Yuu and Nayuta burst through the damaged upper corridor, emerging onto an observation platform overlooking one of the Mother Whale's colossal internal transit halls.
The sight before them was nothing short of astonishing.
Three Steel Fortresses advanced in formation.
Their massive siege cannons roared with every step, each broadside carving enormous craters through the endless sea of Raptures.
Missiles streaked overhead in constant salvos.
Flak cannons shredded airborne drones before they could descend.
Every step of the six-legged fortresses shook the entire Mother Whale.
Ahead of them—
The four Toukuii had already plunged into the enemy ranks.
Takao's giant ionized katana swept through a Heavy Walker, cleaving it cleanly in two.
Atago's mechanized samurai vanished in a burst of speed before reappearing behind a formation of combat drones, cutting them apart with a single elegant slash.
Maya's Toukuii crashed headlong into a cluster of Raptures, sending machines flying before finishing them with a flurry of Rapid Slash strikes.
Choukai remained precise as ever, alternating between disciplined laser fire and devastating swordsmanship, dismantling enemies one after another.
Above them all...
Kaguya floated gracefully over the battlefield.
Golden spell circles continuously formed around her.
Battleship cannons thundered.
Foxfire rained across the horde.
Arcane bombardments illuminated the vast chamber with explosions of gold and blue.
Yuu folded her arms and smiled.
"...Looks like he deployed Strike Package Soviet."
Her eyes drifted toward the four towering samurai.
"...And the Toukuiis."
She chuckled softly.
"...Only Commander would think bringing an armored division inside a flying fortress was a reasonable solution."
Beside her—
Nayuta suddenly paused.
Golden light enveloped her body.
Then another.
And another.
Her HUD began updating rapidly.
Level Up!
Level 8
...
Level 9
...
Level 10
The notifications didn't stop.
The experience generated by the massive battle below poured directly into the party network.
Every Rapture destroyed by Yuuki's boarding force...
Every enemy eliminated by the Steel Fortresses...
Every machine felled by the Toukuii...
Their shared experience flowed across the Leveling System.
The numbers climbed relentlessly.
Level 11
Level 12
Level 13
Level 14
Level 15
The glow surrounding Nayuta finally faded.
She blinked in surprise.
"...Fifteen?"
A new series of notifications appeared before her.
Level 15 Reached
Upgrade Points Gained: +8
Super Upgrade Points Gained: +2
Nayuta quietly smiled.
"...Everyone..."
She looked down toward the battle raging below.
The Steel Fortresses continued advancing.
The Toukuii carved through another wave.
Kaguya's bombardment lit up the chamber.
Without realizing it...
They had made her dramatically stronger.
She placed a hand over her heart.
"...Thank you."
Yuu glanced sideways.
"Shared experience?"
Nayuta nodded.
"The Leveling System distributes experience among every registered member participating in the same operation."
She watched another notification scroll past.
"The Commander."
"The boarding force."
"The Daedalus Fleet."
"Even those providing support outside."
"They're all contributing."
Yuu smiled proudly.
"...A true expedition system."
"No one's efforts are wasted."
Far below...
The battle continued to rage.
And with every Rapture that fell...
Every member of the Diving Eagle operation continued growing stronger together.
From the observation platform above, the battle below looked almost unreal.
The lead Steel Fortress advanced like an unstoppable battering ram.
Its six colossal legs crushed anything unfortunate enough to stand beneath them.
Every step flattened swarms of Rapture drones beneath hundreds of tons of armored steel.
Inside the command compartment—
Neon's laughter echoed over the communications channel.
"Hahahaha!"
"I LOVE THIS THING!"
She shoved the firing controls forward.
"FIRE!!"
BOOOOOOOM!!
All three 460 mm siege cannons discharged simultaneously.
The recoil rocked the entire Fortress.
Far ahead, the shells tore straight through multiple ranks of Heavy Walkers before detonating in a series of earth-shaking explosions.
Neon grinned from ear to ear.
"Again!"
"I want another volley!"
On the second Steel Fortress—
Anis was having just as much fun.
"Hehehe..."
"Who needs rockets when you've got THESE?!"
She squeezed the triggers.
The triple main battery roared again, reducing another section of the corridor to twisted metal and burning wreckage.
Nearby—
Eugen smiled elegantly as she calmly lined up her next shot.
"My..."
"I've found my favorite seat."
She fired.
Three more siege shells vanished into the distance.
A heartbeat later...
Another cluster of Raptures simply ceased to exist.
Above the battlefield—
Belfast remained perfectly composed.
Her hands moved across the collider cannon controls with practiced precision.
"Target acquired."
The twin collider cannons elevated slightly.
Moments later, clusters of collider bomblets arced high above the battlefield before descending onto distant artillery emplacements.
One after another...
Enemy heavy cannons disappeared beneath concentrated explosions.
On the second Fortress—
Ade laughed confidently.
"Oh..."
"You're not hiding back there."
Her targeting computer highlighted concealed artillery units behind layers of advancing Raptures.
She released another bombardment.
The collider munitions burst apart overhead before raining dozens of smaller explosive charges onto the marked positions.
Hidden missile batteries vanished beneath the barrage.
On the third Fortress—
Vestal quietly adjusted her aim.
"Long-range fire support confirmed."
Her collider cannons spoke once more.
Far beyond the frontline...
A concentration of anti-armor emplacements erupted into fireballs.
The three women worked almost like dedicated artillery officers.
Anything too distant for the main guns...
Anything hidden behind enemy formations...
Anything attempting to ambush the advancing force...
Was simply erased from above.
Meanwhile...
The Fortress drivers were enjoying themselves just as much.
Nimi laughed as she drove the lead Steel Fortress straight through a dense concentration of Raptures.
"Out of the way!"
The six massive legs never slowed.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Entire platoons disappeared beneath the Fortress' enormous feet.
On the second machine—
Rapi remained focused.
She steered with calm precision, using the walker's immense weight to shove burning wreckage aside while crushing anything still trying to crawl toward them.
The Steel Fortress simply walked over another Heavy Walker.
The enemy machine vanished beneath its armored foot.
On the third Fortress—
Hipper couldn't suppress a grin.
"...Heh."
"This is actually kind of satisfying."
She deliberately stepped onto another group of combat drones.
Metal screamed beneath the Fortress' weight.
The corridor behind them became a trail of flattened wreckage.
High above, Yuu watched the spectacle unfold.
"...I don't think any of them want to give those machines back."
Nayuta smiled as another wave of explosions rolled through the Mother Whale.
"...Neither would I."
Below them...
Three Steel Fortresses advanced like mobile castles.
Four Toukuii carved apart anything that survived.
And behind them...
The boarding force followed in their wake, advancing through a corridor that had become nothing more than a graveyard of shattered Rapture machines.
Nearly halfway through the Mother Whale...
The assault force had become an unstoppable spearhead.
The three Steel Fortresses continued advancing relentlessly, pulverizing anything unfortunate enough to remain in their path.
