Nihonno Jin desu. We are surrounded on all sides by death.
“Nihonno-dono! The fire is spreading—gaaah!”
Wooden splinters and bits of meat shower me and my fellow commanders. Takehito-dono is no more, and there is a hole in the side of the ship where he was.
Beyond it, a metallic tama of 5 arms’ lengths diameter is sinking the fleet with powerful light magics. Its spherical shell is only tarnished.
I am in Battleship Muramita. It is a wooden ship, but the most advanced of its kind. We have two turrets of the fore and aft, each with magical artillery enough to destroy a coastal fort in one hour. We are also protected by magical armor, but—
“It is fired again! Battleship Ecchi is sinking!”
A green beam sweeps from left to right across the side of our sister ship.
There is no more Ecchi. We have lost hope.
And yet in despair, we must fight on.
However, what an idiot. Earlier, we must have been hit by panicked friendly fire—Takehito-dono was done in by the Ecchi. I will report this to the admiral if I get the chance.
But first.
“My honorable comrades! The Emperor’s flagship must not sink! If it is sunk, we will lose this war! Give your life for the Battleship Kimetsu! Japan must survive!”
My comrades all raise our war cry.
A Thousand Years is too long
We live only today!
Two cannons in each turret, loaded with five air stones in charge, and fifteen lightning stones in warload. The tama do not move swiftly, and so we maximize for damage.
The first cannon fires, and the power rocks the ship. We cannot fire in succession, or else the aim of the second, third, and fourth shots will increasingly fire high. We cannot fire all at once, or else we will capsize the ship.
For all the pride of the craftsmen and architects who built Battleship Muramita, how could they not have anticipated this design flaw? I hope the Emperor executes them and impresses three generations of their family into the navy.
The warload hits the tama. The great explosion, a blue sphere of arcing energies, would have melted a fort’s wall, but it merely causes the enemy to stutter.
“The warload is ineffective!” a voice comes from the voice pipe. Some of my sailors are still extinguishing fires behind me.
“Load fire stones into cannon 2! Instruct cannon 3 and 4 to load ice stones!” I instruct. I did not know if such a fantastical tactic found in the capital’s bookstores could possibly work, but we must try before we die. A surviving witness will surely write a more accurate portrayal of this tactic.
The second cannon fires, and the warload takes three seconds to hit the enemy. The heat of the explosion reaches even me, and the metal of the tama is glowing.
As soon as the ship stops shaking, the third cannon fires. After three seconds, the sea beneath it freezes. It is a miss.
It turns towards us. We still need time for the ship to stabilize.
“Starboard gunlets! Establish a fire screen!”
Multitudes of small cannons shoot fire charges that explode before the enemy. The fire burns in mid-air, blocking all sight of it from us, and all sight of us from it.
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“We are ready to fire!” “Enemy sighted!” “Cannon 4, fire!” “Away!”
Such a routine of commands and notices were exchanged behind me. My crew are well-trained.
The enemy is much closer now. If our cannon misses, I will personally toss the crew overboard and commit ritual suicide.
The discharge of the cannon feels much stronger. No doubt, it was charged with all our hopes. Gunner Yamako, if you dare miss, I will tell your father. Do not expect to still be his son afterwards.
The cannon shot might be too loaded with our hopes. It is leaving a trail of solid ice behind, freezing the water in the air.
Gunner Yamako, thank you, you will return home still the son of your father. After two seconds of travel, the cannon shot hits the glowing red tama, encasing it in ice.
As it falls, I hold my breath.
It breaks. The tama breaks into pieces, scattering into the ocean.
We cheer, but—
“The Battleship Kimetsu is under attack!”
Such a report dampens our spirits, and we resharpen ourselves to meet the new attack.
There are three tama approaching the Kimetsu from its starboard side. We are on its port side, and we do not have a clear shot of the enemies. I pull down the periscope, and, surveying the ocean, I see that we are alone.
The Cruiser Kenwa has sunk.
The Cruiser Souto has sunk.
The Frigate Aiban has sunk.
The Bombard Shinsei has sunk.
The Battleship Ecchi has sunk.
The multitudes of support ships have sunk or fled.
All of them were sunk by one tama. We did not, at all, destroy it with only two shots. Our many comrades had weakened it with far more powerful warloads and far more valiant sacrifices—we had only dealt the killing blow to honor them.
Now, it is only us, the Battleship Muramita, and our comrades on the flagship, Battleship Kimetsu, to fend off three of the terrible enemy.
The sky is beautiful. It appears that it is time for the sun to set.
“Report! An… island is approaching!”
Eh? The island is the one approaching?
“Idiot, we are the ones approaching the island.”
“Nihonno-sama, it is behind us and catching up!”
What nonsense. I point the periscope behind us.
Strange. I have never seen an island with an inverted shape. Why is the mountain pointing upside down? I do not understand. Perhaps the bottom was hallowed by water over many years? Nature is truly magnificent.
Oh-hoh, such a magnificent bird roosting on its peak.
…
Nani.
“My sailors! My soldiers! Prepare for anti-air combat!”
I did not want to announce it this way, but I am no idiot that I do not recognize a dragon from five miles away. This is a lie, isn't it? What stupid joke is this?
We prepared to intercept the dragon, but after a short minute, I notice a rider on the dragon.
Why are the Merikans here? No, rather, why just now?
We have always requested aid from the Merikans. After long years, the only aid that arrived was this one dragon rider and knight.
Hmm, they seem to be heading straight for the tama. I say my prayers for the pair.
Hm? The dragon seems to have dropped two of something.
… Hm? The two objects’ tails glowed, and are now flying towards the enemy.
Small explosions clouded our view of the enemy. Hmph, as if such measly things can destroy them.
… One of them has fallen into the ocean. What a joke.
The two remaining enemies turned to go after the dragon. Meanwhile, the dragon also turned and returned to the island. Perhaps they have pre-established traps and defenses there? Yes, they must have prepared as much to act with such confidence.
It appears that I was not wrong. However, I did not expect thunderous shockwaves to come from the island, and instantaneously, one tama would fall to the ocean. It must be some type of cannon, but the discharge flashes are too small to justify the power.
…
As expected, it only fired twice—one for each of the remaining enemy.
As expected, I am confused.
If the Merikans hid such a weapon, how many of my comrades needn’t have sacrificed themselves these long years? I would like to petition the Emperor to declare war on Merika for their profanity upon my comrades’ ash urns.
***
A message arrived for me.
[Summons for the captain of the Battleship Muramita]
As soon as I read the summons, I am literally summoned by space magic to the bridge of the Kimetsu. How rude.
“Captain Nihonno.”
… I am addressed by the Emperor?! I kneel down and smash my head into the ground!
“Splendid,” the Emperor remarks. Thank you, Your Majesty. “Please stand. We must welcome our allies.”
Tch. ‘Allies’, huh? Who could they have possibly sent to appease my anger over the deaths of my countrymen.
… Is that the Princess of Merika?!
“Dear Emperor, my apologies that my country has not aided you in your time of need.”
The princess knelt in front of His Majesty. She seems earnest.
“That is the minimum of respect,” the Emperor voiced. He is angry in our stead. I will follow you until death. “Explain—and keep your head low—why has your country ignored the world for so long?”
Her next words put me in my place.
“My home is broken by civil war.”