Global Livestream / The Sword of Damocles

Based on his past experience, the lieutenant colonel made a judgment.

Although the tactical network is unavailable, manned reconnaissance aircraft or simple over-the-horizon observation devices are unaffected.

Bombardment with naval guns can also provide specific intelligence on the enemy.

After all, the area surrounding Itogami Island looks exactly like a military fortress these days.

"Understood. Turret No. 1, prepare to fire long-range ground attack shells and set up support artillery fire for the landing forces, prioritizing the destruction of coastal structures."

"Turret number one, entering firing control procedure."

The crew repeated the maneuver as they had during training, and the entire destroyer immediately went on high alert.

The No. 1 turret is a single 155mm cannon. With the help of a magic-assisted propulsion system and the loading of ultra-high-speed, long-range shells, its firing radius can easily exceed one hundred kilometers.

Therefore, the artificial islands surrounding Itogami Island have long been within range of artillery fire.

Subsequently, the No. 1 turret on the destroyer's deck was slightly raised. After complex calculations by the computer, the approximate landing location was determined. Immediately afterwards, orange flashes appeared from the muzzle, and the shell, with an initial velocity of over two thousand meters per second, was launched at an extremely high speed.

However, at that moment, the shell exploded in mid-air before it had even traveled halfway.

Even at a distance of tens of kilometers, the crew members on the destroyer could still feel the aura of the atmosphere.

"What happened?!"

The captain asked, bewildered.

"The shells have been blocked. The patrol plane Duken, sent an emergency communication saying there's a tiny object in the sky... wait... is that... a person?"

The correspondent initially reported the situation methodically, but as he listened further, he began to question his existence.

"A human? How is this possible? No, is it the Fourth True Ancestor?!"

The lieutenant colonel placed both hands on the control panel and spoke with a solemn expression.

Based on current intelligence, Itogami Island currently only has the Fourth Progenitor as its high-level combat force.

If it's the strongest vampire, blocking a ship's cannon wouldn't be too difficult.

"No, it doesn't seem so. According to the footage from the patrol Duken, the other side didn't summon any familiars. The shells seem to have exploded about three meters away from them, and the intercepted target... was completely unharmed!"

"How is this possible?!"

Even a true ancestor of vampires, if they don't summon their familiars, will be instantly blasted apart by large-caliber naval cannons.

No carbon-based life form in this world can withstand the power of thermal weapons.

"The patrol aircraft reports that the target is approaching, at a distance of 40 kilometers, 35 kilometers, 30 kilometers..."

Upon hearing the communicator's report, the crew members were all incredulous, and even the captain was taken aback.

At that moment, the vice-captain, who was an artificial life form, quickly issued an order.

"Air combat preparation! Activate close-in weapon system!"

"Radar image has been transmitted."

"Rapid-fire machine guns are ready, anti-aircraft missiles have locked onto targets!"

"Emission!"

Boom--!

At a distance of 25 kilometers, the destroyer's close-in weapon system locked onto the target displayed on the radar. Amidst thick smoke, the two anti-aircraft missiles, trailing plumes of fire, flew toward the target at an extremely high speed.

Chapter 354 Global Live Broadcast

The close-in defense missile was very fast, and without interference, it quickly hit the target on the radar pattern.

Of course, this was also due to the fact that the other party's speed suddenly slowed down; otherwise, at a speed of several kilometers per second, interception would not have been such a simple matter.

"Did they take them down?! What about the target?!"

"The target is still alive. Should we continue the attack?"

"Keep going! Fire all the ammunition! I refuse to believe it! It's just one person!"

There are many talented and extraordinary people in this world, but even so, with the combination of technology and magic, the development of firearms is still extremely rapid.

After all, even today, the Night Empire has never given up on technological research and development.

The era of a world where individuals have no control over everything is long gone.

The war between the Beastmen and the old generation of vampires in the past is enough to prove everything.

With sufficient firepower, even vampires' familiars can only be submerged in the torrent of steel.

Upon receiving the captain's order, the missile destroyer's close-in weapon system emptied all its ammunition.

Twenty-four short-range air defense missiles simultaneously locked onto the target, while two close-in weapon systems opened fire in succession once the enemy was within visual range.

The close-in weapon system fired tens of thousands of rounds per second, tracing a slightly curved parabola in the air, with the terminal warheads accurately hitting the figure in the sky.

The missiles hit their targets successfully shortly afterward, but the radar pattern continued to approach the fleet at a steady pace.

After a round of close-in weapon fire nearly exhausted the target, all the crew members on the missile destroyer stared in disbelief at the figure in the distant sky.

At the same time.

Ren also spoke with Aiba Asagi on Itogami Island via headset.

How's the live stream going?

"The broadcast has been going on for a minute now. Everything from the moment that missile destroyer launched its missile has been recorded. Although the number of viewers isn't large, Mogwai and I have hacked into the homepages of several of the world's largest portal websites and pinned the live stream to the top. Let me check the current online viewership..."

Aiba Asagi let out a gasp.

"The number has already exceeded 30 million, and it continues to increase at a rate of 3 million per second."

Although Aiba Asagi is an electronics hacker, she has never hacked into global portal websites before; she only occasionally does odd jobs for the Artificial Island Management Corporation to earn pocket money.

Now, thanks to Ren's endorsement, she can run rampant online without any fear of responsibility.

"Okay, keep it up, don't let the live stream stop."

"Don't worry, with Mogwai and me here, as long as it's not a global hacker attack, I'm confident I can keep streaming. Besides, I've already set up a separate server on Itogami Island, so even if they disconnect from the internet, we can still continue watching on my temporary website!"

