At this moment, the fleets of both sides were engaged in a fierce battle on the open sea.
On the first day, the air forces fought for a long time without either side gaining a decisive advantage. The Swarm’s scourges relied on their suicidal blocking to forcibly keep all of the enemy's magic planes at a distance. Instead, the Zerg successfully carried out a surprise attack, sinking two warships of less than 10,000 tons through diving explosions.
Two ships were, of course, very small compared to the total scale of the enemy fleet.
However, the first day’s battlefield was not originally centered around the warships. The sky was filled with aerial units, and several times the scourges tried to break through the opposing defenses to reach the enemy vessels, only to be intercepted halfway.
And while the mutalisks were fast, they were far slower than the scourges.
To reduce unnecessary losses, Xia Jin simply had both forces concentrate their strength on attacking and intercepting the enemy's air force.
On the sea, once the density of flying equipment in the sky thinned out, she ordered the surface Swarm to actively approach the enemy fleet. A cannon battle between the two sides was about to begin.
...
The commander of the Dawn Empire’s main fleet was a figure of marshal rank within the nation, having led the navy in multiple attacks against demonic forces.
Standing on his flagship, he squinted his eyes upon learning that the Zerg fleet had arrived about 50 kilometers away.
At this distance, they could already be hit with the latest magic flight missiles.
“Commander, news just came from the magic planes. The enemy has launched a large number of anti-aircraft missiles, shooting down several of our aircraft. Additionally, biological missiles have been launched from several of the enemy's escort ships and are flying toward our fleet,” a young soldier reported quickly as he approached.
“Have the escort ships prepare to launch ammunition for interception. The enemy has entered our range; let’s test our magic flight missiles.”
“Yes, sir!”
Because they were already prepared, it took less than 20 seconds for twelve magic anti-aircraft missiles to streak out, trailing plumes of fire.
These were compact but powerful interception weapons.
Following behind the anti-aircraft missiles were the trajectories of as many as 200 magic flight missiles.
Both sides were watching the battlefield intently.
Soon, the Zerg missiles appeared at the edge of their vision.
The projectiles of both sides quickly closed the distance. Then, the Dawn Empire’s flight missiles swerved and exploded nearby.
After the flashes of fire, seven Zerg missiles were directly detonated, while the rest continued to fly toward the fleet.
The Imperial fleet quickly launched a second wave of anti-aircraft missiles.
...
On the Zerg side.
“The range of the 480mm guns is 40 kilometers, but the hit rate at this distance isn't high.”
Xia Jin knew the situation of her Zerg fleet. Seeing the many magic missiles launched by the enemy through the eyes of the scourges, she waved her hand with a flourish.
Puff, puff, puff, puff—
From the opened chambers at the rear, missile bugs flew out one after another, closing in on the enemy.
Unlike the army, which didn't prioritize anti-air, the navy took it very seriously.
This was because ships were truly expensive to lose. If one sank, a large number of Zerg would suffer along with it. If they fell to the bottom of the ocean, there was no telling how long it would take to recover them.
Therefore, besides a single main gun, the Carrier Bugs only contained hangars for flying Zerg and anti-aircraft missile chambers installed around the sides.
On the deck, several elf bugs had set up unicycle launch racks similar to those used on land. These racks had as many as twenty launch ports, specifically for short-range interception of enemy missiles that flew within five kilometers.
Long-range and short-range defenses were essentially complete.
One could say that with this model, as long as the navy’s scale surged, they could contend with the Empire.
But now, facing a major Imperial fleet, one could feel the pressure brought by those hundreds of ships.
It was quite incredible that the industrial level of a magic civilization was actually higher than that of a technological one.
But it was indeed happening now.
The mage units could use magic circles to quickly shape sturdy hulls, allowing even carriers and battleships to be produced in the short term. The only thing truly restricting production was resources.
And as for resources, they weren't actually in short supply, as they could also rely on magic for collection and transport.
The anti-aircraft missiles of both sides intercepted each other’s projectiles, though there were naturally some that slipped through. Soon, three of the Swarm’s missiles that had escaped the net approached the enemy ships. One managed to bypass the interference of a magic net and precisely hit a 16,000-ton class vessel.
The explosion light soaring into the sky heralded the ship's demise.
Sinking was inevitable.
On the Swarm’s side, out of a wave of over 100 long-range missile bugs, they intercepted more than 60.
The second wave of over 100 intercepted another 60.
With more than 80 of the enemy's missiles closing in, six unicycle launch racks fired short-range missiles, and the scourges directly erected three walls in front of the different ships, attempting to block the projectiles.
Boom, boom, boom, boom—
Ultimately, about twelve missiles slammed into the scourge walls.
One exploded too close to a Carrier Bug, and the violent shockwave directly tore through the front of the hull.
Amidst the shaking, the elf bug controlled by Xia Jin hurriedly grabbed the nearby railing. The elf bugs behind her immediately rushed forward to support their Queen.
“Phew, that power is quite something.”
But the result was very satisfying. Xia Jin had confirmed one thing: her side’s anti-air capabilities were no longer inferior to the Empire’s.
“Prepare the 480mm main guns. I want the other side to feel the firepower of our Swarm.”
“Yes!”
The cannon bug itself sent out a mental pulse and began to connect to the signal from the scourges, slowly rotating its muzzle.
With a dull sound, the terrifyingly giant tube drifted past Xia Jin’s head.
To prevent herself from being blown away by the shock of the launch, she retreated more than ten meters away.
Rate on N.U.
