RM Vol 3: For a World without Boundary – Chapter 44-3: The longest day (Part 3)

Author notes:

I am back! And boy, we made it out Tet holidays, alive! Can't thank you all enough. And now, it's back to the grind, bills are coming up soon and so does my inspiration train! While the chapters may be short, I hope you all can see the quality is improving, or at least, as stable as before. 

Until then, enjoy the new pictures, and a good day to all of you. See you in a couple of days! photos.app.goo.gl/waZgkRa3UQhqKQBi9

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"This is AWACS Long Caster, begins the next rotation. Knight Squadron and Voidling Squadron, start your attack runs. Phoenix Squadron will be performing Gunfighter duty, providing you with top-cover."

"Knight Squadron, Knight 1, wilco."

"This is Voidling Squadron, roger that, we will follow after Phoenix Squadron."

"All units, be advised. Whatever you do, do not get below Angel 2 when you're around Codename Hydra. Deploy your ordinances above Angel 2 or you risk being cut down by the Archangels swarming around the target. Your primary target will be the crystalline armor on the Hydra's main body. Secondary targets will be its heads and tails. The heads will shoot out dragon breaths while the tails will spawn more Demons. The sooner you break the armor, the faster we can call it a day. Command already has a plan to deal the finishing blow so don't be zealous."

Long Caster briefed the squadrons that are approaching the Demonic Kaiju, now named Hydra due to its similarity to the ancient monster. Luckily for the Belkans, this Demonic Hydra doesn't seem to have a regeneration factor. That means it can be hurt and killed given enough firepower, and of course, money. This was proven when the Marshal implemented a rotational attack plan. Each rotation will consist of a few active squadrons, one CAP squadron, and two CAS squadrons. A new rotation will begin when the last one has run dried on munition.

The CAP squadron, comprised of Phantoms, will provide air cover, taking out the Archangels spawned from Hydra's six tails. Due to the fact that an Archangel Demon is smaller than a human male, missiles will be unable to lock on properly. To conserve AA missiles, planes of the CAP squadron are equipped with a Gunfighter loadout. This means that other than the Mk-103-4 Gatling mounted under the nose, a Phantom will also be equipped with three conformal Mk-103-4 gun pods, thus bringing the total amount of 30mm barrel to twelve. This loadout ensures that, when missiles can't lock on, they can fall back to their trusty guns, lots of guns. In a one-second burst, an uncountable amount of 30mm shells can eliminate a hundred Archangel due to them swarming together. Making it so that the Gunfighter loadout becomes a pilot-favorite method for taking out swarms of enemies at once. Squadrons on Gunfighter duty will be charged with keeping the airspace clear by cutting down the Archangels blocking the path of the CAS squadrons.

Coincidentally, Archangels' only means of attacking a fighter jet would be to suicide ram them. It's why Long Caster warned them against getting lower than 2 km off the ground, where the highest concentration of Archangels is presented. While individual Archangel won't be able to catch up to a Harrier, much less a Phantom, a swarm coming at them from multiple angles may prove to be a death sentence.

CAS squadrons, however, need not worry about those flying demonic triangles, much. They need only get in as fast as they can, be mindful of their altitude and airspace, drop everything on the literal bullseye, and then Evac Winchester. It's nigh impossible to miss a target as large as the Hyrdra, even if you use a dumb weapon. Because of this, the first few rotations have been carried out with good effect using unguided rockets and bombs. The rockets are to hit the heads and tails while the bombs are dumped right on the main body. Guns, however, prove to be ineffective on the Hydra due to its sheer body mass.

After the earlier rotations, the previously imposing Hydra is now worse for wear. The three draconic heads are battered, and damaged, the crystal eyes lacking their prior luster, and noticeable white chunks are missing from other parts of the heads. The tails, having sported many spawning chambers, now can only use slightly more than half of them, with the rest being blasted open by rockets and bombs. That said, it doesn't limit the Hydra from spawning more and more demons whenever it can. The Hydra, having learned that its enemy has always come from the air, has opted to only spawn Archangels instead of ground-based demons. It has a good plan of using the flying Archangels as an impromptu air-defense system for the suicidal kind. Forming a circular barrier of white and pink mass flying circles, the Hydra will command the mass to intercept any threat coming its way. It just didn't account for the fact that Belka fighter jets massively outmatch the slower and honestly firepower-starved Archangels.

So, when Phoenix Squadron swoops in with guns blazing, it isn't much of a surprise when a literal bridge of light divides a sea of demonic fliers. The streams of 30mm High Explosive Incendiary shells obliterate the Archangels whenever they hit. Wings are shattered, false halos are destroyed, pieces of white silicon bodies fall off the sky, and the shells that haven't hit a flier start peppering the Hydra instead. This incenses the Hydra, for not only its spawns are useless as stopping the annoying aircraft buzzing around its head and hurting it, the Hydra itself also can't hit a single jet due to it only knowing how to breathe out fire. And as everybody knows, dragon's breath isn't supersonic, most of the time. Until the Hydra figures out how to cast supersonic attacks, it can only take the hits dished out by the Belkan aircraft.

The aircraft of Phoenix Squadron, after cutting down countless Archangels, starts taunting the Hydra by expertly tethering the line, keeping just shy of the reach of the Archangels, performing acrobatics all the while. Already angered, the Hydra tries to unleash Hellfire from all of its three injured heads. Frustratingly for the lumbering beast, the flame already dissipated by the time it reached the 2 km altitude. Not willing to accept being disrespected like that, the Hydra sends a sizeable Archangel contingent to chase down the annoying flies. The Kaiju-sized threat forgets just prior to Phoenix Squadron's stunt, it already got kited by the same tricks on the previous rotations. For a threat hype by Gaia as a nation-ending one, the Hydra is... oddly dumb?

