Shinano opened her eyes to the light of the sun filtering through the blinds and let out a long, disheartened sigh.

Another failure.

Since the last time she did it, she'd tried to reestablish the connection with Kurama's mentor several times. She wanted to give the shipboy the chance to communicate with him, even if not directly and with herself as an intermediary, but much to her own chagrin, her attempts always resulted in failure. Every time she tried, she simply couldn't find his dream. It was like it had simply disappeared, and yet, sometimes after waking up, she felt that she had indeed dreamed; she just couldn't remember what it was, and it was extremely confusing to her.

Never in her entire life had her power failed her like this. She had long since gotten used to its unpredictability, but it had been a long time since she couldn't wrap her head around what was up with it. It felt like she was back in the early years of the war, when she could barely even understand how it worked.

She propped herself up on her futon and stretched her limbs, letting out a soft yawn. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she resigned herself to face the day ahead. She considered going back to sleep, but, if she remembered correctly, today was the weekly meeting with the other senior Kansen, and given the recent times, it'd be better if she participated.

Besides, if it turned out to be too boring, she could just doze off there; she was sure her comrades wouldn't mind too much.

"…nine hundred ninety-eight, nine hundred ninety-nine… one thousand," Kawakaze let out in exertion as she swung the training sword in her hands. Her arms gave out after the last swing, but her hands were still firmly holding the hilt, even as the sword hit the ground.

"I'm done," she announced, trying to catch her breath. She turned toward the male Kitsune a few steps away from her. Kurama was doing some post-workout meditation to the side of the training grounds, having long since finished his own series. Perking up at the destroyer's words, he opened his eyes and stood up.

"Took you long enough," he commented, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"I told you, it's the first time I do it like this," she retorted, trying to lift the sword with her aching arms, but in vain.

"You said it was going to be child's play."

"I miscalculated," she shot back, reluctantly admitting her mistake.

The thing in her grip wasn't just a simple piece of wood like the ones she was used to. It was a reinforced club of steel, purposefully made heavier for more intense training, and it was clearly made for Kansen usage. On top of that, as per the shipboy's instructions, she had to go through her entire routine while also donning her rigging and focusing on her Cube like she had been taught.

Needless to say, it was exhausting.

"In any case, we'll have to cut this short today," Kurama declared, turning to the sun slowly making its way upward. "It's getting late, and if I'm not mistaken, you have somewhere to be."

Kawakaze froze as realization fell on her. By now, waking up right before dawn had become a routine for the two of them. It was necessary for the shipgirl's training since she had other duties to attend to during the day. But today in particular, Nagato had to perform her duty as Head Priestess at the central temple before preparing it for the meeting, and it was Kawakaze's job, as her bodyguard and attendant, to wake her up.

But dawn had come for a while now, and Kawakaze had been too entranced in her training to notice.

Seeing the rare expression of panic on her face, Kurama exhaled and went to grab her training sword directly from her hands. "Go. I'll take care of cleaning this up."

"Oh… Thank you; I owe you." With a quick bow of thanks, the destroyer took off, right after grabbing her real sword, the one he had gifted her a while back.

While proper mastery of Wisdom Crafting required intense effort, Kawakaze, despite her willingness to change, was too stiff in her disposition. If Wisdom Cubes actually drew power from will and imagination, then the frosty destroyer started with a handicap. She had already told him what her idea was, and he was fairly impressed, but she couldn't imagine herself in a different position from what she was in right now, and that was hindering her growth, not only as a Kansen but as a person. It'd take a while before she could properly master it.

And yet, Kawakaze wasn't the unsociable girl Kurama had met on his second day in this world anymore. He could tell from their banter. While their current relationship was one of teacher and student, outside of that, he liked to think of it as friendly rivalry.

It was mostly thanks to Nagato and the other shipgirls' help, but Kawakaze was slowly coming out of her shell. He only hoped it wouldn't take too long. The date of the planetary alignment inched ever closer with each passing day, and he was sure that the Original Sirens wouldn't be sitting back forever.

He shook his head and let out another sigh. He also had to take part in the meeting, which he wasn't looking forward to since he didn't like that kind of stuff, but he did promise Nagato to help with the cleaning, so...

"I better hurry and go grab some breakfast."

A few hours later, deep in the innermost part of the Sanctuary, inside the temple built on the platform right next to where the massive trunk of the Sacred Sakura Tree sank in the central lagoon, pillows and small, wooden stools had been arranged around the main chamber. Most Kansen were sitting there, while others were simply kneeling to the side of the room.

Kurama was sitting between Kaga and Kawakaze. Next to the carrier were her two sisters, while next to the destroyer were Nagato and Mutsu, with the flagship sitting at the head of the arrangement. The rest of the seats around him were occupied by the other senior Kansen, like Shinano, Mikasa, Hiei... There were also other less prominent figures taking part in the meeting this time, like Kii and Aoba.

