The American In Another World
Chapter 66: Leviathan

February 20, 1640

Vestal Sea

The blue waters sparkled brilliantly under the cloudless sky, rays of light piercing through the calm waters. The waters remain undisturbed, except for a fleet of artificial constructions pushing through the sea. Originally from bases in the Jovian Kingdom along the western coast of the Vestal continent, the fleet consisted of an entire carrier strike group. USS Carl Vinson sailed at the helm of this mighty force, carrying the escort of 3 cruisers, 6 destroyers, and 2 submarines.

They sailed straight to their destination in Bushpaka Latan, unaffected by rumors of vicious sea monsters in the area. Their only concern was the Annonrial reaction. A few days ago, Secretary Heiden's staff sent an advance notice of their diplomatic intentions. This message was received by the Annonrials, who greeted them at their gate in Bushpaka Latan. Despite this friendly response, Americans remain vigilant, fearing ambushes.

Unlike the civilized nations of the modern Earth, the Elysian states do not have internationally recognized rules of war. If Mirishial is to be believed - a case more likely to occur because of evidence of an Annonrial-Ravernal relationship - then it is possible that this isolationist could strike at any time. It was clear to the Americans that the Annonrial had no reason to interact with the rest of the world, and they could definitely conquer Elysia if they wanted to. However, a burning question persists: why did they not do so? The uncertainty involving these mysterious winged people led the United States to reluctantly send a delegation, to talk to the Annonrial about their goals.

Secretary Heiden smiled cheerfully as he walked around the USS Carl Vinson, enjoying the warmth of the equatorial sun shining on him. He stood alone on the deck, watching the aircraft carrier wake up while the sailors carried out routine maintenance on the aircraft behind him. He meditated peacefully, enjoying the unusually cool weather while admiring the open sea. The brief silence was then interrupted by footsteps approaching from behind him.

"Mr Secretary," said a soft feminine voice.

"Here to enjoy the view, Emily?" Heiden looked towards the tall blonde and dressed.

“Master, we are approaching manacomm range. We should go back inside in case the Annonrials want to talk to us.”

The name made him frown, reminding him of his upcoming worries. He took a deep breath, inhaling the salty sea air before turning around and walking with his assistant. "Well, it was five minutes of good relaxation," he wriggled.

“Master,” Emily looked at Heiden with concern, “I know this is not my place to ask, but..” She looked down at the deck floor then back to Heiden, where she was, “Can't we talk to them using remote manacomm as we did when we told them about our visit? I have a bad feeling seeing them live.”

His worries really resonated with Heiden, who had a bad premonition in his stomach. "Yes," she looked into the distance, stopping before stepping inside with Emily. “I wish we could do it too, but we need answers now. We need to know what this Annonrial is doing, and we need to tell them that we mean it, ” he said, referring to the firepower of the fleet. "Stay, I can't shake the feeling that—"

Heiden's punishment was interrupted by a series of thunderous alarms that erupted throughout the fleet. He frowned from the noise, looking around when a sound came through the intercom, “Public Places! All hands to the battle station! Material condition 'Megalodon'!”

While the admiral continued to issue orders, Emily shook Heiden's stunned arm. "Sir, what's going on?"

Heiden jolted back to reality. “Sial, we have to go in. If I remember correctly, the material condition of 'Megalodon' is the code for sea monsters. Let's go to the bridge. It should be safe there.”

——

Walking through the crowded corridor, Heiden finally arrived at the bridge. He felt cold steel from the bulkhead on his shoulder as the aircraft carrier turned right.

"Oh," said Emily behind him.

Heiden helped him regain his balance before approaching Rear Admiral Johnston. "Admiral, what's going on?" She asked.

"Secretary Master!" The tall gray-haired man turned around in surprise. “We have encountered sea monsters. Three kraken and the other. I'm not sure if it's chasing them or operating with them.” A column of water erupted from the sea as he spoke. Johnston paused to look at the sonar operator's screen. "Well, one kraken and the other now." Seeing the worried faces of Heiden and Emily, he assured them, “There is nothing to worry about. We had dealt with the kraken before; the old depth charges worked against them.

Heiden raised an eyebrow, unsure. "Uh, and what about this... 'something else'?"

Admiral Johnston fell silent, unable to describe the creature. The creature's signature is much larger than the kraken, suggesting a monster as big as Carl Vinson himself. “This. Leviathan.”

"Sir!" One of his men called. “USS Alaska ask for help! It chases them to the surface!”

Johnston's eyebrows wrinkled with worry. She started rubbing her eyes — unique stories that reflected her anxiety. "What's? How can it be that close?!”

The sonar operator replied, "Approximate speed is 20 knots and continues to increase."

At first, Heiden was confused to hear the order. He asked himself why they needed to do such an act, but then froze. His eyes lost focus and stared blankly as he reached the same conclusion as Johnston. He looked out of the bridge, heart pounding in anticipation of the missiles never coming. Seconds by second passed, passing into minutes, yet nothing appeared on the horizon.

