Same day, evening
At sea on the way to the Homunculus Kingdom
Oga Multipurpose compartment
In the multipurpose compartment of the Oga, which was given the role of flagship, a briefing session was being held for the senior SDF officers.
"Two types of ammunition have already been developed for the railgun... The one to be used this time is the APFSDS (armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot). As for the semi-armor-piercing rounds and guided projectiles... they are still under development... Well, the semi-armor-piercing rounds are expected to be developed soon."
Rear Admiral Suzuki, the fleet commander, was explaining the types of railgun ammunition to be used in this project.
"...There was a proposal to use HEFSDS, but since we are dealing with a living creature rather than a ship, it was decided that armor-piercing rounds would do the most damage."
"Excuse me, may I have a word?"
After listening to the explanation up to this point, Commander Kato of the Oga raised his hand for a question.
"Hmm, go ahead."
Suzuki looked at Kato, who seemed to want to say something, and urged him to speak up.
"What do you mean when you say that AP rounds can do more damage than HE rounds?"
Kato thought that the HEFSDS would do more damage to the Leviathan than the APFSDS, which is just a piece of metal that just penetrates the armor, so to speak.
"Hmmm, for example... what do you think happens to a bullet that is shot into a person's body?"
"?? Doesn't it go straight ahead?"
In response to Suzuki's question, Commander Kato and the rest of the officers had a question mark over their heads. Suzuki takes a breath before answering.
"Well... it's quite natural, but the trajectory of a bullet that is shot into a human or animal body does not travel in a straight line. It is normal for a bullet to hit a bone or a relatively hard internal organ, ricochet repeatedly, and form a complicated trajectory. This causes damage to a wide area inside the body. That is why we have decided to use the APFSDS because of its penetrating power to penetrate the magic barrier and body wall first. It would be meaningless to use HE if they could not penetrate through. And secondly, to cause a ricochet inside the body after penetration, so that the Leviathan's internal organs would be extensively damaged."
"...I see."
Kato looked convinced after hearing the commander's explanation. The next day, the eight ships of the Leviathan Subjugation Task Force arrived off the coast of the Homunculus Kingdom, the site of the battle.
. . .
3 km off the Homunculus Kingdom
Eight SDF vessels were gathered in this area of water 12 meters deep, just deep enough to prevent the Oga from running aground. The Asuka, Shirayuki, and Shimayuki, which were assigned to snipe the Leviathan, were lined up in a row with the Asuka in the middle, and the Maya, which was assigned to escort them, sat just behind the three ships. The Oga, which was to operate the F-35Bs, was anchored to the right of the Maya. The Shōnan, assigned to search for the Leviathan, was standing by alongside the supply ship Tokiwa, 7 km to the north of the sniper, with the escorting Shiranui, and was scanning the surrounding seas.
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February 11, 15:00
Flagship Oga CIC
YOU ARE READING
ASAHI NO NISHISEI - Rising Sun Goes West (1)
Adventure"On September 4, 2025, Japan disappeared into another world. The adventures of the Self-Defense Forces, diplomats, politicians, and the Japanese people will begin..." PS: I did not write Asahi no Nishisei, this is a fan translation of the webnovel m...
