Commander Blaze, a front line commander story

by Dasmara

Meet William Blaze, a veteran who royally screwed his last mission and was thrown into prison. But when The Sirens invaded, Azur Lane High Command need him once more and so he is reinstated. His new job? Command the beautiful ship girls and give The Sirens big F you in the face. Join them as William balanced his daily life between dealing with the girl's antics and killing Sirens.

40. Jardin Céleste

Bismarck stared at the sea of clouds and blue sky in front of her through the cockpit window, the dropship they're on has been flying for hours, going from the Northern Pacific to Europe through the lower atmosphere. It's been a long flight, many of the ship girls in the passenger bay decided to take a nap or entertain themselves either by reading something, talking to one another, or busying themselves with their own phones. Not Bismarck though, she wanted to think on the whole prospect regarding the Iris KANSENs not wanting to reunify despite their torn country having united once again. What could be the cause of such division amongst themselves? It must be a disagreement on something, but what is it? Ideology? Political stance? Grudges? There's a lot of possibilities. Bismarck even goes so far as to ask questions on their forum…There's only one ship girl from Iris who replied to her question so far, someone named Bearn and all she said was.

"…Complicated…" Bismarck muttered that word in a low tone…

"Thinking to yourself?" Suddenly, she heard a deep masculine voice coming from behind her.

"Ja kommandant…I confess that I am quite nervous in dealing with this delicate situation, we can cement a cooperation with them or permanently break any chance of it happening, very easily." Bismarck said to her commander as she turned around.

"You not being confident? That's a first." William commented as he smiled a bit.

"Even I am not immune to the fear of making things' worse." Bismarck said to William while she pouted a bit.

William, who is donned in his Serpent Armor, hummed in acknowledgement as he walked toward Bismarck and stood to her side, easily towering her. Bismarck made a good point; their involvement here posed a massive risk and reward at the same time. ALASUC could be the reason that those two groups started working together or their involvement would be the one that breaks the camel's back. They will have to tread very lightly; first order of things is to properly talk to them and find out what really happened then find a way to compromise with the situation…

"This is Marine Nationale Aircraft Carrier Charles de Gaulle, hailing to ALASUC Dropship Chariot One. We have you on the sensor, what is your status, over?" …They're in range of the Iris Fleet.

"Charles de Gaulle, this is Commander Blaze. We are green across the board, it's a smooth ride with no bandits in sight. Requesting permission to land, over." William said to the operator on the radio.

"…Affirmative Chariot One, you are clear to land on Charles de Gaulle, over." The operator said to William on the radio.

"We are making our approach now, Chariot One over and out…Well, ready or not, this is it." William said to the operator on the radio then to Bismarck.

Bismack nodded her head then turned around to the passenger bay where she alerted the ship girls that they had arrived and were about to land, the girls readied themselves by checking whether they looked presentable or not. The dropship steadily approached an Iris aircraft carrier in the middle of a naval formation, the agreed place where ALASUC will meet with the Iris KANSENs. The formation they're on is a part of the supporting force for the Iris KANSENs' mission, they're to provide naval firepower and reinforcement for the facility's ground forces. The dropship approached the carrier's flight deck, hovered above it as the dropship steadied its position before landing smoothly on the deck.

The Manjuus piloting the craft then opened the rear hatch and the ship girls disembarked from the dropship, at least four dozen KANSENs. Majority are from Ironblood and Royal Navy, but there are few others from Eagle Union…There's a welcoming delegation near the aircraft carrier's island, a few groups of marines, sailors, and a few officers lining up to greet the ALASUC members. Someone yelled the order to salute, and that's what the group did, they saluted at the KANSENs as someone approached them from behind the group. A middle-aged man with medium dark red hair dressed in a blue naval officer uniform with a relaxed expression and friendly smile on his face, the rank insignia suggested that he is an admiral and seems to be the one in control of the fleet they're with. The man stopped before the ship girls as he looked past them, toward an armored giant walking out of the dropship and heading straight toward the admiral. William looked down a bit due to his size, and he immediately offered his right hand.

"Commandant Blaze, Admiral Phillip Roux. It's an honor to meet you, I've heard of your prowess during the battle on Eagle Union's New York City." Roux said to William while he smiled and shook his hand.

"Is that so, I'm flattered that you know my exploits…Admiral, I want to thank you for agreeing to provide a temporary resting place for ALASUC and the meeting place with Iris KANSENs." William said to Roux then let go of his hand.

"Ah, it's nothing, I want to make sure you could talk to them without having to worry about everything else." Roux said to William while he smiled bitterly.

"…You're familiar with them?" William asked Roux.

"Served with Cardinale Richelieu during the early stages of the war, I was the one who formed the rear guard as she and the KANSENs with her fled then formed the Iris Libre fleet…I was more than glad to see them return when my country was reunited, but hearing that our ship girls are divided? I couldn't help but feel sadness." Roux said to William while he frowned.

"Do you know the reason why they refuse to cooperate with one another?" William asked Roux in a low tone.

"…It's best if we talk about it inside. Come, I'm sure you and the girls here could use some refreshment and respite after your long journey." Roux said to William while he smiled.

William nodded his head and he alongside the ship girls followed Roux into the aircraft carrier, while the girls loitered around the hangar bay where they waited for the arrival of the Iris KANSENs, William alongside Bismarck and Queen Elizabeth headed for Roux's personal office. They sat on the sofas, tea and biscuits were served on the coffee table in front of them. William readied himself to hear what Roux had to say about the Iris KANSENs, even more so when he heard that Roux had experienced working alongside Richelieu in the past. His thoughts were interrupted by Elizabeth's hum of approval, she really liked the taste of the biscuit she sampled just now. Bismarck seems to be trying to calm her nerves by drinking the tea that has been served, prompting William to take off his helmet and drink some of the tea as well…

"…This is delicious." William commented as he put the teacup down on the table.

"Right? I really make sure to have them each day, perhaps you can ask the person who makes this for the recipe later?" Roux said to William while he smiled.

"An excellent suggestion, if I do say so, commander." Elizabeth commented while she smiled.

"It is, but we could get to that later…Right now however, we have more important things to talk about." William said to Elizabeth.

"Ja. Admiral Roux, what could be the reason behind the friction between the Iris KANSENs?" Bismarck asked Roux.

"It is a complicated matter." Roux said to Bismarck while he frowned deeply.

"Can you be more specific?" William asked Roux.

"…Are you a religious person, Commandant Blaze?" Roux asked William after he thought about his words properly.

"Well, can't say I am." William said to Roux while he frowned a bit, oh he's a sinner with thousands of glorious bookmarks on his browser.

"As you might already know, Iris Orthodoxy has a strong religious belief and that bleeds through to her military forces. The KANSENs? They are a part of our elite military branch, the Templar Knights of Iris. Are you familiar with them?" Roux asked William.

"I've heard about the knights, but I didn't know that the ship girls are a part of them." William said to Roux.

Iris Templar Knights are an elite force of Iris Libre that are combined from all branches of military forces within Iris, be it land, sea, or air. The knights are a chivalrous order dedicated to the safeguard of Iris people and her sovereignty, what differs from the regular military branches is the fact that this order is very religious. Its members are devout believers and elite soldiers, a combination fitting for an enforcer of peace in a religious country. They performed their duty both as missionaries and peacekeepers, that doesn't mean they couldn't be sent to war as a unit of their own, however, as they played a very important role during the Ironblood aggression.

The Templars were a deadly force during the great war, even though many of them employed melee weapons, one of them is an even match for an entire platoon depending on the situation. They are also the ones leading a guerilla resistance during the Ironblood occupation of Iris, often rallying the people in resisting the Ironbloods. Lucas? He got the Chevalier nickname due to him leading the Templars in the past against some hostile forces attacking Iris bases overseas, his prowess made him an honorary knight among the Templars. But, even the collapse of the Orthodoxy caused a rift within the order. Some joined the Iris Libre and some chose to stay with the Vichya Dominion, conflict between the knights siding with the two was unavoidable.

"…When the Orthodoxy collapsed, the Templars were divided, and the ship girls were among them…The issue is far bigger than just the collapse of a country though, it's just the needed push for the ship girls' division. The issue themselves? I don't know much, but I can tell you that religion or beliefs are among the causes of such rifts." Roux said to William while he frowned.

"Yes, but what could be the other cause? Hard to see that a difference in beliefs would really cause this kind of rift? They previously worked together, didn't they?" Elizabeth asked out loud.

"You can't underestimate what intolerance could do to a difference, no matter how small it is…But yeah. Elizabeth is right, I refuse to believe that the Iris KANSENs' failure to reunify happened because of intolerance. They have history working together too, this goes far more than that." William said to Elizabeth then to Roux.

"I believe that there's a disagreement between Richelieu and Jean Bart, as the leader of the two feuding factions of our KANSENs. But in order to find out what, you need to talk to them directly." Roux said to William.

"…Kommandant, do you have any plans to tackle this issue?" Bismarck asked William.

"Honestly, nothing concretes as of now…I don't know how bad it is yet." William said to Bismarck.

"Have you ever witnessed their feuds, admiral?" Elizabeth asked Roux after she sipped her tea.

"Once…it was when Richelieu just returned from the Royal Islands after the reunification, she had a brief talk with Jean Bart and…Jean Bart didn't want to talk more than what's necessary with her. Even going so far to call her 'indecisive' with the matters at hand…You see, according to me, Richelieu is a person that thinks about all of the risks and possible outcomes before she does anything. Jean Bart? She's more of the type to do it now and think about the aftermath when it is done. Both have very different approaches in tackling a problem, it's not hard to think that even before the split, both would argue quite a lot." Roux said to Elizabeth then sipped on his tea.

…So, Richelieu and Jean Bart already have different personalities that would make them argue a lot and now it got so bad that the both of them don't want to work together? William could feel a migraine coming for him in the very near future…He needs to expect that this talk will be so heated or on edge that it could blow up in his face at a moment's notice, he needs to pick his words carefully. To be honest, he was never trained to be a peacemaker in peaceful ways, he makes peace by removing threats, so when it comes to converting those threats into allies? Yeah, he will need some help. Which is why the group has Elizabeth and Bismarck as faction leaders with some authority behind their voices, and some people that would make negotiation a bit easier to do like Brooklyn and Shangri-La.

"This is quite troublesome." Elizabeth commented while she frowned.

"It is. Judging from what you said, it would appear that Richelieu is the easier one to talk to." Bismarck said to Elizabeth then to Roux.

"I doubt that, Lord Bismarck. Even Madame Richelieu could be quite…stubborn, in some matters." Roux said to Bismarck while he frowned.

"Oh blimey…" William couldn't help himself but to facepalm.

"Indecisive and stubborn? This won't bode well…let's just hope that she's a lot more cooperative and open minded for this one." Elizabeth said out loud.

"…I only witnessed it once during my time working with her, so that might not always be the case. But I still suggest that you handle the upcoming sensitive talk with the utmost care." Roux said to Elizabeth.

"We planned on doing so, admiral." Elizabeth said to Roux.

"Alright…anything else you can tell us?" William asked Roux while he folded his arms.

"I don't think so, commandant. That's all I know about them and this entire situation." Roux said to William while he frowned.

"…I see…Thank you for providing us with the information, admiral. We appreciate it." William said to Roux while he smiled a bit.

"Oui, I just want them to be reunited, commandant. Not just as a unit, but as fellow comrades as well…Please, help us." Roux said to William as he bowed his head a bit.

"We'll do our very best, admiral." William said to Roux with a serious tone.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

"It's open." Roux said out loud.

"Amiral! The Iris KANSENs is approaching our fleet!" An officer said to Roux as he entered the office.

"This is it then…let's go greet them, commandant." Roux said to William while he smiled.

"Let's." William simply said to Roux as he got up from his seat.

…The four of them walked toward the hangar where they will welcome the Iris KANSENs. Sure enough, not too long since they arrived, the group from formerly Vichya Dominion ship girls arrived first. William could see the girls jumping into the hangar bay one by one, and he got a good look at them for the first time…How could he say it? The Iris KANSENs has a medieval look to them yet modern at the same time, it's like their rigging fits their knight aesthetics. William's eye darted toward Dunkerque, who's putting on a small smile on her face, then to Vauquelin beside her who's grinning as she looked at how many ship girls are present. He continued to stare at Tartu, who looked impassive as she walked beside Vauquelin, then toward Le Malin, who looked around in intrigue alongside Le Mars. William noted that La Galissonniere looked bored out of her mind before the meeting even started, then his eye darted toward Algerie where he widened his eye a bit due to how gorgeous she looked…But the last girl is probably the most important among them for the moment, the confident and serious looking Jean Bart, who walked toward William without hesitation.

"…You're Commandant William Blaze?" Jean Bart asked William, no greetings or formality whatsoever.

"That would be me." William said to Jean Bart.

"I see, you do look the part…Name's Jean Bart, if you didn't know already. The only reason we're here is because we heard you're good at what you do, on commanding ship girls and killing Sirens. I can respect someone who could back up his words with his skills, but don't you get all cozy with me. One mistake, we're out of here…understood?" Jean Bart said to William with a serious tone.

"Noted, Ms. Jean Bart." William said to Jean Bart.

"Drop the miss part, I'm no sucker for formalities." Jean Bart said to William.

"If you say so. Well, please get some rest for now Jean Bart. We'll begin the talk in a few hours, and we all will want a clear head for this one." William said to Jean while he smiled.

"Ah, maybe you're right. Traveling here is quite a pain, don't mind if we do then…Alright ladies, let's rest for a bit." Jean Bart said to William then to the other ship girls as she walked away.

"Phew! Finally! Come on Tartu!" Vauquelin said to Tartu as she dragged her off.

"I want the comfiest bed…" Tartu said to Vauquelin as she's being dragged away.

"W-Wait for me, you two!" Le Malin said out loud as she went after them.

"Let's hope the boring talks won't last long, I want to go at those Sirens already." La Galissonniere commented as she walked past them.

"Terribly sorry about our rowdy members, commandant. We are all quite tired from the long journey." Dunkerque said to William as she passed by while she smiled.

"But nevertheless, some of us are optimistic with this chance, commandant. I do hope you can fulfill our expectations." Algerie said to William while she smiled.

With those words, Dunkerque and Algerie left for their temporary room and left William, Roux, and the ALASUC ship girls hanging in the hangar…William cocked his eyebrows as he looked at the direction where the Iris ship girls just went, they're a bit…rude? Lax in mannerism? A little negligent? William doesn't know, but the fact none of them greeted Bismarck or Elizabeth or Roux himself is a telltale that none of them are too invested in this meeting…But seriously? Bismarck and Elizabeth are their fellow KANSENs, William couldn't think of a reason why wouldn't any of them decide to greet them both? Even now, Bismarck still stared at the direction where they're heading to with widened eyes while Elizabeth is fuming at being ignored…looks like their position as fleet representatives meant jack shit for the former Vichy girls.

"Preposterous! How uncouth of them!" Elizabeth said out loud while she scowled and gritted her teeth.

"Settle down Elizabeth…Admiral Roux, any idea why they did that?" William said to Elizabeth then asked Roux.

"…Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the Ironblood was the one that caused our country to be split in the past, and the Royal Navy is the one facilitating the Iris Libre, which complicates everything for them." Roux said to William while he smiled bitterly.