Behind them...
The four Toukuii surged ahead, their superior mobility allowing them to engage targets long before the heavier walkers arrived.
Takao's mechanized samurai drew its enormous ionized longsword.
With a powerful leap—
The Toukuii descended into the middle of a Rapture formation.
One sweeping slash.
A glowing arc of plasma carved across the corridor.
Dozens of Raptures fell apart almost simultaneously.
Not far away, Atago's Toukuii blurred forward using Flash Step.
To the Rapture sensors, it simply vanished.
An instant later—
It reappeared behind a heavy artillery unit.
The giant longsword completed a single elegant horizontal swing.
The artillery platform split neatly in half before exploding.
"My..."
Atago smiled.
"This machine truly is elegant."
Maya remained every bit as aggressive.
Her Toukuii crashed shoulder-first into a Heavy Walker, knocking it across the corridor before driving its ionized blade straight through the machine.
"This will do nicely."
She immediately transitioned into another Rapid Slash combo, cutting down everything surrounding her.
Meanwhile...
Choukai studied her tactical display.
Her eyes settled on a large concentration of Raptures blocking the corridor ahead.
"...Perfect opportunity."
She selected a different combat routine.
Combat Skill Activated
Spinning Tornado
The Toukuii lowered both its giant katana and longsword.
Thrusters ignited.
Then—
The entire mechanized samurai began spinning.
Faster.
Faster.
Faster.
Within seconds, it had become a gigantic metallic tornado.
Blue plasma spiraled around both ionized blades.
The spinning walker tore directly into the Rapture formation.
Machines exploded apart upon contact.
Heavy Walkers were cut into dozens of pieces.
Combat drones were shredded before they could even react.
The spinning Toukuii carved a perfectly straight path through the enemy ranks, leaving nothing but burning wreckage behind.
Several seconds later—
The rotation gradually slowed.
The Toukuii finally came to a stop.
Silence.
Inside the cockpit...
Choukai blinked.
"..."
She gently placed a hand against the side of her helmet.
"...I..."
"...understand what Commander meant now."
The world outside the cockpit seemed to sway slightly.
"...I'm a little dizzy."
A moment later, Atago's laughter came over the squad communications.
"Ara~"
"So you actually tried it."
Takao smiled faintly.
"He did warn us."
Maya couldn't help chuckling.
"...Worth it?"
Choukai looked through the cockpit camera.
The corridor behind her had been completely cleared.
Nothing remained standing.
She nodded once.
"...Yes."
A brief pause.
"...Though..."
"...I think I'll wait a few minutes before using it again."
Neon's laughter immediately echoed from the Steel Fortress.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"Commander called it!"
"First Tornado Spin!"
"First dizzy pilot!"
Even Yuuki smiled as he watched the combat feed.
"I warned you."
"I wasn't joking about the motion sickness. It's a powerful move, but make sure you can handle the aftermath."
Despite the brief dizziness...
The effectiveness of the attack was undeniable.
The corridor ahead had been carved completely open.
The assault force continued advancing deeper into the Mother Whale, one step closer to the prisoners waiting at its tail.
Suddenly—
Yorktown's voice came over the fleet-wide communications.
"Commander."
Yuuki looked up.
"Report."
"The Mother Whale is transmitting."
A tactical officer quickly expanded the intercepted signal.
Yorktown's expression became serious.
"They're requesting Siren reinforcements."
Yuuki didn't hesitate.
"Deploy the signal inhibitors."
"We're not letting anyone else join this party."
"Understood."
Within seconds, powerful jamming arrays activated across the Daedalus, Zeus One, Zeus Two, and Kodiak.
Electromagnetic interference flooded the surrounding airspace.
The transmission weakened...
But it didn't stop.
Yorktown frowned.
"...Stand by."
"I'm detecting something else."
Her radar operator looked up in confusion.
"Spatial distortion detected."
The tactical display suddenly shimmered.
"A Mirror Dimension..."
Yorktown's eyes narrowed.
"Someone just deployed a Mirror Dimension around us."
Yuuki immediately became alert.
"Sirens?"
Yorktown shook her head.
"No."
"I've got nothing within a five-hundred-mile radius."
She continued scanning.
"...No Siren fleet."
"...No Mirror Sea generators."
"...Nothing."
Yuuki's expression hardened.
"...Wait."
"It must be..."
Before he could finish—
Space itself cracked open.
A brilliant tear stretched across the air above the battlefield.
Instead of the familiar crimson glow of a Siren portal...
This one shimmered with deep sapphire light.
The next instant—
Hundreds of glowing projectiles rained from the opening.
The bombardment crashed directly into the Rapture army below.
Explosions rippled across the battlefield.
Heavy Walkers were obliterated.
Combat drones disappeared beneath waves of fire.
Even Behemoth froze.
"What?!"
The bombardment continued for several more seconds before gradually ceasing.
Silence followed.
Then...
Two silhouettes slowly descended from the dimensional rift.
Their riggings floated behind them.
Weathered.
Battle-scarred.
Yet unmistakably powerful.
Yuuki stared.
"...No way."
Even Kaguya looked genuinely surprised.
"My..."
The figures finally emerged from the fading light.
One carried the unmistakable silhouette of an Eagle Union carrier.
The other bore the elegant yet deadly profile of a Sakura heavy cruiser.
Ash.
And Ember.
META Enterprise.
META Takao.
Neither of them had been expected.
Neither of them had been called.
Yet somehow...
They had found the battlefield on their own.
Yuuki stared at the two unexpected arrivals.
"...What are you two doing here?"
Ash landed lightly on top of the Steel Fortress, her weathered rigging humming softly behind her.
"The Sirens are coming."
Her voice was as calm as ever.
"We intercepted their movements."
"They'll reach this sector in approximately three hours."
Yuuki frowned.
"...Three hours."
Ash nodded.
"You don't have that long."
She glanced toward the raging battle surrounding the Mother Whale.
"So we're buying you time."
She gestured toward the shimmering sky.
"The Mirror Dimension surrounding your fleet."
"...That was us."
Yuuki looked upward.
"I figured as much."
Ash gave a slight nod.
"Then you already understand."
"It's ours."
"The barrier isolates this battlefield from outside siren observation."
"It won't stop the Sirens forever..."
"...but it'll delay them long enough for you to finish your rescue."
Yuuki smiled.
"...Thanks."
Ash simply nodded in return.
"No need."
She looked toward the endless horde of Raptures below.
"We're here to fight."
Without another word—
She leapt from the platform.
Her rigging ignited.
She landed directly beside the advancing Toukuii formation.
At almost the same moment—
Ember descended nearby.
Her katana was already drawn.
Atago's cheerful voice immediately came over the communications.
"Takao-chan!"
Ember didn't even look at her.
"Focus, Atago."
"There are still hundreds of Raptures between us and the prisoners."
Atago pouted.
"Oh..."
"You sourpuss."
Ember ignored the comment entirely.
Instead, she looked toward the four mechanized samurai.
