Incomin Top 10 Anime betrayal.
Chapter 24.5: The fallen ember
"After all, he is the emissary chosen by the gods, the bridge between us and their divine realm. One day, he will be the key to our ascension." Aboard the ship transporting Commander Kasai back to the mainland for recuperation, one of the black-robed priest said.
As per their schedule, the ship after taking in Commander Kasai will immediately return to Sakura Empire mainland where the most cutting edge medical equipment is available to help alleviate his pain and speeding up the recovery process.
However, the moment the ship was out of sight from the naval base, it then veered off course and instead headed out to the sea. From their conversation, it was clear the High Priest Corps have had other ideas in mind and their intention only become more apparent with such act.
Unfortunately for them, they aren't the only scheming bunch with an ulterior motive. Even more unfortunate for them, their opponent are the two greatest schemers of Sakura Empire, second only to the Armada.
The sky that was without a single cloud in sight a moment ago suddenly darkened and soon turned into a thunderstorm accompanied by intense downpour. While the priests onboard were still bewildered by the sudden change in weather, under the cover of the storm a Siren fleet then emerged.
Faster than anyone onboard could notice their presence and let out a cry, with the giant maws the Siren quickly tear the ship apart and dragged the remains down to the dark abyss below. Not a single one of the High Priest Corps onboard survived.
As abruptly as when it appeared, the storm soon cleared off and the Siren fleet then returned to the Mirror Sea. The rift in space connected them directly back to the research facility where Observer Alpha and Tester Beta were waiting. The fleet then re-emerged and along with them was Commander Kasai, being carried by Akagi in her arms.
"See, Commander-sama? Akagi has kept her promise." A rarely seen warm smile appeared on her face, but when Tester Beta approached her, the smile instantly disappeared.
"Second time meeting you, O Armada. Hehehe, though you sure look more pathetic than the last time we met." Insults aimed at her beloved Commander, that is the one offense that Akagi shall not tolerate regardless of who the offender is, even if they're her comrades. In the blink of an eye, multiple burning paper familiars had surrounded Tester Beta from all directions.
"Mind your words, Siren. I may be the one who brought up a cooperation between us, but I can as easily null such agreement." Akagi said with clear murderous intention in her voice. But at the same time, all six of Tester Beta's main cannons have had Akagi locked in their sight.
"Likewise to you, little vixen." Showing a wide devilish grin, the six cannons began charging up energy. Before the situation could escalate any higher, from the sideline Observer Alpha had stepped in to intervene.
"Remember your place, Tester. Any more than this you will surely get punished. And you, little fox. Remember for what purpose that you called upon our assistance." While restraining Tester with her tentacles, Observer then turned to Akagi with her three cannons ready to fire at a moment notice.
"We both may have what the others want, but right now it is you who is at a clear disadvantage. We can easily take that precious specimen by force and leave you two to rot at the bottom of the ocean, but we did not so keep that as a reminder the next time you even think about showing any rebellious act."
"Spare me the petty threat, Siren. Act high and mighty all you want, but the very fact you even agreed to this cooperation between us is enough proof for me to tell you don't actually have free reign over your own authority." In the face of Observer's attempt at intimidation, Akagi still refused to back down.
Both sides have made a valid point. With their power that can topple even humanity's greatest stronghold, killing Akagi and Kaga would be as easy as taking candy from a child. At the same time, while in possession of such immense power Akagi and Kaga have deducted that they cannot freely use it and only on orders, from whoever is higher than them on the hierarchy.
Somehow all Observer managed to do was making the situation worse than it was. After a short while, Observer then lowered her cannons.
"Fufu, it seems you're not as dumb as your 'self' from the last simulation." Smiling with her head tilted slightly to one side, Observer then turned on her heel and headed into the research facility with Tester.
"Ah, but one last thing." Suddenly, she snapped her fingers and all the burning familiars around Akagi and Kaga were instantly snuffed out as they fell down to the water like normal paper.
"We may not have free reign of our authority, but we are still the master of this place. So I'll repeat myself, 'keep that as a reminder the next time you even think about showing any rebellious act.'"
Following Tester and Observer, Akagi and Kaga was then granted access to the inner sectors of the research facility where all the experimentations actually take place. As the elevator took them deeper and deeper down, they finally arrived at the deepest level where an entire chamber has been prepared for him.
Stepping onto the platform, Akagi gently placed Commander Kasai down as countless semi-transparent hexagonal pieces then encased into a sphere around him. Once the sphere was completed, the system began making the necessary adjustments to nurse Commander Kasai back to good health while also monitor and collect data on his Wisdom Cube.
"Rest well, Commander-sama. The next time you wake up, all your pain will be gone and Akagi will be right there for you."
A month later. Zuikaku's incident.
At the same time the Siren pursue on Zuikaku and Shoukaku was kept at bay by the wall of blazing golden flame, in the deepest Sphere Chamber a similar phenomenon was taking place.
From Commander Kasai's Wisdom Cube, golden flame suddenly burst out, enveloping his body and evaporated the sphere containing him in a matter of second. From just the excessive heat emission, the machineries in the chamber were turned into molten metal despite not being in direct contact with the golden flame, causing the entire system to malfunction and the holographic monitor screen was filled with nothing but Error pop-ups.
Seemingly unable to contain its immense power any longer, the golden flame was then released skyward. Swirling into the form of a giant pillar, the golden flame easily melted through the dozens of floors above the Sphere Chamber and shot toward the sky.
