Chapter 15: Dawn Will Come Again


"A scar indicates that something is missing. You lost something important, and there's a hole in your heart. Having that empty hole can lead to anger, hate, despair, or... it can make you reach for the sky." – Fuuko Kurosaki, Accel World


[Back at the Azur Lane base]

"NYA! Please call off your planes Akagi NYAAAAA!" A certain green haired cat yelled as she was currently being pursued by a swarm of fighters.

"To think you would let Shikikan-sama go into the frontlines and not even bother to tell his future wife…perhaps it's time to teach you that not everyone has nine lives like you do AHAHA!" An enraged Akagi on literal fire laughed as she chased after the terrified Akashi.

Watching from the sidelines stood a rather unique group of Kansen.

"Don't just stand there Nui Nui! Help me nya!" Akashi begged her fellow merchant friend.

"You reap what you sow Akashi." Shiranui waved her off, not willing to stand up against the yandere fox.

"NYAAA! Hontōni gomen'nasai Akagi nya! I shouldn't have tried to make a quick buck and should've told yo- NYA!" Akashi shrieked as she dove out of the fighters' line of fire. "Someone help me NYA!"

"I warned you~" Shoukaku sung, seemingly enjoying the view.

"Future wife huh?" Eugen smirked, mischief clear in her eyes and tone.

"What a mess." Belfast commented as she looked at the burning trees, the destroyed grounds, and the collapsed buildings.

"I certainly hope you aren't expecting the Royal Maids to clean up this mess." Sheffield deadpanned.

"Nee-sama, you're destroying the base. It would be bad if Shikikan comes back to anymore irreparable damages." Kaga tried to reason.

"…Hmm…fine, but only because your logic makes sense in that I don't want to take away Shikikan-sama's free time to spend with me." Akagi relented as she disengaged her fighters and walked over to stand before the terrified repair ship.

"Now Akashi, as punishment, you are to pay for all the damages and replac-no, improve the aesthetics of this base out of your own pocket. I want Shikikan-sama to better understand the beauty of the Sakura Empire. Understood?"

"PLEASE NO NYA! ANYTHING BUT THA—"

"UNDERSTOOD?"

"H-hai nya."

"Don't forget to add some Royal Navy finesse as well. This base could definitely use a makeover." Wales nonchalantly said.

"Since you're at it, add some Ironblood flair too. A large beer garden should do." Eugen added.

"Add a brewery too. It's a pain to have to wait for shipping for quality bier from back home." Hipper chimed in.

"Don't forget about us in the Dragon Empery!" Ning Hai jumped in.

"Might as well add some Eagle Union finesse too then so they don't feel left out. Wouldn't you agree, Akashi?" Illustrious giggled.

As the large group of Kansen surrounded the green haired cat-girl, she had no choice but to give into the pressure, lest she really lose a life this time.

"SHIKIKAN! HURRY AND COME BACK NYA!" Akashi cried out as she saw her personal fortune quickly disappearing.

At first the large group was laughing at Akashi's dismay, but concerned looks quickly began to take over and dampen the mood.

"Big Sis Illustrious, will Big Bro and everyone from the Eagle Union come back soon?"

"I-I don't know, Unicorn." An unsure Illustrious started. She paused to gather her thoughts and calm her nerves before continuing. "But….I'm sure he'll be fine. The Grey Ghost herself and her friends are with him, so I think it's safe to say that he's in good hands."

"She's right Miss Unicorn. Miss Enterprise did not gain her fame from sheer luck. Her strength and fighting abilities are most exceptional. And if I may, the strength of the other Eagle Union ladies are nothing to scoff at either." Belfast chimed in with a seemingly calm smile as she tried to calm everyone's nerves, and, unknown to everyone else, her own as well.

"Is there not a way for us to see what's going on over there?" Zuikaku asked.

"Usually there would be reporters all over the scene reporting in on the current situation, but I'm sure the Eagle Union had them all evacuate to safety by now. The chances of us staying up to date with what's happening over there are slim to none." Wales assumed.

"Nee-sama? Where are you going?" Kaga questioned as she saw Akagi speed walking away from the group.

"To Shikikan-sama's side. I can't and refuse to leave him in anyone else's hands, especially 'hers.'" She spat. However, when she turned back, two figures stepped in and blocked her way.

"Sorry Akagi, but I can't let you go." Takao proclaimed.

"I understand how you feel, Akagi, really….but given the state of the world, we can't be acting on our own accords." Atago added.

"Are you two also trying to get between Shikikan-sama and me?" Akagi spoke darkly as a rather murderous aura began to flow out from her.

Feeling her killing intent, the two heavy cruisers had their hands on their swords, ready to draw at a moment's notice. Before any of them continued though, another voice called out to them.

"I wouldn't recommend that." King George V warned. "Tensions between all of our factions are rather unstable. If you were to go there without advanced permission, you might cause an international disaster."

"She's right, you know?" Eugen said as she casually walked up to the fox carrier. "I won't stop you, but are you sure you want to burden Herr Kommandant with all of the political trouble he's bound to get in because of you?"

Eugen's words seemed to have hit their mark as Akagi went silent and unsummoned her rigging.

"Tsk…" Akagi frowned, a worried look beginning to take over as she thought of Shikikan getting into trouble because of her.

"Can't say I blame you for worrying though, Akagi." Fusou tried to comfort her. "Shikikan is only human after all, so it makes sense for us to worry about him."

"Yeah, and not knowing what's going on over there or being able to help at all is a real drag." Zuikaku sighed.

"You Eagle Union girls better bring Shikikan-sama back in one piece or so help me I'll…" Akagi stopped mid-threat when she heard multiple sets of running footsteps and voices yelling to her and the group.

"Oi! Everyone!" Javelin had yelled with Ayanami, Z23, and Yuubari all running towards the large group of Kansen.

"Javelin? What is it?" Wales asked.

"Huff, huff…" Javelin panted. "Y-Yuubari h-has…"

"Want some water?" Shiranui asked as she handed her and the other three Kansen some bottles of water.

"T-thank you!" Z23 gratefully said.

"So, what is it that has you four all sweaty and out of breath?" Shoukaku stepped up and asked.

"Yuubari thinks she can get us a visual on the current situation in the Eagle Union territory…des." Ayanami informed.

"It's true." Yuubari nodded.

A single second of silence passed before….

"EHHH!?" They all yelled.

[Back to NY Harbor]

"Incoming bombers! Help me out Laffey!"

"All systems green!" The bunny girl declared as she helped Hornet deal with the swarm of bombers coming in hot.

"Washington! Alabama! Phoenix! All of these planes are bad news! Force your way through and sink those carriers ASAP!" Shikikan yelled.

"With pleasure!" Washington grinned as she blasted a hole through a large Siren battleship and continued charging through to the carriers in the back with Alabama and Phoenix in tow.

"Saratoga! Enterprise! They'll be in deep, so give them some air support!"

"Roger that Commander!" Saratoga replied as she and Enterprise sent out two squadrons of fighters each.

"Cleveland! Montpelier! Helena! I need you three to deal with the two Strategist classes on our left!"

"On it! Let's go Monty! Helena!" Cleveland said as she led the charge.

"I thought commanding was just about giving orders from a comfy room while sounding like a bigshot?" Montpelier commented.

"That might be true for others, Monty, but Commander's a lot different! Let's get this done quickly Monty! Helena!" Cleveland grinned as they confronted the Siren elites.

"Roger that Big Sis!" Montpelier replied before firing away.

Over by the rear, a large fleet of Siren elites emerged and were closing in fast.

"Commander! We've got more incoming from behind!" Columbia announced.

"Ten Scavenger classes, eight Chaser classes, and five Conductor classes to be exact! Vestal's group looks like they could use some help!" Denver added.

'They must've opened another portal...' Shikikan groaned. 'Everyone in the vanguard and the main fleet are stuck in combat but getting completely surrounded would be the worst scenario for us.'

"Vestal!" He called into his radio. "Have the supply ship move up to where my ship is! Seems like it's safer over here and the last thing we need are the Sirens getting near it!"

"Roger that Commander!" Vestal radioed back.

"Columbia! Denver! San Diego! Help out the supply team!"

"Leave it to us Commander!" Columbia cheered as the three rushed back.

"South Dakota, I'm going to need you to drop back and help protect the supply ship as well."

"Are you sure? You'd be left unguarded."

"We are in a circular formation now with me in the center behind everyone so I should be fine…theoretically. But no matter what, we can't let ourselves get surrounded if we want to make it into the harbor in one piece."

"Understood Commander." South Dakota nodded before jumping off his cruiser.

'In danger of being surrounded on all sides, everyone's stuck in combat with the numbers heavily against us, I'm running on practically no sleep and six Green Bulls now, and the harbor is still barely in sight. What else could go wrong?' Shikikan groaned before realizing the death flag he just set up.

And as fate would have it, not long after South Dakota got locked into combat, ten more droids came bursting out of the water and onto his ship, all armed and locked onto him.

"OH, COME ON!" He complained and yelled before taking out his sword and gun, getting ready for a fight himself.

[Back at Azur Lane base]

Currently everyone was at the research lab, or more specifically the area where Yuubari claimed as her own lab and workshop.

"So, what makes you think you can get us eyes on what's happening over in the Eagle Union?" Wales asked.

"I was testing some of my newly built scout planes a while back but one of them seems to have gone off course when I wasn't looking and ended up near the Eagle Union territory. I managed to pinpoint exactly where it is, and it turns out it's not so far off from where Goshujin is headed for! All that's left now is for me to access its control panel and forcibly switch it into manual fly mode." Yuubari informed as she was typing in codes at lightning fast speeds.

"I see, but wouldn't it look bad to send an unauthorized scout plane into another faction's territory?" Sheffield questioned.

"I haven't really thought about that.." Yuubari pondered aloud. "But it should be fine right? The plane's unarmed and is equipped with a camera capable of zooming in over long-distances, so it shouldn't be spotted so easily by anyone ashore."

"I don't know…, tensions between all of the factions are still really high and I'd hate to burden Commander with trivial political matters." Wales worried.

"Well it's not like they don't have their hands full at the moment right? I doubt anyone will have the free time to notice a harmless plane looking in from afar when they're all locked in combat." Hipper argued.

"Agreed. Glad to see your brains aren't as empty as your chest is, my dear schwester." Eugen teased.

"HAA!? I'll slap you around, Eugen!" A red faced Hipper roared.

"…Well I guess there will be no harm done so long as we don't get caught. Please continue Yuubari." Wales concluded.

Nodding her head, Yuubari went right back to work for less than another minute before speaking once more.

"Aannddd done! I'm in!" She announced right before the large monitor lit up with the scout plane's camera on screen.

