Chapter 117: Annihilation of the Fleet

"Damn it! What on earth is General Nelson Jr. doing? Even if he is maintaining radio silence, he should have arrived by now. Could it be that the entire fleet has been wiped out?" At the Irish command headquarters, Prince Charlie was gnashing his teeth. According to the original plan, their main naval force should have already displayed their might in Wales, settled the battle quickly, and returned. But now, there was not a word from them. In truth, one could not entirely blame General Nelson Jr.; the primary reason was that their long-range communications had been damaged, and this precise window of time happened to be the stage for Prince Trexi and his forces.

Meanwhile, in Wales, General Nelson Jr. was happily bombarding his target. Before him lay the operational base of the Welsh camp. In reality, however, that was merely a facade; the location was a mirage set up by the Welsh to lure the Irish fleet. Yet, to make it convincing, there was indeed a unit stationed there—a heavily armored combat force whose sole purpose was to draw fire.

"Over half of our ammunition has been expended, and the enemy's firepower is beginning to falter! Requesting fire support from headquarters!" At the center of the barrage, that unit suddenly transmitted a long-range message. Around them were layers of special alloy plates. Indeed, these were the first generation of G-Alloy, a special armored alloy developed by the Galle Empire. That it was called "first generation" was clearly due to Cole; by utilizing a space core, Cole had perfected the actual G-Alloy, formally known as the Super-Hardened Alloy.

Even so, as a precious metal that could be produced through standard means at a manageable cost, G-Alloy was utilized in warfare. Because they were unwilling to share the synthesis formula, the Galle Empire and their ally, the United Kingdom, referred to it as Code G or G-Alloy.

"Heh! This wave of attacks should be enough to defeat Wales, right? I refuse to believe that Wales can withstand this scale and density of fire while completing their..."

"General Nelson! A large number of enemy ships have appeared at two o'clock! No! There are also swarms of enemy aircraft! How is this possible? Shouldn't they be—ah!" An explosion rocked the Kent-class heavy cruiser next to the flagship, and the scream clearly originated from that very ship. This was part of the plan. Having lost their anti-submarine radar, sonar, and other reconnaissance equipment, the Irish fleet was completely blind to the Welsh submarine force. In truth, the "large number" of enemy ships was mostly mirages, though it must be said that the Welsh monitor ships were indeed all present.

In fact, from the moment he entered the "Commander" system, Trexi had selected specific warships. While combat values were standardized, they varied by ship type. Due to their low speed, heavy artillery, and excellent land-support capabilities, monitors had always been the powerful weapons guarding the borders of the United Kingdom and the Galle Empire—though they suffered from low combat ratings, likely because their slow speed made them easy targets for aerial bombardment.

"Artillery, adjust your aim! Forget their base; focus all fire on destroying their fleet!" General Nelson Jr. no longer cared about those structures. Having bombarded them for so long without a single sign of movement, even he had begun to suspect they were fake.

However, the Welsh fleet gave them no quarter.

"Range data calculated. All guns, focus fire on the enemy flagship! All submarines, surface and flank their rear! Remember, your only target is the heavy cruisers! Leave the battleships and carriers to us!" The Welsh fleet commander roared. While the enemy was busy pulverizing their "base," the Welsh had already performed nearly perfect artillery corrections. The rest was simple: a 380mm shell struck the Irish flagship, the *Nelson*, squarely on the bridge. It was a fatal blow, and General Nelson Jr. was right there on the bridge.

With the commander-in-chief and fleet admiral dead, Captain Wallsand, stationed on the Illustrious-class aircraft carrier *Victory*, was stunned. With the death of Nelson Jr., morale collapsed instantly. "Launch all torpedo bombers, dive bombers, and fighters! From this moment on, I am the commander! *Nelson* and *Rodney*, target the enemy battleships! Fire at will! Even if we die, we drag them down with us!" Major General Wallsand had no choice but to issue the order. He had been thrust into command in a crisis, but as the only aircraft carrier, the *Victory* was destined to draw the enemy's concentrated fire. As expected, the moment the order was given, the deck of the *Victory* was struck by a 381mm shell—the main gun of the enemy's Erebus-class monitors!

Several aircraft on the deck were destroyed in the blast. A 381mm shell was more than enough to shatter an aircraft carrier's deck. A hole was punched through, and it was clear that the Irish fleet was doomed. Yet, the Welsh fleet had no intention of letting them go. "All guns open fire! Leave no one alive—finish them!" The Welsh commander, Captain John Franklin of the *Erebus*, had already locked his guns onto the Irish carrier *Victory*.

As the 381mm guns leveled their aim at the deck of the *Victory*, Captain Wallsand realized, "It seems our Irish fleet will not be returning home alive. Prince Charlie, you must hold the line!"