At the critical moment, Shinano finally returned and stood in the sky above the Pacific Governor-General's Mansion. "Move aside, let me handle this!"
Seeing it was Shinano, Lilith was overjoyed. "Shinano is back! Great, everyone, get out of the way!"
Without Lilith needing to say it, Enterprise and New Jersey had already dashed to the side. Lilith, seeing this, said no more as she felt Shinano's countless Aura constantly condensing on her body.
Realizing she was preparing an ultimate move, Lilith immediately followed suit and dashed to the side.
Gazing calmly at the meteorite falling through the air, Shinano's expression didn't change in the slightest. She pressed her left hand on her scabbard and placed her right hand on the hilt, assuming a draw-sword stance, then closed her eyes to sense the meteorite.
As soon as she closed her eyes, the flow of time for everything around Shinano slowed to a snail's pace. In this world, she was alone, her power constantly concentrating and condensing.
A golden light flickered at the hilt. At that moment, Shinano moved, drawing her blade with lightning speed.
"Momentary Final Slash!"
Shinano's low shout echoed through the sky.
Hundreds of ten-thousand-meter-long golden sword marks remained in the sky. The massive meteorite was directly sliced into countless fragments, finally vanishing in mid-air.
Seeing Shinano settle the massive meteorite that the three of them couldn't handle with a single move, Lilith and the others couldn't help but gasp. Truly worthy of being the strongest Legendary Ship Girl; her strength certainly lived up to her reputation!
Lilith's trio came to Shinano's side. "Shinano! Thank you for your hard work. If not for you, our Pacific Governor-General's Mansion would likely be in ruins."
"It was a small matter. Speaking of which, where are the enemies?" Shinano asked in confusion.
"They ran! They must have been scared knowing you were coming back!" New Jersey said with a light smile.
"The Deep Sea Cult sent three Legendary Ship Girls to attack our Governor-General's Mansion this time. If their mission wasn't complete, they wouldn't have just given up and retreated," Enterprise reminded them. "I think it's better to go back and check."
Lilith nodded and said, "You're right. Let's hurry back!"
"Okay!" After Shinano and the others responded in unison, they followed Lilith back to the Pacific Governor-General's Mansion.
Just as they returned to the mansion, a Destroyer named Shimakaze ran up to Lilith. "This is bad, Governor-General! The eisnor great diamond has been stolen!"
Lilith said in surprise, "How is that possible? We blocked the three Legendary Ship Girls who attacked us. No one should have been able to steal it!"
Shimakaze explained, "The thief was the Director of the Military Technology Research Institute, Oz. After knocking out Lexington, who was guarding the eisnor great diamond, he used a teleportation bead to escape with it."
"Damn it! I didn't expect Oz to actually betray us." Lilith followed up, "What about Lexington? Is she alright?"
"She's still unconscious," Shimakaze said softly.
"Take me to see her."
"Yes, Governor-General!"
Under Shimakaze's lead, Lilith and the others arrived at Lexington's ward.
Seeing Lilith and the others arrive, Lexington tried to stand up, but her head was still spinning, causing her to lie back down on the bed.
"Lady Lex! It's so good to see you're awake. How are you? Are you injured anywhere?" Lilith immediately went to Lexington's side and asked with concern.
Lexington shook her head and said, "I'm fine! But the eisnor great diamond was stolen by Oz. This is all my fault. If I had been more careful, this wouldn't have happened."
Lilith's face darkened. "This isn't your fault. It's all the Deep Sea Cult's doing. Since they dared to do such a thing, I won't let them off easily."
"Alright, rest and recover. We won't disturb you anymore."
Lexington was still filled with self-reproach. "But..."
Lilith tucked Lexington in. "No buts. This is the Governor-General's order. Be good and listen."
"Well, alright then!" Lexington could only stop talking and closed her eyes to sleep.
After leaving Lexington's ward and walking down the corridor, Lilith said coldly, "What do you think we should do about the Deep Sea Cult attacking our Governor-General's Mansion?"
New Jersey said excitedly, "Counterattack and strike back, of course!"
"Very well! After a few days, once the Governor-General's Mansion has stabilized, we will launch a surprise attack on the Deep Sea Cult." Lilith's eyes were cold. "I'm going to give the Deep Sea Cult an unforgettable, hellish experience."
"Haaah!" Shinano let out a yawn and then said listlessly, "A sortie? That sounds like a lot of trouble!"
"Shinano! Perk up! You're the main force for this surprise attack!" Lilith said displeasedly.
