Chapter 302

Episode 302. The Approaching Storm (3).

Of course, even if the Kraken’s surprise teleportation-strategic missile attack was no longer possible…

“Up, down, left, right, everywhere is the enemy, so no need to aim.”

“All batteries, open fire!”

Even without that, I still had some pretty impressive stuff.

For example…

A big, beautiful spear… no, a utility pole… no, strategic missiles were still available.

As the enemy launched a full-scale assault, we responded by unleashing a barrage of missiles.

Hreðsvelgr, while not the best in the universe but still pretty good, was firing off those spear-like strategic missiles, putting on a surprise show for the enemy.

-“They’re coming in waves~♡”

“Pashtira, just focus on sinking as many of their main ships as possible.”

-“Oh my, does that mean I can do whatever I want with the rest?♡”

“Yeah, the rest is up to you… oh, of course, I mean in battle.”

-“You’re so strict♡ Got it♡”

Naturally, I cut off the lewd nun’s request for a hot, sticky, and intense night with me.

Pouting at my reaction, the lewd nun seemed to vent her frustration.

Pashtira immediately unleashed her maximum-output beam cannon, turning an enemy battleship charging toward the fortress into a crushed can.

Of course, there was something even more crucial in fleet battles.

And that was…

-“Hyaaaah!”

-“Is this the battlefield?!”

-“Time to earn our pay, you parasites!”

“Commander, did you call in the mercenaries?”

“…I spent 1.5 million minerals and 400,000 rare resources to summon them right away.”

“Ah.”

About 200 mercenary groups, hired by depleting some of the precious resources we had been saving to attack the Tanhoizer Gate Fortress, were now in action.

Though it would have been nice if they were mostly large ships…

—————————————-

<Mercenary Group Employment Status>

<Currently Employing 232 Mercenary Groups>

<Rhodes Mercenary Group and Avalonia Security Fleet are excluded from the total ship count.>

<Total Ship Types>

<Battleships: 18>

<Carriers: 5>

<Cruiser Battleships: 46>

<Heavy Cruisers: 130>

<Light Cruisers: 550>

<Destroyers: 4,094>

<Escort Ships: 8,470>

<Patrol Ships: 20,100>

<Daily Resource Consumption: Minerals 323,420, Rare Resources 39,832>

—————————————-

Nothing in life ever goes according to plan.

Unfortunately, this mercenary spam had a notably low number of large ships, so most of the ships were either blowing up shortly after deployment or desperately clinging to the base, trying to survive by mingling with our fleet and the ‘Guard Fleets.’

Despite hastily adding 200 mercenary groups, the battle wasn’t going well.

Back when I conquered ‘Tunguska’ while Latunwater and Magellan simultaneously invaded, our combat power was roughly 320,000 to 350,000 points.

The problem was that the 50 clans now pushing against me had fleets totaling over 400,000 points in ship value.

In addition to all the methods mentioned above, I hurriedly launched all the aircraft from the fortress hangars and my carriers.

I also used the ‘Fleet Long-Distance Teleportation System’ at the base to teleport mercenary groups behind the enemy fleet, attempting a sort of ‘double encirclement.’

I poured every ounce of effort into resisting them, using every strategy at my disposal.

But even with all the fortress’s defense systems—turrets, missile launchers, everything—fully mobilized…

Just 12 hours after the enemy’s full-scale assault began, over 60,000 ships from the combined Guard Fleets and mercenary groups had mostly exploded into cosmic dust.

However, their sacrifice wasn’t in vain.

Just as the mercenaries’ small ship loss rate was about to surpass 90%…

“Commander! The fortress’s Main Combat Fleets have all sortied!”

“Finally.”

Unlike during my siege, where I never got to fight, this time my fleets were determined to protect the gate thoroughly.

The 50 combat fleets that successfully emerged were now balancing the scales of the battle, which had been tilting unfavorably.

==========

And at the same time, the Walpurgis Union Clan was reacting with disbelief to Icarus’s fleet, which just kept coming no matter how many they destroyed.

