Side conversation: Aftermath of the Heaven Hailou Defense Operation

The Tenshin Koudan lost the majority of its vessels in the SU Navy torpedo attack.

Such damage would likely force a military force to retreat in panic.

However, this fleet is owned by a religious organization.

If even one vessel remains, its crew will not hesitate to sacrifice their lives for the cause.

Of course, only the leadership of the Tenshin Koudan thinks this way.

Those who gathered under the banner might, if they assessed the situation calmly, have fled without hesitation.

Yet they have not.

The reason is that the Tenshin Koudan alters the air aboard its ships.

It is a secret drug, specially formulated by the Tenshin Koudan, that turns those who inhale it into puppets—stripping away their judgment and making them respond only to the voice of their leaders.

"Assault! Assault! Target: Heaven Hailou!"

"Ihii! Tarīhō!"

People gathered under the Tenshin Koudan screamed with delirium, charging the ship with ecstatic expressions.

They ignored the explosion of a companion vessel before them, driving their ships at maximum speed with generators at full capacity. They seemed to believe that passing through the wreckage of their own exploded ship would shield them from enemy fire, deflecting shrapnel with their hulls as they pressed forward.

While the people had lost their minds, the leaders of the Tenshin Koudan remained lucid—more precisely, they preserved the warped self-awareness cultivated through the teachings of the Tenshin Koudan.

"Where the spatial jump lands is widely distributed. If even one vessel reaches Heaven Hailou, it is our victory."

"Third Suicide Squadron, jump. Destroyed."

"Good. By responding to the jumped vessels, the pressure of our artillery lessens. Whether the jump succeeds or fails, it serves our purpose. We offer prayers of gratitude for their sacrifice."

"Prayers of gratitude."

The words were a convenient interpretation, yet contained a measure of truth.

As the Tenshin Koudan's leaders had stated, whenever the SU Fleet attempted to shoot down vessels emerging from jump, their attention inevitably lagged behind in dealing with the approaching fleet.

Though they managed to repel the invasion through artillery and torpedo fire, their margin of safety was being eroded steadily.

The Marshal of the S.U. Navy exhausted every available option, yet could only watch the situation unfold with clenched teeth.

"Distance to the third defensive line is minimal!"

"Launch the fighter squadrons. Intercept and destroy the advancing fleet!"

Fighters launched from the capital ship. Equipped with anti-ship ordnance, they accelerated toward the Tenshin Koudan fleet.

The fighters penetrated the barrage of gunfire and released their bombs at the target fleet. They would have preferred to observe the attack's results slowly, but immediate return to the capital ship was necessary for refueling and re-launch.

Through such fighter operations, the Tenshin Koudan fleet was finally halted just short of the third defensive line.

Once momentum is lost, regaining it is nearly impossible.

"From here, it will be one-sided—"

The Supreme Commander of the S.U. Space Force paused to breathe, and realized in the next instant that the pause had been premature.

Suddenly, several vessels of the Tenshin Koudan fleet began purging their outer hulls.

At first glance, the action made no sense.

But upon seeing what emerged from within the hulls, the Supreme Commander understood his mistake.

"Fighters with high-speed modifications. Do they plan to push through from the third defensive line all the way to Heaven Hailou with those?"

As the Supreme Commander recognized the enemy's intent, fighters launched from the vessels whose outer hulls had been stripped away.

A crude fighter, overloaded with propulsion units and fuel tanks. Its appearance resembled a more aggressively assault-oriented version of the kamikaze fighter Dawson had once used.

The craft accelerated to an astonishing degree, reaching twice the speed of a standard fighter in moments. It weaved through the ranks of S.U. Space Force fighters with ease.

The irregular flight path defied what an ordinary person could achieve. But the Tenshin Koudan possessed a secret formula, passed down since Earth's era, that enabled such maneuvers. Among the formulae was one that extended perceived time upon ingestion.