"…Really? That is quite a petty reason for ignoring someone…I expected better from them, to be honest." William said to Roux while he folded his arms.

"Or maybe they're just tired and had no time for pleasantries, they're not much of a fan of it based on what I've seen as well." Roux said to William while he shrugged.

"Let's hope that's the case…" William said to Roux while he frowned.

"Ah, it looks like the rest of the Iris ship girls have arrived." Roux said to William as he turned toward the hangar.

True to what he said, William could see them jumping into the ship's hangar. Émile Bertin looked around with a bright smile plastered on her face at the number of KANSENs present, L'Opiniâtre alongside Le Téméraire walked beside Forbin, who put on a serious face. Then there's Le Triomphant who walked elegantly befitting a princess, she smiled at everyone as she walked behind the three destroyers. Bearn looked around as well, although her gaze is more analytical than filled with excitement. Surcouf couldn't help herself but to smile at everyone, while Jeanne d'Arc put on her best serious face as she walked with a guarded attitude, not too far behind her is the cardinal herself. William for the first time saw Richelieu, the woman that served as the flagship for Iris Libre and now the reunited Iris Orthodoxy naval forces. She is a real beauty even from afar, with gentle movements and elegance behind it that would impress even Hood herself. The Iris KANSENs stood in front of them, while Richelieu herself walked forward, to meet William alongside Elizabeth, Bismarck, and Roux.

"Amiral Roux, it has been a while. I am pleased to see you in good health." Richelieu said to Roux.

"Merci, cher cardinale. The same could be said to you." Roux said to Richelieu with a big smile on his face.

"Indeed, I hope we can talk a bit more later." Richelieu said to Roux.

"Of course, madame Richelieu." Roux said to Richelieu.

"Queen Elizabeth, it is good to see you once more." Richelieu said to Elizabeth while she bowed a bit.

"Yes, it has, cardinal. Even though we only met once, I am pleased to meet you once again." Elizabeth said to Richelieu.

"So do I…Madame Bismarck, I believe this is our first meeting. My name is Richelieu, it is an honor to meet someone of your caliber." Richelieu said to Elizabeth then to Bismarck.

"Likewise, cardinal. I hope this is the start of a beautiful relationship." Bismarck said to Richelieu.

"And lastly…Commandant Blaze…" Richelieu said to William, her tone is a bit steely though?

"That would be me, Ms. Richelieu." William said to Richelieu while he smiled.

"…A handsome face, a physique worthy of the Greek gods, and gifted in the art of combat…yet, why do I sense no faith in you, commandant?" Richelieu said to William.

"…Err…To be honest, you and I might interpret 'faith' a bit differently than one another." William said to Richelieu while he frowned, this is not what he expected.

"Perhaps…Tell me, do you fight for liberty and peace?" Richelieu asked William.

"That I am. Freeing this world from the Sirens' grasps and ensuring peace would return once more, it's what I strive to achieve." William said to Richelieu with a serious face.

"I see. I suppose that is enough reason to work alongside one another, I pray that you will be the one that could lead us all to victory and a peaceful world, commandant…Now excuse me, it's been a long journey, my compatriots and I wish to rest." Richelieu said to William.

"Of course, madame, let me guide you to your assigned rooms." Roux said to Richelieu while he smiled.

"Please. I bid everyone a good day, let's talk some more during the meeting." Richelieu said out loud.

And just like that, Richelieu alongside the rest of the Iris KANSENs walked behind her as they headed for their rooms. Some ship girls like Surcouf and Le Triomphant greeted William alongside Bismarck and Elizabeth, while the rest just strutted behind the others…William couldn't help himself but sighed as he stared down to the floor. Look, he knew that it wouldn't be smooth sailing, but there's clearly a difference in how Jean Bart and Richelieu treated him! No, how about those from Vichya Dominion and Iris Libre! William could sense the cautiousness and edge that the Iris Libre girls put up, with the exception of Surcouf! The Vichya girls, while not much for formality themselves, are a lot laxer and accepting…to him! The majority of the Iris Libre girls including Richelieu didn't put much thought into him!

"…It looks like Richelieu has resentment for you, kommandant." Bismarck said to William in a low tone.

"What could be the reason? This is our first meeting, no?" William asked Bismarck while he frowned.

"Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that you got two women pregnant out of wedlock…You do realize she is a cardinal? Of course she would frown on something like that." Elizabeth said to William while she folded her arms.

"…You do make a good point, Elizabeth…" William said to Elizabeth while he frowned deeply.

.

A few hours later…As anyone would expect, the meeting room was filled with tension so high, it rivaled the supporting cables on San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge. William alongside Hood, Bismarck, Queen Elizabeth, Brooklyn, Shangri-La, and Roux watched Jean Bart and Richelieu seated while facing one another; Jean Bart scowled as she folded her arms and Richelieu frowned as she stared at Jean Bart. A few Iris girls stood behind the two representatives, and William could see the subtle frowns on them, as if none of them wanted to see this happening as well, yet at the same time there's nothing they could do…Brooklyn, who's seated beside William, watched each party with an analyzing gaze. She deciphered every little detail she could get out of the two representatives and their company behind them. The meeting started not too long ago, but they have made zero progress in talking about the problem at hand. How could they when the two representatives of Iris ship girls are busy being too involved with their own problems at hand compared to their mission?

"Commander, you might want to reign them in…" Brooklyn, who was seated beside William, whispered to him.

"…Ms. Richelieu, Jean Bart…I will be honest, I am concerned about your inability to work together as a unit." William said to Jean Bart and Richelieu.

"No need to worry; I did say that she and I wouldn't have problems with a commander in charge." Jean said to William.

"Then let me change the topic. Do I have to worry about you two trying to kill each other?" William bluntly asked them.

"Not if she doesn't start anything." Richelieu said to William as her eyes turned toward Jean.

"Moi?! What's that supposed to mean!?" Jean asked Richelieu while she scowled.

"You never listen and always charge on your own, you could endanger the ladies and this entire mission." Richelieu said to Jean while she frowned.

"I did what we had to do without a slight ounce of hesitation! If the Sirens mess with us, they'll get what is coming for them, and my comrades here agree with me!" Jean said to Richelieu while she scowled.

"…Madame Richelieu, even Jean's actions did save us from multiple skirmishes and ambushes. Because she knows when to fight and to retreat, she doesn't get distracted by the details as what is important is to know when to fight or run. You on the other hand spend quite a while in planning and details, it can be good for sensitive operations, but a slight change would force you to adjust the entirety of your plans…Simply put, you can be quite slow." Algerie said to Richelieu while she smiled wryly.

"I never claimed myself as an excellent strategist, but I do know the importance of planning ahead." Richelieu said to Algerie while she frowned a bit.

"Algerie could do better than you, she could plan ahead even during an intense fight." Jean said to Richelieu while she smirked.

"…You're saying I'm incompetent?" Richelieu asked Jean in a low tone.

"Hey you said it, not me." Jean said to Richelieu while she shrugged.

"…You're a Templar Knight, Jean…a knight shouldn't act like this." Richelieu said to Jean while she deeply frowned.

"Ha? I remember that I didn't break any rules as far as I'm concerned." Jean said to Richelieu.

"I heard that you loot enemy corpses and remains, is that how a knight should act?" Richelieu asked Jean while she frowned.

"I'm a privateer, Richelieu, a legal pirate. Enemies often have valuable supplies that we could use ourselves." Jean said to Richelieu while she frowned.

"What about your honor as a knight, Jean!?" Richelieu asked Jean.

"Honor? Don't make me laugh, honor is just merde if you're put at a disadvantage in everything you do!" Jean said to Richelieu while she scowled.

"Blasphemous…" Richelieu said to Jean.

"Hey, even I do know when to act honorable. It's just that not putting them in everything is a lot easier both in your duties and in your life." Jean said to Richelieu.

"Madame Jean, have you forgotten our teachings?" Jeanne d'Arc asked Jean.

"Forgotten? More like ignored. I don't care much for those idiots who used religion as the basis for everything, a lot of their preaching doesn't even sound sincere." Jean said to Jeanne.

"Y-You…" Jeanne said to Jean as she recoiled in horror.

"…Is this the reason why I never see you go to church? To pray to god?" Richelieu asked Jean in a low tone.

"What use is praying to a made up being that won't even respond to your prayers?" Jean said to Richelieu without hesitation in her tone.

"…Jean…what heresy you just spouted off! So, this is your true reason…a reason why you never pray." Richelieu said to Jean in horror after she gasped, Richelieu looked at her like she's a byproduct of a nightmare.

"To you believers, maybe. But this is what I believe on my own, and I'm doing fine so far." Jean said to Richelieu and the others.

"Jean…" Richelieu said her name in a disappointed tone.

"…Alright that's enough!" William said out loud.

All attention turned toward William, who decided to stand up from his seat…Holy fucking shit it's even beyond what he predicted…So, all of them have a long history with one another, and the bit of problems gathered into a mountain stack before this meeting was set up, and the TNTs below it then blew it up all over the place into a big mess…Jean Bart turned into a non-believer, that horrified Richelieu, who is the cardinal. The mess with each member's relationship or opinions to one another, the distance was reinforced by the fact that they were separated for quite a while, and both sides, or rather Richelieu alongside Jean Bart, are quite adamant on their position…William knew that the problem is big, but he didn't expect it to be this interweaved like a weed being stuck to one another in terms of complexity.

"I've heard everything, so let me say this…Ms. Richelieu, I understand your position as the cardinal of a religion, so what you just heard must be a heresy of the highest order. But remember this, not everyone shares the same faith as you, and attempting to reign them into yours would just make you look like a zealot…Jean Bart, there's a reason strategy and tactic often win the battle, and that is caused by one's ability to properly identify a weakness and use them to gain victory. Charging blindly at an enemy position or even ambushing is a bold move that can reward you due to your initiative, but one of these days you will not be surviving them…believe me when I say that." William said out loud.

"You expect me to just stay silent about this? The very fact that my sister is a nonbeliever?" Richelieu asked William while she deeply frowned.

"No, I don't. But I'll be honest, you're the one who can solve this problem, Ms. Richelieu…by accepting that very fact or at least tolerating it. Jean Bart is her own woman, a person who has her own will. She has the freedom to choose on what she believes…A belief that is enforced upon you is not a belief at all, it's indoctrination. You can't expect them to sincerely pray or follow the religion's teachings, if they don't even believe in it." William said to Richelieu with a serious tone.

"…That's a good point." Hood whispered to Bismarck.

"Ja, agreed." Bismarck whispered to Hood.

"Jean Bart, I want to be straight with you. When we're out there, I want you to hold your horses if you see an enemy formation. I know that they are a threat to everyone, and I got a feeling that you can't ignore them, but sometimes waiting for the right moment would be more beneficial for us all." William said to Jean.

"…If you say so." Jean said to William while she shrugged.

"You're less reluctant about this than I thought." Algerie commented at Jean.

"I heard of his good reputation in the front, I'm less reluctant on following someone who's proven themselves in battle." Jean said to Algerie.

"Since all of you will be under my command for this operation, I want to make sure all of you could work together despite this special circumstance between you ladies…So, discard any of your grudges and focus on the real problem at hand. We can mend the rift between you ladies once this is over, understood?" William asked out loud.

""""""""""Oui, commandant!"""""""""" The Iris ship girls answered William.

"Good…In that case, Admiral Roux, please explain to us the mission at hand." William said to the ship girls then to Roux.

"Alright…Yesterday, sensors detected anomalies which resulted in the appearance of a large Siren fleet consisting of both mass-produced ships and KANSENs. That fleet then proceeded to siege one of Iris' most valuable archeological and research sites on the Mediterranean Sea. The place is called Jardin Céleste, the Celestial Garden, an island full of natural wonders that served both as a religious site and Iris research facility. This place is irreplaceable, and the Iris Orthodoxy military command has decreed to us that the Sirens are to be crushed by any means necessary, even with our limited forces." Roux explained out loud.

Several slides of hologram pictures appeared on top of the table, displaying the various areas around the large island. It is truly a beautiful place. William could see the teeming forest that is filled with wildlife, a big waterfall with crystal clear waters, there's even large natural hot springs in the center of the island, and plain fields full of flowers as far as the eye can see. In the coastal area, there are various manmade structures, a civilization that is built side by side with nature and with architecture fitting for the medieval era aesthetics with a few neat touches of modernism. The town even has a large castle-cathedral hybrid in the center of the town on top of a small hill, it's like looking at a fantasy medieval city. Not too far from the town, there's a huge facility which is more modern looking than the town. The Iris research facility is seated prettily on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. William could understand why the island is called a celestial garden, it's a mix of both nature and civilization that is very hard to attain without the proper balancing act. He is honestly impressed at whoever runs the island's management, because the temptation to expand the island's settlement is just so big, especially with such a large mass of land remaining unclaimed. All they did was to make roads and a few outposts along the main attractions, to make the journey easier.

"So far, we don't know what the Sirens' objective is or the reason why they attacked the island. All we know is that the island is currently under heavy siege, from the Sirens' fleet and ground forces while supported by their jets. The town fell into Siren hands around an hour after the siege began, it's quite fortunate that the populace has managed to take shelter within the research facility that is protected by our energy shield dome. It is the reason why the facility hasn't succumbed to the Sirens' military might yet, but it's only a matter of time until the Sirens decide to make the final push. The energy dome is quite resistant, but a constant shore bombardment from Siren battleships will surely break it." Roux further explained out loud.

"Admiral, a question. Is this shield based on the same technology as the one used on Aegis Mobile Shield Platform?" William asked Roux.

"Oui, I'm sure you are familiar with the vehicle, with them being deployed to New York and all." Roux said to William.

"If I remember correctly, the shielding could still be penetrated by walking infantries and hardened when a high-speed projectile hits its surface. So, what prevented the Sirens from using their ground forces?" William asked Roux.

"The very fact that the facility is defended by various automated defense platforms and secured by sizable security forces, we even have a detachment of Iris Special Forces on standby within the facility before the Sirens hit." Roux explained to William while he smiled a bit.

"GIGN? Huh, so the site is that important…" William muttered to himself.

"Last contact with the facility happened around an hour ago, the site security commander reported that they have successfully repelled a small Siren ground assault. This was offset by the fact that their fleet has approached and is standing by just around five kilometers away from the facility." Roux explained further as he changed the images on display.

"…Five kilometers…and there is no shore bombardment whatsoever?" Bismarck asked Roux while she rubbed her chin in wonder.

"None so far, even their ship girls maintained their position and haven't engaged any of the facility's defenders in combat." Roux said to Bismarck.

"What about their leaders?" Richelieu asked Roux.

"I'm afraid that none have been spotted as well." Roux said to Richelieu while he frowned.

"This is strange. The Sirens sieged the entire facility, they have all the opportunity to commence shore bombardment in order to break the shield dome, but they haven't done so. They don't even make an attempt for a full-scale ground invasion as well, so that the facility's defenders could easily repel them, and they make a point to hold the town next to the facility under their control." Hood said out loud.

"…Something else must be going on here." Richelieu said to Hood.

"Agreed, but we lack any further information…Admiral, if I may ask, what is the nature of the research conducted in the facility?" Hood said to Richelieu before she asked Roux.

"The facility undertook many research projects from biology, geography, and even physics to some extent. It's a central facility for research around the Mediterranean Sea area, hard to think of what specific thing that caused the Sirens to come." Roux said to Hood while he folded his arms.

