Dance With Me (On The Battlefield)
''Something isn't right.''
Kawakaze's soft mutter was barely louder than the gentle breeze blowing past them, yet Nagato heard it easily. The two were sat at the highest point of the mountain, just outside the palace at the peak. In the background Mutsu was chasing a butterfly, her chime-like giggles forming a soothing melody to the two leaders. The vast ocean stretched out before them, so high up that they could easily make out the clouds passing by not far above.
Had they tried, it was not impossible to think that they could touch them.
''What troubles you?'' Nagato queried lightly, sipping her tea as she peered over at her companion – one of the few people she considered her equal.
Kawakaze frowned lightly, staring down into her cup, ''...I do not know. Something, is all. I can't pin it down, but the feeling has pervaded me since I awoke this morning. Like something is about to go wrong.''
''Perhaps because Amagi is out on a sortie?'' Nagato offered, earning a deeper frown from the Destroyer.
''I... perhaps. I don't know.'' She replied with an honest shrug.
Nagato hummed lightly, taking another light drink of her cooling tea. It had been three months since Amagi's resurrection. Kawakaze had remained attached to the Battlecruiser for nearly the first month, rarely letting her out of her sight and always getting anxious when she did. And when Kawakaze got anxious, she got irritable – and when she got irritable, she got violent. Not angry violent, but lethally-silent quiet. Thankfully no unfortunate Ship-Girl had gotten themselves on the receiving end of Kawakaze's anger, but there were several close calls.
It was only after much talk between Amagi and Kawakaze that the latter finally held herself back, realising that Amagi – despite being brought back from the dead – was no less strong than she had been prior to her death. She was perfectly capable of handling her day-to-day life without having Kawakaze watching over her shoulder.
Though it was another matter entirely to let her go on mission – and an even more tedious matter to allow Amagi to do it without Kawakaze being with her at the time. This mission would mark the third mission Amagi had gone without Kawakaze... out of the twenty mission she participated in over the past three months.
As such, it was natural Kawakaze would be anxious, worried for her wife...
...except that Nagato herself felt a little off as well. Not enough to warrant concern, but a little niggling at the back of her mind, as if something had just slipped her mind and was hanging on the tip of her tongue, waiting to be spoken.
''Mutsu.'' Nagato spoke, not even needing to turn around to know her sister had stopped – her attention fully focused on her. ''Do you feel something... amiss, too?''
''Hm~? Nope!'' Mutsu cheerfully responded, only adding to Nagato's confusion.
'Strange... perhaps, because of our greater strength, we can sense a disturbance...?' Nagato wondered quietly, before resolving to speak with the other nations on the matter. Out of all Ship-Girls in existence, she could name less than half a dozen who could rival her in strength. If she could feel something amiss, then they should be able to as well.
She cast her gaze out across the twinkling ocean, idly noting the darkening clouds in the far distance. Nothing unusual, as it was scheduled to rain late in the evening. Just as she thought that, however, she noticed Kawakaze growing even more restless – her fingers curling and digging into her palms, a little tick she got whenever she grew stressed. Nagato had seen the movement enough times to know she was instinctively grasping for her sword, as if the blade would slice down her fears.
Suddenly however, Kawakaze stood up.
''There's something out there.''
Nagato blinked, casting her gaze out across the vast sea once more. Nothing but the distant clouds. ''I'm afraid I don't-''
''There's something!'' Kawakaze uncharacteristically interrupted, all but growling. ''Look!''
Frowning Nagato also stood up, narrowing her eyes as she inspected the sea with a closer eye. For a moment she saw nothing, just the twinkling of the blue sea – before she noticed something odd. The reflection of the sun. It was distorted.
As if something was in the way.
Alarm bells began ringing in Nagato's head, instincts screaming at her that this wasn't a mere trick of the light. ''Mutsu! Ring the alarms-!''
No sooner had Nagato said that did she witness it. All across the vast ocean the very air shimmered, twisting and distorting like a mirage, before the air shattered – to reveal an entire armada of Siren warships. A quick count revealed the number to span in the hundreds, and to Nagato's dread she counted nearly a dozen Battleship-types and carrier-types.
BOOM!
The deafening, unholy boom of cannons echoed across the ocean as the hundreds of warships simultaneously opened fire – lobbing great golden shells across the water. Some missed, many didn't. Far below them at the bottom of the cliff houses were blown apart in an instant, wood catching fire and stone rupturing into pebbles.
She heard Mutsu scampering away for the alarms at the top of the house, but her focus was on Kawakaze. She could practically see the gears in Kawakaze's mind turning, focusing on why this was happening – and how oddly convenient it was happening, right when Amagi was sent to investigate a disturbance in the northern waters alongside the Royal Navy. The Sirens weren't known for being stupid.
''Nagato.'' Kawakaze spoke quickly, dropping the honorific given the situation. ''You need to stay and defend. Your powers are more suited to defence than mine are. I need to find Amagi. There's no way in hell this isn't happening on chance.''
Nagato only nodded mutely, grimacing. ''How are you going to get past? You-''
They were interrupted as another barrage blanketed the island, the whole mountain seeming to shudder and rumble. A second passed, and Nagato hastily continued.
''You can't just leave us to fend for ourselves, Amagi's safety or not. At least take a squadron with you so they can flank from the rear. Your presence will, if nothing else, inspire them.''
Kawakaze's expression tightened and she nodded. ''I'll grab some as I go down. You form the defence; I'll cut a path through them.''
Without another word Kawakaze took off, using her Destroyer-class speed to its fullest and practically leaping down the mounted. Nagato watched her go, briefly envious of the woman's speed, before refocusing on more important matters.
Namely, eliminating the rats that think they could destroy her home.
X-x-X
Kawakaze barely slowed her pace as she descended the mountainside, hopping over trees and skidding along rooftops.
Not even flinching as a stray branch swatted her cheek she leaped off the nearest roof, tilting her body to the side and skiing along the gutter of another, idly noting the passing crowds below. She didn't pay them any mind though; now wasn't the time. Nagato would protect them, that she was sure of. Her concern was with Amagi, and the oh-so-convenient 'disturbance' in the northern waters.
Spotting a familiar head of grey hair Kawakaze slowed down, kicking off the gutter and landing in a crouch – scaring the life out of her sister, Yuudachi.
''Uwah!'' Yuudachi yelped, instinctively leaping back a step. ''Watch where you're going sis-!''
''With me.'' Kawakaze simply ordered, her cold tone instantly making Yuudachi shut up. ''Where's Shigure?''
''Here~!'' Shigure sarcastically called, wading through the increasingly-panicked crowd of civilians towards them. ''What'cha need?''
''We're breaking through the Siren fleet.'' Kawakaze replied curtly, pushing through the crowd as best she could – though many who noticed her were quick to give a wide berth, whether out of respect or fear she didn't know. She probably had her 'scary face' on, as Amagi so playfully put it .
The uncertain squirming from Yuudachi seemed to confirm that.
''Just the three of us?'' Shigure replied lightly, as if confronting a Siren fleet was no big deal. Maybe it was that she had confidence that Kawakaze wouldn't lead them in a suicide charge... or more likely she was confident her 'luck' would prevail.
As Kawakaze neared the edge of the street she caught sight of a familiar head of blue hair – a quick wave drawing the girl closer. Fubuki. Behind her was Ayanami, the quiet girl glancing back at Akatsuki as the ninja fought to keep up with them.
