Ratatoskr airships did not particularly stand out in terms of combat capability—this was what most of DEM believed.
Aside from Fraxinus EX, which had undergone special modifications and was piloted by a forr AST ace, the other four airships could only be described as standard, whether in performance or operating skill.
No one expected that, while all of DEM was working hard to shoot down Fraxinus EX, the airship hiding behind it would quietly fade out of everyone's sight and silently devour two battleships.
Forget DEM. Even the crew of Fraxinus EX themselves had not expected such a thing to happen.
"Holy… what's going on?"
"I rember Ulmus shouldn't have undergone any enhancent modifications."
"Our company had soone this insane?"
"Speaking of which, isn't that the airship Director Woodman is riding?"
Watching the neighboring airship pull off such an unexpected move, the crew inside the battleship could not help falling into disorder.
"…It caught the weakening period of two airships's Territories at the sa ti, broke through from a blind spot in their field of vision, and even predicted the enemy attack timing and impact points with millisecond precision, concentrating the Territory at the impact points for defense… This…"
Amateurs watched the show; experts saw the technique. As a fellow operator, Kannazuki Kyouhei looked sowhat unable to believe what he had just seen.
It was not as if Kannazuki had never perford similar operations. But the other party, besides spatial dinsions, had also calculated along the ti dinsion. Add in the number of airships, and the difficulty rose almost exponentially.
Ability, experience, and more importantly, courage. If there had been even the slightest mistake, the airship would have been turned into a hornet's nest.
And in reality, after that stunning shot, DEM imdiately redirected half of the firepower originally aid at Fraxinus EX toward Ulmus.
But this airship forcefully used one ship's worth of Territory as if it were a hundred ships's worth, withdrawing from DEM's concentrated fire zone completely unhard under everyone's eyes.
"Damn… When I used to watch movies where people charged through a rain of bullets bare-handed, I thought it was exaggerated. Looks like reality can be just as ridiculous."
Nia could not help sighing in admiration.
"Maria, who is operating Ulmus right now?"
Looking at Ulmus, which was showing off such power, Kotori frowned in confusion and asked Maria.
[Checking… Operator ID confird—Karen Nora Mathers.]
Her? Kotori's mind imdiately pictured the blonde female secretary who usually stood silently behind Woodman pushing his wheelchair. Although when Kotori learned that Karen and Westcott ca from the sa village, and that she was also the sister of that strongest Wizard, she had already felt this woman was no ordinary person.
[Can you hear , Commander Itsuka?]
At that mont, Ulmus took the initiative to send a communication.
"Chairwoman Karen. Report your situation to ."
Looking at Karen's calm face beneath her glasses, Kotori had many questions in her heart, but she suppressed them and went straight to the main point.
[Elliot ordered to provide support.]
Karen answered concisely.
[However, unfortunately, in my current condition, I cannot operate the airship for long. Please end this battle quickly, Commander Itsuka.]
"As expected. Territory adjustnt at such high frequency may have enough magical power to support it, but the burden on the operator is too heavy."
As she spoke, Kotori looked toward Kannazuki in the pilot seat. Although he himself said nothing, such a long battle of attrition had clearly made him sowhat exhausted as well.
Reality would not give people too much ti to think. Kotori hesitated only briefly before making her decision.
[All personnel, activate System Blót! Karen, coordinate with Fraxinus EX! Kannazuki, I want every enemy battleship shot down within thirty seconds of activation! Nia, take over continued battlefield analysis for !]
"Understood!!"
[Received.]
"Yes, Commander!"
"Got i—wait, what did you just say, Imouto-chan?!"
Ignoring Nia's panicked shout, Kotori was transferred into the airship's spirit power amplification chamber.
This airship could use Spirit power to perform three different types of enhancent. The first was absorbing Kotori's spirit power to enhance the destructive power of a charge. The second was borrowing the calculation power of Yutsuki's Angel to make the main cannon perform ricocheting trajectory changes. The third was using support from the spirit power of multiple Spirits to raise the airship's mobility to another level.
Kotori had not considered using the first enhancent at all, even though it had been designed specifically for her. After all, the enemy would not kindly line themselves up in a straight line for her to solve with one cannon shot.
Moreover, the reason she had not made that decision earlier was because of another concern—her brother was still beside Takamiya Mio.
"Honestly… I'll trust you one more ti, Reine."
After slowly exhaling, Kotori placed her hand on the platform, closed her eyes, and silently chanted in her heart.
(Astral Dress release. Astral Dress, Number Fifth, Elohim Gibor!)
In an instant, red and white robes gathered and ford around Kotori's body. Scorching flas turned into fire serpents that poured into the platform. The platform was like a bottomless black hole, sweeping Kotori's fierce and tyrannical spirit power completely into itself.
