Chapter 1113: War of Establishment X
Hundreds of Lances fired their deadly payloads into the Stormwall, bombarding the mountains and the valley beyond. The defense Lances within fired back and several small Diluvian arks were shot down. The bridge officers in Terris’ palace-ark scrambled about, doing their best to keep everyone coordinated, but the casualties they were taking panicked more than a few.
“Coral Ash has fallen, my Lord!” someone shouted.
’A heavy price,’ Sarjell thought, ‘but a necessary one.’
The bombardment was an extreme order on his part, but it was necessary. There were too many questions and unknowns regarding the heretics beyond the Stormwall that leaving them alive was simply out of the question. They had to eliminate them as quickly as they could, and since they had reinforcements coming anyway, Sarjell decided to make a risky play.
“Keep up the attack!” Sarjell sternly ordered, his steady voice giving some of those panicking a bit of steel in their spines. “Keep up evasive maneuvers and track where those shots are coming from!”
Staying high enough to fire Lances over the mountains meant that the Diluvian arks were within the firing arcs of the heretics’ Lances. Casualties were simply part of the game. Once a hole had been blasted sufficiently wide in the heretics’ defenses, then they could move in and deal with them once and for all.
To that end, while Sarjell had the bombardment commence from all sides of the valley, most of the Lancefire was concentrated in the south. And by his estimation, several defense Lances had already been hit, reducing the volume of returning fire. They’d already lost a few smaller arks from that return fire, but such was the price of speed.
‘Not like they’re my forces,’ Sarjell callously thought. ‘Let them die gloriously for the good of the Ocean Lords.’
As those thoughts ran through his head, a light cruiser, right after firing a salvo of half a dozen Lances into the Stormwall, was hit with more than twice as many answering shots. Its defenses were overwhelmed, and holes were punched into its hull. Internal explosions followed a moment later, and the shark-shaped ark went down in flames.