[FGO]: 119

"Report! The Kabane horde has reached Aragane Station!"

This was the message sent by a team of scouts stationed at Aragane Station, using the latest communication towers. Apart from the squad of scouts dispatched by Ryou, the entire Aragane Station was almost defenseless.

The elderly who had stubbornly refused to leave finally paid the price for their obstinacy. After the scouts evacuated using the prepared transport, the Kabane easily overran Aragane Station, turning it into a scene of carnage.

...

"Spare me, please!"

An old man collapsed on the ground, trying to beg for his life, but the Kabane, without hesitation, lunged at him. The air was filled with his agonizing screams and the horrific sounds of flesh being torn apart. Blood spread across the ground in a gruesome pattern.

"Amida Buddha, Amida Buddha!"

An elderly woman repeatedly chanted, trying to numb herself as she sat beside the lifeless body of her husband, who had died from a Kabane bite. The door, which had been barricaded, began to rattle under the force of the Kabane's assault, accompanied by their beast-like howls. The old woman's chanting quickened.

Suddenly, the seemingly lifeless old man on the floor opened his eyes, which glowed with a golden yellow light, and sat up abruptly. Hearing the movement, the old woman turned around, overjoyed to see her husband come back to life.

"Thank you, Buddha..."

But before she could finish her words of gratitude, the old man pounced on her with a swiftness that belied his age, sinking his teeth into her neck. Blood and screams filled the room.

Ten minutes later, the old woman slowly rose from the floor. Her body was in tatters, with her eyes and heart glowing a golden yellow...

Scenes like this played out repeatedly across Aragane Station.

A few hours later, there were no living humans left—only the undead Kabane.

As night fell, from a bird's-eye view, the dark land below revealed a massive torrent of lights, with most continuing northward while a smaller group slowly moved toward Yokosuka, as if drawn by something.

Soon, the scouts, risking their lives, reported back that the vanguard of the Kabane horde was less than 40 kilometers from the walls.

With this warning, the Yomogawa Army mobilized nearly all its forces. The land forces, now integrated into the Yomogawa Army, had grown to nearly 10,000 men. Except for a thousand left to maintain order, the rest were fully deployed. The navy also dispatched several battleships, including the Yamato, along with two Fusou-class and two Ise-class ships.

The wall, built at the junction of Yokosuka and Honshu Island, stretches 15 kilometers from south to north. This distance allows the battleships' main guns to cover the entire length. The first layer of the wall, just completed, was equipped with 120mm cannons, the maximum possible in the time available. With no time to install fortress guns over 300mm, the battleships with their large-caliber naval guns were used as safe, heavy firepower points offshore.

Against the Kabane horde, nothing is more powerful than Yamato's cannon. The naval fire support also serves to boost the soldiers' morale.

In this battle against the horde, Yamato was positioned as the main force. To prevent the other four battleships from hindering her, they were sent to a different part of the sea, creating crossfire zones.

This defense battle was also Yamato's first combat after her modern upgrades, drawing much attention.

The wall was crowded with soldiers nervously checking their steam rifles, while artillery crews inspected their cannons. At that moment, Jeanne, dressed in silver armor and white robes, holding a sacred banner, stood on the wall. This saintly figure seemed to possess a magical power that calmed the soldiers who saw her.

"Comrades, behind you are your families and friends. If you don't stand up and fight bravely now, these bloodthirsty monsters will harm your loved ones, dragging them into hell. Can you stand by and watch such a cruel fate unfold?"

Jeanne's resolute voice echoed along the wall.

"No!"

The response started as a few voices but quickly grew louder, with more and more joining in until it became a thunderous roar.

"NO!!!"

Seeing the high morale, Jeanne smiled a pure, heartfelt smile.

"Fight, comrades! The Lord is with us!"

"God bless!!!"

Nearly ten thousand soldiers raised their arms and shouted, their spirits soaring as if ready to tear apart any enemy that appeared before them.

At that moment, the Kabane were less than 20 kilometers from the wall. With their keen hearing, they quickly picked up the shouts from the wall. The Kabane, who had been moving sluggishly, suddenly froze, then arched their backs like hunting wolves and sprinted towards the wall, jaws wide open. Some special types even dropped to all fours, running like beasts.

Whether real or imagined, the golden glow from their iron-coated hearts seemed to brighten, as if their power had increased...

A normal person running at full speed can cover 10 kilometers in an hour. The tireless Kabane moves even faster. An hour later, the soldiers on the wall could already see tiny dots appearing on the horizon.

They're here!

Without needing any prompts, everyone instantly realized what was happening. From above, the Kabane horde looked like a massive brush painting a new color across the vast canvas of the earth.

Seeing the endless sea of Kabane, the hard-earned morale began to waver again. Ryou quickly used his telepathic link to contact Yamato, anchored offshore.

"Yamato, use your firepower to signal the counterattack and ignite the hope in our soldiers' hearts."

"Understood, Admiral!"

With Yamato's resolute response, a deafening roar filled the air. All the soldiers on the wall watched as nine orange-red glowing balls descended from the sky, crashing into the Kabane horde like a tidal wave.

BOOM!

In an instant, it was as if nine small suns had appeared on the earth, with flames shooting skyward, accompanied by the rise of small mushroom clouds. The massive Kabane horde was suddenly left with nine large, empty spaces.

Before the Kabane could fill the gaps, another nine orange-red glowing balls appeared in the sky, crashing down amidst the soldiers' excited gazes.

Once again, nine large swathes of Kabane were wiped out.

"Banzai!"

"Banzai!"

After witnessing the power of the main cannon, the soldiers on the wall couldn't help but cheer loudly.

