Chapter 47

At that time in Japan,

Keita was in the capital of the Far Eastern Russian Grand Duchy, Khabarovsk, where his cheeks twitched as he was treated like a pervert by the Grand Duke and others.

The elite soldiers of the Japanese Imperial National Defense Army were facing the large army of monsters that had invaded, just as the upper echelons and the likes of Saigo had predicted.

No, that's not entirely accurate.

The National Defense Army was conducting artillery fire against the monsters floating in the sea, but they were not doing so with confidence.

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"Fire, fire, fire! Don't worry about ammunition! Observation? Unnecessary! Do it by sight! Just fire! Fire as soon as they're in range!"

The one shouting until his voice was hoarse in the command post was Shizuno Yuuhei, the second division's renowned general, who was once again leading the interception force.

Normally, artillery fire should only be conducted after the enemy has entered effective range, and even then, observation by an observation aircraft or observer is absolutely necessary. This is because without it, the accuracy of the shots would be low, and the ammunition wasted. Additionally, the debris and magnetic fields from the explosions of missed shots could interfere with subsequent artillery fire.

Therefore, starting a full-scale artillery attack without observation, let alone without confirming the impact, was something that would never happen according to the conventional wisdom of artillery operations.

Of course, Shizuno, who was giving the orders, understood this basic knowledge.

In fact, Shizuno was in a position to ensure that the artillery followed these conventions.

Moreover, there was the maxim that "commanders should always remain calm," but Shizuno was deliberately discarding these conventions and maxims.

The other members of the command post, including Lieutenant Colonel Sato, who was making decisions on the ground, did not oppose Shizuno's orders. Instead, they were doing their best to carry them out.

The reason experienced military personnel were discarding these conventions was simple.

The scale of the monsters observed by the observation ships, which had been deployed in large numbers based on the assumption that the monsters would attack at this time, far exceeded expectations.

Specifically, it was a force of "over 20 large, over 250 medium, and over 1000 small monsters," a scale that no one had anticipated.

"Whether they're mass-produced, artillery, or Yashima-type, it doesn't matter! Just fire! Reduce their numbers as much as possible before they land!"

The fact that there were 24 large monsters alone was a huge problem, but with 300 medium and over 1000 small monsters added, no one could remain calm in the face of such a large army.

No, Shizuno had initially tried to remain calm. But he decided to discard his calmness.

Why? Because he judged that if there were people who remained half-calm, there would be those who would try to run.

(Damn it! Why are we in such a situation!)

The second large-scale attack by the monsters. For the monsters' planners, it was a minor experiment, but for the defenders, it was nothing short of a nightmare.

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(Why did we assume that the scale of the enemy's attack would be the same as last time!)

Shizuno was lamenting his own, and indeed the entire National Defense Army's, complacency.

(If the enemy has the intelligence to plan a large-scale attack, it's only natural that the next attack would be larger than the last!)

He would do the same if he were in their position. In fact, it would be strange not to.

(I want to punch the past version of ourselves who didn't even realize this!)

Of course, Shizuno had anticipated an increase in the enemy's numbers and had sought the cooperation of the Sixth and Eighth Divisions to prepare the necessary forces to intercept them.

As a result, 20 Kusanagi-type units from the Second Division, 15 from the Sixth Division, and 15 from the Eighth Division, totaling 50, were gathered here.

Next, 40 Yashima-type units from the Second Division, 30 from the Sixth Division, and 30 from the Eighth Division, totaling 100, were gathered.

100 artillery units from the Second Division, 80 from the Sixth Division, and 80 from the Eighth Division, totaling 260, were gathered.

Finally, 2 mass-produced Miki-type units from the Second Division, 1 from the Sixth Division, and 1 from the Eighth Division, totaling 4, were gathered.

Originally, Keita, who had performed exceptionally well in the previous battle, was supposed to join—though the National Defense Army's upper echelons, including Shizuno, believed they had a good chance of winning without Keita, and planned to keep him on standby as a precaution.

In fact, if the enemy's scale had been similar to the previous one—about 10 large, 130 medium, and 500 small monsters—this force would have been sufficient to intercept them, albeit with some damage.

But the reality was different. The initial report indicated that the enemy's numbers were double the previous ones.

Furthermore, considering the previous attack, there was a high possibility that the numbers would increase even more.