With the kind of topic being discussed, it only made sense to allow more people to take part in the meeting. Some of those shipgirls Kurama didn't know personally, while others he'd had the chance to exchange some words with during his stay. Regardless, the attention was all on the shipboy, just like the last time he was here.

He didn't like being in the spotlight. He understood the need, seeing the circumstances, but it didn't make it any less annoying to him.

"…the giant flying saucer that attacked the Basilica we call it a Hive-type," Kurama said to the assembly of Kansen around him. He was going over a few papers in his hands as he spoke. It was a summary regarding the attack on the Iris Orthodoxy, and it was supplemented with pictures of both the wrecked bodies of the Original Sirens recovered after the battle and a few photos of them in action. "Despite their size, they aren't dangerous by themselves, and they can be easily dealt with by a well-placed shot to their core. Take them as hovering carriers whose only defense is to fly out of reach. The real danger is the swarm of Drone-types they host within. Kansen like us usually don't have much trouble dealing with them, but they are the main cause of casualties among manned fleets…"

The shipgirls listened to him attentively as he talked.

The meeting had started in a plain, boring way, but soon, as expected, the topic had shifted to the more urgent matter at hand. When Nagato pulled out the report, she had asked him to enlighten them on the new enemy that had made an appearance at the Basilica. So, with papers in hand, he had begun recounting anything that came to his mind about those monsters.

"You already know about the Humanoid-types," he continued, referring to the headless anthropomorphs. "We consider them the Elite of their troops. They are swift and deadly, sporting higher intelligence and decisional capabilities than the others, and when they appear, they usually take on the role of leadership."

"Much like our own Elite Sirens, then," Amagi mused as she listened with rapt interest.

"And what about the monster that brought down the Basilica?" Mikasa inquired.

Kurama flipped a couple more pages of the document, but he couldn't find a picture of the creature. It was unsurprising, he thought; the thing had simply appeared, made a mess, and disappeared, and only after opening the way to the underwater vault of the cathedral so that its kin could plunder it.

"It's a Worm-type. It can dive, and it has unmatched firepower," he summed up.

"Wait, that's it?" Aoba piped up. The shipgirl was scribbling on her notepad, diligently taking notes for herself and her friends.

"That's right; there's not much to say about it," he said, setting down the last of the papers in his hand.

The cyan-haired cruiser frowned. "You don't have a way to take it down?"

"Shoot it until it's dead, and don't get hit by the giant laser," he stated, prompting her to send him a deadpan stare.

"Maybe something more specific?" Mikasa interjected with a smile.

"Well, if it consumes too much energy to attack, it leaves itself open, but that goes for most of them," Kurama responded. "Just pray that it never takes us by surprise and that they don't have more at their disposal."

The shipgirls exchanged looks. His last statement didn't inspire them with much confidence.

"Kurama, is there something else you want to add that wasn't in the report?" Nagato prompted him, trying to lift the mood.

"Hmmm… there's the Scavenger-type," he mused, trying to come up with something off the top of his head. "It's got a squid-like body, and it's mostly employed for scavenging, but that doesn't mean it's not a threat…"

As the man resumed talking, the shipgirls went back to listening, hanging from his lips as they embedded every single one of his words in their memory.

Time quickly flew by, and when lunchtime came, Nagato opted to take a break.

Everyone pulled out their own packed lunch, some of them remaining inside, others deciding to take advantage of the weather and eat outside.

The only one who didn't was the shipboy.

Amagi was the first to notice. A crafty smile appeared on her lips as she gently swatted Kaga with one of her tails, making the white-haired fox shoot her an annoyed glare.

"You didn't bring anything for lunch, did you?" Kaga asked the shipboy, her tone faking disinterest.

"Didn't have the time, but I'm fine," he shrugged. "I made sure to have my fill with breakfast precisely so."

Despite his words, his stomach rumbled, and his ears dropped on his head as he averted his gaze, trying to hide the awkwardness.

Kaga rolled her eyes, turning her back to hide the sneer coming to her face and to take out the additional lunchbox she was hiding.

"Here, you can have this," she said, setting it down before him.

Kurama looked down at the small table in front of him and at the box neatly wrapped in a cloth sitting on it. The cogs in his brain seemed to strain for a second, and he turned to look at Kaga with a questioning look on his face. Now it was her turn to avert her gaze as she began eating nonchalantly.

"What's this?"

Another swat from Amagi's tails prompted Kaga to swallow and clear her throat.

"I knew something like this would happen, so I made one more for you," she added.

"Indeed! Kaga's spent the entire morning preparing it, so you better be grateful-"

A hand settled on Akagi's shoulder, startling her and prompting her to pause her tirade. She turned to see Amagi with a tight smile of warning plastered on her face and eyes that promised a spanking, and it was more than enough to shush her up.