"...Come."
She surged forward.
Without hesitation—
The Toukuii followed.
Takao watched her alternate self sprint effortlessly through the battlefield, carving apart Raptures with frightening efficiency.
A competitive smile slowly appeared beneath Takao's Toukuii.
"...I'm not losing."
Her Toukuii's thrusters flared.
She accelerated.
The giant mechanized samurai shot forward in pursuit.
One ionized slash.
Two.
Three.
Entire groups of Raptures fell before her blade.
Ahead of her—
Ember cut down another formation with equally effortless precision.
Neither woman spoke.
Neither acknowledged the other.
Yet an unspoken rivalry immediately formed.
Every enemy Ember destroyed...
Takao sought to surpass.
Every opening Takao created...
Ember widened even further.
The two swordswomen surged through the battlefield side by side, their contrasting fighting styles turning the advancing Rapture army into little more than scattered wreckage.
Watching from behind, Atago laughed softly.
"My..."
"It seems my dear sister has found herself a rival."
Maya grinned inside her own Toukuii.
"...Now this is getting interesting."
The five towering samurai—four Toukuii and one battle-hardened META—continued carving an ever-widening path toward the tail of the Mother Whale, each determined to reach the prisoners before the Sirens could arrive.
The battle inside the colossal airborne fortress intensified once again.
Enterprise allowed herself a faint, almost nostalgic smile aboard the Daedalus. To think that the Ash they once fought as an enemy now stood beside them, cutting down Raptures without hesitation—it was a strange turn of fate, but one she welcomed.
Deep within the Mother Whale, Behemoth watched the battlefield through dozens of tactical projections.
Her expression darkened with every passing second.
The three Steel Fortresses continued advancing.
The four mechanized samurai were cutting apart her forces.
And now...
Two unknown combatants had entered the battlefield.
Behemoth gritted her teeth.
"...Who are they?"
She replayed the footage.
One carried Eagle Union rigging unlike anything in the Rapture database.
The other fought with Sakura techniques that exceeded every combat profile they possessed.
"No matches."
"No records."
"No identification."
Her operators searched frantically through every archive available to the Raptures.
Nothing.
"They're not Azur Lane."
"They're not Sirens."
"They're not part of the Ark."
Behemoth clenched her fist.
"...Then who are they?"
She immediately opened the intelligence package provided by the Sirens.
Every known faction.
Every recorded Shipgirl.
Every priority target.
She searched again.
Nothing.
Not a single entry.
"...Impossible."
Her eyes narrowed.
"The Sirens never told us about these two."
A thought crossed her mind.
One she didn't like.
"...Did they hide them from us?"
Silence filled the command room.
The possibility suddenly made sense.
The Sirens shared technology.
Battle data.
Operational intelligence.
Yet they had never once mentioned these mysterious warriors.
Behemoth slowly exhaled.
"...Of course."
"If those two really are as powerful as they appear..."
Her expression hardened.
"...the Sirens would never risk letting us know."
Another realization followed almost immediately.
"...Or perhaps..."
"...they didn't want us trying to corrupt them."
If the Raptures succeeded in bringing warriors of that caliber under their control...
It would fundamentally shift the balance of power.
The Sirens were many things.
Careless wasn't one of them.
Behemoth clicked her tongue.
"...So they've been keeping secrets."
Her gaze returned to the battlefield.
Ash and Ember continued tearing through wave after wave of Raptures beside the Diving Eagle assault force.
"...No matter."
"If they stand with the commander..."
"...they're enemies."
She raised her hand.
"Deploy every remaining reserve."
"I don't care how many machines we lose."
"We stop them before they reach the detention blocks."
Throughout the Mother Whale, fresh alarms echoed.
Hidden hangars opened.
Thousands more Rapture units awakened.
The battle inside the colossal airborne fortress intensified once again.
===========
A warning suddenly echoed across every communications channel.
Yorktown's voice remained calm, but everyone could hear the urgency beneath it.
"Commander."
Yuuki looked up.
"Report."
"Two unknown contacts approaching at extremely high speed."
The tactical display aboard the Daedalus immediately highlighted two rapidly converging signatures.
"They'll intercept us in less than three minutes."
At almost the same moment...
Behemoth's hologram appeared once more.
This time...
She was smiling.
"So..."
"It seems you're out of luck, Commander."
Yuuki folded his arms.
"Oh?"
Behemoth leaned forward.
"Anachiro..."
"...and Leviathan..."
"...are almost here."
Her grin widened.
"Good luck dealing with our elites."
"A shame..."
"...I won't be there personally to rip you to shreds."
Yuuki didn't even flinch.
"...Do I look like I care?"
The smile on Behemoth's face faltered for a brief second.
"Hmph."
"Act fearless all you want."
"You'll lose soon enough."
The hologram vanished.
Silence lingered for only a heartbeat.
Yuuki turned toward Kaguya.
"Kaguya."
She immediately looked at him.
"Yes, dearest?"
"We're intercepting them."
A gentle smile blossomed across her face.
"To fight beside my dearest husband..."
"...is the greatest honor this wife could ever receive."
She floated to his side, her battleship rigging unfolding as golden foxfire danced around her.
Behind them—
Ash calmly rested her weapon over one shoulder.
"Go."
"We'll handle the assault force."
Ember gave a single nod.
"We'll carve the path."
"The prisoners are your priority."
Yuuki looked toward the rest of his team.
The Steel Fortresses continued firing.
The Toukuii stood ready.
Every Shipgirl and Nikke met his gaze in his HUD..
Belfast smiled first.
"Go, Master."
"We'll watch over the assault force."
Neon immediately laughed from inside the lead Steel Fortress.
"Yeah!"
"More firepower for us!"
She slammed another shell into the loading mechanism.
"I've got plenty more rounds left!"
Nimi chuckled over the intercom.
"Just go, Commander."
"Trust us."
"We're already Level Twenty-Eight."
She patted the Fortress controls.
"These chumps are fighting Level Twenty-Eight fortresses now."
Atago smiled warmly.
"We'll make sure the road stays open."
Takao gave a firm nod.
"You have our word."
Soda raised her hand enthusiastically.
"Leave everything here to us, Master!"
Then she smiled brightly.
"You're not the only one protecting everyone anymore."
Even Ade folded her arms confidently.
"We've got enough firepower to keep these Raptures occupied for quite a while."
Mary smiled softly.
"And we'll make sure nobody falls behind."
Pepper laughed.
"So stop worrying and go and intercept those whatever things coming at us."
Kaguya gently took Yuuki's hand.
"My dearest..."
"They believe in you."
Yuuki looked across the battlefield one last time.
The three Steel Fortresses continued advancing.
The four Toukuii fought alongside Ash and Ember.
His Shipgirls.
His Nikkes.
Every one of them had grown stronger since joining the GDI.
He smiled beneath his helmet.
"...Then I'll leave the battlefield to all of you."
Blue thrusters erupted behind him.
