13c—Dusk's Reckoning, Finale

Inazuma and Urakaze climbed up the annex's stairwell until they reached the solarium on the topmost floor of the building. The pair stumbled upon more bodies strewn over an enclosed bar and lounge area, but the growing intensity of the battle on the open hall just ahead distracted them from the bloodbath. Each clash of the combatants shook the room, causing parts of the ceiling to collapse on them.

Not wanting to stall themselves any longer, the destroyers flung themselves into the heart of the action.

Engulfed in a glimmering glow of mag-ions, Sendai and the heavy cruiser Myoukou traded furious blows at each other. Their movements were almost a blur as they proceeded to lay waste to their immediate surroundings—flowerbeds were unearthed, furniture was reduced to splinters, and windows were shattered.

But despite the display of raw power, Inazuma knew that it was a losing battle for Sendai. While the light cruiser was outmaneuvering her opponent with her speed, sustaining her Overdrive was already taking a toll on her body, and it was only a matter time before she burns out her energy reserves completely.

On the other hand, Myoukou had no problems absorbing all the hits thrown at her direction. She had her eyes on the light cruiser's machete, which was the only weapon that posed a threat to her at that point. As long as she could parry the blade with her own, Sendai wouldn't be able to inflict any real damage to her, especially with all of her guns already out of commission.

As soon as the two cruisers disengaged, Urakaze saw the chance to fire at Myoukou with her turrets. "Inazuma, help Admiral out!"

Just ahead, she saw the commander taking refuge behind a concrete column as a barrage of projectiles tore down everything in its way. She scrambled to the middle of the hall and trained her turret to the source of the unceasing gunfire, but an arrow struck left thigh before she could fire a shell. Realizing her mistake, she retaliated with two consecutive shots before moving out of the enemy's line of fire, but the excruciating pain paralyzed her in an instant.

Exposed and helpless, she could only stare at the Navy group within the receding dusty veil. Akagi was there, along with the Kagerou-class destroyer Maikaze, Captain Tatsuki, and two more soldiers in heavily-fitted augmentation suits. Jintsuu was also with them, lying restrained and unconscious beside a cylindrical mag-ion field projector on the floor.

A grin splayed across the carrier's face as she was about to let loose another arrow, but an invisible force yanked her to the right, flinging her into a heap of broken bookshelves nearby.

"Good grief," the commander said, "you guys… were supposed to be our… backup."

Before she could respond, he pulled the destroyer to his side telekinetically. "Th-Thank you, Commander," she said, leaning against the column, "but did you really have to drag me across the floor like that?"

He peered around their cover and tossed a smart bomb at the enemy group. "Sorry… can't hear you over that… arrow sticking out of your thigh."

"You don't need to remind me," she clutched the arrow's shaft as she began purging the projectile with her mag-ions, "but more importantly, we need a plan to get Jintsuu back."

"I think… neutralizing their mag-ion field… is a great starting point for us."

His mocking tone aside, she could easily see that he was already in a terrible shape. He had noticeable puncture wounds and lacerations on his body, and the right sleeve of his jacket got torn off up just before his shoulder, exposing most his deformed arm. However, she deemed those injuries paltry to the gut feeling she was having towards him at that very moment.

Since she couldn't explain what it was exactly, it was starting to make her heart race with her thoughts. Her heart was pounding so intensely that she could faintly hear it resonating in her head.

His conscious effort to draw in air into his mouth was only making her more anxious.

I-Is he going to be okay… ? She squinted at him, pursing her lips. "C-Can't you use your telekinesis to destroy the mag-ion projector?"

He directed his glare at his bleeding forearm. "That experimental projector… also functions as an insulator, preventing external mag-ions to pass through the field."

Inazuma stared at his arm as well, noticing the deep puncture between his embedded terminal and the inside of his elbow. "U-Um… in other words… ?"

"My usual tricks aren't going to work within its influence. Plus… that carrier fleet girl is channelling her own mag-ions into the projector. We might need a battleship's firepower to… break through."

The destroyer winced as the arrow finally dissolved into a fizz of red mag-ions. Blood started to ooze out of the wound, prompting her to apply pressure over it. "But you can purge mag-ions, right? Like you did on Yayoi back in—"

"I can… but I won't."

"Wh-What? Why?!"

"Because I don't feel like dying just yet." He produced a syringe and took off its needle cap. "But the least I could give you is a compromise."

"C-Compromise?"

She then heard Tatsuki's voice further in the hall. "What now, Liberator?" he called out. "Are you still under the impression that you had us cornered here?"

Taking a deep breath, the commander administered the shot into his right upper arm. "I… I only want Jintsuu back!" he replied, wincing. "Nothing more!"

"I'm well aware. Who would've thought that it would be this easy to lure you out of the woodwork?"

He stood up and stepped into the Navy group's view, pointing his right hand forward. "Using her as insurance is smart, I'll admit. But it's clear to me that you didn't think this through carefully."

"Spouting more hollow words, I see. You can't shadow the fact that you're too weary to even use your VOKS unit effectively." The commander launched a couple adhesive discs at the field, bouncing off into different directions. "You walked right into this one, Liberator."

"And I'd say you've bitten more than you can chew."

The deflected discs exploded, obscuring their surroundings with smoke once more. The enemy group responded with gunfire while the commander made the leap on the other side of the hall. "Soften up the field for me!"

Despite the burning sensation in her leg, Inazuma was able to hop back on her feet. Allocating more mag-ions into her wound had sped up repairs to her puncture wound, restoring the damaged tissues in no time. Her damage control crew also told her that it wouldn't interfere with her movements, but their assertion was immediately put to the test as Maikaze left her post and pranced towards Inazuma.

Inazuma backpedalled while firing away with her shoulder turret, but the blonde fleet girl avoided all of her shots until she got close enough to launch her upwards with a kick to the chin. As if it wasn't enough, she immediately twisted her body midair and brought up her other foot backwards, hitting the other destroyer in the chest.

Maikaze touched the ground and dashed at Inazuma's falling form. "Follow that Tour jeté," she hopped into the air once more, "with the coup de grâce!"

With her left leg static and almost perpendicular to the ground, she whipped her body counterclockwise and performed a high sweeping kick using her other leg, her foot striking the Inazuma's stomach.

Inazuma, winded from the blow, crashed into the wall and fell into the remains of a harbor diorama. As she finally got her bearings back, Maikaze was already standing before her. S-She's too fast… !

"So, how would you rate that revoltade? Still practicing my moves, but I'm getting there!" Inazuma attempted to stand up, only to keel over towards the Navy destroyer. "I went easy on you, you know? But if you want a showdown that badly, then I won't ho—"

Multiple explosions rocked the building, filling the solarium with smoke once more. A few seconds later, the hall's water sprinklers doused the hall with a misty shower. "Huh… so you're the bait," Maikaze whistled, turning around. "One moment, please."

