The American In Another World
Chapter 28: The Invasion of Altaras (3)

Pannuris Squadron, 15 Miles Southwest of Le Brias

The wind struck the helmet of Knight Captain Shalsas as his mount streaked across the sky at full speed. As one of the Parpaldian Empire's best fighters, he was one of the few chosen people who could handle the incredible speed that the wyvern rulers were capable of. Offering greater attributes than standard wyverns, these ferocious beasts showed such superiority that wyverns could not hope to defeat them, one on one. The Altarans realized this and depleted the Parpaldian air force, hoping to equalize.80 Wyvern rulers faced off with a force that tripled in size.

"Master, we have lost track of two groups of wyverns, each numbering eighty contacts," one of his subordinates reported.

Shalsas looked at the thick cloud layers above him. “Possible try the exact same strategy with our own unit. Have the Vanturus Squadron take a position above us. Defense formation 'Supervisor One'.”

"Your command has been delivered, Captain Knight."

"Good," he said while adjusting his helmet manacomm. “I really don't want to look as if we are saving the glory of the battle for ourselves, but this is a precaution we should take.”

“Captain Knight Gandus will not be happy about having to make an initial attack. His unit will receive many casualties..”.

“That's the nature of war,” Shalsas said, staring at Altaran's ship with bloodthirsty eyes. "It's a shame that war is our nature."

——

The Royal Navy Altaran

Bordo watched the balista tilt upward as the Parpaldian wyvern lord approached. Trying to hit even a standard wyvern with such a weapon was unthinkable. However, new advances in magical technology, ushered in by American aid, gave birth to new tactics. Since the new bolts were equipped with magical fuses, a volley with accurate timing could crush the wyvern rulers gathered tightly above.

Although the balista operators were quite well trained by the wealthy Altarans, they lacked the technology to help take aim. Without a fire control system, they would have to rely on their personal skills and intelligence. They carefully adjusted the angle of the balista to compensate for the movements of the wyvern rulers above, who had not yet taken evasive action. Slowly and with bated breath, they prepared to shoot.

"Fire!" Admiral Bordo ordered.

The air gasped as dozens of bolts were released into the sky, most of them fused into the wyvern rulers. A few seconds passed, then the continuity of the tactic was shown. Deadly fireworks erupted under the wyvern lords, like a shotgun blast. Shards of bullets tore through the dense force, impacting them with an amount that could be compared to raindrops during a huge storm.

Admiral Bordo and his men watched with wide eyes as more than half of the enemy wyvern rulers fell from the sky into the sea. Of the initial batch of 20, 12 were eliminated and the rest suffered injuries of varying degrees. After a brief shock and excitement of unexpected success, Bordo steers his men back to work. "Prepare for the next volley!"

——

Pannuris Squadron

Shalsas carefully observed the Altaran formation, feeling that something was amiss. He realized that the fleet did not have wyverns guarding it, which was strange. As he was deep in thought, desperately trying to analyze their puzzling tactics, fireballs erupted under the formation of his squadron. The deafening explosion was followed by the screams of the dying wyvern nobles and their knights. A few unlucky men happened to appear unscathed, but were thrown off their mounts and fell.

"What just happened ?!" Shalsas sent his mounts up, making erratic moves as the other squadrons followed.

"Master," replied a subordinate. "Their ship launched an anti-air magic bolt!"

Shalwar. "From their ballista ?!" He turned around, disbelief visible even with his helmet attached.

"Yes sir. I'm sure it is. Their bolts exploded right before they reached us!”

Shalsa sighed. “So it looks like the Altar have developed some new tricks. Deliver this information back to the fleet. As for us, we will coordinate with the Vanturus Squadron and attack the Altaran ship. Spread and attack from vertical angle.”

"But sir, what about the ambush wyvern?"

“We should hope our allies handle them quickly.”

On the orders of the Shalsas, the Vanturus Squadron swooped down from the sea of clouds, joining the Pannuris Squadron that had survived in their attack. The wyvern rulers distanced themselves from each other, taking necessary precautions against the explosive weapons of the Altaran. Once they were in position almost directly above the Altaran fleet, the order to attack was given. Over 30 wyvern lords plunged in simultaneously, accelerating to incredible speeds while setting up their fireballs.

With his unparalleled eagle-like vision, Shalsas observed people moving along the deck of the Altaran. They hurriedly worked on their balista before slowing down a few seconds later. Their movements became more methodical and calculating. Shalsas waited three seconds, assuming that their calculation speed was similar to that of a cannon operator.

