Chapter 94

Meanwhile, in the new Siro Palace, in the room where the Gate of Doom was located—the joint command center:

Sercy: "The enemy's missiles and shells are coming!!" — shouting while looking at the Magic Mirror (which shares the view with Unit-01 and Unit-02).

Gordon: "Why are you so excited? We can see them, and Daly and Cheshire Cat can see them too. As long as they follow the planned defense, these missiles and shells won't get through."

Sure enough, as Gordon said, facing the missiles and shells that seemed to fill the sky, the surface of Unit-01's shield suddenly opened, and thousands of tentacles covered in mucus shot out towards the sky, intercepting and detonating the missiles and shells one by one in mid-air.

Gordon: "How about that? This [Frog Tongue Defense Shield] works just as I said, doesn't it? Those missiles and shells can't get through."

Sercy: "That's only thanks to Enyo and me. You just came up with the idea. What are you boasting about?"

Gordon: "While I can't build this giant air gun and [Frog Tongue Defense Shield] alone, I did provide the design concept. What's wrong with being a little proud?"

Sercy: "Design concept? Any frog could provide that. Besides, these low-level monsters already have this ability."

Gordon: "This is biomimicry. Don't be so stubborn. Besides, if I hadn't come up with the idea, would you have thought to make a shield like a frog's tongue? Before, you wanted Unit-01 to use a [Turtle Shell Shield]. That thing would have been shattered to pieces under this density of fire."

Sercy: "I thought you were going to have Unit-01 and Unit-02 charge into the sea for close combat, so I designed the [Turtle Shell Shield]. Who would have thought you were planning long-range attacks..."

Gordon: "Of course, long-range attacks are the way to go. I had you make Unit-01 eighty meters tall and weigh 1,200 tons so it could shoot at the enemy fleet from here. Besides, we all know how powerful the Seventh Fleet's firepower is. Charging in for close combat would be suicide. Have you been watching too many tokusatsu shows and anime? Do you think monsters are really invincible to bullets and blades?"

Sercy: "What tokusatsu shows and anime? I haven't seen any. I just assumed you were making a super monster for close combat... I was influenced by the traditional war customs of the Amazon tribe." — embarrassed

Gordon: "Amazon tribe's war customs? You don't look like an Amazonian woman. Why follow their war customs?"

Sercy: "You're right. As a sorceress, I should be used to long-range attacks, setting traps, and waiting for prey. It was a mistake to be attracted to this head-on combat. If I had known it was going to be long-range attacks, I wouldn't have declined being a pilot. Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Gordon: "Don't get it wrong. Daly and Cheshire Cat will face more than just long-range attacks. If my guess is correct, close combat might be unavoidable. You, as a sorceress, might not be able to handle it."

Sercy: "There might be close combat later? Unit-01 and Unit-02 are just exchanging fire with the enemy in New Siro. You're not going to have them charge out to eliminate the enemy's landing forces, are you?"

Gordon: "Of course not. Without naval support, supplies, and cover, the enemy's landing forces are like fish in a barrel. They don't need to act. The ones who might engage in close combat are likely the aliens from the M78 Nebula. After all, the base of the U.S. Seventh Fleet's combat forces is in Yokosuka, Japan. It's not strange for Japan's [Science Special Investigation Team] to come to assist, given the U.S.-Japan alliance."

I (narrator): "Aliens from the M78 Nebula? That's Ultraman! Looks like the live-action show is turning into a tokusatsu series."

---

On the square, after Unit-01's [Frog Tongue Defense Shield] intercepted and detonated the missiles in the sky, it entered a self-regeneration phase (regenerating the "tentacles" inside the shield). Behind it, Unit-02 completed the preparation for the giant air gun (compressed air) and fired a [Bone Spear] at the flagship of the Seventh Fleet, the Blue Ridge, but missed the target.

Sercy: "Oh no! What a pity! It dodged, just by a little bit."

Gordon: "Damn, the enemy has figured out the weakness of the giant air gun."

Sercy: "Weakness?"

Gordon: "Yes, it can't fire in rapid succession and uses solid, non-intelligent projectiles that can't change course or track in mid-air. Once the timing is known, it's easy to dodge."

Sercy: "Can't you just calculate the lead time before firing?"

Gordon: "Calculate the lead time? Do you think the enemy is a straight-running dummy? Would they use a predictable way to dodge? If Unit-02 had a computer with professional sniper software, it would be better. Under the current conditions (only cat-faced assistance), it's impossible to calculate the lead time. Hitting a fixed target at ultra-long range is already quite an achievement."

Sercy: "So, we can't hit the enemy flagship anymore?"

Gordon: "Yes, those agile 'small' ships are hard to hit. We need to switch to a large, clumsy target." — smirking

Sercy: "You mean the Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier?"

Gordon: "Bingo! You got it right."

As if Gordon's words were heard by the Kitty Hawk, it was now sailing at its maximum speed towards the open sea, trying to leave Unit-02's attack range. However, due to its size and clumsy maneuverability, it couldn't avoid Unit-02's fourth and fifth [Bone Spears] during its escape. Both sets of propellers were destroyed, and it lost power, drifting alone on the open sea, becoming a huge target.

I (narrator): "It's over. The Kitty Hawk is now the best target. It will either be sunk or rendered useless."

---

Gordon: "Well done! Now let's see what the enemy commander will choose: to send other warships to rescue the Kitty Hawk, risking being sunk, or to abandon it."

Sercy: "What's there to think about? They should abandon it immediately. It's big, useless, and damaged."

Gordon: "While the Kitty Hawk has the flaws you mentioned, if the enemy abandons it, they will lose air superiority. Without it, the Hornets flying over Paradise Island will have no place to land or resupply. I bet the enemy commander is torn right now." — gloating

As Gordon spoke, a flash of light appeared on the flagship of the Seventh Fleet, the Blue Ridge. A giant alien materialized on the coast of Paradise Island, taking an offensive stance against Unit-01 and Unit-02. The battle was about to begin.

I (narrator): "Hahaha, Ultraman has finally appeared. The close combat is about to start."

---

[Page break for ad]

[End of ad]