Editing Tytania:Volume 5 Chapter 5 (section)

=== I ===
Tytania’s greatest battleship, the ''Black Prince'', might have been more appropriately named the “Black Moby Dick<ref name="ftn13">“Black whale” (黒鯨) is pronounced “black Moby Dick”.</ref>” given its true nature. A demonic beast that had leapt into a sea of war where good and evil could not be defined, devouring all manner of animate and inanimate life, repelling every desperate attempt at resistance and continuing its slaughter and destruction at will. Acting entirely upon its own volition, it unleashed its main and secondary batteries to their full extent, burying both friend and foe within a tidal wave of energy.

The being inhabiting the brain of this magical beast was a youth who wasn’t even twenty years of age, yet he appeared less like a young nobleman of the Tytania Clan and more like the complete embodiment of human destructive impulses made flesh. Even from the perspective of his allies, this held true. No, in an absolute sense, he had no allies; they were only the “vassals” he forced into submission.

Conversely, what was the situation at Uraniborg?

Sweat trickled down Vice-Admiral Ridenhour’s forehead. His resilient mind and body, which had endured forty years of rigorous military service, were reaching their limit after only a single day of combat.

“Our forces still hold the advantage. Furthermore, Duke Ariabert is no longer present. If we can drag this into a war of attrition, we can hope for the situation to turn for the better.”

The name of Ariabert slipping from his lips was the seasoned officer’s small, desperate attempt to maintain his sanity. What was unfolding before his eyes was nothing so grand as a pitched battle. It was merely a slaughter, devoid of any tactical meaning or military doctrine.

The ''Black Prince'', which ought to have been traversing the astral sea leading the Tytania grand fleet in all its majesty, had been transformed into a ferocious carnivorous dinosaur, devouring everything in its path. There was not a shred of dignity left in its form.

Even the onlookers and outlaws, who had been content to observe from their safe heights, were on the verge of falling into a bottomless pit of dread. The destroyer’s fangs might descend, ignoring all strategic significance or tactical necessity. Even so, the pirates aboard the ''Honest Old Man Junior'' remained insolent.

“The AJ Alliance forces are doing quite well for themselves even without the A.”

“Of course. Why do you think I sent H in?”

“If Duke Ariabert had been here, this battle might have been a little more sophisticated. As it is, it’s nothing more than a scrap between wildcats.”

Pagès spat these words out venomously.

“That was exactly what I thought would happen,” replied Doctor Lee, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

Hyulick was a man who could not demonstrate his true worth unless driven into a corner. His formations, tactics, and chain of command were non-existent. It was only amidst melee, confusion, rampaging, and total chaos that Hyulick truly excelled. The Doctor’s intention had been to observe how the battle for Uraniborg would shift by deploying the Hyulick element onto the battlefield equipped with a tracking device. However, the universe was vast, and an even more irrational commander than Hyulick had appeared, furthermore an inhumane one who was currently in the process of destroying the stage itself.

“Enemy ship at ten o’clock, coming in for a breach!”

“Clean them up quickly; the secondary batteries will suffice.”

“Five o’clock, enemy approaching at maximum combat speed!”

“Clean them up.”

Radmoth’s orders were the very definition of brevity. Should he eventually achieve final victory, he might even inspire a proverb such as, ‘A hero does not concern himself with trivialities’. For now, however, they were merely crude and irresponsible.

A small but unmistakable vibration shook the bridge. One of the navigation officers cried out, his voice cracking.

“Damage to the port side! An enemy vessel has collided with us at maximum combat speed!”

“Collided?”

Radmoth glared at the sensor officer with eyes that belied his age. His overwhelming gaze sent a shiver through the officer.

At Uraniborg, Idris sat in the command centre, tapping his palm against the surface of the desk.

“This is laughable. Has Jouslain decided to switch careers to become a comedian? Does he truly believe he can crush the ''Black Prince'' with a ramming tactic? How amusing. By all means, give it a try.”