"…This might be farfetched, but I remember the Sirens also attacked a research facility on Furushima that developed the Titan Nuclear Bomb, a new technology…Is there any new technology that is being developed inside the facility?" William asked Roux.

"…I can't say for sure, commandant. I didn't know the details of the facility's experiments." Roux said to William while he frowned.

"Then we could just ask when we arrive." William said out loud.

"Can we not waste any more time speculating? Let's just get down to business already. Commandant Blaze, what is your strategy on breaking the sieging Siren fleet?" Jean asked William while she stared at him.

"A simple one, we will break through them with fire superiority." William said to Jean.

"Really? After all your points on emphasizing strategy?" Jean asked William while she smirked a bit.

"Breaking through with tactics in mind is vastly different than just charging in blindly, Jean Bart. Not all fights are won by complex strategy, sometimes all you need is well-placed simple tactics implemented at the right time." William said to Jean with a serious face.

…Zara's beautiful face immediately flashed before his eye, he remembered her words quite well…Seriously, there's no need for complex maneuvers in this situation. They just need to make sure that they're putting the hurt where it matters most, then they could worry about cleaning up once the threat is gone. Roux showed the holographic projection of Siren positions, the bulk of their fleet concentrated around the facility, and their ground forces held the town. On the sea, they would need to quickly neutralize their KANSENs and take out their mass-produced battleships as quickly as possible. The ground is the harder one despite the absence of Siren mechs, they will have to secure each building and make sure there aren't any stragglers. Where will William fight? Simple, his mission is to unite the Iris girls, and that means he's got to show them that he's capable of commanding them. William will hang back a bit on this one, he'll command the Iris KANSENs to fight effectively.

"A good principle, commandant. Then, let's discuss how to proceed with this one." Roux said out loud while he smiled a bit.

Thus, the tactical meeting begins with them discussing how to eliminate the Sirens from existence. The plan is quite simple, since this is Iris KANSENs' mission then it's only appropriate that they become the spearhead of their counterattack. Because William doesn't want to risk infighting, he's taking it slow by making Iris Libre and Vichya fight beside one another instead of mixing them together. He could get a read on their combat styles this way and form effective formations once the situation is dealt with, Bismarck and Elizabeth agreed to this method as well. How about ALASUC though? Other than standing by as reinforcement, some will fight alongside the Iris ship girls while a few others will support the ground invasion to secure the town. That way, they could secure two battlefields at once and hopefully end this threat before it could escalate…The meeting proceeded for an hour and a half before they agreed on the necessary tactics and strategy, then everyone dispersed to either rest or prepare for combat since the Iris fleet will be arriving at the area of operation in two hours.

William opted to walk around the aircraft carrier's flight deck after telling Hood to take care of the preparations, he trusted that she alongside Bismarck and Elizabeth could assign the rest of the girls on the task that fits their specialty. The man decided that he needed some time alone to clear his thoughts. He wanted to think about everything that has happened so far with this mission, and he found that it's going a bit better than his prediction. At least, the Iris girls are capable of putting aside their feud for common goal, all they need this time is a commanding officer who won't be…Ah…now William understood why the Iris Orthodoxy wants him…It's quite hard to find someone within Iris who won't be biased to either side, each of them have picked a side during the great war, and their attempts at being impartial would be harder to believe compared to having a commander from outside Iris. Even better when said commander is in charge of ship girls from multiple factions, the fact that they could get along under his command served as assurance that he could get the Iris KANSENs to work together. It makes sense when he puts it like that, but William couldn't help to get a feeling that there is another reason why the Iris Orthodoxy requested him to lead the ship girls for this mission…

"Oh, bonjour commandant." William heard a feminine voice coming from behind him.

"Hmm? Ah, hello." William said to the person as he turned around.

"Enjoying the view?" Le Triomphant asked William as she stood beside him.

"Yeah, it allows me to clear my thoughts…Hmm, I believe I haven't caught your name." William said to Le Triomphant.

"Ah, you're right. I am Le Triomphant, a Le Fantasque class destroyer. We are renowned for our speed. Yours to command." Le Triomphant said to William with right hand over her chest.

"I see. The name's William Blaze, good to meet you." William said to Le Triomphant while he smiled.

"Likewise, commandant. I do hope that you could match your reputation." Le Triomphant said to William while she smiled a bit.

"If I may ask, how do the Iris KANSENs see me?" William asked Le Triomphant.

"Depending on who you ask, either a playboy or an unfaithful man." Le Triomphant said to William bluntly.

"…Ouch?" William muttered as he stared at Le Triomphant while he cringed.

"But everyone can agree that you are seemingly a good commandant and a powerful warrior, that is the common ground that all of us Iris KANSENs have and what allowed us to agree to this arrangement." Le Triomphant said to William while she smiled a bit.

No kidding, when the news reached her alongside the other former Iris Libre girls, many immediately commented about that particular aspect of him. Some like Richelieu and Jeanne d'Arc frowned upon his rumored escapades with women (biased views), but that doesn't stop any of them from agreeing to be commanded by him, they just made extra notes to be more on guard around him later. Although, their brief interaction today dispelled any thoughts that William is a womanizing bastard, at least on surface level. He seems to be taking his job seriously and being respectful to the ladies around him; Le Triomphant didn't know how will he act whenever he is alone with a woman…thus why she approached him right now, to find out directly and perhaps ease Richelieu's concerns regarding their new commanding officer.

"Well commandant, you are quite experienced in fighting the Sirens by now, right? What do you think of the ones attacking the garden?" Le Triomphant asked William.

"…I believe they are bait." William said to Le Triomphant.

"Ho? To lure us out?" Le Triomphant asked William while she widened her eyes.

"Yeah, what do they want with you Iris KANSENs? I'm not sure yet…But, it's the only reason I could think of at the moment. Regardless of their intentions, I plan on taking them down hard." William said to Le Triomphant.

"Let's do our best then commandant. The power of the Le Fantasque class is at your disposal, if you need any target to be hit swiftly then do not hesitate to call for me." Le Triomphant said to William while she smiled.

"You're quite confident in your speed." William noted while he smiled.

"That I am, few can match us~" Le Triomphant said to William while she smiled widely.

"I'll be sure to remember that, Ms. Triomphant." William said to Le Triomphant while he smiled.

"…So, how is your opinion on the rest of the Iris ship girls, commandant?" Le Triomphant then asked William…it seems she needed a direct action for this.

"Mixed, that's for sure." William said to Le Triomphant.

"Mixed? In a good or bad way?" Le Triomphant asked William while she stared at him.

"Both…If I have to be honest, this 'feud' between former Iris Libre and Vichya Dominion KANSENs is a pure hassle that is simple in nature, but complicated in its resolution. Your combat prowess is high, but none of you will be able to fulfill your full potential as a fleet, as long as there is infighting amongst you. Disagreements, differences in worldview or even the individual beliefs, Iris ship girls have a lot to do after this mission to reconcile. If there is no effort to make up from before, now is the chance…None of us want to see you ladies in this state, the ALASUC members and I will try to help as best as we can." William said to Le Triomphant with a serious tone.

"…Merci commandant, it's good to hear that…I'm tired of this whole ordeal, I just want us to return to how we used to be." Le Triomphant said to William.

"…How was it back before the split?" William asked Le Triomphant.

"Would you believe me if I say that everything is amazing? Hah, hanging around the other girls, training together with the destroyers, tea parties every weekend with Dunkerque's pastry…It was perfect, commandant…Unlike now, where we are always on edge with one another. I want it to stop, I want to get along with everyone once again, I…want to be with my sister without having to feel awkward once again. Friend and foe are never set in stone, both could change position at any given moment…I'd like to believe that we Iris ship girls could be friends once again." Le Triomphant said to William while she smiled sadly as she rubbed her right arm.

"You ladies will return to how it used to be." William simply said to Le Triomphant as he turned around.

"Will? You are that sure, commandant?" Le Triomphant asked William with widened eyes.

"If you can get along in the past, you can get along once again. It won't be the same, but it could definitely happen. As your commander, it is my job to ensure everyone could work together as a unit. And as someone entrusted to lead all of you, I want you ladies to make up despite everything that has happened in the past…" William said to Le Triomphant.

"…You're a good man." Le Triomphant commented while she smiled a bit.

"Let's not get too hasty with the judgment, I could be a demon playing nice, you know?" William said to Le Triomphant while he smiled a bit.

"…Oui, you're right…Well, I'm going to prepare for the sortie now. I bid you good day, commandant." Le Triomphant said to William as she walked away.

…He's right, they shouldn't judge him too quickly. Although Le Triomphant smiled as she walked to the hangar bay while she recounted the talk with her new commander, she could feel the sincerity in his words, and it's kind of nice to have commanding officer that cared for them...William watched Le Triomphant as she walked away before he looked to the sea once again, he's got a feeling that Le Triomphant came to talk to him with another purpose in mind. He couldn't say what, but he could feel it in his bones…Well, whatever, William didn't do anything wrong, maybe she just wanted to get to know him or something. The man summoned his helmet and equipped it, William then turned around and walked toward the carrier's island…the fight will begin shortly.

.

Twenty-four Rafale fighters took off from the Charles de Gaulle two at a time, they immediately formed up in the sky in a chevron formation. Not too far below them, dozens of Puma and Caracal helicopters were flying at low altitude while carrying Iris Marines with the ALASUC Acheron dropship flying in the middle. All of the participating ship girls on this deployment are jam packed inside the dropship, a few have to stand since there's no more seats available. A bit uncomfortable, but they won't have to suffer long since the deployment area is just around fifteen minutes away from the fleet's current position…

"Emile, check this out."

"…Wow! I want one of those! Do you think they still have some in stock?"

"Whatcha reading, Bearn?"

"Skill book."

"You know, Formidable seems free over there. Why don't you talk to her? You know, experience beats everything~"

"Oui, but I don't want to be a bother to anyone. Unlike you, Surcouf."

"Muuu~, Bearn, you meanie~"

"Forbin, you looked tired."

"Am I? My eyebags aren't black, right?"

"N-No it's not! You just looked lethargic, that's all!"

"I must say, I saw your large mace and it looks intimidating, Ms. Algerie."

"It's worthy of its look as well, one whip and you can practically murder a Scavenger KANSEN. Want to test it out sometime, Madame Warspite?"

"Looks to be quite heavy, but allow me to swing it a few times once this mission is over."

"My, your skin looks fair and smooth. What could be the secret behind it, Madame Eugen?"

"If I must say, my happiness as a woman is what really matters and is supplemented by proper skincare."

"Happiness as a woman?"

"Oh ja, Dunkerque, especially lately…fufufufu~"

"I heard you're quite proficient with blades, Ms. Jeanne."

"Ah, I trained every day. I'm a bit excited, there are lots of girls here who are proficient with blades here as well."

"Then, would you be willing to have a spar with me later?"

"If you don't mind, Madame Wales. I would like to see how I fare against the others outside Iris!"

"Would you like some candy, Le Malin?"

"Merci, Formidable…Mmm, this is good."

"It's my favorite brand, glad to see that we share the same taste."

"Galissonniere, can I have some?"

"Hm? Ah, sure."

"…Uhm! Did you make this!?"

"Don't be silly, it's Dunkerque who made it. You can ask her for more later, Brooklyn."

Jean Bart huffed slightly as she listened to the girl talks happening all around her, she is wrong to expect some quietness within the dropship. Of course the girls will talk with one another, and with the place being this jam packed that some of the girls had to stand? Yeah, she better head somewhere else if she wants it to be less noisy. Jean stood up, she then headed for the cockpit of the dropship and opened the hatch that separated it from the passenger bay. Sure enough, she found her new commander seated on one of the pilot seats, a hand on the thrust lever and another on the flight stick. How lucky he is, getting this nice and quiet place to himself as Jean doubts that Manjuus make an excellent conversation partner. The man heard the door was opened, and he looked back a bit to see Jean approaching him as she closed the hatch, she then stood behind him as she watched the scenery in front of her.

"How can I help you, Jean Bart?" William asked Jean.

"No need to worry about that. I just want some peace and quiet." Jean said to William.

"Huh, were the ladies being too noisy back there?" William asked Jean while he smiled a bit.

"Not exactly, it's just that I prefer not having to listen to all of their talks." Jean said to William.

"You like being alone, huh?" William asked Jean while he smiled a bit.

"More or less, doesn't mean I like being alone all the time though." Jean said to William while she frowned a bit.

"Yeah, I do get what you mean. We need some time or space to ourselves on occasions." William said to Jean while he smiled.

"You as well huh? Figured you as one of those extroverts." Jean said to William while she smirked a bit.

"You couldn't be any more wrong…I like my alone time too you know? Especially lately, I don't have much of that." William said to Jean while he smiled somberly.

"Oh? You're quite busy?" Jean asked William as she cocked her eyebrows.

"Yup. Not to mention, the ship girls themselves want me to hang out with them every day. Not that I dislike it, it's just that it gets quite tiring especially after a hard day full of work. My own free time is often at night, and well…let's just say that I need to rest after all that, not much time I could enjoy myself." William said to Jean as he smiled tiredly.

"Uhuh, after hearing that, I could consider myself lucky then." Jean said to William while she folded her arms.

"That you are." William said to Jean.

William could say that to her so easily, it's always easier to say what's on your mind to those who you don't really know well or strangers. Also, he couldn't help but to feel that Jean is easier to talk to compared with someone like Richelieu if William wants to be honest, especially now that they did have something in common…Jean looked to the side toward William, who is encased within his full armor, she watched how he fought through the videos on the internet. Sure, he has the advantage with his armor and whatever enhancement he took, but that's the first time Jean witnessed how unstoppable a person could be. The way he mowed down Sirens? He spared no quarter against them, going so far as to split a Siren ship girl completely in two with his massive blade and still having enough momentum to kill the second one with one blade swipe. Not to mention, a clip where he took down a Brawler with his bare hands, actually breaking its limbs before snapping its neck. It is without a doubt that William is seen as a monster in the eyes of normal people, lowkey exactly what Jean believes how the humans looked at the ship girls. She could see it, the fear in their eyes the moment she talked to them or even approached them…not like this one to her side, however. He remained composed, not a shred of fear could be seen in his eye when he spoke to her…

"…How long have you been a soldier?" Jean suddenly asked William after being quiet for a bit.

"Around four years." William said to Jean.

"You looked to be too experienced for someone who has four years under their belt." Jean commented as she looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"Hehehehehe…well, my training took four years as well." William chuckled then said to Jean while he shrugged.

"Four years?! What kind of training is that?" Jean asked William while she cocked her eyebrows.

"A special one, to say the least. It's what gave me all the necessary skill to take on any threat." William said to Jean while he smiled a bit.

"Hmm, now I kind of understand why they picked you to lead the ship girls of ALASUC…So, basically, you're a high-ranking commander who has the necessary skill to fight in the front…A bit old fashioned, don't you think?" Jean said to William.

"How old fashioned do we talk about here?" William asked Jean as he narrowed his eye.

"As far as the Middle Ages? I'm sure you know how the commanders fought back then? They joined the fray personally, a real morale booster for the troops. But once they're taken out? It will deal great psychological damage to the units they lead…Combat at that time was simple, unlike now. Do tell, have you realized the potential of you dying in the front, commandant? How it will affect the ship girls under your command?" Jean asked William as she folded her arms.