In that instant, Kotori felt a strange illusion, as if the airship itself was protesting excitedly, wanting to make a huge ss.
Opening her eyes, crimson flas swayed steadily. Kotori gave a light smile.
"Fly, Fraxinus EX!"
…
"Report! Fraxinus EX! Ulmus! They've begun moving!"
So it has finally co? Brennan stared gravely at the two airships on the screen. At that mont, Ratatoskr had voluntarily abandoned a safe distance and charged straight into DEM's attack range in one breath.
This was not probing, nor was it suppression or a sneak attack. Brennan felt that this ti, the enemy truly intended to decide victory and defeat with him.
"Open fire!!"
At Brennan's command, a total of twenty five airships poured out their accumulated magical power. Magical cannons, lasers, and missiles transford into a net of heaven and earth, covering the area ahead.
However, things were sowhat different from Brennan's expectations. The enemy did not rely on their own mobility to evade.
Faced with a sky full of firepower, Ulmus flew to the front. A Territory the size of a door flashed continuously, almost leaving afterimages, blocking all attacks and escorting Fraxinus EX as it continued to approach.
(Is the operator of that airship a monster?)
Brennan felt his eyelids twitch nonstop, but he still forced himself to remain calm.
"Don't panic! That level of high intensity calculation can't be maintained for long! Increase firepower and continue attacking! Frontline units, spread the formation and ensure you can respond to Fraxinus EX's assault!"
Sure enough, just as Brennan expected, after withstanding three rounds of bombardnt, Ulmus's defense finally developed gaps. Its left wing and rear section were pierced through, and it staggered as it fell toward the ground.
At this mont, Fraxinus EX was about one hundred ters away from DEM's nearest airship.
Brennan secretly clenched his fist in excitent. He had long since morized Fraxinus EX's data. Right now, at most, it would take down three airships before being completely shot down by them.
"—————!!"
However, at that mont, Fraxinus EX's hull was suddenly wrapped in a layer of scarlet-gold flas, blazing like a firebird spreading its wings.
One second later, sothing unbelievable happened.
Fraxinus EX abruptly vanished from the screen. At the sa ti, airships separated by several thousand ters or more began exploding one after another.
"Fleets two through eight have suffered massive damage and are performing ergency landings!"
"Units thirteen through fifteen have lost response!"
"Enemy movent speed is too fast! Radar cannot capture it!"
There was not the slightest flashy technique involved, only the simplest and crudest collision. In less than ten seconds, DEM had already lost nearly one third of its forces. At this mont, every value of Fraxinus EX had completely surpassed the theoretical limits of an airship. Battleship class Territories were as fragile as paper before Camael's spirit power.
The firebird's figure could not be seen. Only faint red trails of fla remained in the sky, arrogantly leaving behind its path.
…
However, powerful trump cards were often double-edged swords. Compared to DEM's continuous defeats outside, the inside of Fraxinus EX was also in chaos.
"Uwegh—Kannazuki! Steady, steady! Keep it steady! The gravity control system is almost failing!"
"Ah… my ex-wives… have you all returned?"
"Aaaah! My Amy-tan!!!!"
[Kannazuki! Faster! At this rate, by the ti the stored spirit power is exhausted, six airships will still remain!]
"I know! But they're too far apart!"
Kannazuki gritted his teeth. The enemy's fleet deploynt was far too scattered. In particular, the six airships dealing with Yutsuki and Mukuro were spread out so far that even though Fraxinus EX's performance had reached an unprecedented level, it was still slightly insufficient.
[Hmph. Is that all you can do, Vice Commander Kannazuki?]
At that mont, Karen suddenly joined the communication channel. For so reason, her voice carried a trace of disappointnt.
[To be unable to complete your master's mission even at the cost of your life. As a pervert, you are a failure.] (TL:Crazy work)
A vein throbbed on Kannazuki's forehead. If this were normal, words like that would have ant nothing to him. He might even have found them sowhat pleasurable. But right now, he felt as if his bottom line had been challenged by soone in the sa profession.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!" (TL:Cook them Kannazuki)
…
"We lost…"
Watching his fleet collapse in an instant, Brennan slumped back into his chair like rice waiting to be harvested in a field.
First, he clenched his fist. Then, he slowly loosened it again. Looking at the countdown on the screen, which had already ended, Brennan's expression relaxed.
"Fine. At least the mission is complete."
Feeling the heat wave gradually approaching, Brennan slowly closed his eyes.
Boom!
"Self destruction… How very DEM."
Looking up at the enormous fireworks blooming in the sky, Karen adjusted her glasses after falling from the airship onto the icy ground.
"Commander Itsuka's side appears to be all right. My mission is complete."
As if persuading herself, Karen muttered that sentence, then anxiously ran toward a certain direction in Tengu City.
"Don't die… Elliot."
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