Infinite Dendrogram was a world where aircraft were at a large disadvantage and thus had never been developed.
More precisely, the people of the world had compared the concept to the far superior dragons and avian monsters that patrolled the skies, and thus decided early on that there was no need for aircraft.
The Wright brothers’ plane wouldn’t have stood a chance against dragons, after all, and High-Dragons would be tough enough to take on even the most advanced modern fighter jets. Only Embryos emulating jets could possibly stand a chance.
That was why even GFRS—a group focused on inventing weaponry plausible for the real world—had given up on developing fighter planes.
Thus, they had created something else instead—the air mine system.
These mines were essentially explosives of a quality only possible in Infinite Dendrogram, rigged to remote control balloons that floated around the ship. They moved toward any flying monsters that came too close, preventing their approach and retaliating if touched or attacked by their deadly breath.
Alternatively, they could be placed between a ship and hostile vessels, acting as shields against artillery.
Even if the opponent’s shells were too tough to be destroyed by the mines, they could still knock the shells off course or reduce their impact.
This was proved by the fact that most of Baldr’s shells missed New Yamato, while those that hit didn’t have enough power to break through its armor.
Offering defense and offense in one, the air mines were a common feature in GFRS vessels with minimal antiair capabilities, and New Yamato had thousands of these.
The combined power and volume of its antiair guns and air mines guaranteed that nothing could ever sink it from the sky.
✦ ✦ ✦
“That ship’s even crazier than it looks.” New Yamato hadn’t even begun to attack, and yet it already displayed capabilities that made it more than a match for combat-focused Superior Embryos.
“It probably cost a real fortune... But that’s what makes these crafter Superiors so scary.”
As long as they could cover the costs, crafters could create things that outshone pure combatants. Shu himself was dipping his toes in that field, so he understood that fact very well.
While Baldr was a battleship, it also served as a factory for ammunition and similar items. However, just like its amphibious movement, it wasn’t specialized in any one thing. There was a limit to what it could create, and the related costs were far greater than they likely would be for Satomi.
New Yamato was a weapon fully focused on naval engagements, built by a crafting-focused Superior Embryo with little regard for the costs. While Baldr’s well-rounded abilities were an advantage in many cases, its lack of true specialization meant it struggled in this specific situation.
“The target’s rear turret is turning.”
“Tch.” Baldr’s warning made Shu click his tongue.
New Yamato’s three triple guns—two at the front, one at the back—began to move, all of them fixing their sights on Baldr. The air mines around it also moved aside to make way for the shells.
“Baldr! Fifteen degrees portside! Dodge!”
“Affirmative.” Shu’s order caused Baldr to change its course slightly. Being a hovercraft, it could make such turns far faster than conventional battleships, and that was exactly what saved it.
Right where its bridge had been a mere moment ago, a shell sliced through the air.
Shu’s eyes widened as Baldr’s armor was shaken by a thunderous boom, as though the sea were being split open. He furrowed his brow, while Riella covered her ears.
This sound had been caused by New Yamato firing its massive gun. If there had been anyone on its deck, the sound alone might’ve been fatal.
However, the most fearsome thing here was the fact that the projectiles had reached their target before the mighty sonic explosion.
✦ ✦ ✦
Had Shu’s order come even a moment later, the battle might have ended there.
No—it would’ve certainly ended.
“Enemy projectile has struck the surface of the vessel,” said Baldr. “Damage is minimal, but the armor will not function.”
It looked as though a strip of armor to the right of the bridge had been torn off in a straight line. One of the three shells had just grazed Baldr, and this was the result.
Had its angle been just a bit lower, it would’ve surely pierced through the ship from the bow to the stern.
“I get that thing’s got huge guns, but the sheer firepower...” Baldr was a Superior Embryo, yet the shell had torn its armor like paper.
Shu was wondering what could possibly cause such a thing when...
“Hihi’irokane Armor-Piercing Shells,” Satomi said with pride. “Do you like them?”