Kaguya's foxfire flared beside him.
Together...
Commander and Arcane Shipgirl shot upward through the Mother Whale's shattered interior—
Heading straight toward the two incoming elite enemies before they could reach the fleet.
============
As Yuuki and Kaguya accelerated toward the upper levels of the Mother Whale, he opened a communication channel.
"Yuu."
Her voice answered almost immediately.
"Here."
"How's it going on your end?"
"We're making our way toward the tail."
A burst of gunfire echoed through her channel before she continued.
"Nayuta is already Level Eighteen."
Yuuki blinked.
"...That fast?!"
Yuu laughed softly.
"Yes."
She looked toward the growing formation of identical Nikkes advancing beside her.
"Those clones are completely overpowered."
"One new clone every level..."
"...and every one of them fights just as efficiently."
Nayuta, now accompanied by eighteen identical clones, calmly continued firing down the corridor.
The wall of synchronized Volt Auto Rifle fire left very few Raptures standing.
Yuu smiled.
"She's becoming an army all by herself."
Yuuki chuckled.
"Keep moving."
"The assault force is already halfway there."
"Ash and Ember are helping hold the front."
"I can see them."
Yuu glanced over the railing toward the massive battle below.
"The Raptures are getting pushed back."
Yuuki switched channels.
"JARVIS."
The AI responded instantly.
"Yes, Sir."
"How goes the hacking?"
"The Mother Whale's security AI continues resisting."
A brief pause.
"Nothing I cannot handle."
A new progress indicator appeared across every command display.
Security Network Control
50%
"I now possess partial access to the internal defensive systems."
Yuuki smiled.
"Good."
"Bring the security guns online."
"Reassign all hostile identification."
"Prioritize Rapture targets."
"Command accepted."
Across the Mother Whale...
Thousands of internal defense turrets suddenly paused.
Their optics flickered.
Identification protocols rewrote themselves in milliseconds.
Moments earlier...
They had been firing upon the Steel Fortresses.
The Toukuii.
Ash.
Ember.
Now—
Every turret rotated away from the GDI assault force.
Instead...
They locked onto the surrounding Raptures.
Target confirmed.
Hostile identified.
The corridors erupted.
Heavy autocannons opened fire.
Missile pods launched salvos into dense Rapture formations.
Ceiling-mounted laser emplacements swept entire hallways clean.
The Mother Whale's own defenses had turned against its occupants.
Deep inside the command center...
Behemoth stared in disbelief.
"What?!"
"Our security network is firing on us?!"
Warning messages flooded every monitor.
Security Override Detected
Unknown AI Intrusion
Countermeasures Failing
She slammed a fist onto the console.
"...That damned AI!"
Meanwhile...
Outside the Mother Whale...
The bombardment never ceased.
Firehawk squadrons continued hunting every airborne Rapture drone that escaped the interior hangars.
Missiles streaked across the sky, intercepting targets before they could threaten the fleet.
Above them...
Orca bombers unleashed another coordinated bombardment, their payloads erupting across the Mother Whale's armored hull.
Harbinger gunships swept past in attack runs, rotary cannons hammering exposed weapon emplacements with relentless precision.
Along the flanks...
Tesla cannons discharged arcs of blue-white electricity that crawled across the hull before detonating in brilliant explosions.
From farther back...
The Kodiak artillery platforms maintained a constant bombardment.
Heavy shells rained down in disciplined salvos, each impact shaking the colossal flying fortress.
Between the assault force inside...
And the fleet outside...
The Mother Whale was now fighting a war on two fronts.
And with every passing minute...
JARVIS tightened its grip on the vessel's own systems.
Yuuki and Kaguya burst out from the shattered hull of the Mother Whale, blue thrusters and golden foxfire streaking across the sky.
They shot toward the incoming signal at tremendous speed.
Within moments—
They landed atop the wreckage of one of the destroyed Rapture escort battleships floating upon the sea below.
Twisted steel and burning debris surrounded the massive wreck.
The battlefield above continued to rage.
For a brief moment...
Silence.
Then—
BOOM!
The air exploded.
A white streak descended from the heavens, crashing onto the opposite end of the ruined battleship.
The impact shattered armor plating.
Chunks of metal were thrown into the sea.
Smoke slowly drifted away.
A lone figure stepped forward.
She possessed long, snow-white hair that fluttered gently in the wind.
Crimson eyes calmly regarded the pair before her.
She wore an immaculate white bodysuit accented with black and crimson details, elegant yet unmistakably designed for combat.
What immediately drew Yuuki's attention, however...
Wasn't the woman herself.
It was the equipment surrounding her.
Several autonomous mechanical units floated behind her in perfect formation.
Unlike a Shipgirl's rigging...
These possessed no resemblance to warships.
Instead...
They resembled compact powered weapon platforms.
Angular armor.
Independent thrusters.
Floating weapon pods.
Energy emitters.
They looked strangely familiar.
Yuuki narrowed his eyes.
"...Those aren't shipgirl riggings."
Kaguya studied them as well, her eyes narrowing slightly as if something about the figure stirred a faint, unplaceable memory she couldn't quite grasp.
"Nor are they Siren constructs."
The floating machines maneuvered with remarkable precision around the white-haired woman, responding to even the slightest movement of her body.
Yuuki silently compared them against the GDI database inside his helmet.
No match.
But...
The design philosophy felt oddly familiar.
It reminded him of GDI's own powered combat systems.
Not the latest Gamma Armor.
Not even the Beta series.
Closer...
To the Foxtrot Combat Armor.
A simpler generation.
Lighter.
Less integrated.
Yet still unmistakably intended to function as an extension of the user's combat capabilities.
His visor rapidly attempted identification.
Unknown Combat Platform
No Database Match
Technology Classification: Unknown
The AI continued scanning.
No results.
Yuuki slowly exhaled.
"...We don't have any data on her."
The white-haired woman finally spoke.
"So..."
"...you're the commander."
Her crimson eyes remained fixed on Yuuki.
"You destroyed Behemoth's Mother Whale escort fleet."
She slowly raised one hand.
The floating weapon platforms shifted into attack formation.
"You'll make a worthy opponent."
Behind her...
Another presence was rapidly approaching.
Leviathan.
Only moments away from joining the battlefield.
Yuuki didn't take his eyes off the white-haired woman.
"Vergil."
The Vice Commander's voice came through immediately.
"Yes?"
"Any idea who this is?"
He activated the battlefield scan and transmitted the woman's appearance.
"Anything from the data we recovered?"
There was a brief silence.
Then rapid typing echoed across the channel.
"...Give me a moment."
Dozens of databases were searched simultaneously.
Azur Lane.
Siren archives.
The newly stolen Rapture data.
Several seconds passed.
Then—
"...Holy..."
Vergil's voice changed completely.
"I found her."
Every display aboard the Daedalus, the Philadelphia, and every GDI combat HUD immediately displayed the woman's profile.
Her face appeared across the fleet.
