Chapter 427: 427
Wasshoi, wasshoi!!」
「We won, we won! What a trifling bunch!」
The Aless soldiers return after boarding the enemy ship .
We didn’t notice since we were also fighting, but they cleaned up their side in a mere ten minutes .
Enemy corpses overflowed from the decks of those two ships on either side of us .
Some bodies were hanging over the gun deck and many others were floating on the water .
They were completely annihilated .
「You made quick work of them . Impressively done . 」
Although leaving Sekrit and I to jump on the enemy ship is unacceptable, I’ll at least give them credit for what they achieved .
「It’s nothing worth praising . Honestly, it was a little sad to hunt such small fry . 」
「It would be like bullying the weak unless the enemy trains a little more . 」
Hearty laughter accompanies the crowd of muscles .
I guess they really had an easy time, since none of them were injured heavier than a few scratches .
Despite being fed up with them, Sekrit also recognized their accomplishments .
When she patted the shoulder of a nearby soldier in appreciation, she immediately scrunched up her face and wiped her hand .
I can’t blame her, since their bodies are covered in sweat and oil . They don’t really bathe either, so they really stink .
「I thought we could capture some more ships, but it doesn’t look like we have the luxury . 」
Sekrit says as she checks her surroundings .
「Dispose of the boarding towers . We can’t afford to conduct boarding battles from now on . We need to maximize our mobility . 」
She thought the Aless soldiers would complain, but they didn’t say anything .
「Look around you . We won, but our allies are in danger . 」
None of the Aless soldiers interject .
「From here on out, we can’t do anything stupid . I’ve seen how you guys fight . Now, it’s time for me to show you how I fight . 」
Only a short “ooh” was heard in response .
「Hard to port . Match the timing and speed of the front of the flagship . All cannons, be ready to fire . 」
A quick reply was given and then the bow tilts .
The Suvorov slows down in surprise, but the two ships line up neatly without crashing .
Ivanna seemed surprised for a second, then became angry about something on the bridge .
「……if you could do it, then do it from the beginning . 」
She’s probably saying the same thing Sekrit is saying now .
Anyways, we’ll be fighting in Sekrit’s style instead of Aless’s brute force style .
The Suvorov leads the charge while the Aless of Aless follows closely behind .
Normally, large combat ships would be further in front and the sides would be fortified by medium to small ships, but ordering them to rally together in such a chaotic fight would be a foolish move .
「So what, we can rampage if we have two battleships . As long as we have proper command, that is . 」
Sekrit smiles fearlessly .
I step back and sit on top of a damaged crate .
「They’re coming from the front . Two large ships . 」
In contrast to our vertical formation, the enemy approaches side-by-side .
「Don’t fire the bow cannons . Our vision will worsen . 」
Since we’re in the line of fire, the Suvorov naturally won’t shoot, and neither will we .
Most of the cannons are located in the gun deck…… in other words, the side of the ship, which means they can’t be used against an enemy in front .
Although the bow cannons and deck cannons can be fired, we only have four bow cannons whereas the deck cannons, while numerous, are not big or powerful enough to hurt large combat ships . In fact, the resulting smoke from the cannons would obstruct our field of view and risk allowing the enemy to take advantage .
「No need to forcibly keep them in check . This captain is an amateur . 」
Sekrit smiles .
I also smile, understanding the reason .
Despite probably not knowing, the Aless soldiers smile regardless .
If the enemy sandwiches us, their firepower would be halved .
On the other hand, we can use the cannons on both sides of our ships, since we’re lined up head to tail .
Their strategy might work on smaller ships, but not against two battleships .
Sure enough, the enemy splits off to either side of us and tries to surround our two ships .
「Fireee――!」
As soon as our broadsides face each other―― the cannons roar .
In an instant, the collective volley of dozens of cannons blows out enough smoke to cover Sekrit who is right in front of me .
I feel the vibrations from several enemy cannons hitting their mark .
Then, I hear the sounds of metal crashing, wood splintering and those fragments raining down .
「Don’t slow down . 」
After a few seconds, the pure white scenery clears up like it was never there .
Our ship sails forward, passing through the smoke .
「Damage report . 」
「Multiple side plating lost . Slight flooding on the starboard side, one cannon damaged!」
That’s close to no damage .
「Confirm the hits . 」
Sekrit orders for someone to climb the mast .
Answering the call was an Aless soldier on the smaller side, at 180 cm and 100 kg .
「Both ships were heavily damaged and are sinking . Wait, fire is coming out of one…… woah!」
Before the follow-up report could finish, the ship exploded .
「What about the flagship?」
「They seem to be fine . 」
The Suvorov appears from the sea of white and black clouds .
One of the masts is tilted and smoke is rising from the deck, but the ship doesn’t seem to have suffered serious damage .
「Based on the response felt from launch, about half hit their target . Why couldn’t you do this in the beginning!?」
Sekrit bellows at the gun deck .
「「Got used to it!」」
That’s how it is .
「One enemy large ship, port side . Three medium ships and two small ships, starboard . 」
「Hard to starboard . 」
Sekrit steers the ship to the right without sending any signals to Ivanna .
This meant the Suvorov would be on our left now .