Assumption true. As expected, several flashes flashed across the Altaran ship, signaling the release of their fire. He paused from his dive and kept straight, hoping to find a new angle to re-enter. As he pulled his mount up and to the left to avoid an incoming shot, he warned his team-mates. "Avoid! Avoiding!"

The more skilled wyvern knights in their ranks immediately reacted. Even before finishing the word 'dodging', many knights began evasive maneuvers. However, others were not so adept with consciousness. Those who reacted too slowly, along with some who ordered the injured wyvern lord, were torn apart by a rainstorm of broken metal.

Setting aside no more than a second to grieve over their fallen comrades, the remaining Parpaldian knights regrouped to continue their assault. Shalsas felt blood in the water when he realized that some Altar started to leave their posts and instead took a bow. “It looks like they don't have enough time to reload the volley again.” he concluded. Boldly, he led the attack, gaining speed as he approached the effective range of his wyvern master fireball.

Sharp cracks radiated across the small bay as 30 fireballs found their target, impacting the hull of the wooden ship and burning it. Just seconds after the Parpaldian forces completed their assault, several secondary explosions were heard on several damaged Altaran ships. A few lucky fireballs managed to hit the supply of magic bolts and gems, which immediately exploded and caused a chain reaction. The five Altaran ships were detonated with incredible explosive power which humiliated the Parpaldian ability. The entire ship was reduced to ashes due to their fragile magical cargo while others could not be operated by flying debris.

While his men circled around to make another attack, a transmission from General Cius entered. The other two squadrons finally found two groups of Altaran wyverns each who had split up earlier. Already, casualties are rising due to the sheer numerical superiority exercised by the Altarans. However, the report did not take into account the 80 lost wyverns they had estimated were defending the enemy fleet. Where the hell did they go?

“Stop and involve enemy leaflets! Bring this fight to the clouds, so we can take advantage of our wyvern masters and outsmart them!”

They rose to face the enemy, both sides attacking each other with unwavering persistence. The wyvern rulers, raised for power, outmaneuvered the Altaran wyvern and fired first. Nearly a quarter of the Altaran army was destroyed by an accurate Parpaldian volley. The survivors did not falter; they maintained direction and relentlessly chased after their superior Parpaldian counterparts. With three wyverns assigned to each wyvern ruler, the less skilled Parpaldian riders had great difficulty getting rid of their pursuers. Volleyball kick after volley chasing the Parpaldians. Although the Altarans were harmed in terms of quality, the sheer amount of firepower dropped onto the Parpaldians resulted in nearly a dozen direct attacks.

"Captain Knight Gandus has been beaten!" Someone from the Vanturus Squadron called out.

Shalsas glanced back and saw the wyvern lord falling from the sky, spinning downward as it desperately tried to maintain its height. Knight Captain Gandus seems to be alive, moving to save himself. “Damn,” grumbled Shalsas.

Soon the wyvern lords were able to defeat the Altar, beating them all the way to the clouds. Now obscured by the fog of war, Shalsas orders his men to attack the core of the Altaran formation, hoping to disrupt their chain of command and send them into chaos. The pursuing Altaran is caught off guard by a sudden counterattack from the Parpaldians, who take double revenge for a dozen fallen wyvern rulers.

Shalsas leads his men back into the clouds, where they find themselves in a brutal melee with valiant defenders. Despite the many casualties his unit suffered, he could not help but feel impressed by the ingenuity and determination of the Altarans. He even felt respect for them — something that could prevent underestimating their abilities.

"Shalsas, in the back!"

Shalsas turned his mount to the left, narrowly avoiding the fireball. "Almost," he said, ignoring the scorching heat of the passing projectile. Wyvern who shot him was then dropped by one of his colleagues. Undeterred by his brief embrace with death, Shalsas dove back into battle.

The frenzied battle lasted for nearly half an hour, with reports of similar situations from other incoming squadrons. Bloodied, but victorious, the survivors of the squadron of lord Wyvern Parpaldian return to their aircraft carrier. Shalsas counted the number of wyvern lords who returned with grim expressions. From an initial strength of 80, all four squadrons returned with heavy casualties with an average loss of 50%. Such devastating losses have hitherto been unprecedented, and if other operators are not lost, the victims will likely be in single digits. After being fed up with this thought, he turned around, accepting the well-earned rest that General Cius had given to the returning wyvern knights.

——

The Royal Navy Altaran

"They've stopped their attacks to fight our wyverns ..." Bordo muttered as he looked at the two approaching forces. They clashed, sending fireballs in sporadic directions. “All ships, this is our chance to face the Parpaldian fleet! Advance towards the enemy in a standard line formation; keep your distance and set up emergency systems! We don't want any more additional damage from explosives.”

