Chapter 102 Sea Of Devastation
The Ortria Kingdom has most of its territory as land, with very little coastline.
Therefore, while the knights who fight on land are strong, the navy is said to be almost non-existent.
"In other words, that means we are no match for the glorious Imperial Navy."
As he spoke these brave words, Gregorius, Admiral of the Bezelus Empire's Third Fleet, turned his gaze toward the enemy ships retreating ahead, plumes of black smoke rising from them.
The Ortria Navy fought valiantly, but fundamentally lacked numbers and had only minimal combat experience against pirates, so they inevitably fell behind.
No, even if their experience had been equal, they wouldn't have stood a chance.
With only old-fashioned sailing ships, Ortria couldn't possibly sink Bezelus's "battleships."
Now, the only remaining enemy is the flagship, which is struggling to support the retreat of the damaged ships.
"Pursue them. Don't let a single lifeboat escape."
However, Gregorius had no intention of stopping with just sinking the flagship.
In the empire that worships results over process, "military achievements" are valued more than gold.
There's no need to compare whether "one flagship sunk, the enemy fleet in disarray" is better or "the entire enemy fleet sunk"──it's obvious which is superior as an achievement.
Pleading for mercy or the ethics of being human have no meaning on the battlefield.
All that matters is to trample everything underfoot as desire dictates, devouring it all.
"We've won. I'm annoyed that the army took the main attack role, but this should satisfy His Majesty as well."
From here on, the bonus stage begins, where he can get more rewards just by shooting the backs of fleeing enemies.
To his eyes, the Ortria warships and the people who had escaped looked like nothing more than treasure ships, and even though he knew it was indecent, he felt like licking his lips.
That's why the report from the captain was such a shock that it turned the world upside down.
"Admiral! From the 4 o'clock direction, there are many ships! They are approaching us! "
"What?! Which ship is this?!"
"The flag they are flying bears the crest of a jet-black lion...! It seems to be the fleet of Divine Beast Euphemia!!"
"What!?"
Why, Euphemia is here now.
In response to his question, international communication by light flickered from the approaching fleet of Gregorius and the others.
"'We are Euphemia, following our duty, to aid Ortria. The Empire will return to its homeland'... it seems."
"Tch... those beastly creatures are underestimating us!!"
In Euphemia, which is mostly covered by dangerous areas infested with monsters, the only way to survive is to find a way through the sea...
As a result, it's heard that their navy is strong compared to Ortria.
However, that navy is ultimately just an inferior species that can't use magic.
Though there are some magic tools that can be somewhat used regardless of one's magical aptitude, they can't achieve the high firepower needed for fleet battles.
In contrast, the Imperial Navy has been modernized through superior magic and magic tool technology, having maneuverability and firepower that set it apart from the old generation of sailing ships.
No matter how you looked at it, an outdated navy that still relies on sails to catch the wind was irrelevant──or so he thought.
"...What is it?"
However, Gregorius's thought was half right and half wrong.
Indeed, the warships of Euphemia were old-fashioned compared to those of the Empire, and in a direct clash, the Empire would have the overwhelming advantage.
However, the "fleet battles" in Euphemia were not about the artillery exchanges that Gregorius imagined.
The red tiger warriors, launched from large cannons, tore through the sky from afar and descended.
"Whoa!?"
"W-what!? What's happening... ah!?"
Screams began to ring out one after another from one of the ships surrounding Gregorius.
That's to be expected.
The modernized Imperial Navy never imagined 'a battle like a naval battle between sailing ships, where the two ships would board the other ship and fight to the death'.
Thus, as soon as the resilient Red Tiger warrior directly boarded and began rampaging, the ship was swiftly taken over without anyone knowing how to deal with it.
"Wha, are you saying they can launch people like cannonballs and board the enemy's ship directly!? That's just insane! What will they do if they miss their aim!?"
"A-Admiral!"
"What!?"
"Am I... seeing things? A beastman is running on the surface of the sea..."
"What!?"
Confused and pointing in the direction indicated, Gregorius turned his face, his eyes widening again.
It's true, they are running.
Beastmen with red hair and tiger traits are coming from all directions.
"Board them!!"
"These guys are amateurs in hand-to-hand combat!! No need to hold back, just beat them down!!"
Using the strong bodies of the Red Tiger clan, they are launching human projectiles from a distance.
Even if they miss, they can still run across the surface of the sea and board from a certain distance.
Even when they tried to intercept, targeting tiny humans that weren't even ships from aboard was something totally unexpected, resulting in a painfully slow response.
And, seizing upon that chaos, something unusual was happening in the "sky" as well.
"Admiral!! It's not just the tigers, from the sky... bird beastmen are dropping comrades from above!!"
Beastmen with silver wings, the Silver Bird clan.
While fighting the Red Tigers, they brought along the Grey Bears' warriors.
They are a group of people who boast of their strength and are tougher than the Red Tigers, but they cannot move quickly and dexterously like the Red Tigers, such as running on the surface of the sea.
Therefore, with the help of Silver Bird, who has high flying ability, they boarded the enemy ship as a backup.
"Hmm, Lygar. There's hardly any prey left. Aren't you being a bit too violent?"
"You're late, Sigma! There's still plenty of prey around, go away!"
"Oh dear...Hey, Silla. Carry it again."
"I'm the one who wants to say 'Oh dear!' You're heavy, so please keep your movements to a minimum! "
Amid the screams, the beastmen's exchange seems to have no problem.
Gregorius looked up to the sky at the fact that his proud fleet was being so one-sidedly ravaged.
"Hahaha... So this is what a fleet battle looks like for a race that can't even use magic? This... this is what it's come to...!!"
They ran across the sea, flew through the sky, and directly boarded to beat them down.
The sea battle unique to beastmen seemed to completely deny the advancements in technology and the know-how that had been built up until now.
Before such an overwhelming threat, Gregorius forgot to give orders to his subordinates and could only lament.
"What now...?"
As he pondered this, a single ship approached in front of his vessel.
Confused by its motion as if it intended to collide, despite its lack of attacking means, a massive magic circle appeared from the ship directly in front.
"Wha...!? All personnel, abandon ship!! Abandon ship───!!"
The moment he realized that this was a sign of magic activation intended for an attack, Gregorius was shouting.
But as if to drown out his last order, someone sounded like a scream.
"That ship is the flagship, isn't it? Then sinking it should end everything. ──(Catastrophe Nova), activate!"
The flames signaling destruction swept across the sea.
Thus, the third fleet led by Gregorius, which was sent to carry out a flanking assault on the Ortria Kingdom, completely vanished from the sea.
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