Ignoring Akagi, the shipboy simply cleared his throat, then proceeded to unwrap the cloth and open the box, revealing two different compartments, one filled with salad and the other with neatly arranged egg rolls and meat balls.

He offered his thanks and grabbed the chopsticks on the side before digging in.

"It's delicious," he said after swallowing a small bite. "Thank you, Kaga."

Amagi had to hold back a squeal when she noticed Kaga's lips quirking up in an imperceptible smile and her cheeks getting slightly rosier.

Akagi, on the other hand, was baffled. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't understand how those two could be so awkward with such frivolities when they already fucked like rabbits in heat.

"Aah, the weather is so nice today," Amagi piped up. "I think I'll go eat outside. You are coming too, right, Akagi?"

"O-of course, Amagi-neesama. Here, let me help you," she said, getting on her feet first.

The two of them quickly dismissed themselves, leaving the other two foxes alone, or at least as alone as they could be, with some of the other participants having their own lunch inside.

"Sorry about that," Kaga began as they resumed eating. "Akagi's still not entirely on board with this, and Amagi is a bit… overenthusiastic."

"Don't worry, I can deal with Akagi, and I don't mind Amagi's enthusiasm." He said that, but the elder of the sisters had been pestering him to come over for dinner a bit too much lately, and he was running out of excuses to refuse. He was considering taking her up on the offer, but he didn't know how Akagi would react if he suddenly showed up at their place.

In any case, it was something he intended to do, but at a more favorable moment, like when he'd finally get the news he was expecting from Azur Lane. He knew that Lenin, Leviathan, and Emperor had returned from their expedition and were heading to the Iris, but he still hadn't heard anything from Freedom regarding his "trip" with the Commander.

That was the most pressing matter on his mind; if they succeeded in finding a way to repair Wisdom Cubes, they'd finally be able to heal Sparviero's blindness, but also things like Amagi's condition, of which Kaga had already informed him some time ago.

"So, you still haven't told them about... that?" Kurama asked his lover.

Kaga wistfully shook her head. "Not yet. I want to wait for confirmation."

A few people already knew about it, but the Commander had insisted on not spreading the news too soon, if only to spare everyone the disappointment if things didn't go as planned, and everyone had agreed to it. The only ones in the Sakura Empire who knew about a possible "cure" were Kurama, Kaga, and Nagato.

"We'll tell them together when the time comes, and Akagi will have no choice but to accept you," she declared.

"Or maybe she'll throw a fit for not being the one to find the solution to your sister's illness."

"She'll have to get over it at some point," she said. "I just hope she'll stop trying to get in Shikikan Travis' pants after that. Her scheming is starting to get out of hand," she added with a sigh before throwing another rice ball in her mouth, not entirely convinced of her own words.

Kurama nodded in agreement, but then noticed a small rice grain attached to her cheeks, right next to her thin lips. The instinct of licking it away came over, but he managed to suppress it and simply leaned over her.

"Kaga, hold still," he warned her, reaching out his hand to her face.

"Mmh?" She froze at seeing his face suddenly so close to hers. His hand came to rest under her chin, and he delicately turned her face so that she was looking up at him. Time slowed down for a second, and her heart rate increased. Was he really going to do it in front of everyone?

Then he used his thumb to brush over her cheek, close to her lips. "Done," he said, retracting his hand with the rice grain on his finger before bringing it to his mouth.

Her ears flicked and her cheeks darkened slightly, but she managed to keep her composure, muttering a thank-you as they resumed eating like nothing happened.

"Aw, man, I thought they were going to kiss!"

The two lovers froze at the high-pitched voice that rang in the room. They simultaneously turned toward its source to see Mutsu sitting a few seats away from them with a pout on her face. Next to her was Aoba, with a shit-eating grin and a small camera in her hands.

"Aoba, you didn't just take a picture, did you?" Kaga said after loudly clearing her throat, trying her best to fight back the blush on her face. She didn't hear a flash or the sound of a shutter, but it's not like she had been paying attention to her surroundings.

"I don't know, did I?" The cyan-haired shipgirl sneered, hiding the proof of her mischief behind her back as she played dumb.

"You better delete it now before I delete you, squirt," Kurama warned her with a low, dangerous tone.

"I'd like to see you try in front of everyone," the cruiser's smile turned into a mocking grin as she gestured to their surroundings.

Both Kurama and Kaga froze on the spot again.

They hadn't realized that the room had fallen completely silent during their exchange. Not just Aoba and Mutsu, but everyone else left in the room was aware of their shameless flirting, and they were all snickering at them, chattering between themselves while sending them knowing looks, or straight up blushing at the "romantic" display.

The two lovers tried to keep their stone faces, but now they were both blushing like kids on their first date. Shrinking into their seats, they tried to get back to eating, feigning nonchalance, but they could barely lift their gazes from the floor. They could only wish for something to get them out of that situation.