—

**<Mint Choco Meeting Room>**

– [What the hell, I wiped out the Guard Fleet, and then 200 Mercenary Groups popped up?]

– [I crushed the Mercenary Groups, and now a Combat Fleet shows up? WTF?]

– [LMAOOOOO, this is seriously driving me crazy.]

– [The answer! Matryoshka dolls!]

– [Isn’t there no Fortress Main Gun on Avalon? Then why are Dreadnought-Class main gun shots flying at us?]

– [Pashtira’s there, you know. If you raise it well, it can unleash that level of firepower alone.]

– [Ugh, why don’t I have an SSS-Class?]

– [Why do strategic missiles keep coming?]

– [We need to take out Hrevel, or they’ll keep flying at us.]

– [I destroyed the Forward Base and the Resource Fleet, but what’s this now?]

– [WTF.]

—

Of course, it wasn’t like they didn’t have superhumans and special ships of their own.

—

**BOOOOOOM!**

**ZZZZZZZZZ…**

—

**<Mint Choco Meeting Room>**

– [KYAAAAAA!]

– [Our Clan Leader is doing great!]

– [Is that the shield ship thing?]

– [Yeah, the Fleet Shield Ship. It’s slightly weaker than the Base Barrier, but it’s enough for tanking.]

—

There were things like the ‘Nibelung-Class Shield Generator Ship,’ which effortlessly deployed a powerful shield capable of blocking Pashtira’s concentrated particle beam.

Or the ‘Zebodang-Class Monster Assault Ship,’ which had frontal armor thicker than a battleship, allowing it to shrug off attacks and charge headfirst.

—

**KWAHHHHHHH!**

—

**<Mint Choco Meeting Room>**

– [What a glorious sight.]

– [Did you see that? Half of the Cruiser Battleship just melted away.]

– [That’s our Clan.]

– [Oh, that thing’s made of paper armor. Cover it properly.]

– [Isn’t that a Battleship? It won’t die from blind shots, right?]

– [That’s an Annihilation Ship. It’s all about firepower. It’s the size of a Battleship, but its armor is worse than a Destroyer’s.]

– [For real?]

—

Equipped with special armaments capable of delivering devastating bombardments strong enough to damage the fortress’s outer armor plates.

But at the cost of having severely weakened armor itself, surrounded by a swarm of ‘tanking’ Escort Ships, like the ‘Megalodon-Class Annihilation Ship.’

Icarus’s various special ships began to reveal themselves, gradually pressuring the defending forces of Avalon Fortress.

However, the Combat Fleet, consisting of 500 Battleships, 2,500 Heavy Cruisers, and 25,000 Destroyers, was far more formidable than expected.

At the same time, the remaining Mercenary Groups and remnants of the Guard Fleet.

Additionally, Icarus’s main force and the newly updated ‘Base Mercenary Group.’

Finally, ships presumed to be part of the ‘Faction Dispatch Force’ were slowly crawling out of the fortress.

Despite having the upper hand in strength, the users couldn’t help but think, “So this is why the 3rd place guy soloed the base.”

Of course, it wasn’t like they hadn’t seen Icarus’s siege of Avalon before…

But there’s a significant difference in pressure between watching it in videos or reading about it and actually seeing it in person.

Especially with some tactics, they couldn’t help but feel utterly dumbfounded.

—

**<Mint Choco Meeting Room>**

– [WTF, why is the Kraken holed up inside the gate?]

– [The frontal armor is ridiculously tough, so we have to flank it, but WTF.]

– [LMAOOOOO, that’s smart.]

– [It’s like a puppy sticking its head out of a hole.]

—

Icarus had stuffed two Krakens into the open fortress spaceport gates, one in each.

With only their heads sticking out, they fired aircraft, missiles, and bio-cannons from inside, acting like biological turrets.

For the Walpurgis Union Clan, it was enough to make them go insane and jump around in frustration.