The Mighty Divine Dragon Ilx

Third Naval Battle of Irnetia (Part 3) ③

Introduction and Character Profiles: Kingdom of Agartha

[Sylphy Short Bactar]

Commander of the Agarthan fleet and an Archmage. 98 years old town elf. (Almost) an OC. First appears in "Battle of the Folk Strait (Part 2) ②."

Head of the 1st Division of the Royal Magic Development Bureau, she leads the development of the Fleet-Class Ultra-Grand Flash Magic. However, due to its limited effectiveness against the machines of the Gra Valkas Empire in the Battle of the Folk Strait, she continued to make improvements. Eventually, she developed the Fleet-Class Anti-Air Flash Magic, which, after being activated, fires for a while before dispersing into countless small rays of light.

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The location changed, and a carrier fleet was sailing in the rear of the World Allied Fleet. Now, they were subjected to an unprecedented level of attacks.

"Eight enemy air units shot down!"

"Three more approaching at 2, 5, and 10 o'clock directions!"

"Recharge, now!!"

They had already lost two Rodeus, one Accen, and one of the two Pegasus-class carriers. The only one remaining was the Edifice, where Leica slept. Surrounded by six magic ships from the Agarthan fleet, they were conducting a desperate anti-air defense. Mobilizing the vast mana generated by the Mirishial-made high-performance magic engines, they unleashed the Arcane Space Cannon into the enemy formations one after another, and magic circles continuously shimmered around the ships. Each ship also fired anti-air guns indiscriminately, filling the sky with light bullets and black smoke. In a slightly distant location, lightning dragons, wind dragons, Elpacios, and Ilx continued to battle enemy aircraft. Since no one was riding Ilx, she couldn't maneuver as she had before, but she still proved to be a powerful force, working in coordination with other riders to shoot down numerous enemies.

However, the numbers weren't decreasing. It felt like the enemy's forces were not only not diminishing but were actually increasing. And indeed, that was the reality. After all, the Gra Valkans had directed almost all its air power here. Attack planes constantly launched from the Main Fleet's carriers, being sent here one after another. They would inevitably struggle with these overwhelming numbers, even if those enemies were Antares. But this time, the Canopus fighters were among them. While the lightning dragon had superior mobility, the inferior Elpacio 4s and Elpacio 3 Mods had no chance of winning. It seemed as if they were wyverns being manhandled by an Antares.

Their carriers were already gone. The only one remaining, Edifice, had been modified as a wyvern mother, making it impossible for combat planes to land. If they wanted to land, they had to head towards the supposed carrier in the fleet ahead or go towards the carrier of the Mirishial regional fleet acting together with the Muish mobile. Among the planes that had exhausted their ammunition, some managed to head towards these carriers, while others crashed into the enemy planes and sacrificed themselves. Although the lightning and wind dragons had no concept of running out of ammunition, they were still biological beings and were accumulating fatigue. Slow-moving riders became prey to machine gun fire.

And then—

A thick beam was emitted, dispersing into countless arrows of light just before reaching the approaching enemy formation. The Arcane Space Cannon — the largest and strongest anti-air magic in Agarthan history, was fired. While it had a tremendous effect against the Gra Valkan planes, using it repeatedly allowed the enemy to gradually develop countermeasures. The attack squadron further dispersed beyond the range of the magic's effect, reducing the number of planes shot down in a single attack. They were willing to accept a few casualties, employing a tactic that relied on brute forcing the enemy with their overwhelming numbers.