As she was about to return to her friends, a steaming Sendai swooped in from behind and landed a kick on her core structure. Maikaze skidded face-first on the watery floor, but she quickly performed a handspring to get back on her feet again. A pair of turrets extended out from her back as she took aim at Sendai, but Inazuma beat her to the punch with a direct hit from her shoulder mount.

At that same moment, Myoukou charged after Sendai from behind, but the sneak attack only managed to thrust through air as her opponent ducked at the last second and countered with a leg sweep. Caught off guard, the heavy cruiser fell down and sprawled on the floor.

A ruffled Maikaze reappeared from around the nearby column, training her turrets again. "Miss Myoukou! Are you okay?!"

"Enough!" Panting, Sendai grabbed Myoukou's collar and yanked her up to her knees. "You can't just take a hint, can you?"

"The feeling's mutual," Myoukou replied as she flicked her right wrist, producing an equipment card from her sleeve. "We've already provided your group more than enough opportunities to surrender, but you still choose to be a martyr for his cause."

The light cruiser brandished her bloodstained machete. "Tch, how dramatic. You're getting really annoying, so I'll just go ahead and finish you off here."

Seeing the rage contained within her eyes reminded Inazuma of the corpses she had come across on her way there. "S-Sendai!" she cried. "Don't!"

"And what, let them have their way with everything we've worked for from the very beginning?" Sendai's voice was exhausted, yet full of emotion. Inazuma had never seen her so upset before. "If you only saw the horrible things they were doing to Jintsuu, then you'd realize that they only deserve what's coming to them!"

A bright warm light enveloped Myoukou's remaining starboard battery. As the card in her hand vanished, the battery was replaced with a new one, its barrels already facing the light cruiser. Sendai wasn't given any time to react, much less move out of the way, as a pair of armor-piercing shell bored into her abdomen and escaped from her back.

Still standing, the light cruiser looked like she was more astounded than quivering in pain. She tottered a few steps backwards until she collapsed on her knees. Her blood gushed out of the holes in her midriff as she desperately tried to stop the flow with her trembling hands.

"Us fleet girls in the Naval Domain were trained to exercise maximum tolerance in situations such as this one," Myoukou said, stepping closer to Sendai, "but many lives were already compromised on your group's account. If this is the only way to stop you from causing any more trouble in the future, then we shall do so without reservations."

Inazuma hurried towards the cruisers, but Maikaze blasted her back with a salvo of explosive shells. She found herself lying next to the wall again, her arms throbbing due to the blast. "We'll have to cut this recital short!" Maikaze shouted. "Just give up already! You guys aren't helping anyone here!"

As she slowly propped herself up from the rubble, she caught sight of the clash between Urakaze and Akagi. The aircraft carrier, engulfed in a raging flare of red, overpowered her opponent with a single blow. As the destroyer was taken out of her stance, Akagi impaled her in the stomach with one of her transforming arrows.

Inazuma's blood ran cold. "N-No…!"

"I'm done with this nonsense!" Akagi brandished another blade in her free hand. "Let me show you what abominations like you deserve!"

Before she could deliver the final stroke, two consecutive shock waves erupted from the Navy group's entrenchment, blasting Akagi and her friends off their feet. While everything was being swept towards the other side of the solarium, Urakaze held her ground against the energy bursts so that she could grab Sendai afterwards and cover her escape with a spread of depth charges.

As the explosions swallowed the startled Navy fleet girls, Inazuma picked herself up and hid behind the nearest support column again. From there, she saw the commander standing motionless in front of the three soldiers. She started panicking, but Tatsuki and his men didn't seem concerned in the slightest. "Co-Commander! What are you doing?!"

Slowly, he further closed the distance between them until the rectangular field was within his reach. He had his left hand behind his back, clutching a smart bomb.

Tatsuki simply let out a chuckle. "Well, what did I tell you?" he said. "So, do you now realize how futile it is to stand up against us?"

As if to emphasize his statement, the Navy fleet girls leaped out of the large cavity in the floor and started to approach the commander. The three of them merely eyed their enemies as if they had already won.

And it was a fact that Inazuma couldn't possibly challenge.

Even when they were considerably damaged by Urakaze's bombs, it would be a foolish mistake to assume that they were now at a disadvantage.

"Not really," the commander replied, "let me give it another shot. I was made for this kind of grunt work, you know?"

Inazuma blinked. Made for…?

Tatsuki raised a palm up as his fleet girl subordinates surrounded the commander. "Are you, perhaps, stalling for time again? I'll have you know that you can't win this game of attrition, Liberator."

"But aren't you glad that I have the same plan as yours?"

Tatsuki's eyebrows twitched. "What do you mean?"

"Your true purpose so far in this game is to keeping wearing me down. Am I wrong?"

"Wear you down? What are you blabbering about now?"

"Remember the bullet that you shot me with back in the interrogation room? It was no ordinary cartridge, and I'm pretty sure it was designed specifically to hinder my abilities in some way. You guys were already anticipating that I would get a VOKS unit later on, so you sought to nip the problem in the bud while I was still vulnerable."

The Navy captain scowled. "You're talking nonsense!"

The commander shrugged in response. "However, the physical trauma you've inflicted only worsened my body's mutation. Thanks to you, I was able to achieve a certain level of control over my abilities that shouldn't be even possible without the conditioning prerequisite."

"Wh-What?!"

"Well, I tried to play along at first to stop those prying ears from getting all suspicious, but I find it more amusing that you didn't get the memo about that bit. A huge oversight if you ask me."

Tatsuki's composure faltered for a moment. "E-Even if I accidentally gave you access to your abilities, you're still weak enough to utilize them at their full efficiency! I at least know that much!"

"That's why I'll prove you wrong here and now."

"If you're planning to get yourself killed, then you should know that I wouldn't allow you take the easy way out from all of the crimes you've committed!"

The commander thrust his right palm up to the Navy officer's face. "I told you guys many times already—I don't intend to die just yet!"

"Seize him!"

As the Navy fleet girls were about to pounce on him, the commander activated his smart bomb, deploying a spherical mag-ion field around him. Akagi and her comrades stopped in their tracks upon entering the field, not able to move a single muscle.

Akagi struggled against the invisible force holding her body in place. "Wh-What is this… ?!"

"Use your Overdrive, Akagi!" Tatsuki said, stepping away from the commander. "Don't let him get the upper hand on us!"

The fleet girl complied with the order, engulfing herself in a crimson glow. However, she was only able to make small movements with her limbs.

The commander used this chance to charge up and unleash a point-blank telekinetic blast against the enemy's field, producing an electrical clap. The intense energy burst crushed the field completely as it sent everyone flying away.