''You three. With me.'' Kawakaze ordered simply, spinning on her heel and ducking into a side-street – picking up the pace and hearing them follow.
She had lived on this island for many years, and as such knew all the short-cuts. It took little more than a minute to reach the base of the mountain, the sound of shells impacting stone and wood filling their ears as they drew near.
The civilians thinned the closer they got to the edge of the island, housing aflame or blown to little more than splinters. She could feel the hesitation of those behind her, especially when they passed several unmoving bodies, but she didn't slow. If they couldn't keep up, she'd leave them behind. Cold, but necessary.
''Don't stop moving!'' Kawakaze had to raise her voice to be heard, even though the others were less than five feet behind her. ''Cut a path through them, then strike from behind!''
''Hai!''
Smiling thinly at the unified response Kawakaze picked up speed, careful to not run too far ahead of them. The edge of the island rapidly approached, petering off into a rocky cliff fifteen feet above sea-level. Without hesitation the Destroyer kicked off the worn rock and leapt into the air, manifesting her rigging with naught but a thought and landing atop the water a second later, the comforting weight of her katana in her right hand.
Around her the other Destroyers dropped, all donning their own riggings. There was no time for last-minute plans or changes; the nearest Siren ships were slowly swerving towards them, training their guns on them. Kawakaze's eyes narrowed and she set full speed ahead, skiing across the surface of the water and bringing her guns to bear.
''Begone.'' The Destroyer muttered disdainfully, the satisfying boom of her cannons ringing across the ocean, muted by the orchestra of larger guns firing around them.
While the sound was muted, the effect wasn't. Her shells easily tore straight through the Siren Destroyer, blowing a hole near the front just above the waterline, causing the ship to slowly take in water. Before she could fire a second time a miniature barrage came from behind, blanketing the front of the Siren ship and rending metal apart. With so many holes in the front the ship began to sink faster, releasing a harrowing groan as it began tilting to the side.
Not sparing the inanimate ship another glance Kawakaze sailed past it, water kicking up in her wake. The ships around her were too tall to aim their guns down at her, but the ones further away could – evidenced as six golden shells splashed into the water to her right, narrowly avoiding Shigure. As if in response the lucky Destroyer released a wave of torpedoes on the nearest Siren ship, blowing a hole in the side of it and giving a slow, watery death.
Distant gunfire suddenly tore through a Siren Heavy Cruiser up ahead, a barrage of thin but numerous shells utterly decimating the deck of the warship before it erupted into a raging plume of fire. Kawakaze glanced over her shoulder, spotting Nagato standing on the edge of the cliff, her massive rigging around her.
The Battleship sent her a confident smile, one Kawakaze thinly returned.
And with the support of the former Head of the Combined Fleet, the Destroyers carved a scar through the fleet of Siren warships, leaving nothing but smouldering wrecks in their path.
X-x-X
It had taken no more than a few minutes for the Destroyers to reach the back of the Siren fleet, unleashing hell on their Battleships and Aircraft Carriers, sinking nearly half of the latter. Kawakaze was careful to conserve her ammo where possible, preferring to carve deep gashes into their hulls with her sword and using her abilities to empower her allies.
Once she was certain they could survive without her help Kawakaze departed the battlefield, leaving Shigure with orders to continue the assault until Nagato ordered otherwise. Using her built-in radio she also relayed to Nagato to send a detachment of reinforcements after her once things were cleaned up. While it pained her to abandon her comrades when there was an invasion on their doorstep, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was inexplicably wrong.
'Hmph... maybe I should've brought a coat.'
Kawakaze's sarcastic thought echoed around her mind, the weak attempt to lighten her mood falling flat. The cold whistle of the wind and the roaring ocean waves were her only company, the sky darkening despite it still being midday. The temperature had dropped drastically, something that shouldn't be possible. It was nearing Autumn, sure, but for it to be near-winter level temperatures was unheard of. And something that almost certainly was connected to slowly-brewing storm around her.
The waters to the north of their little island home was known to be inhabited with Sirens, and as such she wasn't surprised when she ran into several small squadrons of the futuristic warships. She disposed of them without much thought, not even having to use her torpedoes to clear them up. There was simply no need; her sword was more than capable of carving through their hulls.
Soon however she began to notice something worrying. Wreckages. They were all Siren wrecks, thankfully, but the fact they were here at all meant that Ship-Girls had been through here. Considering Amagi and her fleet were sent up here to link up with the Royal Navy task force, it wasn't hard to guess who.
Raising a hand to her ear, Kawakaze gently pressed against her ears and focused. Even if there was no earpiece there, her radio still functioned as it had when she was still a mechanical ship.
''This is Kawakaze, Head of the Combined Fleet of the Sakura Empire. Does anyone read me?''
Static. That was never a good sign, doubly so when the Sirens were involved. It wasn't impossible to think that the slowly-brewing storm around her acted as a local-area jammer. Whether by accident or design, she didn't know, though she was willing to bet the latter.
Just as she was about to drop her hand however, the static crackled. Stopping still Kawakaze listened intently, straining her supernatural hearing to its limit to make out the faint, distorted words on the other end of the connection.
''...This is... of... Royal... attack... Siren... critical... super-weapon... reinforcement... requesting... repeat...''
She couldn't make out who was speaking, but she could ascertain enough key words to get the gist of it. Focusing on where the weak signal was coming from Kawakaze resumed sailing with more speed than before, the water hissing beneath her boots as she kept accelerating, nearing her top speed within a matter of seconds.
Kawakaze's expression tightened as the rain began to thicken, forming what looked like a mist that slowly began to obscure the path ahead of her. Undeterred the Destroyer sailed full speed ahead, anxiously gripping her katana on instinct. The mist thickened into a white wall, light struggling to pierce so deep and leaving her lost in a sea of ivory-
-before she suddenly burst out of the fog, and into the heart of the literal storm.
In an instant, she noticed three things.
One, a massive blue orb that was surrounded by countless ice crystals both above and below it hung off to the far left, the crystals coming from both the sea and the clouds themselves.
Two, Amagi was wounded and clutching her shoulder with a pained grimace.
Three, a humanoid Siren stood opposite her wife, guns smoking and bearing a wild, dangerous grin.
Kawakaze saw red, and moved.
X-x-X
''Ahaha~! C'mon, don't slow down now Miss Fox~! Keep it coming~!''
Amagi grimaced, the painful ache in her shoulder reminding her that her right arm was rendered useless by the Siren's last barrage. The others were still recovering themselves, Fusou and Yamashiro were badly damaged after taking the brunt of the attack, and the Royal Navy forces were in disarray. They had been worn down enough as it was by the onslaught of Siren warships, and by the time their leader arrived, it was almost child's play for the Siren known as 'Purifier' to single-handedly dismantle their defence – all while taunting them about it.
The old Battlecruiser glanced to her right, spotting Belfast struggling to her feet – trying in vain to contact any back-up over the radio. She claimed she had faintly heard someone earlier, but the storm was preventing anything from getting through. Perhaps the person on the other side would hear them better, but from their end all they got was muffled static.
''Oi~! Don't ignore me~!''
