After Kongou's global declaration, the concentrated Honkai energy over the Far East erupted with the aerial warship at its center. A reality-distortion field belonging to the Will of Ruler spread outward, covering most of Asia.
The Honkai energy density across the entire world began rising at an astonishing speed.
Only Asia? That wasn't enough!
Kiana Kaslana frowned helplessly. Her time in this world had been too short. Even if she could trigger a large-scale Honkai Eruption to accelerate the descent, the Honkai energy was still insufficient to cause a worldwide catastrophe.
As the global Honkai concentration increased, the leaders of every nation began to realize how grave the situation had become.
To eliminate civilization. To purify the planet.
Wasn't that just another way of saying total annihilation?
Humans could not survive in an environment filled with such strange, invasive energy.
People always sought compromise.
Musashi demanded that humanity disarm, dissolve nations, and submit to her governance.
Humanity refused.
Kongou, on the other hand, made no such demands—she only declared that she would purify planetary civilization.
Thus, humanity was left with only two choices:
Submit to Musashi's Fleet of Fog.
Or be exterminated by Kongou.
If humanity possessed sufficient technological power, perhaps there could have been a third path—to destroy both Musashi and Kongou.
But humans lacked that capability.
Musashi gave humanity one week to decide. Yet within less than three days of the great Honkai eruption, the Far East, the United States, Gaul, and several other nations had already declared their willingness to submit to the Fleet of Fog.
Surrender, and there was a chance to survive.
Refuse, and death was certain.
There was no real choice.
At most thirty days—then the world would be completely saturated with that corrosive energy.
The end of civilization.
If this wasn't some elaborate act staged by the Fog, then Kongou and Musashi were indeed enemies now.
If the Fog turned their guns on each other and both sides suffered heavy losses—
Then perhaps humanity could seize the opportunity.
All that remained was to observe Musashi's response. From that, it would become clear whether Kongou and Musashi were truly at odds or in collusion.
Musashi lifted the ocean blockade and led the Fleet of Fog toward the Far East.
Bering Strait.
The Fleet of Fog advanced in an inverted-triangle formation.
I-401 sailed alongside Musashi.
Inside I-401's command bridge—
Oribe Sou murmured, "Never thought we'd see the day we fought alongside the Fleet of Fog."
Shizuka Hachigatsu: "Captain, do you think we can win?"
Chihaya Gunzou: "We'll win."
Kamikura Kyohei: "Is the creator of the Fog truly the so-called Universal Consciousness?"
Iori Shigatsu: "Maybe it's just an advanced civilization calling itself that."
Iori Shigatsu: "But if it's truly the consciousness of the universe, what kind of sin must humanity have committed for it to decide we must be purified?"
Kamikura Kyohei: "Let's hope not... Kongou, Maya, Kirishima, Haruna, I-400, I-402..."
Thanks to supply ships and nanomaterials, Takao and Hyuuga had restored their ship bodies.
Standing atop her bridge, Hyuuga gazed at the distant horizon.
"Abnormal spacetime fluctuations detected."
The closer they came to the Far East, the stronger the distortions became.
During her studies on Honkai energy, she had speculated that the so-called Universal Consciousness might be a form of energy-based life.
Given its property of infinite self-replication, it was entirely plausible that such an existence could spread and merge with the entire universe.
To occupy the cosmos, fuse with it, and become the universe's consciousness.
At present, she couldn't tell how much of the universe this being had already assimilated.
But for it to claim the title of Universal Consciousness—it likely controlled the vast majority of the cosmos.
At humanity's level of strength—even with the Fog—they were no match for such an entity.
What puzzled her was why something so powerful would care about the civilization of a single planet.
"Chihaya Gunzou... what will you do?"
Even if they defeated Kongou and her allies, the Universal Consciousness might not stop.
Hyuuga shared her speculation with Chihaya Gunzou.
In her view, this was an enemy that neither humanity nor the Fog together could ever hope to overcome.
"Hmm... what's this..."
Hyuuga's eyes widened as she looked at the radar display before her.
It was filled with countless red dots.
Fighter jets, bombers, and swarms of Honkai Beasts flooded the skies, descending from all directions.
"They've come," Musashi said softly, a faint smile curling her lips. She ordered the Fleet of Fog to activate all anti-air defenses.
Every ship lifted its guns toward the heavens, opening fire. Missiles launched in dense salvos, forming a rain of brilliant color.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!
Thunderous explosions split the air, shaking the atmosphere itself.
Jets were struck one after another, spiraling down in flames.
The Fog's all-directional, precision fire obliterated the attacking aircraft within moments.
Even the weakest Nagara-class could shoot down orbital satellites with its ship cannons. Their weapons could target upward for aircraft, straight ahead for capital ships, and downward for submarines in the depths.
The concentrated firepower of the Fleet of Fog was fearsome beyond imagination.
The fighter squadrons and Honkai Beasts were destroyed before they could even close the distance.
Of course, that much had been anticipated.
While Musashi's Fleet focused on anti-air fire—
Kirishima, Haruna, I-400, and I-402 leapt from their aircraft.
"I'm coming for you, 401."
In freefall, Kirishima swung her arm, summoning her massive warship from Imaginary Space.
"Super-Graviton Cannon—fire!"
Her ship split open along its midsection, revealing three massive cannon barrels that locked onto the Fog fleet below.
The destructive power of the Super-Graviton Cannon far surpassed ordinary weapons.
The surface of the sea split apart under the distortion of gravity.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!
Three roaring black tornadoes of energy tore through the air, striking the fleet below.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
One after another, Fog vessels were swallowed by the annihilating beams.
Haruna, I-400, and I-402 followed suit, firing their own Super-Graviton Cannons.
The formation of Musashi's Fleet shattered instantly.
Even though many ships activated their Klein fields, in the face of such overwhelming power, the barriers shattered like glass.
Explosions blossomed across the ocean, flashes of red and white reflecting off the waves.
"How... how did they get so strong?" Takao gasped.
Their strength had grown absurdly—like characters with every cheat enabled.
Hyuuga frowned, warning sharply, "Iona, be careful—Kirishima's heading straight for you!"
Kirishima unleashed a full volley of cannon fire and missiles at I-401.
I-401 counterattacked, firing everything she had.
The two streams of missiles collided in the sky, detonating in a deafening series of explosions.
Fiery bursts bloomed like fireworks across the clouds.
Cannon beams slammed into each other's Klein fields, sending shockwaves rippling across the sea.
"I'll be the one to sink you, 401."
With her newly enhanced Klein field, Kirishima withstood the combined assault from I-401 and the nearby Fog vessels with ease.