The Mighty Divine Dragon Ilx

World News (Part 1)

Former Technical Research and Development Institute, ATLA Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan

"O-Okamoto-san! Take a look at this!"

"What is it? Why are you so noisy—is that a fleet? It looks similar to the ones from the Japanese Empire; is it that Gra Valkas thing again?"

"Yes, but look at this destroyer here."

"Hmm...?"

The subordinate, Ono, showed a photo – a portion of a satellite image just before the sinking of the aircraft carrier Sadalbari. Okamoto focused on it and felt a slight sense of discomfort. The destroyer he pointed to was slightly tilted.

"...It's listing."

"Yes, it's definitely listing, but the issue is its altitude."

"Altitude?"

The term not quite suitable for watercraft made Okamoto furrow his brows.

"Upon analysis, this destroyer is positioned at an altitude of approximately 50 meters above sea level."

"...Ha?"

"In other words, this destroyer is levitating!"

He said it.

Okamoto did not understand those words for a moment. Well, not many would immediately understand the concept of a ship levitating.

"Wait a minute. What, so you're saying Gra Valkas' ships can fly?"

If that were the case, it would be a significant threat. They would need to modify anti-ship missiles to target airborne objects, and without water resistance, the speed would likely be considerable. Having the Yamato fly and shoot 46 cm cannons from the air would be a nightmare. It was no time for talking about space battleships like in a certain anime.

However, his words were quickly denied.

"No, if they could fly, there would be no need to make them look like surface ships, and I don't see any mechanism for flying. It's probably something else."

"But it's floating in the air, right?"

"The feeling is more like it's being thrown than levitating."

"No, that's even more problematic. How many tons do you think it is?"

He restrained Ono, who was saying something too unrealistic. But then, he remembered that this was a different world.

"...There might be some kind of magic or something. Anyway, where is this photo taken?"

"Well, it's in the sea about 120 kilometers off Irnetia Island, outside the Second Civilization Area."

"Investigate it immediately. There might be something more troublesome than Gra Valkas."

"Understood."

He gave the instructions, realizing that there were many things in this different world that he couldn't comprehend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leiforia, Gra Valkas Empire Territory

Leifor used to be the last of the world's five great powers, but it was destroyed by Gra Valkas and turned into a colony. The capital, Leiforia, devastated by naval bombardment, is now a city with a colonial governor's office, witnessing further developments such as the construction of a large naval base.

The naval base in Leiforia was currently in turmoil. The battleship Grade Atlastar which was incorporated into the fleet deployed to the Kingdom of Irnetia, had lost contact after sending a message stating, "We are defeated by the Irnetian forces."