Chapter 74

“U-ryaaaat!!”

With a fierce cry, Freya’s fist thrusts forward.

Mana compressed to its limit and her body’s enhanced abilities combine, unleashing an overwhelming shockwave as it collides with the cruiser’s window.

Kwaang!!

With a resounding boom, the large window shatters and flies into the command bridge.

Simultaneously, a third-generation armored suit designated as Chief Unit approaches Freya’s side.

[Commander, are you sure you’ll be alright alone?]

“Yeah, don’t worry, follow Edu’s instructions.”

Clenching her fist, Freya replies.

Having confirmed her intentions, Chief Unit hesitates briefly before gesturing to the subordinates and issuing orders.

[We’re going in according to plan towards the arsenal!]

[Understood!]

The armored suits soar through the air.

With a thunderous roar, the accelerated armored suits vanish into the distance.

“Hmm, shall we begin then?”

Loosening up, Freya swiftly leaps into the command bridge.

“That, it’s an enemy!”

The hidden alien’s voice.

He aims a small self-defense weapon.

“Where?”

Freya’s left hand shoots forward like a bullet.

Her clenched fist strikes the alien.

Kwaang!

With a dull thud, the alien’s head bursts like a watermelon.

Thump.

The remaining body collapses to the ground.

“Hi, hiiik?!”

“Wha, she shattered his head with her bare hands?”

The aliens are horrified.

“Ma, stop them! Stop the intruder!”

One alien raises his voice.

Freya notices that his outfit is more elaborate than the others.

Is he the captain of this ship?

Having memorized his appearance, Freya charges towards another alien.

“U, uuaa!!”

The alien soldier raises both arms in a defensive stance.

But this was a foolish move.

“Haaat!”

Booming sound.

“Kueek?!”

An impact that shouldn’t be possible from a mere punch.

The alien with a broken arm is flung to the corner of the bridge.

Thud!

“Kraaak?!”

Kraack!

“Khuff!!”

Freya systematically eliminates the aliens as they move.

Her merciless fist strikes against the aliens.

Thud, Crackle! Snap!

“Uaaaaaah?!”

Kraat!

Freya’s left fist pierces through the torso of the alien.

Even though they are unarmed, her punch easily penetrates the body of a species known for its exoskeleton, and the faces of all the aliens in the bridge grow pale.

Freya glares at the enemies.

“So, is there anyone else who wants to attack?”

…

“Commander, we’ve received a message from Armored Suit Squad Number 2!”

“Yes, please share it.”

“Mission completed, the gift was delivered without issue. We’re moving on to the next task, that’s all!”

The communication soldier nods.

“The report states that Armored Suit Squad Number 1, where the President is, has also succeeded!”

The subsequent report follows.

Good, everything is going as planned.

Here, “gift” refers to Ryuze and Freya.

By drawing the enemy’s attention here, the bold plan involves using hidden armored suits in the city to send the strongest force to seize control of the enemy’s command bridge.

There is some risk, but if it succeeds, it is an extremely powerful strategy, effectively wiping out more than half of the enemy cruiser fleet in one fell swoop.

The Ustansha are a military force with a command system.

With their communication cut and their head gone, they would be unable to mount an effective response.

In fact, allowing the enemies to act as they please was all part of this grand plan.

“How about the plan, and those enemies who entered the arsenal?”

“The 3rd Armored Platoon is dealing with them. It may take some time, but we should deal with them soon.”

“Alright, then let’s get started?”

“Understood, Commander.”

There is only one cruiser left from the enemy fleet.

Now is the time to deal with that ship.

…

At the same time.

The Nudellan, a cruiser belonging to the Cruiser Fleet.

“What? What is happening out there?”

The alien captain, who has a face resembling a praying mantis, rises from his chair and raises his voice.

The sound of explosions and various noises carried by the external sound devices echo through the command bridge.

This indicates that combat is currently occurring in this airspace.

“I don’t know, we can’t establish any communication!”

Even in this urgent situation, the first officer is giving vague answers.