But before Inazuma could even celebrate, the cylindrical projector reactivated in just a few seconds. The armored men and Akagi's group recovered just as quickly as they got up on their feet once more, flanking the commander lying on the floor.

A smile tugged the Navy captain's lips as he looked down at the commander's writhing form. "What a shame," he said, kicking him in the stomach. "All of that confidence earlier seems to be failing you now. I wonder where we should go from here, Liberator."

"L-Let him go!" Sendai screamed, pulling herself away from Urakaze.

"Should I finish her off?" Akagi asked the captain.

"She already has one foot in the grave, so don't bother." Tatsuki directed his gaze to the bloody light cruiser, analyzing her expression. "Tell me, Liberator. What are those girls to you exactly?"

The commander continued to groan in pain, unable to give him any coherent response. Tatsuki only shook his head at the miserable sight before him.

"You've developed a deep bond between these girls, and it's painfully obvious by just looking at how you treat your subordinates. It really was a stark contrast in the past where you had been avoiding them like the plague itself."

Inazuma bit her lip. Avoiding us fleet girls? What could he possibly—

"G-Get to the point…!" the commander screamed through his agony.

The Navy captain chuckled as he began flexing his fingers. "You have no idea how much it frustrates me that I won't be able to dispatch you here and now, but I could at least inflict a fraction of the grief and misery you've given to me since that dreadful day before I toss you back to the feet of my superiors.

"You were always so tight-lipped and restrained, presumably to avoid exposing your weak points to everyone. But you've made one fatal mistake and you only have yourself to blame for it."

Inazuma could now hear the whirring of rotors approaching from above. Their distinct pitch could only mean that the aircraft was a multipurpose VTOL carrier. R-Reinforcements…!

"Phew, they're finally here," Maikaze breathed out, pulling the commander up to his knees. "What took them so long?"

Myoukou, having received an elastic restraint from one armored marine, also approached the commander from behind and bounded his wrists with it. "We should hurry so that we can assist the others in repelling the Abyssals."

Maikaze jutted her thumb at Inazuma. "What about them though?"

"We were given orders to secure the Liberator, but—"

"I already have plans for them," Tatsuki said, "so you should concern yourself on the pressing matters at hand."

"I concur," Akagi replied. "As soon as we return to the headquarters and relay our report, we shall participate in the counteroffensive against the enemy fleets within Orion's waters."

Maikaze rolled her eyes. "Stop dodging the question! You guys keep roping me in to do weird ops, but you don't even trust me with secrets!"

"M-Maikaze!" Myoukou uttered.

"Come on, don't you sta—ahh?!" She pointed a quivering finger behind the heavy cruiser. "Eek! Get away from that creepy thing, Miss Myoukou!"

"Could you please stop playing aro—" A familiar spiny creature lunged onto Myoukou's back and injected its needle-like stinger into her nape. She let out a shrill scream. "G-Get off me!"

Her attempts to swat it away with her hands were fruitless as the sleek metallic creature had already detached itself from its stinger and hurled itself towards its next target. Tatsuki, however, was prepared as he snatched the creature midair and neutralized it with two point-blank shots from his pistol.

Amidst the commotion, Jintsuu suddenly got up and rushed at the unsuspecting marine behind the Navy officer. Akagi noticed her approach and flicked three of her transforming arrows into her direction. Two of the blades struck the light cruiser, but she endured the attack and took the soldier as her hostage.

"H-How did she get up?" Maikaze asked, assisting the vertigo-stricken Myoukou. "Did he use that icky thing to wake her up?"

"Of course," Akagi replied, "he wouldn't go all the trouble trying to break through the projector's field otherwise."

The recent turn of events only made Tatsuki more amused. "Was that your final ace in the hole, Liberator?" he asked, tossing the remains of the creature in front of the commander. "Relying on Abyssal familiars… you're gone far too deep into that hole of yours."

"Stand down and step away from my friends," Jintsuu said, narrowing her eyes.

Tatsuki faced the light cruiser and took a step forward. "Hmph, now this is an interesting development to witness."

She glared at him, shoving her forearm turrets on her captive's back. "I will kill him if you don't start moving this instance!"

"Kill, you say?" He gave her a smirk, gesturing towards her with an open palm. "Go ahead then—do your worst."

"I'm not going to repeat myself! This is your last chance!"

Her imposing tone was convincing enough, but Inazuma knew that it was nothing more than a bluff. Unfortunately, Tatsuki saw through the light cruiser as well, shooting the marine in the thigh. As the soldier collapsed, Tatsuki quickly shot her with his forearm-mounted gun.

The large-bore cartridge, which should have been deflected by Jintsuu's natural field, struck her chest and spew out a cone of pellets through her body, exiting out of her back in a bloody mist. The light cruiser collapsed with a dull thud, shuddering on the floor.

"Wh-What?" Maikaze uttered. "I-It actually wounded her…!"

While everyone was left astounded from what just happened, Sendai rushed at the Navy captain. However, Akagi intercepted her and knocked her down with a single chop of her hand. "J-Jintsuu!" the light cruiser cried.

Tatsuki turned to face the commander, observing his ghastly expression. "Why do you look so shocked? I did say that I was going to punish them, one way or another."

The commander snarled, scowling at the other officer. "Leave them out of this, Tatsuki!"

He pulled Jintsuu up by the hair and shoved the barrel of his forearm gun into the back of her head. "You've murdered the people that I cared most in this world, Liberator! It's only appropriate for me to reap my just reward, starting with this fleet girl!"

His eyes suddenly went wide. "N-No! I'm begging you! She's not—"

A sharp but hollow bang pierced the air for the second time, followed by a metallic chunk and some hissing. Inazuma couldn't bring to open her eyes at first, but the faint stench of blood in the air dragged her back to reality.

The moment she lifted her eyelids, she almost immediately choked at the sight of the coagulated trail of flesh and pellets on the floor. On the opposite end was Jintsuu lying in her own pool of blood.

The back part of her cranium had collapsed, exposing its innards to the elements. Inazuma wouldn't want to imagine the full extent of the damage inflicted by the pellets that had penetrated the cruiser's head.

Dying was one thing, but being killed in such a brutal fashion was a harrowing experience.

It sickened her so much that her legs could no longer support her own weight.

Tears streamed down the contours of her face while she focused her remaining willpower not to succumb to the despair spreading across her body.

Maikaze stared at the corpse in utter horror. "Ca-Captain…! Wh-Why did you—"

Sendai suddenly let out a primal scream. "Y-You monster…!"

Her uninhibited rage gave her the strength to escape Urakaze's grasp and rush at the captain, but Akagi knocked her down to her knees with a quick stroke of her hand. Tatsuki approached light cruiser, manually loading another cartridge into his gun. "And yet here you are, serving a much greater fiend than I'll ever become." Standing before her, he trained the barrel of his forearm module at her forehead. "I'll assure you that you'll meet him in hell soon enough."