"O-oi…" A wide-eyed Ise commented as she and everyone else on the base looked at the devastation on screen. The battle looked like something out of a war movie, what with hundreds of ships and a whole island ablaze, planes dropping by the dozen, and explosions, smoke, and debris everywhere you looked.

"Why cause so much unnecessary conflict?" illustrious frowned.

"The Sirens are warmongers; they have no care for what's not important to them." Takao spoke.

"Laffey..,Commander,….everyone,…are you okay?" Javelin worried.

The large group crowded around the large monitor as they watched on in silence, searching for him and the Eagle Union girls up until Akashi spoke up.

"Wait nya! Zoom the camera in towards the northeast nya! I think I see someone fighting a bunch of Sirens over there nya!"

"I'll try- eek!" Yuubari replied as she had to maneuver the plane out of incoming cannon fire.

"You can do it Yuubari!" Nagara cheered.

"It's not that easy! Dodging with the plane and maneuvering the camera at the same time is really difficult! Here! Someone take this joystick controller and control the plane, while I focus on moving the camera!"

"Let me do it des. This looks like the bullet hell videogame I played before…des." Ayanami volunteered as she sat down next to Yuubari and skillfully dodged every incoming fire.

"Nice work Ayanami!" Z23 cheered.

"This is nothing des! Is this a good enough distance for you Yuubari?"

"Hai! Alright now to just zoom in and…there!" Yuubari said as the camera zoomed in on familiar looking faces all fighting around a familiar cruiser while being surrounded by a large horde of Sirens.

"Oh! It's all the Eagle Union's Kansen and Shikikan!" Hyuuga announced when she saw them all appear on screen.

"Seems like they've gotten themselves surrounded." Scharnhorst said.

"Perhaps, but it looks more like a stalemate battle on all four sides?" Gneisenau observed.

"I think we are close enough where I can use the prototype long distance radio receiver I built into the plane."

"Glad to hear, now, zoom in towards the ship in the center and find Shikikan-sama right this instant, Yuubari." Akagi 'requested'.

"H-hai." The rather unnerved cruiser said as she quickly did as the kitsune asked.

"OH, COME ON!" A voice yelled. Looking back at the monitor, the group saw Shikikan fighting against strange looking humanoid robots.

"Hipper, aren't those..?" Spee asked.

"Ja, seems like those rumors of the Sirens salvaging sunken ship and plane parts were true."

"You know about these….robots?" Shoukaku asked.

"Hardly, we only just heard yesterday that some mass-produced Siren ships were going around previous battlefields and cleaning up the fallen ships and planes. None of us expected them to be repurposed into those cheap looking piles of junk." Hipper retorted.

"They do look pretty weak, for us Kansen that is. But for humans though…" A surprisingly worried look appeared on Eugen's face as she spoke.

"I-is he going to be okay?" Z23 slightly panicked.

"Commander! Are you alright!?" Enterprise's voice was heard through the monitor.

"Just some more droids deciding to drop in. I'll be fine, just focus on the Siren elites in front of you! The sooner we get to the harbor, the better!" Shikikan radioed back.

"Is he really planning on fighting all of them at once?" Z46 asked.

"I don't think he has any other options, Fize…" Spee worried.

"…Alright. Please be careful!" A seemingly reluctant Enterprise replied before going back to bombing the four Strategists in front of her.

As soon as the call ended, the droids had all charged in at once.

"Shikikan-sama!" A pale faced Akagi yelled, knowing very well that she could not be heard, helpless as she and everyone else could only look on in horror.

However, what happened next was something none of them expected at all.

Instead of running away, Shikikan had blasted forth with his rocket shoes towards the two closest incoming droids. Quickly spinning around, he slashed both their heads clean off before following up with his gun and firing three times, each bullet hitting three other droids' singular eye dead on. It was then that two more droids charged at him from behind.

Rolling forward he dodged the two blades aimed for his neck, before putting up his sword and blocking the other two blades coming down on him right after. The two droids then rushed him with a flurry of wild swings, but unfortunately for them, Shikikan managed to swiftly dodge and block long enough to close the gap and fire his gun point blank at the one towards his right. Thrusting both its blades forward, the droid on the left tried to impale Shikikan, but failed as he quickly dove out of the way behind it and backstabbed the back of its exposed head.

With three left, Shikikan went to the offensive and boldly charged at them.

Watching him fight and dispose the rest of them, the group couldn't help but keep watching in shock and awe.

"Ho? Not bad. I didn't expect him to be much of a fighter." Kaga grinned.

"Neither did I. Here I was thinking that sword in his office was just for show." Wales added.

"Oh! Big sis look! Commander knows how to use to the dadao!" Ping Hai pointed excitedly as the two Dragon Empery girls quickly recognized the unique weapon.

"This'll make a great scoop! I can see it now! Lone Shikikan wins a 1 vs 10 fight!" A starry-eyed Aoba furiously scribbled into her notepad. "Please send me the recordings of this later, Yuubari!"

"Go Commander go!" Javelin cheered.

"Uhm, you alright there Akagi-senpai?" Zuikaku sweat-dropped as she noticed a rather dangerous look on Akagi's face.

"Haaa...Shikikan-samaaa, that expression of yours…I could just stare at you forever…ahaha!" She laughed with her hands on her face in a classic ecstatic yandere pose, refusing to blink and miss a single moment of seeing Shikikan's serious face.

All silently agreeing to leave Akagi to her own accords, the large group continued watching Shikikan and the Eagle Union girls fight on.

[Back to NY Harbor]

'What was that chill I just felt?' Shikikan questioned after he finished kicking the last dead droid off the stern of his ship.

"Good work Commander." South Dakota said as she jumped back aboard.

"Heh, thanks, but these droids are nothing compared to the Siren elites I'm leaving to you girls. How is it back there? Are you all alright?"

"I took a few hits, but I'm pretty confident in my pain tolerance. Plus, Vestal was with us, so we took care of the lot of them back there and are all more than ready to keep going at it."

"She really is a miracle worker." He thought aloud about the hard-working repair ship.

"Hehe, thanks for the compliment Commander, but please don't get too reckless just because I'm here." Vestal giggled as she appeared with the supply ship and the rest of the rear guard in tow. "Speaking of which, do you have any injuries from fighting those… robot things?"

"No, none really."

"Hmm.." Vestal hummed as she walked right into Shikikan's personal space and gave him a quick once over, professionally, yet also rather boldly, patting him down to see if he felt any pain anywhere. "Doesn't seem like anywhere hurts, but please do try to be careful. You aren't built like a Kansen, Commander."

"Will do Vestal. Thanks for caring." He gratefully thanked her before focusing his attention back on the battlefield.

"Seems like Washington's and Enterprise's groups are just about finished. Vestal, could I ask you to head up and see if you need to do some damage control?"

"Sure thing, Commander." She nodded before quickly skating on ahead.

"That sure is a strange weapon you got there, Commander." South Dakota pointed out as she stared at the dadao in his hands.

"You think so?" He gazed at the sword. "I bought it from Aka-a Kansen merchant back on base on a whim. I'm not sure how to explain it, but it just feels right in my hands."

"Maybe it's because you trained with a similar weapon when you were younger?" South Dakota guessed.

"Couldn't tell you. Long story short, I have no memories of anything before getting captured by the Sirens." He replied, albeit with a hateful vibe in his tone. "But never mind that, we've still got work to do."

Deciding not to pry, she agreed on focusing back on sinking all of the Sirens still swarming around NY Harbor.

As the two walked towards the bow of Shikikan's ship, Shikikan noticed that everyone in the vanguard and main fleet were cleaning up the last of the mass-produced ships blocking their way to the harbor.

"That should be the last of them here." North Carolina assumed as she scoured the battlefield.

"My planes aren't picking up anything, so yeah, we should be all set here." Enterprise added.

"…"

"What's up Monty?" Cleveland asked, noticing her little sister's intense gaze.

"Oh, sorry, Sis. I was just wondering, but haven't you gotten a lot stronger?"

"Hmm? You think so?"

"Yeah, you've always been the strongest knight of the sea to me, but you've gotten even stronger, faster, and better with your rigging. Have you been training or fighting a lot since we last met?"

"Now that you mention it, you four especially seem a lot stronger since we last met too." North Carolina pointed out as she looked at Enterprise, Hornet, Helena, and Laffey.

"Guess the joint training exercises and battle simulations Commander's been having us do is paying off, huh Sis?" Hornet grinned as she recalled her planes.

"Heh yeah, that and all the battles we've had since meeting the Commander." Enterprise nodded.

"So, you've all been doing a bunch of hardcore training and getting to fight all the time?" Alabama asked.

"Man, why couldn't I have gone there too?" Washington grumbled.

"Maybe we can ask for a transfer, but right now it seems Commander's bringing up the rear and coming up to us." North Carolina replied as she noticed him and South Dakota appear on the bow of his ship.

"Alright, time's not on our side so we need to get a move on. You girls alright to keep on advancing?" Shikikan asked.

"I've barely broken a sweat so let me at 'em Commander!" Phoenix grinned as everyone else nodded in agreement.

"I've checked in on everyone and can confirm no one is severely injured, Commander." Vestal added.

"Glad to hear! We're about halfway there, so stay sharp. The closer we get to the harbor, the more enemies they'll be, so whatever you do, don't let your guard down! Let's go!"

"Yes sir!" Everyone cheered as Shikikan's combined Eagle Union fleet charged forth towards the harbor.

Barely five minutes of cruising passed before Shikikan heard yelling and the sounds of incoming planes.

"I can see the port!" Cleveland exclaimed.

'If the port's in sight then we should be able to meet up with the other Eagle Union Kansen fighting there soon.' Shikikan thought before more yelling caught his attention.

"Incoming Siren elites and planes from the northeast and southeast!" Helena said. "There's too many for me to get a good estimate Commander!"

'Nowhere to go but forward then.' Shikikan took a deep breath before giving his orders. "Alright from here on out is going to be a nonstop rush for the finish line! Don't let up for a single second! All members of vanguard and main fleets: Sink them all and get us into that harbor!"

"I'm liking your style, Commander! Vanguard fleet, on me!" Washington yelled with an excited grin plastered on her face as everyone started blasting away.

"Rearguard fleet, do whatever you can to keep our supply ship and our rear safe. I'm going to have it advance alongside me as Washington's and Enterprise's fleets clear us a way in."

"Leave it to me Commander!" Saratoga proudly proclaimed as the rearguard minus South Dakota surrounded the supply ship.

"Stay sharp South Dakota. I'm willing to bet the Sirens are going to make their next move very soon."

"Understood, but what ma—" She started before being interrupted by a painstakingly familiar voice to Shikikan.

