"Let the awakening begin."
Roland Phils whispered to himself, his gaze fixed on the immense battleship resting silently in his divine realm. With a mere thought, he activated the divine skill that had already reshaped his destiny countless times.
[Target for Enlightenment]: Battleship
[Class]: Tier 6 Feitian
[Faith Power Required]: 100,000 points
[Confirm Awakening?]
"Tsk. Another one hundred thousand points of Faith Power. If this were before, that might have been painful. But now? It's barely a scratch. I can afford this."
Roland smiled with quiet confidence and gave his consent.
Instantly, rings of radiant blue light erupted around the battleship. The light wasn't ordinary glow but swirling arcs of energy, each line filled with an uncanny sense of both technology and divinity. The warship's steel hull shuddered, as if its very soul was being rewritten.
The halos spun faster, wrapping tighter, until they formed a cocoon of energy. Within the cocoon, a human silhouette slowly took shape, delicate yet powerful. Curves formed first, then the outline of long limbs, then flowing hair that shimmered with gold under the divine light.
In less than a minute, the ship's towering frame melted away into the graceful body of a woman.
[Log]: Host consumed 100,000 Faith Power to awaken a Tier 6 Feitian battleship.
[Log]: Shipgirl template randomized. Awakening successful.
[Log]: You have received a Tier 6 Feitian-class Shipgirl: Bismarck.
[System]: Critical hit bonus triggered. Shipgirl's power increased one hundredfold. Additional reward obtained: Land Combat Boots.
[System]: You have acquired an 8th-Tier Legendary-class Shipgirl: Bismarck.
Roland's heart leapt with joy.
"Bismarck… an ice-cold beauty. And not just any form, but Legendary class. This is a windfall."
Even Laffey, at 7th-Tier Epic level, could already outmatch most of Earth's superheroes and villains. Now, Roland had gained someone at Legendary class, a power second only to his own demigod strength. The gulf between Epic and Legendary was no small step. It was an abyss. Just as a demigod could never hope to match a true god, Epic could never truly stand against Legendary.
Yet here she was, standing before him, born from a single sacrifice and a twist of fate.
"Not only is she stronger than Laffey," Roland murmured, "but she was also given the Land Combat Boots. With them, she won't be limited to sea battles. She can fight freely on land."
His lips curved into a smile of satisfaction.
He summoned her attribute panel.
[Name]: Bismarck
[Category]: Shipgirl (Azur Line template)
[Faith]: Apostle of the Lord of Life
[Class]: 8th-Tier Legendary
[Talent]: Battleship Rigging
[Skills]: Indomitable Power, Ironblood Will
[Standard Equipment]: Twin 406mm SKC Main Guns, Twin 105mm SKC Anti-Aircraft Guns, Type 1 Armor-Piercing Shells, Super-Heavy Rounds.
[Augmented Equipment]: High-Energy Laser Cannon, Energy Shield, Land Combat Boots.
[Strength]: 9990
[Constitution]: 9900
[Agility]: 9950
[Spirit]: 9900
Indomitable Power: Main gun salvos have a 70% chance to trigger a devastating barrage.
Ironblood Will: Increases all weapon damage by 20%.
Roland's eyes widened slightly. Every stat hovered near ten thousand. Laffey's attributes were formidable, but compared to this, they were barely one-tenth as high. By pure numbers, one Bismarck could crush ten Laffeys. The power was terrifying.
On Earth, Laffey was already among the strongest beings alive. Bismarck, however, was on a completely different tier.
As Roland studied the panel, a commanding voice cut through the silence.
"I am the battleship that bears the name Bismarck. With Ironblood armor and defense, I will prove my strength anywhere I stand. It is an honor to meet you, my master."
The light around her dissipated fully, and she revealed herself.
Golden hair cascaded down to her shoulders, gleaming like sunlight on steel. Her long legs, clad in black stockings and high heels, stepped forward with elegance. Her figure was tall, proud, and impossibly refined. She carried herself with the regal air of a queen who had never known defeat.
This was Bismarck.
Unlike the playful energy of Laffey, Bismarck radiated cold authority. Her voice was deep, mature, rich with the tone of an experienced woman, yet laced with icy distance. It was alluring but forbidding, like a flame hidden beneath frost.
Roland's lips curved in amusement.
"Cold beauty indeed. This is very much Bismarck."
He couldn't help but laugh softly. Laffey had been a childlike loli; he never dared overstep with her. But Bismarck was the opposite. A mature, powerful woman, clad in grace and danger. To deny she stirred anything in him would be a lie.
He was a man, after all. And now, a man who stood before a legendary Shipgirl who also happened to be his apostle.
The thought lingered in his mind: A gentleman admires beauty. To not act on it at all… would almost feel wrong.
Of course, he didn't move closer. Not yet.
Bismarck's piercing eyes met his, sharp and unreadable. If she could sense his thoughts, would she be pleased? Or furious?
That, Roland knew, only time could reveal.
____
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