*Disclaimer - I Do Not Own the Copyright for Azur Lane or Kingdom Hearts. All Characters and rights belong to their respective property owners.

*A/N - Sorry for the wait, had some stuff pop up which delayed the chapter further than expected. However, Kingdom Hearts 4 got announced and we even got a trailer. I recall being awake in the middle of the night scrolling through Twitter on my PC and laptop and phone while trying to keep up with any updates coming from the KH 20th Anniversary event. I'm very excited to see what's to come in Quadratum and how the series will be going forward. Here's to another 20 years and I'm all for it. I do hope we get some answers for how FF Versus XIII is going to be incorporated in Quadratum and Verum Rex since Nomura straight up said that he considered making Verum Rex the next game after MoM. But he was worried for his Sora and decided to make KH4 first.

After watching the trailer like a hundred times now, I do think that I want to in some capacity include the trailer. Whether that be as a dream sequence or a vision of the future. However, that won't be for quite some time. Plus, I really need to update my stories more lol.

*I also want to point out something that I failed to mention at the start of the story to further elaborate on how I'm going about writing the story. Sora's age for this story will be 18. This is so things don't get too weird and crazy with the girls of Azur Lane gunning for our boy given that some girls are big perverts *Wales*. And many other girls are very lewd. Furthermore, all the girls involved with Sora's slow but soon-to-be harem are all 18+. Plus, using a mix of AZ Slow Ahead, Anime, Manga, and other bits of information around the girls really does paint a picture of how the girls are crazy which I want to find a way to incorporate into the story. *

Enough of me talking nonstop. I want to thank everyone for the reviews and for giving this story a chance. I look forward to what's to come and hope you have a wonderful day.

Sprinting out of the dorm building with his keyblade hung over his shoulder, Sora began analyzing his surroundings seeing many girls all running around in different directions. Many ran toward the ocean with some of them having summoned their riggings.

Sora was unsure of what to do exactly or how he could be of any help to the girls when they were all equipped with guns and even ships at their beck and call. However, after stopping and thinking about his situation for a second, Sora realized that getting in contact with Wales would be his best bet on what to do with the sudden Siren attack.

Readying himself both physically and mentally, Sora began to run towards the port where he was with Enterprise yesterday and where he was most likely to find Wales and the others. Taking off in a sprint, Sora began to run to the port while also ignoring the alarm sirens going off to alert the island of the incoming attack. Continuing his trek through the island, Sora saw many girls running back and forth trying to most likely find their squad and get their orders for what to do with the attacking Sirens.

Reaching the inner part of the town he visited with Wales yesterday, Sora saw Manjuu locking stores down and putting up barriers around buildings to prevent structural damage. However, out of the corner of his eye, Sora saw a dark object moving around very quickly with none of the girls around noticing the dark object. Unsure of the dark object, Sora began to chase it while moving around any girls who could collide with him.

Moreover, while Sora was chasing the dark object moving at an incredible speed, the bombardment from the Sirens was striking the island managing to leave the once peaceful island now full of explosions and the sound of booms echoing throughout the island. Thankfully, Sora was well experienced given his past adventures and all the crazy battles he was involved in.

Dodging to his left and then his right, Sora managed to stay on his toes while keeping his body nimble to avoid any incoming explosions or debris that could hit him while still chasing after the dark object. Running through the streets of the small town located on this side of the island, Sora took in his surroundings and noticed that most of the buildings were still intact even after being hit straight on with bombs. The Manjuu are truly skilled builders.

Continuing his sprint through the town and after the dark object, Sora bolted down a street while jumping over a destroyed vehicle of sorts landing on his feet and taking off in an instant.

Turning the corner that the dark object bolted towards, Sora jumped off the rail guard and leaped forward managing to lock onto the object with his flowmotion, and immediately shot forward at the object slamming his keyblade down. With the keyblade being pushed down onto the object, Sora realized just what the dark object was.

Rummaging around beneath both Sora and his keyblade was a girl. A girl wearing a dark cloak that was covering most of her body with the hood covering her head. The girl then brought her hand up to her head to remove her hood giving Sora a better idea of what she looked like.

The girl was wearing dark boots with a yellow line going down the center of the boots. White socks with one sock reaching above her knee and the other ending right under her other knee. A short navy-blue skirt with a white tank top that reached just above her stomach and silver-like hair tied in a ponytail with what appeared to be horns or a headband of sorts on the top of her head.

Realizing that Sora was in a somewhat awkward position, he quickly got off the girl while still holding his keyblade and pointed it straight at the girl. The girl then began to sit up.

"Why are you carrying a giant key?" the hooded girl asked not entirely sure why someone would be running around in the middle of a battle with a giant key-looking sword.

"It's my weapon...ignore that. Tell me, why are you running around wearing that hoodie and not running towards the Sirens?" Sora asked to hope to receive some sort of answer.

The hooded girl merely stared back at Sora with a surprised look on her face. Unsure of what to say, the girl let out a sigh before looking at Sora.

"What makes you think I'm not running towards the Sirens?" the hooded girl responded.

"All the other girls are making their way towards the port or searching for their squads for a plan of attack. You meanwhile are slipping around trying to stay out of sight" Sora said while noticing the girl was slightly sweating and becoming nervous.

"My orders come from elsewhere and I was on my way back to my friends," the girl said while looking to the side.

"Elsewhere? But what does that mean?" Sora asked confused by what the girl meant.

"That's none of your concern. Also, why are you here? No one told me about a boy being deployed to Azur Lane" the hooded girl proclaimed not entirely sure what Sora's purpose in being stationed here at Azur Lane was exactly.

"I'm...I'm new here and just got to the island yesterday. I was out at sea when I ran into Enterprise and came to Azur Lane" Sora answered while not exactly telling the complete truth. Something about this girl was not sitting right with him.

"I see..." the hooded girl muttered while taking a better look at Sora.

"What about you? Who are your friends? Maybe I've met them" Sora asked trying to learn anything about this mysterious girl.

"I... I can't answer that. My seniors wouldn't like that" the girl responded leaving Sora concerned about her response.

"Alright... well can you tell me your name?"

"My name... my name is Ayanami" the girl now known as Ayanami responded.

"Ayanami? That's a nice name. My name is Sora. It's nice to meet you" Sora said while having a small smile appear on his face while still pointing his keyblade at Ayanami.

"Nice to meet you too. Now if you'll excuse me, Sora. I must go report to my seniors" Ayanami said while pulling her hoodie back over her head and beginning to turn away. However, Sora called out to her before she could take another step.

"W-wait! Who is your senior? Maybe they can help me. I'm not sure where the girls I met from yesterday are and I don't know how these Sirens plan their attacks" Sora asked trying to get read on Ayanami.

Beginning to grow worried at how much time she was wasting talking with Sora, Ayanami began to lower her right hand behind her back and into her cloak reaching for her sword. Sora meanwhile was focused on her body language and could tell she was contemplating something which raised red flags in his mind having seen that look many times in his adventures.

Before Sora could say anything, Ayanami beat him to the punch.

"Sora... I'm sorry. But I am already late with meeting my seniors. If I don't leave now, then we will both be blown up" Ayanami said letting out a sigh before turning to look Sora straight in the eyes.

"Blown up? What do you me..." Sora asked before he was cut off by Ayanami.

In a matter of seconds, Ayanami pulled out a sword with a white handle and a mix of a red and silver steel blade with a white piece covering the red and silver part of the blade. The sword itself was not even and had the red part of the blade lower than the silver part. Confused by what Ayanami just did, Sora narrowed his eyes before calling out to her.

"What are you doing, Ayanami?! Where did you even hide that sword?!" Sora yelled out to her while raising his keyblade and moving into a defensive stance.

"Sorry... I've said too much. Please, move out of the way, Sora" Ayanami said while ignoring Sora's questions and getting ready to strike him.

Realizing that Ayanami was not going to back down, Sora readied himself to fight her and find some answers.

*Meanwhile with Wales and Hood*

Taking in their surroundings, Wales and Hood found themselves on the outskirts of the port in the water with their riggings summoned and currently firing away at incoming Siren planes swooping down on the port and dropping bombs.

"How is her majesty handling things on the east side of the island?" Wales called out to Hood before sending a blast towards a Siren ship leaving nothing behind.

"Her majesty and Warspite are handling things well. However, Enterprise is nowhere to be seen" Hood responded while gliding across the water and dodging a bullet that splashed into the water while reloading her riggings ammunition.

"The Sirens are spread out all over the place. I'm sure Enterprise is busy dealing with them all alone as she usually does. Furthermore, the Sirens must've realized that most of our forces are away from the base and decided now was the right time to strike" Wales said while dashing across the water avoiding armor-piercing bullets being shot at her from a Siren battleship.