"Hmm, you're about four minutes and twenty seconds earlier than expected. A rather large outlier for this data set. Was there perhaps an error in the calculations somewhere?" A familiar voice spoke.

"Call it a hunch." Shikikan sighed as he rubbed his temple. In front of him and the vanguard fleet once more stood Tester, backed up by countless Siren elites behind her.

"Aww, what's the matter? Not happy to see little old me again?" She grinned.

"I'd rather watch paint dry for hours than have to see your creepy face for another second to be honest." He spat.

"Such a crass mouth. What would Empress think if she heard you act so disobediently?"

Hearing the last name he ever wanted to hear again, Shikikan felt his exhaustion from lack of any rest fade away as annoyance, rage, and hatred welled up inside him.

"Awww, did I strike a chord?" She mocked.

"Not at all. I was just thinking that if it were me, I'd probably blame the useless idiot in front of me for failing to do something as simple as watching over someone who was half-dead, tied up, and locked up in a cell." Shikikan spat, venom seeping from his voice.

"Are you forgetting that Purifier was the one on guard duty, Anomaly? Or did I cause more severe damage to your head than I thought?" Tester growled, her frown quickly replacing her smug grin in a fraction of a second.

"Perhaps, but aren't you forgetting that you were the one in charge of shackling me back up every day? You didn't even notice that the shackles were ever so slowly falling apart even though you touched them every day for years. And you call yourself a researcher?" He scoffed. "Didn't know you Sirens could tell such high-quality jokes."

"..What was that?" A now rather enraged Tester challenged.

"Awww, did I strike a chord?" Shikikan egged her on, using her own words against her.

"Pft-! Ahaha!" Washington laughed as she couldn't hold herself back anymore.

"I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting you to have such colorful language, Commander." North Carolina sweat dropped.

"You get used to it." Hornet dead panned.

"I was told to bring you back in one piece, but I'm sure Observer Zero wouldn't mind putting you back together once I'm done with you." Tester growled as she snapped her fingers.

As soon as she did so, every Siren elite behind her charged forth and opened fire on the Eagle Union and Shikikan.

"Evasive maneuvers! Now!" Shikikan yelled.

"What about the supply ship Commander!?" Saratoga yelled as multiple incoming barrages were on track of blowing it up.

"F-" He started.

"Leave it to me Shikikan!" South Dakota declared as she jumped up high and raised her shields, taking the full brunt of the cannon fire rain meant for the supply ship.

"Urgh..!" She grunted as the heavy barrages continuously pounded into her shields.

"That's overdoing it!" Shikikan yelled.

"No time to worry about others, Anomaly!" Tester taunted as more droids came flying out of the waters and onto his ship.

"Tsk…" Shikikan growled as he was forcibly locked into combat with a dozen droids, with more and more emerging nonstop out of the water.

'Oh great, not just blades, but now they come with spears, axes, maces, hammers, and chains…..' He groaned as he dodged two droids lunging at him with spears.

"How about some testing, Anomaly? How many can you defeat before you drop dead on your feet this time?" Tester grinned sadistically.

"Commander!" South Dakota yelled but was stopped in her tracks when she heard and saw more volleys coming in hot. "Damn it! Columbia! Denver! Leave defending the supplies to me! Hurry and help Commander!"

"You got it! Let's go Denver!" Columbia raced off.

Nodding her head, she sprinted for Shikikan's ship. "Hang in there Commander!"

"Stay out of this. You're not needed for this experiment." Tester snapped her fingers right before four Chasers dropped in front of them, blocking their way to Shikikan.

"…Eldridge...will help too…!" The destroyer declared as she blasted the four Chasers with her full powered electric barrage.

"Thanks Eldridge!" Columbia cheered.

"I'm here too!" Saratoga announced as she launched multiple bombers at the Chasers and finished them off. "Hurry over to Commander and give him a hand! I'll give you some cover fire!"

"Roger that Sara! Knights of the sea, moving out!" Denver cheered as the two kept going.

"Oh no you don't." Tester was about to snap her fingers once more but was caught off guard when she felt multiple barrages slam into her rigging causing an explosion that forced Tester to stumble forward.

"Who dares…!" Tester growled as she spun around to face whoever damaged her rigging.

"Hmm? Well aren't you a tough one? Guess I'll have more fun if I fight you." Alabama declared, a glowing red glare in her excited eyes as she licked her lips.

"Hhmph, don't get ahead of yourself just because you managed to land a single hit." Tester scoffed as she fired multiple lasers at the battleship.

With jaw-dropping speed and dexterity, Alabama dashed on up and out of the lines of fire, right before returning the favor with a barrage of her own.

"Well aren't you light on your feet? Too bad you don't stand a chance." Tester mocked as she easily sidestepped the barrage.

"I could say the same for you, Siren!"

"Wha-!?" Tester exclaimed right before a heavy fist crashed right into her jaw and sent her spiraling downwards into the water.

"….I already called dibs on this one, Washington." Alabama frowned.

"You sure? Cause it seemed to me you were struggling for a second there." Washington smirked.

"As if. I was just getting warmed up." She replied as she rested the back end of her scythe on her neck.

"Congratulations, you've officially put me in an awful mood, and for that, I'll personally send the both of you into the abyss as piles of burning scrap metal." A very pissed off Tester hissed as she floated back on up.

"How about this Alabama? Whoever lands the finishing blow, pays for dinner for a week."

"Sounds good to me. I'm always down for free food."

"You're so on!" Washington grinned as she and Alabama charged forth at Tester.

Meanwhile elsewhere…

"Crap! Commander's in trouble!" Hornet yelled.

"Columbia and Montpelier are heading there now, but there's a lot of Siren elites blocking their path!" Helena added.

"I want to head back and help Commander, but things over here aren't looking so good either..." Cleveland gritted her teeth as she kept firing away at the Siren elites.

"Should I head back and help them Big Sis?" Montpelier asked.

"That won't be necessary. We've got our hands full here and we need all of us here to focus on the battle if we want to come out on top." North Carolina reasoned.

"She's right, Saratoga's got them all covered so leave it to her and everyone else back there to deal with the enemies over there while we clean up over here. Right Enty?" Hornet added.

"Yeah. Plus, Commander's not unarmed. He should be fine if it's just those robots, but we should still hurry on back there after we clear out the Sirens here just in case." Enterprise said.

"Agreed. You hear that Washy? Alabama?" North Carolina called out.

"Eat this!" Washington yelled as she blasted away at Tester.

"Seems like she's got the memo…" Cleveland chuckled. "Alright! Let's hurry and get this over with!" She said as she sailed forth and fired away at the horde of Siren elites and mass-produced ships.

"Roger that Sis!" Monty followed in her footsteps.

[Back with Commander]

"Buzz off!" Shikikan yelled as he parried an incoming blade and followed up with a straight stab into the attacking droid's eye.

Seeing more incoming, he fired away with his desert eagle, getting three clean shots into three of them before a chain smacked the gun away and wrapped around his arm.

"Tsk…" He grunted as he tried to tug on the chain to no avail as the droid holding it stood stalwart and held him grounded.

With four droids all rushing him with their spears out, Shikikan had no choice but to blast forward with his rocket shoes, charging right into the one holding the chain and stabbing his sword clean through its head. Following after him, two blade wielding droids descended upon him from above. With no time to lose, he cut off the dead droid's arm and wrapped the remainder of the chain around his right arm. It was then that he blocked one incoming blade with his sword and the other with his chain covered arm.

Wrapping the end of the chains around his fist, he slammed it right into the head of one of the droids and sliced the other's head clean off with his sword.

Barely able to get a breath in, the four previous spearmen droids charged at him once more. Loosening the chains off his arm, he swung it around like a whip, giving it some momentum before spinning around slamming it into one closest towards his right. The force of the chain knocked the droid into the other three and caused them all to collide. Charging forth, he sliced right through all three of them and finished the one he hit with the chain with a downward stab of his sword.

Noticing more coming at him, he was about to ready himself for the umpteenth round of nonstop fighting, but the remaining hordes of droids were caught in multiple explosions as two familiar Kansen appeared behind them.

"Wow, I gotta say Commander, that was pretty awesome." Columbia grinned.

"Yeah! Seeing you fly around and single handedly fight all these robots was like watching a movie in the making!" Denver added.

"Ha…a…glad you…enjoyed it." He panted as he caught his breath.

Tossing the chain around his arm off to the side, he walked over to where his gun fell and started reloading it. "How's South Dakota and the others in the rear guard?"

"She managed to save the ship from that huge volley of cannon fire and told us to help you out while she deals with the Sirens over there." Denver informed.

"Everyone in the rear guard had the supply ship drop back a bit when Tester appeared, but once they clear out the lot of them, they'll have it sail right on up to us." Columbia added.

"Alright." He nodded before a growing smile appeared on his face. "Now that the droids are gone and you two are here now, what say we start our counterattack?"

"Yeah!" They cheered.

[Back on the frontlines]

"Well aren't you a frisky one…ahaha!" Alabama smirked with a wild expression on her face.

"Pesky battleships." Tester scoffed. "No matter, you'll both be drowning into the sea soon enough."

"Bold words. Let's see if you can live up to them." Washington grinned as she cracked her neck and pounded her fists together.

'Hey Alabama, Washington. Can either of you here me?" A voice via radio called out to them both

"Huh? Oh, Commander." Alabama lazily remarked.

"Weren't you busy dealing with a bunch of robot things attacking you?" Washington asked.

"I was, but I managed to kick them all off and am going to take full command now. You two think you can keep Tester locked down while I have everyone else clean up the rest?"

"Ha! Who do you think you're talking to?" Washington smirked.

"I can handle her myself if you want Washington somewhere else, Commander." Alabama offered.

"As if I'll let you have all the fun and glory!"

"Glad to see you two are such good friends. Hold Tester down until the others finish or better yet, blow her up and sink her for me If you can."

"Roger that!" They both acknowledged his orders before ending the transmission.

"Arrogant fools. It'll take a lot more than mere battleships to sink me." Tester scoffed.

"Let's test that theory then!" Washington roared as she and Alabama went for another round with the Siren, both grinning wildly and releasing very violent auras as they charged head on.

[With Commander]

"Laffey! Phoenix! Keep blasting through towards the three Navigators on the left! Hornet! Give them some air support!"

"On it!"

"Cleveland! Montpelier! Helena! Clear out these Siren planes and head straight for the group of Conductors on the right! North Carolina and Enterprise will give you some cover fire!"

"Roger that!"

'Our frontline should be cleared if we keep this up. South Dakota and Saratoga are holding up the rear, while Washington and Alabama focus on keeping Tester occupied. We're slowly gaining air dominance and slowing down their assault. The supply ship's still safe and we've got ammo to spare. The port's still barely visible through all this smoke and fire, but…..'