It's happening again... but what should I do?!

Inazuma gritted her teeth, the sound of her heartbeat reverberating in full force yet again.

If we're all going to die anyway, then…

Then…!

"P-Please, stop!" Inazuma cried out. "Kill me instead!"

She was somewhat surprised herself that she was able to croak those words out of her throat.

Perhaps out of desperation? A spur of courage?

No, it was something almost bordering on the absurd:

Blind faith—a sliver of hope that could be their only ticket to get out of this horrible nightmare.

Commander… please…

I know you're still holding back something!

Tatsuki looked at her for a moment, narrowing his eyes. "Would you look at that? A volunteer." He turned his gaze to the trembling commander. "Perhaps we would get a more exciting reaction out of you if I dispose of her instead."

"I-I've had enough, Tatsuki," the commander said, eyes fixed on the floor. His shaky voice was barely audible over the whining rotors above them. "Not her… just stop this…"

"Hmph, did I actually strike gold just now?" Tatsuki smirked, walking towards Inazuma. "So, it is true that she's important to you in some odd measure. Perhaps even more than the rest of the girls you've recruited in your little group so far."

He finally looked up, giving him the most ferocious glare Inazuma had ever seen. "No, I'm more afraid of the things I might have to do if you keep this up. Stop this now, Tatsuki."

The sudden shift in his tone seemed to have quickened her heartbeat once more, progressing towards the unbearable.

Making the situation even worse, more armored marines started pouring into the solarium. One squad landed through the broken ceiling while another group opted to make their entrance through the gaping windows on the left. The rest of them appeared on both entryways of the hall, approaching their allies with great caution.

Tatsuki stood in front of Inazuma, putting on an irritated face. "All things considered, that detestable part of you is consistent." He glanced at Akagi, who proceeded to wrap an arm around the commander's neck. "Make sure not to wink—this will be the very last moment you'll see her breathing."

Inazuma looked up to the Navy captain, who lined up and shoved the barrel of his gun between her eyes. She closed her eyes in resignation as her chest felt like it was about to burst at any moment.

The throbbing crescendo in her head entered its climax, squeezing the air out of her lungs. On the verge of losing consciousness, she then heard a familiar voice:

Shortcake, I'll leave the rest to you.

Inazuma soon realized that the heartbeat she had been hearing wasn't hers.

It was the commander's.

Her eyes shot wide open as a wave of mag-ions crashed into her, shrouding her body in a wintery chill. Tatsuki was standing in front of her as if he was transformed into an elaborate statue moments ago.

"I think I'm done here," the commander said, removing his restraint with his telekinesis. "I'll give you what exactly you're hoping for, Tatsuki."

His voice reverted to a more imposing yet restrained tone.

His all-purpose modular pack transformed once more, emitting specks of mag-ions around his body. But unlike the first time she had seen it, he seemed to be calmer and in control despite the greater amount of energy he was projecting.

"Let me show you a glimpse of the wonderful things I can do when I get desperate."

As he crouched a bit and shielded his face with his arms, an explosive gust suddenly erupted from his body, launching everyone away from him. He collapsed to his knees afterwards as the fluttering light particles surrounding him suddenly froze and lost their luster. The specks expanded into a transparent gray shroud, blanketing the dimensions of the solarium in a couple of seconds.

Inazuma was breathless, eyes locked at her commander. A-An ethereal field…!? H-How?

His field instantaneously disabled all mag-ion devices within it, including the mag-ion projector that caused them a lot of trouble earlier. The soldiers who weren't caught in the telekinetic blast resorted to their conventional firearms, but their bullets instantly stopped short from their target just like what Inazuma had expected to happen.

Realizing the futility of their actions, the marines ceased fire and began to back away from him. Inazuma felt another chill running down her spine as the commander slowly stood up and lifted his chin. He had an impartial unresponsive look on his face as his eerily empty eyes focused on Tatsuki. His frame exuded a spectral haze due to the instantaneous and constant combustion of mag-ions around him.

In front of her, Tatsuki's frustration was laced with fear as he attempted to struggle against the telekinetic force facing him away from her. "S-So," the Navy captain croaked, "the monster lurking within that frail human shell has finally shown itself."

"Mo-Monster?" Inazuma uttered.

He let out a snicker. "All the proof you need is already standing before us. Are you perhaps feeling ashamed that you entrusted yourself to such a loathsome being from the start?"

Gazing into the commander's eyes, she couldn't help but feel that Tatsuki might not be far off from the truth. It was almost as if a completely different entity had taken control over the commander's body.

The dreadful aura emanating from the commander had stripped away almost everything she had come to know about him.

"This isn't over yet, Liberator!" Tatsuki shouted. "It's about time we put you back in your rightful place and end your selfish deeds once and for all!"

As if answering the sudden burst of courage, the captain's augmentation suit reactivated, its color shifting from navy blue to maroon. He broke free from the commander's telekinetic influence and fired at him with his shoulder-mounted cannon. As the commander was swallowed in the blaze, Akagi and Myoukou immediately rushed at him from both sides.

"Co-Commander!" Inazuma cried, standing up.

Her distress turned out to be unnecessary as she saw the commander's silhouette through the dissipating murky screen.

He was unscathed, walking away from the two bewildered fleet girls behind him.

"H-How…?" Myoukou uttered as she collapsed to the floor.

The aircraft carrier's arrow blades, which somehow disappeared from Jintsuu's body, found themselves lodged in her torso. On the other hand, Akagi herself sustained similar injuries with the very same arrows she had been carrying within her quiver.

A scarlet blaze of mag-ions exploded out of Akagi as she rushed at him once more. "You impudent—!"

The commander pivoted on his heels just before she could get to him and launched her outside the building with a devastating yet precise telekinetic blast. Myoukou and a few of the soldiers were sent flying next, their screams fading as they were scattered throughout the observatory's perimeter.

"Don't just gawk there!" Tatsuki shouted at Maikaze, releasing another blast from his cannon. "Do something!"

What came next was a combined assault of the armored marines in an attempt to subdue the commander, but none of them even came close hitting him with a single bullet.

Of course, that would be only what one should expect from a person who could somehow pop in and out of existence for short periods of time. The commander used this ability to great effect, either allowing him to close in to his opponents or to get out of harm's way in an instant.

The commander himself had become vicious in his approach. Instead of stripping away their weapons and augmentation suits, he pacified the soldiers with point-blank telekinetic strikes. Screams for help and mercy broke out as the hapless marines were crushed within their armors, unable to move a single limb.

Tatsuki's group never stood a chance.