Suddenly, a large blinding light forced Wales and Hood to cover their eyes and turn away from the sea. Unsure of what had just happened, Wales was ready to turn around and start shooting at whatever was causing the blinding light. However, before she could turn, she heard a voice yell out along with heavy gunfire being shot and a loud mechanized sound start to fade away.

Sensing that the blinding light was now gone, Wales turned around and spotted a familiar face.

"Cleaveland! What was it that you were shooting at?" Wales asked relieved that her friend took care of the obnoxious blinding light.

Wiping her head of sweat, Cleaveland let out a cheeky smile while having a hand on her hip and riggings summoned.

"It was some type of floating orb that was acting like a flashbang. Thankfully, the blinding light doesn't reach that far which let me destroy it" Cleaveland said while looking around the area to see what the Siren's formation was looking like.

"Have any Sirens managed to make their way closer to the island?" Cleaveland asked before arming her riggings and sending a barrage of blasts out towards a Siren ship preparing to launch Siren planes in the air.

"Not that we are aware of. However, her majesty and others are covering the east side of the island" Hood said while gliding across the water thanks to the help from her riggings and fired back at several Siren ships.

"That's great to hear. My sisters contacted me and said the Southside of the island is making good progress with making a dent in the Sirens' formation" Cleaveland said while shooting at several Siren planes flying overhead.

"Cleaveland, do you have any idea where Enterprise is?" Wales said while adjusting her riggings before sending a blast heading right for several Siren destroyers.

Gliding to her left while scanning the area in front of her, Cleaveland started shooting at several pawn ships before responding to Wales's question.

"No, I haven't seen her. Wait! Where's Sora?!" Cleaveland practically yelled while destroying the pawn ships she was aiming at.

"I'm not sure, everything happened so quickly, I wasn't able to get into contact with him. If anything, he is most likely around the docks" Wales said before moving to the side to avoid a blast heading straight towards her.

Before Hood or Cleaveland could respond, a large blast of light could be seen in the distance along with many Siren drone ships being caught in the blast leaving nothing but parts of the ships floating in the water.

Having visibility be blocked, the trio of girls readied themselves while also reloading their riggings for the impending attack. However, what they saw caused them to become worried about how the battle would play out.

A large white fox had appeared in the place of the blast and towered over the girls while having a landing strip placed on its body. The fox also had red streaks going across its body while also giving off an intimidating look. Beneath the wolf were several girls who all had their riggings out and aimed right at the trio.

Taking a better look at who was all next to the fox, Hood was able to make out a few familiar faces.

"It appears we have company. Akagi, Z23, Shoukaku, and Zuikaku" Hood said while recognizing the kansens characteristics.

Seeing that hiding would not be needed any longer, Akagi was the first to step forward and address the girls of Azur Lane.

"My, my. if it isn't the pride of the Royal Navy, Lady Hood, and the Prince of Wales. How nice to see you two again. Oh, I almost forgot there seems to be an Eagle Union runt here as well" Akagi said while having a sly smile cover her lips.

Hearing Akagi's words, Cleaveland grew angry at her remark and began to glare at her while getting a feeling of her riggings ready to fire at a moment's notice.

Sensing that Cleaveland was becoming distraught at what Akagi had said, Wales steeled herself and turned to Akagi with her hand over her riggings in case she needed to start firing.

"Akagi, can't say I'm too pleased to see you again. I take it the large fox is of Kaga's handiwork" Wales remarked seeing if she could get a reaction from Akagi.

"Why yes, that is Kaga's work. In fact, that fox is Kaga herself. In all her beautiful glory" Akagi said while smiling and looking up at the large white wolf who upon being identified to be Kaga turned to look down at Akagi and nod.

Hood noticed that there were still explosions going off and many of the girls were fighting back against the Sirens. Therefore, Hood decided to speak up and address the Red Axis members before a firefight would start leaving no time for questions.

"Seeing that things are about to turn for the worse, might I be so kind as to ask you all one thing before we let our riggings do the talking" Hood said while giving a tilt of her head and aiming her riggings straight at Kaga's fox form.

"Something you wish to know before we engage in combat?" Shokukau said while looking directly at Hood confused about her question.

"Yes, what is it that the Red Axis or more specifically the Sakura Empire wants with Azur Lane. Striking us out of nowhere with no warning. I take it Siren technology must've allowed you to get this close to the island" Hood asked while observing each of the girls closely.

Out of the corner of her eye, Hood spotted Zuikaku almost looking like she had something to say or at the very least was beginning to think about her question and was processing something based on her facial expressions that appeared for a second before vanishing. However, before Hood could further analyze Zuikaku, Akagi spoke up with a cheery tone in her voice.

"Why nothing much, just that Azur Lane lay down its arms and join us in our goal to rid the world of Sirens," Akagi said while having an intimidating grin on her face.

"And if we refuse?" Hood replied.

Summoning her riggings in a fit of fire, Akagi aimed her weapons right at Hood before responding.

"Then we'll see to it that you find your place in this world. As scraps of metal at the bottom of the ocean" Akagi proclaimed while lifting a hand to her face to try and cover up the smile appearing on her face.

Realizing that there was no real way of talking things out, each of the girls realized that the time for action was nigh. However, with Hood, Wales, and Cleaveland a certain spiky-haired boy was in the back of their mind hoping and praying that he was alright wherever he was.

*Back with Sora*

A fury of slashing and blocking was all that was on Sora's mind seeing that Ayanami was not holding back in any regard. Sora was forced to move around and deflect all the incoming strikes coming from Ayanami even forcing him to use the environment to his benefit. Movement such as spinning around a pole or jumping against walls while using his flowmotion to counter Ayanami's attack or even parkouring over collapsed debris on the ground.

Managing to have made their way further into the port, Sora was on the defensive side trying to ease Ayanami so that she would break face and at least answer one of his questions that he sent flying her way while also blocking all her attacks.

"Ayanami! Listen to me, please, I don't want to fight you! We should be fighting the real enemy!" Sora said while twirling his keyblade in his right hand and raising it to his face just in time to block a forward thrust by Ayanami.

"Listen to me, Ayanami! The Sirens are only a part of the real problem. We need to work together!" Sora exclaimed but was met with deaf ears and Ayanami brought her sword down in a vertical slash leaving Sora to immediately block the strike and counterattack by hitting Ayanami with several hard strikes around her torso with his keyblade.

Ayanami was pushed to the side from the impacting strikes and forced to roll on her back and regain her footing.

Ignoring Sora's pleas, Ayanami charged forward and continued to slash at him causing him to block and counter her with a horizontal slash across her chest making her grunt out in pain and frustration given that she has not been able to hurt Sora or land a single hit on him.

Bringing her sword to her right side, Ayanami ran towards Sora before halting for a second and twisting her entire body to spin around and regain her footing while swinging her sword in a circular motion at Sora. Being on high alert, Sora was prepared for Ayanami's attack and was able to block her attack while also kicking her in the side which knocked the wind out of her and pushed her back a good distance.

Once again, Sora continued to overwhelm Ayanami with questions of his as well as talk her out of fighting.

"Please, Ayanami, you have to stop this! What do you gain out of fighting me? Do you want to keep on fighting? The Sirens are who we should be fighting!" Sora yelled while keeping his defensive stance up.

"I... I don't..." Ayanami muttered before falling silent.

"Huh, what did you say, Ayanami?"

"Nothing. I didn't say anything" Ayanami replied while shaking her head and pointing her sword back at Sora.

"No, you started to say something but stopped yourself. What were you trying to say?" Sora asked now wanting to know what she wanted to say.

Saying nothing and just staring back at Sora, Ayanami knew better than to answer his question in fear of what her seniors would say. Shaking her head, she gripped her sword and ran at Sora ready to take him down. Seeing Ayanami charge at him, Sora readied himself in case she tried anything new on him.

Once Ayanami was close enough, she successfully threw her leg forward to side sweep Sora off his feet and have him land on his back so that she could get the chance to stab him. However, what Ayanami did not take into consideration was that Sora was very nimble and experienced in combat. What she saw blew her mind and was a fighting technique she had never seen before.

While Sora was swept off his feet, he managed to extend his arm onto the ground and twist his entire body so that it looked like he just performed a dance move upside down while also regaining his balance which allowed him to push his entire body forward and roll on the ground and land on his two feet back in his signature fighting stance.

Bewildered by what she just saw, Ayanami was growing frustrated by the minute seeing that Sora was a worthy and skilled foe to go against. Ayanami continued to notice that he was able to deflect and counter all her attacks along with his quick reaction time. This was definitely not his first fight. Not to mention, that large oversized key weapon of his packed a punch. Capable of hitting her and feeling all sorts of pain when the key slammed and slashed into her body.

Realizing that she was losing both the fight and time, Ayanami knew that she had to find a way to force Sora back and disarm him to allow her time to finish him off before she returned to her seniors. Letting out a sigh and taking a deep breath, Ayanami readied herself for her next barrage of attacks.

