As time passed and news came that Perpignan had been retaken and that a battle was being fought in Barcelona, the prototype Gigant was finally completed.
An expert-level intermediate knight boarded the Gigant, and the physical manipulation magic was modified to allow the knight to control the Gigant’s huge body. As a result, despite it being his first time piloting it, it seemed that moving it was not particularly difficult.
After that, several experiments were conducted. . . According to the pilot, the body was too heavy, making it quite difficult to move. Certainly, unnatural-looking movements were observed here and there, which could be solved by making it lighter, but since making it lighter would reduce the power derived from its weight, it was a difficult decision.
Just then, a magitech engineer suggested that they use an artificial spirit to assist the pilot in operating the machine, and everyone clapped their hands and immediately set about incorporating an artificial spirit into the machine.
As a result, the price of a single Gigant became equal to that of fifteen Tiger tanks.
Furthermore, it was thought that it would be a good idea to input combat doctrines, various swordsmanship techniques, weapon techniques, tactical doctrines, and military strategies into the artificial spirit, so that it could assist the pilot as a combat support spirit.
Thus, the second prototype was completed.
Sure enough, the artificial spirit helped the pilot to move the machine more smoothly in accordance with the pilot’s movements, and provided the pilot with various pieces of information to inform him of the best combat methods.
The only problem was that it could only be operated for a maximum of two hours at a time, after which it took a full day to recharge, so it was necessary to be prepared for the event of it stopping in the middle of a battle.
“The price may go up a bit more. . . but I have a way.”
“What is it, Lieutenant Colonel Oswald!”
Oswald, who had been promoted to lieutenant colonel for his contributions in building the battleship and for creating the mortar and monoplane, was now being promoted to colonel by the Imperial Ministry of Defense.
“It is to utilize subspace magic.”
“Subspace! Oh, oh! What a way to do it! But it will certainly make it more expensive than it is now.”
At this point, a single Gigant would be worth as much as twenty Tiger tanks.
However, through test maneuvers, it had already been demonstrated that a single Gigant could easily tear apart five Tiger tanks. This was because, despite its weight, it was surprisingly agile, and the Tiger tanks’ targeting speed could not keep up with the Gigant.
Of course, from ten onwards, it was hit more often due to the sheer number of them. . . but the maximum exchange ratio was around fifteen to one. If there were more Gigants and they were piloted by higher-level pilots, the efficiency would increase exponentially.
In particular, when a Master-ranked swordsman boarded the Gigant, it was practically a monster in its own right. To the extent that it single-handedly rendered around thirty Tiger tanks combat ineffective. The exchange ratio and cost-effectiveness were not bad.
Subsequently, a subspace artifact was created that was worn on the body, and through the interaction between the Gigant and the subspace artifact, it was arranged that the Gigant could only be summoned through this artifact. In addition, a locking mechanism was added to the artifact that required a password to be entered, so that even if it were captured by the enemy, they would not be able to easily obtain the Gigant.
After a few more tests, the production-type Gigant was finally completed. Three additional production lines were immediately established and automated production golems were introduced.
The golems assembled the Gigant’s body through repetitive actions. . . Soon after, wizards belonging to the Maesterium began the work of engraving magic circles on the machine, and magitech engineers began to create the artificial spirits and the internal cockpit.
Thus, the Gigant began to be mass-produced. Subsequently, a Gigant piloting course was established at the Imperius Academy to train pilots, and the Gigants that were currently being produced were first equipped to members of the Imperial Central Knights, the Red Dragon Knights.
Since it would take time to equip all 1,000 Red Dragon Knights, it was planned to send them into battle in groups of 100 as soon as they completed their training.
Oswald then devised a new strategy for utilizing the Gigant. It was a strategy of sabotage and rear disruption.
The strategy was to use aerial battleships or monoplanes to infiltrate deep into enemy territory, destroy key facilities, and disrupt the enemy’s rear, so that they would not be able to fully concentrate their forces on the front lines.
In response, the Ministry of Defense decided that Oswald could no longer be kept on standby at the Maesterium, and appointed him as the battalion commander of the newly established special forces unit, the ‘Sigmund’ battalion.
The ‘Sigmund’ battalion would be staffed by knights from the existing Red Dragon Knights on a secondment basis, and it was decided that the Gigants that were produced in the future would be taken out of the regular production line and the pilots would be trained and assigned to the ‘Sigmund’ battalion.
“Lieutenant Colonel Oswald.”
“At your service!”
Gracas von Janen Solcrushid, the commander of the Central Military District, summoned Oswald.
“The Sigmund Battalion has been assigned a special mission. Go to the enemy capital, Madrid, and destroy the warp gate that connects to the Elondil Empire. Three aerial battleship squadrons have been assembled for this mission, so you will move with them.”
“At your service!”
“At your service.”
An operation was launched that would change the course of the war with the republic.
Meanwhile, in the north, a battle took place between the Royal Navy of Britannia and the Imperial Northern Fleet, and unexpectedly, the Northern Fleet was heavily defeated and retreated.
Of course, Oswald had already expected this, so it did not matter. . . However, in light of Britannia’s unexpected firepower, the Imperial High Command decided that it would be best to deploy Oswald Cannons along the Britannia coastline to prevent enemy ships from entering the coastal waters.