Currently, Shikikan's commander mode was set to maximum overdrive as he constantly kept his eyes moving and his mind brainstorming nonstop as he planned his next several moves. Unknown to him, he was silently mouthing his thoughts and didn't notice that Denver and Columbia were giving him quick glances of wonder and awe when they weren't blowing up the occasional horde of droids that emerged out of the waters around the ship.

"Man, I'd feel like my head explode if I had to multitask as hard as Commander is right now." Columbia commented as Denver nodded in agreement.

"Five more Scavenger classes inbound!" Helena reported.

"Enterprise!" Shikikan yelled.

"I'm on it!" Enterprise announced as she launched two squadron of bombers out.

"Commander! I've finished with the radar scan!"

"Perfect! North Carolina, Cleveland, Montpelier! Sink those Conductor classes!"

"Hoorah!" Cleveland yelled as the three of them rained fire into the weakened Conductor classes, blowing them up with their rigging.

"Owari da!" Enterprise yelled as her bombers did their bombing run over the five incoming Chaser classes, exploding them all and sending them straight to the ocean floor.

"You got three Smasher classes incoming from your right, Enterprise!" North Carolina yelled. "I'm on my w-" She stopped mid-sentence when she heard Shikikan yell.

"Close your eyes and cover your ears!" Shikikan yelled as he had his ship fire two volleys of Yuubari's special flashbang rounds.

"What are tho-?" Montpelier tried to ask.

"Oh! Wait those are-!" Cleveland yelled. "Hurry and close your eyes and cover your ears!"

Deciding to just listen to her, Montpelier and everyone else did as they were asked.

Upon impact, the flashbang rounds exploded right in front of the three Smasher classes, immediately blinding and stunning them from the explosion.

"What is that!?" Montpelier yelled.

"Now's your chance! Laffey! Phoenix! Hornet!"

"Condition: green... Let's go."

"Paint the East... in blood...!"

"Let's finish this in a jiffy!"

With relentless firepower and a large squadron of bombers, the three Smashers didn't stand a chance as they were completely engulfed in explosions and turning into literal pieces of who they formally were.

"All three are confirmed down! Commander!" Helena informed.

"Good work everyone. Once we finish off the rest of the elites, clear out their remaining mass-produced ships. After that, hurry over to Washington and Alabama and get rid of Tester please."

"Roger that and thanks for the assist Commander." Enterprise nodded.

"You alright North Carolina?" Hornet asked when she saw the blonde with a perplexed look on her face.

"Y-yeah, I just wasn't expecting Commander to fire a flashbang round." The blonde admitted.

"Maybe I was wrong to judge him..." Montpelier pondered aloud.

"You can apologize to him later. I'll even go with ya, Monty!" Cleveland grinned. "But first things first." She said as she and everyone else gazed over to the remaining enemies standing in their way.

"Seems like Washy and Alabama are having the time of their lives over there, so let's clear out the rift-raft and join their party!" Hornet cheered.

"Yeah!" Everyone chanted.

[Back with Shikikan]

"Eyes up Sandy!" Shikikan yelled as his attention was now towards the rear-guard battles.

"Hu-h? OH!" San Diego looked up and noticed that a swarm of planes were coming in hot. "Leave it to the number 1 idol!" She cheered as she impressively shot down plane after plane all while twirling around with a ditzy smile plastered on her face.

"Hey! If anyone's going to be the top idol, it's me!" Saratoga challenged as she had her planes nosedive and blow up the two Navigator classes that launched the planes Sandy just shot down.

"Eldridge….will try too!" The destroyer joined in as she shot multiple electric barrages and decimated three mass produced carriers.

"Long Island! Vestal! Stick with South Dakota and take down those Oceana classes!" Shikikan called out.

"Roger that Commander!" Vestal replied. "Keep it going South Dakota, I'll do what I can to help!"

"Thanks, Vestal!" The battleship nodded before focused firing and one shotting the group of Oceana classes that were targeting the supply ship.

"Keep it up you three! I can rest easy knowing that you three are guarding the supplies!" Shikikan praised.

"Ehehe…" Long Island giggled. "They don't even know what hit 'em!"

"Keep those planes coming Long Island! The sooner we secure our rear, the better!" Vestal cheered.

"This ghost will do her best!"

'So far so good. Just need to get into that harbor and group with the rest of the Eagle Union girls.' He thought.

"Commander, we've got more of these freaky robots jumping out left and right!" Columbia warned as two dozen droids had burst out of the waters.

"Tsk." Shikikan clicked his tongue as he began to turn around.

However, right as he was about to turn, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blue light that was getting bigger and bigger by the second.

Quickly realizing the impending danger, he yelled at the top of his lungs.

"ABANDON SHIP! NOW!" He yelled as he dove into the water.

"Huh-wha!" Denver yelped as Columbia grabbed her by the arm and jumped overboard as well.

As soon as they all jumped off, the blue light turned out to be a huge laser beam that flew right into his cruiser, completely obliterating it and all the droids on it from where they all once stood.

"COMMANDER!" Everyone yelled.

"Huh!?" Washington questioned as she overheard all the yelling from afar.

"Brave of you to look away from me." Tester taunted as she fired multiple lasers at the unsuspecting battleship.

"Urgh! As if these would hurt me!" Washington roared as she shook off the pain and returned fire, forcing Tester to fly up and out of the way.

"Tsk, slippery little bit-"

"Feel free to take break and figure out what happened back there." Alabama suggested before she rushed at Tester again with her scythe reared back.

"Tsk…fine! SoDak! What's happening back there!? Are you all okay!?" The burned battleship yelled into her radio.

"S…ye…aaa.."

"Oi! SODAK!"

"Stop yelling I heard you the first time! I've just got my hands full back here!"

"What happened back there!?"

"Commander's ship got blown up by a huge laser bolt!" Long Island jumped in.

"Huh!? Is he okay!?" Washington yelled.

"We heard him yell abandon ship right before his ship got hit, so stop freaking out. Vestal and the others are over there looking for him, so just focus on your mission!" South Dakota yelled before ending the call and dealing with the newly arrived Siren threat.

"Urgh….Damn it!" Washington yelled as she ruffled her own hair. "You'd best be alive Commander!" She added before following after Alabama and Tester.

[Back in the rear guard]

"What just happened over here!?" Saratoga yelled when she spotted Columbia and Denver.

"I..I don't know! One point I was dealing with the robots attacking Commander and next thing I knew, Columbia grabbed me by the arm, jumped off the ship, and now said ship and Commander are gone!" Denver frantically informed.

"Commander and I saw a big blue ball of light coming at us, so he gave us the order to abandon ship. Where is he!?" She said as she was surveying the area and looking for him.

"AHAHAHA! Don't tell me that little beam did you in, lab rat! AHAHAHAHA!" A loud voice mocked from afar.

Turning around, the group spotted a familiar figure floating in the sky.

"Purifier!"

"The one and only!" She laughed maniacally.

"Back already after that beating we gave you?" Hornet mocked as she and everyone besides Alabama and Washington made their way back to the rearguard.

"Oh please, that was me going easy on you." Purifier waved her off. "Don't get cocky because you ganged up on me when I was barely even using half my full power!"

"Laffey, Eldridge, focus on searching for Commander. Everyone else, back me up." Enterprise asked as she stepped up ahead and aimed a light arrow at Purifier.

"Don't even bother! For all you know, he's six feet into his grave at the bottom of the sea where he belongs ahaha! Don't worry though, I'll have some underlings scour the ocean floor for him before dragging him back up and into his cell. That way, we can continue having a grand old time with our favorite lab rat and show him what real hell looks like AHAHA!" Purifier mocked.

"Why you-!" Hornet started.

"Hmm? What's wrong? Can't face the reality of your situati-"

Before she could finish, she spotted something flying right at her from the corner of her eye, easily dodging it and seeing it explode a distance away.

"Would it kill you to shut up for like….five seconds?"

"Commander!" Everyone yelled, feeling relieved when they saw him standing on the supply ship, completely soaked but also with a reloaded RPG launcher in his hands.

"Aww, what's the matter? Not happy to see your bestie again so soon? Ahaha!" Purifier laughed.

"Two things. One, I hate you, and two, how long will it take for you to realize that no one likes you?" He scowled.

"You really don't know to treat a lady, huh?" Purifier said as her smile instantly flipped 180 degrees.

"No, I do, I just think you're closer to those useless droids you keep sending after me rather than an actual lady."

"Pft!" Multiple snickers from the Eagle Union girls were heard after hearing this.

"Alright that's it! I'm killing the lot of you!" An enraged Purifier yelled as she was about to charge right for him.

"You'll be going nowhere near him, Siren." South Dakota announced as she had quickly closed the distance and fired her cannons point blank, right into Purifier's face and sending her flying a distance away.

"Enterprise! Hornet! Saratoga! Go help South Dakota get rid of Purifier! Everyone else! We're out of time so we're charging right into that harbor and meeting up with everyone else. Let's go!"

"Yes sir!" They all saluted before scattering from their large group.

"Glad to see you guys unharmed as well." He looked over to his ship's Manjuu crewmen shaking the water off themselves. One of them floated on up to him and offered him a towel, of which he gratefully took.

"Think you all can go into the control room and help man the ship?" He asked as he patted himself down.

"Chirp!" They tweeted before rushing on in and getting the ship going.

"Commander!" Eldridge and Laffey said excitedly before jumping onto his ship and the both of them giving him a flying tackle hug.

"Hey, you two." He hugged them back.

"Commander are you hurt!?" Vestal asked as she immediately circled and checked him for injuries.

"Just exhausted, soaked, and tired from fighting all those droids and being forced to swim all the way to this ship." He sighed.

"Did you grab that rocket launcher from the supply depot before we left, Commander?" Long Island asked.

"Yeah, I figured if we're bringing supplies, might as well bring some for the Eagle Union soldiers over there too. Unfortunate how I couldn't shut Purifier up myself though."

"Smart thinking, Commander." North Carolina complimented. "But in regard to the plan of charging right on into the harbor, how do you want to go about it?"

"Seeing as how we've got to deal with both Purifier and Tester along with hundreds of remaining enemies, I'd rather not fight a losing war of attrition, let alone resort to having to fight one. Our best bet is to get these supplies off our shoulders, regroup with your Eagle Union allies, and go for the final counterattack, freeing NY Harbor and getting rid of all these Sirens with our combined forces." He reasoned.

"A very well thought out plan." North Carolina hummed. "Perhaps I should work a little bit harder. Please allow me to lead the charge into the harbor, Commander."