"Aah!" Emily let go of her pain breath. "Sir, you're gripping my hand a little hard!"

Heiden returned once more to the world, noticing his tight grip. "Oh kindness. I'm sorry, Emilia.”

He brushed it off, his attention fixed on the growing chaos outside the window. "Woah," he said as the helicopter dropped a series of depth bombs into the sea.

An enormous column of water gushed out, showering the nearby destroyer with bursts of mist. With the first gunfire unleashed, activity ceased. Admiral Johnston then called the sonar operator, requesting a report.

A sharp ping soon followed, revealing that the monster was still moving. “Master, it's still there! Sweep shows target slowing down, but still chasing Alaska!”

Johnston clenched his hand, dropping it like a hammer. "Hit again!"

This time, he allowed the destroyers to use their torpedoes. The depth charge has worked well against the kraken, but it seems to struggle against this new enemy. They no longer worry about cost effectiveness, instead becoming concerned about the extraordinary toughness of leviathan against the old bombs. Fearing for the safety of the USS Alaska, the fleet cost nothing and lost the full force of their modern weaponry, delivering dozens of guided torpedoes to the leviathan, which finally stopped its pursuit and began to show evasive manoeuvres.

“Pak, we have a visual on target. Put it on the screen!”

The unmanned underwater vehicle released by the USS Hawaii successfully approached the battle, recorded it and transmitted the data to the USS Carl Vinson. The Leviathan is a very large creature, with a length equivalent to that of a typical American supercarrier. The appearance of the creature itself is not similar to the analogues known in the popular myth of Terran, although it is somewhat eel-like. Hundreds of tentacles surrounded the slender monster's body, emerging from the narrow gap within the monster's armored scales. They spin as they glide across the water, acting like flagella and teaming up with the creature's massive tail to propel it.

It accelerated to an unexpected speed for a size far from its size, exceeding the top speed of a screen fish. Its speed of over 60 knots was almost enough to shake the American torpedo, which was pushed to its operational limits. Leviathan quickly escaped from the underwater arena, diving deeper. The creature's clever maneuvering and evasion helped it release half of the American torpedoes, much to their surprise. The remaining half exploded near the creature's tail and the lower body was armored — even if it could be called so. Several tentacles were caught in the explosion and quickly evaporated. The cavity formed by the explosion quickly fills, but prevents UUV from following further. The monster disappeared from sensors and visual feeds afterward, leaving Americans wondering if they managed to kill it or not.

Heiden approached the screen displaying live camera footage from UUV. "Is that ... dead?"

“I... don't know, Mr. Secretary,” replied an officer. “However, I think the pressure wave got it. I hope."

Heiden turned back to Johnston. "Admiral?"

Johnston felt sweat dripping down his neck, drenching his collar with uncomfortable moisture. For the first time in his career, he faced off against an enemy he was hard to defeat. "Oh my God" he murmured.

"Are we safe now?" ask Heiden.

"Yes," said Johnston, squinting in the distance. "We should be. If you'll excuse me, I'll have to send an urgent report home.

——

White House

The latest reports from Heiden's diplomatic mission are disappointing, killing Lee's mood entirely. The disclosure of an aircraft carrier-sized sea monster comes just after reports of advanced Ravernal quantum technology. The news surprised him, acting like a wake-up call. Groaning, he rubbed his face with his hand, letting it fall slowly. “Ugggh... I guess it's only a matter of time before my fear of magic finally materializes..” he lamented.

A report from Admiral Johnston details their encounter with a monster species — species have never encountered that lurked in the depths of the ocean as apex predators. He hesitated with this description, wondering if this creature was even an apex predator. As he considered this, an old saying appeared in his mind: 'there are always bigger fish'. Anxiety makes him swirl to the rabbit hole as he applies the adage to his own existence. Today, the United States is the largest fish. What if that wasn't the case, and the Ravernal Empire was bigger than the United States?

The timing of the kraken attack on the Valkan and American Gra fleet was very coincidental. Could it be that the Annonrials somehow had the ability to control these monsters, or even produce them? Is this new leviathan some kind of biological weapon, controlled or designed for warfare? Or is this leviathan lured toward America by the kraken? Regardless, this creature reflects its fear of threats to American domination.

The questions he asked himself had no answers except one. In keeping with the American spirit, he found solace in the American way. The solution is simple, which has proven its benefits over time: get a bigger gun. Deciding to eliminate this new Elysian threat, Lee picks up a pen and opens one of his notebooks. While doodling, he began to draw up a roadmap for the safety of his people. They have only a decade and a half to research resistance to the Elysian threat, be it their wildlife, or the sophisticated weapons operated by the genocidal Ravernals. With so little time and so many possible threats, he decided that it was time to expand the Magic Research Department.