In the early hours of the next day.
Abyssal Yamato arrived at the battlefield with the red-haired girl.
The sea had already erased all traces of the war. Today, the sky was clear and cloudless.
The dark waters rippled lightly in the sea breeze, giving no sign that tens of thousands of Abyssals had perished here yesterday.
Sunlight shone upon Abyssal Yamato, but her heart felt nothing but coldness.
The red-haired girl bent down, scooping up a handful of seawater.
It was strange—the Abyssal Sea appeared pitch black only to the eye, but whenever water was drawn from it, it was crystal clear.
She held a handful of pure water in her palm.
"So this is where Abyssal Kitakami 1002 sank?"
Abyssal Yamato lowered her head. "It should be here."
Water trickled down between the girl's fingers. She closed her eyes.
"She said, 'There is honor in death, but disgrace in survival.'"
"It was my poor command, I—"
"There's no need to say more." The red-haired girl raised her hand, cutting Yamato off. "Dead is dead. Defeat is defeat."
"But—"
The red-haired girl glanced at her, her gaze lingering on Yamato's dark red horns.
"I'm not here to condemn you. The question is: how long will it take before you can rally again?"
Bitterness welled in Abyssal Yamato's chest. "At least seven days. And even then, I could only gather a million Abyssal troops at most."
She studied the red-haired girl's face, probing. "My Lady, if the first wave consists only of my million troops, we'll likely smash ourselves to pieces against that naval base."
"I hadn't expected that base to suddenly field so many shipgirls, each capable of fighting ten thousand." The girl fell silent in thought. "We'll have to increase our strength."
Increasing strength didn't mean swelling the numbers of common Abyssals. All the stronger ones nearby had already been conscripted. That left only one option—summon more Abyssal Flagships.
Abyssal Yamato hesitated. "But in this region, it won't be easy to find more powerful forces on short notice."
"Eastern Theater Base No. 3 has decided to secure Okinawa. They've already dispatched flagships to garrison there. I'll go request aid from them."
"Flagships?" Abyssal Yamato repeated, her eyes lighting up. "Do you mean N-Class Flagships?"
The red-haired girl nodded. "Correct. One Type II and three Type I."
Abyssal Yamato's joy overflowed. "Then our victory is certain!"
——
After a day and night of rapid sailing, the six-person fleet was nearing the City.
"Nearing" still meant three hundred nautical miles away—just reaching the edge of the Abyssal Sea.
Bismarck raised her hand, halting the group.
Yamato, not grasping the signal, sailed a kilometer ahead before looping back.
She asked in rapid succession, "Why are we stopping here? Is there enemy activity?"
"We don't trust you," Bismarck said bluntly. "All of us are injured, and we can't just walk into your headquarters."
She wasn't wrong. Strictly speaking, Hikaru was still a "fugitive."
Right now, nearly all of them were heavily damaged. The two carrier shipgirls had exhausted their aircraft and were almost entirely combat ineffective.
In such a state, charging recklessly into what could be considered "enemy territory" was unthinkable.
Yamato could only sigh in frustration. "But if you don't come, how are we supposed to sign the agreement? If we disagree on any of the terms, how will we negotiate?"
"Sign if you want, don't sign if you don't. We're not begging you to complete this agreement."
Bismarck tilted her chin up. "Go back. Bring supplies when you return. We'll repair out here at sea. And bring aluminum—five thousand units should do."
What kind of situation was this? To negotiate such an important treaty, yet they refused to even show up—there was simply no sign of sincerity in cooperation.
But no matter how Yamato tried to persuade her, Bismarck's attitude remained like iron, immovable.
Helpless, Yamato memorized their position and hurried back to City to report.
Such an important agreement couldn't be decided on her own, even as one of the regional heads of the Eastern Theater. The decision had to be submitted for collective approval from the higher-ups.
Fortunately, due to the recent defense battle, most of the Eastern leadership were already nearby—either in City to the south or in the metropolis to the east—easy to find.
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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