"I'm glad you asked because I was just about to ask you to." He nodded. "Alright we're going to spearhead right on in, so brace yourselves everyone. Thanks to the vanguard and main fleets efforts, our path there going to be a lot smoother now that the enemies have thinned out somewhat. That said, stay sharp and keep this supply ship safe at all cost, otherwise, this battle is going to get a lot harder than it already is. Understood?"

"Yeah!" They cheered.

"Alright, let's go! Onwards for the NY Harbor!"

[Back with Alabama and Washington]

"Don't die on me yet!" Alabama yelled as she fired all her cannons at the visibly damaged Tester.

"Tsk, your arrogance will be your downfall, you mere battleship!" Tester grunted as she summoned more shields to block the incoming cannon fire.

"You're one to talk!" Washington yelled as she had jumped high up and launched a deadly right hook right into the shield.

"Try all you want, I'll destroy anything that gets in the way of me pummeling you into the ocean floor! ORA!" She yelled even louder, breaking through the shield and crashing her fist right into Tester's left jaw.

"Argh!" She yelled in pain as she crashed into the ocean. "Damn you!" She snarled as she forced herself back up.

"Having trouble, I see."

"Silence Observer, I have no time for your wisecrack." Tester growled into her comms.

"Well that's a shame, because you see, based on all of those simulations we ran, he should have been in your custody by now and all the Eagle Union girls should be on the brink of death. But now, my precious test subject is getting away, and thus falsifying all of that data."

"What?" Tester glanced over to see him nowhere in sight.

"Weren't you the one saying how brave it was to look away or something?" Alabama asked before she and Washington blasted her with two full powered barrages.

"Urgh..!" Tester grunted as her rigging was beginning to look worse for wear.

"You're clearly in no shape to continue this fight. Why don't you head on back before you embarrass yourself any further?" Observer mocked.

"SILENCE! You very well know this limiter on me is holding most of real strength back!" Tester yelled.

"Perhaps, but weren't you bragging about how confident you were in participating in this test at just shy of 45% of your true potential?"

"…."

'I thought so. Hurry and capture my precious test subject before I decide to put you through the same exact treatment Empress gave Purifier." Observer ordered.

"Tsk…fine."

"Time's up. Feel free to consider this your one and only victory." Tester said before she started to summon a portal. "Can't say the same for your precious Commander though." She grinned before stepping into the portal.

"Oh no you don't!" Washington yelled as she tried to destroy the portal, but to no avail as Tester quickly got away as fast as the portal had appeared. "Damn coward! Alabama let's go!"

"K. Guess I'll let the others know we're on our way too." Alabama replied as she and Washington rushed to where Commander was.

[With South Dakota, Enterprise, Saratoga, and Hornet]

"Don't let her get away!" Saratoga shouted as she and everyone else relentlessly pursued after the fleeing Purifier.

"Sorry, not sorry! But I got orders to bring that lab rat back one way or another, so I'll play with you all laters ahaha!" Purifier laughed as she easily dodged every incoming shot.

"As if I'll let that happen!" Enterprise yelled as she jumped off the plane she was on and fired a light arrow that blew up a huge seawall in front of Purifier.

"Ha too late!" Purifier mocked as a portal opened in said seawall with her dashing right on in. Before the seawall could even collapse, the portal disappeared, and Purifier was nowhere to be found.

"Damn it! She got away." Hornet frowned. "But seems like we've got bigger issues on our hands."

"Have the eagle avoid the trees and come straight to its nest. Understood." Enterprise said into her radio before ending it. "Alright, I've just informed Commander of the current situation and he said that Tester got away too. The group with him is currently spearheading into the harbor so we'll likely run into the both of them there once we meet up with him."

"Then what are we waiting for!? Let's hurry!" Saratoga yelled as they all rushed to Shikikan and their friends' side.

"What did you mean by having the eagle avoid the trees and come straight to its nest, Sis?" Hornet asked.

"It's a long story, so I'll tell you later. We really need to hurry." Enterprise replied.

'Please be safe everyone.' South Dakota worried as she dashed as fast as she could.

[With Shikikan]

'Oh great, they're both coming here. Portal jumping is SO unfair.' He complained after ending his radio call with Enterprise.

"I can see the harbor, Commander!" San Diego yelled.

"Any luck with contacting your allies, Helena?" Shikikan asked.

"Sorry Commander but no, the Sirens have definitely amped up their jamming waves and I can't get through."

'It's one thing after another…' Shikikan sighed.

"We've got company, Commander!" Cleveland yelled as the entire fleet grouped around Shikikan and the supply ship when they spotted two very familiar figures in the near distance.

"Yoo-hoo! Missed us?" Purifier taunted.

"So close and yet so far. How pitiful you couldn't contact the other Eagle Union Kansen through our radio jammers." Tester added.

"Don't you two think you've caused enough problems and headaches for a night?" Shikikan scowled.

"Nope, you all could have better looks of pure despair on your faces and you especially would look better on that experimentation table with those lifeless eyes I've come to love, hate, and want ahaha!" Purifier grinned wildly at Shikikan.

"Agreed. So why don't you act like the useful lab rat you are and quietly surrender? Empress is just…dying….to get her hands on you again." Tester smirked evilly before continuing. "It's quite amusing how you thought you could just rush right into the harbor with those supplies."

"Crap they heard the plan…" Denver sweat dropped.

"AHAHA! Of course, we did! Did you really think we wouldn't be monitoring your air waves?" Purifier laughed. "'Have the eagle avoid the trees and come straight to its nest.' AHAHA! Is that really the best lingo you could've come up with? Way to make it obvious and easy for us to realize that you were trying rush into the harbor, meet up with the Eagle Union Kansen there, and hand over those supplies to them! What an idiot AHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Tsk.." Shikikan clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Don't feel too bad, Anomaly. You might be well above average intelligence, but that's only when referring to humans. You still amount to nothing compared to us." Tester mocked.

"That's right! So be the good little puppy you are and crawl back to your owners AHAHA! Man, I can't wait to torture you all over again!" Purifier laughed psychotically.

"Leave him alone!" Cleveland and Helena yelled loudly as they stepped in front of him, surprising not just themselves with how loud they sounded but their friends as well.

'Big Sis Cleve?' Her sisters thought.

'I don't think I've ever heard Helena yell like that.' North Carolina thought in quiet surprise.

"Well let's see. How about…..NO?" Shikikan glared at the two Sirens.

"Really now? Even though your simpleton plans have been exposed and you have no hope of winning?" Tester grinned sadistically. "Well, since you refuse to accept your fate, I have no other choice but to do… this." She added before snapping her fingers and summoning the last huge horde of Siren elites and hundreds of droids, all hovering around the Shikikan and his fleet.

"This isn't looking good…" Long Island said, as pale as the ghost she persistently claims to be. Seeing the massive disadvantage they were all at, the Kansen braced themselves for the impending final fight, nervous and unsure of how this will all end.

"If you really think numbers are enough to win here, you're dead wrong.."

"A—ah—AHAHA! Have you finally lost your mind? Do you really think just a handful of Kansen can defeat all of us?" Purifier laughed hysterically as she lifted her arms out to the literal hundreds of enemies surrounding them.

"Course I do. I still have powerful Kansen while you're just Sirens with these piles of scrap metal you made from going through people's garbage." He said as he jabbed his finger at the hundreds of droids surrounding him alongside the Siren elites.

'Commander..' The Eagle Union girls thought as they enjoyed his praise and mockery of the Sirens.

"Seems like you've really lost it. Nevertheless, are those going to be your last words before you never see the light of day again, Anomaly?" Tester smirked.

"The only words I'll be saying are the ones commencing today as the day where the world no longer needs to fear you Sirens. Wouldn't you agree…, Enterprise?"

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Commander!" A voice said before multiple explosions were heard from behind his fleet. From the hole in the entrapment Tester summoned appeared none other than Enterprise, Washington, Alabama, Hornet, and Saratoga.

"Yo! Sorry for making you wait, Commander!" Washington grinned as they all skated up to the front of the supply ship, right between him and the two Siren leaders.

"Man, am I glad to see you guys!" Cleveland cheered.

"As if I'd miss the chance to go all out like this!" Washington grinned.

"Commander." Enterprise said as she looked at him, almost as if he she was trying to convey something to him telepathically.

"So, you got some more carriers and battleships, big whoop. You all still don't stand a chance against all of us ahahaha!" Purifier arrogantly remarked.

"Big talk for someone who ran away from said carriers and battleships." Shikikan leered.

"….I am SO gonna enjoy burning, electrocuting, and cutting you open again once I wring out your neck and make it so that I don't have to listen to your smartass remarks ever again!" Purifier roared as she began to charge her main laser cannon.

"Normally I'd order you to stand down, but I too think this lab rat could learn to squeak less." Tester mocked as she about to snap her fingers and give the order to fire alongside Purifier.

'BOOM!'

"WHAT!?" Tester stopped mid-snap as multiple big explosions from behind caught her by surprise.

"WHAT NOW!?" A beyond enraged Purifier yelled as she too lost her concentration due to the nearby explosions.

"Seems like the eagle made its way to its nest after all." Shikikan spoke aloud with a large smirk on his face. "Good work Enterprise."

"Heh, you too Commander."

"HUH!? What the hell are you talking about?" Purifier yelled.

"I honestly can't believe you thought that phrase was referring to us getting into the harbor itself. And you're calling me the simpleton? Good one." He mocked.

"If you know what's good for you, Anomaly, you would best explain yourself this instance." Tester demanded, all previous amusement gone and replaced with sheer rage.

"Why don't you ask the eagles that arrived at their nest?" He pointed behind them at the group of figures shrouded in the smoke caused by the explosions behind them.

"Who the hell are you lot!? Show yourselves!" Purifier demanded.

"I'm just a heavy cruiser passing through." A tomboyish voice casually replied.

"Wait! I know that voice!" Cleveland started. "Baltimore!"

"Yo, long time no see Cleve!" The voice greeted as a lone figure stepped out through the smoke, revealing short brown hair and a very well-toned and endowed figure. On her shoulder was none other than Grim, who quickly fled back to base away from the fight.

"Don't forget about us!" Another voice called out.

"St. Louis!" Helena cried out as she saw another taller bluenette appear.

"Hello, Helena. How have you been?" St. Louis replied. "But it's not just us, you know ~" She added before the rest of the figures appeared out of the smoke.

"Oh! Colorado! Maryland! West Virginia! Glad to see you're all still kicking!" Washington called out.

"It will more than just numbers to take down us three of the Big Seven." The one with long white hair and red eyes replied as she flipped her hair.

"Bout time you all made it here! I was getting really annoyed with just evacuating citizens and being on defense this entire time!" The one with a long red ponytail added.