Based on the conventional kill-to-loss ratio, 50 Kusanagi-type units could intercept 100 medium monsters, 100 Yashima-type units could intercept 50 medium monsters, and 260 artillery units, with a 5:1 ratio, could intercept 52 medium monsters. In total, they could handle up to 202 medium monsters.

The problem was the large monsters, for which the mass-produced units were intended.

The kill-to-loss ratio for mass-produced units against large monsters was 1:3, so 4 mass-produced units could take down 12 large monsters.

While the mass-produced units' performance might seem high, this was largely due to Keita's 1:10 victory.

In more detail, some members of the National Defense Army's upper echelons, upon learning of Keita's success, speculated that "if a virtually untrained child could achieve such results with a machine made by a small company in the northeast, then professional soldiers using machines made by major corporations could take down at least 3 large monsters." The responsible parties from the major corporations then endorsed this with "While there are concerns about the training, we can handle 1/3 of the large monsters."

Shizuno and other field commanders, despite their concerns about the mass-produced units, believed that reducing the number of monsters through pre-landing artillery fire would give them more leeway.

(And this is the result!)

12 large monsters? The enemy has 24.

202 medium monsters? The enemy has 300.

And over 1000 small monsters.

The total number is double the expected. In other words, the enemy has far exceeded their expectations.

(We've been completely outmaneuvered!)

Shizuno's anger was directed at the cruelty of the monsters or at their own failure to predict this.

"But we made it in time. The situation is not the worst."

When the scale of the enemy was known, the Sixth and Eighth Divisions had already dispatched as many troops as possible, so no further reinforcements could be expected. However, Shizuno, who had learned of the enemy's scale the day before the attack, decided to mobilize the Third Division, which was in the process of being rebuilt and was on standby as a reserve force.

This included 10 Kusanagi-type units, 20 Yashima-type units, 50 artillery units, and 6 mass-produced units.

Among these, the command post, including Shizuno, had high hopes for the 6 mass-produced units.

They could theoretically take down 18 large monsters, so it would be strange not to have high hopes in this situation.

(If we can take down the large monsters with long-range artillery first, we'll have more leeway against the medium monsters!)

Combined with the existing mass-produced units, they would have 10, which could theoretically take down 30 large monsters.

Of course, things wouldn't go that smoothly. But Shizuno believed they could take down at least 20.

Moreover, the members of the Third Division, who had initially been on standby as reserves, would have preferred to be on the front lines—though it's unclear how they felt now that they knew the enemy's scale.

(I won't let them refuse orders just because the enemy's numbers exceed expectations! They must achieve glory!)

Shizuno had some thoughts about the Third Division receiving more mass-produced units, but given the situation, he was almost grateful.

Despite the complaints from the Third Division about not being informed and the ridiculous questions from the upper echelons, Shizuno managed to gather as many forces as possible before the monsters landed.

The question was whether he could use them effectively.

(Trusting the fate of the entire army to mass-produced units that haven't seen real combat is indeed a gamble. But the situation is similar for Special Warrant Officer Kawakami. Considering that the riders are professional soldiers, it's not a bad gamble!)

Shizuno wasn't belittling Keita. In fact, he highly regarded Keita more than anyone else.

Shizuno simply believed that mass-produced units made by major corporations, which had long been part of the National Defense Army, were superior to the prototype made by a new company in the northeast.

In general, mass-produced units, which are built using data from test units, are superior to test units that start from scratch.

Shizuno was simply following the conventional wisdom that professional soldiers who had trained for national defense would perform better than students suddenly thrown into battle.

No combat experience? They can gain it here. Evaluation? They can prove it with results. The elite of the National Defense Army can do it! The National Defense Army can fight without Special Warrant Officer Kawakami.

(We won't lose. We won't lose!)

The largest-scale damage might occur.

But the national defense will hold.

Everyone thought so, and Shizuno had come to the same conclusion.

His judgment was not something to be criticized.

If the information calculated by the upper echelons was accurate, their judgment would not have been wrong.

... But reality is cruel.

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"The barrage is thin! What is the left wing doing!"

Despite the casualties, they believed they could win with a certain degree of leeway.

With this confidence, Shizuno and the command post issued orders to the entire army.

They would realize that their confidence was based on a flawed premise only after the monsters landed and the full-scale battle began, just a few minutes later.