Chapter 236: Two Castles
The Empire's flagship, World Watcher, was the largest airship in the world. Due to its tremendous mass, its flight speed was lower, making it seemingly worthless as a flagship for an air fleet when compared to conventional airships. Regardless, the flying flagship held value in its ability to observe the entire battlefield from a relatively safe distance.
Apostle Dordol, who was aboard the World Watcher, looked down on the battlefield. The fleet of the Union Kingdom was not yet visible beyond the horizon. However, airships assigned to reconnaissance were constantly transmitting news, and the transmitted information the communications officers received was being gathered by the staff officers.
The enemy would enter the firing range of the Empire's artillery in a few minutes, but there was concern that the reconnaissance airships could be exposed to the enemy's air force.
Dordol said, "In the last battle, the enemy's fourth mobile fleet was destroyed. Since there are restrictions on the enemy's mobility, operate the reconnaissance airships without threatening the enemy's air force."
The staff officers voiced affirmatives and began to assess the specific threats from the Union Kingdom's aerial power.
Below the World Watcher, at an altitude of about 200 meters, was the first fleet, the core of the Empire's fleet.
Along this sea route leading to the front of Rasdasil, various types of ships that seemed to illustrate the history of the Empire's fleet were lined up. The ship at the very back was a wooden ship. Such wooden ships were not particularly helpful in battle, but had value as supply and communication ships. Although they could seem outdated, these wooden ships were more actively used by the Union Kingdom.
The Empire hadn’t precisely identified the Union Kingdom's fleet, but it was assumed that quite a number of wooden ships were being used as transport ships. Unlike ships with iron hulls, the wooden ships were light and incorporated the engines of steamships, which meant that if they caught the wind right, they could reach quite a high speed, making them worthy transport ships despite the risk of severe damage if hit.
Of course, for both the Empire and the Union Kingdom's fleets, the main strength of the fleets was still the ironclad ships that used steam engines. Ironclads emerged alongside the development of steam engines, and although the initial engines were not advanced enough to make them faster than wooden ships, they were valuable for their ability to move at a stable speed without being affected by the wind.
Later models of ironclads, which added magic or rubber power to steam power, compensated for the slow speed, and they grew to the size of traditional wooden ships, acquired carrying capacity, and successfully replaced the wooden ships after a transitional period.
The Empire's first fleet consisted of these more modern ironclads. Some of the famous ships were so large that they could be compared to the World Watcher, used a combination of three types of power, and were equipped with large and powerful cannons.
The war patterns over the decades between the Empire, the Union Kingdom, and the Ronante-Oroban navy resembled the historical relationship between knights and armor.
At first, weapons crafted from carved stones were enough for people. However, as they began to wrap themselves in leather, the necessity for blades made of metal emerged, and to counter these metal blades, people started wearing armor also made of metal. Afterward, to pierce through that armor, cold weapons became larger, which led to the armor becoming thicker in turn. Due to all this, before the invention of firearms, it was common to have gigantic weapons that required both hands to wield, paired with thick steel armor.
The development of battleships followed a similar trajectory. However, while the armor of a battleship was made of steel plates around the ship, the weapons were cannons.
As the Alchemist Tower collapsed, gunpowder weapons that developed simultaneously demonstrated their formidable power in ship-to-ship battles, and over time, they exponentially increased both in the size of the cannons and their firing range.
Ships were classified into three categories, the Abomination ships which were made long ago, the larger Fiend ships capable of withstanding stronger cannonballs and carrying even bigger cannons, and the gigantic Divine Beast battleships which were constructed within the last ten years.
Among them, the Divine Beast-class battleship had as many as three main guns capable of sinking a battleship of the same class in a single blow. The cannons were densely arranged to a point where the deck was almost invisible, compensating for accuracy, and even anti-aircraft guns were installed to intercept aerial forces such as airships and Dragon Knights, making it a moving fortress on its own.
"Commander, in one minute, the enemies will enter the effective firing range of our Divine Beast battleship’s main guns.”
At the staff officer’s words, Dordol momentarily looked down at the map with the fleet models placed on it. The giant shadow of an Ogre covered the map.
"What about the aerial situation?"
"No observations yet.”
Dordol then thought for a moment. A minute was more than enough time, and Dordol was not just the Emperor of the Empire, but also the representative of the Pantheon—more precisely, the proxy of Night Sky—in this position. They couldn’t afford to make any careless decisions.