Bolting forward, Ayanami pressed on with her assault against Sora sprinting at him while bringing her body to a halt before using footwork to launch herself at him. Bringing both of her hands and sword up to the right side of her upper body, Ayanami got close enough to Sora to launch a barrage of attacks at him.

This forced Sora to quickly raise his keyblade with both of his hands and block the incoming strikes. At the same time, Sora shouted out a spell to try and stun Ayanami that would allow enough time for him to disarm her.

"Thunder!"

Once the spell was cast, several lightning bolts struck Ayanami managing to force her to start shaking and feel a sense of paralysis which forced her to let the grip on her sword loosen. Seeing this as his chance, Sora quickly slashed at Ayanami's hands which caused her blade to go flying and forced her to fall to the ground on her back while looking at Sora wide-eyed.

"H-how... how did you do that?" Ayanami asked completely stunned by what had just happened.

"I'm sorry for that. I was fine engaging in combat with just our blades, but my friends are in trouble with the Sirens. I need to help them in any way I can and we were wasting time-fighting" Sora said while staring down at Ayanami and lowering his keyblade so it was down by his side.

Unsure of what to say, Ayanami just stared at the ground still not understanding what caused her body to become paralyzed. She recalled hearing Sora shouting Thunder and then feeling shocked. Sora must've used some type of weapon on her that she did not notice in the middle of her barrage of attacks at him.

Feeling responsible for Ayanami's downcasted mood, Sora began to walk closer to Ayanami before kneeling and staring straight at her eyes. Confused by what he was doing, Ayanami became wide-eyed but made no effort to move her body off the ground. Sora then began to talk face to face with her.

"I must say, Ayanami, you are skilled at using that sword of yours. I was honestly sweating quite a bit back there especially when you side swept me" Sora sheepishly said while raising his free hand to pat the back of his head.

"You're not bad yourself... you're impressive with that... key of yours," Ayanami said while getting a better look at Sora's keyblade.

"Thanks, but I'm no master in the art of the blade. I need to brush up on some of my old skills as well as come up with some new ways of fighting" Sora stated while having a small smile on his face before hearing a plane close by start shooting its guns at something.

Realizing that the fight was still going on between the Sirens and Azur Lane, Sora quickly got to his feet and checked himself to prepare for his next fight. Ayanami stared blankly at Sora who looked like he was just going to leave her and not arrest her or anything. Unsure of what his intentions were, Ayanami spoke up getting Sora's attention.

"Wait... you're not going to arrest me?" Ayanami asked confused by Sora's actions.

"No, I'm not. I don't exactly have any right" Sora said while looking back at Ayanami.

"What do you mean? Aren't you a member involved with Azur Lane?" Ayanami muttered while still not sure what Sora meant.

"I mean that while I'm considered a friend to Azur Lane, I don't exactly have any jurisdiction. But that doesn't mean I'm going to just stand by and let my friends get hurt" Sora replied while offering his hand to Ayanami to help her up.

Surprised by Sora's response, Ayanami looked at his hand and thought to herself for a second before deciding to do the right thing. Grabbing his hand, Ayanami was lifted and regained her footing while also observing Sora's eyes to see if he would try anything. To no surprise, Sora did not do anything but held a small smile on his face and looked back at her. Guilt began to sink in that she had failed her mission and would face the consequences for it. However, Ayanami thought that Sora at least deserved to have some of his questions answered.

"Akagi..." Ayanami murmured hoping that Sora heard her.

"Akagi? Is that what you just said?" Sora asked having heard her loud and clear.

Shaking her head yes, Ayanami began to walk away from Sora with her back facing him before she suddenly stopped. Ayanami then pulled the dark cloak's hoodie over her head and spoke to Sora once more.

"One of my seniors is Akagi, and she is who I need to report to. Since the Sirens have begun their assault on Azur Lane, then the other members of the Red Axis are most likely nearby" Ayanami said while still facing away from Sora.

"The Red Axis... what are their goals? Why did they split away from Azur Lane?" Sora asked not entirely sure what her answer may entail.

"We...the Sakura Empire wasn't always against Azur Lane. I don't hate Azur Lane. It's just that... my seniors became different after Amagi was hurt. Causing Akagi and Kaga to act differently. Along with that, relations between the different factions became strained once the Sirens began to showcase their true power by demolishing cities and leaving none behind. That's when other factions decided it would be best to deal with the Sirens by themselves or to form their own group and handle the Sirens in their own ways" Ayanami proclaimed while keeping her head down and hidden under her hood.

"That's just what the Iron Blood, Sardegna Empire, Vichya Domain, and Sakura Empire did. Working together and forming the Red Axis to find ways to destroy the Sirens once and for all. However, it was the Iron Blood and Sakura Empire who began to work with the Sirens to learn from them. It was also my seniors who brought up the idea of working with the Sirens to some degree. Many of us including myself were against the idea of working with the Sirens, but thanks to the respect and honor that my seniors carry there wasn't anything I could do about it" Ayanami said continuing her speech on the Sakura Empire's involvement with the Sirens.

"But... I doubt the Sirens would have just allowed their enemy to start working with them. There must've been a price to pay to start working with them" Sora said while learning more about this world's history and the challenges it has faced and is still facing.

"Correct, to start working with the Sirens even in a small role the Red Axis needed to do something to prove its worth. By destroying the last remaining hope this world has against the Sirens, Azur Lane" Ayanami answered while feeling guilt run through her body.

Taken aback by what Ayanami had said, Sora didn't know how to answer properly and just stayed silent hoping to find the right thing to say. However, Ayanami spoke up before Sora could say anything.

"I know what you're thinking. I think about it every day when I'm with my friends and seniors as well. We should be fighting the Sirens and not amongst ourselves. I get that... but there's so much we still don't know about the Sirens. And on top of that, my seniors have been acting even more differently than usual and staying secluded from the rest of the Sakura Empire. Everything is just all messed up, but things will get better..." Ayanami said with remorse and frustration in her tone of voice. But before she could say anything else, Sora spoke up.

"No… things won't get better," Sora remarked while gripping his keyblade and staring right at the back of Ayanami's hood.

"What...what do you mean?" Ayanami uttered while confused by what Sora meant.

"I mean that while the Sirens pose a great threat to everyone, there's another problem you need to start worrying about. Something even worse than the Sirens" Sora said with a serious tone of voice.

"Another problem... what exactly do you mean, Sora?" Ayanami asked nervously about what Sora was going to say.

Taking a moment to think things out, Sora realized that if he were to worry Ayanami about the Heartless now while it seemed like she was already dealing with inner turmoil. The idea of the Heartless being another thing to worry about would cause her to freak out and let her heart be targeted by darkness. Deciding to hold off on explaining what the Heartless, Sora decided to address a different issue for Ayanami to deal with.

"Your heart…" Sora proclaimed while bringing his hand over his heart.

"My heart? What does that mean?" Ayanami asked not understanding what Sora meant.

"I mean that what you're feeling right now is something you should deal with soon. Knowing what it is that you truly want. You say that you feel conflicted about working with the Sirens but don't have any real problems with the girls in Azur Lane. Your mind is clouded with the best method to proceed. Which is why you should just trust in your heart, and it'll lead you down the path you think is best" Sora explained while reminiscing on his past adventures where he chose to follow his heart.

Picking up on what Sora was saying, Ayanami brought her hand over her heart and closed her eyes taking to heart his word of advice. However, before Ayanami could say anything an explosion landed not that far from the two causing water to splash over them. Ayanami snapped out of her dazed state and began to run but not before calling out to Sora.

"Sora...good luck and thank you," Ayanami said before sprinting away and not turning back to look at Sora.

Left alone, Sora realized that chasing after Ayanami would not be the best option given that he was still looking for his friends to help them in any way. Deciding that would be his best option, Sora ran further into the docks and could hear more gunfire originating along with explosions happening every other second.

Reaching the edge of the port, Sora could see buildings hit with bullets and bombs leaving a great deal of debris behind forcing him to parkour over metal polls and run alongside a destroyed building. Upon clearing the debris, Sora could see the ocean and was bewildered by what he saw.

Standing out on the ocean's surface was a large white fox that had red streaks along its body with blue streaks of light along with its paws and around its face. The large fox raised its head and let out a loud howl. The body of the fox also had machinery around its body that looked like landing strips for planes to fly off.

Observing the area around the fox, Sora was able to see several figures engaging in combat. Making out the figure's characteristics, Sora was able to spot Hood, Wales, and Cleaveland. However, Sora saw a familiar figure that was fighting against his friends.

Akagi was seen gliding across the water while firing her riggings towards Wales while another girl with white hair was engaging in combat with Hood. Off to the side, another girl with blonde hair and a one-piece skirt with red boots and a hat on her head was fighting with Cleaveland forcing her to go on the defensive and hold all the incoming attacks.