40 Altaran line ships surged forward, sails unfurled and oars were deployed as they stormed to face the enemy in a resounding battle. In contrast to the fight between their air units, the Altaran Navy found themselves in a crushing defeat. Not only were the Parpaldian warships more numerous, they also had much higher quality, boasting cannons with double range and armor with double effectiveness. The Parpaldian fleet even fielded several man-o-wars, large ships with over a hundred cannons. If he had seen this fight a week ago, he would have predicted the total destruction of the Altaran fleet. However, seeing a new balista in action gave him confidence - not for victory, but the belief that the Altaran Navy could really pose a threat to the once invincible Parpaldians.

As the fireball exploded overhead, the two fleets met. Two lines stare at each other until one side is close enough to shoot. Admiral Bordo immediately gave the order to stop and give the leaflets once his fleet reached its effective range. The Parpaldian ships continued forward unobstructed and without evasive manoeuvres, thus presenting themselves as easy targets. Bordo grinned, his eyes gleaming with vengeance as he shouted with all his might, "TEMBAKKK!"

——

The Parpaldian Imperial Army

General Cius raised an eyebrow looking at the strange movements of the Altarmen. “Why do they display the wide side?” He asked loudly.

“They are unlikely to have a cannon with such a range,” said an officer. "Can they?"

Cius rubbed his chin. “With so many magic gems at their disposal, it would not surprise me if they were to waste them in large quantities for the weaponry of brute strength 'The Bolts of the Wind'. God'."

“Maybe we underestimated the reach of their bolts. Should we react?”

“Defend direction, Commander. Our anti-magic coating is enough.”

The commander nodded and relayed Cius' orders. The Parpaldians arrogantly followed his wishes, thinking that Altaran posed little threat. Their arrogance soon proves to be their downfall as bolts rain down on the Parpaldian ships, plunging themselves into their hulls.

"Hmph," Cius crossed his arms. "Their driver couldn't even break through—" His words were cut off by the sound of dozens of simultaneous explosions throughout his fleet. Cius raised his hand, protecting his eyes from the explosive light. He staggered backwards as the ship swayed due to the power of lightning, holding himself against the wall. "What the fuck?!"

"Sir! We are now in range, ”seru an officer.

Cius' shock quickly subsided, replaced by anger and frustration. A quick glance at his side confirmed his fear: the explosion had resulted in the sinking of several ships. That bolt must have managed to light up their ammunition depot. Wasting a little time for retaliation, he immediately replied, “Remove them! That damned altar; who do they think they are?!”

An enormous wall of smoke suddenly appeared as thousands of cannons were fired, releasing like thunder during a tropical storm. Although not as accurate as the Altaran bolts, the cannonball covered this loss with numbers. The area around the Altaran fleet was so saturated with firepower that there was no way a single ship could escape unscathed. Indeed, no ship was spared from Cius' wrath.

The cannonballs tore through the Altaran's line of ships, which quickly fell due to the lack of adequate armor. Like the poor Parpaldian ship whose ammunition depot was set on fire, many Altaran ships caught fire. They erupted spectacularly, emitting light as magic gems exploded inside their ships. The splendid massacre wiped out most of their fleet, leaving only six ships of the line still floating. Miraculously, these ships were spared from the devastating explosions their comrades had experienced. Taking the water, these survivors decided to attack the Parpaldians.

“Quick,” said Cius, realizing what they were planning. "Destroy them! Don't let them get close!” He then turned around, silencing his manacomm. "Captain, start pulling our ship back."

Captain Cius nodded. Meanwhile, Cius walked forward, wanting to see the progress of the battle. The Altarans refilled quickly enough, firing another salvo forming an arc, which created a kind of smokescreen while showering the nearby Parpaldian ship with metal shrapnel. Some of the Parpaldian ships fired in retaliation, but missed due to poor visibility.

Cius' heart started racing. Sweat dripped down his neck as he anxiously waited for the next shot from his fleet. To his relief, the next volley was successful, sinking five enemy ships. One surviving ship continued forward, without any new scars as if it was the only one blessed by heaven. His eyes widened as he realized that his ship couldn't seem to reload in time. "Captain, hurry!"

Cius ducked behind the communications station just as a powerful explosion struck a dozen Parpaldian ships from the front of his fleet formation. Cius looked up from the cover as plumes of smoke rose upward, a testament to the resolve of the defenders of Altaran. "The bastard .." he clenched his fists. "I will make sure that they suffer because of this offense!"