| 022 | Ensuing Naval Engagement

Amidst the naval battle ongoing in the rough waters of the high seas, the Alpha Task Force plunged through the vicious confrontation at high speed, dodging wreckage and the escort vessels behind it.

*BOOM!!!*

An explosion resounded throughout the area as the crimson flames were consumed by a cloud of black smoke. The ruthless tide reverberated while the shock wave broke the rowdy water.

Not wanting to be destroyed by a frontal skirmish against the metallic warship, the War masters were prompted to change their strategies and present their broadside. 

*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*

They followed with their cannons and began firing them at the metallic warship. Each salvo caused their ships to tremble, but they didn't bother and kept firing.

Meanwhile, the Marines held tightly to their zodiacs, unconsciously praying to not get hit by some random cannonball. 

"Hold on!" Campbell muttered while leading the charge into the enemy's zone of influence. His Marines merely nodded and continued to set their sights on the Tango.

Speaking of the Tango, the Pinguis Arca continued its escape while the metallic warship and the escort vessels duked it out. An understandable action in the heat of battle.

Though… The crew of the Pinguis Arca watched the naval battle as if they were looking at a once-in-a-lifetime entertainment show. Which might be true, after all, who knows whether they'll be able to leave and survive the contact.

But they seemed to be ignorant of their situation, especially when the escort vessels were barely holding on against the firepower of the metallic warship.

"Hahaha, Get them!"

"Who wants to place their bets!?"

"I bet for our fellow escort vessels, kikikiki~"

"I'll go with the opposite, who knows… Maybe I can hit a jackpot!"

Their words resounded throughout the deck. However, their captain was nowhere to be seen with them. It appears he wasn't in the mood to celebrate the arrival of their reinforcements.

In the cabin of Pinguis Arca, Captain Crassus sat on his luxurious chair made from golden threads with a serious expression. Before him was the esteemed magus.

"What are your opinions about the battle?" Crassus asked the magus who was observing the engagement with a frown.

As a believer in magical supremacy, the naval battle was tarnishing the magus's belief. He wanted the metallic warship to be easily dominated by their magical capabilities.

But none of their attack spells seemed to be working. 

Upon hearing the question of Crassus, the magus raised an eyebrow and soon sighed. He shook his head and responded quite honestly to his employer.

"They are fated to lose."

Crassus felt hope dawning upon him after the magus responded, but he then realized the grave expression of the magus. His body trembled as he hesitantly asked for affirmation. 

"The metallic warship, right? Please tell me, Esteemed Magus."

"Our reinforcements are losing the naval engagement. I'm sure they already realized it and understood that there was no hope for them retreating."

"It looks like the technology of our adversaries is quite advanced, even by the standards of our Europa. After this battle, the influence of Europa will probably take a hit."

The magus remarked while staring at the horizon through the window. Tumultuous times would be ahead of them, and perhaps the only thing they could do was prepare for it.

"That's right… I doubt that the kingdoms and empires of Europa will be willing to let this be. The viceroy might also react violently with his escort vessels sunk in the ocean."

Crassus silently thought that his mere merchant ship might be the ignition of a large war. It made him feel excited and arrogant despite the fear encroaching on his heart. 

"Don't be too excited, Captain Crassus. Are you sure you'll be alive to see whatever you are thinking of?" The magus easily guessed the foolish thoughts of the slave trader.

"Tsk! I'll live!" Crassus clicked his tongue and muttered to the magus. There was always the option of surrendering to their adversaries to save his life.

While the captain of Pinguis Arca and his esteemed magus discussed their fates, Abraham was in the Combat Information Center of the UNS Light Bringer dealing with the troublesome vessels that engaged them. 

"Have the helmsman present our broadside, we need all of our armaments thrown at them!" Abraham ordered, which the communication operators relayed to the bridge.

The UNS Light Bringer swiftly turned and presented its broadside to the escort vessels who had done the same. As such, the 20mm Phalanx CIWS and 25mm Mk 38 machine gun system were free to open fire. 

"Direct the Phalanx CIWS and machine gun systems to our opponents. No need to worry about bullets." Abraham gave another order to his naval personnel.

They nodded in understanding and had the CIWS and machine gun systems open fire at their adversaries in the broadside. 

"CIWS engaging targets! Machine gun systems opening fire!" One of the naval personnel reported and was followed by the thunderous roar of hundreds of leads escaping their barrels.

