Ch.604Storm Battle. (5)

Despite my fleet’s peculiar characteristics with all sorts of special ships attached here and there, causing all kinds of irregular tactics to emerge…

Rio Grande’s fighting spirit remained unbroken, despite the many irritating aspects of this battle.

Of course, if I were in his position, I would probably react the same way.

While it’s true that his forces were gradually being whittled down…

Looking closely, the ones being ground down were merely “common grade” ships…

And while I had bizarre(?) special ships, he had at least three times more high-grade gacha ships than I did.

“BOOM!”

“We’re under concentrated fire! We can’t hold!”

“Abandon ship!”

With S-class, SS-class, and even some SSS-class ships mixed among Rio Grande’s mercenary units, they were pounding away at my attacking fleet.

Just 10 minutes after the small ships I hadn’t sent to the upper section engaged Rio Grande’s small ships in close combat…

“Commander, we’ve already lost 20% of our main force’s destroyers deployed to the battlefield.”

“Sigh, is the lack of gacha ships really the problem?”

Seeing our small ships being torn apart more savagely than expected, anyone’s fighting spirit would be revived.

It was obvious they’d think, “If we just hold out a little longer, we might actually turn this around!”

Of course, no matter how much those gacha ships went wild…

Since they were being attacked from two directions—not left and right, but top and bottom—they couldn’t concentrate their firepower effectively. Normally, the longer this dragged on, the more certain their defeat would be.

In that case, instead of stubbornly dragging things out, they should surrender to preserve their precious gacha ships.

The problem was that while they were dragging this out and grinding away their gacha ships, they had something that could withstand our fleet’s firepower.

“BOOM!”

“Direct hit!”

“How do you like that!… Oh shit?”

“No damage confirmed!”

“What?!”

As unfortunate and regrettable as it was for me, Rio Grande had a card that could withstand our fleet’s firepower.

“Enemy Bismarck-class Super Dreadnought still intact!”

“More bombardment incoming! Take cover behind the Dreadnought or the Kraken!”

“BOOM!”

Unlike me, the level 9 and 8 base mercenary units didn’t bring Super Dreadnoughts.

Instead, Rio Grande himself had brought an SSS-class Super Dreadnought, the “Bismarck-class.”

For reference, this Bismarck-class was the culmination of the “armor-reinforced ships” line, including the “Bayern-class battleship” that I had previously captured and then blown up.

With the Bismarck-class firmly holding its position on the front line, mercilessly drawing aggro from our fleet…

Combined with the rampage of the “gacha ships” mentioned above, the power gap between Rio Grande and me was gradually narrowing again.

Of course, as always in this damned world, every ship had weaknesses in its “basic performance.”

“BOOM! Crackle, crackle!”

“This is Bellerophon! Shields down from Bismarck’s bombardment!”

“Hmm… Bellerophon, fall back. And Decarabia.”

“What is it, Commander?”

“I’ll detach Paladin and a few destroyers from the main force. Go down and support Alcazar’s fleet.”

“Yes sir~”

The problem with the Bismarck was that its firepower was quite pathetic for a “Super Dreadnought.”

Even though Bellerophon had been heavily modified to maximize shield output, it could only block a single volley from a Dreadnought or battleship.

Yet this so-called Super Dreadnought barely managed to take down Bellerophon’s shields with a full barrage.

Of course, thanks to that, Alcazar’s fleet, which had drawn a lot of aggro from the Bismarck-class, could somehow maintain formation despite taking a beating.

But at this rate, Austria was about to meet an untimely death along with its flagship Super Dreadnought (standard type).

So I sent the Paladin-class Dreadnought—which spread healing aura by supposedly dispersing nano-machines—to act as an anvil for Alcazar.

Then I continued the main force’s attack while encouraging the small ships fighting among themselves in the upper section to take a more aggressive approach.

But while issuing these commands…

“Hmm, the Bismarck-class seems severely lacking in escort forces.”