Seeing his friends in trouble, Sora began sprinting on the water's surface using the same spell he used before running into Akagi and Enterprise. Continuing his sprint towards the girls, Sora summoned his keyblade and was gunning it for the girl attacking Cleaveland. However, before he could get close enough to Cleaveland another girl suddenly appeared in front of him with a silver sword pointed straight at him.

Taking a quick look at the girl in front of him, Sora was able to notice several distinctive features around this girl. For starters, the woman had a slender frame and large bust with waist-length brown hair and orange highlights tied in a ponytail by a hair ornament. The girl also had yellow eyes with orange eyeliner. The woman's attire consisted of a long-sleeved hooded kimono with flower motifs and red strings on each side of her chest. A red skirt with black straps on each thigh and black socks that reached below her knees with red linings and red and silver slippers.

The first thought to come to Sora was that the girl in front of him was very beautiful. Given that she was pointing a silver katana straight at him you would think his first thought would be on the weapon. But no, Sora was immediately captivated by the girl's beauty. However, snapping out of his captivated state, Sora realized that she must've been with Akagi seeing that she was pointing her blade at him. Unsure of what the girl would do next, Sora greeted her.

"Hey there, nice to meet you. My name is Sora. I remember you back when I ran into Akagi and Kaga. Why don't we take a second to calm down before things get crazy" Sora said while raising his keyblade with one hand while the other hand was wide open to show no ill intent.

However, the brown-haired ponytailed girl widened her eyes and began to glare at Sora realizing that he was not taking her seriously. It didn't help that the girl noticed Sora's strange-looking weapon and was offended that he did not bring out an actual blade to fight her. Enraged, the girl called out to Sora.

"How dare you! Are you not taking me seriously as a threat?! You're just like the Grey Ghost. Not seeing me as a formidable foe to duel against. I'll show you, Sora! I'm more than capable of defeating you!" the girl said while charging straight at Sora with a horizontal cut aimed at his abdomen.

On instinct, Sora quickly lowered his keyblade in time to block the girl's strike causing the two blades to become stuck in a crossing and forcing the two fighters to get close. Coming within inches of Sora's face, the girl was able to get a better view of his face and several distinctive features that added to his character. One such feature that added to his character was his spiky brown hair along with the crown charm around his neck.

Another noticeable feature was Sora's blue eyes which seemed to show confidence in himself along with something else. Seeing that Sora was not showing any fault in his determination to stand against her, the girl decided to at least offer her name to her opponent.

Not sure who the ponytailed-haired girl was, Sora called out to her to try and learn something from her.

"Wait! Who are you? How do you know my name? Can we please take a second to talk things through?" Sora asked confused about how the girl knew who he was.

Pushing her body back so that her katana wouldn't be locked with his strange-looking...key? The girl backpedaled so that there was some space between the two allowing them to breathe and prepare themselves. Deciding that she should at least give Sora her name, the girl spoke out.

"Sora, if we are to have a duel then I will tell you, my name. In return, I ask that you do not hold back and give this duel your all. In any case, my name is Zuikaku member of the Sakura Empire, and I will defeat you" the girl now identified as Zuikaku said as she prepared herself to fight against Sora.

Realizing that he would have to beat Zuikaku to help his friends, Sora let out a sigh before closing his eyes and gathering his thoughts about what he'll need to do to save everyone. All the girls at Azur Lane were all so much fun to be around and had welcomed him with open arms even believing his case of being from another world.

On top of that, Azur Lane confided in Sora about even helping him find a way home. So much kindness from the girls of Azur Lane helped solidify Sora's drive to want to help them. Plus, many of the girls have now become his friends with more on the way. Putting these thoughts to the back of his mind, Sora opened his eyes and readied himself to help his friends in need. Hence, Sora called out to Zuikaku.

"Zuikaku... that's a name I won't forget. But my friends need my help, and you're standing in my way. I wish there was another way. But if it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you're gonna get!" Sora said while twirling his keyblade in his hand while getting into his signature battle stance.

Hearing that she was going to get a real duel with this mysterious boy, Zuikaku let a grin cover her lips while also narrowing her eyes so that they were focused on only Sora. Ignoring all the gunfire and explosions happening around her, Zuikaku was desiring a fight with a worthy opponent. Although Sora was no Grey Ghost, the boy had become an unknown factor in such a short amount of time to the point where even she had become interested in him. Not to mention, Sora was standing here right in front of her with his strange-looking blade and complying with her desire for a fight. Respect had been earned towards Sora in Zuikaku's book, and now she would not waste her chance at a challenge. Bringing her katana back to her body and transitioning into a battle stance, Zuikaku replied to Sora.

"Thank you, Sora. However, I will not be holding back, and I expect you to do the same! Prepare yourself!" Zuikaku yelled while preparing herself both mentally and physically for the duel with Sora.

Silence ensued in the area as the two fighters as they both realized that the time for talking was over. Now the time for action was nigh, and it would be Sora's first time-fighting someone from this world. Plus, at the behest of Zuikaku, Sora was told not to hold back. And that's exactly what he would do.

With nothing holding the two back, Sora and Zuikaku charged toward each other with Zuikaku slashing her katana right for Sora's leg which forced him to quickly block the katana and allow him to counter her attack by slamming his keyblade into her side. The keyblade's impact forced Zuikaku to lose her balance and tumble to the ground, but before she could land on her bottom she instantly rolled on her back and was crouching down regaining her balance.

Realizing Sora's quick reflexes, Zuikaku began to analyze his actions more closely so that she could learn more about her opponent. Jumping back on her feet so that she was into her battle stance, Zuikaku shot forward and brought her blade down in a vertical slash that was blocked by Sora's blade. Zuikaku then brought her blade back and again slashed at Sora this time with a horizontal strike which was once again blocked by Sora.

Pulling her blade back, Zuikaku once again slashed at Sora letting him block and go for a strike at her leg to which she flipped her katana and was able to defend her leg from Sora's keyblade. This forced her to switch up her plan causing her to lift her free leg and kick Sora in the side which sent him back several feet.

Landing on his back, Sora immediately rolled over and landed on his knee before standing up and getting back into his signature stance. Seeing that Zuikaku wasn't just sticking with using her katana, Sora figured that if she wanted to go all out, then he should as well. Pointing his keyblade right at her, Sora shouted out a fire spell to distract her giving him the chance to strike.

"Fire!"

The tip of his keyblade glowed with a hue of red and shot a ball of fire straight at her. Seeing the fireball heading straight at her, Zuikaku quickly brought her blade in front of her and instantly came up with an idea. She planned to slash the fireball in half and then pivot around him which would leave him confused allowing her to slash at his arm.

However, right as Zuikaku was about to slice the fireball in half, Sora dashed straight at her and appeared right behind the fireball leaving Zuikaku no time to change her plan of attack and went with slicing the fireball. Consequently, Sora saw his chance and began to strike at her right as soon as she sliced the fireball in half. This allowed Sora to start hitting Zuikaku all around her body with his regular three-way attack managing to hit her on her side and right shoulder which left her wincing. Needing to get some distance, Zuikaku slammed her blade right into Sora's ribcage which pushed him back across the water a few feet.

Zuikaku then jumped back and brought her sword up to her right shoulder and held it with both of her hands while maintaining her breathing so that she controlled how much stamina was being used on her part. Sora at the same time twirled his keyblade in his hand watching Zuikaku's movement.

In an instant, Zuikaku dashed forward and brought her blade down in a slanted manner which forced Sora to quickly bring his keyblade up only for Zuikaku to spin on her back leg and quickly slash at Sora's right shoulder to stun him. However, Sora having a great deal of experience was prepared for Zuikaku's attack and managed to stop the katana from striking him. But Zuikaku's blade was locked in a bind with Sora's keyblade causing the two to get closer bringing them just inches away from butting heads.

Remaining composed even with being so close to each other, Sora and Zuikaku stared straight into each other's eyes trying to get a read on each of their reactions. Not wanting to be locked in a bind, Zuikaku pushed her blade forward closer to Sora's cheek and quickly backpedaled leaving some space between the two. However, Sora felt something on his cheek and raised a hand to check what it was. To his surprise, Sora felt a small cut along his cheek realizing that he had been nicked by Zuikaku's katana.

Noticing that Sora was checking his cheek, Zuikaku smirked at the fact that the two had been locked in combat for some time and she had managed to finally injure Sora even if it was a small cut. Feeling a wave of confidence hit her, Zuikaku decided to pick up the pace and strike Sora with rapid attacks now.

At full force, Zuikaku shot straight at Sora even leaving a splash of water rise behind her. Zuikaku then leaped into the air and twisted her body so that she was spinning in the air while also letting her sword gain speed and come crashing down at Sora. Seeing Zuikaku jump into the air, Sora readied himself by raising his keyblade to block the incoming attack.