IDENTIFICATION CONFIRMED
Codename: Anachiro
Status: Corrupted Nikke
Silence.
Then—
Rapi's voice suddenly rang across the communications network.
"Commander!"
Yuuki glanced toward her transmission.
"Rapi?"
There was unmistakable disbelief in her voice.
"...That's Cinderella."
Kaguya tilted her head slightly.
"Cinderella?"
A faint smile crossed her lips.
"...What an amusing name."
Yuuki ignored her for the moment.
"Rapi."
"Tell me everything."
Rapi took a slow breath.
"I've only heard stories."
"Long before my generation..."
"There was a squad known as Old Tales."
"They were among the earliest generations of Grimms Model Nikkes."
She continued while the tactical profile expanded.
"Cinderella was one of them."
"The Big Three invested an astronomical amount of resources into her creation."
"She wasn't built as an ordinary combat Nikke."
"She was meant to fight alongside..."
"...and support..."
"...the Goddess Squad."
Yuuki listened quietly.
Rapi's voice softened slightly.
"Her greatest wish..."
"...was simply to stand beside the members of Goddess."
"She admired them."
"Wanted to fight alongside them."
"And..."
A small, bittersweet smile appeared.
"...she wanted to surpass even them in beauty."
There was a brief pause before she continued.
"Red Hood once fought her."
Yuuki's eyes narrowed slightly.
"When I inherited Red Hood..."
"...I inherited her memories as well."
Rapi's voice grew quieter.
"I saw it."
"The battle."
"Cinderella was already... different."
"Stronger."
"Unstable."
"And even Red Hood..."
"...couldn't bring her down."
Silence settled across the communications.
Even Anachiro herself seemed mildly amused by the story.
"So..."
"...that was the dream of the girl I once was."
Her crimson eyes remained unreadable.
"What a fragile aspiration."
Yuuki slowly looked back at the woman standing before him.
The legendary Nikke that history had remembered as Cinderella...
Now stood before him...
As one of the Raptures' most dangerous elites.
Rapi continued, her voice noticeably quieter than before.
"Unfortunately..."
"Before Cinderella could officially debut as the newest member of the Goddess Squad..."
"...the Elysion research facility housing her was attacked by the Raptures."
Every member of the fleet listened in silence.
Rapi lowered her eyes.
"During the assault..."
"...a traitorous researcher implanted a refined Corruption Code into Cinderella."
Yuuki frowned.
"...An inside job."
Rapi nodded.
"Yes."
"The corruption didn't simply seize control of her."
"It twisted her perception."
"It convinced her..."
"...that slaughtering humanity was the proper way to protect both the Goddess Squad..."
"...and serve the Rapture Queen."
The battlefield suddenly felt much quieter.
Rapi continued.
"When Goddess squad encountered her..."
"They were forced to retreat."
"Their very first battle against Cinderella ended in defeat."
After a brief pause, she added,
"And after that..."
"Cinderella began attacking human settlements."
"Entire cities."
"Military outposts."
"Mass-produced Nikke battalions."
"Everything sent to stop her..."
"...was annihilated."
Rapi's neural tactical display updated with archived battlefield footage.
Burning cities.
Collapsed defensive lines.
Countless destroyed Nikkes.
"The Central Government..."
"...could no longer call her Cinderella."
"So they assigned her a new codename."
Rapi slowly looked toward the white-haired woman.
"...Anachiro."
There was a moment of silence.
Then Vergil spoke again.
"I found additional records in the Rapture's server."
Everyone turned their attention toward him.
"As the corruption progressed..."
"Cinderella eventually became one of the Heretics."
He enlarged another classified file.
"But not just any Heretic."
His voice became more serious.
"She was the very first."
"The progenitor."
"The original Heretic."
"Every Heretic that appeared afterward..."
"...including Behemoth..."
"...came after Anachiro."
Several members of the fleet exchanged uneasy glances.
Behemoth was a corrupted Nikke as well?
Vergil continued.
"That also explains something."
He opened another recovered intelligence report.
"Many later Heretics regard her with unusual interest."
"Some even appear to idolize her."
"To them..."
"Anachiro is the origin."
For the first time since arriving...
Anachiro's expression changed ever so slightly.
Almost imperceptibly...
Her crimson eyes flickered.
"..."
"...How nostalgic."
The faint smile on her face remained.
But somewhere deep beneath the calm exterior...
For the briefest moment...
The name Cinderella had reached someone who had long believed she had lost it forever.
Kaguya quietly studied the white-haired woman.
Then, as though recalling a distant memory, she spoke.
"Ah..."
"This wife has crossed paths with her once before."
Yuuki turned toward her.
"You have?"
Kaguya nodded gently.
"Indeed."
"She was once dispatched to capture me."
Her tails swayed lazily behind her.
"As the First Pillar of the Arcane of the East..."
"...it was only natural that the Raptures would covet my power."
She smiled faintly.
"They believed capturing me would tip the balance in their favor."
Yuuki folded his arms.
"And?"
Kaguya looked back toward Anachiro.
"This wife declined."
A playful smile appeared on her lips.
"After receiving sufficient persuasion..."
"...she chose to retreat."
Anachiro's crimson eyes narrowed.
"So..."
"You still remember."
Kaguya tilted her head innocently.
"My memory remains quite excellent."
Anachiro slowly stepped forward.
The floating weapon platforms surrounding her spread into a wider combat formation.
"The First Pillar..."
"...we meet again."
Her gaze shifted briefly toward Yuuki.
"Two targets..."
"...in one place."
She smiled.
"The commander..."
"...and the Arcane Shipgirl."
"How convenient."
The sea breeze swept across the ruined battleship.
Anachiro raised one hand.
"This time..."
"...I won't repeat the mistake I made before."
Kaguya covered her lips with one sleeve, letting out a soft laugh.
"Ara..."
"Thou still overestimate yourself."
Golden foxfire slowly gathered around her rigging.
Ten radiant spell circles unfolded one after another behind her.
"Do you truly believe..."
"...this wife is as weak as she was ten years ago?"
The air immediately grew heavier.
Yuuki's sensors flared with warnings as immense magical energy began gathering around Kaguya.
Even Anachiro's weapon platforms subtly shifted their formation in response.
She had noticed it too.
The First Pillar...
Had become even stronger than the opponent she remembered.
Before another word could be spoken—
A second presence entered the battlefield.
Unlike Anachiro...
This newcomer made no dramatic entrance.
Space behind her simply rippled.
A lone figure stepped through the distortion and landed silently upon the twisted hull of the ruined battleship.
She was noticeably smaller than Anachiro.
A long black cloak concealed most of her frame.
Beneath it rested a sleek black combat suit reinforced with mechanical armor.
Her face...
Was completely hidden.
A smooth metallic mask concealed every expression.
Only long peach-blonde hair escaped from beneath the hood, swaying gently in the sea breeze.
Atop her head stood two rabbit-like mechanical antennae that continuously rotated, scanning the surrounding battlefield.