Amagi looked ahead, meeting the Siren's crazed golden eyes. Even after a prolonged engagement the Battleship-class Siren only had minor wounds, her clothes a little frayed and her stomach having a few burns on them, the latter courtesy of Belfast's high-explosive shells. Amagi herself had landed something of a lucky blow, destroying the mechanical stocking around the Siren's left leg, giving them the chance to deal more damage to the slightly-less-armoured skin underneath. Not that they had gotten the chance to, that is.
Pouting at her silence, Purifier raised her right arm – causing the oversized Hammerhead she called a rigging to float above her, aiming its four cannons towards her. ''Fine, be like that. See how you like being ignored – at the bottom of the sea, hehehe~!''
Amagi only grimaced, twirling her half-destroyed parasol around to face the incoming barrage. It was part of her rigging, so it would endure more of the blows... but she was under no delusion it would protect her. The Siren was simply too powerful for a fleet of a dozen battle-worn Ship-Girls to handle.
The deafening boom of cannons snapped her from her thoughts and she braced, peering out from behind her half-destroyed parasol at the incoming golden shells-
-only for a familiar slim figure to land in front of her.
''Kawa-?!''
Amagi didn't get to say more before Kawakaze swung, sword arm jerking about with wild, lethally precise motions – so quick her arm was nearly a blur. Then suddenly she went still, and less than a second later Amagi heard a cacophony of explosions behind her – warming her back but not burning her.
It took the Battlecruiser a second to realise Kawakaze had cut the shells apart.
''Kawakaze...'' Amagi murmured breathlessly. ''Why-''
''Finally~!'' Purifier interrupted her, the Siren casting her arms out wide. ''The star has appeared~!''
There was something odd about the Siren's tone, an almost-knowing lilt to her voice... like this had been the plan all along.
''Ooh~! That's quite a scary face you've got, y'know~?''
Amagi stared at Kawakaze's back, not needing to see her expression to see the fury on her face – the very air around the Destroyer was becoming heavier, as if gravity was bending beneath her rage.
Amagi had only seen such an effect once before, during an exercise with the Eagle Union... with an Aircraft Carrier known as Enterprise, who was now known as one of the strongest Ship-Girls in existence. The fact Kawakaze was exerting the same presence, so powerful she was effecting the area around her...
'How much have you truly changed since my death... Kawakaze?'
X-x-X
Kawakaze liked to think she was good at controlling her emotions. It was expected of her, as a leader of a diverse nation of Ship-Girls.
But when things came to Amagi, control seemed like such a foreign concept.
The Destroyer gripped her blade tightly. ''Amagi. What is that orb?''
Silence met her for a moment. ''I... Kawa-''
''What is that orb?''
This time Amagi was quick to respond, recovering from her shock. ''A Siren super-weapon. We're unsure of its purpose, but the Siren here seems quite protective of it.''
''I see.'' Kawakaze slowly raised her blade, pointing it towards the Siren. Humanoid or not, she would fall like the thousands before her. ''Fall back and regroup. I will handle the Siren alone while you neutralise the super-weapon.''
''You-''
''That is an order.''
Silence. She hated pulling rank on her wife, but she couldn't afford to be distracted. She needed to focus her turmoil completely on the enemy before her, harnessing it into a lethal weapon in its own right. Worry for her wife and allies couldn't be thrown into the mix, lest it risk her getting distracted.
''...be safe.'' Amagi only said, worry clear in her voice before she obeyed, retreating back a safe distance and assisting their injured allies.
Kawakaze didn't dare take her eyes off the Siren before her, eyes examining every inch of the woman for any potential weakness. Her clothing was fairly skin-tight aside from her serafuku top, but judging by the lack of injuries she doubted the Siren's skin was any less durable than her clothing. What truly caught her attention however was the Siren's rigging, taking the form of a large Hammerhead thing with four guns on it, plus a large open mouth that looked like it might also be a cannon of some kind.
That wasn't accounting for the two airborne turrets that hovered behind her, each featuring two smaller guns and bearing significant damage to them, the tell-tale burns of anti-air flak revealing how. She made note of that, subconsciously checking her anti-air ammo.
Her analysis was cut short as the Siren grew bored of waiting, breathing a sigh. ''Geez, you just gonna stare? I was half hoping you'd charge me and start stabbing! It's been so boring with those grunts and their peashooters~!''
Kawakaze's expression darkened, offended by having her wife referred to as a mere 'grunt'. Amagi, one of their greatest tacticians and a warrior in her own right, downgraded to nothing more than a grunt...
''You'll pay for that.''
''Ah~?'' The Siren grinned widely. ''Then what are you waiting for?''
The Destroyer allowed a thin smile to cross her face. ''For you to realise your weapon is under attack.''
There. A small, miniscule – instinctual flicker of Purifier's eyes, the Siren unconsciously moving to look at the weapon. In an instant Kawakaze kicked off the water, racing straight towards the Siren and crossing half the distance in the matter of a second. By the time Purifier realised her mistake, Kawakaze was upon her – katana swinging in an overhead arc down at her.
Just before the blade would've struck Purifier's forehead she leaned back, allowing the blade to pass harmlessly over her. Above her the Hammerhead rigging let out a hollow hum, angling its guns down at Kawakaze before instantly firing – four golden shells and a solid laser of golden energy shooting at her with frightening speed.
However Kawakaze was already moving, side-stepping the attacks and ignoring how the water bubbled beneath her, boiling from the heat of the laser. She swung her blade at Purifier's unprotected side – only to suddenly abort her attack and lean backwards, transferring her momentum into a swirl... just in time to avoid the tail of the Hammerhead from striking her in right in the face.
''Tch.'' Kawakaze clicked her tongue, backing off a step before darting in – raising her blade for a stab.
Purifier saw her coming however, cackling and swinging her arm out – and to Kawakaze's disbelief, her blade harmlessly grated along the Siren's forearm, sparks hissing as metal screeched against metal. The Siren was quick to use the Destroyer's surprise to her advantage, lashing out with a sudden kick that struck Kawakaze right in the stomach, knocking the breath from her lungs and sending her skidding back nearly a dozen feet.
''Kehehe~! You'll have to try harder than that~!'' Purifier taunted cheekily, her Hammerhead rigging swerving around to face the Destroyer. ''Don't die so-''
She didn't get to finish her taunt as Kawakaze suddenly darted towards her, sword whistling as it cut through the air. The Destroyer waited until she got close before suddenly aborting her attack, veering off to the right and entering a tight spin – before she threw a torpedo point-blank at Purifier's face.
''K-Kaah!'' The Siren jerked her head back, coughing. ''That's-!''
Metal screeched as Kawakaze's blade cut across Purifier's stomach, sparks flying as the Destroyer strained to break the Siren's armour. Just as she finished her swing the Hammerhead rigging was on her again, acting almost of its own volition and swinging its tail down at her, forcing her to back off lest she get swatted.
That however put her in range of the thing's cannons, the four cannons all charging for a half-second before firing. Expression tightening Kawakaze swung, movements painfully precise and cleaving three of the shells in half while letting the fourth fly over her shoulder, cleaning cutting through the fabric of her white shirt and narrowing missing her skin.
She was about to dart back in, only for the forgotten drone-like turrets to suddenly dive down at her like bomber planes, rapid-firing a barrage of golden shells at her. They came too fast for her to cut apart, forcing her to tilt her body and evade them, grimacing as one cut her cheek on the way past, a thin trickle of blood running down her cheek.