Within an instant, the two clashed blades with Zuikaku still in the air with her katana being blocked by Sora's keyblade causing the two to get close again. Not wasting any time, Zuikaku pushed back and separated herself several feet, and regained her fighting stance. Wanting to deal more damage to Sora, Zuikaku readied herself yet.

Realizing that Zuikaku was just getting started, Sora began to think about what abilities of his would do best to counter her attacks along with dealing damage. Feeling a wave of energy course through him, Sora realized that his formchange was still available to him. Letting a smile cross his face, Sora brought his hand to his heart and closed his eyes calling upon that power. With strength flowing all around him, Sora grasped his heart and yelled out.

"Give me strength!"

Out of nowhere, a blast of white light surrounded Sora forcing Zuikaku to cover her eyes and grunt at being blinded by the light. Once the light died down, Sora stood there with his keyblade in hand, however, his clothes had changed to his old outfit signifying that he was now in the Second form.

Zuikaku lowered her hand covering her eyes and got a better look at Sora surprised that his clothes had changed. His once red and black jacket was now replaced with a jacket with yellow straps near his collar and white strips around the jacket with the color black being prominent. His shirt under his jacket was now a blue color with a red patch covering his pants pocket near his waist. His pants also had a yellow stripe going across his thigh instead of it being red. And his boots were now involved more yellow than before.

Unsure of what to think, Zuikaku guessed that Sora gave himself a boost of power of sorts to use against her. Realizing that her opponent was giving it his all, a sense of determination hit Zuikaku wanting her to fight with all she had. Zuikaku then called out to Sora.

"Your clothes changed? I'm guessing you gave yourself a power boost" Zuikaku said while observing Sora's reaction.

"Yea, you guessed right. You said to use my full strength, and that's exactly what I'm going to do!" Sora replied while smirking back at Zuikaku who also had a grin start to appear on her face.

"I'm glad to hear that. Now, this is where the real fight begins!" Zuikaku proclaimed while also twirling her katana in front of her before stopping and getting into her battle stance ready to fight Sora.

With no words needed, Sora and Zuikaku shot forward at each other with their blades ready to clash and claim a victor.

Sora gained the advantage and was the first to attack Zuikaku by slamming his keyblade into her causing her to block the attack and push Sora's keyblade away so that she could slash at his shoulder. However, Sora using his flexibility quickly crouched and side-swept her feet away causing Zuikaku to come crashing down into the water.

Angered by what Sora did, Zuikaku rolled on her side until she pushed up against the water causing a splash of water to be left behind, and landed back on her feet dashing straight at Sora. Bringing her blade around, Zuikaku slashed at Sora who blocked and allowed him to counter her with a kick to which Zuikaku blocked the kick with her katana causing Sora to use his foot to push back against her katana leaving him to roll back on the water and roll back into his battle stance.

Having a bit of space between the two, Sora pointed his keyblade towards her and shouted out a blizzard spell to hold her in place.

"Freeze!"

The tip of his keyblade glowed a light blue color before a shard of ice started heading for Zuikaku which left her surprised and wide-eyed at what she was seeing. Without thinking, Zuikaku dodged the shard of ice making its way towards her and kept her eye on the ice still moving forward with no indication of it stopping. However, Zuikaku didn't notice the trail of ice that followed the ice shard.

Moving her head back to look at Sora, she was surprised when she saw Sora inches away from her sliding on ice with his blade inches away from her face. With no time to waste, Zuikaku brought her katana to block the attack but was, unfortunately, too slow to defend herself leaving Sora an opening to exploit.

Seeing his chance, Sora flash stepped towards Zuikaku managing to stun her before bringing his keyblade back down in a radial blast while following it up with an upward swing knocking Zuikaku back and grimacing at being hurt. Sora then rolled to the side of Zuikaku before slashing at her leg hoping to leave her unable to move.

However, Zuikaku instantly parried the attack and kicked Sora back while also falling into the water. Getting up quickly, Zuikaku then glided towards Sora with her blade by her side and readied for his next attack.

But Sora was planning something else, he twirled his keyblade in front of him and prepared to strike her with one of his abilities once she got close enough. Seeing that she was inches away from him and raising her blade to strike her, Sora instantly shot forward and raised his keyblade ready to outmatch her. Wanting to end the duel, Sora was ready to use his Ars Arcanum ability to finish Zuikaku.

In a matter of a second, the two fighter's blades clashed with each other causing sparks to ignite between the two blades. Zuikaku then pushed her blade back and then tried slashing at Sora's torso only for him to parry. Sora then swatted her katana to the side and started stabbing his keyblade towards her chest several times which caused her to lower her katana to try and block the attack.

With her incredible speed, Zuikaku was able to block the attack from Sora allowing her katana hilt to take most of the attack, however, the force of the attack landed on her chest which made her wince in pain. Wanting to gain the advantage, Zuikaku shoved her katana up causing Sora's blade to go past her head and leave her to slash at his arm causing Sora to grunt out in pain.

Rolling out of the way, Sora twirled his keyblade and charged straight at Zuikaku ready to use his ability. Before Zuikaku could realize what was happening, she saw Sora charging her with his blade glowing and heading straight for her.

Sora then heaved his keyblade vertically across Zuikaku's body followed by another slash and then a slash coming from the left side going across her torso with a slash going straight down her chest. With no time wasted, Sora then stabbed his keyblade right into her shoulder followed by a spinning attack that transitioned into a vertically slanted slash that let Sora flip in mid-air while also striking her in the face.

Zuikaku was left completely stunned by the movement of Sora seeing that he had gone from regular paced attacks to completely nonstop barrages of slashes against her body. She tried raising her katana to parry any of Sora's attacks but was left stunned by how fast Sora truly was.

Following the strike across her face, Sora then slashed in a slanted downward direction across her body which allowed him to spiral upwards in a spinning motion lifting her in the air a couple of feet before slamming his keyblade down onto her with a blast of light covering her from top to bottom.

Sora then fell onto the water's surface with his clothes returning to his red and black color scheme and made his way to check and see how Zuikaku was affected by the Ars Arcanum ability on her. Once the blast of light started to die down, Sora spotted Zuikaku crouched down on the water with her body covered with scratches and having a few pieces of her clothes look damaged. Zuikaku was wincing in pain with a grimaced expression before wobbling to her feet and trying to regain her footing.

While her legs were shaking and trying to regain her balance, Zuikaku let out a deep breath before closing her eyes and getting a burst of adrenaline running through her. Opening her eyes, Zuikaku straightened her stance and stared at Sora with a grin on her face. She then called out to Sora.

"I'm impressed, Sora! That key of yours really is something special" Zuikaku said while looking even more lively with her sword being held in front of her.

"Likewise, you're really strong, Zuikaku!" Sora replied while letting a smile cross his face.

"You're wrong, I need to become stronger if I'm going to defeat the Grey Ghost. And it looks like I'm going to need to get even stronger if I'm to beat Enterprise and you as well, Sora" Zuikaku said while twirling her katana in her hand and staring right at Sora.

"You want to become stronger? Is there any other reason other than beating me and Enterprise?" Sora asked wanting to learn more about Zuikaku's goal.

"The reason for wanting to get stronger? Why should I tell you that now? We are in the middle of a duel!" Zuikaku proclaimed while growing frustrated at Sora's question during their fight.

"I know nothing about you. Wouldn't it help to at least know what your reason is for fighting so that I could strive to fight you with all I've got?" Sora asked trying to get any type of answer out of Zuikaku.

Zuikaku realized that she and Sora did not exactly know each other. She figured she could at least give some context as to who she was.

"There are many reasons why I wish to get stronger. However, if it had to give a few then I would say that I want to protect those I care about" Zuikaku answered while looking at Sora.

Not wanting to interrupt her, Sora stayed quiet and listened to Zuikaku continue her explanation.

"I also want to prove myself not only to others. I want to become a beacon. A beacon of light to help those that I care about in dark times. With the Sirens threatening our world, we need leaders to help lead the fightback against the Sirens. That's another reason why I'm striving to become strong" Zuikaku said while still looking Sora in the eyes and answering truthfully.

"And... if I had to give another reason for wanting to get stronger, then it would have to be for myself. I know it sounds selfish, but I want to be strong enough to see not only the end of this war but the world after. Seeing what else life has to offer..." Zuikaku said while maintaining a confident look while staring at Sora.

Processing what Zuikaku had said, Sora could relate to several of her reasons for wanting to be strong. The feeling of helplessness was something Sora could relate to, and it was a terrible feeling to experience. Recalling his time back at the Keyblade Graveyard when he lost all his friends to the Heartless swarm and not being able to do anything at all. Seeing his friends die in front of him was something Sora would never forget. The experience would also help to push him forward to make sure something like that would never happen again. Giving his all to make sure his friends could see the end of the war is something he would do again and again as many times as it takes.

Having taken a moment to gather his thoughts, Sora spoke to Zuikaku giving his two cents.