Maybe it was a chance, or maybe it was a cruel twist of fate, but after barely a minute, the loud, piercing sound of the alarm rang in the air, engulfing the entire base with a feeling of dread.

It was the Sirens.

"What the hell is happening?!"

"It's the alarm! We're under attack!"

By the time everyone ran outside, the first shots were already landing on the base. The innermost temple was relatively safe, but from their position, the Sakura Kansen could clearly see the explosions caused by the enemy volleys and the first fires rising from the harbor as they landed on docked ships, warehouses, and defense installations.

Despite the alarm, the manned vessels anchored at the docks could do nothing against the assault. Only a few of them, with their crews at the ready, managed to put up a feeble resistance, but even those were powerless against the might of the assailants. The Kansen could only watch as their human compatriots all fell under enemy fire, their vanguard inching ever closer to the harbor.

"This is Nagato speaking; watchtower, come in!" Nagato spoke with urgency through her internal radio. "What's the situation?"

"Nagato-sama!" One of the officers on duty responded. "We're under attack! It's the largest Siren fleet we've ever seen!"

"Then what are you waiting for? Deploy the energy shield!"

"We're trying, Nagato-sama!" Came the panicked reply. "But the shield's controls have been compromised. Someone must have-"

A loud explosion interrupted the transmission, and then a blood-chilling scream was heard.

"Watchtower? What happened?! Come in!"

Her only reply was static.

"Dammit…" she cursed under her breath, then turned to address all those present. "Everyone, to your positions! Let's head down to the harbor and return fire!"

Nagato's childlike voice clashed with her authoritative tone. Despite that, everyone answered with a determined "Ryokai!" But before any of them could take a step, a loud whistle filled the air, followed by an explosion that landed straight over their heads and right onto the trunk of the Sacred Sakura.

Everyone gazed up at the tree in shock, watching as the smoke of the explosion cleared to reveal a spot with a darkened but otherwise unbroken cortex. Relief washed over them as the symbol of their faith seemed to have come out unscathed from the stray shot, but then another one followed the first, and then another one.

"No… They are aiming for the Sacred Sakura…" Shinano's dread-filled tone was heard as the carrier voiced what was on everyone's mind.

Those couldn't be considered stray shots anymore. Not only because of the frequency, but their trajectories were too steep to reach the harbor proper and too high to hit any significant target. The Sirens were purposefully aiming at the tree.

"Over my dead body!" Kurama roared in anger. "Kaga, I need a lift!"

"What do you-"

"Just do it!" He yelled back at her as he climbed onto the roof of the temple.

Taking note of the urgency in his voice, Kaga reluctantly complied, calling out her blue fox fire rigging and summoning an airwing of Zero fighters before sending them upward.

As soon as they switched to their natural size, the shipboy jumped. Ignoring the outraged cries of the shipgirls below him, he grabbed onto one of the planes' tailwheels as it soared toward the harbor.

And when it reached enough elevation, he was finally able to have a clear view of the enemy fleet.

"Fuck," he cursed.

Countless mass-produced Siren vessels of all classes spread as far as the eye could see, the yellow-glowing lights in their hulls marking them as reprogrammed Siren pawns.

The term fleet didn't do it justice. It was a whole-ass armada. The number of pawns brought by Empress and Observer to the Azur Lane joint base in the past paled in comparison.

There was no coordination between the enemy ranks. Their numbers were spread out to prevent any escape route; their formation left only enough space between each vessel to maneuver. The vanguard had already begun firing upon the Sanctuary; one after the other, the ones in the back joined as they got in range, increasing the pressure and the damage to the shield-less harbor.

Scanning his gaze over their ranks, Kurama frowned; he couldn't see any of the Original Sirens he was used to fighting. These were just the pawns they had reprogrammed after taking over the seed from Zero and the others. Just looking at their numbers, one could argue that these were all of them.

But it didn't matter. The goal of the Sirens was the Sacred Sakura. Maybe the enemy was aware of their attempts at reaching out to their world of origin through it, but whether the Sirens knew that they had already succeeded or otherwise, he could only guess. Whichever the case, the bastards knew that the tree could function as a link between the worlds; that's why they were aiming at it.

And he couldn't allow it.

That stupid tree was his only connection to his world and his Nagato; he couldn't let anything happen to it, come hell or high water.

The Zero kept soaring until it reached the enemy vanguard. At that moment, when the first bursts of AA began reaching him, Kurama let go of his hold on the plane, launching himself into a freefall.

His rigging appeared around his form, his scabbard-barrels immediately catching fire and burning away as he fell through the enemy's attempts at shooting him down.

And right as he was about to land, his tails erupted.

The enemy vanguard was engulfed in a fiery explosion, which swallowed all the unfortunate vessels within its range, making the closest ones careen under the shockwave and halting their advance. Nine massive columns of fire sprouted from its center, shooting upward as the light produced momentarily blinded all witnesses.

