Like a woman who had cried her heart out before falling into a deep sleep on her bed, Mount Fuji finally quieted its fury after its violent eruption, and the volcanic ash shrouding the surrounding airspace gradually dispersed.
Several rows of tiny black dots appeared on the horizon, their engines roaring through the skies.
Boom!
The Air Self-Defense Forces' aerial combat formation, dozens of fighters and bombers carrying air-to-ground missiles and aerial bombs, finally arrived belatedly and circled Mount Fuji.
Behind the formation, several aircraft belonging to the U.S. Armed Forces flew alongside them, painted with the Stars and Stripes.
Once the weather improved slightly, under pressure from every level of their superiors, the Air Self-Defense Forces could no longer hide like turtles, however reluctant they were. They had no choice but to steel themselves and sortie.
Fortunately, the invincible aircraft of the U.S. Armed Forces were there to back them up, acting like an injection of fighting spirit that sustained what little morale the Air Self-Defense Forces had left.
Although Mount Fuji's massive eruption had stopped, the entire mountain still shook from time to time, like thunder erupting from level ground as heaven and earth split apart.
A Wood Dragon, a giant rabbit, a Crow Tengu giant, and a toad-a group of colossal creatures was ravaging Mount Fuji.
"Flight leader to control tower. Do we commence the strike?"
"Hold steady. Please await orders."
"Understood!"
The lead pilot glanced below his cockpit at Mount Fuji's summit, already torn to pieces and rendered unrecognizable by the battle's shock waves. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.
Naturally, he knew that those above wanted to watch the tigers fight from a safe distance.
They would wait until the battling monsters had exhausted themselves fighting one another, then reap the rewards.
But...
Rumble!