"So that's the Commander?" The one with long black hair asked from afar. "I wasn't sure what to believe when I saw Enterprise's eagle flying right for us and signaling for us to follow it out here."

"Hhmpf. Took you all long enough to get here." A small girl with long white hair and cat ears added.

"Hehe, glad to see you too Hammann." Enterprise chuckled before looking over to a tall figure with red twin tails. "You as well, Honolulu."

"Yeah…long time no see. Glad to see you made it." She mumbled.

'They all look injured, but they are all still willing to fight with us here...' Shikikan observed Baltimore's group covered in bandages, debris, and wounds.

"Tsk, they don't stop crawling out of their holes." Purifier scoffed before a sickly grin grew on her face. "But this works out since I can just get rid of all of you right here and now!"

"Bold words from someone who's done nothing but get beaten up and run away." Shikikan mocked.

"Pft.." Many of the Eagle Unions held back their laughter.

"Alright, I've had enough lip from you!" Purifier raged as she pointed all her cannons at Shikikan.

"Agreed. It's about time you learn your place, Anomaly." Tester added before snapping her fingers and having the massive horde of droids attack.

"Get behind me, Commander." South Dakota said as she pulled him back, raised her shields, and started shooting down the endless onslaught of droids.

"Thank you." He said before brainstorming a way to come out of this unscathed. 'We need to get these supplies to Baltimore's group somehow without it getting caught in the crossfire or targeted. But how do we do that if they're all after me? Wait….all…after…me? No no no that's beyond crazy….but maybe even crazy enough to work? My fatigue levels from being on overdrive all day now are starting to build up too high…ugh….'

"What's the plan Commander?" Enterprise asked as she and Saratoga skated up to the front of the supply ship.

Taking a deep breath and resolving himself to his 'plan' he replied. "Alright, I've got it." Shikikan said as if he figured something out. "Baltimore's group is looking worse for wear, so we need them to get to this supply ship, reload, and have Vestal do some first aid ASAP."

"I'm guessing you already have a plan to get passed all these enemies?" Saratoga asked as she had her planes shoot down every single droid in their path.

"Yeah, but I'm going to need you to hear me out on this one." He warned before filling them in.

….

"WHAT!?" South Dakota, Enterprise, and Saratoga yelled loudly.

"Are you insane, Commander!? There's no way you'll be able to make it there by yourself!" Saratoga yelled.

"Shh." Shikikan put a finger to his lips. "This plan's all for naught if either of them hears us. Trust me when I say I know this plan sounds insane, but if I'm their main priority, the supply ship will be in danger of sinking if those two decide to have their entire force aim here. With me as bait, I'll be able to at least get all those droids off your hands and buy some time for Baltimore's group to split up and make their way over here." He pointed at the Sirens themselves. "Plus, you'll be able to fight more freely without having to worry about me getting caught in the crossfire since I'll be flying up, around, and out of this battle."

"Can't say I agree with this plan Commander. What if they decide to chase after you themselves?" South Dakota reasoned.

"That's where I'm in all of your care. They'll figure out my plan of making a mad dash for the harbor immediately so use those few seconds to get some good hits in and get their attention."

"Those are some high expectations Commander. FINE I'm in!" Saratoga decided.

"Sara?" Enterprise and South Dakota looked at her in shock.

"Commander's counting on us to be able to follow through with this crazy plan. As someone aiming for the spot of number one idol, I can't let a fan down! Commander! Leave it to me! I'll definitely make this plan a huge success!" Saratoga boldly declared.

"Idol business aside….alright leave it to us then Commander. I promise to not let you down." Enterprise smiled.

"Not you too.." South Dakota groaned.

"Don't get me wrong. I don't like this plan, but sometimes you just need to make a bold move to turn the tides in a fight." She reasoned.

"True but… alright, fine, I give. Let's go with this plan then." The battleship gave in.

"Please be careful Commander." Enterprise requested. "I'll let Helena know and have her inform everyone on an encrypted channel."

"Thanks, you three. I leave this battle in your capable hands." He nodded before activating his rocket shoes and flying right on out.

'Commander?' Laffey questioned as she spotted him flying away.

"He's doing what!?" Helena uncharacteristically yelled out loud before covering her mouth.

"W-what's going on Helena?" A startled Cleveland with her equally surprised sisters in tow asked.

"One sec Cleve." Helena requested as she had a hand on her ear.

"This is so reckless, but if this is what Commander decided..." She sighed. "Yes, I'll let everyone know on an encrypted channel right now." Helena said before ending the transmission with Enterprise and radioing everyone on the secret channel about Shikikan's plan.

"Why didn't he have one of us come with him!? This is way too dangerous for him to act as bait!" Cleveland yelled as soon as she heard the plan.

"It's because Commander's trusting us to get the Siren's attention and not let them pursue him themselves, Cleve." Helena reasoned.

"Yeah, but…!" The tomboy tried to continue to argue but felt a hand on her shoulder.

"He'll be fine Sis." Columbia said. "If it's just those droids, I'm sure he'll manage, especially when he meets up with the Eagle Union soldiers on shore. Take it from someone who saw him fight ten of them and barely breaking a sweat." She winked.

"…..Ugh, Commander, you better be okay until we get there!" Cleveland gave in before focusing back on the next incoming wave of elites heading for them. "Knights of the sea! Move out and take down these Sirens!"

"Hoorah!"

[With Baltimore's group]

"So, he wasn't running away, but is going to act as a decoy for us. Reckless and bold. I like it!" Maryland laughed.

"Is he going to be okay? N-not that I'm worried about a reckless idiot like him or anything…." Hammann muttered.

"Well we can't let his efforts go to waste, now can we?" Baltimore started. "Let's hurry and split up for the supply ship!"

"Yeah!"

[With Tester and Purifier]

"AHAHA! Look at him trying to run away with his tail between his legs!" Purifier laughed.

"…Wait a minute…is he actually trying t-!" Tester started before side stepping an incoming volley.

"Yo, Siren! Hope you didn't expect you were free from me pounding your face in just yet!" Washington smirked as she cracked her knuckles.

"Oh, there's another strong looking one…..works for me." Alabama grinned wildly as she spun her scythe around.

"Tsk….I have no time to play with you two. Begone." Tester scowled as she had the Siren elites near her fire a menacing storm of volleys at the two battleships.

However, just before the two could take evasive and defensive maneuvers, multiple swarms of fighter planes and other volleys of cannon fire came flying in, shooting down and blowing up the Sirens' volleys midair.

"Hope you don't mind us joining in on this!" Hornet grinned as she and everyone else, save for Eldridge, Vestal, and Long Island standing by back at the supply ship and Baltimore's group heading there, arrived to help out the two battleships.

"…..Purifier, go after Anomaly and bring him back here. Do feel free to rough him up a bit." Tester ordered.

"Sounds good to me! I've been wanting to break every one of his bones again! Especially since he thinks he can get away with mocking me!" The psychotic Siren grinned evilly as she was about to rush after Shikikan.

"Oh no you don't!" Cleveland announced as she and the other knights of the sea blocked her path with a volley of their own.

"Annoying little….." Purifier scowled. "Hey Tester! Give me a portal so I can wring that lab rat's neck already!"

"Sorry, but I'm going to need you to stay put right here." North Carolina added as she and South Dakota had skated around to stand on front of where Shikikan flew off towards and fired at the two Sirens leaders.

"…..Change of plans Purifier, we deal with these eager to die Kansen first." Tester frowned before having all the Siren elites engage the Eagle Union girls.

"Brave Eagles, we fight until the end!" Enterprise declared.

"Yeah!" Everyone yelled as they all charged forth as well and began the final clash against the Sirens in this battle.

[Back with Commander]

'I know I came up with this idea but come on!' Shikikan groaned as he was dodging incoming chains and spears being thrown at him as he flew as fast as the rocket shoes would allow. Right behind him were well over a hundred droids locked in on him.

Doing his best to dodge and keep the distance he had between himself and them, he turned around and started firing away at the massive horde on his tail. Managing to get most of his shots to land directly into the droids' weak spots, he kept firing until his clip ran empty before focusing back on getting towards the shore ASAP. As he flew, he took the time to reload his gun as best as he could under the extremely stressful situation.

Continuously repeating this until he was completely out of ammo, Shikikan managed to take down about thirty of them before he noticed that he was in eyesight of the very damaged, but still standing NY Harbor.

'I should definitely be in distance to get through to someone now.' Shikikan assumed as he hurriedly turned on his radio and yelled into it. "This is Azur Lane's Kansen Commander! I'm right outside of the harbor and am going to enter with a horde of droids on my tail! Requesting immediate assistance!"

"…"

'Seriously!?" Shikikan complained as he shifted to the left as a spear came flying in and still managed to graze his right shoulder.

Wincing a bit, he tried to get in touch once again. "I repeat! Requesting immediate assistance! Please come in!"

"…Commander! This is Rear Admiral Torrez! I'd say I'm glad to hear from you again but what the hell is going on!? I'm seeing someone actually flying and a bunch more of those damn robots right behind him!? Is that you!?"

"Yes! It's a long story, but mind giving me a hand here!?" Shikikan requested.

"Already on it! Head straight for the pier and I'll meet you there!"

"Thank-whoa!" Commander yelled as he managed to duck down and avoid a long chain came flying in from the right. Right as he ducked down, he saw two droids with great swords closing in on him.

Diving right under both their swings, Shikikan took out his sword and swiped the one on his left's head clean off. Following up, he kicked off the one on his right and used it as a springboard as he continued to blast towards the harbor.

'Almost there and…oh there's some people!' Shikikan sighed in mental relief as he spotted a bunch of people in naval uniform at the edge of the pier looking right up at him.

"I have no idea how you're flying but hurry and get behind us!" Torrez yelled as he and his men, all armed with RPGs formed a single firing line and aimed right for the horde behind Shikikan.

"Alright!" Shikikan yelled back as he kept on flying right up to the group before doing an emergency landing and rolling along the area of the pier behind them.

"FIRE!" Torrez yelled as he and his soldiers all launched their rockets and blew up a good portion of the horde of droids.

"Sir! There's still a bunch left!" One of the soldiers yelled.

"Damn it, as if we didn't have our hands full already with the ones inland…" The rear admiral groaned as he bit his thumb.

"Here they come!" Another soldier yelled.

"Don't let anymore of them into the city! Take them down however you can!" Torrez ordered as him and his men switched over to assault rifles and aimed for the incoming onslaught.

"Let 'em have it!" He yelled as they blasted away, however, strangely enough, instead of charging into the group of soldiers, they blew right past them and went for Shikikan who barely had time to catch his breath.