Among the smoke and the burning wrecks stood the shipboy, his red eyes glowing bright as he spread his tails as wide as he could in a protective manner, their width and height dwarfing the enemy vessels.

"If you want to cut down that tree, you'll have to get through me first," he declared with a low, menacing tone. "Come at me, you pieces of shit!"

"What the hell is he doing? Has he lost his mind?!"

The Sakura shipgirls couldn't contain their dismay as the male Kansen launched himself at the enemy, riding on Kaga's fighter.

The white-haired carrier stood there, incredulous. She had seen him doing some crazy stuff over the time she had known him, but this topped them all.

"He's going to get himself killed," Amagi fretted. "Kaga, hurry, call back your aircraft; this is too reckless!"

Kaga let out the breath of concern she was holding and steeled her resolve.

"Neesama, Kurama is a lot of things, but reckless isn't one of them," she declared. "He's doing this because he wants to buy us some time, and I'm going to cover for him." With that said, Kaga darted forward, leaving the temple grounds and heading for the harbor with great leaps, her heart thorn between the concern for her lover and the thrill at the prospect of battle.

"Kaga!" Amagi's pleading cry fell on deaf ears as her sister disappeared from sight.

"Kaga, you idiot," Akagi growled under her breath, then unclenched her fists with an annoyed exhale. She made to follow behind her sister, but before she could take a step, Amagi grabbed her by the arm.

"Akagi, what are you doing? Not you too, please…"

"Forgive me, Amagi-neesama," Akagi said with a smile and a reassuring tone of voice, gently prying Amagi's weak grip from her arm. "That mutt is the only thing standing between us and the destruction of our home; I'm going to keep him alive as long as I can. You should stay here, where it's safer."

"Akagi-" Whatever rebuttal Amagi had prepared was cut short by one of her coughing fits, which forced her to double over. Fighting back the pain in her heart, Akagi took advantage of the distraction to leave and follow behind her other sister, all under Amagi's distressed gaze as Mikasa came to support her.

Now more than ever, Amagi found herself cursing her condition and her helplessness. Her beloved little sisters were heading into battle to protect their home from their sworn enemy, and she could do nothing except wallow in pain, incapable of even lifting a finger to stop them.

"Amagi, please, do as Akagi says," Nagato told her. "We can't lose you here; it would be too much of a hard blow for all of us."

"I understand…" Amagi said dejectedly after recovering. "I'll do as you say."

Pleased with her answer, Nagato nodded, turning toward her sister and the reporter shipgirl.

"Mutsu, Aoba, I want you to gather the little ones and evacuate the human personnel and the civilians," she said. "Bring everyone to safety, then send word to all our allies and recall all Kansen on patrol duty."

"Wakatta, Nagato-nee!"

"Ryokai!" The cyan-haired cruiser responded before scurrying away with the shorter battleship.

Nagato breathed a sigh of relief. With that, Mutsu should be safe from danger, and she could focus on the enemy.

"Everyone with me! We'll join the others and mount a defense as we wait for reinforcements to arrive," she said to those remaining. "Let's go!"

They all began hurrying down to the harbor, but before Nagato could follow them, a firm hand came to rest on her shoulder. She turned with a questioning look to see Mikasa staring at her with a gentle but determined expression.

"Mikasa, what is it? Why are you stopping me?" Nagato inquired.

"Nagato-sama, I think you should also stay here," Mikasa declared.

"W-what? What are you saying?" She asked her in disbelief. "I'm the flagship; I can't just back out of this fight."

"But you are also the Priestess of the Sakura; it'd be a huge hit to our morale if you were injured, or worse..." Mikasa said, using Nagato's same words to convince her. "You should stay here and direct the counteroffensive with Amagi."

"But Mikasa…"

"Nagato-sama, I agree with her. It's far too dangerous to have you involved directly," Kawakaze interjected. "Everyone will be more at ease knowing that you are safe."

"You too, Kawakaze…"

"Leave leading our troops to me; as former flagship of the Combined Fleet and your predecessor, I won't disappoint you," Mikasa said, bringing a hand to her chest with a determined smile.

Reluctantly, Nagato yielded to their insistence.

As the former flagship of the Combined Fleet, Mikasa was the only one with high enough standing who could address her in such a manner without being considered out of place. And yet, never once had she treated her in a condescending way; rather, she had always been supportive and considerate of her and Mutsu, much like an older sister to both of them.

Which is why Nagato couldn't understand how she could ask her to step aside now of all times. She understood her reasoning and didn't agree with her, but despite that, she held Mikasa in too high regard to deny her such an earnest request.

"So be it…" She nodded her head dejectedly. "I'll do as you say and lead from here. Good luck out there, Mikasa."

"Thank you, Nagato-sama. Good luck to you."

The light produced by Kurama's explosions spread through the whole base and surroundings; all those who didn't know of the shipboy's capabilities gawked as a literal wall of flames arose in front of the bay, putting itself between the enemy vanguard and the docks.