''First blood to me~!''
Kawakaze glared at the Siren, infuriated that she was treating this as nothing more than a game. As if she wasn't a threat, and the fight posed no risk to her. Amagi's pained expression flashed in her mind and her lips pulled back into a rare snarl, fury blossoming in her heart.
''Silence!'' Kawakaze barked, opening fire with her cannons – her shells bouncing off or simply failing to penetrate Purifier's armour.
The Siren only laughed at her, lazily swinging her arm down at her. The casual action prompted the drones to swerve back around, releasing an eager whirling sound as they descended on the furious Destroyer, opening fire with their guns-
-only for them to be cut in two.
Purifier blinked as the two halves of her drones splashed into the water behind the Destroyer. ''Huh. Didn't expect that.''
''I'm afraid if you expect me to sink easily, then you will be sorely mistaken.'' Kawakaze retorted coldly, flicking her sword out to the side – fragments of metal falling off the blade. ''Your armour may be strong, but nothing is unbreakable. Not even you Sirens.''
''Haah~? That's pretty bold to say, Tenran~'' Purifier grinned wickedly, a powerful gust of wind blowing past them and lightning flashing in the distance. ''Wanna put that to the test~?''
''Gladly.''
An instant later, metal sword met metal skin, and sparks soared through the darkening sky.
Kawakaze tilted her body to the side, swiftly dodging the golden laser beam that shrieked past her. Sparks flew as her blade continued travelling down Purifier's extended arm, the blade bouncing off her elbow. Kawakaze travelled with the momentum, tucking the blade close to her chest and ducking low to avoid the back-hand swiping for her cheek. Seeing an opening she jabbed her blade up, striking Purifier's underarm.
And to her satisfaction, she felt her blade sink an inch into her opponent's armoured skin.
''Ah?!'' Purifier yelped in surprise, quickly leaping backwards to clear some distance. ''Hey, no fair! I don't have a pointy stick!''
Despite her joking words, the wide grin on the Siren's face betrayed her true feelings – giddy joy. Not giving her a chance to aim her cannons again Kawakaze swung her arm out, unleashing a wave of torpedoes that skimmed the top of the water towards the Siren. Not even Purifier was arrogant enough to let them hit, the Siren moving with more flexibility than expected and dancing around the torpedoes, letting them pass her by harmlessly.
However her distraction allowed Kawakaze to close the distance, bringing herself within arms reach of Purifier – and out of reach of her rigging's cannons, the angle too steep for the machine to aim. Using her window of opportunity the Destroyer fired a wave of torpedoes at point-blank range; every single one hitting Purifier.
''G-Gah!''
Kawakaze smiled thinly at the Siren's pained cry, surprise lacing her voice. As unrelenting as the storm raging around them Kawakaze didn't stop, side-stepping the tail that swept down at her and swinging her blade right for Purifier's neck, hoping to end it in an instant. Just before it could hit however Purifier reached up and grabbed her blade, yanking her close-
-before punching her right between the eyes.
Stars appeared in her vision and her neck snapped back, black splotches blinding her and hampering her awareness. It was only the sharp whistle of the wind that informed her she was flying – barely righting herself before she crashed into the ocean... fifty feet away from Purifier. It took Kawakaze a moment to realise she had done that with a single punch.
'So much strength...' Kawakaze thought dimly, slowly reaching up at touching her forehead. It was swelling. '...that doesn't look good...'
The spots in her vision were slowly fading, giving her back her full sight, but her balance felt a little off. Not majorly, but just enough to be irritating. She growled and pushed aside her disorientation, forcing herself to stand back to her full height and glare down the grinning Siren, mind racing. The Siren was clearly a Battleship; Battleships were slow but strong. That meant slow speed and reactions, but powerful blows and guns. However from what she had seen the Siren was more of a fast Battleship, covering her weaknesses at no cost to her strengths.
''Fantastic...'' Kawakaze muttered darkly, tilting her head side to side slowly. It ached.
Despite her grim mood however, she didn't feel hopeless. Her torpedoes still hurt Purifier. Her sword could still cut her. Minor wounds, yes, but there was such a thing a death by a thousand cuts. As long as one kept swinging, kept cutting, then even the gods would fall.
Nothing was unbreakable.
Releasing a deep sigh Kawakaze raised her blade, focusing inward and dredging up the power in her heart – in her Wisdom Cube. She, like all her fellow Ship-Girls, had been born with unique abilities. Some could empower their torpedoes, others could enhance the strength of their guns. Amagi could protect others from catching fire, Nagato could empower all Sakura Empire ships in a certain radius, the list went on.
She herself had been born with two abilities; one was to empower the strength of her fellow Destroyers against cruisers, and secondly to empower her torpedoes so that no amount of armour would protect from them. Even Siren warships weren't immune to it – though Purifier was, for whatever reason.
However, unlike many of her allies, Kawakaze had not been idle when it came to her skills. Instead of training the accuracy of her guns, she focused on the raw skill of her sword. With that training she honed her abilities further, forming new techniques to aid her in sinking the Sirens.
''Three Point Lunga Strike.'' Kawakaze breathed, her sword gaining a faint blue tinge, as did her rigging. A technique solely created to counter the armour of Battleships.
If Purifier was still classified as a Battleship, and her soul recognised her as one, then the technique would give her an edge in levelling the playing field.
Lightning flashed in the distance, lighting up the dark sky and casting ominous shadows across Purifier's grinning face – golden eyes glowing with inhuman light. ''Heeh~? That's new... well, guess it's time for a ride, ahahaha~!''
To Kawakaze's surprise the Siren suddenly kicked into the air... before landing on her Hammerhead rigging. The semi-sentient thing groaned hollowly as it crashed into the water, before abruptly sailing towards her with speed rivalling a Light Cruiser – with Purifier eagerly riding atop it.
''Fire~!'' Purifier cheerfully declared, prompting her rigging to groan; the mouth-cannon glowing an ominous gold.
Kawakaze leapt out the way of the screeching laser, eyes widening when the Hammerhead merely turned towards her, the laser following in a wide arc. Just as the laser neared her it suddenly cut off, steam rising from the Hammerhead's mouth like it had overheated. Keeping note of that Kawakaze shot towards the two, water hissing beneath her feet as she nearly reached her top speed in seconds, allowing her to cross the distance in an instant.
Purifier was ready for her however, gripping her rigging and yanking it back – sending both of them into the air. With a laugh far too joyful for the battlefield Purifier glided down nearly sixty feet away, promptly swinging her rigging around to face the Destroyer. Not a second later all four cannons boomed, golden shells arcing through the darkening skies towards Kawakaze.
The process repeated itself several times over. Kawakaze would cut through the shells and sail towards Purifier, only for the Siren to mockingly leap away, putting ample distance between them before firing upon her. Occasionally when her laser cooled down she threw that into the mix, though it always failed to hit given how much warning it gave before firing. However Purifier's tactics were working; Kawakaze slowly accrued more and more wounds, most of them grazing hits that served their purpose of gradually weakening her.
However, the wounds weren't for nothing. Each time Purifier leaped she unknowingly pushed herself further and further into one corner of the massive circular battlefield, Kawakaze positioning herself so that Purifier would unknowingly funnel herself into a tighter area, limiting her movement. Slowly Kawakaze began closing the distance, narrowing it down to thirty feet, then fifteen, forcing Purifier to leap the second she landed and giving her no time to use her laser.