"Of course I have…it's a risk I'm willing to take. I'm not the type to stand in the back and watch the fight." William said to Jean then shrugged.

"Despite the possibility of losing your life?" Jean asked William.

"Eh, risking my life is normal these days…but, the other reason for that now is because I have received all of this power. I have to use it to contribute to this fight." William said to Jean.

"What if you didn't receive the power then? Will you still continue to fight?" Jean asked William.

"Yes, I would." William immediately said to Jean.

"Really now. Are you sure about doing that just because you didn't like being in the back? There must be other reasons. What is it? The desire to be a hero?" Jean further asked William.

"…Never had those, I became one unwillingly. But I have to embrace the idea…in these dark times, perhaps heroes are what humanity needs." William said to Jean in a solemn tone.

Yeah, a bringer of hope in the darkest times, that's what a hero is. A hero is not just someone that could slaughter the opposition, not just someone who saved your life, not just someone who is willing to risk their life themselves. A true hero is someone who is capable of doing any of those, and could also inspire the others. An idol, a figure for others to rally around and follow. To be that kind of person? It's a massive responsibility, a single mistake could be the end of everything…At least that's what William believed. He is aware of his status, but the last thing he wants to do is to do any publicity stunt. He didn't do what he did because he wanted to be a hero, he did it because it's his responsibility both as a soldier and as a leader of the ship girls. He'll complete his missions, even if he has to lose that 'hero' status in the eyes of humanity. Hiei advised that he shouldn't let stranger's opinions affect him so much, since they didn't know what he had experienced in his life.

"Hmph. I see now that you're a fool to some extent, Commandant Blaze. But I don't hate it, sometimes only fools can dare to do things that smart people will think twice on…Although, let's see how well you could do your job, both as a commander and a warrior. I'll be watching you closely, commandant." Jean said to William after she snorted.

"Hehehehe, go easy with the judgment on me, alright?" William asked Jean after he chuckled.

"No promises." Jean said to William as she turned toward the hatch.

Jean opened the hatch, and she recoiled a bit in surprise, that's because Richelieu stood in front of the hatch and was about to open the door herself. The said woman also recoiled a bit before she stepped aside, Jean wordlessly nodded and then went past her. Richelieu watched Jean returning to her previous seat before she entered the cockpit and closed the hatch, the cardinal immediately faced with the scenery of her new commander piloting the aircraft. William turned around, and he subtly sighed a bit in amusement, who would've thought that both sisters want to talk to him privately?

"Do you need something, Ms. Richelieu?" William asked Richelieu as he returned his gaze forward.

"…What were you talking about with Jean?" Richelieu asked William.

"The fact that she wanted some alone time, she said that the passenger bay is quite noisy, and she's not keen on listening to all of the girl talks." William said to Richelieu.

"Hah, typical Jean. She's always been like that, even before our split." Richelieu said to William after she sighed.

"Before the split huh… what was she like?" William asked Richelieu.

"No different from how she is now, she is exactly the same…" Richelieu said to William.

"Is that so…and you? Have you always been like you are right now?" William asked Richelieu.

"I…honestly have no idea." Richelieu said to William in a low tone while she frowned.

"You don't?" William asked Richelieu as he cocked his eyebrows.

"…So many things have happened in the past, I'm not sure anymore. That is why Jean being who she is even after all of this? It's a bit of a relieving sight, in a sense." Richelieu said to William while she smiled a bit.

"Even with her objection to praying?" William asked Richelieu.

"I think I might have been in denial in the past…Jean has always shown her reluctance before our split, it's just now that she's being more vocal about it…" Richelieu said to William in a low tone as she looked to the side.

"I see…" William said to Richelieu in a low tone while he frowned, so she's always been like that.

"Hah…Forgive me Commandant Blaze, I might be a bit too harsh and dismissive of my interaction with you." Richelieu sighed then said to William which caused him to widen his eye.

"Huh, what caused this change of tune?" William couldn't help but to ask the cardinal.

"Nothing but my own realization, commandant. I have realized that I treated you with a bit of disdain when I shouldn't have done that, you are still a human who deserved to be treated with kindness as well." Richelieu said to William as she closed her eyes.

"Gee, thanks…Oh well, no harm done, let's just consider that we got off on the wrong foot, cardinal." William muttered in a low sarcastic tone before he said to Richelieu.

"I am pleased to know that you are an understanding man." Richelieu said to William while she smiled a bit.

"Yeah, surprising, isn't it? Especially someone with a face as frightening as mine." William said to Richelieu.

Richelieu had to admit that her realization is a half-truth to the reason why she apologized to him. The other half is certainly because of Le Triomphant's report concerning her interaction with William, she honestly couldn't see him as a playboy…if she wants to be frank, Richelieu isn't put off by the fact that he has multiple lovers, a lot of influential figures in history did the same thing. It's just that she assumed him as a playboy from that fact; she failed to realize that it's the girls who are actively pursuing him. After hearing Le Triomphant's report and a bit of explanation from Hood, Richelieu felt a bit guilty from the way she treated him…though his comment regarding his face didn't make sense, she didn't find him frightening at all. Richelieu thought that he is quite handsome, it's no wonder that many of the ship girls are gunning for him.

"Frightening? I didn't find your face to be one, commandant." Richelieu said to William.

"Huh, I guess that matter is quite subjective." William said to Richelieu while he smiled a bit.

"Indeed…" Richelieu said to William as she closed her eyes.

"…Ms. Richelieu, is there anything that you find unsatisfactory in me?" William asked Richelieu.

"Oh? What brought this question, commandant?" Richelieu asked William as she widened her eyes a bit.

"I prefer to hear it straight from you if there's a problem, communication is the key when it comes to any relationship. If you have something you dislike about me, then you should just say it clearly. I prefer that kind of treatment other than you silently hating me or something." William said to Richelieu.

He really doesn't want that to happen, if Richelieu has a problem with him then she should just say it immediately. The reason he asked this question is because Richelieu is not Jean Bart, that woman doesn't seem to be the type to hold her tongue with her opinion, while Richelieu most likely would. That's why, he needs to be the one asking the question, the sooner he knows what's bothering her when it comes to him, then the faster he could find the solution for the mess…within reason though. William is willing to compromise by changing some aspect of himself, but if he's told to change the basis on who he is as a person? Then that person could just fuck off…Richelieu thought of her words carefully, she's in the spotlight and underneath her is thin ice. One wrong move, she could smash through it and immediately become a laughing stock…to who? She couldn't say, but someone out there will surely laugh at her if she can't at least be honest.

"…As a cardinal, I could say that I am a bit let down to know that you're not a believer. But even the lord encourages his followers to treat the others with compassion, no matter who they are. I will admit that my previous treatment of you is purely my own mistake due to a bias, one which I regret…As a KANSEN, I heard of your prowess, and I am eager to see how you will lead us the Iris ship girls. I pray that you will not lead us astray, commandant." Richelieu said to William in an earnest tone.

"…I see…will you have a problem with me commanding you?" William asked Richelieu.

"None whatsoever, for now…If you seek my approval, then prove it by leading us to victory on this mission and so on. Prove that you are worthy to command us, and we shall follow you to the chasm of hell itself." Richelieu said to William with a serious face.

Before William could answer though, the dropship's console blared red with an alarm resounding all over the dropship. Once the ship girls heard that, those who sat immediately put on their seatbelts while the ones that stood immediately held on to something. What caused the alarm? Simple, they are currently being locked on by a hostile. William immediately checked the scenery in front of him for any sign of hostiles, the Manjuu also chirped which informed him that their radar didn't detect anything as well. William paid attention to the radio chatter, a few fighters and helicopters also experienced the same thing as they did now.

"What is happening?" Richelieu asked William.

"We're being locked for a missile strike, but there are no bandits in sight…That only means one thing, LRGM." William said to Richelieu as he pressed a few buttons prompts on the console.

"LRGM?" Richelieu asked William as she cocked her eyebrows.

"Long Range Guided Missile. A real pain in the arse to deal with, hold on tight, cardinal! This is Chariot One, we've been spiked! Potential LRGM! Doing evasive maneuvers now!" William said to Richelieu then to the others on the radio.

"Copy! Fighters, break formation! Sabre Squadron, find those hostiles locking on our transports! Espada Squadron, make sure our perimeter is secure!" Espada One said out loud on the radio.

He told her to hold on? To what?! Richelieu was about to exit the cockpit when William began moving the dropship in a series of complex maneuvers; she had no choice but to hold on to William's pilot seat tightly. William could hear the muffled screaming and yelping coming from the passenger bay, he felt bad, but he had no choice on this one! He maneuvered the dropship for a while when he finally saw it, a missile approaching them and at lightning speed! William yanked the control to avoid the missile, but fate decide to said 'fuck you!'.

BOOOOMMM!

There's no mistaking it, the dropship just got hit! William couldn't freely maneuver the dropship because he has a lot of passengers on board, so dodging a missile at that speed is almost impossible! He's not in a fighter either! William clicked his tongue as he checked the console, he noted that one of the rear primary engines is busted, and it's on fire! The dropship has four engines, losing one would not affect its ability to remain airborne, but it will still affect their maximum speed. William turned that one engine off and cut off any power to the said engine, that should kill the fire as well. Richelieu stood up after she fell to the floor due to the shaking, she opened the hatch to the passenger bay and checked everyone's condition. As expected, everyone is anxious regarding the fact that their transport is hit by a missile, but none of them are hurt, so Richelieu could sigh in relief.

"This is Chariot One! We're hit!" William said out loud on the radio.

"Can you remain airborne, Chariot One?" Espada One asked William on the radio.

"Yeah, but another hit like that and we will go down! Have you found the hostile that fired it?" William asked Espada One on the radio.

"We're still searching for now, that strike took out three helicopters! We can't lose any more, or we will not have enough men to take back the town from those Sirens!" Espada One said to William on the radio.

William sighed hard when he heard that the Iris Navy couldn't spare much other than infantry at the moment, and even they could only be deployed in limited numbers. The war had taken a major toll on Iris forces across all branches, so losing three helicopters alongside its passengers could be considered a loss and not a minor one. William still hoped that with ship girls' support, the marines could still retake the town from Siren occupation. He will not be able to join the ground fight until the Siren fleet is taken care of; William hoped the Iris KANSENs could mop up the Sirens quickly. Given that many of them are close quarter fighters? William believed in their chances to swiftly kill any human sized opposition. Just as he thought of that, someone barged into the cockpit. William looked back only to see Hood herself, she must've been worried.

"How are we looking?" Hood asked William.

"We could still fly; our escorts are handling those bandits at the moment. How is everyone in the back?" William asked Hood back.

"Many are worried that we're going down, but they're all fine…So, we continued as planned?" Hood asked William.

"Yeah. Check everyone, Hood, make sure they are ready to deploy immediately. We're dropping hot into the combat zone." William said to Hood.

"Alright. Anything else?" Hood asked William.

"That's all for now." William said to Hood.

Hood nodded her head as she returned to the passenger bay. She couldn't help but feel that William was worried about something, but he didn't say anything regarding his concern…and that woman was right. William did worry on whether the dropship could be used to command the ship girls during battle, with one engine disabled it's even more vulnerable to interception. Hovering over the battlefield with his jet thrusters? That's a solid option, but who knows when he will be targeted by the Sirens. He just has to see how the fight will go later. After five more minutes of flying, they finally arrived at their area of operation. William found his jaw dropped a bit at what he's seeing in front of him…It's a pretty large island with a mountain near the center, lushes of green could be seen all over the island with a large rainbow field that surely is a flower field, and a big shallow pond near the mountain that most likely is the hot spring.

Truly, the pictures he saw doesn't do it justice, it's no wonder the place is dubbed as a celestial garden. William could also see the town and the facility that is encased in a blue energy dome, and the fact that there's a big Siren fleet not too far from it. Strangely, there are no projectiles flying toward the facility…the Sirens are really holding themselves back, but why? Is one of their leaders here? That's a big possibility with this amount of advanced strategy in play, William still stood by his opinion that they are here as bait for the Iris ship girls…But this kind of attitude, where has he experienced it before? Just as he thought of that, he heard the Manjuus chirping to his side, William looked at the two Manjuus and then to the dropship's console…their radar is flickering…interference? On a clear day? No mistaking it, some kind of electronic warfare is going on right now. First time he experienced this during the fight with the Sirens, but since the reveal during Operation Eagle Storm, it wouldn't be farfetched to know that Sirens have everything they need to commence all kinds of warfare.

"Espada One, this Chariot One. My radar glitched out, how's yours doing?" William asked Espada One on the radio.

"Espada One here, mine as well. The others also reported that their radar is being hit with interference." Espada One said to William on the radio.

"Have you ever heard of the Sirens using electronic warfare?" William asked Espada One on the radio.

"Non, this would be the first time." Espada One said to William on the radio.

"Helios One to all aircraft, we just lost communication with Charles de Gaulle. We're on our own." Helios One, the leader of the troop transport said out loud on the radio.

"Wait what? Even our long-range radio?" William asked out loud.

"I've been spiked! Where is it from?!" One of the pilots suddenly asked out loud.

"Again?!" Espada One asked out loud on the radio.

"No hostiles in sight!" One of the pilots said out loud on the radio.

"We've spread a bit far from our formation and there-"

WHOOOOSH!

BOOOOOMMMM!

William's heart almost stopped when he suddenly heard a big explosion coming to his right, he snapped his head to the right side and only briefly got a look at a Puma helicopter being split into two before being engulfed in a big explosion. Another LRGM?! But where are they coming from!? There are no other planes in the sky, and even if there are Siren jets, their radar is being buttfucked right now, so there is no way they can rely on it! Just as he thought of that, something passed in front of him and hit an aircraft above him. There's an explosion, a sound of the pilot saying they're bailing out, and the radio is immediately filled with chatter that the missile is coming from below. It's fired by a ship? But there's nothing underneath them! That's when William widened his eye in realization, submarines! That's the most logical answer, and it's not far-fetched for the Sirens to have a submarine with anti-air capabilities! The dropship's console blared red once again as the dropship is being locked! William started to sweat as he looked around frantically, trying to determine the direction of the incoming missile-

BOOOOMMMMMMM!

"Oh come the fuck on?! Espada One, Chariot One is going down! Attempting emergency landing!" William cursed loudly then said to Espada One on the radio.

"Roger! We'll wait until the ship girls are ready to deploy! Good luck Chariot One!" Espada One said to William on the radio.

The dropship got hit once again by a missile coming from a blind spot underneath the aircraft, and William immediately looked at the status screen on the console to his front. It showed that the dropship has a big hole on the right wing, and the hydraulics system started acting up, probably due to shrapnel…William left control to the Manjuus for a bit as he ran toward the hatch and opened it. He could see the chaos that's happening within the passenger bay, but the compartment is still closed, and everyone is healthy, just shaken up. When the ship girls saw William, however, everyone stopped panicking as they waited for him to say something…Safe to say, he has no great news whatsoever.

"Commander!? We just got hit again!" Elizabeth said to William while she frowned.

"Yeah. Listen up, I have good news and bad news. Good news is, we've arrived. Bad news is, we're going down." William said out loud.

"EH?! W-We're going down?! Isn't this aircraft supposed to be super advanced or something?!" Javelin asked out loud.