Amagi was one of them.

She wasn't just staring in amazement, though. Looking at the fiery display with Nagato and Kawakaze from their advantageous position, she realized that Kaga was right. The shipboy wasn't just recklessly throwing himself into danger—quite the opposite, in fact; he had a plan, and it was working.

A display of such a scale wasn't just for show. He was drawing the enemy's attention to himself while also covering both the fleet and the port behind him. The light and the heat he was unleashing were messing up the enemy's aim, rendering them incapable of scoring accurate hits on the harbor while also physically blocking a good chunk of the volleys.

And Kurama wasn't just standing there; he was also attacking every single vessel that entered the range of his tails, smashing the fiery pillars into them like falling trees and reducing them to heaps of melting steel, always careful not to stray too far from his position.

But how long was it going to last? The Sirens had such a numerical advantage that they could just brute force through it. Or they could just wait until the shipboy exhausted himself; it's not like the tree was going anywhere.

Sure enough, the enemy's response didn't take long. Their carriers, who had been sitting idly, mixing themselves among their ranks, began spewing swarms of Siren drones in the air, almost obscuring the horizon with their numbers.

The drones began converging toward the base and the shipboy's position. Some of them simply clumped around Kurama's tails, and the nine pillars of flame began flailing at them, trying to take down as many of the incoming threats as they could as bombs and blasts impacted them. Luckily, none of them was accurate enough to reach the shipboy.

But the real threats were the ones aiming for the harbor.

"Oh no," Kawakaze let off as most of the drones flew over the fiery barrier and reached the port. The few remaining coastal turrets sprang to life, unleashing flurries of anti-air fire, but there were simply too many of them.

The Siren aircraft began unleashing their payloads on the Sanctuary, destruction raining down on the shipgirls' home once more.

"Dammit…" Kawakaze let off, her heart clenching at the sight in front of them. She clutched the handle of her sword, trying to calm herself. She knew that her duty was to stay by Nagato's side to protect her, but for the first time, she wished she'd be in the middle of the fray.

For Nagato and Amagi, it was the same, with the former fighting off the desire to break the promise to Mikasa to rush into battle and the latter cursing her helplessness again.

They tried to rack their brains. If only there were anything meaningful that they could do to help their comrades... And then their eyes simultaneously lit up with an epiphany.

They shared a glance and nodded their heads in understanding.

"Come, Kawakaze, we need to go somewhere…"

Kaga threw another bunch of her paper planes in the air, intercepting another Siren bomber and sealing its fate in a fiery demise. Behind her, Akagi did the same from atop a roof, sending airwings of her own fox fire crafts at the incoming waves of enemies.

Around them, the damage to the base was already beyond repair. Streets, shops, smaller temples, dormitories, and other buildings—every time a bomb fell or a drone was shot down, a piece of their home was crushed. Luckily, though, the streets were empty. The Kansen tasked with evacuating had already brought the civilians and personnel to the shelters, but they could clearly see the remains of some unfortunate souls caught under fire.

All that, though, was only pushing them to fight harder.

From the other districts of the Sanctuary, they could see their carrier colleagues doing the same. Flurries of AA fire rose up in the air from their other comrades' rigging, and the booming of battleship gunfire was heard in the distance as Mikasa led the counteroffensive.

"Forgive me, Kurama," Kaga thought with a grimace as she launched another airwing from her rigging. "I'm stuck here, but Mikasa's coming to help; hang in there a little longer."

She directed her full-sized Zeros to intercept a formation of incoming dive bombers, only to realize that they were a distraction as another squadron pushed forward.

"Not good; they're heading for the Sacred Sakura! Neesama!" She cried out for her sister.

Akagi turned right on time to see the drones pass over her head. She launched a handful of her red paper planes, which immediately shifted to their normal size, but she wasn't quick enough. Her Zeros missed and went off course, and she could only watch in dread as the Sirens inched ever closer to the back of the Sanctuary, straight toward the Sakura Tree.

Only to be engulfed in a rain of light-blue fire that turned them into heaps of burning metal crashing to the ground.

The two sisters breathed a sigh of relief, turning to look at Shinano. The sleepy carrier had never been so awake. She was standing gracefully at a distance, atop one of the buildings in the back of the district. Her rigging was out, and a bunch of butterfly-shaped wisps surrounded her, covering her in a bright indigo glow.

"Don't worry about the Sacred Sakura... I'll protect it. You go on ahead."

They didn't need to be told twice. They nodded gratefully at her before turning and sprinting for the docks.

"A flagship must lead from the vanguard." That's the self-evident truth Mikasa had always believed in.

Which was why it took her all her might to go against that creed and convince Nagato to stay behind. Guilt was already eating at her from the inside. She knew she'd just used the emotional leverage she held on the shorter battleships to get her way, but she didn't regret it, not in such a moment.

