"Three fragments approaching Hourai Island airspace."
The report came from Edgar, currently aboard Konron 3.
Morning had dawned on Hourai Island. The fragments were arriving from the night side, meaning they had been captured by Ars's gravity and swung around to the other side of the planet.
Konron 3 was built to spacecraft specifications and was fully capable of operating beyond the atmosphere. It was currently intercepting the fragments at an altitude of 100,000 meters.
"There are fewer than expected. The reconnaissance spaceships must have done a fine job thinning them out," Edgar noted.
In the far reaches of space, ten reconnaissance spaceships had been busy processing small-class and micro-class fragments.
"The regions currently in the night zone are in greater danger than Hourai Island," Jin thought. "The Sky squad will have their work cut out for them."
In the skies above the Celuroa Kingdom, two dazzling fireballs were observed alongside a swarm of countless meteors.
"Look! Fireballs!"
"The stars are falling! Fireballs are raining down! How can you say this isn't the end of the world?!"
"Peace. This much was expected."
King Cesar stood with his high-ranking officials, gazing up at the sky. While the elder men trembled in terror, Cesar remained composed, his eyes fixed on the heavens.
In truth, he was not as calm as he appeared. He felt a primal fear that made him want to scream, but he suppressed it through sheer force of will.
(Lord of Kunlun, I have no choice but to put my faith in you... Please, protect this world.)
Across the oceans, three battleships and ten cruisers had been deployed.
Though their numbers were few, they were positioned just in time to pick off the fragments that threatened to strike the surface—or, in this case, the sea.
"Battleship Hotaka, Main Gun No. 1, Transporter Cannon Mode. Elevation 76 degrees. Fire!"
A fragment that had been projected to hit the water 200 kilometers east of the Elias Peninsula vanished instantly.
"Battleship Myoukou, Main Gun No. 1, Transporter Cannon Mode. Elevation 82 degrees. Fire!"
Another fragment vanished over the waters between Hourai Island and Kunlun Island.
"Cruiser Azusa, main gun, Transporter Cannon Mode. Elevation 89 degrees. Fire!"
A fragment disappeared 300 kilometers south of the Kingdom of Egerea.
"Cruiser Yodo, main gun, Transporter Cannon Mode. Elevation 65 degrees. Fire!"
One more fragment vanished 250 kilometers south of the Celuroa Kingdom.
"Battleship Asama, Main Gun No. 1, Transporter Cannon Mode. Elevation 45 degrees. Fire!"
A fragment 400 kilometers east of the Pazdext Great Isthmus was neutralized.
"Cruiser Katsura, main gun, Transporter Cannon Mode. Elevation 59 degrees. Fire!"
A final fragment 180 kilometers south of Onogoro Island was wiped from the sky.
"Things are proceeding smoothly. There is a possibility that some fragments carry radiation; we shall send those into Sun Celane."
The fragments were being temporarily pooled near the northern coast of Hourai Island, where they were sorted inside a powerful physical barrier. The staff checked for hazardous microorganisms and dangerous radiation levels. If any were detected, Hourai Island's transporter would immediately hurl them into Sun Celane.
Fortunately, no such hazards had been found so far.
"Three hours remaining. We are at the peak of the storm."
"So those are the fragments. Their speed is terrifying."
On the Moon, at the Uni facility, Milowina watched the fragments through a magi-screen projection.
"And over there is Jin-kun's Adriana."
No fragments were currently on a collision course with the Moon. Even if they were, Jack would capture them to be used as raw materials for the base.
"Two and a half hours left..."
Just as the Adriana and the extra-large-class fragment crossed the orbital path of Ars, the unthinkable happened.
"Ah!?"
The fragment split apart. More accurately, it shattered.
It had been an elongated stony meteorite, and Jin's forces had been using large force generators to forcefully alter its course. The mechanical strain had finally reached its limit.
Since it had already cleared the critical point of Ars's orbit, the trajectory of the main mass was largely unaffected. The large force generators had already been shut down, and the body was moving solely on inertia. However...
"The small pieces..."
The fragments that scattered upon the split maintained their own unique velocities. One-quarter of the debris continued on the original safe path, but the remaining three-quarters were now hurtling toward Ars.
"We'll block them with the Adriana!"
Jin D barked the order, and Taisei reacted instantly.
They had been flying alongside the fragment with the Aegis shield deployed for exactly this contingency. Just as they had hoped, the shield intercepted the vast majority of the debris.
However, a handful of fragments slipped past the shield and continued their descent toward the planet.
"Laojun, I need course projections immediately!"
"Yes, My Lord."
Laojun calculated the trajectories based on the Adriana's visual data. Fortunately, most were headed for the uninhabited Lashier Continent.
However, three dangerous fragments remained.
One was headed for Mitsuho, one toward the western Shouro Empire, and the last was aimed at the demon territory.
"The Skylark squad will handle the fragments over the Lashier Continent. The Raptor squad will intercept the one over the demon territory. Teleport Konron 3 to Mitsuho and Pegasus 1 to the western Shouro Empire!"
Laojun used the transporter to send Konron 3 and Pegasus 1—which had briefly returned to Hourai Island—into the skies over their respective targets.
"Konron 3, engaging target."
High in the stratosphere, Edgar watched as the fragment began to glow crimson from the heat of atmospheric compression.
"Transporter cannon... fire!"
The sighting system Jin had meticulously calibrated worked perfectly, sending the dangerous debris back into the void of space.
The fragments entering the atmosphere looked like massive fireballs from the ground.
"Wh-What is that!?"
"It’s like another moon was born!"
"Is it... is it going to hit!?...Wait!"
"It’s gone!?"
"Pegasus 1, fragment sighted. Transporter cannon, fire."
Thanks to Reiko's superhuman reaction speed, the flight speed of Pegasus 1, her pinpoint accuracy, and the wide area-of-effect of the transporter cannon, the fragment destined for the western Shouro Empire was caught and teleported away before it could leave the stratosphere.
"This is Sky 101. Fragment sighted. Engaging with Sky 102."
Cruising through the stratosphere above the demon territory, the units utilized their force generators to maintain high maneuverability despite the thin air.
Raptor 51 and 52 were closest to the target. Both units fired their transporter cannons almost simultaneously.
Raptor 51's shot narrowly missed, but Raptor 52's hit the mark. The fragment vanished instantly.
And with that, the danger passed.