Amidst the commotion, Urakaze lumbered towards her side as she carried Sendai. "I-Is this the admiral's true power?" Urakaze said, setting down the injured cruiser. "B-But why did he use it only just now? He could've save Jintsuu if he—"

Urakaze stopped short as her gaze slowly came down on Sendai. The light cruiser didn't seem to have heard her as she had her undivided attention on the ongoing battle before them.

Inazuma shook her head. "S-Something doesn't feel right about it though..."

"Y-Yeah, never seen him like that before." She narrowed her eyes. "No, maybe I did. That one time when—"

Accompanied by a sharp tingling running up her spine, her ears started ringing again. An exasperated voice beckoned her from the action and into the inner recesses of her psyche:

"Inazuma… ! Thank the Goddess, it worked!"

"M-Miss Mica?! How can you—"

"No time! Explain the situation for me!"

The urgency in Mica's voice made her panic a bit. "T-The commander deployed this ethereal field and—"

"I knew it!" The technician let out a frustrated growl. "Why now, of all times?!"

"Wh-What's happening to him?"

"His trance-like state that you're seeing is the result of him maintaining Psyche Drive past its limit. He'll get himself killed if we don't stop him now!"

"Wh-What do you mean by that? He's winning this battle for us!"

"Psyche Drive taxes the brain more than the rest of the body! The mag-ions surging within his body, along with the chemical imbalances in his brain, will cause his organs to collapse all at once!"

"T-Then, what should we do?!"

"You have to knock him out!"

"K-Knock him out?! Is there any other way?"

"W-Well… you could try destroying his VOKS unit… but that would be much more difficult to pull off!"

"B-But that's… if the others can't even hit him… then…"

"As long as he has his ethereal field up, I won't be able to access his terminal and apply the necessary fix into his bloodstream!

"Inazuma, please! I can't afford to lose him too!"

Urakaze suddenly tackled her down as one of Maikaze's shells flew over them. "Inazuma, snap out of it!"

Inazuma looked up just in time to see the blonde destroyer launching herself towards the commander's blindside, but he disappeared just before her foot could connect to him. Not a second later, he reappeared behind Maikaze and launched her through several floors down the building.

However, Tatsuki was able to hit him with his mag-ion cannon, sending him against the wall. As he deployed a jet-black blade from his forearm module, the captain launched another blast just as the commander disappeared once again. He pivoted clockwise and swung his blade in a horizontal arc just as the commander materialized behind him, catching him by surprise.

The commander was forced to block the attack with his forearm module, causing its screen to shatter in a fine shower of crystals. His impassive expression faded just as quickly as his face twisted into a scowl.

"Y-You might have those powers," Tatsuki said, "but you're still a novice in combat!"

With a vicious roar, the commander grabbed the Navy officer's neck with his right hand and lifted him up in the air. The mag-ion receptors in his palm radiated a silver glow that slowly enveloped Tatsuki.

As he was completely consumed in the commander's mag-ions, the silver shroud dimmed to a darker hue before exploding in a gust of disruptive energy around them. Tatsuki's augmentation suit suddenly collapsed to the floor while the rest of his MAUs reverted back into their respective card states.

Still, the commander wasn't satisfied. He tightened his grip on the captain's neck. Tatsuki struggled against the hold as he grabbed onto his forearm, but the commander didn't budge at all.

Inazuma quickly got up to her feet. "H-He wouldn't, would he?" she asked.

"Th-That bastard had it coming," Sendai said.

"I-If this continues… commander will definitely…"

"Wh-Why do you care?! He… he killed Akatsuki and Jintsuu! If given the chance… I'd take his life with my own hands!"

Inazuma looked down at the fuming light cruiser in utter disbelief. "Ho-How could you say that… ?" She sought solace as she directed her gaze to Urakaze, but the blue-haired destroyer didn't seem to share the same sentiment. "M-Miss Urakaze, are you just going to watch him do this too… ?"

"Th-This is his battle," she replied. "And Sendai's right, y'know? I don't care what happens to him."

"The commander's—" Inazuma shook her head. "Y-Your admiral's situation won't get any better with a dead Navy officer in our hands!"

Urakaze was growing more and more uncertain, but she managed to croak out a response. "I…. I can't interfere if this is what he truly wants to do!"

Fright and frustration bubbled up inside Inazuma. She couldn't even imagine Urakaze would let him do such a thing. "B-But… but…!"

Tatsuki's limbs started to flail wildly as the commander squeezed the life out of him. Inazuma could vividly remember the look on the commander's face back when Lieutenant Ichiro attacked them in the mausoleum a few days ago.

The same cruel ferocity in his eyes, brimming with deadly intent…

No, I have to try! This has to stop now!

Inazuma used her newfound courage as a springboard to make the leap towards them. "Co-Commander, please stop! We've already won!"

The commander didn't acknowledge her presence as he continued to press his fingers into the captain's neck. Inazuma clenched her teeth, grabbing his free hand. "Commander, listen! We should just leave them alone and escape while we still have time!"

As she began pulling his hand, the commander finally looked at her. "The commander I know wouldn't do something like this! So, please let him go!"

His expression slackened for a moment, releasing the captain from his grasp. "No!" Urakaze suddenly shouted. "Inazuma, get out of there!"

Before she could look over her shoulder, the commander leveled his palm at her face and enveloped her body with his mag-ions. Inazuma braced herself in response, producing bluish electric sparks from her natural field.

She was left confused for a moment as nothing happened to her, but the commander pointed at her chest instead and sent her flying across the other side of the hall. The blow felt like she took a swing from a sledgehammer, squeezing the wind out of her lungs.

Mica's panicked voice rang inside her head once again. "I-Inazuma, are you okay?!"

"Y-Yeah," she replied as rubbed her aching chest, "my shield really helps a lot in situations like this."

"W-Wait… that MAU of yours is still working? Inazuma, you have a way better shot at this than I initially thought!"

"W-Why are you getting so excited?"

"You didn't know? He must have installed it when you weren't looking or something…

"Anyway, you have a special device on your person that reinforces your natural mag-ion field against his VOKS modules. Producing more mag-ions can even prevent him from using his telekinetic abilities on you!"

"A-Ah!" Inazuma recalled that the commander did stick something on her core funnel earlier. "I-Is that what he meant by insurance...?"

"You only have to look out for his psychokinetic attacks—those always travel in a straight line. Watch his movements carefully, and you'll be able to dodge them!"

"Th-Thank you, Miss Mica!" She propped her body up with her elbows. "I-I'll give it another shot!"

Back on the other side of the solarium, he turned his attention back to the Navy captain scrambling towards the exit. He seized Tatsuki within a telekinetic field and pulled him just before his feet. As Sendai's machete flew into his hand, he stomped on the captain's stomach again and again.