"Advanced doesn't mean invincible, Javelin. Alright everyone-" William said out loud.

The Manjuus chirped out loud, and they informed William that they're going down, very fast. William widened his eye as he looked at the cockpit, he could make out the surface of the island, and they're approaching it quickly. William immediately ordered everyone to brace for impact, the ship girls stayed glued to their seats with their seatbelts strapped on, and the few others who didn't have seats immediately gripped on something sturdy. William was about to return to the cockpit, but with the rate they were going down, he wouldn't make it, so he crouched down and held on to the hatch that separated the cockpit with the passenger bay since the sea surface is a few seconds away from them. The Manjuus steered the dropship and leveled it with the sea surface as best as they could, then they brought the dropship to touch down on the surface of the water smoothly.

They could immediately feel their momentum getting stopped, and everyone yelped when they experienced the jerking sensation, even William couldn't help himself but to be forced to sit from the momentum halt. William saw someone flying towards him, and he caught the person. That someone is the cardinal herself, who didn't have time to return to her seat. So, William caught her, wrapped his left arm around her back, and shielded her head with his right arm. The dropship hit the beach and finally stopped after downing several palm trees, which served as the sign that the crash land part is over. William grunted a bit at the soreness he felt on his nape since it hit the hatch that separated the cockpit and the passenger bay, he shrugged it off and checked on the cardinal that he protected…Richelieu squirmed her eyes shut and so focused on bracing for a big shock that she just noticed that something is wrapping around her just now, the moment she felt that they have stopped she slowly opened her eyes…and found herself in the embrace of William. Richelieu looked at his helmet covered face with widened eyes, her cheeks reddening slowly because…this is the first time she's ever been embraced by a man…

"You're alright, Richelieu?" William asked Richelieu in a calm tone.

"I-I am." Richelieu answered as she moved her body.

Richelieu hurriedly sat and separated herself from William as her cheeks reddened while she subtly rubbed her left arm, the man only snorted lightly in amusement before he stood up and checked the ship girls. Hood rubbed her right shoulder that must've felt sore due to the impact, Jean Bart nursed her right temple, Bismarck stood up then helped London off the floor, Prinz stretched her arms as if she just woken up, Hipper grumbled as she stood up from her seat, and the others seemingly recovering well from the crash. The Manjuus did a great job with the emergency landing, none of them were seriously hurt or anything. For now, the priority is to assess their situation and immediately ready the KANSENs to combat the Sirens. William stood up, walked toward the hatch, and pressed the button to open it. The hatch moved just a few inches before it jammed, William huffed before he grabbed the upper hatch and threw it upwards then stepped on the lower one which effectively opened the passenger bay…They landed on the beach, the water is directly in front of them. William nodded his head then turned around to see that the girls had stood up and were waiting for his orders, they're going to have to go around the island for a bit to face the Siren fleet.

"Well ladies, we're off to a rough start. We will continue as planned! Hood, take your fleet to help the Iris marines. Bismarck, get your fleet into position. Elizabeth, take the rest with you, who are still unassigned alongside the submarines, and go hunt that thing which shot us down." William said out loud.

"Yes milord." "Jawohl, mein kommandant." "Hmph, fine, as you wish." Hood, Bismarck, and Elizabeth replied.

Hood assembled her fleet consisting of herself, Prince of Wales, King George V, Duke of York, Warspite, Javelin, London, Sheffield, Suffolk, Kent, Newcastle, Musketeer, Deutschland, Graf Spee, Greenville, and Sirius. As expected, the one selected to help the marines are combat specialists who are either very proficient with handheld guns or swords. Bismarck's assembled fleet is consisted of Tirpitz, Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, Nelson, Rodney, Abercrombie, Ark Royal, Unicorn, Hermes, Chaser, Glorious, Formidable, Victorious, Graf Zeppelin, and Shangri-La. The fleet consists of battleships, battlecruisers, a monitor, and aircraft carriers, a fleet that can either send massive swarms of planes or overwhelming fire superiority with numerous battleship grade barrages. Elizabeth's fleet consisted of Brooklyn, Leander, Ajax, Achilles, Z1, Z23, Z25, Z26, Comet, Cygnet, Crescent, U-47, U-81, U-96, U-101, and U-556. The fleet consisted of light cruisers, destroyers, and submarines, very fitting for anti-submarine warfare and suitable to take on other threats quickly. Queen Elizabeth herself is quite agile while supplemented with good cruising speed, so she could catch up with the other ship girls easily…All of them immediately took off for their designated positions and missions, leaving William with the Iris KANSENs and a few others who will act as support.

"Right, you ladies are under my direct command. We will spare no quarters, we hit those Siren mass produced ships, engage their KANSENs in direct combat, and secure the sea around this island. Let's do this swiftly yet carefully, something is wrong here, but we have our priorities at the moment…Now move it! I will join your formation shortly!" William said out loud to the rest of the KANSENs.

The KANSENs immediately ran to the beach and cruised away to the Sirens' fleet position, staying close to the beach, so they could mask their approach from the Sirens' line of sight until the last second. Iris' fleet is divided into two groups, group one and two. Group one is basically Iris Libre and group Two is Vichya Dominion; they are being directly supported by Prinz Eugen, Admiral Hipper, Leipzig, Karlsruhe, Koln, Konigsberg, Curacoa, Curlew, Newcastle, and Glasgow. William watched as the ship girls sailed off before he approached the two Manjuus that acted as his copilots, the Manjuus chirped at him while their wings pointing at various things on the console display. The Manjuus said to William that they suffered some severe damage from those missile strikes; the dropship is inoperable and has to be field repaired if they ever want it to fly again. The problem? Yeah, they will require raw materials to do that, they suggested that William might find some in the research facility. But other than that, the Manjuus said that they will need some time to repair the dropship, even if William managed to find the required resources, and there's a chance that it will only serve as a temporary patch and will require a more thorough repair once they returned to ALASUC base. William hummed in wonder for a bit, that is quite a gamble, but if they can't find the required resources then they will have to leave the dropship here for a while until they can bring all they need to make it fly again.

"…Alright, I'll see if I can get the resources needed for the repairs. Are you sure you lots can do it?" William asked the Manjuus.

"Chirp, chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp?! Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp!" The Manjuus said to William.

"My permanently damaged anus has nothing to do with this! And how the fuck do you chickens know about it anyway?!" William asked the Manjuus while he scowled.

"Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp, chirp!" The Manjuus said to William.

"…Yeah, I guess there's only one reason why would your girlfriend buy a strap on huh…well whatever, you chicken needs to chill out, you're being quite hostile today." William said to the Manjuus as he turned around.

"Chirp chirp chirp, chirp!" The Manjuus said to William.

"Yeah, I'm pissed as well to be honest. Oh well, stay here, I'll tell you if I get access to the required resources later." William said to the Manjuus.

William then ran outside before engaging his jet thrusters, he swiftly flew above and immediately saw the ship girls cruising the beachline. William then looked at the Siren fleet in the distance and told Aibou to display their formation on his HUD. Aibou quickly noted their placement and displayed it on a map overlay for William…Their formation is a bit strange, normally you would protect your key ships such as your battleships and carriers in the middle of the formation or at least spread them apart, so they won't be sitting ducks. The Siren fleet's formation is scattered, the composition is inconsistent as their ship placement doesn't make sense tactically, it's as if the Sirens just decided to put random ships in random formations…There is no leader spotted yet, that would cause this behavior to make sense. But when he thought about it, there's a massive chance that one of the Siren leaders is present around here. That missile strike is too precise, and there's this interference that really screwed their radar and communication around this area, but they're not in the formation so they're somewhere else…Well, William chose the 'deal enough damage that they will have to show up' route, so that's what they're about to do. His fleet circumvented the island and finally had a clear view on the Sirens, it's time to begin the counterattack.

"Right…Richelieu, Jean Bart, Dunkerque, prepare a salvo and target their key ships. Bearn, I want you to ready torpedo bombers and prepare to strike from their rear. Surcouf, dive down and see if there are any Siren submarines waiting to ambush us." William said out loud on the radio.

"""""Oui!""""" The ship girls immediately responded on the radio and executed his order.

"Prinz, take your group and head for the right flank. Newcastle, your group will take the left." William said to Prinz and Newcastle on the radio.

"Jawohl~" "Yes master." Prinz and Newcastle said to William on the radio before they moved.

"Jeanne, Algerie, ready your groups for a close quarter fight. Kill every Siren KANSEN you see." William said to Jeanne d'Arc and Algerie on the radio.

"Oui!" "Oui monsieur!" Jeanne d'Arc and Algerie said to William on the radio as the ship girls summoned their weapons.

The tactic that they discussed back on Charles de Gaulle consisted of fire superiority and an overwhelming offensive force. William wanted to wrap up this mission as quickly as they could then focus on reconciliation between the feuding Iris KANSENs. He's thinking of staying two or three days on the island as some sort of method to get to know them, as well giving the ALASUC members a taste of Mediterranean beach, so they can kick back and relax for a bit. But yeah no, there's no way that plan could be realized with the appearance of that mysterious underwater threat that downed their dropship and this interference, they have to find the source of interference and neutralize that underwater threat. Luckily, the Charles de Gaulle and her escorts are approaching Celestial Garden at this very moment, so they would at least not have to worry about fuel since there are tankers among them. William is a bit worried about munitions though, ship girls' munitions are specially made due to the difference in size and calibers, and William doubts Charles de Gaulle has stockpiles of them on board. They will have to conserve their munition, especially depth charges.

"Commandant, Surcouf here. No hostile submarines detected so far; we are a-okay to attack them!" Surcouf said to William with a cheery tone on the radio.

"Roger that, Surcouf…Jean Bart, Richelieu, Dunkerque. Fire at will!" William said to Surcouf then commenced the attack on the radio.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

"Aux armes, marchons, mes frères!" Richelieu said out loud on the radio.

"Have at them, show no mercy!" Jean said out loud on the radio.

The shelling struck a few Siren mass produced battleships and carriers, which immediately disabled them due to severe damage, which served as the signal to begin the fight. The moment Richelieu, Dunkerque, and Jean Bart fired their cannons, Algerie and Jeanne d'Arc led their group in a melee charge toward the Siren fleet at their maximum speed. The Sirens decided to meet them head on as a large number of their Siren KANSENs also charged at the approaching ship girls, leaving their mass-produced ships behind to support their advance. That's when Prinz and Newcastle made their attack, both sides immediately fired at the Siren mass produced ships relentlessly and launched their torpedoes at the hardier ships among them. That immediately split their focus from covering their KANSENs to defending themselves, leaving the Siren ship girls without support.

"Bonne, the plan is working." Jeanne commented when she saw the Siren mass produced ships are busy with their flanks.

"It'd be nice if this fight goes the way we want to." Algerie said out loud.

"…You're saying as if the plan has already failed or something, Algerie." Jeanne d'Arc said to Algerie while she frowned a bit.

"You don't rule out any possibility until it's over, best to remember that…Now then, let's impress our new commandant~" Algerie said to Jeanne d'Arc before she raised her mace.

Algerie raised her huge two-handed mace upwards before she swung it sideways against an Explorer that's about to deck her with her rigging. The mace connected with the Siren's head and effectively crushed it before separating it from the body. Algerie immediately raised her mace when she saw two other Explorers swiftly approaching her, both used their rigging in their hands to attack Algerie, but the woman was already on guard with her mace at the ready, and she successfully tanked their attacks. Algerie smirked as she thrust kicked one of the Explorer back and jabbed the other Explorer with her left knee, with both Siren being knocked back, Algerie immediately fired her main guns toward them. Algerie's high explosive shells immediately set them on fire, making them an easy target as she dashed forward with her mace swinging and took both of them out with one wide swing. Three Trackers engaged Algerie just as she killed the Explorers, however Algerie showed no sign of fear. Instead, confidence never left her face. Algerie launched a torpedo volley at the Trackers, forcing them to scatter so they wouldn't get damaged. As soon as that happened, Algerie rushed to one of the Trackers with her mace high up her head before she brought it down at lighting speed.

That crushed the Tracker's head easily then crushed its torso as her mace's momentum continued and effectively killed it as yellow blood spurted everywhere. Algerie heard something from her right, and that something appeared on her right side as large energy bolts approached her. But nothing happened, the bolts hit a barrier and dissipated without ever doing any damage. Algerie just activated her energy shielding and neutralized the projectiles. Algerie's reload was done, and she fired her main guns toward the Trackers. She successfully burned one of the trackers with the full brunt of her salvo, then dashed to the next one with her mace at the ready. The Tracker fired its guns toward Algerie who still had her shield barrier up and allowing her to close in on the Siren unharmed; the Tracker then swung its rigging's cannon toward Algerie's face who bent her body backwards a bit and avoided it completely. Algerie then slid the Tracker and causing it to lose its footing, then Algerie swung her mace upwards and hit the Tracker in the back, destroying its rigging, snapping its spine, shattering its ribcage, and her pure strength coupled with momentum was enough to send it up high into the sky.

"Whoa, look at it go~" Algerie said out loud as she briefly looked at the Siren she launched while she smiled.

"Algerie is frightening …" Tartu commented as she passed Algerie.

"E-Eh? I-I'm scary?" Algerie asked out loud as she pointed at herself while she smiled wryly.

"Tartu, Vauquelin, Mars, follow my lead." Le Malin said to her fellow destroyers.

"Oui!" "I'm right behind you!" "Hehe! Let's get them, Malin!" Mars, Tartu, and Vauquelin said to Le Malin.

The Vichya destroyers rapidly approached a large group of Siren KANSENs, all of them ready for a close quarter fight. Vauquelin began the fight by rushing then jumping toward an Explorer, her spear pierced it right in the center chest, and Vauquelin launched the Siren upwards. Tartu immediately fired her main guns alongside her AA guns, the combination of flak rounds relentlessly hit the Siren before it was filled with holes and torn limbs because of Tartu's armor piercing shells. To put icing on the cake, when it's about to reach the surface of the water, Vauquelin turned around and shoved a torpedo at it which resulted in the Explorer being torn apart due to the powerful explosion. Le Malin swiftly avoided torpedoes and projectiles alike as she made her way to the Sirens in front of her; she wanted to end this fight as quickly as possible so she could spend the rest of the day relaxing. To achieve that, Le Malin decided to put on her A game.

Le Malin used her rapier to rapidly stab a Tracker in the chest multiple times, then she glided toward another one before she stabbed it in the head once as she launched a torpedo salvo toward a few other Sirens that were targeting her. Le Mars flanked the Sirens that were distracted by Le Malin's torpedoes, and she didn't hesitate to decapitate an Explorer with her blade. She dashed forward and stabbed another Tracker before she pulled back due to a Siren Peace Breaker targeting her. Le Mars then moved around and tried to keep the Siren KANSEN battleship occupied, while her fellow destroyers eliminated all of the Sirens in their area. The Peace Breaker is quite persistent in its dedication to shoot Le Mars, the Siren's cannons keep targeting her and one misstep could result in Le Mars eating energy bolts and be burnt to crisp.

Fortunately, backup came not too long since she distracted the Peace Breaker. Vauquelin approached the Peace Breaker from behind with her spear at the ready. Le Mars saw her approaching and immediately bull rushed the Siren while firing her main guns. The Peace Breaker used its rigging to cover itself, its armor soaked Le Mars' shells easily, but that's what caused its doom. Vauquelin got close from behind and stabbed the Peace Breaker from the back, and her spear went through its body. Le Mars launched several torpedoes in a straight line just as Vauquelin jumped away while taking out her spear. The result? The wounded Peace Breaker was hit multiple times by torpedoes and effectively killed it.

