At the same time, changes were quietly taking place aboard the Star of Bethlehem.
"Zing—!"
Perhaps it was one of the fortress's own functions, but after rising to an altitude the human body could not endure, the entire fortress began to flicker with a faint, indistinct light.
That faint light enveloped the fortress within a thin barrier.
The barrier's purpose was to maintain the air pressure and temperature inside.
Under such conditions, the air pressure and temperature within the fortress returned to the same levels as on the ground, no longer posing a threat to the human body.
However, the barrier seemed intended only to preserve conditions suitable for human survival and had no function for defending against outside enemies.
The proof was that fighter jets and bombers began flying over the fortress.
They were fighter jets and bombers from Academy City.
Perhaps they had judged the fortress to be dangerous, or perhaps they believed this unbelievable phenomenon might throw the battle into chaos and jeopardize Academy City's previously unshakable victory. Whatever the case, Academy City seemed to have issued an order to attack.
Thus, Academy City's fighters and bombers began their bombardment.
"Boom boom boom boom boom boom—!"
Explosive flames erupted across every corner of the massive fortress.
Shells fired from the fighters and bombers struck it mercilessly, as though they intended to level the entire fortress to the ground.
Explosions swept through the area, their explosive winds ravaging everything atop the fortress.
The fortress, which had only just been completed, suffered a devastating blow in the blink of an eye.
At this rate, it would probably begin plummeting in a trail of black smoke within minutes.
However...
"Bzzzz—!"
With a trembling hum, the destroyed objects inside the fortress began, just as before, to rejoin and overlap. The scattered