CHAPTER 1: ON THE DAY THE SERVICE ENDS

How are you all spending the time when the online game service ends?

Are you spending your time alone and quietly waiting for the final moment?

Or perhaps you’d like to explore a place of memories?　

Or maybe chatting and sharing your memories with your friends?

I think each person has different ways of welcoming the end of a game. Perhaps, there are some people who have retired for a while, only to find that the service has ended.

And, in my case… well, it’s a big war.

Until that moment when the service ends, it’s all about a single-minded battle that spares no time to sleep.

My favorite online strategy simulation game, Last Battalion Online, will end its service today.

This game is in which a player becomes the master of a country, and develops a country while developing a civilization, such as a magical civilization or scientific civilization, and each civilization is able to conduct internal affairs, wars, and various other activities.

It’s a game that struck a chord with me, a strategy game lover, I have been playing this game every day for three years since the service started, from the time I entered high school until now when I have graduated.

Before I knew it, I had become one of the oldest players.

It’s nostalgic, I spent all my part-time job money during summer to pay for this game, and I never spent a single day doing anything other than playing this game.

The game is finally over.

I am sure that no one is sad about it, including me.

Because…

“Ughh! damn it, the 1st Fleet is down! the enemy landing force… alright, the 3rd fleet has begun the intercept!”

I’m so busy that I don’t have time to grieve.

It was about a month ago that the game’s service would be terminated announced by the management.

We, the players, were confused by the sudden news, but we decided that it was inevitable that the game would come to an end, so we planned to hold a festival for the last time.

That is the Great War, the final war in which all nations will continue to fight until they all burn up.

In “Last Battalion Online” countless player nations will engage in friendly competition, internal politics, diplomacy, and war. Rasbata for short.

Normally, it would be rare for each nation to go all out in an all-out war.

Because if you do that, you will only lose whether you win or lose.

If you lose, you would suffer a crushing blow that would make it impossible to recover, and even if you win, you will be attacked by a third country when you are exhausted. Fishing for a win is a fundamental part of the strategy game.

Therefore, unless there is an overwhelming difference in national power to the extent that a war cannot even be fought in the first place unless an all-out battle is necessary, a war in which an all-out battle is fought is not something to be considered.

But this time was different.

Since the service will end anyway, I’d like to try a great war that melts away all the national power we’ve built up, with no thought of what happens afterward!　

The server where I was on… the so-called “Chaos Server” where only the superpowers created by the oldest and most dangerous player survived, such talk was raised and preparations for the final war were made.

The Final War Committee, an obviously insane organization was formed. Oh, by the way, I’m a permanent member of this committee.

You see, I was famous among other players for being called “Bricas1 of the Rasbata”, “Assault Landing Bricas”, and “Death Merchant” from other players.

I was even given second names by other players. Well, when it was discovered that I had failed the university entrance exam, I was nicknamed “Art college dropout,” “Führer,” and other terrible nicknames.

Heck, unlike some bearded ones, I didn’t fail to get into art college you know? I just failed to get into my first choice of university.

　……That’s why, for the last week until the end of the service, the great war continued without stopping. It was a battle royale where all nations were enemies, no alliances, no bullshit.

And at present time.

“That was dangerous, they were about to land… but the enemy’s main fleet was successfully destroyed! the next country is…“

I have been playing the game for the past week without sleeping. I’m beginning to lose my concentration and my senses, but I can’t stop yet!

because… I’ve gotten around pretty well so far!

While all countries are fighting a war so fierce that they have completely lost their human resources (if they run out of human resources, they won’t be able to recruit soldiers), my country, the Yamato Empire, is still able to fight on!

Well, that’s because we are a naval country, so we hardly fight land battles.

The country I created, the Yamato Empire, is the strongest naval nation on this server.

A maritime nation based on an island in the middle of the ocean, it takes advantage of its topography to specialize only in naval power and is a defensive nation that never once allowed an enemy to land on its mainland.

In this game, unless you build a nation on an isolated island like my country “Yamato Empire,” you can’t put much effort into the navy because it is basically a land war with the neighboring countries.

　That’s why, while others are focusing on land warfare, half of the world’s navy is said to be the Yamato Navy.

Due to the Naval Disarmament Treaty arranged within the server, it is not possible to build D-class (Dreadnought) battleships, but it is still the strongest fleet consisting of dozens of pre-dreadnought class battleships.

Occasionally, the surprise assault landing, which was carried out with the intent of harassment due to overwhelming sea superiority, was called “Yamato disease” and was feared.

Even in this Final War, their naval power was fully demonstrated, and they were able to continue fighting without letting a single enemy land on the mainland.

　……But its land army is so feeble that they die as soon as they land in enemy territory.

Well, it’s okay, because I’ve given up on land battles from the beginning, so it’s fine. The problem is naval warfare.

“Where is it!? where are you? and if I destroy the Republic’s fleet, all but my fleet will be annihilated!”

My navy was even said to own half of the world’s naval warships.

If I were to use this to its limit… yes, I have no choice but to destroy the entire world’s navy!

『 Ten minutes left until the game ends, and I still can’t drop the Yamato Empire? anyone else has a fleet left? 』

『No, bro. My fleet got destroyed three days ago. 』

『 Well then, looks like it’s just me. After the onslaught from all the nations, that Bricas must be getting exhausted, right? I’m coming to destroy you. 』

Looking at the general chat, hmm, it looks like the surviving fleet is going to attack.

The enemy’s position on the radar is ……

There are only 8 armored cruisers and 12 protected cruisers? don’t make me laugh that you don’t even have a battleship.

After the series of battles, the strength of my fleet has been halved, but there are still 10 battleships left.
I’ll crush such a weak cruiser fleet!

I gather the operational ships in the waters surrounding the mainland, and there are still 50 of them left. I’m going to hit the enemy with this entire fleet.

During the naval battle.

Fleets are hitting each other and gradually disappearing from the map. Ah, one of the battleships on my side has been sunk.

How many resources does it take to build one of these ships?

In this Final War, if I include both enemies and allies, I believe that 40 battleships alone have been sunk. If you include the rest of the ships… I don’t even want to imagine.

It’s a big battle, because it’s the final war just before the end of the service.

In the meantime, the last enemy fleet was also destroyed. I sent every last one of them to the bottom of the ocean. The damage here is minor, not a bad result.

『I took on the challenge, there were 13 battleships left, I sank one ship, but we were wiped out. The Yamato Empire isn’t exhausted at all.』

『Isn’t this the whole world battle, if we could cooperate well, we might have won. 』

『It’s impossible because we are in the middle of a worldwide battle royale. Hey guys, is there really no fleet left? one destroyer is fine. 』

『 Nope, I’m completely wiped out. 』

One minute left until the end of service.

I looked at the chat, but it appears that there is not a single remaining ship left other than my own country.

I did it.

As soon as I am convinced of my victory, a sudden feeling of drowsiness hit me. That’s right, I’ve been fighting for a week now.

　……Good night!

TL note

1. Bricas (ブリカス) a blend of the word ブリテン (Buriten, “Britain”) +‎ カス (kasu, “dross”) is a derogatory internet slang of Britain.