"Nice! We did well, huh?!" Vauquelin asked Le Mars while she grinned.

"W-Watch out!" Le Mars widened her eyes and warned Vauquelin.

Vauquelin turned around before she flipped backwards and avoided a few energy bolts dropping on her previous position, the destroyer sweated a bit at the prospect of her nearly getting toasted before she traced the origin of the bolts: another Peace Breaker not too far off from their current position. But before she could cruise toward it, Vauquelin could see Le Malin charging at the Siren while firing her guns and launching her torpedoes. The Peace Breaker immediately did evasive maneuvers to avoid the torpedoes, while using its rigging to tank Le Malin's cannon shells. This is what often caused the destroyer ship girls to be frustrated when fighting heavily armored enemies, it's their main guns' ineffectiveness against heavy armor so they had to resort using torpedoes. Le Malin's shells only dealt negligible damage, but her real attack was with her rapier. She managed to get close to the Siren in seconds due to her speed as a Le Fantasque class destroyer.

Le Malin stabbed the Peace Breaker several times in the chest before she kicked it back, and the Siren is pinned down in place because Tartu is firing at it. Le Mars and Vauquelin immediately went to assist, Le Mars went on ahead and dashed to the Siren's left side while swinging her sword. That cleaved the Siren's left arm off and damaged some of its cannons, Le Malin also swung her rapier and cut off the Peace Breaker's right arm before she pulled away because of three incoming torpedoes launched by Tartu. The explosion threw the weakened Siren up into the air that caused Vauquelin to hurl her spear at it. Vauquelin's spear lodged itself in the center chest of the Peace Breaker and was immediately followed by Vauquelin jumping toward it. Vauquelin yanked her spear upwards, cutting the Siren in two before she kicked it down back to the surface of the sea. Vauquelin then landed smoothly as she struck up a peace pose while she winked and grinned, that's really amazing teamwork they got there!

"Nice work girls! We do make a great team! Am I right?!" Vauquelin said out loud while she grinned.

"The fight's not over yet!" Le Mars said to Vauquelin as she went past her.

"Hah…just a little bit more…" Le Malin sighed then muttered as she cruised past Vauquelin.

"U-Uh, girls?" Vauquelin asked out loud while she smiled bitterly because she got ignored.

"…Your pose is a bit cringy." Tartu said to Vauquelin as she passed beside her.

"Oh, come on! Not you too, sis!" Vauquelin said to Tartu while she frowned then followed her.

La Galissonniere grinned viciously as she avoided relentless attacks coming from two Trackers that engaged her in close quarters; she glided back before she spun then swung her big battle ax upwards diagonally at tremendous speed and cleaved one of the Trackers cleanly in two. La Galissonniere then kept her momentum as she brought down her ax toward the second Tracker. She managed to split the Tracker in two straight down the middle, then she sped past the dead Tracker and straight toward a group of Siren KANSENs approaching her while firing their cannons and launching torpedoes. La Galissonniere easily dodged the torpedoes and narrowly avoided the energy projectiles, but that didn't scare her for even one bit as the woman got close to an Oceana that kept spewing projectiles at her. La Galissonniere jammed her ax to its head, took it out, jumped onto its rigging and jumped high into the air.

"Disappear!" La Galissonniere said out loud excitedly,

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

La Galissonniere fired a full salvo of high explosive shells at an Explorer then threw her battle ax at an Oceana, whose upper body was split in two when her ax hit it. She landed on an Explorer and gave it a mighty dropkick that snapped its head before she backflipped to avoid a Peace Breaker's incoming projectiles. La Galissonniere retrieved her ax then approached the Peace Breaker, but she had to divert her course due to an approaching flight of Siren jets firing its energy cannons and dropping bombs at her. That didn't deter her desire to kill those Sirens though as she nimbly avoided all of the Siren jets' attacks while she harassed them with her own AA guns. La Galissonniere found that there's a Strategist a bit behind the Peace Breaker that launched those jets, and she switched her target for a bit.

La Galissonniere rushed toward the Strategist who noticed her approaching and started to move away. Ooh, she wouldn't let it escape, and that's why she launched her torpedoes at it in a cone spread. One struck the Strategist and slowed it down, allowing La Galissonniere to catch up with it and completely split its midriff with one whip of her ax, sending it to the side. Then she turned around and charged at the Peace Breaker that fired its main guns, La Galissonniere jumped to the side and the explosion lightly grazed her rigging. She blitzed toward the Peace Breaker while she grinned viciously and rammed it with her rigging which caused it to stagger. La Galissonniere then swung her ax diagonally upwards then brought it down diagonally resulting in the Peace Breaker split into four parts gushing with yellow blood.

"Whew, that was exhilarating and quite fun~" La Galissonniere said out loud while she grinned.

"Those Vichy girls have gone and done it; we better go all out as well! Onwards!" Jeanne d'Arc said out loud as she charged at the Sirens.

"Bearn's fighters and bombers are distracting their backlines, now is our chance! Temeraire, Forbin, Opiniatre, allons-y!" Le Triomphant said out loud as she cruised away.

The three destroyers immediately followed Le Triomphant charging toward the Sirens in front of them, the former Iris Libre ship girls needing to pick up their pace with the way the former Vichy ship girls slaughtered them. Le Triomphant drew some of the Siren KANSENs fire with her shield up while the three others lined up behind her, then the three destroyers split up as Le Triomphant closed in on an Oceana. She jumped aboard its rigging and immediately beheaded the Siren with one swipe using her sword, then Le Triomphant jumped back as the other Sirens around the one she killed fired at the dead Oceana. Le Triomphant noted all the Sirens around her and saw that there's a Tracker that's quite close to her position so she charged at it. The Tracker fired its cannon toward her, but Le Triomphant avoided all of the projectiles using her speed and agility.

"Pour la liberté!" Le Triomphant loudly declared.

The Tracker fired several more times at Le Triomphant, who avoided its attacks, before the Siren resorted to melee attacks by swinging its left rigging downwards. Le Triomphant raised her shield upwards and tanked its melee attack while she thrust her blade toward the tracker. The Siren is quite crafty, however, as it managed to pull back when its attack was blocked, but Le Triomphant reacted quickly by shoving a torpedo toward it and resulted in a huge explosion that severely wounded the Tracker. Then, Le Triomphant fired her guns loaded with high explosive shells toward it before she decapitated it in one swift blade swing…that took a bit longer than she'd expected.

L'Opiniâtre and Le Téméraire are engaged in a fight not too far from her, both of them taking on two Peace Breakers by chipping their defenses with their main guns. L'Opiniâtre then lured one of the Peace Breakers to aim toward her while Le Téméraire put the other one in a lock by encroaching into its blind spot, which is a meter from it and struck its gut with her rod. L'Opiniâtre saw the other KANSENs' rigging glowing a split second before it's about to fire then whistled loudly which served as the signal for Le Téméraire to bail out; both destroyers dashed away from the Peace Breaker that was engulfed in a big explosion seconds later courtesy of friendly fire. The two destroyers didn't engage the other Peace Breaker for that one is currently being stabbed in the back by Forbin, who took out her blade and stabbed it again multiple times, then Forbin pulled back and torpedoed the Peace Breaker, which killed it easily after being stabbed multiple times.

"Emile! Watch my back!" Jeanne d'Arc said to Emile.

"You got it~!" Émile Bertin said to Jeanne d'Arc while she smiled widely.

Jeanne d'Arc didn't hesitate to charge toward three Peace Breakers directly without much care, she fired her high explosive shells toward one of the Peace Breakers and effectively burned it. That caused her to be a prime target for them, however, and all three turned their cannons toward her. Jeanne d'Arc hardened her grip on her blade as she raised up an energy barrier in front of her just as the Peace Breaker fired. She knew that her shield won't be enough to fully negate the projectiles coming from the three Sirens, that's why she immediately jumped just as the projectile was fired. Jeanne d'Arc rapidly approached one Peace Breaker from the sky with her blade in mid swing. The Siren used its rigging to cover itself, but in futility as Jeanne's blade glowed red as fire emanated from it, and she slashed through the Siren's rigging then its flesh alongside bones all at once.

She then pulled to the side then blitzed toward the next Peace Breaker while she launched her torpedoes, unfortunately she missed, but it gives her time to further close in on it because the Siren is busy relocating. Jeanne d'Arc swung her blade at its midriff effectively separating its body from its feet, then she swung her blade at lightning speed toward its neck and caused its head to be decapitated. The last Peace Breaker is about to fire at Jeanne d'Arc, but it was struck by torpedoes from the side, Émile Bertin then fired her high explosive shells, forcing the Peace Breaker to aim toward her, and that was its biggest mistake. Jeanne d'Arc approached it from the side with her burning blade, and she swung at its chest from the side. Her blade went through it completely and caused the Siren to be split in two.

"The Lord's blessing is upon us; he wills that we win this battle!" Jeanne said out loud as she swung her blade once to her right and the flame dissipated.

"Oh my!" Emile suddenly said out loud.

That's because she is being rushed by Explorers from every side, there's at least a dozen of them. Since she has no choice but to engage them now, Émile Bertin readied her pose before she twirled in place elegantly like a ballerina, while at the same time launched her torpedoes all around her. Several Explorers were struck by her torpedoes that they were forced to stop and dodged them, which gave Émile Bertin some time to take some down by firing her HE shells toward two Explorers and burned them before she dashed to the side. The other Explorers immediately chased after her, Émile Bertin only smirked though as she led them to a certain death. The Explorers were suddenly rained on by battleship grade high explosive shells and all of them were obliterated. Richelieu sighed a bit in relief that she managed to catch on what Emile is doing, so she can immediately support her. Richelieu then steadily advanced alongside Jean Bart and Dunkerque, witnessing their fellow ship girls finishing off the remainder of the Siren KANSENs.

"They fought well." Richelieu commented.

"Indeed." Dunkerque responded while she smiled a bit.

"Not being among them felt wrong in a sense." Jean said out loud while she frowned.

"I'm sure our commandant had something in mind when he put you in the back, Jean." Dunkerque said to Jean while she smiled.

"Oui, doesn't mean I like it." Jean said to Dunkerque.

"You are a battleship, Jean. Long range gunnery is supposed to be your role." Richelieu said to Jean.

"Don't tell me what to do, I decided on my own how I should fight best!" Jean said to Richelieu while she frowned.

"I wonder how you manage to lead those girls when you're this selfish, Jean." Richelieu said to Jean while she folded her arms.

"Shut it, you don't know the slightest thing about what WE have to face back then. Don't you lecture me-" Jean said to Richelieu while she frowned deeply.

"Can it you two!" William suddenly said out loud on the radio.

"W-What? How did you hear us?! You're up high!" Jean asked William as she looked at him who hovered high above them.

"You two are so into it that you didn't realize that your argument is being transmitted by Dunkerque." William said to both of them on the radio.

"Dunkerque?" Richelieu asked Dunkerque as she turned toward her.

"Forgive me, I just want you two to stop and who could do that better than our new commandant?" Dunkerque said to Richelieu while she frowned a bit.

"…You do have a point, hah." Richelieu said to Dunkerque before she sighed.

"The Siren fleet is almost taken care of, not to mention that their mass-produced ships are annihilated by the ALASUC ladies. The Royal Navy and Ironblood working in tandem are a really effective force." Dunkerque commented as she stared at the Siren ships burning husks.

"Oui, even I have to admit that fact." Jean said to Dunkerque.

William smiled behind his helmet, the naval fight was going well, and he hoped nothing will throw a wrench onto them when victory is this close. But that is the main reason why he has Bismarck and the others on standby, aside from being the supporting fleet, they're also the first responders if the Sirens sent out reinforcement. So far? Nothing has come to help their butchered naval force, this, however, caused William to figuratively scratched his head. Is this just a raid? Then why would the Sirens send out a large fleet to do so? Is this a bait? Then where is the enemy reinforcement that should be ambushing them at the moment? Then there's also this interference and that underwater threat that shot them down, what are the Sirens actually planning here? The more clues they found; the more confused William became. Come to think of it, Elizabeth's fleet hasn't reported back with their status alongside Bismarck and her fleet. Might be due to interference, but he hoped that she and the others were alright. He should go around and check for them himself once he gets everything done here. Speaking of getting things done, William glanced toward the town and witnessed a ground fight raging all over the area…now that the fleet is taken care of and faster than scheduled, William could go and support the ground battle.

"Richelieu, Jean Bart, get everyone in our group and head for the research facility. Try to inquire with them about further intel regarding what is exactly going on here." William said to the two battleships on the radio.

"Alright." "It shall be done, commandant." Jean and Richelieu said to William on the radio.

"Prinz, can you hear me?" William asked Prinz on the radio.

"You're breaking up a bit, but what is it?" Prinz asked William back on the radio.

"Get yours and Newcastle's group to join Bismarck for threat monitoring. Keep patrolling for an hour or until I recall you myself, also send some destroyers to relay a message for Elizabeth and tell her to return after an hour as well." William said to Prinz on the radio.

"Ehhh, so much work~" Prinz said to William on the radio in a whining tone.

"I'll get you a drink later~" William said to Prinz on the radio while he smiled a bit.

"I'm so easy that I could be bought off with a bottle of bier huh?" Prinz asked William on the radio.

"Prinz…" William said to Prinz in a firmer tone.

"Ufufu~, I'm joking of course. Jawohl, mein lieb~" Prinz said to William on the radio.

"Hah…Hood, how's it going?" William sighed a bit before he contacted Hood on the radio.

"Sirens entrenched themselves within the buildings, Iris marines had to clear them one by one. It will undoubtedly take several more hours at this pace." Hood said to William on the radio.

"How about our ship girls?" William asked Hood on the radio.

"They're posted as sentries all over the rooftops, they'll report any Siren movement. Some who have handheld guns are actively hunting the Sirens, however." Hood said to William on the radio.

"Understood. I'm going over there to help." William said to Hood on the radio.

"The naval battle is over? That was quick." Hood said to William on the radio in an intrigued tone.

"The Iris ladies are more capable than we thought in close quarters, and Prinz alongside Newcastle's group made a mincemeat out of the Siren mass produced ships; overwhelming firepower really did the trick." William said to Hood on the radio while he smiled a bit as he flew toward the town.

"I am glad to hear that. Well then, the sooner we can wrap this battle then the sooner we can figure out what is going on here, perhaps finding the source of this interference as well." Hood said to William on the radio.

"Agreed. Well, I'm going in, wish me luck Hood." William said to Hood on the radio.

"Best of luck to you, dear." Hood said to William with a soft tone on the radio.

William summoned his assault carbine and immediately opened fire at a group of Siren Troopers pinning down some of the marines from a balcony, he hovered around as he looked for hostiles with the aid of Aibou's scanning feature. As soon as he saw something outlined in red, he immediately opened fire. The new assault carbine he carried at the moment has been customized by Diana as it is an upscaled version of the prototype weapon. The reason being that William is so huge that his index finger has trouble getting into the trigger guard. Not to mention that the carbine's compact size is becoming an SMG in his hands, even William generally had trouble using regular human firearms ever since his enhancement, especially handguns. Thus, that is why he asked Diana to send him upscaled weapons that could use standard magazines. Diana said it will take some time for her to build them, especially with her packed schedule, so she sent him the newly finished upscaled version GPM Assault Carbine for William's personal use that she has worked on for quite a while. She also sent him another GPM revolver since he lost that one during Operation Eagle Storm, and a prototype gauss grenade launcher which could launch 40mm grenades as usual or use its energy acceleration feature which basically means it could fire the grenades much farther than a standard grenade launcher.