"Got it!" Shinano waved her hand and said, "If there's nothing else, I'm going back to rest. Honestly, you called me back before dawn, leaving me sleep-deprived. I'm exhausted now."
Shinano went back on her own without waiting for Lilith's consent, making Lilith fume with rage. "Honestly, so disrespectful! Does she even respect me as the Governor-General?"
New Jersey advised, "Forget it, Governor-General! That's just how Shinano is, always doing things her own way. If you try to control her too much and annoy her, you'll have nowhere to cry if she leaves the Governor-General's Mansion."
Lilith sighed and said, "Fine, fine! You've all just finished a life-and-death battle, you must be tired! Go back and rest."
"Alright, Governor-General! I'm heading to the bar then." New Jersey immediately left Lilith and walked toward the bar.
Seeing only Enterprise left by her side, Lilith asked curiously, "Why aren't you leaving? Could it be you want something indescribable to happen with me? That's great, I happen to have some needs in that area."
Seeing Lilith lick her lips, Enterprise swallowed hard and immediately fled. "Sorry! I have things to do, I'll take my leave!"
Seeing Enterprise run faster than a rabbit, Lilith pouted. "Honestly, why run so fast? It's not like I'm going to eat you."
However, despite her words, Lilith indicated that if she had the chance, she would definitely eat Enterprise until not even the bones were left.
"Sigh! It seems I can only find another Ship Girl to resolve my physical needs." After searching her mind, Lilith immediately thought of Shimakaze. "Speaking of which, Shimakaze has been developing well lately! It's decided! As a good Governor-General, I must give her body a proper inspection."
After a wicked laugh, Lilith immediately dashed toward Shimakaze's location.
On the other side, Enterprise arrived at the beach, looking at the ocean as the sea breeze constantly blew through her hair.
"War?" Enterprise murmured softly, "I hope it doesn't cause too many casualties."
"Speaking of which, I wonder how Illustrious is doing. Honestly, it's been so long and she hasn't even called me. It seems she really doesn't have me in her heart."
Shaking her head vigorously, Enterprise comforted herself, "No, Illustrious must be busy in her own Naval Base working to eliminate the Deep Sea. I must work hard too."
...On the other side, Illustrious, who was soaking in a hot spring at a hot spring inn, couldn't help but sneeze. She rubbed her nose and said very narcissistically, "Could it be some Ship Girl is thinking of me? Ah, it seems being too popular isn't good either! Hehehe..."
Ayanami splashed a bunch of water onto Illustrious's face. "Admiral! You're daydreaming again. Wake up, yes!"
"Good one, Ayanami! You actually dared to splash water on my face. It seems I need to show you some colors. Take this!" Illustrious cupped her hands together and splashed a large ball of water onto Ayanami's face.
"Plop!" Ayanami was hit and fell back into the hot spring.
"Yay! Ayanami is heavily damaged!" Illustrious said triumphantly.
"Admiral! Let me show you my breaststroke." In the hot spring, Yukikaze started swimming in front of Illustrious. "How's that? Isn't it impressive?"
Watching Yukikaze swim back and forth, Illustrious said disdainfully, "Breaststroke is too ugly. A true lady should use freestyle. Let me show you my freestyle."
Yukikaze's eyes lit up. "Such an elegant swimming posture! I want to learn, I want to learn!"
Haman put her hands on her hips and sneered, "Freestyle is nothing. Let me show you how beautiful the butterfly stroke is."
After watching, Illustrious and Yukikaze both shook their heads. The butterfly stroke's movements were too large and not at all pretty.
After finishing her swim, Haman returned to Illustrious and Yukikaze and said, "How was it? The butterfly stroke is beautiful, right? If you want to learn, I can teach you!"
Yukikaze shook her head and said, "Forget it, your butterfly stroke is even uglier than my breaststroke. I'll stick to learning freestyle."
Patting Yukikaze's shoulder, Illustrious praised, "You have good taste. Come! I'll teach you freestyle."
Yukikaze bowed and then smiled, "Then I'll count on you. Once I've learned it, I can show off in front of Unicorn."
"Such childish behavior! But my training is very strict," Illustrious said seriously.
"Bring it on! I, Yukikaze, don't even know the meaning of the word fear!"
"Very well, I've received your resolve. From now on, I will formally teach you freestyle."
Illustrious took Yukikaze to a corner of the hot spring to learn freestyle, while Haman raised her hand and waved, shouting, "The butterfly stroke is very beautiful, don't go!"
