A Sudden Torpedo Attack!?

Tutadadadada—! Tudadadadadang—!

The Amul machine gun, developed and manufactured by the Polia Kingdom, was a water-cooled machine gun. It used a water-filled jacket around the barrel to reduce heat buildup and fired the kingdom’s standard 8.1mm rounds at a rate of 550 rounds per minute.

The rebels were frantically unleashing a hail of bullets at the approaching landing crafts. Although most rounds splashed into the sea or tore through empty air, some did find their mark, striking the landing crafts.

There were screams and casualties among the soldiers, but the landing crafts continued charging forward. Naturally, the 1st and 2nd Regiments heading straight into enemy fire were taking the heaviest losses. Meanwhile, the flanking 3rd and 4th Regiments suffered fewer casualties.

Since the machine guns were focused toward the center, the flanks had more time to reach the shore. The rebels, realizing this too late, scrambled to redirect their fire—but with too few machine guns to cover all angles, it was already ineffective.

The harbor had descended into chaos. Shells were still falling from the sky, and now landing crafts packed with soldiers were closing in fast. Maintaining composure was nearly impossible. Some rebels, already terrified, fled outright.

Unlike trained soldiers, they lacked the mental discipline to hold the line.

Once the landing crafts reached the vicinity of the harbor, the naval shelling ceased. While this offered a brief reprieve, the rebels had no time to relax—now they had to face the royal army head-on.

“The landing crafts are coming! Attack!”

“Don’t let them land!”

Over 20,000 rebels began firing rifles in unison. Most of them were armed with weapons stolen from the armory. Many clutched rusted, outdated rifles that hadn’t been used in years.

While some did wield breech-loading rifles—a step up from muzzle-loaders—they were mostly early models with poor performance. The weapons had to be reloaded manually after every shot by operating the bolt handle.

Still, a few thousand rebels were equipped with the Kodia, the Polia Kingdom’s standard bolt-action rifle that used the same 8.1mm rounds as the machine guns. The rifle could hold six rounds in an internal magazine and had to be cycled after each shot. Its large caliber made the rifle thick and a bit unwieldy.

The landing operation had begun, and the rebels fiercely resisted. After an hour, more royal soldiers had landed from both the east and west, and territory began to fall into their control.

Fighting was still fiercest on the central front. Heavy losses were mounting. Sporadic exchanges continued between the remaining coastal batteries and the naval fleet, but the shore guns were steadily falling silent.

After two hours, realizing they could no longer stop the landing, the rebel commanders issued a retreat order.

Piiik—! Piiik—!

Retreat whistles blared from every direction. The 1st and 2nd Regiments, now on shore, chased the fleeing rebels and fired at their backs.

The soldiers’ expressions were hardened by grief—many had lost comrades. Looking across the coastline, bodies of rebels littered the ground, and the sea was strewn with the corpses of fallen royal soldiers.

With the rebels retreating, the royal army finally secured most of Phero’s coastline.

With the coastal batteries lost, the major battle was effectively over. Only urban warfare remained. The rebels had established a secondary defense line using barricades set up within the city.

As gunfire echoed through the streets, the beach bustled with disembarking soldiers and unloaded supplies. Around five hours after the battle began, the sun began to set.

Darkness made combat more difficult, so the fighting naturally subsided. Aside from the occasional gunshot, a strange calm settled in. Meanwhile, several kilometers offshore, the battleship Mythos continued firing toward the rear lines.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM-BOOM!

Shelling rocked the battleship. Most of the fire came from the secondary guns, used for more precise support fire.

Inside the bridge, Ian spoke with his deputy captain.

“The destroyer Inden is currently undergoing repairs.”

“Was it badly damaged?”

“Seven dead, nineteen injured.”

“So we suffered losses.”

“Unfortunately, casualties are inevitable in battle.”

“That’s true. But didn’t the landing troops suffer even more?”

“Yes, it’s estimated that about 2,000 were killed and another 3,000 wounded.”

“So half of our landing force was hit.”

“That’s how difficult landings are. Defenders always have the advantage. The war with the Doicheun Empire made that clear.”

“True. Most landings on the mainland back then were repelled. But is our current force still viable? Aren’t we short on men?”

“The rebels have lost the will to fight. And many of our wounded will return to combat within a day or two after basic treatment. For now, we have sufficient numbers.”

“That’s a relief. The army has taken the brunt of this battle.”

“They have. But now, there’s little left for us to do.”

Ian agreed. The landing had succeeded. Their role now was limited to support fire. If they could push forward and crush the rebellion, the situation would be fully resolved.

As he reflected on this, fatigue crept over him. The stress and constant decision-making had worn him out.

“Deputy Captain, would you care to join me for dinner?”

“I’ll remain on duty, sir. Please, go ahead and eat. And get some rest.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’ll rest later. I’m still fine for now.”

“Very well.”

The bridge needed someone in command at all times. Ian decided to rest now and take over at dawn. With the adjutant, he exited the bridge, visited the mess hall for dinner, and then returned to his quarters.

His cabin aboard the battleship was much larger and more luxurious than the one on the cruiser. It had a bed, bookshelf, desk, and private bathroom—far better than his previous dormitory.

Taking it in briefly, Ian removed his uniform and captain’s hat, hung them on the coat rack, and slipped off his shoes before climbing into bed.