Aiba Asagi was full of confidence.

Ren is fighting on the front lines, and she can't hold him back.

Moreover, based on Mogwai's analysis, she also knew what Ren was thinking.

As long as Ren can maintain his advantage in this war... no, as long as he can destroy a sufficient number of enemy fleets, international opinion will shift.

The Sanctuary Treaty Organization will also re-examine the necessity of this war.

And so.

A live stream, with nearly 100 million viewers and still rapidly growing, continued amidst everyone's anticipation.

On the other side.

Ren watched the small fleet change course and gave a faint smile.

To create sufficient influence, the number of viewers of the live stream needs to rise to a certain level.

However, he cannot afford to be attacked unilaterally before that.

With that thought in mind, Ren drew his holy sword and aimed it at the deck of the missile destroyer he had just seen.

The cursed power surged within him and rapidly flowed into the holy sword.

The silver-white sword was surrounded by dazzling starlight, and then a powerful beam of light shot out from its end.

Noble Phantasm - EX Curry Stick.

Although it wasn't operating at full power, sinking a destroyer would be a piece of cake.

The golden beam of light struck the warship's deck almost instantly, melting the surface armor in less than a second.

The laser cannon, still powerful, pierced through the entire warship. A violent explosion filled half of the hull, and seawater kept pouring into the breach, forcing it to sink rapidly.

At the same time, another destroyer in the fleet also launched an attack on Ren, but its missiles were destroyed by the laser cannons before they could get close, and the ship was blown in two along with its hull.

"We can slow down a bit now."

Ren muttered to himself.

The vanguard consisted of only these two warships; the main force was still at the rear.

He indifferently withdrew his gaze, and then approached the main fleet of the Sanctuary Organization Army at a speed of about one hundred kilometers per hour.

And as he slowly moved forward...

The global live stream chat was in complete chaos.

Initially, these netizens clicked on the unfamiliar website out of mere curiosity.

Although it's only a bird's-eye view, you can still vaguely make out that it's a human flying in the sky.

Then came close-range bombardment by missiles and close-in weapon systems.

At first, they thought it was some kind of CG or promotional video.

[Passerby A: What movie is this?]

[Passerby B: My brother's name is Shunliu, you're welcome.]

[Passerby C: It's not a movie, it's a live stream, and it seems to be a live stream with real people.]

[Passerby Ding: Don't make me laugh, is this a real-life live stream? Do you think anyone can withstand missiles and close-in weapon systems hitting them at point-blank range? Forget about people, even a vampire progenitor's physical body would be blown to bits.]

[Passerby E: As a visual effects artist with thirty years of experience, I can say with certainty that this is a computer-generated effect.]

[Passerby: It's just AI; there are too many flaws, and the ocean in the background looks too fake.]

[Passerby Geng: What kind of elementary school student learns a new word and then uses it everywhere? I swear on my brother's lifelong single status, this is definitely true!]

[Passerby Xin: Arleigh Burke III-class guided-missile destroyers? When did AI become so realistic?]

[Random Passerby: This is really true! A bunch of elementary school kids, don't they ever follow the news? The Sanctuary Organization Army has decided to attack a Demon Sanctuary, and these two destroyers are standard scout equipment.]

The online debate was raging, and because there were so many viewers, the comments disappeared as soon as they were posted.

However, this still didn't stop a bunch of bystanders from splitting into opposing camps and starting to flame each other.

It wasn't until Ren intervened, destroying the two destroyers and continuing his advance, until the live stream revealed the massive fleet of the Sanctuary Organization Army, that most viewers finally believed it... was truly a live broadcast.

Then, the live stream chat started flooded with comments asking who the man was.

Many military websites also saw the surge in traffic and started live streaming, quickly inviting military commentators to provide real-time feedback and commentary. This further boosted the popularity of the live stream and convinced more people that the event, broadcast to the world, was not special effects or AI, but a genuine and real event.

Chapter 355 The Sword of Damocles

"The number of people watching the live stream online is already close to 400 million, and I just hacked into some telecommunications companies' internal systems and sent notifications to everyone's mobile phones. In another 30 seconds, the number of people will probably surge even further."

Aiba Asagi's excited voice continued to ring out.

"Okay, then let's wait another thirty seconds."

Ren nodded, then slowed his pace further.

And during those thirty seconds of waiting...

The Sanctuary Organization Army had already taken notice of Ren's presence.

While the ability to casually sink two destroyers is indeed surprising, it is still within the realm of understanding.

After all, many of the familiars summoned by the old generation of vampires also possessed the power to sink a warship with a single blow.

Therefore, after the commander of the military issued the order, the entire combined fleet entered a state of high alert.

"Itogami Island has clearly rejected our proposal and even sent troops to attack us. We can't wait any longer; we must strike hard and let the whole world witness the majesty of the Sanctuary Treaty Organization. If we fail here, how can we maintain our prestige in the future?!"

Thirty seconds passed quickly.

At the same time, the first batch of anti-aircraft missiles, after crossing a distance of about ten kilometers, flew one after another toward Ren's figure.

The fleet commander soon received notification that all 48 missiles in the first batch had hit their targets, yet the targets remained clearly visible on the radar.

After less than a second of surprise, the commander issued the order for a second wave of attacks.

Meanwhile, new jet fighters on the flight decks of the two surface aircraft carriers took off one after another at the signal of the ground crew.

The flying combat ships in the sky also sprayed out a large number of unmanned combat aircraft, while launching thirty-six air-to-air missiles in the second wave of attacks.