“Could it be intentional to draw in our ships’ attacks?”

I suddenly realized that, perhaps due to the merciless bombardment from both sides, the escort ships that should have been providing anti-air cover alongside it had disappeared.

“This is our chance! Time for a boarding operation!”

Sensing a golden opportunity to strike at the Bismarck-class—the backbone of Rio Grande’s fleet’s endurance—I immediately put a plan into action.

———-

Of course, that plan wasn’t particularly detailed or complicated.

“Fire all shells!”

“Launch the boarding pods 2 seconds after the missile launch. Target: Bismarck-class Super Dreadnought.”

“Yes, Commander!”

Lots of shells and missiles, even more shells and missiles, torpedoes.

Basically, fire an enormous amount of everything to obscure the vision of the Bismarck-class and Rio Grande.

Then stuff every available superhuman into that damn super battleship to disrupt its operation.

Of course, if the enemy noticed my tactics and ignored the missiles to focus their anti-air capabilities solely on the boarding pods, the situation would become quite troublesome…

“WHOOSH!”

“All strategic missiles launched, currently being reassembled.”

But when 12 strategic missiles the size of cruisers are flying in together, anyone would find them hard to ignore.

With Rio Grande showing remarkable skill by even sniping missiles with the “main guns,” all his attention was focused on the missile barrage.

As a result, the large number of boarding pods that followed found most of the Bismarck’s CIWS and anti-air systems in reload status after dealing with the missiles.

Most of the pods weren’t shot down and smoothly landed on the deck and all over the hull, pushing superhumans and troops inside.

“Attack them all!”

“For the Savior!”

“That way!”

And participating in this internal disruption of the Bismarck-class were Ignis, Smeragi, and Partia, who had somehow become the standard package for boarding operations.

“CRACK!”

“Advance, consume the entire ship.”

“KYAAAAH!”

“CRUNCH! CRACK!”

“It’s been a while since I entered combat mode. Everyone, follow me!”

“Aaaah, our cute captain!”

Oxianor, who naturally joined in after I told the faction delegation to “just let each ship handle things on their own.”

And Bendalof (combat mode), who had nothing to do in the middle section since most of his ships had been committed to the battle above.

“CRACK! CRUNCH!”

“So many new test subjects?”

“Do whatever you want with the ones you capture here, Griyanar.”

“Sweet!”

Griyanar, who was fighting while fused with her custom boarding pod creation, the “Shipboard Combat Chimera Hilary Mk-23.”

At minimum SS-class elite superhumans had been deployed alongside the “superhuman squads” I had recruited so far, various assault battalions, and the chimera units and other miscellaneous creatures created by Grigri.

Of course, the opponent was also a high-ranking player and the leader of a large clan with more users under his command(?) than I had.

“BANG!”

“RATTLE RATTLE!”

“Ugh!”

“How dare you target our Commander’s flagship! Unforgivable!”

Starting with Ignis being ambushed by “Balrog,” an SS-class superhuman wielding a chain-axe in each hand while she was moving through the ship directing troops…

SS to SSS-class superhumans who had been waiting inside the Bismarck began popping out from everywhere.

“RATATATATAT!”

“BOOM!”

“Commander, additional boarding pods from the enemy fleet have docked with the Bismarck-class!”

“My, that’s a quick response.”

Seeing Rio Grande deploy a large number of superhumans who had been waiting in his main force, apparently deeming those prepared inside the Bismarck-class insufficient…

I nodded in admiration, praising his reaction speed befitting a high-ranked player.

Of course, my praise ended right there.

‘According to plan.’

Fortunately, as Rio Grande focused on deploying his superhumans to the Bismarck-class exactly as I had predicted…

I immediately ordered the deployed superhumans and commanders to hold out inside the Bismarck-class for as long as possible.

Then I ordered the rest of my fleet to completely ignore the Bismarck-class and attack the remaining fleet with full force.