第９２４堀：航空戦 (Part2)
"I see. So the enemy isn't stupid either. If their targets are scattered, wiping them out all at once is impossible. Still, there are an awful lot of them. 1,200 left, huh?"
"What is the enemy's flight speed?"
"Approximately 50 kilometers per hour. They are no match for a fighter jet. The follow-up force will arrive in two minutes. Please thin out the enemy ranks as much as possible."
"Understood. All units, support Omega 5 and 6. We’re securing the path for the reinforcements."
"Copy that!"
"Aaaahhh!?"
"Hiiieee!?"
It’s strange how you can actually hear human screams through the cockpit. Or perhaps I’m just imagining it because of the expressions I’m seeing... Regardless...
"800 remaining. They aren't falling as quickly as I’d hoped."
"The enemy is scattering and moving in platoon units. With the effective range of our guided missiles, we can only pick them off bit by bit."
Since the enemy had realized the disadvantage of bunching up and had dispersed, our total kill count hadn't risen as sharply as expected.
"If only we could use fuel-air explosives..."
"If we did that, we’d blow away the enemy VIPs along with everything else. The suppression unit, centered around the A-10s, has confirmed arrival in the operational area."
"I have the A-10 unit on radar as well. IFF is functioning normally."
"Even so, it can't distinguish between enemy wyverns and flying mages, so it's just for identifying friendlies."
"We'll just have to have the technical team work on that later. For now, we continue intercepting the flying mages, right?"
"Yes. Please continue attacking the flying mages. In the meantime, the suppression unit will secure the enemy VIPs."
"Understood. Continuing to thin them out."
Still, it’s astonishing that they could put 1,500 troops in the sky within just a few minutes of our assault. The level of training is incredible. Well, they don't need the takeoff and landing sequences that airplanes do, so that makes them faster, but even for this world's military, their movement is exceptional. I’ll need to report this to the General. Then again, the reason this was a night raid was likely because they anticipated this possibility.
"Omega 1, how is the mental state of the pilots?"
"Hm? Oh, you mean because they’re attacking and downing living people?"
"Yes. Yuki-sama was concerned as well. Since this is a one-sided slaughter rather than an equal fight, there might be a psychological burden."
"...So far, none of the pilots have complained. I’ll have to check in with them after we return."
"I see. What about you, Omega 1?"
"I’ve already reconciled it as war. If we don't shoot them down, we’re the ones who get shot down. Target destroyed."
As we talked, I continued to down the flying mages. Or rather, "downing" is a loose term—since I’m essentially mimicking proximity fuses to scatter blast waves and shrapnel over a wide area, those who take a direct hit are reduced to fragments. There are hardly any left falling in one piece. Well, in any case, they wouldn't survive a fall from this altitude regardless.
"More importantly, we’ve only eliminated their aerial forces. Is the suppression unit heading for the VIPs going to be okay? The enemy's proficiency is much higher than we anticipated. Sometimes you can't measure capability by level alone."
"That is impossible to say for sure. However, the airborne troops are elite. They’re diving in without parachutes, and after the A-10s clear the path, AH-64D Apache Longbows will provide continuous support, so I believe they can overcome the numerical disadvantage."
...Ah, so the enemy will be turned into a beehive before the suppression unit even lands. Well, that’s standard for airborne operations—clear the enemy to ensure safety before sending in the soldiers. Usually, this is highly dangerous because a significant number of enemies remain, but...
"All four A-10s have begun bombing. It seems the ammunition replenishment via Item Box is working well; I’ve confirmed over 12 drops each. They’ve successfully carpet-bombed the area, surrounding the enemy headquarters. The suppression unit is dropping in."
It seems that because the enemy was out in the open and had kept their formation so neatly, it was an all-you-can-eat buffet for us. The only remaining concern is the close-quarters combat...
"Report from the observation team. The enemy army has begun to retreat. Or rather, looking at the map, they are scattered—it’s a total rout."
It seems the outcome is decided. Now, we just need to secure the VIPs...
"Report from the suppression unit. Enemy headquarters successfully suppressed. Surakichi-san did it! The mission is a success!"
Good. The enemy couldn't do a thing against Surakichi-san, who is impervious even to bullets.
"Omega unit, please support the withdrawal of the suppression unit."
Now then, it’s not over until we get home. Time to stay sharp.
I tightened my resolve and gripped the control stick firmly. The first battle was won through the fusion of science and magic. Since infinite ammunition was possible, just like in a game, as long as one aircraft was flying, we could keep firing missiles and bombs thanks to the Item Box replenishment. Well, the number of guns is limited, so there’s a cap on how much we can fire at once.
Oh, and John didn't bail out. The name Omega 11 would be ashamed if he had!