We, Prim, Mana, and Mako jumped off the deck of the Beast Carriage and headed towards the Solemn Steam Battleships bombarding the city of Ovest below.
I had already generated Multi Edge and Mirror Ring, Mako had generated Air Spirit, and I had changed into my Arc Order’s Coat.
This time, just like last time, it would be better to act as an O-rank Order of Amister.
“Wh-what the!?”
“Im-impossible!?”
“Are they… floating in the sky?”
Mako’s Alfheim shot down all the cannonballs, and the four of us descended, as if protecting the city of Ovest.
They seemed surprised that we were coming from above; the soldiers of Solemn were quite taken aback.
Thanks to Flying and Scaffolding, we could move in the air, but both were Supplication Magic, so we couldn’t use them on Solemn. It hasn’t even been a month since I learned them, so it’s no wonder Solemn doesn’t know about them.
“If you surrender, I’ll spare your lives. What do you say?”
With that, we threw our Licenses at the nearest battleship.
“No way! Ancient Human!?”
“W-we have Ancient Foxy here!”
“Another Ancient Human!?”
“An Ancient Elf too!?”
Perhaps because there were four Ancient Classes right in front of them, the panic spread quickly.
“E-even for an Ancient Class, they are no match for these Steam Battleships! All ships, prepare to fire! Target: Ancient Class! Fireeeeeee!!”
Despite their stuttering, they still saw us as enemies and attacked.
“Annihilation is confirmed. Though it was to be expected.”
“Indeed. Still, it’s amazing. Was it Alfheim? None of the cannonballs are flying towards us.”
“It’s quite troublesome, so let’s sink them quickly.”
The Steam Battleships, which Amister and Torencia had investigated, were equipped with 30 cannons each.
With 12 cannons on each broadside and 3 at the front and rear, that’s over 200 cannons targeting us from 20 ships.
However, thanks to Mako’s Alfheim, not a single cannonball reached us.
Mako could naturally deploy a wide-area effect of over 300 meters, and if she generated Air Spirit or Spirit Hexa Dipper, she could reach 500 meters. Terrifyingly, all the Steam Battleships were within the range of Mako’s Alfheim, causing the cannonballs to fall into the sea the moment they were fired.
Even when I generated Engraving Tools, my range was limited to 200 meters, and I couldn’t reach 300 meters no matter how hard I tried. More importantly, Living Type Engraving Tools require far more control over Engraving Magic than my decorative or consumable types, so Mako was overwhelmingly superior in large-scale annihilation battles.
Still, it seemed quite troublesome, and Mako wanted to sink them quickly.
“Understood. And since you ignored our surrender demands, don’t think you’ll be spared.”
I created Ice Edge Javelin and fired it at a distant battleship, while Prim unleashed Flare Tornado on the one right in front of us.
“Gyaaaaaaaaah!!”
“Hot! It’s so hotttttt!!”
The battleship hit by Ice Edge Javelin had several holes in its hull and began to slowly sink, but it still took time.
However, the battleship that took a direct hit from Prim’s Flare Tornado was engulfed in a fiery tornado, melting not just the deck, but the hull itself.
And Prim is truly enraged.
“To attack Valenti… Ovest, you idiots won’t get away with sweet thoughts of survival!”
I heard that Neige Ovest, the King’s rank who rules the western baronial territories including Ovest, is Prim’s cousin and like a sister to her.
Not only did they attack Ovest, where she lives, but they had already fired several cannonballs. There was no reason for Prim to forgive Solemn.
She gripped Scarlet Wing, clad herself in Flare Penetrator, and using Flying and Accelerating Magic, she proceeded to punch huge holes into the front of one battleship after another.
“It’s understandable that she’s angry, but at this rate, Prim will annihilate them all by herself.”
“It’s easy, but since we came all the way here, I want to sink at least one ship.”
With that said, Mako increased the intensity of Alfheim targeting battleships on the opposite side of Prim, and even layered Muspelheim on top of it.
The increase in oxygen concentration made Muspelheim’s flames burn even better.
Of course, the iron hulls heated up, leaving them with nowhere to escape.
“Should I also consider a Unique Magic with a wide-area effect?”
As she said this, Mana also imbued her wind, lightning, and ice attribute magic, which she gained compatibility with after becoming an Ancient Class, into Lapis Whip Sword using Bestowed Magic Fusion Magic, creating a giant blade similar to Sterling Divider and slicing a battleship in half.
Mana’s Sterling Divider is a Unique Magic that imbues attribute magic from her summoned beasts, so she can’t use it alone.
As a substitute, she’s using her own attribute magic and Fusion Magic, but isn’t this also a fine example of Unique Magic?
“Wait, they’re almost all sunk already!”
While I watched the three of them rampage in a daze, over 80% of the Steam Battleships had become wreckage in the sea.
Ah, the remaining three ships also sank, hit by Prim’s Flare Penetrator, Mako’s Alfheim, and Mana’s Greatsword imbued with Fusion Magic.
I only sank one battleship with Ice Edge Javelin?
**Side: Elis**
What can I say about the scene unfolding before my eyes?
Well, I had seen the Steam Battleships bombarding Ovest unilaterally from the sea, so that in itself was terrifying enough.
But the problem was what happened next.