He was said to be the son of some high-ranking official in the empire.

Thanks to his connections, he reached the rank of first officer, but is utterly incompetent in critical situations.

“You idiot! Are the external monitoring devices for decoration?! Use them and assess the situation. Now!!”

“A, understood!”

After being reprimanded, the first officer hurriedly operates the equipment.

His inexplicable salute beforehand was an added bonus.

“Tsk.”

The captain clicking his tongue.

At that moment, another soldier’s cry echoes.

“H, Captain!”

“What is it now?”

“G, the destroyer is turning towards us!”

“What?!”

The holographic screen appearing on the front of the bridge shows the destroyer, which had been standing still, pointing its bow towards this direction, with its forward-focused cannons activating.

The appearance suggests that it is about to fire at any moment, prompting the captain to urgently shout.

“S, damn it! Activate the starboard side barrier! Right now!!”

“Understood! Barrier activation. Starboard-”

“Just turn it on!!!”

In the blink of an eye.

All the cannons of the destroyer unleash their fire.

Pajijijich-

A large beam cannon piercing the air while emitting the sound of flowing current.

Kaaangkangkangkangkang!

Heavy-caliber rapid-fire cannons unleash consecutive streams of fire, creating streaks of bullets.

Kuguuuung-!!

“Kraaaak?!”

“Uaaaa!”

Everyone on the bridge hits the deck due to the intense shockwaves hitting the ship.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

The rolling captain collides his head with a bridge structure.

Even hitting his armored area induces a numbing sensation.

This alone demonstrates how powerful the shock was.

“S, damn it…!”

The captain, rubbing his forehead, rises.

“Activate the barrier and assess the damage situation!”

“A, understood! Barrier activation!”

The first officer repeats the order, and the soldiers who had been rolling around stand up.

Soldiers sitting in chairs and fastening belts.

The faces of the soldiers rapidly operating the equipment turn pale.

“H, Captain…!”

“What now!”

“The external barrier generator has been hit! We cannot use the barrier!”

“What…?”

Was the barrier generator struck by the previous attack?

But how…?

“It’s impossible! Such precision should not be possible unless they were deliberately aiming for it-”

Kwaarrrang-!!

“Kaarrk?!”

Another powerful shockwave hits the ship.

With the barrage of gunfire, the emergency lights on the bridge flicker.

The ominous reddish glow spreads around.

“Damn it… engage with the side batteries and lower main guns! While we turn the hull!!”

The captain shouts.

The Third Interstellar Voyage Fleet specializes in maneuver warfare and descent operations.

Because of this, all the ships in its fleet have their firepower concentrated at the front.

We lost the bow advantage, but this is a cruiser and the opponent is just a destroyer.

Our overall firepower and defensive capabilities are superior.

“Understood! Turn, turn the ship!”

“Side batteries and lower main guns, move! Intercept-”

The soldier’s voice stops.

His head turns sharply towards the captain, his face clouded with despair.

“H, Captain!!”

“What is it again!!”

“The lower main gun is completely destroyed!”

“What?!”

The external barrier generator was hit initially, now the lower main gun?

Finally, the captain realizes that something unusual is happening.

The destroyer’s bombardment seems to carefully remove our priorities step by step.

‘How…?’

Even if that Toric guy betrayed us, he’s the captain of a destroyer.

Access to the detailed structure and equipment positions of cruisers would be restricted to Admirals of each fleet.

Yet their bombardments have been shockingly accurate in targeting our weaknesses.

Could they possibly know the design of our ships?

Kuguguuuung-!!

“Krhack!”

Yet another severe impact shakes the thinking ship.

“Starboard main gun destroyed! Main gun efficiency reduced to 40%! Captain!”

Continuously decreasing options.

Thus, even though the cruiser faces the destroyer, it no longer has any remaining armament.

“Haha… ”

The captain lets out a hollow laugh.

A destroyer, essentially the weakest scout ship in the fleet.

Yet to the current captain, the sight of the destroyer appears more terrifying than anything else.

“Aah…”

The sighing soldiers.