Something is wrong, but no one knows just how wrong is it.

With the opening given by the Phoenix Squadron, Knight and Voidling squadrons take to the stage. First, Knight Squadron dives in for the heads that are tracking Phoenix Squadron, members of Knight Squadron then launch HEAT rockets onto the heads. In a collective burst of smoke and debris, the Hydra roars from all of its mouths as the shape-charged projectiles dig into its skins. The pain makes the Hydra thrashe about and loosening its hold over the Archangels.

"This is Toyjet, the beast is distracted. You're up next Voidlings."

"Waffle Maker here, thanks for the assist, Toyjet. All Voidlings, Phoenix, and Knight have cleared the path, time to kick it up and knock 'em down!"

Knight Squadron then cleared the airspace, circling for another run. Meanwhile, Voidling Squadron flies over the top of the Hydra at maximum speed. Once above, members of Voidling Squadron use the ballistic computer to drop all of their 500 kg bombs on the heavily damaged back of the Hydra. Numerous explosions appear on the crystal carapace of the Hydra, breaking large chunks of pink crystal off its body and further hurting the Kaiju. 

"Gods. Seeing that monstrous beast rampaging like that brought me the chill man. I would hate to be the guy that has to explain the physics behind how that multi-thousand tons demon even moves." Commented Voidling One, Waffle Maker.

As if sensing the frantic mood of the Hydra, the Archangels flying everywhere also grow erratic, crashing into each other or just straight up belly-landing into the ground. Whatever the Hydra's meaning of controlling the demons is, it seems like it's directly tied to the Hydra's mental state. The fact is further proven when Knight Squadron returns. This time, they aim their rockets toward the back of the Hydra. Unlike the cratering effects of the HE bombs, the HEAT rockets punch deep and further worsen the carapace's integrity, making numerous visible cracks spread across the entire surface of the crystal armor. At this point, the Hydra's rage has reached its peak. But why stop there?

All this time, rotation after rotation of naval air wings, not to mention the prior siege for Auschwitz, the men and women of the Naval Air Service have been run ragged. So why not let them take a rest, yeah? If the pilots for the Harriers and Phantoms are exhausted, why not let the bomber crews chime in? After all, the 509th Bomber Wing still has Polar Bears in on station and in reserve ever since Hydra appeared. That's right, aside from the B-40s that dropped the Cloudmakers, there are six other Polar Bears armed to the gill with more 500 kg bombs. It's time for them to be called in to deal a crippling blow.

"This is the Enola May, the 509th will be taking over from here. Many thanks and love from the boys and girls of the 509th for softening up the Hydra for us. Bears are on us whenever you get to K-Town."

"This is AWACS Long Caster, I bet the pilots will be taking up on that offer real soon, Enola May. All units, clear the airspace, we have heavy ordinance inbound. Auschwitz and that Hydra will be leveled for good."

"Phoenix, copy all."

"Knight Squadron is Evac Winchester.

"Voidling is egressing. The stage belongs to the 509th now."

One by one, the fighter jets reform into formations, flying out of the AO to rearm and refuel in the expectance of a next rotation. With the airspace free of allied units, bombers from the 509th quickly replaced the decrease in firepower by opening their bomb bays and dropping 480 bombs in total. With the 509th flying in two arrowhead formations, one in front and one behind with each formation consisting of three bombers, the dropped bombs are localized and densely packed on top and around the Hydra. This ensures the maximum amount of damage will be delivered accurately and swiftly.

The first carpet of bombs rolls over the Hydra when it starts rearing its head to search the jets that have already evacuated the AO. Hitting its heads, necks, and the gaps between them before bombarding the heavily damaged main body and then spilling all over to its tails, the Hydra finally has a taste of big, lean, and very, very mean Belkan firepower. Prior to this, people can still hear the roars of the Hydra overshadowing the explosions generated by the fighter squadrons. But now? Its roars aren't even audible, much less its pained whimpers of being slapped over and over by fragments and shockwaves.

When the smoke and flame from the first carpet aren't even settled yet, the second carpet is rolled without much delay. This wave of bombs further engulfed the demonic entity in a cloud of ashes and soothe. The rumbling of bombs and buildings falling apart by shockwaves further masking any sound the Hydra lets out. Overall, the tremors generated by the detonations make it seem like it's the end of the world by curious observers if there's anyone around. The bombs quite literally flattened a good portion of Auschwitz and the regions surrounding the displaced city should have felt the quaking of the ground.

With the bombs kicking up a new wave of Fog of War, verifying whether the threat is still alive or not is a challenge. Radar can only do so much to verify the size of the target, not if it's alive or not, and there are many ways to fake a death. Hence, it isn't surprising when someone asks the million Reichsmark question.

"Did we kill it?"

The entire August von Parseval's CIC turns to the man in question with disparaging glares, even Bryn joins in, giving the man a gaze of disappointment. Being given the looks, the man wisens up, slumping his shoulders, and sighs.

"I just jinxed it, aren't I?"

Yuki nods while giving the sailor a sideglance, saying. "Two-months salary cut, effective immediately."

The man quietly curses his loudmouth, just before the Fog of War starts clearing up.

Looking intently at the video screen, Yuki says. "Well, the moment of truth..."