Behind her floated unmistakable naval rigging.
A massive mechanical blade rested along one side.
Twin torpedo launchers hovered behind her shoulders.
Destroyer-class weapon systems.
Yuuki's eyes narrowed.
"...Shipgirl rigging."
Kaguya quietly nodded.
"...Indeed."
"But..."
"...something is terribly wrong."
The rigging emitted none of the familiar energy signatures of ordinary Shipgirls.
Instead...
Dark crimson corruption pulsed through every mechanical joint.
The once-pristine naval systems had been transformed into something else entirely.
Something unnatural.
Anachiro slowly stepped aside.
"...Have you met Leviathan?"
She gestured toward the silent newcomer.
"Our newest Heretic."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The image transmitted across every battlefield display.
Aboard the Daedalus...
Inside the Mother Whale...
Within every Steel Fortress...
Every Shipgirl froze.
Yorktown's eyes widened.
Enterprise slowly clenched her fists.
Belfast's calm expression disappeared.
Akagi stared silently at the screen.
Even Ash and Ember stopped fighting for a brief moment as they heard the conversation from their GDI communicator.
Nobody spoke.
Until finally—
Takao whispered the words everyone was thinking.
"...A Shipgirl..."
The realization struck like lightning.
"...She's..."
"...corrupted."
Yuuki slowly looked toward Leviathan.
His expression hardened.
"So..."
"They finally succeeded."
The words felt heavier than anything spoken during the battle.
The Raptures...
Had accomplished what countless factions had feared for years.
They hadn't merely corrupted a Nikke.
They had corrupted...
One of their own.
A Shipgirl.
The silence that followed was far more unsettling than the sound of any cannon.
Because everyone watching understood exactly what that meant.
If one Shipgirl could be turned...
Then others...
Could become targets as well.
"Damn Raptures..."
Yuuki gritted his teeth as his gaze remained fixed on Leviathan.
"A corrupted Shipgirl..."
"...They actually did it."
Without another word, he reached for the release command.
Hydraulic locks disengaged.
The bulky Mark V War Machine armor opened piece by piece before stepping away from him under autonomous control.
The towering suit moved several paces back before entering standby mode.
Its optics dimmed.
Kaguya blinked.
"...Dearest?"
Yuuki rolled his shoulders.
"I'm not intending to fight them in the War Machine."
A faint smile crossed his face.
"Sort of."
He snapped his fingers.
Immediately—
Hundreds of nanomachines erupted from the chest reactor attached to his chest.
They surged across his body like liquid metal.
Layer after layer assembled themselves around him.
Compact chest plate.
Gauntlets.
Greaves.
A flowing white nanobased coat formed last, draping over the armor like a mantle.
Within seconds...
The sleeker and compact version of the Iron Man Mark 86 stood completed.
The one he always wore as his standard commander's attire.
Unlike the massively armed Mark V...
The Mark 86 emphasized mobility.
Every joint was streamlined.
Every movement unrestricted.
Yuuki flexed his fingers.
"That's better."
"I intend to fight this one..."
"...my own way."
Across from him...
Anachiro quietly observed the transformation.
Then, to everyone's surprise—
She smiled.
"So..."
"That is your true appearance."
Her crimson eyes lingered on him for a moment.
"...You are as handsome as a prince."
A playful smile touched her lips.
"What a shame..."
"...that I have to kill you."
Golden foxfire immediately flared.
"Oh?"
Kaguya slowly stepped forward, placing herself slightly between Yuuki and Anachiro.
Her smile remained gentle.
Yet the pressure surrounding her became suffocating.
"Thou art..."
"...not calling my husband handsome."
Ten radiant magic circles bloomed behind her.
"This wife cannot allow such bold words."
She elegantly raised one hand.
"So..."
"Shall we dance once more..."
"...like old times, Anachiro?"
The First Heretic smiled.
"...Gladly."
Meanwhile—
Yuuki shifted his attention toward the silent newcomer.
Leviathan had not spoken a single word.
Not once.
He slowly drew his own blade.
A longsword of dark steel.
Behind him...
Another sword remained suspended in the air.
An ornate weapon with an otherwise unassuming appearance.
Its guard formed a distinctive W-shaped crosspiece resembling curved horns.
The spiral-wrapped grip led to a pommel fashioned from four grinning skulls surrounding a single upward-pointing spike.
The weapon silently hovered at his back.
Awaiting its master's command.
Yuuki pointed his primary sword toward Leviathan.
"Then..."
"I'll handle Leviathan."
His voice became quiet.
"I'll find a way..."
"...to save this one."
For the first time—
Leviathan moved.
Without a word...
She reached behind her shoulder.
A massive one-handed greatsword slid free from her corrupted rigging.
Its blade was forged from black metal veined with crimson energy.
The edge glowed with an ominous red light.
She lowered it into a ready stance.
Still...
She remained completely silent.
Four warriors.
Two battlefields.
Kaguya versus Anachiro.
Yuuki versus Leviathan.
The sea around the shattered battleship grew unnaturally still.
Then...
Both duels were about to begin.
=================
High above the sea...
The duel continued.
Crimson lasers crisscrossed the heavens.
Machine-gun fire stitched across the sky.
Missiles chased after a single golden figure.
Yet...
None of them found their mark.
Kaguya moved as though she were dancing upon the wind.
One graceful sidestep.
Another elegant turn.
Every attack missed by mere inches.
Not because of luck.
Because she already knew where they would land.
Far below, the battle inside the Mother Whale reached another crescendo.
Thousands more Raptures fell.
The Leveling System responded immediately.
A warm golden light briefly enveloped Kaguya.
She smiled faintly.
"...Ara."
"This wife has become stronger again."
Another level.
Level Twenty-Nine.
Her magical presence surged once more.
Anachiro noticed it immediately.
"...Again?"
Her floating weapon platforms accelerated.
More laser emitters unfolded.
Drone formations multiplied.
Machine guns transformed into high-output beam cannons.
"Then take this!"
An endless barrage erupted.
Crimson beams flooded the sky from every direction.
The attack pattern became increasingly complex.
Crossfire.
Ricochets.
Converging kill zones.
Every escape route disappeared beneath overlapping laser fire.
Yet...
Kaguya simply laughed softly.
"My..."
"Still trying to catch this wife?"
She vanished.
Every beam passed harmlessly through empty air.
She reappeared behind Anachiro.
Then above her.
Then below.
Her movements had become almost impossible to predict.
Even Anachiro's autonomous targeting systems struggled to follow.
"...Impossible."
Suddenly—
Ten fox tails spread gracefully behind Kaguya.
The fluffy tails slowly curled upward.
Their tips began glowing with brilliant golden light.
One by one...
Tiny magic circles appeared before each tail.
Anachiro's eyes narrowed.
"...What?"
The magic circles expanded.
Each tail had become its own magical artillery platform.
Golden energy rapidly condensed.
Kaguya smiled mischievously.
"If thy may have floating cannons..."
"...why should this wife not have some as well?"