Idris burst into loud laughter, yet the eyes watching him seemed to hold an ominous undertone.

Meanwhile, on the bridge of the ''Austra'', Jouslain could not hide the look of anguish on his face.

“Captain Fredericks.”

“Understood.”

“I feel terrible for you. To use a vessel as if it were nothing more than a mere bullet to hurl at the ''Black Prince''…”

''… was something Ariabert would never have done. ''Jouslain nearly swallowed these words as he thought them. Captain Edna Fredericks merely offered a silent bow in response.

All around Uraniborg, centred on the ''Black Prince'', the fires of war expanded and order began to collapse. No one was able to envision what the world would look like a mere five minutes from then.

Idris laughed, his voice drier than a midsummer desert.

“It is unlikely that Jouslain will suddenly receive some divine revelation and transform into a military genius. If that were the case, the staff officers left behind by Ariabert would likely devise a conventional strategy. It might be quite entertaining to see whether common sense can triumph over the extraordinary.”

Regardless of whether Jouslain’s fleet or Radmoth’s ''Black Prince'' emerged victorious, both would ultimately remain Idris’ enemies. If the two sides fought to the death and destroyed one another, Idris would be able to reap the rewards of the struggle.

“If victory was always ensured by following a computer-generated plan, human commanders would be entirely unnecessary.”

Miranda was right. At any rate, compared to the forces of Uraniborg, who stood in shock at the reckless actions of their supposed ally, the ''Black Prince'', Jouslain’s side, after adopting a ramming tactic, was still managing to maintain what could at least be called a battle.

“Suppression fire! Do not let the ''Black Prince'' fire its rear secondary batteries!”

Captain Fredericks’ voice was fierce.

“Concentrate fire! Concentrate! Concentrate!!”

The orders were thorough, even relentless.

The rear secondary battery of the ''Black Prince'' had its energy shutters breached and its armour torn asunder, until finally, a single gun exploded, scattering blue and white light. That became the first breach, and the radiance of destruction stretched outwards like a serpent to the left and right. New orbs of light were spawned, growing instantly to strip away the surrounding armour and sweep away the gun turrets.

Part of the light breached the interior of the ship and bonded with oxygen molecules, racing through the corridors as scorching gas. Amidst horrific screams, a scarlet haze filled the space.

The crew of the ''Black Prince'' should have been composed of elites, yet they were thrown into great disarray after Radmoth had ordered the cannons to be aimed at Uraniborg. As one soldier attempted to leap onto a docked fighter, another questioned him.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going!?”

“It’s none of your business where I go.”

“So, you intend to desert.”

“And what if I do?”

“And you call yourself a Tytanian soldier? Have some sense of shame!”

The soldier who was shouted at showed no sign of remorse.

“Hmph. The ones who should be ashamed are the high command.”

“What did you say!?”

“My younger brother was assigned to Duke Ariabert’s fleet. I don’t know if he is alive or dead. If I remain aboard the ''Black Prince'', not only will my life or death become uncertain, but I’ll become a rebel that attacked Uraniborg under Baron Radmoth’s orders.”

The person he was talking to was left speechless. It was true that if they continued to blindly obey Radmoth, they risked attacking Uraniborg and suffering the disgrace of being branded as traitors.

Uraniborg was home to over ten million residents and, above all, the Clanner, who was sacred and inviolable to the people of Tytania. To attempt an attack on such a place…

With the military strength of the ''Black Prince'', a temporary tactical victory might be possible. But if that happened, would Baron Radmoth become the new Clanner? That violent man, who lacked any popularity and was still merely a minor?

Tytania would be finished. It was far too foolish to be dragged into such a disaster.

In those three seconds, that was the conclusion he reached. He bellowed at the soldier who had begun to start the engine of the mounted craft.

“Fine, I’m coming with you!”

“Hurry up, we don’t have time to wait another five seconds!”

In that instant, a flash and a roar erupted, and both machine and human flesh vanished into flames. A charged particle cannon had been fired, treating the unauthorised departure as a desertion.