It was this substance that allowed an amateur to perform high-speed movements rivaling those of a professional fighter pilot.

"Shoot down that idiotic enemy fighter! Our own fighters are in the way—can't hit it with barrage fire!"

The marshal regretted deploying the fighter just before the third defensive line.

If the Tenshin Koudan's fighters had launched first and engaged the enemy, they could have been destroyed by coordinated fire from the fleet's gun emplacements and fighter units.

Even as the marshal regretted the decision, the Tenshin Koudan's fighters passed through the SU Space Force's fighters with inhuman precision, eventually penetrating the SU Space Force's fleet formation.

Once inside, the fleet could no longer conduct full gun emplacement attacks without risking fratricide.

Would the Heaven Hailou reach its target?

As the marshal contemplated mission failure, a new report arrived.

"Destroyer Heaven Hailou is in the enemy fighter's path! The vessel appears to have intercepted the enemy fighter with its hull!"

"Intentionally collided with the vessel to intercept it!? Status of damage!?"

"Enemy fighter had no armament of any kind. Only the area struck by the kamikaze sustained damage. Assessment: minor damage."

"Then—damn it, no choice. Order the ship near the fighter's path to block its route with its hull!"

The marshal's order was executed immediately. The fleet adjusted its formation in an irregular pattern.

Large vessels attempted to obstruct the enemy fighters' paths, halting their maneuvers.

The scene resembled a defensive player tackling a running back attempting to evade.

The Tenshin Koudan fighters continuously evaded the walls of emerging vessels.

The pilot controlling the fighter was a novice who had only taken a stimulant to extend perceived time. Forced into a continuous sequence of responses, the pilot eventually made a misjudgment and lost control.

The outcome after that was inevitable—impact with a wall and death.

The marshal exhaled in relief at reports of incoming fighters being successively intercepted by the fleet, then immediately tightened his focus.

"Unacceptable. Cannot afford to relax until the enemy abandons their assault."

A momentary lapse had occurred just moments before, when a high-speed fighter appeared and caused shock.

To maintain composure regardless of what came next, the marshal continued to concentrate on the battle.

Yet that vigilance proved excessive. The Tenshin Koudan fleet was already near collapse and showed no sign of devising any new strategy.

Yet the marshal did not relax his vigilance. Still, it was undeniable that all his focus had been fixed on the Tenshin Koudan.

Therefore, he doubted his ears upon receiving the new report.

"Wait… a distress call has come from the Heaven Hailou direct escort fleet!"

"What? The Tenshin Koudan fleet has not sent a single vessel through!"

"It is not the Tenshin Koudan! Pirates! A large number of space pirates have attacked from another direction!"

"W-what?!"

The marshal had forgotten. The sight of the Tenshin Koudan’s massive fleet had obscured the fact that the S.U. Space Force faced other adversaries besides the Tenshin Koudan.

"Pirates. They knew our attention was fixed on the Tenshin Koudan. They struck from behind our line of sight…"

"Marshal, what shall we do?!"

"Very well. Leave behind enough fleet to hunt down any survivors of the Tenshin Koudan. The rest will proceed immediately to rescue the Heaven Hailou!"

The marshal declared the standard procedure and settled deeply into the captain’s seat. His face showed resignation.

The escort fleet was under attack. Even if reinforcements arrived immediately, the defense of the Heaven Hailou would not be sufficient.

The marshal’s prediction was correct.

Just as rescue forces were nearing, explosions erupted across the massive ring structure of the Heaven Hailou.

The explosions propagated in sequence. Eventually, the Heaven Hailou transformed into nearly a hundred fragments.

The admiral sought the pirates to exact revenge for the damage done to the Heaven Hailou, but the pirates had already withdrawn. There was no trace, no form remaining.

"Damn it! Defeated by the Tenshin Koudan, then beaten by pirates!"

The admiral’s wail struck the bridge crew’s ears, but produced no further effect.