Episode 1 Escape
North Pacific, near the Mariana Trench.
The latest nuclear submarine of the Japanese Navy's Seventh Diving Corps, which finished its operations in the Indian Ocean, Fuyushio is under attack from an unidentified enemy on the way to return to homeport Kure in half a year.
"Depth 4600 ft."
The depth of Fuyushio has already exceeded the design limit of the pressure shell.
But Fuyushio doesn't break, thanks to the enhanced magic called Magic Armor.
With the Magic Armor, the limit is 4600 ft.
Fuyushio is diving with a full speed of 38 knots while keeping the limit depth.
Fuyushio has just launched a year ago as a new generation submarine called the fourth generation in the Navy.
Fuyushio's performance is at the top level of the world, surpassing the third generation submarines with maximum speed and maximum depth.
Commander Akiyama the Fuyushio captain mutters to himself, "There's no submarine that can chase Fuyushio to dive full speed this depth."
It is a strategy to try to escape from the battle area by using the performance of Fuyushio to the maximum, without a careless counterattack against an unidentified enemy.
Captain Akiyama is doing his best to not lose the only precious new generation submarine at present.
There has been no attack for 30 minutes since Fuyushio started the full speed dive.
Captain Akiyama thinks "Are we successful in escaping?"
To counteract the captain's hopes, a sonar member's voice echoes in the Central Command Post.
"Captain, a torpedo approaches from the ship bottom direction! Distance 6600 ft."
"The ship bottom direction! Are you sure?"
"A torpedo approaching from the ship bottom direction! Distance 6600 ft."
"What kind of warhead?"
A magic scouting officer responds immediately to the captain's question.
"Magic warhead!"
Captain Akiyama immediately decides on a rapid surface.
"Easy ahead!"
"emergency main-ballast blow!"
"Aft, below 45!"
Fuyushio in the full speed dive starts surfacing with a close sense to a vertical rise.
There is no other way for Fuyushio.
The torpedo that implements a magic warhead is approaching the magic source by Guided Magic.
To cancel Guided Magic, Fuyushio has to release Magic Armor that is the magic source.
But if Fuyushio releases Magic Armor at the current depth, she will be broken.
If it's a normal depth of operation, Fuyushio can fire a decoy with a magic warhead to avoid the attack.
In the current depths, it is impossible.
If surfaced Fuyushio receives a destroyer ambush on the sea, it would mean the end of her.
But there's no choice other than rapid surfacing for Fuyushio right now.
It is the rapid surfacing that staked the survival of Fuyushio.
"3300...3200...3100..."
A Deputy Captain looking at the depth meter is reporting current depth.
"Distance 400 ft."
"Depth 3000 ft."
The sonar-member and the Deputy Captain reported nearly at the same time.
The Captain orders without hesitation.
"Release the Magic Armor!"
A Magic Officer stops chanting spells.
He was freed from extreme tension and lost his mind.
The next moment, the magic disappears from Fuyushio.
The magic torpedo that lost the target slips under twenty feet of the stern.
The magic scouting officer reports it.
"The torpedo has passed."
"It is going far away from Fuyushio."
The captain who heard the report orders.
"main-ballast injection."
"Above 40."
"Aft, float to periscope depth."
The night has already dawned and the sea is calm.
Fuyushio floats to periscope depth to search for the enemy.
The captain uses the periscope to observe the sea, and then he makes scouting crews observe the sea.
The sea around Fuyushio has completely regained peace.
