most Aura users’ combat power, assuming they faced a fully equipped infantry platoon without powered armor or enhancement devices but with at least three machine guns, was such that one Aura user in peak condition could face them head-on while taking machine gun fire. In other words, they could win, but it wasn’t certain.

A sufficiently skilled Aura user actively using terrain and employing traps and deception might handle up to a company-sized unit, but such cases were rare.

Essentially, an Aura user ≥ one ordinary platoon. In reality, it’s not easy for a platoon of 30-50 people to accurately shoot a rapidly approaching Aura user, nor is an Aura user likely skilled enough to break through dozens of guns alone. Aura users, then and now, specialized in taking down one strong monster rather than multiple humans.

And typically, most armies don’t deploy precious Aura users to battlefields where death is certain. Why sacrifice the backbone of your military when any type of troops would die anyway? Thinking about it that way made some sense.

“Die!”

Thwack.

“Grrrk…”

“Hmph… Foolish creature.”

The fool who tried to challenge the Sun God in close combat died without even exchanging a single blow. Killing such low-quality opponents wasn’t even worth swinging the Purifier—there was no glory in it.

The Purifier, as if deeming them unworthy of staining it with blood, displayed its pristine white blade without a single drop of blood despite having pierced a heart.

[Legion Commander. Report.]

*

The battle ended after six hours.

Total casualties numbered around 17,000, including those critically wounded who were ascended (euthanized) in the name of the Sun as they had no chance of survival.

The remaining wounded were groaning in the infirmary, but with advanced facilities and personnel, they would fully rehabilitate.

The bodies of the dead intruders were all thrown out through the holes in the ship. As traitors and blasphemers who dared to harm the master of fervor, giving them proper burials would have been excessive.

In contrast, their own dead were stored in the freezer along with coffins, forcing the cooks to retrieve cabbage next to the coffins to make soup—a heartbreaking situation.

“What is your duty?”

“””To execute the will of humanity’s master!”””

“What is the master’s will?”

“””To unify the world and bind humanity as one!”””

“What does it mean to unify the world?”

“””To bestow mercy upon those who cultivate grapes of wrath through hatred and distrust!”””

“What is mercy?”

“””Humanity has an innate compassion that cannot ignore others’ suffering—it refers to the courage to share side dishes with neighbors in need and rush to save a child fallen into a well!”””

“What is courage?”

“””To pursue justice in the face of injustice, and to respond to righteous calls!”””

“What is a call?”

“””Our duty!”””

Commanders and priests gathered the soldiers for ideological education. The prayer text, forming an endless palindrome, was adopted from the ancient empire, created to emphasize the endless grace and glory of the Sun.

Looking at it now, one might wonder what the point was, but with the Sun and Moon literally walking among them, it would be strange if such prayers didn’t exist.

No matter how fanatical one’s beliefs, faith can waver when witnessing a comrade’s head blown off—someone you were sharing stew with just hours ago. Just as regular rest was needed to recover mental strength, faith also needed periodic recharging.

“What’s the status of the ship?”

“Not good. Worse than before. Fortunately, the critical systems are intact, but the external propulsion system has suffered serious damage. Naturally, our speed will decrease… it will take about a week before we see land.”

“…What else?”

“We’re also out of ammunition. Small missiles for the CIWS, 30mm rounds for the Gatling guns… and we’re starting to run out of spare barrels for the main turrets. We need repairs and resupply as soon as possible.”

“Hmm… That’s beyond my ability to fix… Can we at least repair the holes?”

“That much is manageable. Enough to block the wind at least…”

“That’s something, at least.”

The Sun sighed while saying this.

Evidently, they would have to endure this tedious shipboard life for even longer than expected.