Those words filled Shu with the same mix of shock and disbelief he’d felt when he’d first seen New Yamato.
“What a waste...!” Shu said. Hihi’irokane—the Mythical metal—was as precious as it was powerful, yet Satomi had used it for mere expendable ammo. These shells surely had enough power to break through the defenses of even defense-focused SJs.
However, Hihi’irokane was awfully expensive. Just one kilogram of it could run for ten million lir. Even the original Yamato’s shells easily weighed more than a ton. If all of New Yamato’s shells were made of the Mythical metal, then buying an entire army of ships would have been cheaper.
Well, the entire shell’s probably not made of that, Shu thought. The Hihi’irokane is probably just in the tip, or maybe just plating on the outside. Even so, there’s no way you could do that without spending hundreds of millions on it. This guy’s really splurging!
But however absurd the idea might have been, its fearsome power had been amply demonstrated.
A single direct hit would clearly be enough to sink Baldr.
Shu pondered the situation. Being King of Destruction, he usually ended his fights with overwhelming force.
However, this was an artillery battle with a vast distance between him and his opponent. Baldr was already at a disadvantage in terms of firepower, defense, and speed.
If New Yamato maintained this distance—too great for Baldr to reach—and shifted to stationary, accuracy-focused artillery, the fight was already as good as over.
“Well, then...” Most Granvaloan Masters specialized in combat on the sea, and sometimes beneath it. This made it difficult for other countries to attack Granvaloa—their home-field advantage was too powerful.
Baldr was technically a ship, but it was amphibious, so it suffered from the same disadvantage. It had little hope of winning a direct battle against a proper battleship.
Additionally, since King of Destruction was an STR-focused job, there was no straightforward way to add that to Baldr’s firepower.
Shu was now in the palm of Satomi’s hand.
“You outta moves?” Riella asked.
“Well, you could say that. It’s looking mighty grizzly,” Shu replied breezily, like it was nothing.
“What about the attack ya used on yesterday’s UBM? Ya fired somethin’, didn’t ya?”
“I can only use it once a day, and it hasn’t been twenty-fur hours yet.”
Riella was referring to the skill possessed by Baldr’s final form, Strength Cannon. It was the Embryo’s strongest attack, but it was limited to one use per day. Furthermore, its speed didn’t even break the sound barrier, so he usually took full advantage of its power by firing it from a point-blank range.
As Shu was fighting New Yamato—a ship that moved at near sonic speeds and was shielded by air mines—he had no chance of landing a hit like that.
The other forms were generally weaker versions of the seventh, so there was no point in using them.
Riella’s assumption was right—he was out of moves.
However...
“...Shu.”
She then called out to him...
“You’re still hidin’ something, aren’t ya?”
...and voiced the guess she’d made based on his attitude and the general impression he was giving off at this moment.
Slightly surprised by how perceptive she was, Shu scratched his cheek as he answered. “Not sure ‘hiding’ is the right word, but I do have an idea how to win. It’s just a bit dangerous, is all.”
“Dangerous?”
“Yeah. Not to me, though. To you.”
Riella said nothing in response. Instead, she just threw a punch straight for the bear costume’s stomach. The stat difference was too great for the blow to accomplish anything, but Shu understood what she meant by this.
“Riella.” He looked at her before asking.
“You ready to take risks?”
“Always. I’ve been stakin’ my life on this for a while now.”
Her answer was quick, which strengthened Shu’s resolve.
“So? What’re ya gonna do?” Riella prodded him.
In response, Shu grinned, and said...
“I’m gonna break the very rules of this fight.” Then, he gave an order to his Baldr.
“Baldr. Switch to B-type missiles.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Amphibious ship... There is nothing surprising about this.” On the bridge of New Yamato, now quite far away from Baldr, Satomi muttered those words, clearly displeased. “No matter how strong you were, it was clear as day that this would be the result.”