In the end there was too little space for her to move without diving into the impenetrable wall of fog around the battlefield, forcing her to leap over Kawakaze – exactly as the latter had planned.
Kicking off the surface of the water Kawakaze leapt up, putting all her strength behind her blow and bringing her katana up in a wide arc – a cold smile crossing her lips as her blade sheared through the vulnerable underbelly of the Hammerhead. The semi-sentient rigging let out a hollow wail, spasming mid-air and eliciting a startled yelp from Purifier, the Siren nearly sent falling into the water as her rigging crashed into the sea.
''Aw...'' Purifier's tone took an almost-sad quality to it, but the seemingly-permanent cheer didn't falter even slightly. ''Poor guy. Don't worry, you've served you're purpose! Now...''
Kawakaze tensed, taking up a defensive stance as Purifier picked up the Hammerhead – grin widening.
''...be free!'' The Siren shouted gleefully, flinging her arms up and hurling the mutilated rigging into the sky.
For a moment Kawakaze was left bewildered, uncertain as to what the purpose of such an action was. That was until a bolt of lightning suddenly struck the rigging dead-on, followed by a second flash of lightning, then a third, then a fourth. More and more lightning struck the mechanical construct, carrying it towards the orb-shaped super-weapon by bouncing it between lightning bolts. Within seconds the rigging reached its target, suddenly taking flight and soaring towards the orb like it was magnetically attracted.
Kawakaze didn't dare take her eyes off the bizarre phenomenon, but the shrill, manic laughter from Purifier drew her attention. ''What's so funny?''
Purifier only let loose another round of maniacal laughter, as if what was happening was the funniest thing in the world to her. Kawakaze couldn't begin to fathom the inner workings of the Siren's mind... but as the hairs on her neck started standing up, she realised something big was happening. The very air around her grew heavier and more oppressive, almost like gravity itself was fluctuating under the weight of a force greater than its own.
High in the air the Siren's rigging collided with the giant orb... and was seamlessly absorbed into it, like the surface was made from water. In an instant a pulse of power washed over the entire battlefield, followed by another, then another – each broken apart in five-seconds intervals. Despite herself Kawakaze couldn't help but shudder, feeling the raw power that threatened to make her stumble back as it washed over her. It was unlike anything she had felt; not even Washington or Warspite had such raw power.
Then the orb began glowing, a chilling blue glow emanating from its core and quickly spreading throughout the rest of the mystical construct.
''Kehehe~'' Purifier's soft laugh drew her attention, the Destroyer turning to face her opponent. ''You really thought you could beat me, huh~? Silly you. Now there's no chance of you winning~''
Kawakaze opened her mouth to question why, but paused as she felt the temperature around her plummet. She exhaled and immediately saw her breath in front of her, the tip of her nose beginning to tingle from the sudden cold. She gripped her sword and found her fingers felt stiffer than she'd like.
She looked towards Purifier, wary. ''What did you do?''
Purifier only grinned.
''Shouldn't you be asking... what haven't I done yet?''
In an instant the temperature dropped further, her instincts screaming for her to move. She obeyed without hesitation, kicking off the ground and shooting towards Purifier, but couldn't resist the urge to look behind her.
A laser. A single, massive blue beam of pure energy screeching towards her, coming from the massive orb super-weapon. An attack that stretched nearly thirty feet in diameter.
'I can't-!'
Kawakaze didn't have time to finish that thought before the laser hit, her form becoming engulfed by the shrieking energy.
The beam lasted for all of five seconds before it suddenly cut off, leaving naught but wisps of blue energy lingering in the air. However the damage was done. All around the impact sight was a massive prison of ice, ragged and spiky – stretching easily fifteen feet high and all the way down to the sea floor. In the very centre of the mass of ice, was the faint shadow of Kawakaze; frozen solid.
''Kahaha~!'' Purifier laughed giddily, covering her mouth in a half-hearted attempt to stifle her laughter. ''I'm liking the upgrades Tester added~! Hehe, maybe I can convince her to add some missiles next...''
The Siren's voice trailed off in thought, gazing up at the glowing blue orb affectionately before reluctantly tearing her eyes away. Instead she focused her golden eyes on the distant fleet of Ship-Girls, slowly evacuating their wounded and recovering from their own injuries. With her supernatural eyesight she could see the worry and fear on their faces, though whether it was because of the laser itself or Kawakaze's defeat, she didn't know nor care.
Purifier was about to languidly sail over to the Ship-Girls, waiting for the laser to recharge – when a muted bang reached her ears, making her pause. Tilting her head to the side she waited, hearing another muted explosion, one that certainly wasn't thunder. The code that made up her 'instinct' made her turn, curiously staring back at the icy prison.
Just as she laid eyes on it a flash of amber light erupted from its core, syncing perfectly with the muted explosion that reached her ears. The Siren turned fully to face the ice, curiosity evident as she watched explosion after explosion erupt inside the ice, slowly fracturing the large structure bit by bit until-
C-Crack!
With a loud crack the ice shattered, the internal explosion finally obliterating the icy prison and sending chunks flying past the observing Siren, skipping across the water before sinking. However Purifier's eyes weren't on the ice, but on the figure within. Blood dripped down her left side, seeping into her torn and burned clothes like dye, and painting her frostbite-blue skin red. Her left hand drew Purifier's attention the most, noting how the skin was burned all over, the fingertips raw and bleeding.
''...you summoned your torpedoes into your hand, and blew them up to destroy the ice.'' Purifier noted aloud, blinking. ''Huh. That's twice you've surprised me... this isn't followed the usual formula at all...''
Kawakaze barely heard the Siren at all, her ears ringing and sore – both from the point-blank explosions, and the blood-freezing cold. Her limbs all felt heavy and stiff, her fingers all numb and rigid. She took a slow breath, shuddering as the painfully cool air flew down her half-frozen windpipe. That was too close, far too close.
A few more seconds, and her very blood would've frozen over.
''I told you...''
''Hm?'' Purifier perked up, leaning forwards. ''I didn't catch that~''
''I told you... if you expect me to sink so easily...'' Kawakaze gave the Siren a thin, bloody smile. ''You're... sorely mistaken...''
Purifier grinned widely in response, flexing her fingers and stepping from foot to foot. ''Ah? So you're not down and out yet~? Then what are you waiting for?''
The last part was spoken in a darker, heavier tone – Purifier's eyes flashing with twisted enthusiasm.
In response, Kawakaze raised her sword. ''For you to show me... what you can do... without your overpowered gadgets...!''
Purifier threw her head back and cackled, bending at the knee. ''Hihihi... all you had to do was ask~!''
Without another word the Siren kicked off the water, shooting towards Kawakaze with more speed than the latter expected. However she didn't gain the title of Head of the Combined Fleet from tactical prowess alone. Matching Purifier's speed Kawakaze tilted her body out the way, bringing her katana down in a heavy overhead strike that merely bounced off Purifier's shoulder – earning a gleeful smirk from the psychotic Siren.
The Destroyer ducked under the arm that swung for her head, promptly flipping backwards to avoid the foot that shot towards her face. Not even half a second after she landed Purifier was on her, bringing a fist down towards her chest. Kawakaze wasn't stupid enough to try and block it, instead leaning out of the way and putting her sword in the way, letting the Siren's arm scrape along the blade and be diverted to the side.