Then, the hologram on the bridge crackles and displays on the screen.

A similar layout of surrounding structures and captain’s chair as ours.

Even without any detailed explanation, it’s clear that the location of this video is the destroyer.

And sitting on that captain’s chair, an odd female creature.

Her long, silver hair flowing over a frail body, yet giving off an ominous feeling.

And, its face morphs.

Not sure exactly, but it must be grinning at us, mocking us.

[Do you intend to continue?]

“…”

A clear provocation.

However, the means of combat on our side have all been destroyed, leaving us essentially unarmed.

“…How did you know the information about our ships?”

The captain, holding out for a final resistance as if not losing, if only that weren’t the case.

But the silver-haired creature only slightly tilts its head, returning to its normal expression.

[I’m not going to answer that, am I?]

“…Our other ships remain!”

[Ah, but those were already taken care of yesterday evening.]

Two videos appear in the corner of the screen.

There are views of the bridges of the other ships alongside captured captains and soldiers.

[If you wish to continue, that’s fine with us.]

Fizz, Paajijich-

The main guns of the destroyer again emit blue light, ready to fire at any time.

“…”

Seeing that, the captain ultimately lowers his head.

“Surrender…I do.”

[You’ve made the right decision. Please disarm all weapons and gather at the dock. You know what will happen if you make any unusual moves.]

“…Understood.”

[Then.]

Suddenly, the video disappears and silence envelops the bridge.

“Haa…”

The captain exhales a deep sigh.

Attaching his hand to his waist, he removes the defensive weapon from his pocket and throws it onto the floor.

…

“Huh.”

Letting out a sigh, the captain leans back against his seat.

A situation that somehow worked out nicely.

Starting the bombardment by targeting the side of the cruiser was so nerve-wracking that cold sweat poured out, but the help of competent gunners and the crew was significant.

‘Even a single missed shot would have been dangerous…?’

Thinking so, at that moment.

The strongest force of ours who single-handedly invaded the bridge of two cruisers enters the bridge.

“Ah, you’ve come? You both have worked very hard, thank you.”

A relaxed tone slips through with the easing tension.

Freya comes closer, smiling, and presses her hand gently onto my head.

“Yeah, Edu has also worked hard! You did catch a cruiser with a destroyer, right?”

“It’s all thanks to the members. Well.”

“No, Edu eventually issued the orders, didn’t you? Even capable subordinates cannot function without an effective commander.”

“Yes, Freya’s words are correct. One should take pride in one’s own accomplishments.”

“Ne… ”

An atmosphere so peaceful that it’s hard to believe a life-and-death battle just occurred moments ago.

“By the way, how much damage did our forces sustain?”

“Only minor damages to a few armored suits.”

“O-”

Even using the element of surprise, no damages at all?

I can’t help but smile.

“O? Edu did a great job!”

Cuddling, cuddling.

Freya’s hand pets my head wildly. Then, Ryuji’s hand rests on top of my head.

“Um, yeah. You… did well.”

The height of the captain’s chair makes him raise his heels and move his hand with difficulty.

Thinking of getting down at that moment, a sudden cry interrupts.

“Um? Commander!”

“What is it?”

“There is a large reaction approaching us at high speed!”

“Hmm?”

A large response approaching us at high speed?

Could they have sent more forces in addition to the cruisers?

“Can we confirm with the visuals?”

“I’ll attempt it!”

Following the orders, one of the members swiftly operates the equipment.

Eventually, a hologram screen appears in the center of the bridge.

A golden mass crosses the desert swept by sandstorms heading towards us.

It was hard to make out the exact form due to the great distance, but a few features catch the eye.

A slightly slanted frontal part, unusually large engines, and a bridge protruding upwards.

Assembling all these features in my mind, the image of a particular ship comes to mind.

“Huh?”

An involuntary sound escapes me.

“Edu, why the expression?”

“That’s… it’s a battleship, right?”

The Trügget-class assault battleship, the main battleship of the Third Interstellar Voyage Fleet, is heading this way.