"Sister!" noticing the strange phenomenon, both Akagi and Kage immediately rushed down to the Sphere Chamber when the golden flame had completely died out. The moment they arrived at the Sphere Chamber, the whole place was barely recognizable of its original state, and in the very center the silhouette of Commander Kasai could be seen standing where the sphere once was.
"Commander-sama!"
"Akagi? Kaga?" hearing the familiar voices, Commander Kasai responded and turned around. Finally hearing the voice of their beloved Commander again after so long, both Akagi and Kaga was overjoyed and hurried over to his side. Yet when he called out their name, the two suddenly stopped dead in their track.
His voice sounds so very distant away and so very cold, it deterred them from taking another stop forward. On top of that, when they looked into his eyes now, a strange sense of dread unlike anything they've ever experienced before immediately overtook them.
"C-Commander-sama…?" they called out to him again, but their voice was quickly drowned by a sinister laughter.
"Hehehe, so you've finally awaken. Must say, that was one grandeur an introduction on your part." From the rift in space, both Tester Beta and Observer Alpha then appeared next to Commander Kasai.
"You're…the Siren commander from that time." Recalling the face of the one who brought about many of his nightmare-riddled night, the golden flame then flared up once again from his body as Commander Kasai reached into his sleeves for the paper talismans.
"No need to be hostile now. After all, we're pretty much comrade now so let's get along instead."
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
"Fufufu, it's obvious you don't know but I don't blame you. Simply put, in the time you were unconscious, we and those two little foxes over there have formed a 'partnership' of sort."
Like when one is having an internal conflict between their voice of reason and devil advocate, except this time there are two of the latter, both Tester and Observer took turn pouring sweet words of the devil into Commander Kasai's ear.
"In exchange for the technology to cure you, they'd happily comply with, but not limited to, supplying us with live specimens to harvest data from, in other word, your precious Ship Girls. And I must say, our partnership is quite successful~!"
"Isn't that right, Akagi and Kaga?"
"What? No, that's…!"
A sickeningly sweet voice combined with an unthinkable cunningness, Observer had perfectly twisted reality to the image she desired. And when seeing Commander Kasai's hands had frozen in place, Observer knew that her trick had worked wonderfully. A wedge called 'doubt' has been driven into his conviction as he slowly turned to face Akagi and Kaga.
"Is what she just uttered true? What is the meaning of this?" disbelief and denial, those are the only words that could aptly describe what Commander Kasai is currently feeling. Seeing such expression appearing on their beloved Commander and directed at them no less, instinctively the first action they took was to kneel down and plead for his forgiveness.
"O-our deepest apology, Commander-sama! The thing is…"
The two then told him everything. The start of their cooperation, the fate of the High Priest Corps, the Ship Girls they have abducted to fulfill their end of the bargain, all the despicable things they've done.
The two also did not dare to explain to him that what they did was for his sake. No matter how you slice it, they are the perpetrator behind all of this and have crossed the line that must never be crossed. To even think about having someone else bear the sin of their actions, they'd rather take their own lives than stooping to such low.
Thus, filled with both shame and fear, the two dared not raise their head. Throughout the entire time, Commander Kasai simply listened in silence, and only when they finished did he speak up.
"I see, so that's what you two has been up to without my knowledge." Even without looking up, they could feel in his voice a seething rage that grows in intensity with every word. It sends shiver down their spine.
"Then can I take it as your betrayal to the Sakura Empire?"
"But Commander, that's-" unable to see Akagi being berated like this any longer, Kaga then raised her face and was about to stand up for her sister. However, the had immediately swallowed the words she was about to say.
"Answer me, Akagi!" as a display of his uncontrollable anger, the golden flame emanating from his body was immediately dyed in a dark shade of crimson, the very same color as his Ender Zero. For a brief moment, Kaga thought that she was being confronted by the Shura himself and broke out into cold sweat.
"Yes, it is precisely as you said. All this treachery stemmed from my own foolishness and naivety. In my blinded pursue in securing a greater power for the Sakura Empire, I've gone against everything that we represent. For such transgression, I am prepared to face any punishment sentenced upon me."
Akagi appears to be calm, but Kaga knew that she had just sacrificed the last sliver of trust Commander Kasai will ever have in her sister to take all the blame to herself. She wanted to speak up, but the fear of Commander Kasai's wrath has paralyzed her completely.
"How disappointing of you." Those words Commander Kasai had just uttered was the last nail on the coffin for Akagi. The Sphere Chamber then fell into silent, though it wasn't for long.
"Perhaps, this isn't the worst outcome yet."
"This development is indeed beyond all my expectations, but if anything they're also possibilities that I've yet to consider."
"'We cannot win against the Eagle Union', that remained as a fact. Even with the entire Crimson Axis's combined strength, all we're doing is simply throwing bodies at the Azur Lane. No, in order to triumph, what we need is overwhelming power capable of trampling over them."
"And now, with the added Siren's strength, then perhaps…No, it will come to be!" once Commander Kasai finished his monologue, the crimson-dyed golden flame representing his wrath that thought to have subsided then flared up again, this time burning with even greater intensity.
"In the end, perhaps I'll you Siren to thank for this opportunity then." He turned to Observer and Tester.
"But make no mistake. This does not equate in us becoming comrade in arms. You need us to harvest data for your own agenda, and I'll make full use of you for my own goal." He pointed his finger at them, and in respond the two gave a wide devilish grin.
"Then we've come to an official agreement. Our army is yours to command, O Armada."
Thus, began the Flame God's quest to burn all of creation.
Been playing Ghost of Tsushima recently.
Rest in Peace, Kage/Nobu/Sora. You were the goodest of all bois and no other horse can ever replace you.