He continued to lay down his punishment as he admired the blade in his hands. His blank and unchanging expression was unsettling, masking the animosity he had yet to show to everyone around him.

Seemingly satisfied from the beating he had given to the trembling Navy officer, the commander made him rise on his knees and brushed the blunt side of the blade against his cheek. Tatsuki, now wearing a dark red streak on his face, looked up to him with genuine fear in his eyes.

"Commander, stop!"

As Inazuma ran towards the two officers, the commander trained his right palm at her direction. She felt a warm burst of wind grazing her body before sensing the real threat speeding towards her: an invisible pocket of concentrated kinetic energy.

Realizing that she had missed her cue, she stopped in her tracks and deployed her shield's mag-ion field. The resulting collision made her legs shaky as she skidded back to where she had landed earlier.

I-It's almost instantaneous! Inazuma winced as the commander raised his machete, aiming to behead Tatsuki in a single stroke. I… I won't make it!

Just as the commander made the swing, Urakaze lunged towards them in her Overdrive state and knocked the knife out of his hands with a sweep of her leg. The distance that she covered in a mere second was just remarkable, but it was still not enough to escape the commander's counterattack. He simply launched her away and pinned her against the wall with his telekinesis.

His machete started floating in the air, training its curved end at Urakaze's center mass.

N-Now's my chance!

Adrenaline surging in her veins, Inazuma dashed towards the commander once more and fired a time-fused explosive shell at him. Just as she had been hoping for, he was forced to accommodate the incoming projectile just before it could reach him. With the split-second distraction, the shell detonated just as he was about to launch another telekinetic attack, knocking him away from Tatsuki.

Upon reaching the final stretch, Inazuma flung her anchor towards him. As soon as the commander disappeared, she activated her winch to half power while she swung the anchor in a circle. Its chain managed to snag the commander as he materialized on her left, wrapping itself around his body. Wasting no time, she powered her winch to its maximum torque to pull the ensnared commander towards her and slam her shield against him.

Despite the crushing blow, the enraged commander was still struggling from his bindings.

"W-Why…?" Tatsuki asked. "Why would you purposely throw your life away for that monster…?"

Inazuma's lips quivered as she looked down at the commander's writhing form.

You, Akatsuki, and the others... you don't have to get involved in our affairs. Don't throw your future away like that.

At the very least, not for someone like me.

She shook her head, stifling the urge to cry. "I… don't know…"

"Don't take me for a fool! There must be a deeper reason! Did he coerce you into joining his group? Was it because you've helplessly fallen for him? Give me an answer!"

"…a promise," she breathed out.

"Promise?" He scoffed. "So, it all falls back to him after all."

"Y-You can think what you want about it, and I don't blame you. There are plenty of things that I don't understand just yet, and that's exactly why I can no longer bring myself to turn a blind eye to them.

"I admit that there were more than enough times that I consciously went against my better judgment. I also won't deny that I'm constantly scared of the consequences of my own decisions. But that's okay—us fleet girls are more than just weapons now.

"If this is the path that I needed to take to realize that promise, then I just have to keep moving forward. As the secretary fleet girl of his unit, you can't expect me to give up and abandon him right now!"

The commander's body was suddenly engulfed in a fluctuating silver glow, the mag-ions in his body increasing at an alarming rate. Inazuma was left with no choice but to subdue him completely with a shell dart. As a result, the ethereal field within the solarium faded away almost instantly.

"Y-You actually did it!" Mica's voice was teeming with joy. "Lemme take the rest from here! Just hang in there, okay?!"

Tatsuki forced himself to stand up. "S-Such conviction wasted for the wrong cause," he said. "You're a disappointment and nothing more."

Inazuma made a small smile. "You don't have to feel that way. After all, you're not my commanding officer."

She was about to remove the chain around the commander when multiple explosions erupted from the lower floors of the building.

"Do you hear that?" He let out a nervous laugh. "No matter how much you struggle, all of your efforts won't amount to anything! More reinforcements are on their way here!"

Urakaze walked up to the captain and silenced him with a quick right hook to the side of his face. "We gotta hurry up." She then crouched beside Inazuma and helped her untangle the commander. "We can't afford to be cornered again."

Behind them, Sendai tottered towards the machete on the floor and picked it up. As Inazuma glanced over her shoulder, the light cruiser was already approaching Tatsuki's unconscious form.

"S-Sendai?" Inazuma stood up and placed herself between them. "P-Please put that down."

"I rarely ask for anything, so let me have this one. Please."

Her voice was small and rigid, devoid of emotions. Any trace of the relaxed and happy-go-lucky fleet girl was extinguished in an instant.

"J-Jintsuu would never let you do something like this!"

A spark of hatred and fury lit Sendai's eyes. "It's because of him that she isn't here anymore. Step aside."

Inazuma was taken aback from her sudden change of disposition. "S-Sendai! Please sto—"

Sendai suddenly shoved her to the side and lunged at the officer. Fortunately, Urakaze was able to intercept Sendai at the last second, catching the blade with a single hand. "Inazuma's right!" Urakaze said. "Pull yourself together!"

Tears traced the contours of Sendai's cheeks. "Sh-Shut up!" she cried, pushing the knife towards Urakaze. "H-He doesn't deserve to—"

"Enough!" Inazuma's commanding tone brought the light cruiser out of her trance. "Please… it's already over! If we don't work together now, Jintsuu's death here will be pointless!"

Sendai suddenly recoiled as the machete fell out of her hands. She stared down at the bloodstained knife, looking a bit conflicted. After that brief moment of hesitation, she let out a shaky breath. "Pointless, huh?" she muttered, rubbing her tears with her forearm. "Y-You don't have… to tell me that..."

Inazuma could feel her tears leaking out of her eyes. "I-I'm sorry…"

"Don't be, because there's no way I'd forgive him." She narrowed her eyes. "I'll have another shot to settle things with him later."

"S-Sendai…!"

Urakaze scooped the machete off the ground and handed it over to the light cruiser. "Good to see you got some fight left at least," she said, returning to the commander's side. "We're not out the woods just yet."

Without another word, Sendai slowly turned around and staggered to where Jintsuu had wound up in their recent battle.

Inazuma grimaced. Witnessing the light cruiser's outburst brought some horrible memories back to the forefront of her mind.

She was reminded how powerless she was… how inconsequential her existence was in the grand scheme of things. In turn, the anger and frustration in her heart started to resurface, spreading through every vein in her body.

As she wallowed in her self-pity, a new voice intruded her head:

"Hmm… you seem to be doing a bit of introspection right now, but you and the others have to get out of there as soon as possible."

Inazuma snapped into attention. "M-Miss Nerine?!"

"I've already reached my limit, so it's only a matter of time before they overpower me. Exit through the northern gate—one of Urakaze's companions is waiting beyond there."

"H-How about you?"

