Firefly spent the night on the aircraft carrier. The next morning, she put on the same clothes she'd worn the day before. When she picked up her white stockings, she paused, holding them to her nose to check for any unusual odors. They smelled clean, and the stockings themselves appeared spotless.
Firefly didn't know how often others changed their stockings, but she usually changed hers every day or two, given how easily white stockings got dirty.
However, this pair had only been worn for a day and weren't soiled, so there was no need to change them just yet.
She lifted her delicate foot, her toes curling slightly as she slipped them into the stocking. Gently pulling it up, the silky fabric clung to her skin, tracing the slender curve of her ankle.
When she finally released her grip, a faint snap marked the stocking's elastic band as it left a shallow indentation on her thigh.
It's worth noting that each of her personas had a distinct personal style. Robin, for example, typically wore glamorous dresses, bare legs, and high heels—an ensemble she almost always sported whenever she went out.
The reason for Robin's outfit choice was simple: it suited her best and made her look the most beautiful.
As for the others, Lingsha favored Hanfu paired with high heels. The Herta Puppet didn't count, but Herta Herself was always seen with her signature pointed hat, which she wore with every outfit.
Firefly and Elysia generally opted for youthful and energetic styles, with a particular fondness for white stockings. Whether they wore skirts or pants, white knee-high socks or tights were practically a constant, adorning their legs from morning till night, save for sleeping hours.
Finally, there was Sparkle, the exception. She had no fixed style, changing her look daily depending entirely on her mood and the occasion.
Returning to the matter at hand, after getting dressed and finishing breakfast, Firefly transformed with minimal disturbance and slipped out of her room onto the deck.
The modified Herta Puppet was ready. Next, it would be transmitted, escorted by SAM to the vicinity of the Dimensional Rift, where it would gather information.
Just as SAM was about to act, Firefly suddenly spotted a distinct silver line on the sea surface, streaking toward the fleet at tremendous speed.
As the distance closed, Firefly recognized the figure: it was Mad Lion, an old acquaintance!
With each powerful stroke, Mad Lion churned up massive waves, the silver line on the sea's surface being the white trail of foam in his wake.
The escort ships also detected the high-speed unidentified entity and swiftly rotated their gun turrets, locking onto the target in seconds. Though Mad Lion swam with incredible speed, it was clearly no match for SAM's earlier flight.
Seeing this, Mad Lion shouted frantically, "Don't shoot! Glub glub... It's me!" He sounded like he'd just swallowed a mouthful of seawater.
The escort ships held their fire. A minute or two later, Mad Lion reached the aircraft carrier, leaped out of the water, and landed directly on the deck beside SAM.
Shirtless, barefoot, and clad only in swim trunks, he roared with laughter, "Brother, I finally found you!"
The reason was simple: SAM's spectacular display of power yesterday, setting the sea ablaze, had inevitably made the news. Mad Lion, who was training in martial arts in the Dragon Nation, saw the report.
Without hesitation, Mad Lion dove into the sea and swam for hours straight from the Dragon Nation's capital all the way to Sakura Prefecture.
Of course, Mad Lion didn't know SAM's exact location. All he knew was that SAM had been sighted in the waters near Sakura Prefecture. After seeing the news yesterday, he swam for several hours to Sakura Prefecture and then spent the rest of the time searching for SAM.
One had to admit, the guy was a bit ridiculous.
Upon spotting SAM, Mad Lion immediately declared, "I've been training hard every day, pushing myself to become stronger! Come on, let's fight again! I'll definitely win this time!"
Inside SAM, Firefly's mouth hung slightly agape, her expression utterly dumbfounded. Seriously, dude? A massive Dimensional Rift threatens to tear reality apart, and instead of dealing with that, you want to fight me?
Then she remembered that Mad Lion knew nothing of these events. He was unaware of the Dimensional Rift beneath the sea, or the great catastrophe foretold in the Prophecy.
Firefly had no intention of fighting Mad Lion. SAM's voice cut through the air, "I refuse."
Mad Lion's expression stiffened. "Why?! Don't you want a proper man-to-man brawl? A glorious, earth-shattering fight?!"
Firefly desperately wanted to retort, "No, I don't," but she reconsidered and said, "Because I have more important things to do right now. A massive threat lurks beneath these waters. I can't spare time for anything else until it's dealt with."
Her statement was practically dangling bait, and Mad Lion didn't disappoint. He took the hook whole. "What threat? If I help you deal with it, will you fight me then?"
Look at that, a free laborer walking right in! And not just any laborer—one at the level of the White Eagle Eight. Isn't this just wonderful?
SAM pointed toward the sea surface. "Meet me at the bottom."
With that, she plunged into the depths. She wasn't worried about Mad Lion keeping up. A depth of 1,500 meters might seem unimaginable to ordinary people, but for someone with a "Super Saiyan" Super Ability like him, it was child's play.
Without hesitation, Mad Lion took a deep breath and plunged into the sea after SAM. As they descended, the immense water pressure had no effect on his rigorously trained body. The single breath he had taken was enough to hold underwater for two hours.
The only real limitation was the complete darkness at these depths. Even with Mad Lion's exceptional vision, he couldn't see without a light source.
Fortunately, he simply closed his eyes and relied on his hearing to track SAM's position.
Eight hundred meters, nine hundred meters, one thousand meters... It was at this depth yesterday that SAM had encountered the swarm of fishmen. History repeated itself as dense clusters of figures appeared on SAM's sonar. But this time, in addition to the fishmen, a much larger red blip was rapidly approaching.
It was Godzilla!