*BRRRRRRRTTTTT!!!*

*BRRRTTT!!!* *BRRRTTTT!!!*

As thousands of bullets pierced through the air, the barriers of the escort vessels were met with the barrage of leading, bringing about the emergence of hundreds of sparks.

Abraham calmly watched the results of the CIWS and machine gun systems with a scrutinizing gaze. He then realized that the bullets were ineffective as the barrier handled them with ease.

"I guess only the five-inch gun could penetrate them." In all honesty, the barrier and shell of the escort vessels were overpowered. 

If not for the five-inch gun in the front, it would have been problematic for the Fleet Admiral. Though, it wouldn't necessarily make him lose.

After all, he still had dozens of missiles stored in their respective VLS. 

"Hmm… I guess it wouldn't take long before we defeat them." Abraham mumbled while looking at somewhere and nowhere. He was gazing at an invisible digital screen presented by his partner, Systema.

A new sub-mission had emerged when the escort vessels appeared out of nowhere. It wanted him to destroy all four vessels.

●| Naval Action(Sea Surveillance Sub-Mission) |

➤| Several escort vessels have reinforced the slave-trading ship in the high seas. It is within expectations for the United Navy to defeat foreign and hostile warships. The Fleet Admiral must sink their ships to the bottom of the oceanic depths to maintain maritime security in the region. Each escort vessel destroyed by the United Navy is worth 250 Naval Points. Naval Task Reward will be acquired after the engagement. |

In his opinion, the new sub-mission was a lot better than the first one. 250 Naval Points per ship wasn't a bad deal for the middle-aged man.

It was also a lot easier to complete than the hostage rescue mission as it wasn't particularly complicated to do so.

The only thing they needed to do was point their 5-inch gun at a particular ship and bombard it into pieces to obtain 250 Naval Points.

"After this battle, I'll probably have to purchase my first random naval spin," Abraham mentioned since the hostages they'll have to rescue probably numbered over a hundred.

The UNS Light Bringer would probably have a hard time taking care of a hundred rescued hostages, so another warship or ship was needed for transportation.

'I sure hope that it will be a useful one.' The Fleet Admiral wryly smiled and continued watching the ongoing battle through the monitor.

On the contrary, Captain Lux was on the bridge, busy ordering his naval personnel to handle their adversaries. Their broadside maneuver was fairly ineffective as their CIWS and machine gun systems had no effect on their enemies' barriers.

But it didn't hinder much of their capabilities and perhaps made it greater. 

A destroyer fighting a broadside battle against an enemy vessel would mark its captain as an utter failure. But there was nothing they could do about it.

An enemy vessel that teleports near your location was a troublesome one. They were lucky that what appeared weren't battleships. Otherwise, even with the armor of the destroyer.

The UNS Light Bringer would be the one exploding into various pieces.

"Continue firing our gun, let them know the firepower of the United Navy!" While he would have preferred to end things by throwing freedom warheads at these bastards.

*BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!*

Captain Lux understood that it was far from needed.

Even though the barriers of the enemy vessels were surprising, they weren't enough of a threat to use missiles on. Their missiles were also valuable resources as the United Navy hadn't started producing them yet.

*BOOM!!!*

With the barrage of shells from the 5-inch gun, another escort vessel exploded and was slowly sinking into the depths of the ocean. 

The current situation for their adversaries was probably dire. Their enemies had lost two ships, with another being fairly damaged and inoperative.

Only one ship was operational, and the War master manning it understood their undeclared fate. It was clear that they would lose the naval engagement.

The metallic warship was too strong for them and their barriers weren't effective against the warship's gun. They'll probably meet their deaths like the others before them.

"Sir, sailors from other escort ships are asking to be rescued from the sea." A sailor in the last remaining escort vessel reported to his War master.

The War master looked at him with an indifferent gaze and sighed. 

"It doesn't matter whether or not we rescue them. We'll all die anyway… I doubt that the metallic warship is intending to give us mercy, so the only thing we can do is decide how we die."

It was the unfortunate truth for them. And they had to accept it.

"Fire!" 

*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*

In the background, several sailors kept firing their cannons with despairing expressions. It was as if death was creeping into them, and no matter what they did, it kept moving.

"I want to utilize the siren's call." The War master made a dangerous decision, yet it was brought out by his acceptance of their inevitable deaths.

The sailor was confused as to what the War master meant about the siren's call. He only noticed his War master glancing at the devastated escort ship's War master.

The two seemed to be in agreement about something. However, it felt a bit horrifying as their maddened faces etched a crazed expression. It looks like they want their enemy to sink with them.