"Oh, screw this!" Shikikan roared in sheer annoyance and anger as he pulled out his dadao and sliced the closest one's arm off, stealing its broadsword and using it to behead said droid. Now dual wielding, Shikikan took a defensive stance before clashing head on with his relentless pursuers.

"Holy shit…." A soldier said as he and his comrades watched on in awe as Shikikan hacked and slashed his way through droid after droid.

"Why are you idiots just standing there!? Help him!" Torrez yelled as he kept firing at the ones not in Shikikan's range. "Get your asses in there If you're out of bullets!"

"Sir yes sir!" The soldiers yelled as they either followed in Torrez footsteps and fired at the one's not near Shikikan or were inspired enough by Shikikan to pull out their knives and charged right on in.

Noticing the additional threats, some of the droids opted to turn their attention towards the soldiers while the rest deal with Shikikan.

[Back at Azur Lane HQ]

"I understand him not wanting the supply ship to get caught in the crossfire before those new groups of Kansen can resupply, but couldn't he have just had one of the Kansen with him already materialize their ships and hop aboard?" Scharnhorst questioned.

"True, but knowing Herr Kommandant, he probably didn't want to burden them with having to both protect him and fight all those Sirens." Gneisenau assumed.

"That and the fact that Master took into account how big and easy of a target the materialized ship would be for the Sirens to do a full-frontal assault on." Belfast added.

"We're Kansen though, we should be able to take those kinds of hits." Hipper argued.

"You really haven't realized that Herr Kommandant is just not the type of person to have his subordinates get injured for him, schwester?" Eugen countered. "He's just that much of a softy for us."

"Agreed. It's just the type of person Milord is." Illustrious smiled.

"That said, his swordsmanship is impressive yet also rather…peculiar." Takao noted.

"As expected of a master class swordswoman." Atago giggled. "I believe that you two said that weapon seems familiar?" She asked the two Dragon Empery girls.

"Shì! The ringed dadao is a popular weapon used in our country's martial arts!" Ping Hai explained.

"I see…" Takao pondered. 'I wonder if he would be willing to spar with me sometime. It be interesting to fight against a foreign fighting style.' Takao pondered.

"I have an idea of what's going on in your head Takao-chan, but please do remember to hold back and not hurt him too bad. Not that Onee-san would be against nursing him back to full health." Atago giggled.

"N-nonsense! Of course I wouldn't go anywhere near full strength!" Takao blushed.

"How many has that been now Nimi?" Javelin asked.

"I think about 86 droids and counting. But I think he's been pushing far past his limit for awhile now." Z23 worried.

"Can't those Eagle Union soldiers be useful and help out Shikikan-sama better!?" Akagi growled.

"Seems like their close combat skills are pretty subpar at best, especially when compared to Sakura Empire soldiers, let alone Shikikan." Kaga added.

"Assumptions aside…." Wales coughed. "Yuubari, how are the Eagle Union Kansen holding up against Tester and Purifier?"

"Seems like Goshujin's crazy diversion plan worked and that new group of Kansen managed to reach the supply ship and resupply." Yuubari replied as she pulled up another screen.

"Looks like they've grouped up and managed to take down a good portion of the mass-produced ships and Siren elites while Enterprise's group keeps Purifier and Tester at bay." KGV observed.

"Oh man, this is going to make such a great scoop!" Aoba cheered as she furiously scribbled down on her notepad.

"Seems like this battle's conclusion is well underway now." Kaga said.

"Ee, but these Eagle Union girls better make sure Shikikan-sama comes back safe and sound or else…" Akagi said with a very unpleasant aura around her as she and everyone on base were unable to do anything else but continue watching Shikikan and the girls fight for their lives.

[Back with the Eagle Union girls]

"Keep her grounded Hornet! Sara!" Enterprise yelled as she had Tester on the ropes.

"Roger that!" The two carriers yelled as they had their planes continuously bombard Tester from all sides.

"Wretched weaklings…!" Tester growled before firing all her laser cannons right at Enterprise.

"Leave this to me!" South Dakota yelled as she had jumped in front of Enterprise and raised her shields, taking every single volley meant for the carrier.

"Ugh…" South Dakota grunted as the laser cannons proved to be much heavier than anything she's faced before.

"Nice work, SoDak!" North Carolina cheered as she had flanked around Tester and fired right at her main battery, causing it to explode on impact.

"Damn you pesky ingrates!" Tester roared as she turned her attention to the blonde and tried to riddle her with cannon fire.

"Owari da!"

Realizing her critical error, Tester was caught right in the center of Enterprise's trump card. With no way to dodge, Tester put up all of her remaining shields in hopes of reducing the incoming lethal damage. Unfortunately for her, the shields broke halfway into the bombardment before she was engulfed by the bombs.

"Now everyone! Fire everything at her!" Enterprise commanded as Hornet, Saratoga, North Carolina, and South Dakota all blasted Tester with a hellish storm of cannon fire and bombs.

"Argh….damages at critical levels….all cannons are destroyed…..unable to summon anymore shields…" Tester calculated as she was seemingly struggling to get back up.

Over to the northwest, an injured looking Purifier was unleashing her main laser cannon to her full extent at Washington and Alabama.

"DIE!" She screamed as she had her laser following after the two battleships.

"That laser's bad news!" Washington grunted as she was on the run.

"Try this!" Alabama grinned as she jumped right over the incoming laser beam and fired all cannons at Purifier's main cannon, causing it to explode and send the Siren leader skating backwards.

"Argh! I just had that fixed you bitch!" Purifier roared.

"And I just had my rigging cleaned so consider this pay back!" Washington retorted as she had used all her strength to close the distance and slam a heavy right jab into Purifier's face.

"A…aha…aAHAHAHA! Alright, fine! I'll do this the old-fashioned way then!" Purifier laughed psychotically as she returned the favor and gave Washington a sharp uppercut. However, instead of knocking her sky high like she expected, Washington simply stood with her knocked back.

"Hey….." Washington started in a very angry tone. "I hope you've said your prayers cuz this is where you DIE!" She announced before quickly bringing her head back up and slamming it right into Purifier's head, forcing the Siren to stumble backwards. Enraged, Washington rushed on in and pummeled Purifier right into the water with a barrage of rage filled punches and kicks before grabbing her by the hair and throwing her high up.

"Eat this!" Washington yelled as she fired with everything she had.

"Let me in on this too!" Alabama jumped in as she too unleashed a devastating barrage at the Siren.

"ARGH!" Purifier yelled in pain as she took both barrages to the face and went crashing into the sea.

Heavily damaged, Purifier's rigging was in complete shambles and she was also having trouble standing up.

"Damn you….if only I wasn't still injured from earlier and had more of my power unlocked…" Purifier grunted.

"Make all the excuses you want Siren, but the fact remains that you've still lost." Baltimore replied as she, Maryland, West Virginia, and Colorado surrounded the Siren.

"Tsk….HEY TESTER! How could you make this big of a miscalculation!" Purifier yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Don't start with me Purifier! This is also your fault for failing to follow my orders!" Tester roared back.

"Enough you two." A familiar voice spoke.

"Watch out!" Cleveland yelled.

Looking up, Baltimore's group saw huge tentacles about to slam right on top of them. Barely managing to dive out of the way, a portal appeared right in front of Purifier.

"Damn it! What now!?" Washington growled as she wiped some blood off her lips.

"Well done warriors of the Eagle Union, you've managed to overcome a 97.8% chance of failure here today." Observer congratulated as she had another tentacle appear around Tester before dragging her downwards into the ocean and retracting right to where Purifier laid.

"You've failed twice now Purifier. Empress will be most displeased."

"Then maybe you all should've unsealed more of my strength! I would've easily killed all of them if you all didn't decide to put limits on me for…!"

"Silence. You were the arrogant fool who was in a hurry to rush out and play." Observer ordered as she jammed a tentacle into Purifier's mouth, effectively silencing her. "And you Tester, to think you would make so many careless errors and waste so many of our resources, how utterly disappointing."

"Tsk…" Tester looked away annoyance and anger.

"No matter, I'll just have to discipline you both to not be so incompetent." Observer sighed. "Looks like I'll have to take matters into my own hands and personally drag my precious test subject back with me." Observer grinned villainously.

"You'll be going nowhere near him!" Enterprise declared as everyone took aim at Observer.

"How scary of you all to point your guns at me." Observer mocked. "But are you sure you want to focus all of your attention on little old me? Because I wonder just how safe your Commander is over there." She gazed over to the harbor.

"It'll take more than just those janky robots to take him down!" Hornet remarked.

"Hehe, maybe so, but what I wonder how long he'll last if I summon a portal over there and have about a hundred more join up with the hundreds already targeting him?" She questioned before snapping her fingers.

"So what'll it be? Waste the precious time you have to head over to the harbor? Or would you like me to sink you all right here and now?"

"Commander!" Laffey said before making a break for the harbor.

"W-wait Laffey!" Cleveland tried to stop her.

"Go with her Cleveland! Knights of the sea, you too!" South Dakota ordered.

"A-alright! Be safe everyone!" She said as she and her sisters chased after the destroyer bent on aiding Shikikan.

"Now then, do you really think we'll just let you go after all of the havoc you caused on our home?" Baltimore smoldered.

"Consider it my wake-up call to the humans. They needed to be reminded that no matter how safe they think they are, we'll always be at least ten steps ahead." Observer waved her off.

"Then consider this my way of telling you what happens when you mess with the Eagle Union!" Washington raged as she fired a courageous shelling barrage at the Siren.

"Not interested." Observer replied as she simply summoned a shield to stop the barrage. Following up, she snapped her fingers once more, opening up a large portal with about fifty Siren elites coming out of it. "Consider this as both my parting and congratulating gift for making it this far, Eagle Union. Enjoy it while you can, because even if you make it out of this alive, your destinies are all already set in stone." She added before stepping through the portal and vanishing as it closed right behind her.

"DAMMIT!" Washington yelled out in anger.

"Calm down Washy, what's done is done. We need to hurry back to the harbor and help out the Commander."

"Helena are you able to get in touch with him?" St. Louis asked her little sister.

Nodding her head 'no', she replied. "They're still jamming the radio waves."

"What's the plan Sis? This is a lot, even for us, and I'm starting to worry about Commander." Hornet asked.

"….We fight until the end and get to Commander as fast as we can."

"Think you can keep going Hammann?" Honolulu asked.

"I'm f-fine…ow.." Hammann winced as she cradled an injured arm.

"Things aren't looking good Enty. We're all exhausted and now we're outnumbered against all these Siren elites." Saratoga worried.

"Seems like we've got no other choice but to fight." West Virginia concluded.

"Fifty or so Sirens against three of the Big Seven huh? Interesting odds." Colorado spoke.