'Have they become cautious because their mobile fleet was annihilated? But there’s something that can’t be explained by that alone.'
Based on the discussions between the staff officers, several possibilities presented themselves in Dordol’s mind. Some were easily manageable, but others were not. Even the Union Kingdom couldn’t be perfect in every operation. In fact, their huge size could make them clumsy and slow. However, there was a possibility that additional military forces, which the Empire had not accounted for, had been added because the Empire itself possessed military power that the Union Kingdom was unaware of.
'But even if it's the worst variable...'
Dordol thought.
'The are no flaws in the Empire’s preparations.'
After making a decision, Dordol said, "Operate only the minimum number of reconnaissance ships necessary to confirm the hits of the cannons."
"Yes, sir."
While having a larger number of reconnaissance ships could buy time to respond if the enemy’s aerial forces revealed themselves, keeping only the minimum forces meant that if they couldn’t avoid in time, the reconnaissance ships would be rendered powerless. Command was a continuous series of choices, and within such choices, sacrifices were inevitable.
'May the starlight guide us.'
Considering their faith in the Pantheon, the remaining reconnaissance ships would willingly accept their roles, but Dordol's heart always ached. Due to the prejudices against ogres, Dordol’s gigantic stature, and their position as commander of all operations, Dordol was widely known to be indifferent, and not many people knew what they felt and thought on the inside. In fact, there were those who said that it was precisely because Dordol was an Ogre who took life lightly that they were able to be in this position, combining the blessings they received from the Pantheon with their own talents.
However, Dordol also followed the will of the Pantheon. Those who didn’t know the value of sacrifice wouldn’t know how to handle it.
“As the enemy’s reconnaissance ships are delayed, the distance from the main gun of the Fiend-class battleship is extended.”
“Yes, sir.”
The staff officers quickly conveyed the orders to the communication officers.
All of the higher-ranking communication officers in the Empire were Wizards, so they reported orders through tubifex. The speed of their communication was similar to that of the Union Kingdom, but in terms of specificity and amount of information, there was no comparison.
Minutes later, within the unified command structure, the main guns of the Divine Beast-class and Fiend-class battleships from the first, third, and fourth fleets of the Empire spit out fire. Most of the shells flew for kilometers before falling between the ships of the Union Kingdom.
The Divine Beast-class and Fiend-class ships of the Union Kingdoms slowly turned their gun turrets.
"All first shots missed!"
Getting a hit on the first shot was something for the gunners to wish for, not something a commander should hope.
The observation values from the reconnaissance ships were transmitted to each ship, the angles were immediately corrected, and the second set of main guns, which had not fired before, were now fired.
"One Abomination-class destroyed! Two Fiend-classes heavily damaged! ...One Divine Beast-class heavily damaged!"
However, the expressions on the staff officers' faces did not brighten. The war had just started, and with the first firing over, it was now the enemy's turn to fire.
As expected, shells started raining down from the enemy battleships. Shells that fell close to the first fleet created massive waves, soaring even higher than the bridges of the battleships.
"Move.”
As the cannon fire continued, the fleet slowly moved backward. While the Union Kingdom had more ships in total, most of them were transport ships in the back. In terms of battleships, the Empire had slightly more, and with the enemy’s reconnaissance ships not showing themselves, maintaining the range of the main guns was advantageous for the Empire.
'But we can't keep retreating.'
The goal of the Empire was to prevent the enemy fleet from reaching the coast of Rasdasil, so continuous retreat was meaningless.
In fact, the Union Kingdom seemed to be aware of this and was rapidly approaching despite taking damage. Moreover, if the Empire’s fleet stopped, it would be possible to observe the fleet on the horizon from the bridge, allowing for more accurate firing. From this point on, they could maintain the same level of engagement as the Empire.
Dordol focused their mind. The apostles were part of a kind of mental network connecting to the Pantheon, and the gods had the ability to use what they called Whispers.
-Aruna, have you confirmed the situation?
The ninth apostle, Aruna, replied from the distant sky.
-Don’t rush me! I'm almost there.
Aruna utilized her quick maneuverability to circle around the fleet of the Union Kingdom.
There could have been some reluctance to use an apostle as a reconnaissance resource, and indeed, Aruna initially did not like it very much, but she was the only one in the Empire with the right set of skills. Over time, Aruna had come to understand and accept the providence of the Pantheon, which valued functionality over status.