Illustrious and Yukikaze completely ignored Haman. Once they reached the training spot, Illustrious began her teaching. "In freestyle, you need to point your toes when kicking, don't hook them..."
"Like this?" After performing the movement Illustrious described, Yukikaze asked in confusion.
"Yes, just like that. Keep it up!" Illustrious said with satisfaction.
Yukikaze continued her freestyle training. After practicing for a while, she saw Laffey floating in the water, face up, using a cross-over arm stroke to swim.
"Laffey! What kind of swimming posture is that?" Yukikaze inquired.
Laffey swam in circles around Yukikaze using the backstroke. "This is backstroke. It allows me to see the beautiful sky at all times."
"That looks really nice!" Yukikaze said excitedly.
"It's not just that! You can even swim while sleeping with the backstroke." As Laffey spoke, her eyes closed and she began to sleep.
Seeing Laffey fall asleep without sinking into the water, Yukikaze said excitedly, "Laffey, Laffey, teach me! I'll buy you a drink of Laffey!"
Upon hearing that someone offered her a Laffey, the sleeping Laffey immediately woke up. "Okay, leave it to me. I guarantee I'll teach you how to backstroke, so where's the Laffey? Hurry up."
Seeing Laffey reach out her hand in front of her, Yukikaze immediately took a bottle of Laffey from her rigging space and gave it to Laffey. "You've got the stuff, hurry up and teach me!"
"Okay, follow me!" Laffey swam towards a corner of the hot spring.
Seeing Yukikaze walk off with Laffey, Illustrious immediately said, "Yukikaze, don't go! Don't you want to learn the elegant freestyle?"
"I don't want to learn it anymore. I think Laffey's backstroke is more fun." Yukikaze followed Laffey without even turning her head.
"Fun? Isn't swimming just about being elegant?" Illustrious expressed that he no longer understood the way Destroyers thought.
After entering the hot spring pool, Azuma discovered that Illustrious and the others were treating it like a swimming pool, so she immediately scolded, "Stop it, all of you! This is a place for soaking in the hot spring. If you want to swim, go to the swimming pool."
Illustrious and the others completely ignored Azuma. In their eyes, as long as they were happy, why bother worrying about so much?
Zuikaku was quietly soaking in the hot spring when she saw people constantly swimming back and forth in front of her, splashing water onto her face from time to time. She complained to Azuma, "Azuma! Hurry up and make them stop, otherwise, it's impossible to soak in this hot spring."
"I told you all to stop, did you hear me?" Azuma scolded again.
Illustrious and the others still ignored Azuma. Seeing this, Azuma had no choice but to use her ultimate move. "If you keep swimming, then when we get back, I won't cook for you anymore. Furthermore, I'll make Illustrious cook for you instead."
Upon hearing this from Azuma, Illustrious was happy, while Ayanami and the others were trembling with fear.
Illustrious exclaimed excitedly, "This is a punishment? This is practically a reward! It's wonderful. Recently, I feel like my cooking skills have improved. I've even researched the invincible starry-eyed pie. I believe that after eating it, everyone will be so happy they'll go to heaven!"
"Everyone, continue swimming with me! When the time comes, I'll be able to let you eat delicious delicacies."
Ayanami and the others were even more afraid. In the past, the starry-eyed pie had almost sent them to the afterlife. If they had to eat the invincible starry-eyed pie this time, they would probably sink on the spot!
For the sake of their lives, Ayanami and the others immediately stopped and quietly started soaking in the hot spring.
After swimming a few laps, Illustrious saw that everyone had actually stopped swimming and immediately said with dissatisfaction, "Why aren't you swimming? Don't you want to eat my invincible starry-eyed pie?"
Ayanami said expressionlessly, "I think swimming in a hot spring pool is too immoral. I firmly oppose such behavior that affects others. I ask the Admiral to turn back from the wrong path and not to make mistake after mistake."
Yukikaze agreed, "Soaking in a hot spring is supposed to relax the body. Swimming back and forth until you're tired as a dog—what kind of relaxation is that?!"
Seeing Illustrious fix his gaze on her, Haman immediately said, "I think everyone is right. Let's just honestly soak in the hot spring! Only then can we eat the food Azuma makes!"
Illustrious said unhappily, "Is the food I make not tasty? It doesn't necessarily have to be Azuma who cooks! Everyone, tell me if I'm right."
"..." Everyone fell silent and did not answer the Admiral's words.
Seeing this, Illustrious became heartbroken. "You're hurting my young heart like this. How can you bear to do this?"
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