Johan, the leader of the 3rd Observation Platoon, was climbing the hill with observation equipment.
"Hah, hah... Shit, this observation equipment is really damn heavy..."
The position assigned to him was on a mountain overlooking the canyon at the entrance to the Arcal Plain.
There was no time to waste, so he had to run up the mountain as soon as he reached its base on horseback.
And he had to do all that while carrying heavy observation equipment.
If he had not been an Aura Beginner who could handle Aura to some extent, the forced march would already have worn him out.
Still, the reason he had volunteered for this mission was simple.
A chance to direct a battleship's naval gun fire.
Once he marked the coordinates, firepower like divine punishment would rain down on the enemy.
How could any man resist that?
Johan and the members of the 3rd Observation Platoon wanted to witness with their own eyes the power of the weapon that had destroyed Sarsen Fortress in a single blow.
"Hey, everyone! Just a little more! We're almost at the top!"
"Waaaaah!!"
Thus, despite their exhaustion, the members of the 3rd Observation Platoon excitedly climbed to the top.
Driven by the single-minded desire to witness Dreadnought's immense power, they began preparing for observation as soon as they reached the summit.
The first thing they set up was the coincidence rangefinder.
Coincidence rangefinder.
It sounds complicated, but the principle is simple.
The device looks like a long cylinder laid on its side. It has lenses at both ends and is designed to bring the views from the two lenses together at the center.
By adjusting the device until the two views overlap, one can measure distance.
...Though it has the drawback of being a lump of metal the size of an adult man, making it impossible to move without an Aura User.
"Hah, hah..."
As Johan laboriously positioned the rangefinder at the mountaintop, the Observation Team soldiers following him brought up the remaining equipment.
Telescope, observation scope, compass, wind vane, and so on... By the time they had set up all the equipment on the mountain, the Western Army's conscript unit was just emerging from the canyon.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes!"
The Observation Team had already taken their positions, while the platoon members assigned to guard them waited with their rifles resting on rocks.
After confirming that everyone was ready, Johan took a communication crystal orb from his pocket.
He tapped it lightly a few times, and the image of the battleship's Fire Control Team appeared.
"Lieutenant Johan and the 3rd Observation Platoon have arrived at the observation point!"
[ Confirmed. Obtain the coordinates and relay them. ]
Johan handed the crystal orb to a soldier and immediately put his eye to the rangefinder.
The canyon, from which soldiers were continuously emerging, had an arch structure that was perfect for collapsing.
As he carefully adjusted the lenses at both ends of the coincidence rangefinder, the view of the canyon through the eyepiece came into focus.
Johan immediately called out the observed distance to the Observation Team's calculator.
"Zero-three-two degrees from the reference direction! Distance 2,835 meters!"
"Zero-three-two degrees, distance 2,835 meters confirmed!"
The observer located the position on the map and began calculating the canyon's coordinates using a protractor and a dedicated ruler.
It did not take long to determine the exact coordinates.
"Coordinate calculation complete! From intersection 31S 17G, east 0173, north 1520!"
The report went straight to Dreadnought's bridge.
The main guns of Dreadnought, floating proudly on the open sea under the escort of five destroyers, began to turn.
Kugugugu...
Amid the sound of heavy metal mechanisms engaging, a siren warning of naval gun fire rang out across the deck.
The deck thumped with the regular footsteps of crew members evacuating into the ship.
The bridge was equally busy.
Reports from the Fire Control Team came from all around.
"Coordinates 31S 17G 0173 1520! Zero-nine-four degrees from this ship's bow! Distance 8340!"
"Turret No. 1, aiming complete!"
"Turret No. 2, aiming complete!"
"Turret No. 4 and Turret No. 5 report aiming complete!"
The reports came one after another, delivered in stiff, mechanical voices. The officers' voices filled the bridge in sequence, like well-meshed gears.
Dreadnought could bring a total of eight 305mm naval guns to bear on one side.
Cooperation was essential to direct that immense firepower toward the right target.
"Wait for the Observation Team's signal."
A total of eight naval guns were aimed at the land.
The silent bridge and motionless battleship resembled a beast poised to hunt.
As the calm before the storm settled over the sea off the Arcal Plain, everyone on the bridge waited for the observation unit's report.
About 15 minutes passed.
-Conscripted infantry unit, all confirmed to have exited the canyon!