''Nn!'' Purifier grunted as Kawakaze struck her side with a leg, using the momentum to put some distance between them. ''C'mon, y'gotta hit harder than that!''
In response Kawakaze lunged, sword passing mere inches from Purifier's face. The Siren grinned and suddenly opened her mouth – and bit her sword. The metal groaned under the pressure and before Kawakaze could react, the Siren jerked her head to the side, pulling her closer. An elbow struck her in the face, stars appearing in her vision from the hard blow.
A flash of light emanated from her free hand as a torpedo manifested in her grip, and without delay she shoved it up – striking Purifier's underarm. The Siren let out a sharp cry as the explosive detonated with a loud boom, the shockwave sending Kawakaze skidding backwards across the water – wincing as pain flared in her already-damaged hand again.
''Don't get distracted~!''
On instinct Kawakaze leaned back, avoiding the fist that went by her face by mere inches. She acted quickly, ducking low and swiping at Purifier's shins, noting the destroyed stocking. This time Purifier deigned to dodge, leaping over her blade and bringing her right leg down in a vicious axe-kick, one Kawakaze narrowly side-stepped.
She was unprepared however for a titanic wave of water to hit her, the sheer force behind Purifier's kick creating a shockwave through the water and sending Kawakaze skidding backwards on reflex. A wave of water lingered in front of her, nearly thirty feet tall – before the Siren burst through it with a maniacal grin, fist cocked back to punch.
''Tch!'' Kawakaze grit her teeth, bending her knees and kicking off the water – letting Purifier sail under her, missing by a wide margin.
The Destroyer flipped and landed a dozen feet away, but Purifier was on her before she could think, leg coming around in a roundhouse kick. Instinct took hold faster than her mind could, and she made the mistake of trying to block with the flat edge of her sword, bracing it with her left arm.
CRACK!
''Gah!'' Kawakaze cried out, her arm snapping with a painful crack and going limp. The sheer strength behind the kick was enough to send her skipping like a stone over the water, the only reason she remained afloat being her nature as a Ship-Girl.
Whether out of mercy or arrogance Purifier didn't press the advantage, giggling insanely to herself as she watched Kawakaze struggle back to her feet. It was nothing short of a miracle that her sword hadn't snapped in half, instead the force being transferred to her arm – though given the damage done, it could hardly be considered a worthy trade-off.
Kawakaze grimaced deeply, clutching her broken arm by the shoulder and wincing as red-hot pained shot through her. It hurt. It wasn't the worse injury she had, but it was certainly up there. She couldn't remember a time she had been thrashed so badly in battle. Sure, Warspite did a number on her in their bi-yearly spars, but that was just that; a spar. A means to improve oneself through suffering. Never had she actually struggled so hard on the battlefield, not since before Amagi's death...
''Hm, this is starting to get a little disappointing...''
Purifier's casual words drew Kawakaze's focus, a harsh scowl marring her expression. ''If you think this injury... will change your fate, you are mistaken...''
''Ehh~? I already know my fate, Tenran~'' Purifier cooed mockingly, spreading her arms out wide. ''But do you know yours~? 'Cause I do! I know all of them. Every little thread of fate, all the grains of sand in time, I know them all! I mean, I was designed to know them, being my job and all – but that's besides the point! I know how this will end.''
Her last line was spoken with such startling serious that it took Kawakaze off-guard, a chill racing up her spine. ''...and how will it end?''
Purifier grinned. ''Lots of ways! You sinking; you nearly sinking but escaping, only to sink on the way home alone; you sinking but doing something risky and barely injuring me; you sinking and dragging Battlecruiser Amagi with you; you sinking and- actually most of them end with you sinking, now that I think about it.''
On reflex Kawakaze glanced behind her, back at the reforming fleet. 'Amagi...'
The Siren followed her gaze, giggling. ''Yep, she sinks in plenty of those timelines too! Well, this is a divergence of the actual timeline, but you wouldn't know about that. Not that it matters anyway, Scharnhorst was never all that interesting to me – ahh, I'm rambling again. Guess it's just 'adrenaline', as you idiots say, ahaha~!''
Kawakaze let her laugh, mind racing for a plan. That was, until Purifier spoke once again.
''Mm, I wonder if I go hurt your wifey, that'll make you get stronger~?''
In an instant Kawakaze was in front of her, face alight with fury and lips pulled back into a feral snarl. ''Don't you dare!''
She brought her katana in a downward strike, and with almost-casual speed Purifier reached up and caught it – only to pause as the blade sunk into her palm, digging in an inch.
''Huh... interesting...'' Purifier noting, staring at Kawakaze's sword with interest – only infuriating the Destroyer further, what remained of her composure crumbling.
''Don't ignore me!'' Kawakaze snarled, about to pull her sword back. She was stopped as Purifier gripped the blade, the metal releasing a harrowing groan-
-before it snapped.
''...what...?'' The word slipped from Kawakaze's lips, stunned.
Purifier frowned as if disappointed. ''Hn... I was expecting more...''
The sudden roundhouse kick seemed to come out of nowhere, striking Kawakaze in the ribs and snapping several bones – a choked cry escaping the Destroyer as she was sent skidding across the sea from the force. With her frown still in place Purifier released the upper half of Kawakaze's blade, carelessly letting it drop into the sea.
''Ah well...'' The Siren sighed, shrugging off her own petulant disappointment. There were many more timelines to be examined; failure was the rule, not the exception. ''Do your thing~!''
Her words echoed around her, but the intangible presence of the Winter's Crown seemed to comprehend her desire – a low, hollow hum echoing across the entire battlefield as it powered up.
Kawakaze knew what it meant but was too weakened to flee – she couldn't avoid it when she was nearly at full power, she definitely wouldn't be able to dodge it this time either. She spun, ribs burning and left arm aching, facing the massive orb. The glow around it grew and grew until it reached its apex, and in a heartbeat the giant blue laser was beaming down at her, ready to engulf her.
She grit her teeth, gripping her broken sword in an iron grip with her remaining hand – and swung. She poured every ounce of anger into the swing – anger at being dismissed by Purifier, anger at failing to defeat the Siren who hurt her wife, anger at knowing once she was gone Purifier would kill the others, and go on to kill many others. Her rage bubbled beneath her skin, the very wind around her whipping up into a furious frenzy, as if she herself had become the storm.
Her broken blade hit the laser, and for a small, infinitesimal moment, it looked like she had stopped it.
Then the moment passed, and the laser engulfed her.
BOOM!
A titanic, concussive shockwave boomed over the battlefield, large waves kicked up from the force behind it – so powerful the clouds above were disturbed, forming a thin circle around the explosion.
Purifier stared at the explosion in surprise, a cold gust blowing past her and causing her ponytail to whip about, the deep-blue waves lapping at her feet. Something wasn't right. Her golden eyes stared ahead, watching the light bend and warp around the area where Kawakaze stood, a kaleidoscope of colours burning within the flare of mosaic light as space twisted and impossibly bent in on itself, the very fabric of this reality breaking.
That was new.
The Siren's brow furrowed as she searched for answers, but couldn't recall any notes from Tester about the laser other than it freezing targets solid and sapping their life force. She gazed deeper into the beam, pupils dilating as she stared beyond the physical. She stared through the beam and into what laid beyond, and found a raging blue energy within. One that was rapidly building.