Aruna, who soared through the clouds, paused for a moment after spotting something between them.
-...I see it.
Dordol said.
-Is it the thing we were worried about?
-Yes.
Aruna replied.
-It's the Sky Castle.
***
At the same time, Sung-Woon also checked the presence of the Sky Castle in front of Rasdasil through Aruna's eyes.
Sounds of disappointment came from the players behind him.
Lim Chun-Sik said, “Is that bitch crazy?”
Emotionally, Sung-Woon agreed with Lim Chun-Sik’s extreme remark.
The Sky Castle was known as one of the Ten Ancient Ruins most frequently mentioned by players. It was one of the three castles with the highest strategic value, and Sung-Woon agreed with this evaluation.
The Sky Castle was literally a floating castle. It had a giant, floating foundation beneath it, which spanned about two kilometers in diameter. When civilization was at a lower level, the Sky Castle simply floated in the air. However, as civilization advanced, it could be equipped with wings or various other power sources, allowing it to move, at least slowly.
Strictly speaking, players considered the Sky Castle to be a superior form of the Moving Castle. Being a vast piece of land, even bigger than the Moving Castle, it could house various infrastructure facilities or bring together major institutions of the Union Kingdom, and when needed, the Sky Castle could be moved to perform necessary tasks. Moreover, it had the advantage of being safe from enemy attacks as it was located 300 meters above the ground.
Additionally, the Union Kingdom had made Sky Castle its capital.
"Who brings their capital to a war?"
Sung-Woon replied, "That just shows how desperate she is. In fact, you could even consider it a good thing. The war could drag on quite a bit after this battle at Rasdasil, but if we manage to take down their capital, we would achieve an immediate victory over Hegemonia."
Sung-Woon remained calm, and Lim Chun-Sik, as well as the other players, did not raise any objections because they had somewhat anticipated that Hegemonia could bring the Sky Castle to the battlefield. However, most players had thought it would serve as a mid-point supply base at most rather than actually participating in the battle.
Sung-Woon then said, "Until now, everything is going as we anticipated it, isn't it?"
At those words, AR1026 looked at the screen and said, "Yes, that's right. Our reinforcements have also revealed themselves just now.”
Sung-Woon turned around. “They arrived quicker than expected.”
"What are the orders?"
"Let's surprise them as well. Fire."
***
In the cramped command room, the Pangolins were huddled together, sitting down.
"We just got a message from a Wizard communication officer!"
"What does Commander Dordol say?"
"They say to raise the angle of the cannons."
The communication officer handed over a piece of paper, and the base commander nodded.
"Got it. Inform the cannon artillery."
As the communication officer ran out, a staff officer asked, "Isn't the angle too high?"
"Don't worry. We've already been informed."
"Oh, could it be..."
"Yes. It seems to be the floating Sky Castle. This actually works out better..."
Loud siren noises came from outside the command room. The base's main cannons were getting ready.
The commander muttered, "Our cannons are huge and heavy, but useless if they can't hit the target... However, if it’s the Sky Castle, we could hit it even with our eyes closed."
The Pangolin commander looked out the window.
The steel barrel, thirty meters in length, was being lifted toward the sky. A cannon of this size would be impossible to operate on a normal battleship. Even if it was somehow attached to a ship, the ship would sink from the recoil as soon as a shell was fired.
Fortunately, what this Pangolin commander was in charge of was not a ship.
A loud voice came from the cannon.
"5 seconds to fire from the Moving Castle’s cannon, the Unrivaled!"
As the countdown started, tension flowed throughout the Moving Castle.
"Fire!"
Some excited Pangolins cheered along.
The cannon spewed fire, and an enormous shell soared out of the barrel. Black smoke rose, and the Moving Castle shook violently from the cannon's recoil. However, the Moving Castle, standing on the water, used its legs to brace itself and absorbed the shock with the help of the water's surface.
In this era of giant cannons, the largest cannon in the world belonged not to any battleship, but the Empire's Moving Castle.
For this attack, the Moving Castle left the fourth continent, searched for and stepped across the regions at lower sea-level, and reached the third continent.
Waves created by the Moving Castle spread out far into the distance.
***
Approximately thirty kilometers away was the Sky Castle, and from an unseen rear, a shell the size of a house smashed into the Sky Castle’s base.
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