It was understandable that Ancient Human Yamato and Mako, Ancient Foxy Prim, and Mana who evolved into an Ancient Elf, jumped from the rear deck of the Beast Carriage and landed in front of the Steam Battleships using Flying and Scaffolding. But what happened after that was horrific.
“…Mana too has smoothly begun her path towards becoming non-human.”
Reinhardt, the King of the Amister Kingdom, Mana’s brother and my husband, looked into the distance.
While we were surprised by Mana’s evolution into an Ancient Elf, she had been leveling up at an incredible pace since marrying Yamato, so we thought it was only a matter of time.
However, we never imagined she could cut a Steam Battleship nearly 30 meters long in half.
If even the newly evolved Mana could do this, then Faris, the leader of Holy Grave and an Ancient Fairy who evolved at the same time, and the Grand Hunter’s Master, who evolved into an Ancient Wolf decades ago, could likely do the same.
What about Yamato, Prim, and Mako?
I accept it because it’s them.
“So, what is Carlos’s opinion?”
Maruka, the Queen of High Aldily and my trusted partner, asks for the opinions of the three Royal Orders accompanying them as guards.
“…Are you referring to the Steam Battleships? Or His Highness and the others?”
This is the first time they’ve seen Yamato and the others fight, so the Royal Orders were more stunned than we were by the scene below.
They are still overwhelmed by the shock, but the fact that they can still ask Maruka a question is amazing in my opinion.
“Let’s start with the Steam Battleships, shall we?”
The Royal Orders are intimidated by Maruka’s ominous words, but since I want to hear opinions other than our own, I’m also curious.
“Y-yes. From above, it appears the Steam Battleships are about 3 kilometers away from Ovest. However, to be able to attack from that distance is truly a terrifying weapon.”
“Furthermore, with 20 Steam Battleships firing their cannons simultaneously, their destructive power seems extraordinary.”
“Lady Primrose’s Flying and Mako’s Scaffolding are new Magics, but without them, I cannot think of how we should deal with them.”
Carlos the High Elf, Liza the High Human, and Claire the High Undine answer, and I agree.
On land, we might be able to do something, but at sea, it’s hard even to get close.
If Prim and Mako hadn’t learned these new Magics, even sinking one ship would have resulted in tremendous damage.
“It seems our opinions on the Steam Battleships are generally the same.”
“That’s understandable. It’s not surprising that we wouldn’t have a plan if asked to devise countermeasures upon first sight.”
I agree with Rai and Sir Yuri’s opinions.
We could probably minimize the damage if we could use Barrier Magic or Knight Magic Shielding.
Yamato said it was like a recreation of the Magic Silver bullets from Mithril Colossus, but in terms of numbers, the Steam Battleships seem superior.
He also mentioned that a High Class could withstand the force of a single blow.
“Indeed. So, what about those four Ancient Classes?”
While they could easily answer about just Yamato and his group, having Mana among them would make it difficult for the Royal Orders to answer, wouldn’t it?
No, I’m curious too.
“Um, well…”
“It’s fine. Answer as you please. We won’t punish you for this, nor do we intend to.”
Rai chuckles wryly, but of course.
If they punished them for something like this, they’d be branded as a tyrant.
“A-are you sure?”
“It’s too late for that now. Mana has also stepped into that realm. In a sense, it’s natural for her evaluation to be non-human.”
We cleared the Instant Labyrinth with Yamato and his group. In that labyrinth, Yamato and Prim overwhelmed the A-C rank monster Guardian, Mithril Colossus, by themselves.
So it’s no surprise that Mana, who defeated A-C rank monster Avalanche Howl with Faris, would also be evaluated similarly.
“W-well then, I apologize for my rudeness. To be honest, I never imagined Ancient Classes would possess such combat power. Is there really such a difference between humans…?”
“I heard the Steam Battleships are made of iron, but wouldn’t wooden ships be better than these?”
I wholeheartedly agree with Carlos’s opinion.
Excluding Yamato and Mako as guests, and Prim as part of the Winged Tribe, Mana—who until recently hunted with us—I know her swordsmanship and magic skills well.
Yet, that same Mana managed to slice through several iron ships in half. It makes me wonder how such a gap in power has formed.
I also strongly agree with Claire’s opinion.
If the battleships were wooden, they would have turned into splinters upon receiving the attacks from the four Ancient Classes, but in return, there would have been more debris, increasing their chances of survival.
However, Solemn’s Steam Battleships, because they are made of iron, heat up and create a burning inferno, and the debris doesn’t float.
Once attacked, the crew and ship sink together.
Iron that is not reinforced with magic can be easily cut by High Classes, so for Ancient Classes, whether it’s iron or wood makes little difference.
Liza nods deeply in agreement with both their opinions, and everyone else seems to feel the same.
“We’ve seen an unexpected weakness of metal ships. Although, even if they held onto wooden debris, unless they were extremely lucky, they would be eaten by monsters, so there’s no guarantee of survival.”
Indeed.
But finding a weakness, or rather a drawback, of metal ships is worth coming here for.
“Yes, you are probably aware that Feel, the General Headquarters, and Memoria’s Orders are already receiving combat training from them. The Royal Orders are scheduled to do so soon as well.”
At Rai’s words, the three Royal Orders showed expressions of despair.
I understand their feelings completely, but for the sake of protecting Amister, I can only encourage them to do their best.