Finally, the claws of the giant steel monster were unleashed.
As soon as Dreadnought's gunnery officer heard the report, he gave the order to fire without hesitation.
"Fire!"
Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwang-!
A fierce storm of flames erupted from Dreadnought's starboard side.
***
Kwa-gwa-gwang!
The roar of eight 305mm naval guns firing simultaneously reached the Observation Platoon members through the crystal orb.
The roar of the steel beast was more chilling than any sound they had ever heard.
The 76mm field gun that could blow away even a knight with a single shot?
The 20mm Anti-Aircraft gun that fired dozens or even hundreds of golf-ball-sized rounds?
No, this sound could not even be compared to those weapons.
Even though they knew the monster's naval guns were not aimed at them, they felt an instinctive fear creeping over them.
"Hah..."
Johan forgot his own position and stared blankly toward the canyon.
His meager imagination could not possibly conceive of such power.
Mountains, and nature itself, were such forces.
Vast existences that made human power seem trivial. Humans had always been frail before nature.
Could they really destroy a granite mountain range that even a 76mm field gun could not scratch?
Just as that doubt began to creep in—
-Time to impact, 5, 4, 3, 2... 1!
There was light.
An immense flash burst from the eight shells as they struck the mountain beside the canyon. Johan instinctively shut his eyes, and half a beat later, the explosion washed over him.
Kugugugung-!
Goosebumps rose across his skin at the sound of the sky collapsing. His heart pounded, and cold sweat ran down his body.
What on earth had happened?
Johan opened his eyes, and the sight before him left him stunned.
"Huh..."
A mountain was billowing with smoke.
The mountainside, which just 15 seconds earlier had been covered in lush green forest, was now crushed and reduced to the color of dirt.
That was not all.
Kugugung-
A slightly different sound from the shell impacts reached them.
It was the sound of the mountain writhing in pain.
The granite bedrock collapsed, the soil making up the mountain crumbled, and cracks spread through the arch that formed the canyon.
And just below it, the Western Army's main force was passing through.
The soldiers at the very front of the Western Army's main force were buried beneath the collapsing mountain.
"This is, Dreadnought..."
The battleship that knew no fear.
It possessed power worthy of that name.
"Lieutenant Johan, impact confirmed. It was a stray shot... but the mountain collapsed and hit the enemy main corps' vanguard."
Even as he spoke, he could hardly believe it.
They had hit the mountain, not the center of the canyon.
It was a miss, striking a little beyond the target.
Yet the 305mm shells had brought down the entire mountainside and achieved their objective.
-A stray shot. Adjust target data. Turret No. 1 and Turret No. 2, add two degrees to the right, lower the gun elevation by three degrees.
Listening to the mechanical voice, Johan thought:
He was truly, truly glad that monster was on his side.
***
Eric Smith was passing through the canyon, reviewing the operation in his mind.
The enemies' weapons were certainly threatening.
However, if he put the conscripts at the front and charged, he could create enough of an opportunity.
He had also seen the footage of the battle at Sarsen Harbor. Their Anti-Air weapons appeared capable of firing at ground targets as well.
So first, he would push the conscripted infantry unit forward.
While the conscripts drew the attention of their Anti-Air weapons toward the ground, he would sweep in with the Wyvern Knights.
While the enemy's attention was drawn to the Wyvern Knights, the cavalry would charge.
If everything went according to plan, they could surely win.
But battle never goes according to plan.
Eric Smith's operation went awry before it even began.
Kugugugung-!
Without warning, a sudden roar, like the collapse of heaven and earth, rang out.
"W-what..."
In an instant, one side of the mountain was engulfed in a massive explosion. Before Eric Smith could even give an order, an immense amount of earth and debris poured down into the canyon.
Beneath the collapsing mountainside, there was nothing he, a mere human, could do.
"Raise your Aura!"
All he could do was raise his Aura and pray that he would survive.
One-fifth of the main force was buried and lost in the landslide.
The surviving soldiers fell into confusion.
Faced with an unknown attack that had wiped away the entire surface of a mountain, all they could do as mere humans was tremble and pray.
"It's an ambush! Everyone, form ranks and retreat! Do not panic! If you panic, you'll only die faster!"
Eric Smith desperately tried to rally the confused army.
He had no idea that the second shell fired by Dreadnought was already flying toward him.