The circles completed their charge.
Ten concentrated beams erupted simultaneously.
Golden lasers streaked across the battlefield.
Anachiro instantly twisted aside.
One beam narrowly missed her shoulder.
Another grazed one of her weapon platforms.
A third obliterated an incoming drone formation behind her.
The remaining beams continued chasing her through the sky as Kaguya effortlessly redirected them with subtle movements of her tails.
The battlefield transformed into a dazzling exchange of crimson and gold.
Anachiro fired hundreds of lasers.
Kaguya answered with ten magical laser cannons of her own.
Explosions echoed endlessly across the ocean.
Watching through the battlefield feed, Yorktown quietly spoke.
"..Kaguya..."
"...isn't taking this seriously."
Even Ash, still fighting aboard the Mother Whale, glanced briefly toward the distant duel.
"...No."
"She's playing with her."
The difference had become obvious.
Ten years earlier...
Anachiro had forced Kaguya into a difficult battle, despite the latter won.
Now...
The First Pillar possessed the Leveling System.
Every attribute had been enhanced many times over.
Speed.
Magic.
Firepower.
Durability.
Reaction.
Every battle...
Every level...
Every upgrade...
Had widened the gap.
Kaguya elegantly sidestepped another impossible barrage before smiling toward her opponent.
"Anachiro..."
"This wife wondered how much stronger thou had become."
She tilted her head.
"I confess..."
"...I am slightly disappointed."
For the first time since the battle began...
Anachiro's confident smile faded.
She finally understood.
The woman standing before her...
Was no longer the Arcane Shipgirl she had once nearly captured.
She had become something else entirely.
Across the skies...
The duel between Kaguya and Anachiro continued to drift farther away from the Mother Whale.
Neither woman remained stationary for more than a heartbeat.
Golden and crimson streaks raced across the heavens.
Every collision sent shockwaves rolling across the clouds.
Every explosion echoed over the sea.
Without saying a word...
Kaguya deliberately led Anachiro farther from the battlefield.
Farther from the Daedalus.
Farther from the Mother Whale.
The First Pillar of the Arcane of the East...
Versus...
The First Heretic.
Their dance continued among the clouds.
Far below...
A very different duel unfolded.
CLANG!
Yuuki's sword collided with Leviathan's corrupted greatsword.
The impact split the sea beneath them.
Water erupted skyward.
Leviathan remained silent.
She immediately followed with another sweeping slash.
Yuuki slipped beneath the blade before driving his own sword toward her shoulder.
Leviathan twisted away with surprising agility.
Their blades met again.
CLANG!
Yuuki clicked his tongue.
"Hmph."
"Warspite proved a greater challenge than you."
Another exchange.
Steel screamed against corrupted metal.
"Even Valiant handles a sword better."
Leviathan offered no response.
Her crimson optics merely locked onto him.
Without warning...
The rigging behind her shifted.
Destroyer cannons rotated into firing position.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Naval shells erupted from her rigging.
A spread of torpedoes immediately followed, racing across the water.
Yuuki didn't retreat.
Instead—
He raised his left arm.
Nanomachines surged from the idle Mark V standing in the distance.
An armored forearm detached from the War Machine and rocketed toward him.
The component locked onto his own arm with a metallic CLANG.
Heavy power flooded through the newly assembled gauntlet.
Yuuki smiled.
"That's more like it."
The repulsor embedded within the detached arm blazed brilliant blue.
BOOOOM!
A concentrated energy beam erupted from his palm.
The incoming naval shells detonated one after another before reaching him.
The shockwave scattered the remaining fragments harmlessly across the sea.
The targeting system immediately acquired the torpedoes.
Micro-missile ports unfolded along the armored forearm.
THOOM! THOOM! THOOM!
A swarm of miniature missiles launched in rapid succession.
Each missile intercepted a torpedo with surgical precision.
The ocean erupted into overlapping pillars of water and fire.
Leviathan emerged through the explosions without slowing.
Her greatsword descended once more.
Yuuki met it head-on.
Sword against sword.
Magic against corruption.
Technology against corrupted naval rigging.
The second duel had finally begun in earnest.
==============
High above the sea...
Kaguya laughed softly.
"My..."
"It has been quite some time since this wife enjoyed herself."
Golden foxfire spiraled around her as a new blade of condensed arcane crystal formed in her hand.
The magic-forged sword shimmered brilliantly.
Without hesitation—
She dashed forward.
CLANG!
Her blade met Anachiro's energy-forged weapon in a shower of sparks.
The impact rippled across the sky.
Anachiro immediately disengaged.
Her floating weapon platforms shifted formation with mechanical precision.
The four shield-riggings unfolded.
One transformed into a high-output laser cannon.
The muzzle glowed crimson.
FWOOOOSH!!
A massive laser tore through the heavens.
Kaguya vanished.
The beam passed harmlessly beneath her.
She appeared above Anachiro.
The remaining three weapon platforms instantly reacted.
Machine guns.
Missiles.
Secondary lasers.
Everything fired simultaneously.
Kaguya gracefully twisted between the attacks.
One step.
One spin.
Another elegant sidestep.
Not a single projectile touched her.
Then—
She burst forward.
Golden light exploded beneath her feet.
Her magic sword descended.
SLASH!!
One of Anachiro's four shield-riggings split cleanly in half.
The damaged platform spiraled away before exploding in midair.
Anachiro's eyes narrowed.
"...You're faster than before."
Without hesitation, the remaining three shield-riggings rotated into perfect synchronization.
Their emitters aligned.
Energy rapidly accumulated.
Synchronized Laser Formation.
Three beams converged into one colossal crimson pillar.
The sky turned red.
Kaguya calmly raised one hand.
A hexagonal crystal barrier materialized before her.
Layer after layer of translucent magical crystal assembled together.
The enormous laser struck.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The ocean beneath them erupted.
Steam engulfed the battlefield.
The crystal shield trembled violently.
Cracks slowly spread across its surface.
Yet...
It held.
Kaguya smiled behind it.
"My..."
"That tickled."
As the beam finally ceased...
The crystal barrier dissolved into glittering particles.
Anachiro suddenly sensed something.
"...What?"
Behind Kaguya...
A completely unfamiliar rigging unfolded.
Unlike the traditional magical platforms surrounding her...
These possessed a distinctly modern silhouette.
Angular launch pods.
Compact missile cells.
Integrated magical conduits.
The design had clearly been inspired by GDI engineering.
Yuuki's engineering.
Kaguya smiled proudly.
"This wife must thank her dearest..."
"...for this delightful idea."
The newly assembled rigging locked into place.
Super Aegis Rigging.
Every missile hatch opened simultaneously.
Golden magic circles formed before each launcher.
Then—
A storm of magic-guided missiles erupted into the sky.
Dozens of glowing projectiles curved toward Anachiro from every direction.
She immediately crossed her remaining three shield-riggings before herself.
The missiles detonated one after another.
Explosion after explosion illuminated the clouds.