"We have a lot in common, Zuikaku. More than you think. You claim to want to be stronger, but honestly, I think you're already strong. Strong enough to protect those close to you" Sora replied letting a small smile appear on his face while staring back at Zuikaku.

Unsure of what to say back to Sora, Zuikaku became flustered and grateful that someone was able to understand her reasoning for wanting to become stronger.

Realizing that Sora understood her even after meeting him in such a short amount of time, Zuikaku wanted to learn more about him. And she would do so by crossing blades with him. Shaking her head and twirling her katana in her hand before sheathing it in its holder, Zuikaku called out to Sora once more.

"Sora... Although we are still enemies, I ask that you continue to give it your all in our duel. While we may be opponents, I wish to learn more about you and plan to do so by letting our blades do the talking" Zuikaku said while feeling a wave of newfound energy course through her excitement about fighting Sora again.

"Right, we still need to see who the victor in this duel is. But while we may be against each other now. I do consider you a friend of mine" Sora said while spinning his keyblade in his hand letting out a smile.

"F-friend!? We just barely met each other not that long ago! How do you consider me a friend!?" Zuikaku yelled while having a ruffled expression cover her face.

"Of course, I consider you a friend. We've been talking for a bit both literally and with our blades. Plus, I'm friends with plenty of people who have tried to kill me before nothing new there" Sora replied while having a goofy smile plastered on his face.

Bewildered by what Sora was saying, Zuikaku wasn't sure of how to reply. So, she just looked at Sora and had a small smile start to appear on her lips. Putting a hand on her katana's handle, Zuikaku was ready to continue their duel to see who the victor would be. Sora also nodded his head and spun the keyblade getting into his signature stance.

However, before the two could continue their fight, a large explosion caught their attention with water flying all around them causing them to be drenched. Sora then remembered that he was in the middle of a battlefield with other girls locked in combat fighting to gain the advantage. Having had tunnel vision and been locked in combat with Zuikaku, Sora began to take in his surroundings. Sora spotted Wales and Hood along with Akagi directing planes to attack his friends. Moreover, Sora looked at where the explosion occurred and saw something that worried him greatly.

In the spot where the explosion happened was the large white fox with its eyes glowing blue and staring down at the water's surface. However, upon closer inspection, Sora spotted a girl laying on the ground beneath the fox. Spotting something familiar about the girl, Sora noticed what appeared to be a white animal of some kind. Before Sora could do anything, he saw another familiar girl in the corner of his eye running toward the fallen girl.

Upon closer inspection, the familiar girl running was Cleaveland who had her hands reaching out to the fallen girl. Cleaveland then yelled out the fallen girl's name.

"Unicorn, No!"

Hearing Cleaveland shout out Unicorn's name triggered something in Sora's heart causing him to take off instantly towards the fox leaving an explosion of water behind him. With no time to waste, Sora narrowed his sight onto the fox's mouth and used his flowmotion ability to instantly shoot forward and strike the fox leaving everyone bewildered by what had just happened.

Moreover, right before Sora shot off toward the fox, another spectacle happened to cause Akagi to look around due to her senses being alerted. Catching a blue glowing bird in the air, Akagi whirled her head to keep up with how fast the glowing bird was moving. However, the glowing bird was heading straight for the large fox's back to which the bird morphed into an arrow that managed to impact the fox in the back causing it to yell out in pain not only from the arrow but from Sora's attack as well.

Seeing her sister be struck by both attacks at the same time, Akagi became furious and cried out for her sister.

"Kaga!"

Turning her head toward the direction that the glowing bird came from, Akagi spotted something in the distance behind many Siren ships. What she saw irritated her and made her narrow her eyes and give off an intimidating aura.

"Well, well, look who finally decided to show up," Akagi remarked while staring down at the person who fired the bird morphing arrow.

In the distance, Enterprise stood there with her bow and arrow in one hand while the other was holding onto her cap staring back at Akagi with a glare. Seeing Enterprise's glare pissed Akagi off to the point where she aimed her riggings at her ready to fire, however, she remembered that her sister had another nuisance to deal with. That being the boy.

After Sora slammed into Kaga's fox form and performed an aerial dive slash across the fox's face, the fox stumbled to the water's surface having been stunned by the sudden attack on both her face and back. Sora then dropped to the ground and began to rush towards Unicorn and U-chan who were hurt and still floating on the water's surface. Pushing himself to reach his friends in time, Sora activated his flowmotion ability once again and shot toward Unicorn while a blue glow illuminated around him. Within reach, Sora grabbed onto Unicorn and U-chan with both of his hands and dashed straight towards Wales who was helping Hood with fighting against another girl.

Unicorn was shocked at what had happened along with being blown out of the air while riding U-chan was in trying to sort out what was going on. One moment she was crashing and hitting the water and the next the large fox was growling right at her ready to eat her. Then out of nowhere Sora appeared slamming into the fox's mouth and a flash of blue light hit the back of the fox. And now Sora was carrying her and U-chan in his arms while running away from the large fox leading her to safety. Not entirely sure what was happening, Unicorn felt a wave of tiredness start to consume her but not before she called out to Sora showing that she was aware of what was going on.

"B-big brother...?" Unicorn murmured while her vision was leaving her.

Getting closer to Wales, Sora was able to identify the silver-haired girl and the features around her. She was a tall woman with a slender frame and a large bust. Her hair had one side tied in a small side tail by a hair ornament, and blue eyes with orange eyeliner. She wore a long-sleeved hooded kimono with flower motifs and red strings on each side of her chest, yellow designs and linings, black designs at the end of the sleeves and a black sash wrapped around her waist, black hakama skirt, white thigh-high socks with red strings, red & silver slippers and black partly fingerless gloves.

In Sora's mind, he thought that the girl had a similar-looking hair ornament that looked like Zuikaku's. Perhaps they knew each other. Either way, Sora was about several meters from Wales and called out to her while still holding Unicorn and U-chan.

"Wales! I got Unicorn and U-chan!" Sora yelled while dodging explosions that landed around him.

Noticing where Sora was, Wales called back out to him before sending a bomb targeting the silver-haired girl.

"Sora! Thank goodness you're ok. And what about Unicorn? How is she?" Wales asked while spotting Cleaveland who was finishing off a Siren ship. Cleaveland immediately turned towards Wales and spotted Sora and Unicorn causing her to start gliding towards the trio.

Checking to see how Unicorn was faring, Sora realized that she was fading into unconsciousness trying to keep her eyes open, but her body was too tired to stay awake.

"Unicorn is ok, she's just tired and fell unconscious. U-chan is good as well" Sora replied while seeing that Cleaveland had just arrived and greeted him with a confident smile.

"Glad to see you're alright, Sora. Thank goodness Unicorn is ok" Cleaveland said while looking down at the young girl.

Swerving his head to the side, Sora spotted the fox getting back on its hind legs and staring straight at Sora with a glare. Seeing the fox targeting him, Sora gently handed Cleaveland both Unicorn and U-chan before turning to look at Wales.

"I managed to make the fox mad, and now it's targeting me. Cleaveland, please watch over Unicorn and U-chan. Wales can you keep the silver-haired girl and Zuikaku busy while I deal with the fox?" Sora said while observing the fox get ready to charge at him.

"Understood I'll keep a close eye on her. But Sora... are you sure you can handle Kaga in her fox form?" Cleaveland said while becoming concerned about Sora's safety... and sanity.

"So, that's Kaga? Don't worry, I got this. Besides, I've dealt with bigger creatures before" Sora replied, with a confident grin on his face. Wales and Cleaveland could only look at Sora and the confidence surrounding him while going up against a foe such as Kaga even in her enlarged form.

Summoning his keyblade in his right hand, Sora then started sprinting towards Kaga planning to attack her in the face or anywhere else. Kaga then lifted her head and howled out before the landing strips on her body began to rotate and glow blue. Once the blue light faded, many planes appeared and were all beginning to take off from the landing strip.

Kaga seeing the boy running towards her began to glow an even brighter blue around her face and body. Kaga then shifted her body so that several of the land strips were in the middle of transition and now pointing towards Sora. With another loud howl, all the planes on the landing strips immediately took off aiming straight at Sora.

With all the planes coming at him, Sora raised his keyblade in the air and shouted out a spell that would help him deal with the planes.

"Wind!"

The spell cast created a green vortex of wind that started to pick up in speed. However, Sora wanted the spell to get bigger so that planes would be affected by the wind. So, Sora raised his keyblade in the air again and started yelling out the wind spell again and again.

"Storm!"

Creating a blast of green light to leave the tip of his keyblade, a large green vortex suddenly appeared splashing water all over the place with winds picking up at incredible speeds. Within a few seconds, a small tornado was created from the wind spell allowing Sora to use the tornado to get sent flying into the air.

Sora looked over at where Kaga was currently and found her still standing in place with her body glowing blue with the landing strips connected to her body launching plane after plane that were heading straight for him. Knowing where he needed to land, Sora instantly jumped into the vortex and was shot vertically up reaching the top of the tornado and being shot out of the funnel.