"Come now, do you truly believe that I would fall in a place like this?" Her voice exuded cool determination. "I'll be right behind your group shortly."

As if she had heard the abyssal cruiser's message, Urakaze hoisted the commander on her shoulder and ran to the window. "We goin' or what?!" she called out.

Inazuma followed suit, only stopping a few seconds later to look over her shoulder. "S-Sendai!"

Kneeling beside her sister ship, Sendai only looked over her shoulder. "Go ahead," she replied. "I'll catch up when I'm done here."

"A-Alright." She grimaced, looking at Jintsuu for the last time. Thank you for everything.

Exchanging nods with each other, the destroyers leaped through the window and landed on a fenced patio covering the annex's grounds. They set their sights on the gate just ahead of them and started moving, but a huge explosion from the inside demolished the wall to their right, surprising the pair.

A shadow slipped through the smoke and darted towards Urakaze, but Inazuma placed herself between them to intercept the incoming punch with her shield. The overwhelming blow sent her skidding backwards across the pavement.

"Inazuma!" Urakaze cried.

Inazuma managed to retain her stance, but she was now struggling to calm her trembling limbs. Gritting her teeth, she entered into her Overdrive state as she launched a glare at the ponytailed fleet girl standing before them.

I-It's her… I have to go all out if I want to have a chance against a fleet girl of her level!

"I'm sufficiently impressed that you were able to reach this far," Yahagi said, flexing her right hand. "But it's about time we put an end to this foolish nonsense, Inazuma."

She could sense multiple mag-ion signatures converging from within and around the building. Based on their numbers alone, a direct engagement with them was simply unthinkable. Any attempts to elude their pursuers would be pointless as well. Navy carrier planes were already roving the airspace in various altitudes, ready to pounce on them at any given moment.

No matter what they do, they would be just delaying the inevitable. This realization fueled her frustration even more, boiling closer to her breaking point. "Miss Urakaze, keep going!" Inazuma aimed her shoulder turret at Yahagi. "I'll hold her off!"

Urakaze hesitated, but she made up her mind just as quick. She gave her one final nod before bolting towards the gate.

Yahagi glanced up to the sky. "Don't press your luck."

A lone bomber broke out of the CAP formation and made a steep dive towards them. It released its payload across the gateway, blanketing the area within a sprawling inferno after the initial blasts.

Inazuma looked back in horror as she caught sight of Urakaze and the commander lying near the raging blaze. In a fit of anger and desperation, she repeatedly fired at Yahagi with explosive shells. The first shot connected, but the light cruiser was barely damaged as she weaved towards her with speed and precision. Upon getting close, she launched a right hook at the destroyer.

Inazuma dipped low to avoid the attack, but the punch was only a feint. Yahagi grabbed the back of her head and rammed her knee into her face. As she staggered backwards, the cruiser snatched her outstretched right arm and quickly twisted it as she moved behind her. The bout of pain from that maneuver was instantly dwarfed when Yahagi performed an elbow strike into her own, producing an even louder crunch.

Losing her Overdrive state, Inazuma collapsed face first into the dirt soundlessly. A few seconds later, she let out a bloodcurdling scream that could be heard from the heavens. The excruciating pain from her dislocated shoulder and elbow caused her whole body to twitch and shudder violently.

As the pain subsided to a more bearable threshold, Inazuma recalled her core structure so that she could roll on her back and raise her left arm at the Navy fleet girl. Just like before though, Yahagi only stood there with an indifferent look on her face. Inazuma fired her shield turret as her final attempt to turn the tables, but the light cruiser seemingly had a sleight of hand as she caught the shell dart before it could reach its mark.

She was about to fire another dart when the Navy cruiser pinned her arm down with her foot. Wearing a disappointed expression, Yahagi examined the projectile closely between her thumb and index finger. "An abussosium-tipped dart," she muttered. "Quite a novelty you got here."

While Inazuma was struggling to pull her arm out, Yahagi stomped on her elbow with her other foot. Tremendous pain jolted her whole body once more as she squirmed against the cruiser's weight, but the Navy cruiser wasn't quite done just yet. She hovered over her body and executed a palm strike into her lower spine.

Inazuma's agony was compounded with panic and horror upon realizing that she could no longer feel her legs. She flailed her arms as if it would alleviate the physical and mental anguish ravaging her consciousness, but it only worsened the throbbing of her shoulder muscles.

Her cries of torment were answered by Urakaze, who knocked the light cruiser away with a cannon blast. Yahagi recovered from the attack, darting to her right as more shells headed her way. As she made an arc towards Urakaze, a blurry figure rocketed straight to Yahagi's blindside from above.

It was Sendai.

Yahagi spun sharply to intercept the incoming threat, but she raised her guard a second too late as her assailant managed to gash her arm. Sendai slid past her and renewed the assault, pouncing from behind. Meanwhile, Yahagi stood her ground and anticipated her opponent's approach.

As Sendai was about to land a hit square on the side of her neck, she crouched down and pivoted to her right in one swift motion. Not only she was able to avoid the attack, she even landed an elbow jab underneath her rib cage. Sendai didn't let up as she went for another swing, but Yahagi caught her wrist and twisted it upwards, snatching the machete as it fell out of her hand.

A massive burst of energy erupted from the Navy cruiser, covering her frame in a deep red hue in an instant. Even with the huge amount of mag-ions surging within her body, she looked composed and relaxed. Slowly, she leveled her hand over Sendai's stomach and struck it with an open palm, producing a crimson wave of mag-ions between them. Engulfed in a blazing yet unstable white glow, Sendai was sent skidding away until her back was almost touching the flames at the gateway.

"Impressive," Yahagi said, inspecting the large knife for a bit. "You took the blow without flinching."

Sendai had used her Overdrive at the last second to withstand the attack, burning up most of her mag-ions in her body. All of the wounds and other injuries that her damage control crew had been repairing were undone almost instantly. As blood flowed out of the wounds in her abdomen again, Sendai was struggling to maintain her stance. Her legs looked like they were about to give way at any moment.

Meanwhile, two fleet girl units arrived from each side of the building. They immediately trained their weapons at Sendai and Urakaze, the latter carrying the commander on her shoulder once again.

Inazuma let out an exasperated whimper.

With all of her limbs out of commission, what could she possibly do to help her friends?

Eyes closed, Yahagi seemed to have reached her own solution for that particular dilemma as she held up an equipment card between her fingers. A portable turret appeared in her free hand, its barrels already pointing at Sendai's head.

"For making a stand against the might of the Naval Domain, I couldn't say that I wasn't impressed by your group's audacity." Her crimson eyes opened again, reflecting the flickering flames before her. "I promise that your deaths will be quick and painless."

Inazuma had her eyes fixed at Yahagi, awaiting the execution. I'm sorry, Commander. I couldn't protect everyone… !