"Doesn't matter how many there are, I'll sink them all!" Maryland proclaimed as she cracked her neck and knuckles.

"I'm sure Commander's met up with the soldiers in the harbor by now, so he should have some backup. That being said, we should still hurry and help." North Carolina reasoned.

Nodding her head, Enterprise came to a decision. "Warrior of the Eagle Union! Engage!"

"Hoorah!" They roared as they all decided to fight against fate and turn the tides.

[With Shikikan]

'H-he's some sort of superhuman monster...' An injured soldier observed Shikikan as he was firing away with his assault rifle.

'Were those rumors of him escaping the Sirens true?' Another soldier thought.

'Man, I'd really hate to have to fight him…' Torrez himself thought as he and his men tried to help by taking down as many droids as they could themselves.

'Haa…..haa…...haa…' Currently Shikikan was huffing and wheezing as he was drenched in sweat, oil, and even some of his own blood from the various wounds he received from the hundred plus droids he's dealt with himself throughout the night.

"Defensive perimeter around the Commander now!" Torrez ordered as a bunch of soldiers rushed to Shikikan's side to give him some time to catch his breath."

"Sir! We've managed to get one base turret back online!" A soldier radioed.

"About time!"

"Sir!" Another soldier yelled. "We've got about a hundred more coming in hot!"

"Get that turret firing NOW!" Torrez yelled. As soon as he did so, a nearby turret began firing away at the incoming final horde of droids.

'Just a little further….' Shikikan thought as he tried to reinvigorate his beyond fatigued body to keep on going.

"Behind you Commander!" A solder yelled.

As soon as Commander turned around to block whatever was coming, he didn't expect for an unarmed droid to blow right through the soldiers and literally flying tackle him off his feet. It was then that it grabbed onto him and blasted forth right off the pier and into a nearby brick building wall.

"Urgh!" Shikikan grunted in pain as his body crashed through the wall and rolling along the building floor. With no time to check his wounds and sensing more incoming danger, Shikikan pushed himself off to side and narrowly averted being crushed by the droid's two heavy fists.

"Alright…..now I'm pissed." Shikikan gritted his teeth as he blasted forth with his rocket shoes and with as much force as he could muster, dropkicked the droid. With it now flat on its back, Shikikan jumped up and impaled his sword right into the droid's eye, effectively shutting all of its systems down and killing it.

"Ugh…some of my ribs are definitely broken." Shikikan assumed as he felt it hurt to breath. Getting himself on his feet, he felt the pain in his back surge throughout his body. "You've been through much worse, this is nothing!"

Forcing himself up and out of the building, he was greeted with more incoming droids and soldiers rushing to his aid.

"Alright, I've had enough of you all and this night! I'm ending this now!" Shikikan yelled. Running on nothing but sheer willpower and rage, Shikikan steeled himself for the last dozens of droids coming right for him.

[With the Eagle Union girls]

"There's no end to this!" Long Island cried out as she avoided being blown up by a Smasher's cannon barrage.

"Don't let up! We can't afford to lose here!" Saratoga tried raise morale.

"Do we have any more spare supplies on the supply ship!? I'm running on empty!" Phoenix asked.

"Oh no! The supply ship's completely empty!" Vestal announced.

"Damn it, there's got to be some way out of this!" Enterprise tried to brainstorm, but to her and everyone else's surprises, multiple planes from out of nowhere came flying in from behind and rained hell on all of the Siren elites, blowing them all up in one fell swoop.

"A-all enemies have disappeared from my SG!" Helena confirmed.

"…Enterprise was that you!?" A confused South Dakota asked.

"N-no!" An equally confused Enterprise replied.

"Wait look! Someone with rigging is standing over there!" San Diego pointed to the far east.

Out there stood a figure shrouded in a strange and thick fog. She had shoulder length white hair, dark purple eyes, and a striking resemblance to a certain carrier.

"Wait…is that….Enterprise!?" Saratoga yelled. "But aren't you standing right here!?" She looked back and forth between Enterprise and her look alike.

"Hey! Identify yourself right now!" Washington yelled.

"…"

"Since you gave us a hand, I'll give you another chance. State your name right now before I start blasting!" Washington threatened.

"…I have no name; I am simply just Ash." The figure stated.

"Huh?" Washington questioned.

"Okay then, Ash, what is your business here then?" Enterprise questioned with a light arrow at the ready.

"…..I want to confirm something. What is the name of your Commander?" Ash asked.

Now on high alert, everyone took a defensive stance when the mysterious figure asked about Shikikan.

"That information is top secret, only to be shared with trusted allies. Are you an ally? If so, I'll need you to come with us for confirmation." North Carolina said with an impressive poker face.

"…."

"Shall I take that as a 'no' then?" North Carolina carefully asked, ready to engage the mysterious being at a moment's notice.

"…..This is a very different timeline. All sorts of events that never happened before occurred for the first time and it's all because of this Commander. Who is he? Tell me now." Ash demanded.

"Like North Carolina said, quietly come with us and we'll figure out if your worth trusting." Washington stepped in.

"…No matter. I'll find out myself and see if he's truly the Key." Ash sighed before the fog surrounding here engulfed her completely, vanishing instantly with her in tow.

"She had no signal that entire time...is my SG malfunctioning?" Helena worried.

"Timeline? Key? What was she talking about?" Enterprise questioned aloud.

"W-wait! The radio jammers are gone! I can get through!" Helena shouted as she began listening in. "Eh!?"

"What is it Helena!?" St. Louis asked.

"A very injured looking person has been single-handedly fighting off hordes of those robots! A bunch of soldiers are trying to get to him and help but they're struggling to get past the wall of droids blocking their way!" Helena informed.

"That's definitely Commander! Wait injured!?" Saratoga yelled as she went wide-eyed and pale.

"Enterprise!" Hornet started.

"Everyone! We need to get to the harbor NOW!" Enterprise yelled before they all rushed for the harbor.

'Laffey, Cleve, Columbia, Denver, Monty…please make it in time!' Helena prayed.

[Moments later with Cleveland's group]

Right on the edge of the harbor pier were five familiar figures jumping off the water and onto the pier.

"Commander where are you!?" Cleveland yelled.

Looking around they spotted countless lifeless droids scattered all over the pier before finally spotting a group of injured soldiers patching themselves up in the distance.

"Hey!" Denver called out as the group rushed up to the soldiers. "Have you seen a man in a commander's uniform, black hair, cool purple eyes, and a strange sword with on him?"

"The Azur Lane Kansen Commander right?" One soldier asked.

"Yeah! Where is he!?" All five of them asked simultaneously surprising not only themselves but the soldier and her comrades as well.

"He's further inland." A tired voice said.

"Rear Admiral Torrez! Sir!" Everyone, save for Laffey, saluted.

"At ease." He weakly replied as he was sitting down against a post and bandaging his bloody legs. "I'd show you there, but my legs are failing on me. Go on up ahead. That monster of a man might still be fighting."

"I-I don't think I've ever seen anyone as scary as him before." The soldier added as her comrades nodded in agreement.

"Commander? Scary?" Laffey questioned.

"Y-yeah, b-but not in like a bad way! Just seeing him fight and kill all of those droids was just insane. It almost didn't even seem real."

"Just what kind of Commander have you been working under, Big Sis?" Monty questioned.

"The best!" Cleveland grinned. "Let's hurry! He might still need help!"

Saluting Torrez once more before running on up, they saw a bunch of soldiers in close quarters combat with a bunch of still active droids blocking their way.

"Out of the way!" Cleveland warned as she and her sisters materialized their riggings and easily put the droids out of commission.

"Thank god, you Kansen are here!" A soldier sighed in relief.

"Where is the Commander!?" Laffey ran up to him and asked urgently.

It was then that they heard the sound of steel clashing with steel up ahead.

"Never mind!" Laffey said as she bolted right past the group of soldiers and towards the sound.

"Sorry about that! We're in a hurry!" Columbia apologized as they chased after the destroyer.

Upon reaching a brick building they finally managed to reach their Commander, who was currently down on one knee and surrounded by five droids.

"Get away from him!" Laffey and Cleveland yelled as their group rushed right on up and blew up the remaining droids.

"Commander!" Laffey surprisingly screamed when she saw how he looked.

Covered in oil and debris with his uniform in complete shambles and blood running down from head to toe was Shikikan, his sword broken into pieces and a look of extreme exhaustion and relief on his face when he realized he was now finally in safe hands.

"H-hey….girls…glad to see….you all…" He managed to get out in between his breaths.

"A-are you going to be okay!?" Columbia panicked upon seeing his more than half dead self.

"Now that I'm finally seeing some friendly, familiar faces…haha…yeah.." He weakly joked as he tried to get up before immediately failing and falling face first into the concrete pavement.

"Commander!" Cleveland panicked as she and her group rushed right up to him.

"Medic!" Montpelier yelled.

"Ugh….can't move.." Commander groaned.

"Denver, Columbia, help me flip him over!" Cleveland requested as they carefully laid him on his back, with his head on Cleveland's lap.

"Commander...here" Laffey offered him a bottle of oxy-cola before gently tilting it upwards into his mouth. Closing his eyes, he felt the burn of the carbonated beverage sooth his desert like throat.

"I can't believe you would do something as reckless as this Commander! I know you're the type to not want to burden others but still!" Cleveland began to lay it on him.

"Go easy on him Sis." Columbia chuckled awkwardly.

"Commander?" Denver asked.

"…zzz…"

"Oh. He passed out." Montpelier bluntly said.

"Hey!" A familiar voice revealing herself to be Hornet yelled as she and the rest of the Eagle Union girls finally made it to them.

"Goodness gracious! What happened to you!?" Vestal yelped in horror at seeing him so badly injured and kneeling down to begin her ministrations.

"Vestal is he going to be.." Enterprise started to ask.

"Shh.." Laffey hushed with a finger to her lips.

"He's a sleeping hero." Cleveland grinned as they all quieted down to let Vestal get to work and let Shikikan get the rest he deserved after being awake for over a day and running himself ragged for the majority of it. With the morning sun shining brightly and eliminating the dark night, the world began to learn of the news of the heroes who all bravely stood up to the Sirens and won.


And phew! Feels good to finally be back and be able to finally post this after so many delays due to life!

Thank you all again so, SO much for your patience with me and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! There were a lot of ways I could've gone with this, but this route was the most fun to write so I ended up going with this one!

I also just want to say that I'm forever grateful to any and all comments, and that even though I might not reply, I still do read through all of them!

Please remember to favorite and follow this story if you liked it and haven't already, and I'll see y'all next time on AL fanfic chapter 16: Big News! On the Front Pages Around the World!