Soaring in the air, Sora flipped his body around so that he was free-falling while still maintaining his balance so he could move around if any planes were to start targeting him. Coincidentally, several planes started making their way towards Sora to which he twisted his body so that he was looking right at the incoming planes.

Pointing his body towards the planes, Sora aimed his keyblade at the closest plane and cast a fire spell to destroy it.

"Fire!"

The fireball blasted from the top of the keyblade and was closing in on the closest plane. Upon impact, the fireball managed to completely ignite the plane which caused it to explode leaving nothing but smoke behind. Realizing that all his spells so far had been extremely powerful, Sora took note of the rest of the incoming planes heading his way.

Flipping his body around so that his feet were pointing towards the ground while free-falling in the air, Sora held his keyblade with both hands on the handle and aimed the tip of the blade in the direction of the incoming planes sent by Kaga. With the planes in sight, Sora started to nonstop cast fire spells at the planes hoping to destroy most of the enemies.

"Blaze!"

Instantly many fire spells were cast from the tip of his keyblade leaving the blade glowing red. So many fireballs were being shot at the planes that once contact was made explosions started going off almost acting like fireworks. Observing his handiwork, Sora noticed that only a few more planes were still heading his way and immediately came up with a plan. A crazy plan that was for sure going to leave him in a heap of trouble.

Locking his sights onto the closest plane, Sora used his flowmotion ability to target the top of the plane and shot forward while landing on the plane. Scrambling to keep his balance on the plane, Sora stabbed his keyblade through the top of the plane and pulled the plane back which jerked the plane but did move the plane.

Seeing his plan coming together, Sora looked below him to see where Kaga's fox form was currently and saw the fox looking up in the air while still launching planes from the landing strips. Realizing that he would need to be quick with his attack, Sora let out a worried sigh before shaking his head and gaining a serious yet confident look on his face. Grasping the hand on his keyblade, Sora pulled the plane so that the plane was diving through the air straight at Kaga.

Back on the ground, Wales was still firing back at Shoukaku who was dodging every bullet heading her way. Dashing side to side, Shoukaku was able to force Wales to become irritated but also on her toes given that the two were moving nonstop trying to best one another. Cleaveland on her part was shooting at Shoukaku as well as staying next to Unicorn who had gained some of her consciousness but was still fatigued and needed U-chan to support her by hanging over him.

Hood meanwhile was fighting against Akagi who was gliding all over the place throwing her red paper planes that caught fire and acted like distractions forcing Hood to stay alert. Having been surrounded by planes not that long ago, Hood summoned her ship providing cover fire for her by dealing with Akagi's planes giving Hood breathing room. Along with the opportunity to deal with Akagi who was proving to be a formidable foe.

Enterprise was busy destroying Siren ships nonstop with her bow demolishing ships with just a single arrow shot. However, out of nowhere Zuikaku appeared with her red dress and brown hair swaying in the wind while yelling at Enterprise.

"Grey Ghost! I've found you!" Zuikaku exclaimed while bringing her katana forward and slashing at Enterprise with a horizontal strike at her torso only for her attack to be blocked.

Enterprise hearing Zuikaku quickly brought her bow closer to her body which left her barely enough time to catch the katana attack by the end of her bow leaving both Zuikaku and her to be inches away from each other.

Having fought with Sora earlier, Zuikaku was filled with eager energy and excitement to duel someone yet again especially since it was now the Grey Ghost that she was going up against. Narrowing her gaze so that she was staring directly into Enterprise's eyes, Zuikaku called out to her.

"Grey Ghost... Enterprise, we still haven't decided who is the real victor in our many duels. That ends today. I challenge you!" Zuikaku said while feeling adrenaline running through her blood eager to hear what Enterprise will say.

Staying silent for a second while keeping her bow locked against Zuikaku's katana, Enterprise let out a quick sigh before looking back at Zuikaku and nodding her head.

"Very well, Zuikaku, we'll settle this now" Enterprise responded while pushing the katana back to Zuikaku and jumping back a couple of feet leaving space between the two.

Hearing Enterprise's response, Zuikaku eagerly nodded her head and had a grin appear on her face ready to push her strength to the limit to defeat the Grey Ghost.

"Get ready Grey Ghost. Here I come!" Zuikaku said while charging at Enterprise twirling her katana and dashing at Enterprise who had grasped her bow and quickly pulled the string back summoning a yellow arrow. Ready for the impending duel.

Continuing to push his keyblade forward and directing the plane to dive downwards, Sora was holding onto his keyblade for dear life given that control of the plane was not stable. The plane was also shaking back and forth causing Sora to start sweating given that he's used to jumping from high heights but controlling a plane to dive into a giant fox was something new.

Seeing that he wasn't that far away from Kaga's form while in the air, Sora jerked the plane one more time so that it was aimed to hit the fox's body head-on. With everything set in motion, Sora let go of his keyblade and jumped off the top of the plane seeing the plane dive down and gain speed. Sora then held his hand out which immediately summoned back his keyblade letting him twist his body so that he was skydiving with enough balance to slam into Kaga.

Within a matter of seconds, many things happened. The plane that Sora commandeered started swirling in the air spinning a complete 360 degrees before it made an impact on Kaga's side causing a large explosion and forcing Kaga to get pushed and let out a pained howl.

Upon seeing the explosion happen and hearing Kaga cry out in pain, Akagi rapidly turned her head towards Kaga and ignored Hood only focusing on her sister being hurt.

"Kaga!"

Beginning to rush towards her, Akagi was ready to start sprinting to check up on Kaga only to be stopped by Hood who dashed in front of her and had her riggings out and pointed at her.

"Sorry, but we're not done here," Hood said while staring down Akagi who was beginning to become furious with flames igniting around her.

"How dare you..." Akagi said but turned her attention towards the sky where she saw something falling in the air.

Hood also turned her attention to where Akagi was looking and saw an object flying through the sky coming in at an incredibly fast rate. However, as the object was beginning to come closer Hood was able to make distinct features around the object and was flabbergasted at what she saw. Spiky hair and dark pants with yellow boots were part of the falling object. There was only one person that Hood knew that had those features.

"Sora!?" Hood exclaimed while her mouth was left open and confused by what he was doing.

Falling through the air was Sora who had his keyblade in one hand with the rest of his body sprawled out and moving at an incredible speed. However, Sora was not showing any indication of slowing down and was gaining speed. With no idea of what he was doing, the two girls could only watch as Sora was getting closer to the water's surface.

In a single moment, Sora flipped his body so that he was no longer sprawled out, but he had his keyblade raised higher than his whole body and seemed to be focusing on the area where Kaga was hit with the plane. With as much force as he could muster, Sora slammed right into Kaga sending her flying and yelling in pain as she was hit in the same spot as the plane.

The impact caused by Sora hitting Kaga caused a large explosion sending both water and smoke around the area. The smoke caused all the other girls to stop fighting with each other and try to find their surroundings. Confusion made its way into all the girls' mindsets on what exactly happened given that Hood and Akagi were the only ones to see Sora slamming into Kaga's fox form.

While the others were watching Sora fighting against Kaga, Zuikaku and Enterprise were engaged in combat with both sides not letting up. Zuikaku's attacks would be blocked by Enterprise's bow which gave her the chance to hit slam the bow into Zuikaku's torso. Moreover, Enterprise would shoot arrows at Zuikaku who was forced to either dodge the arrows or even deflect any arrows coming her way. The two continued this charade until Sora slammed into Kaga causing a cloud of smoke to cover the area that all the girls were occupying.

Enterprise was unable to see where Zuikaku was and began to dash to the side but was attacked unexpectedly by Zuikaku forcing her to be pushed back. Enterprise then backpedaled so that she was now able to see her surroundings and even the cloud of smoke that covered a great deal of area. However, before Enterprise could relax Zuikaku jumped out of the smoke and slashed right at Enterprise forcing her to raise her bow to block the attack leaving the two to continue their duel.

At the same time, the other girls were busy trying to find their surroundings and see what was going on. Wales had pulled her sword out of its sheath and was calling out to anyone that could hear her.

"Cleaveland! Unicorn! Hood! Can you hear me?" Wales said while gliding across the water trying to find her friends.

After searching for a moment, she bumped into something or someone causing her to point her sword at whatever it was that she hit. Not a second later a familiar face made itself apparent in the form of a head with a cape behind their head.

"Wales! There you are!" Cleaveland said relieved that she found one of her friends.

"Cleaveland it's good to see you. But wait! Where's Unicorn and U-chan?" Wales asked not seeing the young girl or her plushie friend.

"I thought she was with you?" Cleaveland replied with worry beginning to appear in her tone of voice.

Before Wales could say anything, a shout was heard that made both her and Cleaveland could process what was happening.

"Wind!"