「The Suvorov specializes in artillery warfare . It’s weak to mobs of small ships . 」
This time, the deck cannons and bow cannons were fired .
Two shots landed on a medium ship, starting a small fire .
「This ship was also originally geared towards artillery, but――」
The sail was closed and oars extended out into the water .
While the left oars didn’t move, the right side rowed diligently, turning the ship left .
「Their crew is made up of idiots so it doesn’t matter if they board . 」
A medium-sized ship circles around to the vulnerable rear of our ship and enters the sights of our broadside cannons in the process .
The ship captain screams until his face turns blue, desperately trying to steer away, however, it was too late .
Our cannons focus on that ship’s stern, blowing off the end, which ultimately drags the rest of the ship into the water .
「Because of how sturdy the armor is, the ship is strong at close range . 」
One of the remaining mid-sized ships rains down cannonfire from our right as we slow down .
Despite multiple shots landing from the close distance, most of it is concentrated on our hull plating and bounces off .
「And more importantly――」
Now, we turn in the opposite direction…… the ship rapidly tilting to the right .
Although the small ship approaching from the right hurries out of the way, they cannot match the rowing speed of the Aless soldiers and our ship runs them over .
「The talent possessed by me and Ivanna as captains is on a different level . 」
We rush into the smoke left by our own cannons .
We immediately turn again…… and see a medium and small ship waiting for us past the smoke .
They start turning their ships way too late .
「FIre . 」
Our merciless cannonfire incapacitates the medium-sized ship with a large blaze, while the small ship was split in two parts and sinks .
I look over and see Ivanna still engaging the enemy’s large combat ship .
「Hmph, you can’t finish them off when it’s 1 vs 1?」
Sekrit grins as she turns the bow in their direction .
The ship sails toward the enemy ship fighting the Suvorov from the opposite direction .
Determining that two battleships is too much to handle, the enemy tries to put some distance between us, but Ivanna doesn’t allow that and blocks the path, sandwiching the enemy ship .
「Fire . 」
Sekrit and Ivanna must have spoken at the same time .
The Aless of Aless and Suvorov shot their cannons at the same time, blowing holes all over the enemy ship and destroying it, sending it slowly under the water .
Sekrit taunts Ivanna with a Federation-style salute, who reacts by turning her head away in a huff .
「Things are looking good . 」
We’re one-sidedly burying enemies without taking any damage ourselves .
「No, we’re just getting started . 」
Sekrit points to where ally ships can be seen burning and sinking one after the other .
「Two battleships, two large ships, 10 medium ships…… they’re coming . 」
The enemy advances in three rows .
「I want to say it’s foolish, but I can’t . Considering the number of cannons, they’ll win if we’re surrounded . 」
Sekrit instructs the crew to turn the ship right, avoiding a direct confrontation .
Similarly, Ivanna also turns her ship right to avoid being separated .
Nevertheless, the enemy tries to force us apart and changes direction accordingly .
When that happens, the enemy naturally turns their bows to us, while our broadsides are facing them .
「Fireee――!」
Again, we shoot our cannons at the same time as Ivanna .
We each aimed at a different mid-sized ship leading the charge .
Splinters explode from the ship hit by the Suvorov and it falls out of line .
Meanwhile, the ship we hit turns onto its side, its mast broken, and sinks .
The Aless soldiers cheer .
Don’t they have better accuracy than a Federation ship?
I glance over at Ivanna and she’s using her hands to make the shape of something long .
My first thought was a penis, but it was actually the barrel of a long cannon―― in other words, she’s trying to say that she has the advantage because of her larger cannons . It’s cute that she’s such a sore loser .
Sekrit doesn’t have time to fool around with Ivanna .
The enemy’s bow cannons and deck cannons fire together .
Although each individual ship had a small number of bow cannons, with almost 20 ships, that total isn’t any different from how many cannons we have .
Some shots fall in the water and raise pillars, while others hit and shake our ship .
Even in the face of raining cannonballs, Sekrit doesn’t move from the bridge .
「Sekrit, you’ll get hit if you stand there . 」
A shell happens to land close to the bow and destroys a deck cannon, sending broken shards flying, one of which grazes Sekrit’s cheek and stabs into the wall behind her .
Blood trickles down her brown skin .
「If the bridge receives a direct hit, then that’s that . What good is it to be afraid of death on the battlefield?」
Sekrit licks the dripping blood and swings her arm .
Multiple cannons fire back and hit the ship that destroyed one of our deck cannons, forcing it to abandon its advance and turn away .
What a gutsy woman .
We manage to stay ahead of the enemy and an evenly-matched artillery battle unfolds against a large number of enemies .
One unexpected shot would break the balance .
The enemy battleship forcibly steers in front, firing from its gun ports .
Facing 30 shots is terrifying, but they’re pretty far away and the angle of fire is already as far as they can adjust it, so the collective volley scatters over a wide area, and 29 cannonballs fall in completely different places to where they were aimed .
However, there was still one more . Like it was being sucked in, that cannonball landed directly in the middle of the Aless of Aless and drops at the base of our main mast .
「Guoh!!」
The resulting vibrations were unlike those before, throwing Sekrit off her feet and bringing me down on one knee .
Debris flies every which way, and several Aless soldiers either fall over onto the deck or fall overboard .
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