Exercise Waters, Point B.
Lion stood at the heart of the waters, the quiet composure of a victor resting upon her face.
"It seems the battle for Point B has already been settled."
"Governor-General..."
The calm yet slightly uneasy voice came from beside her.
It was Trafalgar.
-Trafalgar-
One hand remained tightly wrapped around the hilt of her unsheathed knight's longsword, her posture still utterly guarded.
"We may have advanced a little too far. If the others intend to disengage from their own battlefields and reinforce us, it will likely take at least twenty minutes."
Lion glanced back at her ever-cautious 'old partner,' a broad smile spreading across her face.
"Haha, is that really a problem, Trafalgar? If anything, this only makes things more exciting. Let them witness it properly—just the two of us are enough to tear straight through their defensive lines. Isn't that far more satisfying?"
There wasn't the slightest hint of concern in her voice. Instead, it overflowed with confidence and unmistakable pride.
Trafalgar let out a soft sigh as she spoke.
"The Commander's encouragement seems to have affected you quite deeply, Governor-General."
"Naturally! Hahaha!" Lion laughed without restraint, her excellent mood impossible to hide.
Stepping closer, she gave Trafalgar a firm pat on the shoulder.
"You'll understand eventually, Trafalgar. How should I explain it...? It's that feeling of being filled to the brim with power, like there's nothing in the world you can't accomplish."
A faint blush immediately colored Trafalgar's cheeks.
In truth, she had already heard the entire story of Lion's date with the Commander from Cleopatra.
To be honest, she couldn't help feeling envious that Lion had been able to spend private time alone with Jun Hao.
Still, Cleopatra's 'passionate commentary' had already provided more than enough material for Trafalgar to secretly record countless 'important precautions' in her little notebook.
Just as Lion had said, she might need them someday. Naturally, it was best to prepare ahead of time.
As Trafalgar's thoughts wandered, the roar of carrier-based aircraft suddenly echoed through the skies.
"It's an air raid! Governor-General, please be careful!"
Lion lifted her gaze toward the incoming formation, the smile on her face only brightening further.
"Perfect timing. Same arrangement as always, Trafalgar. I'll leave the anti-air defense on the left flank to you."
"Understood!"
In the next instant, explosions thundered across the sea once more.
Yet despite the intensity of the assault, the flawless coordination between Lion and Trafalgar rendered the air raid completely ineffective.
Then, appearing quietly before Lion, stood a woman with short silver hair, snowy white fox ears, and nine elegant tails swaying gently behind her.
It was Kaga.
-Kaga-
Lion raised an eyebrow, speaking in a calm voice that carried clearly across the waters.
"Miss Kaga, sneak attacks are hardly a charming habit."
As the next wave of carrier-based aircraft prepared for launch, Kaga answered in an emotionless tone.
"The battlefield is cruel. It acknowledges only victory, never the methods used to achieve it."
"Well, on that point, I can't disagree."
Lion nodded lightly, the smile on her face never fading.
The moment Kaga, who had been steadily retreating until now, suddenly chose to confront her directly, Lion had already guessed that Amagi of the Sakura Empire was plotting something behind the scenes once again.
"Though I can't say what sort of grand scheme Miss Amagi is preparing..."
Her gaze swept calmly across the surrounding waters, as though she had already seen through every hidden scheme.
"But you went through quite a bit of trouble to lure me here. Surely all of this wasn't merely for a simple sneak attack, was it?"
Kaga gave no reply. She merely stared at Lion in silence.
Seeing that, Lion let out a faintly helpless smile, though the pressure radiating from her only continued to rise.
"Not planning to answer? Very well."
"No matter what methods you rely on, I, Lion, will crush every single one of your schemes with absolute power!"
The moment Lion finished her bold declaration, a lively and confident voice suddenly rang out from behind Kaga.
"Are you really so sure about that, Miss Lion?"
Before the last echoes of those words had even faded, fierce purple-black energy shells rained from the heavens like the breath of a furious dragon.
Lion instantly snapped her head upward.
A bunny outfit, long blue hair, and a dazzling, confident smile paired with an overwhelming aura.
There was no mistaking her.
It was New Jersey.
Stretching lazily as though she were stepping onto a stage instead of a battlefield, New Jersey glided forward with what she clearly considered an exceptionally cool entrance, stopping directly between Kaga and Lion.
"Black Dragon, making her grand entrance!"
The moment she finished speaking, she thrust a hand forward. The playful grin on her face disappeared in an instant, replaced by an unexpectedly serious expression.
"Alright, Miss Lion. The days of your Royal Navy faction hogging my Honey are officially over! Starting now, this very second, hand Honey over to me!"
Lion blinked in genuine surprise.
She truly hadn't expected New Jersey to arrive with such overwhelming momentum... only for the reason behind it to be something so absurdly personal.
Yet after that brief moment of astonishment, a smile she couldn't suppress slowly spread across her face.
'I knew it. Why else would they insist on continuing this exercise after their request to our Royal Navy faction was rejected? So this was your real objective all along...'
Whether it was New Jersey or Amagi, Lion honestly found their way of thinking rather entertaining.
At the same time, challenging powerful opponents was already etched deep into her instincts as a warrior.
And fighting over the right to claim the person she loved only made her blood boil even hotter.
"Heh..."
A faint scoff escaped her lips as another volley of shells loaded into place.
"If you want the Commander... then come and take him yourself. I'm sure both you and Miss Amagi understand that rule perfectly well."
Seeing Lion's unwavering stance, New Jersey could only shrug with a helpless grin.
"Yeah, figured you'd say that."
Almost the instant those words left her mouth, Lion's main guns fired.
The shells surged forward like roaring lions, tearing through the battlefield with unstoppable force as they hurtled toward New Jersey.
"Hahaha! Now we're talking!"
Rather than panic, New Jersey burst into hearty laughter, excitement blazing brightly in her eyes.
"For my Honey! Black Dragon, full fire!"
In the next instant, the artillery fire of two legendary figures of the sea violently collided across the battlefield.
Kaga was just about to move in support when a hand suddenly rested on her shoulder.
"Sister Akagi?"
Akagi answered only with a mysterious smile, subtly signaling toward Kaga with her eyes.
"Sister, even if this is merely an exercise, you should still take it a bit more seriously."
At first, Kaga seemed prepared to maintain her usual cold composure.
But the moment Jun Hao's face surfaced in her mind, the icy expression she wore softened ever so slightly, a faint blush quietly appearing on her cheeks.
"...Naturally. A battlefield is still a battlefield, after all."
With that said, Akagi and Kaga slowly began slipping away from the battlefield while New Jersey and Lion remained completely locked in combat.
"Hm?"
Trafalgar, who had been carefully observing the two foxes the entire time, narrowed her eyes slightly.
'What exactly are those two plotting...? And they deliberately left an opening large enough for both the Governor-General and me to withdraw through. There's definitely something suspicious going on here.'
The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became.
Trafalgar immediately wanted to pursue them. In her eyes, following Akagi and Kaga would undoubtedly reveal something important.
'But the Governor-General...'
As Trafalgar glanced toward Lion, Lion briefly looked back and casually flashed her an unmistakable 'OK' sign.
Clearly, the Governor-General had already noticed Akagi and Kaga's strange behavior as well.
With that confirmation, Trafalgar no longer hesitated and immediately moved to track the two Sakura foxes.
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