BZZZZTTT!

Several plasma bolts struck William and caused his shield to flare, the man immediately turned toward the Siren Troopers that fired at him and retaliated by giving them several precise bursts fired from his carbine. William then gets down on the rooftop once he spotted a familiar maid firing dual handguns toward the other Siren Troopers within the vicinity; Sheffield mercilessly fired her dual pistols at anything that colored black and moved. She heard a big thud from her side and aimed her pistols to her right, only for her to aim at William himself, who immediately held up his left hand as a sign not to shoot him. Sheffield then turned around and started scanning for additional hostiles.

"How is it looking here, Sheffield?" William asked Sheffield.

"The Siren ground forces are more numerous than we thought, I have fifty-six confirmed kills in total so far." Sheffield said to William before she fired her pistols.

"Damn. And they are entrenched within the buildings, we have to clear them out one by one." William said to Sheffield.

"Do you have any other methods that could hasten our work, master?" Sheffield asked William.

"There are, but it's going to leave lasting damage for a while, and I'd like to avoid that." William said to Sheffield.

"…Poison gas?" Sheffield asked William while she reloaded her pistols.

"Exactly." William said to Sheffield before he fired at several Brawlers on the rooftop across them.

That would be the fastest method, but the cleanup work would be pure pain in the ass, not to mention William planned on having the town's residents return here as soon as the fight is over. William and Sheffield heard screams from below, and both of them approached the edge of the building they're on. They could see a group of marines being slaughtered by Brawlers. William and Sheffield immediately opened fire until William detected something on his radar, two Siren dropships flying side by side while firing their chin plasma cannons. William ignited his jet thrusters and summoned a C4 that he had prepared beforehand, set it to explode in ten seconds and used its adhesive covered surface then planted it on the cockpit. He flew to the next one and summoned another C4, but that's when he had to widen his eye. Something jumped out of the dropship's hatch and flew at him, William quickly dashed to the side and avoided being rammed by that thing before it turned around then aimed at him with something in its hands.

PSIUUU!

CRASH!

A bright blue projectile hit William in the chest, depleting his shield, causing him to be thrown back, hitting a water fountain in the town's courtyard, and rolled a bit on the stone pavement until he stopped…William couldn't help but to groan in pain, that fucking hurt a lot! His chest felt like it was being seared, and his body was in pain all over the place, but he's got no time to wallow in his pain and misery; that thing is striving to kill him. William got up, kneeled for a bit as he held his chest while his shield recharged, and that's when he saw the thing that shot him approaching from the front. This time, however, William was ready to take it on, so he summoned his Siren Slayer and swung at it as fast as he could. The thing managed to dodge his blade, turn around, and land in front of him.

That allowed William to get a proper look at it, and he had to widen his eye again, it's Midnight! No, on closer inspection, the color scheme is the same, but there's clearly a difference in the armor's aesthetics, not to mention Midnight doesn't have a jetpack. Regardless, William knows it's a big threat, so he's going to take it down. The Siren held some kind of handheld cannon, aimed at William, and fired a bright blue projectile. Aibou immediately highlighted the incoming projectile with the word 'CAUTION!', so William avoided it by side stepping. The projectile hit a low wall behind him, and it blew the part where the projectile hit. Okay, that cannon is something he doesn't want to tank, so he better be ready to avoid it. Good thing that weapon doesn't seem able to rapid fire…

"Alright mate…you got my attention." William said out loud.

William charged at the Siren while it fired its cannon a few times, William dodged several projectiles and tanked the last one before he swung his blade downwards diagonally, but the Siren dodged it by backstepping. The Siren then fired at William, who immediately rolled to the left and stored his broadsword while summoning his carbine, he then immediately opened fire at the Siren that took cover behind the fountain. William unloaded several dozen rounds at the place where the Siren hid, but he didn't hear any sound of something hitting the ground, so he checked the place where it was last spotted, the Siren had disappeared. William stayed put, calmed his breathing and focused on his ears. Amidst the gunfire and shouting all around him, William tries to listen for anything that resembled a footstep-

PSIUUU!

The moment he heard that sound, William immediately dashed back, and he saw the projectile flying past his vision from the left. The Siren sprinted toward him while it kept firing. William kept dodging, but he had enough of this nonsense, so he fired his grappling hook toward the Siren. The tip embedded within its body, and William yanked the creature toward him before he launched an unrestrained right hook toward its stomach area, the man brought the Siren down and grabbed the fallen cannon that the creature carried before giving it the taste of its own medicine.

PSIUUU PSIUUU PSIUUU!

William fired the cannon three times toward the creature's body, and that caused it to be split in half, effectively killing it. William looked at the weapon in his hand before he decided to store it within the pocket dimension for now; he might need it later or it could serve well as a research object. William kneeled on the Siren's upper body remains, and he yanked the helmet off, revealing the creature underneath it. A bald pale humanoid with bright yellow eyes and yellow blood oozing from its mouth, it's just like a Siren in general, there's nothing that could differentiate this thing from a Siren Trooper…But the movement pattern, its overall skill, those told William that this thing is anything but average. This Siren is harder to take down than Siren Trooper or Brawlers, an advanced version of the Siren Trooper? William couldn't say, but he better keep his eye out for Siren infantry dressed up like the one he just took down in the future.

"Alert, large numbers of enemies are approaching from the rear." Aibou notified William.

"Never a dull moment…" William commented as he turned around.

William saw a Brawler horde charged toward him, he snorted as he fired his carbine in full auto at the Brawlers, who kept charging him despite the losses they sustained. It didn't take long for his ammo counter to show triple zeroes, and William switched toward his newly acquired cannon, he unloaded the rest of its ammo within the battery toward the Brawlers taking two or three out at a time from the explosions. But even that is not enough to stop their charge, William stored the cannon and summoned his shotgun, close and personal it is…But before he could make a charge toward the thinning horde, their frontrunners are blown apart as four KANSENs landed on his sides after firing their main guns. Sirius with her blades drawn, Graf Spee with her claws at the ready, London with her guns aimed at the Brawlers, and Deutschland, who bumped William's right arm with her dual pistols at hand.

"Too prideful to request help, dummkopf?" Deutschland asked William as she twirled her handguns.

"Heh, I figured you ladies are still busy." William said to Deutschland while he smirked.

"We decided to stop by when we saw how many you have to take. Your orders, your excellency?" London asked William while she smiled.

"Make sure none are left standing when we're done! Kill them!" William said out loud.

"Jawohl!" Graf Spee said to William as she charged.

"As you command, my honorable master!" Sirius said to William then charged ahead.

William followed the two KANSENs shortly with London and Deutschland providing support from the rear, their precise handheld weapon fire hit the Brawlers in an effort to thin their numbers even further for the three. Graf Spee proceeds to swing her right claw toward a Brawler lunging at her, the poor creature is split into multiple parts due to the sharpness of Graf Spee's claw. She stopped a punch coming from another Brawler behind the one she killed, then Spee firmly grasped it before throwing it toward the others charging from its back, and that stopped them as they either tripped or were thrown back as well from the momentum. Sirius opened fire with her armor piercing shells, decimating a group of Brawlers in front of her easily. Those that still charged despite that are immediately stabbed in the head by Sirius' longsword, she yanked her blade to the side and sent the Brawler corpses out of her way before she started swinging her longsword toward any Brawlers that persistently attacked them.

William fired his shotgun loaded with eight gauge shells toward any Brawlers that dare to approach him, each shotgun blast immediately tore open the creatures' chests or outright blew off their heads. William quickly emptied the whole thirty-two shells he loaded inside the shotgun then switched to his Siren Slayer blade, he limited his attacks to downward and upward swings or stabbing due to the limited space and the fact there's Sirius and Graf Spee around him. It took them a few minutes, but eventually they managed to slay every Brawler charging toward them…William huffed as he swung his blade to the side, cleaning it off of yellow blood and meat chunks before he stored it. That went easier than he thought, thanks to the ship girls who came and aided him on this one.

"Thanks for the help, ladies, that went easy because of you four." William said out loud while he smiled.

"Well, naturally." Deutschland said to William while she shrugged as she smirked.

"You're welcome, milord." London said to William while she smiled.

"Glad I could help, kommandant." Graf Spee said to William.

"As your maid, this is nothing to thank, my master." Sirius said to William as she bowed a bit.

"Alright…Our job's not over yet, keep searching for Sirens within this town, let's try to end this whole debacle before sunset." William said out loud.

The four ship girls replied then one by one they took off to keep hunting for any Sirens within the town, William watched them leave with a small smile on his face before he ignited his jet thrusters and flew upwards. He followed the trail where the Brawlers came from and noticed that it leads to the castle/cathedral hybrid on top of the small hill. William flew toward the large building and landed at the front door where he could see a barricade with several Iris marines manning it. The moment he landed; he's briefly held at gunpoint by the marines with their FAMAS assault rifles, but they immediately stood down when they realized it was William. The man approached the barricade, and one of the marines stood up then waved at him, it's the leader of the marines that manned the barricade.

"Sergeant, status report." William asked the Iris sergeant.

"We have successfully cleared the cathedral and the rest of our unit is sweeping the castle now, commandant. We're sorry for pointing our guns at you, we're just a bit spooked, especially after last time." The Iris sergeant said to William while he frowned.

"Did something happen?" William asked the Iris sergeant while he cocked his eyebrows.

"We encountered a Siren; it has jetpacks, and it murdered an entire section easily. We only managed to kill it after we concentrated our fire at it." The Iris sergeant said to William.

"Huh, same one I killed back in the town's courtyard then." William said to the Iris sergeant, so there's more than one of them.

"Mon dieu, you killed one by yourself?" The Iris sergeant asked William with widened eyes.

"Sergeant, have you seen a horde of Brawlers passing by here before?" William asked the Iris sergeant.

"Oui, we thinned as much as we could when it passed by us. It headed down; did you deal with it?" The Iris sergeant asked William.

"Yeah, we've handled it. But where is it from?" William said to the Iris sergeant.

"They came from the left side, probably jumped off the castle's walls since there's nothing over there. Strange, why would they do that though? They supposedly focused on our marines clearing the castle's internal structure." The Iris sergeant said to William before he wondered out loud.

"You need to expect everything when it comes to Sirens, even the unexpected." William said to the Iris sergeant.

"Milord, this is Hood." Hood said to William on the radio.

"Go ahead." William said to Hood on the radio.

"Ms. Richelieu requested your presence at the research facility, she said that you need to hear what the head researcher of the facility has to say." Hood said to William on the radio.

"Alright then, I'm going there shortly…Keep it up sergeant, I have to go for now." William said to Hood on the radio before he spoke to the Iris sergeant.

"Understood. Good luck, sir." The Iris sergeant said to William.

"You too, marine." William said to the Iris sergeant as he turned around.

He intends to help the marines clearing the castle, but since the head researcher of the facility has something to say then he better be there. Hopefully, this entire fight could be over before sunset, and they can spend the night resting. William took off from the cathedral's front door and toward the research facility, he landed on the beach area near the road that led to the facility. He could clearly see the blue energy wall in a dome shape surrounding the entire facility, William walked forward a bit, touched the shield then walked through it. If he tries to fly in, then everyone could be sure that he will end up splattering into the wall and injuring himself severely as that could have the same impact as falling from a hundred meters height without slowing down. Just after he entered the shield, William turned on his jet thrusters once again, he flew all the way to the research facility's courtyard and landed there.

William looked around before he noticed something, the flag that hoisted on the courtyard? There are two of them, the Iris Orthodoxy flag and beside it is the Azur Lane flag…Hold on, this facility is under Azur Lane control? Why didn't they tell him about this? Does it matter? It does! William is under the impression that the facility is directly controlled by Iris Orthodoxy! That's why they are willing to do whatever it takes to secure it! But this one is under Azur Lane control, so why didn't anyone from Azur Lane notify him about this? Not to mention, they could've requested direct help from Azur Lane forces on standby near Egypt! They're nearer than ALASUC and should be the quick reaction force in case something happened here! No matter, William will find out why once he spoke with the head researcher. Jeanne d'Arc is waiting for William near the entrance, chatting with a few security personnel before she recoils when she hears a loud thud from William landing, she looks at William before she approaches him.

"Commandant, I've been assigned by the cardinale to retrieve you." Jeanne said to William while she smiled a bit.

"Is that so, lead the way Jeanne." William said to Jeanne while he nodded.

"Oui! Right this way!" Jeanne said to William as she started walking.

Jeanne d'Arc led William into the facility, the man couldn't help himself but to look around and noted that it's a bit different than your usual research building. The aesthetics are pleasing, safe to say, with the way they decorated the hallways in a calming green paint and wooden furniture. It felt like a marriage between architecture and nature. The designers try to make the inside of the building synonymous with nature, probably to make the personnel working inside this building a bit more at ease due to their workload. Strange thing though, the outside of the facility? It is designed just like any ordinary human building, industrial looking with a few touch ups here and there just enough to make it look aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. Not that William cared much, he knows jack shit about art, he even once thought that Picaso is the one who painted Mona Lisa before his middle school art teacher whacked him with a book and called him a misinformed heretic. The point being, even someone who's not that into art knows about the effect the interior designs give…After turning around the corners a lot, going through dozens of corridors and an elevator ride, they finally reached the place where the facility is performing experimental research at the deepest part of the facility underground.

"I haven't seen the civilians around." William commented as he walked behind Jeanne.

"Ah, the security personnel said they are placed on sub level six or something, a recreational part of the facility, so they will have no reason to venture around." Jeanne said to William.

"Huh, placing them in a place where they most likely won't get bored and possibly with a nearby cafeteria. Smart decision, especially if that level doesn't have any sensitive rooms or places." William commented while he smiled.

"It is, truly." Jeanne said to William.

"Did you hear what the head researcher wants to say to me?" William asked Jeanne.

"I'm sorry but no, le cardinale and Jean are the ones that spoke to her. I was just told to wait for you." Jeanne said to William while she frowned a bit.

"I see…well, this better be important, the ground battle isn't finished yet, and I'd like to help them out." William said to Jeanne.

"Oui, I'd like to help as well, commandant. The more the merrier, right?" Jeanne said to William as she looked back while she smiled.

"That's right." William said to Jeanne while he nodded and smiled a bit.

They finally reached the place where the head researcher was waiting, the guards looked at Jeanne d'Arc and William then opened the hydraulic blast door that leads into the open space underneath the ground. William leaned on the rail for a bit as he looked at how vast the area was, there are multiple closed rooms that are presumably running their own experiments. But what gets his immediate attention is the place at the furthest from the entrance. He could see a big piece of Siren machinery being suspended by thick wires bound on the ceiling…Wait, something that big? What's that? William was wondering about it when Jeanne tapped his left arm as a sign to continue following her, he did just that, and both of them got down on a platform that descended into the area below them. Jeanne then kept walking toward the big Siren machine.