The mattress creaked slightly but was comfortable enough to lull him into a deep sleep. He had no idea that, beneath the dark waters, enemies were lurking—watching him.

Gunfire still echoed faintly—like a lullaby—guiding him deeper into slumber.

Clearly, the day’s battle had taken its toll.

Around 11:11 PM.

As if the daytime battle had never happened, the surroundings fell eerily quiet. Beneath the sea, a fair distance from the shore, a periscope suddenly emerged. It scanned the island area, and the eyes connected to it blinked repeatedly.

Inside the Label-class submarine, currently on a covert mission.

The captain, who had been looking through the periscope, turned away and addressed the nearby crew.

“It’s finally time to show them our might. Soon, what was once their warship will sink into the sea and sleep forever.”

At those words, everyone nodded, faces lit with excitement. Though the submarine was narrow and unbearably hot, making them all drenched in sweat, their expressions and eyes gleamed with determination.

“Captain, shall we load the torpedoes?”

“Load them. And signal the second vessel. The moment to fire is almost here.”

“Understood.”

As the executive officer quickly got to work, the small submarine grew busier. Two torpedo tubes were already in the process of being loaded. Meanwhile, faint sounds echoed through the water.

Tuk— tok tok— tok—

Making sounds underwater was typically fatal, as it could expose one’s location, but currently, there were hardly any nations operating submarines. Thus, even the second Label-class vessel comfortably made signal noises upon receiving the message.

The second submarine would soon complete loading its torpedoes. Amidst this flurry of activity, the captain allowed a smile to creep across his lips. He was filled with anticipation for the outcome soon to be revealed—an outcome that made his chest tremble.

Of course, secretly sinking a warship using a submarine might bruise one’s pride. But in the current situation, an open attack wasn’t possible, so this method was the best option.

‘No one will ever know we did it. Even if they suspect us, there’s no evidence—who could prove it?’

The captain had no intention of dying. He planned to complete the mission safely and return home. Even if today’s outcome wasn’t acknowledged as a national contribution, he considered this operation a personal fulfillment of his love for his country.

“Torpedo loading complete.”

Upon the report of the torpedoes being loaded, the captain took his pocket watch from his coat and checked the time. It was now 11:25 PM. Nodding, he then spoke in a solemn voice.

“At exactly 11:30, fire all torpedoes at the battleship Mythos.”

“Yes, sir.”

They immediately signaled the second vessel, and it was agreed that all torpedoes would be fired simultaneously at 11:30. The tension was palpable. This was their first real combat—the moment they would launch torpedoes to sink a battleship.

Time passed, and soon it was 11:29. As the moment approached, they struggled to suppress their growing anxiety. The stopwatch ticked forward, and finally, the moment struck 11:30. The captain issued the firing order.

“Fire torpedoes.”

With the captain’s low command, two torpedoes launched from their tubes. They headed toward the direction where the battleship Mythos was located. Soon after, two more torpedoes launched from nearby. Four torpedoes cut through the water.

If all four hit their mark, not even the thickest-armored battleship could remain intact. The torpedoes contained a massive payload—much stronger than artillery shells.

The torpedoes streaked straight through the water, drawing closer. Focused on the shoreline, no one noticed them. It wasn’t due to negligence—some lookouts were indeed watching the sea.

But it was a pitch-black night, and detecting torpedoes silently gliding through the water was nearly impossible.

“It’s done.”

Seeing no movement from the battleship Mythos, the captain’s face began to fill with joy, celebrating the imminent outcome. But moments later, he sensed something was wrong.

‘What’s going on? Why aren’t the explosions happening?’

He couldn’t help but feel puzzled. At this distance, there should’ve been a hit. Had he miscalculated? No—it couldn’t be. Just then, he saw explosions through the periscope—coming from the coastal pier area. Exactly four explosions.

“What?! The torpedoes missed?”

It was an incredibly bewildering moment. The torpedoes they launched were a well-developed model, perfected after dozens—no, hundreds—of test launches. Sure, there could be duds, but all four failing to detonate was unthinkable.

The captain, regaining composure, urgently shouted for the torpedoes to be reloaded.

“Reload the torpedoes! Target the battleship Mythos again!”

Following the captain’s order, the crew understood they had missed and moved quickly with stern expressions to reload. Meanwhile, the second vessel also began reloading torpedoes.

Once the loading was finished, another launch order was issued. The longer they delayed, the more likely the battleship Mythos would start moving—making it harder to hit. In this urgency, another four torpedoes were launched.

Meanwhile, chaos erupted within the Polia Kingdom forces due to the sudden explosions. Some suspected a misfire from a friendly ship’s artillery, but it was soon clear that wasn’t the case. Amid this confusion, Ian entered the bridge of the battleship Mythos, not even fully dressed in uniform.

“The Captain is entering the bridge!”

“Start maneuvering immediately!”

Ian gave the order the moment he arrived, but the executive officer was already preparing to move the ship. Struggling to put on his uniform, Ian couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

‘An attack from underwater… It must’ve been torpedoes, right? Don’t tell me there’s a submarine nearby?’

With a tightening expression, Ian stood frozen. Woken by an ominous sense, he had instinctively used his psychic power. But because of that, he unintentionally deflected the torpedoes toward the harbor—a grave mistake.

“Torpedoes spotted!”

At that shout, Ian now clearly detected the incoming torpedoes.