Chapter 80: Dogfight
At the cost of destroying a single enemy artillery position, our side’s aircraft had suffered painful losses.
And yet—not all of them had fallen. A handful of planes had made it through the storm of fire almost untouched.
Making full use of those surviving machines, we pressed on with the assault, continuing our relentless strikes against the enemy’s artillery emplacements. One after another, the guns fell silent—until, in total, six positions had been neutralized, their thunder stilled at last.
“Enemy magic aerial troops! They’re climbing—still going higher!?”
“I’ll handle it. Focus on the others.”
On land, artillery is the goddess of war.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the outcome of a ground battle is decided by how many guns each side can bring to bear. On a battlefield like this, where artillery alone was being methodically crushed, there was no way the Kingdom of Friez could simply stand by and watch.
Just as I had planned, the Air Force of the Kingdom of Lunoa clashed once more with that of Friez.
The second collision.
This time, it was only the magic aerial soldiers who came.
But their numbers were overwhelming—the Friez Kingdom fielded at least twice as many magic aerial soldiers as we did.
“Thanks to the aircraft, we’re not at as much of a disadvantage as we could be…”
Even so, when it came to sheer firepower, our side held the edge. Our aircraft were equipped with machine guns, and their dense barrages dominated the skies.
In the opening exchange of gunfire, it was only natural that we seized the advantage. The gap in numbers shrank rapidly under the storm of bullets.
But as the numbers closed, so did the distance.
The Friez magic aerial troops pressed in without hesitation, closing the gap until both sides were tangled together in a chaotic, crushing dogfight.
At this range, aircraft were nearly useless.
The outcome would be decided by the raw skill of the magic aerial soldiers themselves.
“…Haah.”
Letting out a quiet sigh, I fixed my eyes on a single figure among the Friez troops—a man who alone had climbed higher than the rest—and began to pursue him.
“So you’re Lunoa’s anomalous magic aerial soldier!?”
I’m being lured.
In a close-quarters dogfight, my superior speed gives me the edge. To draw me out, he must have deliberately gained altitude alone.
Even knowing that, I chose to take the bait.
After all, letting someone hold the high ground uncontested would be far worse.
“I can’t understand you if you keep rattling off in Friez.”
“You’re speaking it just fine!”
As I climbed to evade the muzzle of his weapon, I closed the distance between us in an instant.
The gap vanished—zero distance.
The magic aerial soldier drew a dagger from within his coat and slashed at me as I approached.
Before the blade could reach me, I drastically reduced my own weight, manipulating gravity and shooting upward in a single, explosive motion to a far higher altitude.
“What—!?”
“Die.”
From above, I leveled my gun and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
“Gaaah—!?”
“—Tch.”
He reacted.
The magic aerial soldier twisted his body just enough to avoid a fatal hit. My bullet tore through his shoulder instead.
Struck hard, he let out a scream, clutching the wound as he darted wildly through the air, desperately trying to evade my follow-up shots.
“Coming again!?”
With movements that erratic, I couldn’t get a clean shot.
A careless bullet might even strike our own forces below. I immediately abandoned the idea of shooting and instead fixed my bayonet, charging straight at him.
“Don’t underestimate me!?”
The magic aerial soldier spun sharply, forcing his body through an unnatural twist to narrowly evade my thrust.
“A present. Go on—take it.”
As I passed within arm’s reach, I thrust my hand forward, shoving a grenade forcefully into the front of his clothing.
“…What!?”
Already strained by his awkward posture and the heavy damage to his shoulder, he couldn’t react in time to the sudden move.
The moment I pulled away, the grenade detonated.
A violent blast tore through him, blowing away his upper body in an instant.
No one survives that.
Silently, what remained of him began to fall, tumbling toward the distant ground below.
“Should’ve brought a dagger.”
All I carried were two guns and a handful of grenades meant for dropping from above.
In that last exchange, a simple blade would have sufficed—there had been no need to waste a grenade. It felt like a small but undeniable inefficiency.
Thinking that, I turned my gaze downward, toward the battle unfolding below.
The aerial combat between the Kingdom of Lunoa and the Kingdom of Friez was clearly tilting in Friez’s favor.
Their level of training was simply superior.
Already, one of Lunoa’s magic aerial soldiers had been shot down, his body plummeting to the earth, while more and more holes were being punched through our aircraft.
“…Alright.”
This time, instead of raising my gun from above, I gripped my bayonet and dove straight down.
“…Shall we begin?”
A dogfight fought at full speed—that was exactly what I wanted.
…Haah.
Time to fight.