Within a few seconds, the cloud of smoke was beginning to fade away thanks to the sudden green vortex that appeared out of nowhere. Now with the area being cleared the girls were able to get a clear picture of what just happened.

Standing there next to Kaga's large fox form was Sora with his weapon pointed right at her ready to attack if she tried anything. Sora's head was also turned to the side looking at something. Baffled by what they were seeing, Wales began to move closer to Sora until she followed where Sora was looking. And what she saw worried her greatly.

Unicorn was standing there holding U-chan while also looking scared at the three girls that were next to her. One of the girls was Akagi who was not supporting any malicious smile on her face but rather had a frown, and her right hand was shaking. Shoukaku another girl there was fiddling around with something in her kimono sleeve while also observing what Akagi was going to do seeing that Sora was pointing his weapon at Kaga. Z23 was also there standing to the side of Akagi not sure what to make of the whole situation. Uncertain of what to do, Wales continued to observe what either Sora or Akagi would do next.

While pointing his keyblade at Kaga, Sora was staring back at Akagi worried about what she was planning. Especially since she was near Unicorn and U-chan. Sora didn't know much about Akagi which was worrisome so for now he would just stay on high alert.

With no one saying anything, Akagi was the first to speak.

"Well now, it seems we are at a crossroads... Sora" Akagi said while twirling a red paper plane in her fingers while staring back at Sora.

"How do you know my name?" Sora asked not exactly sure how Akagi learned his name.

"Why, your friends were calling out to you right before you attacked my sister..." Akagi replied with a cold tone in her voice.

Seeing that he needed to be careful with how he answered, Sora then let out a sigh before responding to Akagi.

"Your sister is Kaga, right? I'm sorry about attacking her but you and the Sirens attacked Azur Lane first" Sora said while being truthful in his words.

"Your apology would mean a lot more if you and all of Azur Lane lay down your arms," Akagi said while holding onto a red paper plane.

Realizing that Akagi was asking for too much, Sora knew one way to get her to stop her assault against Azur Lane. However, before Sora could say anything Kaga's fox form began to glow blue all around her body forcing Sora to close his eyes and wait for the light to fade away. Once the light died down, Sora looked to where Kaga's fox form was last seen and became surprised when he saw the white-haired girl crouching on the water's surface.

Seeing that her sister was back to human form, Akagi called out to Kaga checking to see if she was alright.

"Kaga! My dear sister are you ok?!" Akagi asked having turned her attention towards her sister.

"Y-yes, I'm alright. I just need a moment to regain my strength" Kaga said while her body features betrayed what she was saying. Kaga was covered in dirt with parts of her clothing having been damaged, and she looked to be breathing heavily.

Before Akagi could say anything else, Sora spoke up offering his idea for how Akagi could stop her assault against Azur Lane.

"Akagi, I ask that you stop your assault against Azur Lane and call off the Sirens. In return, I offer something of interest" Sora proclaimed while observing Akagi's reaction.

Unsure of what Sora was trying to accomplish by asking her for a request, Akagi decided to play along.

"My, my, you certainly have courage I'll give you that. However, what is it that you are offering?" Akagi asked becoming curious as to what Sora would say.

Cleaveland having been hearing everything that was happening between Sora and Akagi began to grow worried when Sora offered her an offer to stop her attack on Azur Lane.

"Sora... don't do something reckless..." Cleaveland muttered knowing that Sora heard her.

Turning to get a glimpse of Kaga still crouching on the water's surface and then looking back at Wales, Cleaveland, and Unicorn. Sora knew his plan was a bad idea, but it was a plan that was beneficial not only for Akagi but for himself as well.

"Akagi... my offer is that I go with you as your prisoner and you along with your reinforcements stop the assault against Azur Lane and leave the island," Sora said while realizing how idiotic his plan sounded.

However, Sora saw this as an opportunity too good to let go of. If he were to be taken as a hostage to the Sakura Empire, then he could find a way to get them to call off their alliance with the Sirens and warn them of the impending doom that the Heartless brought. Plus, Sora was curious as to what else this world had to offer and if getting taken hostage allowed him to see another part of the world then he could manage to be a prisoner. It wouldn't be his first time being taken as a prisoner.

Akagi on her part was puzzled by the strange offer and was silent for a moment thinking of the pros and cons behind taking Sora hostage. Of course, the Siren ships under her command were not enough to overthrow the entirety of Azur Lane and were merely just to demonstrate the power behind the Red Axis. In addition, Sora was a target of interest especially since his power was fascinating to observe given that he was carrying around a giant key, and the charm around his neck further solidified that he was the one that the Sirens were looking for.

Considering all the benefits that would come from taking Sora hostage, Akagi let a mischievous smile appear on her face before responding to Sora's offer.

"Well, that is some offer. I must say you are peculiar aren't you, Sora? Either way, I accept your offer" Akagi said while twirling her hand and letting a red paper plane fly into the air before catching on fire and turning to ash.

Upon Akagi's command, the Siren ships around the area started to phase out of existence almost like they were consumed by a portal of sorts. One by one the Siren ships disappeared leaving only Wales, Cleaveland, Unicorn, Shoukaku, Akagi, Kaga, and Sora standing in the area.

While Sora and Akagi had begun talking, Wales began to look around for Hood to see if she was anywhere to be seen. Swerving her head back and forth, Wales did not spot her friend anywhere and was beginning to become worried.

However, before she could do anything her riggings radiofrequency started to pick something up. Fine-tuning her radio system on her riggings, Wales called out to the sound being transmitted.

"Hello? Is someone contacting me?" Wales asked unsure of what was going on.

Through the static frequency, a voice could be heard becoming clearer until the voice was completely understandable.

"H... hello Wales? Wales are you there?" the voice asked on the radio.

"Hood!? Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me. What is the situation over there?" Hood asked while the radio frequency was devoid of any static interruptions.

"We have a problem. Akagi and Sora are talking with each other, and Unicorn is here in the crossfire. Sora is doing his best to manage the situation" Wales replied while glancing over at the two still talking.

"Unicorn is in the crossfire? Has Akagi threatened her at all?" Hood said while trying to understand just what Wales said.

"No, not yet. However, Sora and Enterprise were able to injure Kaga in her fox form which angered Akagi leaving her as a wildcard" Wales said while growing more worried by the second.

Unsure about what to say, Hood took a deep breath before responding to Wales.

"Understood, do keep me updated on the situation. As for me, once the smoke screen appeared I planned to surprise attack, Akagi. However, I ended up outside of the smoke and was able to check our surroundings. It was then that her majesty contacted me about the east side of the island having been cleared of all Sirens, and that she along with Warspite and Illustrious were making their way over towards us. Belfast was already sent to your location so she should be there any minute. I, however, was tasked to meet her majesty halfway and inform her of our situation" Hood said while clarifying her whereabouts during the matter.

Listening to everything Hood said brought relief to Wales given that reinforcements were on their way. However, she turned her attention back to Sora and Akagi and realized that something was wrong. Hood had just heard what Sora had said. He had just offered himself as a hostage to convince Akagi and her forces to retreat.

With everything happening all at once, the Azur Lane girl's reactions were all over the place not believing that Sora just offered himself as a hostage to ensure their safety would be promised. Wanting to say something, Unicorn looked at Sora with wide eyes wanting to say something or anything but couldn't. All she could muster was a small murmur.

"Big brother..."

Hearing Unicorn, Sora turned to look at her and gave her a big smile while nodding at her and essentially telling her that everything was going to be ok. Sora then turned to Akagi and began to question her.

"So, Akagi, what do you say? Do you accept my offer?" Sora asked still not sure if she would take the offer.

Bringing a hand to her lips, Akagi decided what her answer would be.

"After giving the offer some thought I will accept," Akagi said while raising her hand in the air and waving it around three times signaling her forces to pull back.

Instantly after Akagi have the signal, Siren ships began to stop their attacks and turn away from the island. Then, a dark color began to appear all around the ships before entirely covering them and creating a portal with purple outlines. The ships once they entered the portal disappeared out of sight leaving nothing of their existence behind.

Seeing their reinforcement begin to leave, Z23 and Shoukaku got the memo and began to make their way from Wales and Cleaveland. Shoukaku realized that she should go and check on her sister who must've been engaging in combat with Enterprise.

Kaga on her part was struggling to stand up on her feet and was wobbling back and forth. Hence, she grunted in pain before forcing herself to stand up straight and regain her balance. Kaga then looked over at her sister to see what her next move was.

Akagi then looked down at Unicorn who was trembling and afraid of her. She then turned to look at Sora and began to slowly walk towards him with her gloved hand extended out. Akagi then looked at Sora in the eyes before letting a smile appear on her lips.

"And now, Sora, you… are… my… prisoner," Akagi said with a menacing tone of voice while still having a smile on her face.

Sora had no idea what he just got himself involved in. Or better yet... who he got himself involved with.