Chapter 396

Chapter 396. Call me Icarus. (2)

“So, except for Anchorage and Anatolia, all the other ships were given stealth and cloaking, huh?”

Once I realized it was a gimmick-based battle, I understood why such an absurd fleet composition could exist.

In the end, what do the developers want?

To withstand enemy attacks that could come from anywhere, free the giant monster captured by Anchorage, and then use the freed giant monster ‘Anatolia’ to annihilate the enemy, right?

The problem is, to prevent users from exploiting stealth or cloaking, they probably gave the enemy fleet Anatolia’s stealth detection ability.

Of course, you could sugarcoat it like that.

But if you really think about it…

“Nah, this is straight-up trash-tier game design.”

“Pfft.”

“So we’re supposed to fight while they can see our fleet like it’s in the palm of their hand?”

“Yep, pretty much.”

We can’t see them, but they can see us.

We don’t know where they are, but they’re using map hacks in real-time.

We have to rely on gimmicks to take them down, but they can just one-sidedly wreck us… that’s the situation.

-“Enemy ships detected ahead… approaching the fleet.”

“How many?”

-“One destroyer, three escort ships, sonar radar detects they’re equipped with medium torpedoes.”

“Send the coordinates, have the battleship and cruiser battleship launch a wide-area bombardment.”

-“Command confirmed.”

-KABOOOOOM!!!

-KABOOM! KABOOM!

-“Direct hits, two escort ships sunk, rapid heat signatures detected from the destroyer and escort ships, missiles and torpedoes launched toward the fleet.”

“Oh dear.”

“Destroyers 8 and 13, patrol ships 3, 4, and 5, move forward and intercept incoming projectiles.”

If I didn’t have a ship like Habarovsk for electronic warfare, I would’ve been royally screwed.

I could feel the absurd difficulty level slowly filling my head.

And if I didn’t have a ship like Habarovsk, an electronic warfare ship with stealth detection capabilities…

Or if, on the contrary, I had brought a fleet based on the ‘stealth meta’ that users commonly use…

“Ugh, that’s terrifying.”

I would’ve been beaten to a pulp by the enemy fleet without being able to put up any resistance.

Thinking about how I would’ve been utterly destroyed and mentally broken, I couldn’t help but feel a chill down my spine.

Of course, that doesn’t mean my fleet is in that state now.

-“Enemy fleet missiles incoming!”

-“Three waves detected!”

-“Launch intercept missiles!”

While our Hreðsvelgr was busy blowing up the enemy’s stealth-cloaked missile battleship with a fireworks show of missiles.

I decided to respond to the damn stealth fleet in my own way, rather than playing along with the enemy’s intentions.

And what was that way, you ask?

-“Charge at 100%!”

-“Fire!”

Using the main cannon of Ouroboros, which has recently become the ‘ultimate truth and solution to everything.’

Every time it charges to 100%, I use the ‘wide-area spray mode’ from round 5 to turn the area into a sea of fire and roast everything.

While Ouroboros is cooling down from charging, Habarovsk conducts real-time surveillance to protect the fleet.

Meanwhile, about 2,000 reconnaissance planes launched from the large aircraft carrier and the Krakens are sent out to search for the hidden enemy fleet.

And if those massive numbers of aircraft form squadrons and conduct area-wide reconnaissance…

…I’m not sure if this is the right way to say it.

But as seen when the Humanity delegation came to our base and got hit by our aircraft, nearly scrapping their precious stealth destroyer.

No matter how much those puny ships use stealth and cloaking, they haven’t physically disappeared from the world.

If they even think about approaching my fleet, they’ll either get caught in the kamikaze attacks of the reconnaissance planes.

Or try to evade and get caught in Habarovsk’s detection net. Either way, they’re doomed.

“Kyaa, the perfect strategy, this is my ultimate victory!!!”

==========

Of course, after the mess in round 5, maybe because round 10 is even more intense.

The situation didn’t turn out as well as I thought it would.

-KABOOOM!

“Commander, Destroyer No. 4 has been sunk.”

“Did you see that ridiculous firepower?”

-*Boom, Kaboom! Kabooom!!!*

“Just now, Patrol Ships No. 1 and No. 2 were also taken out.”

“Oh, damn it.”

—

Those blasted enemy small ships, ignoring their own damage, tried to ram us. To protect our main fleet, which is embarrassingly weak except for the front, we sent our small ships forward. Following the coordinates called out by Habarovsk, we began to counterattack.

However, while we needed at least 10 hits from our main guns to make a meaningful attack, the enemy’s patrol ships were blasting through our destroyers’ armor like it was butter with just a few shots or beams.

-*Kabooom!!*

“Commander, only three destroyers are left now.”

“…”

“Eight patrol ships have already been wiped out.”

“Oh shoot, holy moly moly.”

—

The small ships, acting as meat shields (not really), couldn’t withstand even three hits from enemy ships of the same class and were popping like balloons. Against higher-tier ships, they were getting one-shot, leading to horrifying losses.

And it’s not like the large ships were doing much better either.

-*Kabooom!*

-“Fire on Cruiser Battleship No. 2! Sections 3 and 18 are collapsing!”

-“Enemy fleet focusing fire on Battleship No. 1! Torpedoes detected!”

-“Intercept! Intercept!”

—

In this damn game, the way “stealth” is detected is by electronic warfare ships relaying enemy coordinates to the fleet. It’s not like we get real-time 3D visuals, so we’re still getting pummeled regardless.

Thankfully, before I started the 10th round, I upgraded the equipment thoroughly. Thanks to the intense tanking-related upgrades, we avoided getting wiped out like in the 5th round.

But… that was only against the regular ships bombarding us.

-*Krrrrrr… Kabooom!*

“Whaaat?!”

“Co-Commander! A massive harpoon has pierced the side of the Bayern-Class Battleship!”

—

While we couldn’t attack the enemy anchorages with Kraken’s teleport due to the captured Anatoria-Class, those damn anchorless enemies launched a close-range teleporting harpoon shot at our ships, just like in that forum post I read earlier.

-*Krrrrr… Kugugung!*

-“The ship is being forcibly dragged!”

-“Don’t let it get pulled into the wormhole! The ship will get crushed!”

-“All side thrusters, full power!”

—

The harpoon was pulling our Bayern into the wormhole, trying to crush it like a tin can. From my perspective, it was impossible not to curse.

And it was the same for the Bayern-Class crew, who were now at risk of being crushed in the wormhole. They were using every ounce of strength, deploying all side thrusters to resist, and even trying to tilt the ship to use the main engines for a full-power escape.

As I mentioned before, the Bayern-Class’s unique double-layered armor had its outer plating ripped off along with the harpoon, causing the main turrets and other equipment to get sucked into the wormhole in a catastrophic mess.

-*”We survived!!!”*

-*”Kiyoooooo!!!”*

-*”But the upper deck and structures are all gone.”*

-*”At least we’re alive.”*

-*”I’ll take it.”*

—

“Wow.”

—

Anyway, since the Bayern-Class managed to survive without being sunk, I moved it to the center of the fleet, celebrating its survival, and decided to leave the event base’s defense solely to the base itself.

Well, more accurately, I deployed some patrol ships to counter any potential enemy fleet attacks.

Now, following Habarovsk’s detection, we began a full-scale advance toward the anchorage and Anatoria.

—