At this moment, hundreds of orange-red light spots appeared in the sky again. These densely packed spots were the secondary guns of the Yamato firing. With double amplification, even the secondary guns of the Yamato could easily cover a range of 15 kilometers.

After its first upgrade, the Yamato's overall technology level had reached that of the American forces during the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s. There were three major changes:

Firstly, the firepower had been significantly enhanced. Although the Yamato did not install missiles after the upgrade, possibly due to its representation of the peak of the battleship era, its main gun caliber was increased to a staggering 520mm. Additionally, the most advanced fire control radar of that time was installed, greatly improving shooting accuracy. The secondary guns were equipped with an automatic loading system and linked fire control radar from the 1960s and 1970s, significantly increasing the rate of fire. The machine guns and 25mm cannons were replaced by CIWS (Close-In Weapon System).

The power core was still the McRucky Engine, but it had been transformed into a semi-perpetual power mechanism that emitted a blue glow, similar to the original design. After installing this mechanism, although the energy requirements of the upgraded Yamato had increased, its demand for magic crystals had decreased by 30%. According to Yamato herself, a truly virtuous wife should help her Admiral be thrifty and manage the household.

The last upgrade addressed the radar system, which had been widely criticized. This time, it was replaced with the latest radar system from the Vietnam War era, and with the addition of faith amplification and Yamato's innate detection abilities as a shipgirl, her detection range was greatly enhanced.

After the upgrade, Yamato's combat power had multiplied several times over, making her capable of taking on three pre-upgrade versions of herself.

While Yamato was devastating the battlefield with her overwhelming firepower, the four battleships on the other side of the sea also opened fire following their orders. In no time, the land, which spanned only 15 kilometers in width, was covered in artillery fire.

The seemingly endless Kabane were being annihilated in large numbers. The steel membranes protecting their hearts were no match against the massive cannons of humanity's pinnacle warships, as even the shockwaves from the explosions were enough to crush their hearts.

The only advantage of the Kabane was their fearless nature. In their relentless charge, some managed to break through the artillery coverage. However, they were met by a 10-meter-high wall, as tall as a four-story building, constructed mainly from reinforced concrete. But first, they had to face yet another barrage of artillery.

"Fire!"

At this command, the 150 120mm cannons mounted on the wall opened fire. Those Kabane that had just crossed the battleships' strike zone found themselves in the firing zone of the wall's artillery.

By the time a few Kabane reached the base of the wall, only a handful were left. However, as soon as they caught the scent of fresh flesh, they seemed to enter a frenzy, attempting to climb the wall with their bare hands. Fortunately, this possibility had been anticipated, and the wall had been coated with a layer of slippery paint on the exterior. Before the battle, another layer of oil was added.

The Kabane that managed to make it to the wall suddenly found themselves in trouble. As soon as they began to climb, gravity pulled them back down, and they landed heavily on the ground. The soldiers on the wall burst into laughter at the comical sight below.

A volley of gunfire followed, turning the Kabane sitting on the ground into easy targets. The steel membranes offered no protection, easily pierced by armor-piercing bullets. Encouraged by this success, the soldiers no longer showed any signs of fear.

One soldier aimed at a tattered female Kabane. Despite the Kabane's skin being an unnatural grayish-purple, resembling that of a corpse, the prominent female features caused the soldier to hesitate and swallow nervously, his finger freezing on the trigger. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out beside him, and the female Kabane fell to the ground. The soldier angrily shouted at his comrade.

"Damn it, Keita! I had my sights on that one first!"

The soldier named Keita grinned mischievously.

"Baka! Whoever shoots faster gets the kill."

His gaze suddenly shifted to his comrade's crotch, and he exclaimed as if discovering something new.

"Makoto! Are you seriously aroused by a corpse? That's disgusting!"

Makoto instinctively covered his crotch, his face turning red with embarrassment.

"You two idiots! Stop fooling around during a battle!"

Their officer's shout snapped them back to attention.

"Yes, sir!"

The two friends quickly picked up their steam rifles and resumed fighting seriously.

This was just a small incident along the 15-kilometer-long wall. It was clear from this scene that, with the support of naval and artillery fire, the Kabane was temporarily not a significant threat.

The only one who seemed troubled was Ryou. Despite the favorable battle conditions, he was frustrated by the thought of the vast sums of money being spent on each shell fired. He imagined the money sprouting wings and flying away.

Although the expenditure was painful, the artillery bombardment was incredibly effective. Whether in the world of Resident Evil or Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, heavy firepower was always the key to dealing with hordes of the undead.

Although the Kabane appeared much stronger than zombies—they were faster and had smaller weak points—Ryou was confident. In the world of Resident Evil, the real threat wasn't the zombies but the highly mutated, highly infectious T-virus. The T-virus could be transmitted through air, water, and other means, making it nearly impossible to defend against.

In contrast, the Kabane could only spread through blood contact. With their lower transmission rate, he had more time to develop. With the combined industrial power of the entire planet, not only could he defeat these brainless beasts, but he could even conquer the stars.

This defensive battle was relatively easy for him, who was well-prepared. In comparison, other stations were fighting with all their might, and many were still being overrun by the Kabane. The situation in Yokosuka was almost too easy.

The Kabane, once feared, were now being ruthlessly crushed by the mighty naval guns. The soldiers on the wall, who had been on high alert, were starting to relax.

However, about 50 kilometers away from the wall, a massive Kabane horde was spreading northward. At that moment, a unique female Kabane twitched her ears and suddenly raised her head, looking towards Yokosuka. As she stood up, she revealed the heart in her chest, protected by a steel membrane, which emitted a blue glow.