Chapter 337

Chapter 337. Gazuwaaaaak! (3)

But of course, things in the world don’t always go smoothly.

Just as I was executing an unlimited submarine operation using the Nerañzara and pushing through with the main force,

Arcadia was also doing great, using their outstanding SSS-Class Cruiser Battleship, the Hood-class, to maneuver and chew through the enemy fleet’s strength.

But the problem arose when, as the enemy fleet was being whittled down, “gaps” started appearing in their defensive line…

-Kuwaaaaaaang!

“Holy crap.”

The Ouroboros’ concentrated beam cannon roared to life, firing through the gaps in the defensive line and striking Arcadia’s fleet.

Of course, Arcadia had prepared for such beam attacks and tried to use the enemy fleet as shields, but…

—————————————–

<Event-Only Chat Window>

-[Well, this is something.]

-[Those guys are just firing away, not caring if allies get caught in the crossfire.] (Arcadia)

-[Holy moly.] (Icarus)

—————————————–

When ships below the level of destroyers became the meat shields,

they mercilessly unleashed the “flamethrower,” as if they were willing to accept any amount of losses.

—————————————–

<Event-Only Chat Window>

-[How bad are the damages?] (Icarus)

-[One Cruiser Battleship completely destroyed, and five destroyers following it couldn’t change course and got blown up.]

-[Oh, and another Cruiser Battleship’s upper armor melted, leaving it in a heavily damaged state.]

-[Plus, that attack messed up the formation of the Cruiser Battleships and the rest of the fleet, so we’ll need to reorganize the formation.] (Arcadia)

—————————————–

Seeing how that damn concentrated beam cannon instantly poured cold water on what was going so well,

I was horrified, but at the same time, I felt a burning desire to absolutely get my hands on it.

And while Arcadia’s fleet was taking direct hits from the Ouroboros,

my fleet, now reduced to 30% of its original strength, quickly broke through the inner defensive line formed by some destroyers and patrol ships.

Finally, we reached the vicinity of the Ouroboros, which had been forced to activate its cooling system after firing the beam.

“Now’s the time!!”

“All ships, fire all assault pods at the enemy Ouroboros-class.”

-“For the Saviorrrrr!!!”

-“Waaaaah!”

And right after reaching the Ouroboros,

I immediately began deploying all remaining missiles and assault units, including Partia, toward the Ouroboros.

Of course, the Ouroboros wasn’t just sitting there with only its beam cannon.

Its CIWS, VLS launchers, and other defense systems were still fully operational…

-“Assault pod hit! Escape impossible!”

-“Kuaaaak!”

-“All units, emergency eject!”

The assault pods, along with a few missiles, were pouring down, but they were met with a rain of 250mm railgun rounds firing at 10,000 rounds per minute,

and a barrage of beautiful interception cluster missiles, causing massive damage during the descent.

But even so, as mentioned before, the Ouroboros-class’s self-defense systems were pretty mediocre for its size.

So, aside from the unlucky ones that got intercepted, most of the assault pods safely landed on the hull deck or other parts.

And the troops from the first pods to land started destroying the externally protruding CIWS and VLS launchers.

As time went on, the number of assault troops landing on the Ouroboros began to increase exponentially.

And among those assault troops was Partia, who I had brought specifically for this mission.

At this rate, unless there were two or more SSS-Class Superhumans inside the Ouroboros pulling some nonsense, victory seemed within easy reach.

But of course, that was just my hopeful thinking.

Right after the assault units, including Partia, were deployed…

-Kwaaaaang! Peeeng!

-“Enemy fleet approaching from the rear!”

-“Destroyer No. 4 heavily damaged… no, sunk!”

“Ah, damn it.”

I hadn’t even deployed all the assault units yet.

The enemy fleet, which had previously wiped out the monster ships in a flash, was rapidly closing in and unleashing a fierce assault.

Just like how the Laten Water Clan got utterly wrecked by the Magellan Clan, if this keeps up, the ships meant to deploy assault pods are gonna get sliced and diced.

And then, without even getting a bite of Ouroboros, my precious ships would be blown to smithereens—a total disaster waiting to happen.

Realizing this, I pondered for a brief moment.

“No choice, have the 1st Cruiser Battleship step forward and tank.”

“I’ll relay that immediately, Commander.”

After disengaging the cruiser battleship’s assault mode, I had it fall back behind the ships deploying the pods.

It acted as a tank, buying time by protecting our small ships against the enemy fleet’s relentless bombardment.

Of course, even with its size, the cruiser battleship’s thin armor couldn’t hold out for long…

But in that short window…

-“Commander, we’ve reached the position.”

“Oh, nice. Then commence the attack immediately.”

-“Understood! All batteries, open fire!”

The 2nd Cruiser Battleship, which Arcadia’s destroyers had painstakingly towed, successfully moved into firing range.

Instead of targeting the left side, which had lost its armor, it focused on the right, raining down fire on the enemy fleet’s rear.

Most of the enemy ships, instead of targeting the distant 1st Cruiser Battleship, got aggroed by the closer 2nd Cruiser Battleship’s bombardment, turning 180 degrees and charging toward it.

And in pulling that aggro, Arcadia’s three destroyers, after towing the 2nd Cruiser Battleship, immediately released it upon reaching the target position, unleashed a full barrage, and charged head-on.

==========

Of course, those destroyers barely lasted 10 minutes in the fight before being completely annihilated.

And the 2nd Cruiser Battleship, with its front and right armor being chipped away in real-time, was living on borrowed time.

But during that time, the main force managed to deploy all the assault pods…

‘Ugh, thank you, destroyers.’

I expressed my gratitude to Arcadia in the chat and in my heart.

“Partia, hurry up and secure the interior of the Ouroboros-class.”

-“Yes, Savior.”

I gave the order to Partia, who was busy smashing the defense systems inside the Ouroboros, to prioritize securing the interior.

While the deployed troops worked on taking control of the ship sections, I decided to use the remaining fleet to charge at the enemy fleet that had turned the 2nd Cruiser Battleship into a cruiser/battleship hybrid.

Of course, it was a stretch for a fleet mostly composed of small ships and destroyers, with the cruiser battleship already wrecked, to go up against a fleet centered around battleships and heavy cruisers.

Not even 30 minutes into the full-scale battle, the 1st Cruiser Battleship, spewing black smoke and flames from all sides, went on a suicide charge, taking down an enemy battleship with it.

Most of the remaining ships were destroyed, leaving only three destroyers afloat.

But in the chaos, the enemy fleet lost over half its strength, including a battleship.

While the remaining three destroyers dodged and tanked, our Nerañzara used the heavy torpedoes it had snatched just before the 2nd Cruiser Battleship was sunk to take out enemy ships one by one, regardless of type.

Now that my fleet was in shambles, the enemy fleet, which should’ve gone to support where Arcadia was wreaking havoc, couldn’t even think about support.

Instead, they were being whittled down bit by bit, their fleet strength steadily eroded.