Just as she saw it, a terrible screech echoed across the battlefield; one Purifier was intimately familiar with. The energy writhed and spiked, a thin arc lashing out and carving through the laser beam in a heartbeat – and from the side of the beam a bolt of blue lightning shot out, writhing through the air before zipped out of existence.
The damage was done though, the beam losing its form enough that the Winter's Crown merely shut the laser down. The light died down and left only wisps floating in the air, doing little to hide the presence that stood where Kawakaze should've been.
Purifier twitched, something not unlike a shiver slipping up her spine, her grin splitting her face.
This feeling... it was almost like she was standing in the presence of another Siren.
''Haah~? Now this is interesting...'' Purifier murmured, her voice carrying over to the figure opposite her.
The wisps faded enough for the Siren to actually see the Destroyer, blinking at the sight of her. She hadn't changed physically, but her katana had morphed into a nodachi and her broken arm had seemingly healed, though the torn clothes around it hadn't. However it was Kawakaze's eyes that attracted Purifier the most. They were glowing, a soft blue light emanating from them as they glared at her furiously, grey hair whipping over her pale face.
''Heeeeh~'' The Siren licked her lips, something in her chest bubbling. It took her a moment to recognise the feeling.
Danger.
Kawakaze slowly shifted, moving from one foot to the other. She looked down at her newfound sword with interest, but felt a strange detachment. An irritating buzzing lingered at the back of her mind, pressing down on her thoughts and making it hard to think. She grit her teeth, forcing back the foreign feeling and glaring at Purifier instead. She didn't understand what happened – but if the giddy look on Purifier's face was any indication, she did.
She bent at the knee, and in a heartbeat kicked off the ice around her feet, skipping across the surface of the water with speed that surprised even herself. She overshot, skidding past Purifier – but her instincts took hold, whipping her arm out and grabbing the Siren by the face, throwing her ahead.
Purifier's mad laughter rung in her ears even as she flipped backwards, skidding across the water to a stop. Kawakaze was on her in a heartbeat, sweeping her blade in a low arc. Purifier leapt over it, twisting her body and bringing her leg down in a vicious kick – one that Kawakaze blocked, a mild shockwave blossoming between them and sending the Destroyer stumbling back a step.
''That's it! More!'' Purifier gleefully crowed, charging her and lashing out with a barrage of wild but lethally accurate fists.
Kawakaze's lips thinned, tilting her blade repeatedly and redirecting the blows, most of the force behind them blowing past her. After the fifth strike she acted, taking a step back before stabbing her sword out – and piercing cleanly through Purifier's shoulder.
The Siren's eyes widened, but her gleeful smile only grew. ''You can cut me.''
No blood left her shoulder as the blade tore out, and Purifier let the Destroyer put some distance between them. Her breathing quickened and her smile nearly split her skin, the sense of true danger in her heart driving her mad. Her fingers clawed at air and she shivered, grinding her teeth together and flashing Kawakaze a toothy grin.
''Finally.'' Purifier breathed, golden eyes wild. ''I've been waiting.''
''What are you on about, Siren?'' Kawakaze spoke, voice easily crossing the distance – gaining almost a dual-layer quality to it, as if two people were speaking at once.
''I'm powerful, Tenran.'' The Siren laughed, yet her tone was deceptively soft. ''Even among Sirens I'm pretty strong. I didn't get my name for no reason, you know. I'm the one who purifies timelines and resets them. I was built to crush entire navies single-handedly. Nobody, in any timeline has hurt me as badly as you have. Nobody, over thousands and thousands of timelines, has made me feel so... so scared~!''
The Siren giggled, clutching her cheeks tightly – golden eyes peering between her fingers. ''I can't die. My physical body is just a medium for my soul. I can be reborn over and over again; it'll never end. Fighting amongst Sirens is prohibited; after all, only another Siren can truly kill a Siren. We're our own poison. Crushing ants starts to get boring, right? Killing you weaklings over and over... its maddening, it can drive even a machine insane.''
Purifier breathed, her arms dropping to her side. ''But not anymore... you can hurt me. I can feel it. You're like a Siren. Not like me; you weren't created by him. You're like those three. You've done what we've hoped... you've transcended.''
''Transcended...?'' Kawakaze tightened her grip on her sword, not liking where this was going.
The Siren laughed softly, slowly raising her arm up. Kawakaze tensed but Purifier didn't do anything, merely grasping at the air in front of her.
''The soul grows the fastest, when in danger of termination.'' Purifier said fondly, as if reciting an old memory. ''The Wisdom Cube is your soul, intricately connected to your being. Like us Sirens, you can be brought back even when you sink. You guys might be weaker, but we're all the same in the end... ah, I'm getting all sentimental...''
Purifier laughed again – but it was lighter, more genuine. ''Haah... look at me. My circuits are all fizzling out. Observer Alpha won't like that, she hates fixing those... ah well...''
Kawakaze tensed as the Siren laid eyes on her, a sharp edge returning to her eyes and signalling the time for conversation was ending.
''I don't know if you can truly kill me...'' Purifier breathed, a familiar insane grin stretching across her face. ''But you best try... one of us is sinking here, and I ain't going down without swinging, hihihi~!''
In a heartbeat Purifier crouched, one hand on the water before she kicked off with explosive force, the water erupting behind her. Kawakaze leaned out of her way, swinging her nodachi out in a wide arc and cutting the Siren's side, revealing the intricate machinery beneath the false skin. The Siren grunted as she passed, skidding to a stop and preparing to charge her – but Kawakaze was faster, appearing in front of her and throwing her hand up.
''Grk!'' Purifier let out a choked cry as a torpedo exploded in her face.
Despite her disorientation the Siren was far from helpless, ducking low just in time to avoid the blade sweeping for her throat – a thick chunk of her ponytail getting sliced off. Her arm snapped out to the side, grabbing a fistful of Kawakaze's kimono before she even finished her swing, yanking her down and straight into Purifier's fist.
Bone audibly cracked and Purifier grinned, feeling the Destroyer's ribs snap. Kawakaze bent like a card, something between a cry and a gasp escaping her as she felt her organs shift dangerously – before she was sent flying back, part of her sleeve ripped off and left in Purifier's grip.
Kawakaze unsteadily landed on the water, grimacing but forcing herself to stand. Thunder boomed overhead and she looked ahead, spotting Purifier racing towards her with a wild grin. Thinking fast she manifested a torpedo in hand and threw it straight at the approaching Siren. Purifier replied by sticking her hand out, catching it in her palm and letting it detonate away from her body, doing little damage.
''Hahaha~! Try harder~!'' Purifier cackled, sweeping an arm out and clearing the smoke-
-only to find Kawakaze no longer in front of her.
''Mn?!''
A blade jutted out her stomach, cleanly cutting through the metal inside her. Purifier grunted, swinging her arm out behind her – but Kawakaze was already gone, leaving a jagged wound in her wake. If she had organs it would've been debilitating, but as it stood it was only a minor hindrance.
Lightning flashed to her right, casting a shadow across the murky water. Acting fast Purifier swung an arm out, grinning as she blocked Kawakaze's downward swing. The nodachi sunk into her forearm down to the 'bone', but not deep enough to sever it. With speed not befitting a Battleship Purifier spun, throwing a fist that whistled over Kawakaze's head, the Destroyer ducking before throwing a torpedo point-blank and causing pain to erupt in the Siren's stomach as her false-skin was burned away.