That's when William saw the rest of the Iris KANSENs staring at the machine, while Richelieu and Jean talked to a slender woman with an hourglass figure, long wavy blonde hair, a pair of blue bedroom eyes encased within red glasses, wearing a blue shirt with a lab jacket on top of it, black knee length skirt, and black stockings complimented with red office heels…Hoo boy, hard to believe there's a supermodel working as a scientist! Sexy, intelligent, and possibly very sensual? William liked what he saw to be honest, but something about her caused him to put on a guarded attitude. He didn't know why; he just knew that he needed to take her seriously…maybe that's her hidden talent? The fact that her mere presence is enough to make others submit? The woman then turned to the side and looked at William, she immediately put on a smile.

"Monsieur Blaze, I finally have the chance to meet you." The woman said to William as she offered her right hand.

"You flatter me, may I know your name?" William asked the woman as he shook her hand.

"Ah, my name is Victoria Bordeaux, I believe you have met with my little sister~" Victoria said to William while she smirked a bit as both of them let go of each other's hands.

"…Little sister? Ah! Rosa Bordeaux! The manager of Eden resort!" William said to Victoria as his eye widened.

"I see you remembered her…Well then commandant, I'm sure you must be wondering why would I call you here despite the ongoing fight upstairs?" Victoria asked William as she turned around and walked toward the large console near them.

"That I am." William said to Victoria as he followed her, he subtly nodded at Richelieu and Jean as he walked past them.

"Do you know what kind of module that is hanging in front of you?" Victoria asked William as she instructed the scientists working on the console.

"No idea, but I know it's Siren in origin." William said to Victoria.

"Oui, it is Siren technology. One which we retrieved from the battle of New York." Victoria said to William.

"…Wait, is this the command module for Orochi?!" William came to a realization then asked Victoria with his eye widened.

"Spot on! I'm pleased that you can figure it out quickly~" Victoria said to William while she looked at him and smiled.

"But I thought this module was being sent to Azur Lane HQ! The high commander himself said so!" William said to Victoria as he walked toward her.

"Change of plans, you do know the situation back at Central HQ." Victoria said to William before she ordered one of the scientists to do something.

"…You're aware of it? Are you and Lucas…" William said to Victoria while he frowned a bit.

"The old man and I understood that certain measures had to be done outside administration, this is one of them." Victoria said to William while she smirked a bit.

What are the odds that this woman worked for Lucas directly? William didn't even suspect her; he didn't even suspect that Lucas basically controls this facility. But now that he thought about it, Lucas surely has a lot of agents working directly for him instead of Azur Lane, how else could he relocate funds easily? Exerting political power as needed to do what he wants? Even the DNA Mod project that only he, Lena, and Diana knew about? Yup, the man is more powerful than William thought, and his connections run deep. It's a lucky fact that Lucas is a good man who just wants to deal with humanity's bullshit instead of creating them. William doesn't want to think on what would happen if Lucas said 'fuck it' and then ruin everything that they have fought for, could Azur Lane survive with its high commander being a corrupt crook? Maybe not, they most likely would get steamrolled by Crimson Axis back then, and they would have a very tough time fighting the Sirens now.

"Never thought I'd meet with the one he'd rely on for this kind of task." William commented as he stood behind Victoria, ooh what a plump ass!

"Me neither, but here you are, and you're the one he relies on for the heavy lifting~" Victoria said to William as she looked back a bit while she smirked knowingly...

"Well, it is my specialty…But enough pleasantries, this module is supposed to hold an AI that controls Orochi. Lucas said that there will be an attempt to reverse engineer it, have you done it?" William asked Victoria while he folded his arms.

"It's the reason why I called you here, we could get this done and then try to figure out what is going on outside, sounds good?" Victoria asked William while she smiled.

"Yeah, that works." William said to Victoria.

"Parfaite! Well, please give us a bit to prepare some stuff!" Victoria said to William as she worked on the console.

Victoria got to work with several scientists around her, discussing a lot about stuff that William honestly had no idea despite his knowledge on sci-fi, guess that's where the border between science and fiction met. William shrugged a bit as he turned around and walked toward Richelieu and Jean, who stood still beside one another, yet both didn't even attempt to converse with each other. William subtly frowned upon this, but he'd save it for when it's time for these two to start making up.

"…What did she talk about with you two?" William asked both of them in a low tone.

"Regarding what is going on with that module, she didn't say anything regarding Azur Lane High Command until you arrived though." Richelieu said to William while she frowned a bit.

"I'm sure you are aware of what's going on over there…" William said to Richelieu in a low tone.

"That we are…honestly speaking, it worries us a bit since ALASUC still has ties with Azur Lane High Command." Richelieu said to William in a low tone.

"Despite those ties, we are completely independent in our organizational operations. There are direct orders from Azur Lane to send KANSENs to ALASUC, and there are proven facts that the governments are very reluctant to do that…But it makes sense, what kind of country is willing to give up their strategic assets willingly? Unless they gain something far more than those assets." William said to Richelieu in a low tone while he folded his arms.

"Hey, did you just say-" Jean suddenly looked at him while she scowled.

"No, they see you ladies as assets…Not me, I see you ladies as warriors, one who I have the privilege to lead into battle. If you two are aware of what's going on with the Azur Lane High Command at the moment? Then I will assure you, ALASUC will not bow to any demands that wants you ladies to be split and stationed in your respective countries…" William said to Jean in a low tone.

Both Jean Bart and Richelieu looked at one another, they honestly have the same conclusion in mind when it comes to this matter…They have read the info from the KANSENs' forum, regarding everything that is going on in the Azur Lane High Command Council. The possibility of them being used for other means than combating the Sirens are quite high, this is why the chance to join ALASUC is very appealing due to the benefit of them to keep fighting the Sirens while being free from any political influence. The ultimate protection for their backs, while they risk their front facing off the Siren threat. Richelieu, Jean Bart, and their fellow KANSENs are quite loyal to Iris Orthodoxy, but even the mere chance of them being used other than protecting their nation unsettled them to no end. That is why when this Iris Orthodoxy request this commission to ALASUC, Richelieu and Jean Bart agreed to be led by William, and that all Iris KANSENs will join ALASUC when the commission is over. Honestly speaking, this entire mess is a blessing in disguise for the Iris KANSENs, it gives them the room to act, and both leaders would be a fool not to take this chance to secure their future…Both Richelieu and Jean Bart are sure that they could still protect Iris even when they are away from the country, one way or another.

"We know, it's one of the reasons why we agreed to this." Jean said to William in a low tone.

"We might be loyal to Iris, but we're not naïve, commandant…Let me ask you this, can you provide a safe haven for me, Jean, and our brethren at ALASUC? To allow us keep doing what we do best against this otherworldly threat without having to worry about everything else?" Richelieu asked William in a low tone.

"We can provide you that freedom and security…but do you know the price?" William asked Richelieu in a low tone.

"The possibility of fighting the entire world, huh?" Jean said to William in a low tone while she folded her arms.

"Precisely…If Azur Lane is ruled by the corrupted, there's a chance that ALASUC will be dismissed despite its achievements and all of its advantages in this war. When that happens, you can be sure that ALASUC is not going down…You know what you're getting into, I assume?" William asked Jean in a low tone.

"Oui…We can still protect Iris even from overseas, blind faith in our government will only bite us in the ass if we're talking about the future here." Jean said to William in a low tone.

"…I agree with protecting the Iris part…Commandant, we are in your care from now on, I pray that you are the right person to entrust our future to." Richelieu said to William in a low tone while she closed her eyes.

That is a heavy expectation, but William has decided that he will do it, even if it means having to fight the entire legitimate government on earth. Lucas and Lena gave them this chance, he will not waste it by giving up. It is clear that this kind of system is the one the ship girls are most comfortable with, changing it will only antagonize the KANSENs, and no one want to lose a ship girl to a rogue faction…Iris ship girls will definitely be fine under ALASUC's wings, at least Iris Orthodoxy aren't that reluctant in leaving them under William's command…Hmm, Richelieu and Jean Bart insinuated that they agreed to be led by William, and that means they have negotiated with the Iris Orthodoxy themselves. William still stood by his statement before, there is no way a country will just give up their strategic assets just like that, they must have gained something…or, they WILL gain something in the future…William has to be even more careful from now on.

"Commandant, we are ready." Victoria said to William.

"Alright…what do you have?" William asked Victoria.

"We are told to retrieve the artificial intelligence's core and synthesized it for our own AI development, in short, we are to reverse engineer it and create an AI that's fully loyal to humanity…Easier said than done, those politicians and some of the military leaders don't know how complicated it would be just to produce a working analytical engine, let alone a fully sentient AI! Sentience is not something you can program! You could only sow the seed to the Proto AI then let them learn on their own through trial and error! Sentience is not created, it is birthed! And so far, we haven't managed to create a fully sentient AI just yet. If there are far more efficient methods to create a sentient AI then I'd like to know, really…So, to that end, we compromised to the nearest form of intelligence we can easily build at the moment. The term is: Virtual Intelligence." Victoria explained to William while she showed a bunch of running code on the console with a large screen in front of them.

"…You said virtual, but I don't see anything but a bunch of lines of code right now." William commented while he stared at the binary codes running at a tremendous speed.

"It's not finished yet; we haven't created the avatar for interaction. Right now, we're programming the analytical engine and encoding database function within its form. Once it's finished, we can distribute these VIs to help with our military operations, and maybe with our ordinary civilian life in the near future." Victoria said to William.

"That sounds like a fair compromise, you will still get an analytical engine and presumably self-updating database for field operation. That would already help a lot." William said to Victoria while he smiled.

"It is in my opinion, I'm glad that for a military man you seem quite reasonable in the pursuit of tactical advantage." Victoria said to William while she smiled softly.

"Well, I understand the limitations our technology has right now. And I'm a bit of a fan of the sci-fi genre so yeah, I know how hard it could be for the science department, especially during war." William said to Victoria while he smiled.

"I'm glad someone understands our woes here, you earned my good grace, commandant~" Victoria said to William then winked.

"Heh. So, when can we get one?" William snorted in amusement before he asked Victoria.

"Oh, for you? You will gain something even better, consider it my gift for being a reasonable man~...Ah, that's only half of the reason. While it's true that the old man wants me to hand you one, I would've handed you the VI one. But since you have a good track record and are a pleasant person, I am willing to hand you our best result~" Victoria said to William while she smirked.

"Track record? Wait, what do you mean by that?!" William asked Victoria as he tensed a bit.

"I know more about you than you might think, Monsieur Blaze~" Victoria said to William while she winked.

William tensed as he started to sweat, how the hell does she know about him? Her angle of approach would be Rosa Bordeaux, her own sister, but William didn't even spend much time with her for Rosa to get a read on him! Did Lucas snitch?! Maybe, the chances are there, but even he would have limited things to say about William, and he refused to believe that Victoria came to a conclusion just from Lucas' words alone! She must've got other methods to know many things about him, but what?! His phone is hardwired with firewalls specially made by Akashi, so are all of the systems within the base! Is he overthinking all of this?! William then chose to shrug and accepted the fact that there's a high possibility that Victoria knew a lot of things about him, at least she's on their side…and he hoped that won't change. Victoria then looked at the screen on the large console behind her, she smiled smugly as she turned around to look at William, with Iris ship girls behind him looking intrigued on what would happen next. All of them are wondering, what did she mean something better than what they're working on now?

"Commandant, I believe your armor holds a storage device?" Victoria asked William while she smiled.

"It does." William said to Victoria.

"And might I presume that it is connected to a wisdom cube?" Victoria further asked William.

"Yeah, you're right." William answered her question.

"Good. Then she is ready for you." Victoria said to William as she stepped aside.

"She?" William asked Victoria in a confused tone.

"Go on, touch the terminal with your palm." Victoria said to William.

Touch the terminal? On closer look, William saw that it's the same one that he installed on his computer back at base, the one where it can read storage devices. Huh, so whatever Victoria prepared just now needed his armor storage device? Victoria mentioned that 'she' is ready, William guessed that he would get a specialized VI for ALASUC. William liked Aibou, but if the VI can improve it even further? Then he'll take those upgrades without hesitation! William touched the terminal, and there's a banner pop up on his HUD that read 'Initiating transfer' with the percentage bar progressing until it reached one hundred percent, then William let go of the terminal's interface…What's next? Nothing's happening?

"Aibou, status." William asked Aibou.

However, Aibou doesn't respond to his prompt which is strange since it never lags during its operation all this time. Before he can ask Aibou again, there's a popup banner on his HUD once again that said 'Open your right hand', and William did as he was instructed. Suddenly, there's swirls of blue energy on the palm of his hand before it flashed brightly blue a bit, and something appeared on his palm…It's a projection, a humanoid girl with pale skin. Her shoulder length hair is white as snow with a streak of neon cyan on her bangs, half of it covering her right eye, and allowing her left sleepy looking blue eye to be more accentuated. There's a black collar with a blue flower on its front part, and several appendages connected to its rear side. The girl wore a white one piece, with a pair of white fluffy bagels on her hands, she doesn't wear any shoes, and her nails are done in black…Her sudden appearance startled everyone except for Victoria, who smiled smugly as if her work was done and successful. William couldn't stop looking at the projection in his right palm, what is she? A virtual intelligence that Victoria is working on?

"This is the very source for our VI programming, one we cannot fully replicate because of our lack of understanding regarding the necessary technology. Even if we did, I doubt we can one hundred percent replicate her." Victoria said to William while she smiled widely.

"What is she?" William asked Victoria.

"Why don't you ask her?" Victoria said to William while she smiled smugly.

"…Hey there, I am William Blaze. Can you tell me your name?" William then decided to speak with the entity on his right palm.

"…Yes. I am an artificial intelligence, created by who you called the Sirens. However, I have been freed of my shackles as a ship AI and was told that you will be taking care of me from now on, William Blaze…Greetings, I am Executor Class Artificial Intelligence Type Betelgeuse. But please, call me 'TB' from now on." The artificial intelligence, TB, said to William.

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Updated: 14-02-2022 (Beta readed by Culture-Hunt3r)

Guest: Hood will eventually get one, hold your horses buddy.

…So, admit it, who saw that coming? The fact that TB will be joining the adventure in this story? Congratulations to those who did since I've dropped the hints on the Operation Eagle Storm Arc! By the way, I am aware that she is a virtual intelligence, not an artificial intelligence. But, for the sake of this story, I'd like to 'upgrade' her a bit since in this one she is retrieved from Orochi's AI Control Module. Admittedly, there's not much info on her just yet, so I can be a bit 'liberal' on her implementation in this story…Yeah! Who would've guessed that this chapter would be dropped on the rerun of the French event, Skybound Oratorio. What a mighty coincidence!

I am glad that the RNGeesus is a bit merciful to me after the last event, I hope the same could be said the same to you dear readers! Le Terrible and Maillé Brézé will be joining the others later, can't leave them out since we're focusing on the Iris Orthodoxy on this one! And there you have it, shot down on the Mediterranean, with no way of communicating with the outside world and an unknown hostile lurking under the water. Ooh, it's getting hot, let's see how they get out of this mess! The story progresses a bit slow in this chapter, though it's time for the Iris girls to shine beside ALASUC! As usual thank you for the follows, favorites, and reviews dear readers! Stay tuned for the continuation and have a nice day everyone!

See you next time!

- Dasmara