Smoke engulfed the battlefield.
Anachiro remained standing.
Her shields had absorbed the barrage.
"...Is that all?"
The smoke suddenly shifted.
Kaguya had already vanished.
"...!"
A golden magic circle appeared directly behind Anachiro.
Kaguya stepped through it.
"So close..."
"...and yet thou still failed to notice."
Her fist was already waiting.
Dozens of magic circles stacked together around her arm.
Each one amplified the next.
Golden energy compressed into a single point.
Arcane Impact.
Kaguya drove her punch forward.
BOOOOOOOOM!!
The empowered strike slammed directly into Anachiro's remaining shield-riggings.
One shattered instantly.
Then another.
Then the third.
Crystal fragments and mechanical debris exploded outward.
The force of the impact continued through Anachiro herself.
Her body shot across the sky like a meteor.
She smashed into the wreckage of the destroyed Rapture battleship below.
KRAAAAAAASH!!
The already ruined vessel split apart beneath the impact.
A towering column of seawater erupted into the air.
Watching from the Mother Whale...
Even Ash paused briefly.
"...One punch."
Ember quietly nodded.
"...She wasn't exaggerating."
Far above the drifting smoke...
Kaguya calmly adjusted one sleeve of her kimono.
"My..."
"This wife hopes thou art not broken already."
Her voice remained as gentle as ever.
It was unmistakably clear.
Kaguya had finally decided to stop merely dodging and begin fighting back.
=================
Inside the lead Steel Fortress...
Neon was still laughing as another triple volley thundered from the 460 mm siege cannons.
"Direct hit!"
"Hahaha! Eat that!"
The Fortress continued marching through the burning wreckage of destroyed Raptures.
Beside her, Nimi remained focused on steering.
Then...
Her eyes drifted toward the tactical display.
The image of Leviathan briefly appeared on one of the battlefield feeds.
Nimi froze.
"..."
She slowly turned her head.
"Laffey..."
Javelin immediately noticed the change in her expression.
"...Nimi?"
Nimi didn't answer.
Instead, she looked toward Laffey.
Laffey had already stopped smiling.
Her sleepy blue eyes remained fixed upon the monitor.
A long silence followed.
Then...
Laffey quietly nodded.
"...No mistake."
Javelin lowered her head.
"...I recognize it too."
Neon blinked.
"...Recognize what?"
She looked back toward the battlefield feed.
"The sword?"
"The rigging?"
"They're just corrupted shipgirl equipment, aren't they?"
None of the three Royal Navy destroyers answered immediately.
Finally...
Nimi spoke.
"...No."
"That rigging..."
"...is unique."
Laffey quietly added,
"...Nobody else uses one like that."
Neon looked between them in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
Javelin slowly exhaled.
"I've fought beside that rigging."
"I've seen that sword countless times."
She clenched her fist.
"There is only one Shipgirl..."
"...who carries equipment like that."
The three exchanged silent glances.
None of them wanted to say the name.
Because saying it...
Would make it real.
Neon frowned.
"...Who?"
Nimi slowly looked back toward Leviathan's image.
Her voice barely rose above a whisper.
"...We know her."
Laffey's normally calm expression became unusually serious.
"...Very well."
Javelin nodded.
"...There is no mistake."
"Even corrupted..."
"...we'd recognize her anywhere."
The three destroyers fell silent once more.
Watching the mysterious Heretic across the battlefield.
Wondering...
How one of their own...
Had become Leviathan.
=================
Below the distant clash between Kaguya and Anachiro...
The battle between Yuuki and Leviathan reached its climax.
The sea exploded beneath them as both combatants crossed blades again.
CLANG!!
Yuuki's sword crashed against Leviathan's corrupted greatsword.
A shockwave rolled across the ocean.
Leviathan pushed forward with surprising strength.
Yuuki answered with speed.
He twisted his wrist, sliding her blade aside before driving his shoulder into hers.
The impact forced her back only a single step.
"...Fast."
For the first time, Leviathan spoke.
Her voice was calm.
Emotionless.
Yuuki smiled.
"I get that a lot."
He surged forward again.
Their swords collided repeatedly.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
The exchange became too fast for ordinary eyes to follow.
Then—
Yuuki abruptly changed rhythm.
He locked Leviathan's blade in place.
At that exact instant—
Nanomachines burst from the idle War Machine standing in the distance.
A second armored forearm detached from the massive suit.
It rocketed across the battlefield.
CLANG!
The gauntlet assembled over Yuuki's free arm.
Leviathan's crimson eyes widened.
"...!"
The repulsor ignited immediately.
There wasn't even enough distance to evade.
BOOOOOOM!!
A point-blank blast erupted between them.
Leviathan was hurled backward across the sea.
Water exploded beneath her.
Before she could recover—
Yuuki was already moving.
Another section of the War Machine detached.
This time—
Another armored leg section.
The component locked around his own right leg in mid-flight.
Hydraulics roared.
Thrusters ignited.
Yuuki accelerated.
"Too slow."
His kick landed squarely against Leviathan's abdomen.
KRAAAASH!!
The impact launched her through the air.
She skipped across the ocean before digging her heels into the water, finally stopping herself.
Steam rose from the scorched armor covering her midsection.
She slowly raised her head.
Without hesitation—
Yuuki vanished.
"...!"
Leviathan instinctively turned.
Too late.
He was already behind her.
His sword swept through the air in a wide horizontal arc.
Rather than cutting...
He struck with the flat of the blade.
Like a bat.
WHAM!!
The blow sent Leviathan spinning.
At the same time—
The impact shattered the mechanical visor concealing her face.
Metal fragments scattered into the sea.
Silence.
Every battlefield feed immediately focused on her uncovered face.
A young woman with pale skin.
Lavender eyes.
Silver-white hair framing familiar features.
The corruption remained visible around her neck and rigging...
But there was no mistaking her identity.
Inside the lead Steel Fortress...
Nimi froze.
The controls slipped from her hands.
"..."
Laffey's sleepy expression disappeared completely.
"...No..."
Javelin covered her mouth.
"...Impossible..."
The three destroyers stared at the battlefield feed.
Tears slowly formed in their eyes.
Their worst fear...
Had been true.
It wasn't a stranger.
It wasn't an unknown Shipgirl.
It wasn't merely another victim.
It was someone they had sailed beside.
Someone they had laughed with.
Someone they had called a friend.
Nimi's voice trembled.
"...It's really her..."
Laffey lowered her head.
Tears quietly rolled down her cheeks.
"...Ayanami..."
Javelin could no longer hold back her emotions.
"...No..."
"...Not you..."
Across the fleet...
Every Sakura shipgirl who recognized her fell silent.
Yuuki stood between Leviathan and the Mother Whale, his sword still lowered after the strike.
His expression hardened.
"...So that's why..."
He finally understood why her swordsmanship had felt so familiar.
The first Shipgirl Heretic...
Was none other than...
Former Sakura Empire destroyer—
Ayanami.