''Nn...! T-That's it!'' Purifier cried gleefully, spinning around and batting aside the blade going for her spine. ''Hurt me! Kill me! Destroy me!''
Kawakaze obliged, and to Purifier's delight the Destroyer managed to go even faster, becoming nearly a blur around her – moving with such speed that Purifier struggled to track her, not designed to fight such powerful opponents. A cut appeared on her lower back and she reacted, lashing out with a snap-kick that struck Kawakaze's stomach, knocking the petite girl back with a stifled grunt.
Purifier turned to face the Destroyer, a bolt of lightning flashing above them, like the very storm around them was rising to match their ferocity. The Siren was about to lunge into an attack – when a distant, yet no less potent cry echoed over the stormy sea.
''Divine Marksman!''
A single loud boom was echoed by over two dozen cannons blasts, forming a cacophony not unlike thunder. Purifier turned to look, blinking as she saw a literal wave of gold, blue and red cannon shells soar over the sky – before impacting the Winter's Crown.
Instantly the machine shrieked, bolts of blue lightning arcing along its surface. The rain easily dispelled the grey cloud of dust, revealing a large chunk of the outer shell was obliterated, revealing the more intricate blue machinery beneath, burning and sparking. To human eyes it was nonsensical wires, box machines and computer terminals, but Purifier knew of the true consciousness within the Winter's Crown – a sleeping giant, rarely woken but titanic in strength.
A shame it wouldn't wake up. Not in this timeline, at least.
''There goes your super-weapon.'' Kawakaze noted, having to raise her dual-layered voice to be heard over the thunder and rain.
Upon hearing that, Purifier laughed.
''Who cares?!'' The Siren cackled, swivelling her head back to her opponent. ''Let it crumble! I don't give a crap about it! You... you are the one I care about, right now...!''
Kawakaze flashed her a thin smile. ''How coincidental. You are the sole focus of my attention too.''
Purifier didn't bother with words, laughing and kicking off the water, lunging towards her opponent. Kawakaze leaned out of the way but the Siren predicted that, suddenly twisting her body into a spin – back-handing Kawakaze across the face. A sharp snap echoed as her head jerked back and she stumbled, giving Purifier the time to follow up with a wild haymaker to the chest, feeling muscle and bone rip and break beneath her fist.
''K-Kah!'' Kawakaze coughed blood violently, expression screwing up with pain as she was sent skidding back, her knees nearly failing her.
Purifier had no more restraint however. With something not unlike blood-thirst she chased, leaping high into the air and bringing her foot down in a vicious axe-kick, forcing Kawakaze to leap to the side. Water erupted in a pillar around her from the sheer strength behind the blow, and the second she could Purifier twisted and lunged, cocking a fist back to hit the Destroyer.
To her surprise Kawakaze bent back, the fist narrowly swerving over her face by mere inches. The Destroyer flipped back and put some distance between them, throwing a torpedo mid-flip. Purifier tilted out of the way, allowing it to swim past her, but her moment of delay was enough for Kawakaze to launch towards her – having momentum on her side this time.
''Hnn!'' Purifier hissed through her teeth as the blade cut along her side, deep enough to be somewhat concerning. Her eyes lingered on the wound, eyes widening as she saw blue sparks dancing along it.
She spun to face the Destroyer, having enough time to see the strange, ethereal sparks dancing along Kawakaze's sword before the girl was upon her. On instinct she raised her hand, blocking the torpedo aimed for her face and causing an eruption of smoke to appear in front of her. Memory of what happened before flashed through her mind and she turned.
Not fast enough.
Time seemed to slow as Purifier looked over her shoulder, body twisting to face the threat. For a brief moment she saw nobody, before her eyes moved up. Kawakaze lunged from above, blue eyes aglow with transcendental power, her nodachi held in both hands overhead – a single jagged bolt of blue lightning connected from the clouds to her sword, as if the gods themselves gave her strength.
Purifier was captivated, and didn't try to block.
'Is this what the Creator calls...' She thought in awe. '...an Awakening?'
She never found out. In a heartbeat Kawakaze's blade descended with all the wrath of a storm god – a titanic, shrieking bolt of blue lightning utterly consuming her and Purifier with a deafening 'crack!'.
All around them a wave of seawater erupted from the force, mixing with the rain as it fell. The lightning lingered for only a second before it fizzled out of existence, leaving Kawakaze standing alone – her sword held out in front of her, but no target. There was no body of Purifier left. She had been completely, utterly annihilated.
As that thought struck her all strength seemed to leave her, the full weight of her injuries hitting her like a freight train. Kawakaze grimaced and sunk down to one knee, clutching her ribs with a pained expression. She would've laid down on the sea... but she had no desire to get a mouthful of seawater.
''Haah...'' Kawakaze winced, the very act of breathing becoming painful. Adrenaline helped wonders, but now without a threat to focus her attention on, the only thing she could focus on was the agony in her body.
She wasn't sure how much time passed before a hand suddenly landed on her shoulder, jerking her out of her haze. Kawakaze stiffened and nearly lashed out, had it not been for the familiarity of the hand.
''Amagi...''
''...I would ask if you're alright, but you are clearly not.''
Kawakaze smiled, but it came out more as a grimace. ''Mn.''
Amagi sighed exasperatedly, offering her a hand. Kawakaze took it, wincing as she forced herself upright, her bones painfully rearranging themselves. As long as she was careful she wouldn't die before she got back to base, she was certain.
''Only you would charge a Siren leader and win.'' Amagi remarked dryly, but there was a hint of fond exasperation in her voice – as if she believed this would happen all along. Kawakaze appreciated the confidence she held in her. ''Let's go home. You can tell me all about your interaction with the Siren later.''
Kawakaze only nodded, leaning on Amagi as the two slowly sailed away, joining the reinforcements.
X-x-X
A world away, in a place beyond time, the Siren known as Smasher wandered through the halls of their 'home'.
She had overheard from some of her comrades about the epic fight between Purifier and a Ship-Girl, so potent that it had apparently garnered the Creator's notice – a very rare, and frightening thought. For a mere Ship-Girl to achieve such a level of strength was impressive, though not unique. Key Point G, Key Point K and the rumoured Key Point A all had transcended from Ship-Girls, unlike Smasher herself, who was created by the Creator.
Finding Purifier's room Smasher stirred from her thoughts, not bothering with such formalities such as knocking – and brazenly opening the door.
''Hey Purifier, I heard you... got your ass... kicked...''
Smasher trailed off as she laid witness to the room before her. Kawakaze. The Ship-Girl was literally everywhere – the walls had a scary amount of photographs, the floor had a massive carpet with her face on it, even Purifier's needlessly-bouncy bed was now in the shape of the Ship-Girl. Adding to the disturbing image was several hundred dolls all in Kawakaze's form, in various sizes.
And sitting on the bed, was Purifier – playing dolls.
''Aw, stabby-stab! Now you're all dead~!''
''Bleh, but I wuv you Kawa-kan~!''
''No~! Fox laser~! Pew-pew~!''
Slowly, and perhaps wisely, Smasher quietly crept out the room and left Purifier to her creepy fantasies.
[END]