As the light cruiser was about to pull the trigger, an arrow struck her turret between its barrels. The lone talisman tied around its shaft emitted a purple glow, consuming Yahagi in a huge explosion.

Before anyone could process the surprise attack, more arrows soared above them and transformed into miniature planes. The bombers took care of the ground units while the fighters went to the intercept the Navy planes on combat patrol. Their coordinated assault was quick and ruthless, keeping the reinforcements at bay.

Amidst the storm of projectiles and explosions, a familiar fleet girl burst out of the flames. She approached Urakaze and Sendai, giving each of them an express repair shot. "Sorry for the wait!" Tanikaze tossed a depth charge behind her. "Shouhou told me to wait for her signal, so don't nag me for it!"

A greenish-blue torrent erupted from the bomb, dousing the area with soapy fire retardant. In a span of a few seconds, the flames blocking the gateway shrunk to half of its previous intensity.

"Get Inazuma," Urakaze told her. "We're bailin' out!"

"Gotcha!" Tanikaze made her way to Inazuma, producing another repair serum. "You ain't got to worry one bit, Chief! We'll get out of 'ere in no time!"

Inazuma felt relieved, but it was quickly overshadowed by dread as she felt a huge energy spike generated from a certain fleet girl. "T-Tanikaze, watch out!"

The Kagerou-class destroyer rose just in time to block a fierce straight from Yahagi, but at the same time she accidentally crushed the serum in her grasp. Both of them skidded backwards, struggling to get the upper hand.

"That was our last serum!" An explosive silver aura enveloped Tanikaze. "You've really done it now!"

Yahagi smiled in response. "You girls are just full of surprises, aren't you?"

The Navy cruiser suddenly broke up from the tussle as she sidestepped to the left, causing the destroyer to stumble forward. As she brought up her machete and went for the kill, the destroyer summoned a pistol-like turret in her hand and shot her from behind with an explosive shell. The two fleet girls were blasted away, gaining some distance between them.

Inazuma had been watching the battle unfold with the help of a bridge fairy, growing uneasy. Her mag-ion control is impeccable, but she seems more relaxed compared to when she was fighting me just now. Her eyes widened as she looked back up to the sky. S-She's stalling!

"Tanikaze, that's enough!" she shouted, pulling her body up as far as it would allow her. "Get out of here!"

"We ain't leaving you behind!" Tanikaze replied. "Did you forget the reason why we came 'ere?!"

Inazuma glanced at Yahagi standing on her left. "I-I'm done for anyway! Just go!"

"We've already lost Jintsuu, dammit!" Sendai said, preparing herself to lunge at the Navy cruiser. "We're getting out of here together!"

Urakaze grabbed the cruiser's arm. "Stay put, Sendai!" she said. "You're gonna waste your repair serum!"

"A-Are you telling me that we're just going to abandon her?!"

"U-Urakaze, please!" Inazuma cried. "Leave now before it's too late!"

Wearing a fierce expression, Urakaze made a sweeping gaze of her surroundings until her eyes settled back on Inazuma. She gave her a resolute nod before turning around. "Tanikaze, Sendai! Let's move!"

The other two fleet girls were visibly appalled by her decision, but the counteroffensive of the Navy reinforcements quickly tipped the scale to her favor. They had to get out of there, fast.

Tanikaze bit her lip as she looked at the crippled destroyer for the last time. "We… we'll come for you later!" she said, running after Urakaze. "I promise!"

The two destroyers leaped over the dwindling wall of fire, but the light cruiser didn't follow just yet. She just stood there staring at her right hand, which was caked in her own blood.

Just then, a unit of fleet girls jumped at the opportunity to surround the unmoving light cruiser, demanding her to stand down. "S-Sendai!" Inazuma shouted. "Wh-What are you doing?!"

Two fleet girls sneaked behind her so that she could be restrained, but Sendai sprung backwards and shoved an elbow into the stomach of the nearest fleet girl. As the Navy destroyer doubled down, she used her shoulder to boost herself up in the air and hit the other fleet girl with a sweeping kick. The rest of them weren't able to retaliate when Sendai seized her first victim with a chokehold.

Unleashing her Overdrive, the destroyer struggled from the hold while her captor started dragging her away from her unit. Sendai gave herself a power boost with her own Overdrive, eclipsing the destroyer's aura with her own.

Inazuma gasped, marveling at her flickering shroud.

Aside from the usual crimson glow surging out of her body, there was also a soft orange layer covering her frame. I… I could feel Jintsuu's mag-ion signature with her own! D-Did she… ?

Sendai looked at Inazuma with a tinge of regret and sorrow gleaming in her eyes, but she grinned regardless. "All of you are pathetic!" she shouted, fishing out three equipment cards from the destroyer's skirt pocket. "You might want to try harder next time!"

"S-Sendai?!"

She activated the cards, arming herself with two light-caliber guns and a depth charge dispenser. She immediately put the latter to good use as she lobbed a spread of depth charges at the other fleet girls. The simultaneous blasts razed the immediate surroundings, covering the cruiser's escape.

Inazuma plopped herself against the ground. Closing her eyes, she could sense Sendai's mag-ion signature fading in the distance. "S-She did it…"

"You seemed relieved."

She grimaced as she looked up to the ponytailed cruiser towering next to her. "Wh-What's with you?"

"Pardon me?"

"Y-You're just toying with us. You let them get away…"

Yahagi grunted. "What are you talking about? This operation of ours is still a success. Even if the Liberator manages to escape the island later, he won't be able to do anything rash as long as we have you in our custody."

Frustration bubbled up within her once again. "S-Stop mocking me. I already know you held back." She balled her left hand. "And despite that, I still didn't put up a fight against you!"

The cruiser's eyebrows twitched. "And what if I did hold back?"

"Even though I have a distaste for fighting, it still hurts that I was beaten so easily like this…" She started to break down, tears leaking out of the corner of her eyes. "I've never felt so useless. If only I was stronger… then I would be able to protect all of my friends!"

"Us fleet girls were given human flesh to specifically address such a problem." She raised her hand, flexing her fingers. "The capacity to grow stronger and surmount the impossible—it is the most powerful ability in your arsenal that you have failed to utilize."

"Stop that! I know what my limits are!" Sobbing, she tilted her head slightly to the side. "A destroyer like me… can't stand up against—"

"Wrong." Her voice became more imposing. "You're weak because you're full of excuses. You always have the potential to become stronger."

"Y-You're lying… I didn't even stand a chance…"

She brought out a lime-colored syringe from her belt pouch and kneeled beside the destroyer. "Hmph, you'll be given plenty of time to reflect on it along with your crimes." She narrowed her eyes. "And make no mistake—I'll make sure you won't slip out of our grasp again."