It's not that she didn't trust her successor—quite the opposite, in fact; she was ready to put her life in her hands. In any other situation, she would have never overstepped her authority like that. But this wasn't a normal battle. Victory wasn't guaranteed; on the contrary... No one wanted to voice that thought, but everyone knew, deep in their hearts, that the fight was lost before it began.

The enemies were simply too many. The worst possible outcome was the most likely to play out. Reinforcements wouldn't arrive in time, and the Sakura Empire would lose the Sanctuary, the Sacred Sakura, and a bunch of their veteran Kansen. Eventually, they'd have to retreat if they wanted to come out alive, and someone had to remain behind to cover for the others' escape...

At least the symbol of their faith had to survive, and Mikasa was determined to see that it happened.

The bulk of the Sakura Kansen stationed at the Sanctuary was there with her as she led them through the bay and toward the enemy. Kurama's gigantic fire pillars were there in front of them, providing the amount of cover necessary for them to advance unhindered.

Even that, though, wasn't enough to prevent some of the volleys and beams from reaching them, but it's not like that was going to stop them.

"Keep calm, comrades, and let every ship do her utmost! The fate of our country rests upon this battle!" Mikasa's rallying cry resounded in the air, covering for a second the sound of aircraft in the sky and artillery raining down on them.

"BANZAI!"

"BANZAI!"

The collective scream made Kurama's ears perk up.

He could feel the presence of the Sakura shipgirls moving about behind him, catching the attention of several of the drones he was keeping at bay with his tails, relieving him of a bit of pressure.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw them peeking from behind his tails, shooting their gun at the enemy. They came out in the open to his sides in turns, only unleashing a couple of salvos before retreating back to the cover provided by his colossal, flaming appendages. They were acting much like soldiers taking cover behind a wall, only peeking with their weapons to shoot and going back to cover to reload.

"Kurama-kun, sorry for the wait," Mikasa's voice came in through his internal radio. "How long can you keep up?"

The shipboy let out a grin. The sound of their guns roaring behind his back had come at the right moment.

"Heh, I can do this all day…" he replied. Wiping the trickle of blood coming out of his nose with his sleeve, he steeled his resolve and focused on his Cube.

His tails, which had lost a bit of their lustrous, fiery sheen, were suddenly rekindled with newfound firepower. The pillars of whirling fire became thicker and taller, vanquishing the remaining drones that had been harassing him from above.

And in that state, the shipboy, who had been forced on the defensive the entire time, began moving forward. He advanced slowly but inexorably, allowing the shipgirls to follow behind him as he inched ever closer to the enemy line, and they kept shooting their guns at them.

Their new goal was clear—to cripple the enemy as much as they could, slowing them down and dragging the fight for as long as possible to give time for reinforcements to arrive.

Now more than ever, the Sirens directed their fire on him. He stumbled as his tails took the brunt for him, but he kept going. The enemy artillery was overwhelming, but the amount of firepower the Sakura fleet was sending as payback was nothing to scoff at. They singled out one vessel after the other, slowly penetrating the enemy formation as the closest mass-produced vessels were turned into heaps of scorching metal. Thick layers of smoke and ash rose over the battlefield as the fires spread, further reducing visibility for both enemies and allies.

"Keep this up! We are breaking their formation!" Mikasa encouraged him through the radio.

The further they got, the more of the Siren ships got in range, and as if that weren't enough, the carriers sprang into action again. The enemy drones, which were being taken care of by Shinano and the others, had been greatly reduced in numbers, but even if the Sakura carriers were giving everything they had to repel them, the Sirens had plenty more to throw at them. It didn't take long for their carriers to unleash more of those drones, their reserves far from exhausted as they quickly replenished their ranks in the air.

The sight of the second wave of Siren aircraft made the Kansen stop in their tracks. They knew it was coming, but they didn't expect there to be so many. The new drones were obscuring the sun like a flock of starlings, and they were coming straight at them.

"Mikasa! Get everyone behind me!" Kurama shouted in the comms.

The shipgirls followed the former flagship, rushing to take cover behind Kurama's massive tails as he turned his back on the enemy to shield himself and them. The flaming pillars, which had been spread to the side like a curtain to provide cover, were now being retracted to protect their heads like a blanket of whirling fire.

The Siren drones reached them and began strafing over their heads, unleashing their payload on their cover, or straight up throwing themselves at it. To all that, the other vessels added their artillery fire, taking advantage of the opening to increase the pressure.

Kurama grimaced as the hellish barrage of attacks rained down on him, making his flames flicker.

"Shit… I'm at my limit. Is this really how it's going to end?" He couldn't help the harrowing thought coming to his mind as he saw the shipgirls huddled together under his protection; those who were unharmed were supporting those who had sustained injuries, all of them looking about with panicked expressions. It was only a matter of seconds before his power gave out, and when it happened, it'd be the end for them all.

