032 Idol Arc 8: Simulation Tournament 4

Railgun. A mass projection weapon utilizing electromagnetic induction.

Its destructive power varies based on the speed of electromagnetic induction and the mass of the projectile.

Even if the projectile is large, a light weight reduces its power; conversely, a small projectile with high mass increases its power.

It's not the apparent size of the projectile that determines its power—but the projectile's actual mass.

Likewise, even if the projectile is heavy, slow speed reduces its power; a light projectile with high speed increases its power.

A bullet from a firearm is small and light, but because it's fired at high speed by gunpowder, it remains deadly.

A person throwing such a bullet can't achieve that kind of power—maybe just leave a faint mark.

But if a person threw a heavy iron array at the same speed? The person hit might not survive.

A small meteorite hurtling through space at hypersonic speed can create a massive crater upon impact—same logic applies.

This is the correlation between destructive force and velocity, mass.

The same principle governs Railgun performance.

The faster the velocity achieved via electromagnetic induction, the greater the power, even with a small bore.

But if velocity is the same, a larger bore means greater destructive power.

Same velocity? Then heavier projectiles yield more power than larger bores.

In the world of SFO, Railguns are rated by four performance factors: barrel length, electromagnetic induction strength, bore diameter, and projectile type.

Longer barrel = greater electromagnetic acceleration, faster velocity.

Greater electromagnetic induction strength = higher acceleration, faster velocity.

Larger bore diameter = greater projectile mass.

Heavier rounds by type mean greater projectile mass.

So, in short: long barrel, high power, large bore, and especially heavy ammunition? That’s a guaranteed high-impact weapon.

The large-caliber railguns mounted on battleships were precisely that ultimate weapon.

Some ammunition types actually contribute to acceleration and boost their own power.

Like projectiles that ionize to become easier to electromagnetically accelerate, or self-propelled flying bodies.

In the SFo universe, the standard ammunition is ion-accelerated. The flying-body type isn’t used much—it’s mostly missiles that win out in guidance efficiency.

Another type in use is the heavy, specialized round.

Simulation tournament, beginner class, three-ship division, finals.

Only Rio’s ammo count had dropped. No damage to us at all. Pretty good condition, actually.

Enemy fleet’s name seems to be "Thunderclap."

『AKIRA』

Ship Class Fleet Command Vessel (Flagship)

Hull Length: 212m High-Speed Cruiser Type, Two Arms

Main Engine: Anti-Destruction Reactor Model G High-Speed Propulsion Unit D Type

Armament Main Gun: 5cm Long Barrel Railgun Single Mount 1 Unit 1 Barrel Standard Ammo: 50 (Remaining) / 50 (Max) Special Ammo (G-Bullet): 20 (Remaining) / 20 (Max)

Secondary Gun: None

Anti-Space Cannon: 10cm Laser Single Mount 4 Units 4 Barrels

Missile Launcher Pod: Standard Model D 2 Units 2 Barrels Max Ammunition: 4 × 2 Missile Remaining: 8

Defense: Beam-Resistant Coating Special Steel Armor Plating

Kinetic-Beam Shield Type E 1

Stasis Field (Barrier) Type D

Electronic Equipment Anti-Ship Radar Type S Wide-Area Communication Device Type S Tactical Weapon Integration Control System Type S

Empty Energy Slot 6

Status Good

『RIO (Rio)』

Ship Class Assault Vessel

Hull Length 230m Cruiser-Type, 2 Arms

Main Engine Thermonuclear Reactor Type D, High-Speed Propulsion Unit Type F

Armament Main Gun Long Barrel 20cm Railgun Single Mount 1 Unit 1 Barrel, Standard Ammo 67 (Remaining) / 80 (Max)

Secondary Gun 15cm Particle Beam Cannon Twin Mount 2 Units 4 Barrels

Anti-Space Cannon 10cm Laser Single Mount 6 Units 6 Barrels

Missile Launcher Pod Type E Standard 4 Units 4 Barrels, Max Ammo 2×4, Missile Remaining 8

Defense Beam-Resistant Coating Special Steel Armor Plating

Kinetic Resistance Shield Type D 1

Stasis Field (Barrier) Type E

Electronic Equipment Anti-Ship Radar Type E, Communication Device Type E

Empty Energy Slot 0

Status Good

『NPC Ship Type D』

Ship Class Destroyer

Hull Length: 100m, Destroyer-class, two arms

Main Reactor: Fission Core Type G, Standard Thruster Type B

Armament Main Gun 12cm Railgun Single Mount 1 Unit 1 Barrel Standard Ammo 40 (Ammo Remaining) / 40 (Maximum)

Secondary Gun 10cm Particle Beam Cannon Single Mount 2 Units 2 Guns

Anti-Space Cannon 5cm Laser Single Mount x2, 2 Guns

Missile Launcher Pod Type D Standard x3, 3 mounts, max ammo 4×3, missile remaining 9

Defense, Resistant to Solid Projectile Special Steel Plating

Type E Beam Shield, Impact-Resistant, Model 1

Stasis Field (Barrier) Type G

Electronic Equipment Anti-Ship Radar G-Type Communications Unit G-Type

Empty Energy Slot 0

Status Good

The final. Win this, and I get a hundred thousand G in prize money—and my fleet rank jumps to F.

Grab the icons for 'AKIRA', 'RIO (Rio)', and 'NPC Ship Type D' on the VR screen and slam them into place to confirm.

Combat zone randomly set to "Gravitational Anomaly Zone."

Long-range shooting's a nightmare here—but I found a fix during the semifinals.

Ready. Waiting for match start time.

Numbers appear before me. Countdown begins.

At zero, the scene shifts instantly—space opens up before my eyes.

