"Bismarck, even though you're not the secretary ship, you'll still take overall command of the war plan." Hikaru turned to Changchun. "Changchun, you don't mind, do you?"
Changchun shook her bunny-ear headpiece so hard it nearly flew off. "Nope! Whatever the Commander says is fine!"
"Good. Prince of Wales, you'll lead a mixed formation consisting of Helena, Leipzig, Yat Sen, Fletcher, Glowworm, and U-47. Your main responsibility will be defending the Naval District."
The defense of the base was of utmost importance. Though a bit reluctant, Prince of Wales still nodded in acceptance.
This assignment was actually a bit of a concession for her. After all, Prince of Wales wasn't a level 110 maxed-out shipgirl like Bismarck or Tirpitz, so her strength wasn't quite in their league.
But being put on defense meant she would have little chance at the glory of striking down an Abyssal flagship.
"Tirpitz, you'll act as a mobile force and follow—"
Bismarck cut in, interrupting Hikaru: "Tirpitz will be responsible for protecting the Commander personally. She must not sortie unless absolutely necessary."
Lexington nodded in agreement. "That's what I was going to say as well."
Hikaru gave a wry smile. "Really now? I already have a guard formation led by my big sisters."
Glowworm's eyes widened. "Commander, you just said what you were really thinking out loud!"
Saratoga snickered, while Hikaru cursed inwardly. Glancing at Prince of Wales, he was relieved to see her face remained calm, showing neither joy nor anger.
At a time like this, no matter how dissatisfied she might feel, surely she wouldn't throw a tantrum… right? Probably.
It was only a small interruption, but his order assigning Tirpitz as mobile force was jointly vetoed by Lexington and Bismarck.
"War is too dangerous. Who knows what could happen? We could lose the entire district, but the Commander must never come to harm!"
With Bismarck putting it that strongly, Hikaru had no choice but to accept Tirpitz as his personal bodyguard.
It was absurd—before the battle even began, one of his strongest assets was being shackled to bodyguard duty.
Probably the strongest bodyguard in the world, though.
Setting aside that frustration for now, Hikaru looked to Changchun, who still hadn't been assigned. "By the way, I don't really understand your combat style yet."
Each shipgirl fought differently, and that determined her role on the battlefield.
Carrier shipgirls like Lexington fought like mages or archers—long-range damage dealers hidden behind the lines, powerful but fragile.
But there were exceptions. The Lexington sisters had been converted from battlecruisers, so the "souls of warships" still lingered in them, giving them decent close-combat ability.
Battleships needed no explanation: they were the heavy cavalry, the knight commanders who charged the front.
U-47 was the little assassin. She could lurk in near-invisibility beneath the waves, sneaking close to key enemy targets and unleashing torpedoes in deadly ambush.
Her ideal battlefield was at night. Cloaked by darkness, her power was at its peak—if given enough "charge time," she might even sink an Abyssal flagship with a single torpedo.
But even in daytime, if accuracy and damage weren't the focus, she was still valuable. Her preemptive strikes could even fire earlier than Bismarck's gunnery, with a range of over a hundred nautical miles—her torpedoes practically like guided missiles.
Still, U-47's weakness was obvious: thin armor, low endurance, and not enough speed. If a high-level Abyssal spotted her, she could be quickly injured or sunk. That was why Hikaru assigned her to the defense formation—to protect, not to assassinate.
The "lone wolf" U-47 pouted unhappily, glaring at him full of grievance.
As for Helena, Leipzig, and Fletcher, they were like squires, swords-and-shields, auxiliary soldiers filling out the line. Support troops might not look like much, but in great enough numbers they could sway the tide of battle. Unfortunately, Hikaru's district lacked the numbers to fight that kind of war.
Which meant his only option was the kind of battle where a handful of champions cut through a thousand foes. That was why he was so dissatisfied about losing Tirpitz to bodyguard duty.
Without her, Changchun's performance would become critical.
If she wasn't up to it, then no matter how unhappy Yat Sen might be, Hikaru would have to replace her with Missouri, North Carolina, or another powerful battleship.
"Commander, Commander, I'm super fierce!" Changchun raised her two rabbit-gloved hands. "My missiles don't have quite the range of Lexington's bombing runs, but they can still reach four to five hundred nautical miles—and they basically never miss! If I stay put in one place, I can keep firing nonstop like a missile launcher!"
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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