Deadlock

"Enemy fleet is retreating in response to the shield fleet's advance."

Isaac glares at the monitor as he receives the operator's report.

"Strange... "

"Yes, it's an unprecedented pattern. Could they be afraid of being caught in the shield fleet's self-destruct?"

The副官 standing beside him wears a puzzled expression.

"Has there been any sign of that electronic warship yet?"

"Yes, for now. There are no signs of jamming signals either."

Of course, the enemy wouldn't repeat the same tactic multiple times, but the situation was clearly different from before.

In light of this, Isaac suddenly realized one possibility.

"Advance the forward fleet, close the distance with the enemy main fleet, and begin attacks as soon as we're within range. It doesn't matter if we miss—just launch assaults regardless."

"But won't the enemy realize our deception then?"

"Doesn't matter!...Probably, the enemy is the same way."

"Understood. Frontline destroyer squadron, disengage camouflage and increase speed—attack the enemy fleet!"

The destroyer squadron disguised as a shield fleet closed the distance with the Aknelia fleet and opened simultaneous broadside fire.

"Frontline destroyer squadron's attack, ineffective!"

Isaac's eyes sharpened at the operator's report.

"Any counterattack from the enemy fleet?"

"Counterattack... none."

There was no doubt.

Isaac's speculation had solidified into certainty.

【Nightmare】

"...Did they figure it out?"

Shin nosuke mutters on the Nightmare's bridge.

"Yes, they've likely noticed."

Shin nosuke's expression grows tense upon hearing Marks' reply.

"This is getting serious....What about our allied fleet?"

"Given that there's been no response so far, they're probably delayed in arriving."

Shin nosuke lets out a sigh.

"Timekeeping should be fundamental to any military force... Well then, what should we do now..."

"It's serious. The enemy's forward fleet appears to be disguised as a destroyer squadron posing as a prisoner convoy. If we reveal our ruse here, we risk being surrounded."

The enemy's gunfire has already reached areas where it shouldn't be able to—near the Nightmare region.

It seemed like random gunfire, but this time the enemy was one step ahead.

"Admiral Isaac—calm, cunning, and an excellent fleet commander. There's no way I could possibly match up to someone like him."

If our intentions become apparent, the enemy will surely anticipate our electronic warfare and take countermeasures. If we're detected by an agile destroyer using optical cameras instead of radar and locked onto, we won't be able to escape. Evading eighty pursuers without radar lock—using visual manual targeting alone—is nearly impossible. However, we still have a little distance to go, so we can still escape now.

In reality, the Nightmares were not hiding in the space between the enemy's vanguard fleet and main force, but rather at the core of the enemy's vanguard destroyer fleet, which was pursuing the Aknelia Sixth Fleet.

Around the Nightmares, not a single friendly vessel existed.

Thanks to the Nightmares' electronic deception, hundreds of ships were reflected on the enemy's radar.

The plan had been to lure the enemy's advance fleet toward the Nightmare decoy fleet, while the Sixth Fleet struck the enemy main force from behind—but the Sixth Fleet's arrival was delayed.

"Even though the main force's arrival is delayed, we still have our assigned mission. We can't just abandon the operation and retreat on our own. We can't let the enemy learn our position, so we can't launch a counterattack from here either. We'll maintain our current stance while gradually increasing our retreat speed to adapt."

"Understood."

No matter how meticulously a battle plan is devised, unforeseen circumstances inevitably arise. Shinnosuke had accounted for such possibilities in his actions, but if the delay were merely due to the fleet's late arrival, that would be manageable. However, if the fleet fails to arrive altogether, Shinnosuke's options for survival become severely limited.

"What is the maximum acceptable time for the fleet's arrival?"

"We've already exceeded the limit, but the absolute maximum is four minutes."

"Four minutes is too short... There's no choice, I'll hold on for four more minutes. If the fleet doesn't arrive by then, we'll activate contingency plan B."

"Understood. We've already spent time talking, so we actually have only three minutes and twenty-eight seconds left."

"If you're going to be that precise, there's no end to it!... Roughly three minutes!"

Shin nosuke maintained a steady distance from the destroyer fleet, which was steadily retreating while he pursued.

The distance was just right—too far to be captured by optical equipment, yet too close to give up tracking.

"Master, the enemy fleet is spreading out to the left and right. They appear to be attempting to surround us. Two minutes and twenty seconds remaining until maximum tolerance limit."

"Understood. What about the enemy main force's movements?"

Though slower than the leading destroyer squadron, the enemy main force has also begun advancing. One minute and forty seconds remaining until the limit... Radar anomaly detected. Numerous contacts rapidly approaching from both port and starboard of the enemy main force. It appears the 6th Fleet has arrived. We have entered combat with the enemy main force.

"Good. They're late, but just in time."

Shin nosuke increased their retreat speed further.

"Enemy destroyer fleet is increasing speed and has begun pursuing our vessel."

"Choosing to eliminate this Nightmare without joining the main force. While it's a nuisance for us, it's a wise decision."

There's no point in maintaining the fleet's disguise anymore.

Continuing electronic deception would limit the Nightmare's attack options and tactics.

"Disengage electronic camouflage! Battle stations!"

"It's dangerous, Master, but it's a reasonable decision, even if not the best one."

Nightmare had fulfilled its role in this operation, yet still found itself in the midst of peril.