But right as his flames were about to be snuffed out, a strange feeling spread like a wave all around him. All of a sudden, the sound of artillery and explosions ceased. They all lifted their heads in confusion, their ears ringing. It was a weird sensation; unpleasant, sure, but not jarring.

What had them baffled, though, was the sound of splashing water all around them. Kurama dismissed his tails, the fire over their heads disappearing, allowing them to see the drones that had been harassing them fall and crash into the water one after the other.

The same was happening for the drones attacking the harbor. They were plummeting toward the ground, as if they had suddenly gone inert, just like the mass-produced Sirens around them.

"Sorry for the wait, everyone! Are you all right?" Nagato's voice came in from the comms.

"Nagato-sama! This was your doing?"

"It was the ASD," Amagi's voice was next. "It took us a while, but we managed to turn it on."

Elation and relief spread through the fleet as they cheered, with Kurama letting out a long sigh as he tried to regain his breath.

But the excitement was short-lived, as more volleys and beams began traveling toward them from the back of the enemy formation. The furthest vessels had been spared from the shockwave and were already retaliating with their alien-looking guns.

"No time to relax! We've only bought you a few seconds; make them count!" Nagato urged them.

A chorus of acknowledgement responded as the Sakura Kansen straightened up and began squaring off.

It was time for the counterattack to truly begin.

Nagato let out a sigh of relief as she watched her subordinates take on the enemy from a distance. They were finally free of the nuisance that was the flock of Siren drones, and they could finally focus on pushing the enemy back.

Waiting for the Siren carriers to unleash a second wave of drones before using the ASD had proved to be the right call. She turned to the antenna-like contraption standing atop the small radio tower as she pondered.

"Thank the Gods it worked…"

The ASD system had been installed right after Nagato's return from Azur Lane, as per Chairwoman Tamayo's instructions. It wasn't the prototype that Ryan and his fleet had tested some time ago; this was the real deal. It was more powerful, it had a greater range, and its effect lasted longer. But most importantly, it didn't have any significant whiplash on the Kansen, allowing them to keep fighting without issue.

According to the reports, during the siege of the Basilica, it couldn't be deployed against the enemy, because it hadn't been assembled in time. There was also a chance that it wouldn't work, but now they had proof—the ASD system worked even on the vessels reprogrammed by the Original Sirens and, by extension, the Sirens themselves.

Unfortunately, it couldn't be abused. Unleashing a jamming wave of such a scale powerful enough to disrupt the Cubes themselves required a disgusting amount of energy, and the system needed time to cool off, so they had to wait to use it again.

"It's going well, right?" Kawakaze tentatively asked.

Without the enemy aircraft soaring around the place, Akagi, Kaga, and the other carriers could finally take position to deal with the bigger threat. The most forward ranks of the Siren armada had been rendered temporarily powerless by the ASD system, and while the rest was still an important threat, it would take a while before they managed to get in range, especially with their kin blocking their way.

That left plenty of space for the Sakura Kansen to retaliate and push them back. They focused their fire on the immobilized vessels, building a veritable barrier of steel and fire between the Sanctuary and the rest of the Sirens, further hindering their passage.

"For now," Amagi said gravely. "We've managed to slow them down, but they still far outnumber us. We have the initiative, but it's only a matter of time before the scales are tipped in their favor again."

Nagato agreed with her. In a battle of attrition, the Sirens had the advantage. Now that they knew about the ASD and its effects, they could just stay out of its range, or they could send someone to take it down before they had the chance to use it again.

The short battleship tried to rack her brain on what to do next. The shield's control had been compromised, but they could try turning it on manually. Having it up and running would help them buy some time for their comrades to return from patrol, and maybe even for reinforcements to arrive.

Speaking of reinforcements, at that moment, her little sister's voice reached her ears.

"Nagato-nee…"

"Mutsu, what's wrong? Are you and Aoba done?"

"Y-yeah, we brought everyone to the shelters, but…" Mutsu trailed off.

"But?"

"We tried to send a message, but our comms are down," Mutsu informed her.

"What do you mean the comms are down-?"

A sudden feeling of dread coursing through her body interrupted her inquiry.

Instinctively, the three shipgirls looked up to see a single, dark spot hovering in the air above the Sanctuary, even higher than the top of the Sacred Sakura. The dark spot enlarged, engulfing the entire base like a dark curtain. They gawked in horror as the horizon turned into a hellish skyscape that looked like it had come straight out of a nightmare.

The clear, early-afternoon sky was now painted with tints of red and purple, like a dreadful sunset. The sun itself had become a big, dark circle in the sky, surrounded by an eerie, unnatural orange glow, bleeding with an ominous light.

That was a Mirror Sea.

They were trapped.

AN: I've been putting off the clash with the Original Sirens for too long. It's time to get back to it.

Next Chapter: River Wind From the Mountain