Should’ve included a launch-from-hangar cutscene.

Alright, final match starts now.

Engage radar.

"Big! Big one!"

A massive vessel appears on the radar. One kilometer-class?

Hastily boot up the Tactical Weapon Integration Control System and link with my wingman.

In an instant—enemy giant fires!

RIO goes down from a single hit.

"Why the hell do we even have battleships?!"

Dodge frantically—human reflexes would pattern the motion, so I let the Sub-Computer randomize the evasion.

Use the gravity anomaly spots as shields, simultaneously.

"Fire all missiles! Just dazzle them!"

Buy myself a few seconds.

NPC Ship Type D fires three bursts of three—nine total.

My Personal Ship fires two bursts of four—eight total.

All remaining missile reloads are expended.

Missiles streak toward the Thunder Fleet.

The remaining two Thunder Fleet ships fan out to the left and right of the enemy battleship, deploying an anti-space defense barrage.

They’re clearly anti-space specialized.

(Not gonna make it through that barrage—no way.)

Alright, no heavy weapons left to damage the enemy.

Railgun’s only a 5cm pea shooter.

Fire the railgun as a show of force—just to intimidate.

Even an NPC ship class D packs a 12cm Railgun.

More reliable than my Personal Ship.

Fortunately, the enemy battleship’s trying to dodge the railgun.

They haven’t noticed me firing the pea shooter.

The evasive maneuver kept the enemy battleship from locking on.

The railgun’s ammo is dwindling before my eyes.

That’s when the misfortune struck.

My Personal Ship’s Railgun scored a direct hit on the enemy battleship.

The bean cannon couldn't even damage the enemy battleship's Stasis Field.

The enemy warship, noticing that, stopped its evasive maneuvers.

The enemy battleship carefully aligns its targeting system, using fire-control assistance.

Fired the Railgun. The large-caliber round hurtled toward my Personal Ship.

Just when I thought it was over, an NPC Ship Type D cut in front of me—shielded me.

NPC Ship Type D went down. Now I’m truly alone.

(Thanks… NPC Ship Type D. I won’t forget you. Though, you’re one of a hundred—can’t tell you apart from the rest…)

The only weakness of a large-caliber Railgun is the energy required to fire it.

That energy must come from a massive reactor—only large warships are allowed to carry one.

But even warships can’t just carry the top-tier reactors.

So depending on what reactor’s installed, there’s gotta be a delay before the next shot—some lag time.

(Think fast! Enemy warship’s next shot—me!)

The enemy’s projectile is big. Volume means more mass.

More mass means it’s easier to catch in a gravity well.

The bullet, finely controlled by the targeting compensator, veers off course with even the slightest misalignment.

Which means... even my Personal Ship’s pea shooter might just nudge the enemy projectile’s trajectory—if I get it right.

One aiming point. Just as the bullet passes by the gravity anomaly spot, I redirect the enemy’s course toward it.

Plan set. I halted my ship’s evasive maneuvers to focus on delicate aiming.

Enemy warship fires its large-caliber railgun.

I calculate the enemy bullet’s path backward and fire the pea shooter.

Intercept successful. The enemy projectile veers sharply under the influence of the gravity anomaly spot.

Good. But I’m stuck—gotta figure out how to actually attack back.

Continuing this high-wire act for a few more rounds.

The enemy warship slowly begins to shift its position, avoiding the gravity anomaly spot.

The enemy must’ve noticed the trick with the railgun’s trajectory shifting.

I adjust my position relative to the enemy warship, weaving to keep the gravity anomaly spot between us.

If this keeps going, we’re done for.

Midway through this exchange, I finally run out of standard railgun rounds.

Game over. All options exhausted. If there’s anything left to try, it’s a Hail Mary with the special ammo.

I’m too far gone to care anymore. I just fire off the mysterious special round.

(If this doesn’t work, I’m surrendering.)

I align the Long Barrel 5cm Railgun with the firing correction device, targeting the enemy warship.

“Special round fired!”

The two guide rails (rails) of the railgun surge with electromagnetic force, sparking violently.

Between them, the rear of the projectile—plasma-ionized—begins accelerating.

The small projectile, accelerated to extreme speed, reaches the enemy battleship in an instant despite the gravitational anomaly—then unleashes its energy.

The targeting system spikes in alarm—gravity readings jumping off the scale.

That projectile? A G (Gravity) Bullet.

Even small, it manifests hyper-mass in an instant—a gravity weapon.

Speed. Mass. The contained energy strikes the enemy battleship dead-on.

The enemy vessel is torn straight through—shield and all—crumpling inward.

Then, a massive explosion. Pulls in nearby allied ships that had closed in for anti-space defense—causing significant damage.

Emergency transmission from the enemy vessel.

『W-Wait! We surrender!!』

『Thunder Fleet surrenders. Match concluded. Congratulations. Akira Fleet is the victor.』

System voice echoes. The image before me snaps back to the entry arena.

"Shit! Holy shit! Who the hell uses gravity bombs like that!?!"

My Personal Ship's main cannon is just a pea shooter—yet it still pulled off a monster move.

I'm gonna hide that special ammo under the excuse it only works in the neural space.

Or better yet, just stop using it entirely—except in real combat, or emergencies.

An avatar of the guild staff appears before me.

"Congratulations. Prize money: 130,000 G. Paid via wristband." *Ching♪*—sound effect.

"No entry fee. NPC ship rental fee is..."

"Wha—?!"

"Data. So zero."

"Cut the scare tactic, will you..."

Anyway, this is my first win in a simulation match.

The match footage's also being streamed—extra pocket money’s coming.

Turns out gravity fields depend not on mass, but on volume. Size matters.