"Commander, we are almost there," Cleveland reported to the man standing a few feet away from her in the command center of her ship.
"Got it, Cleveland." Commander Ryan Travis, the first Commander of the newly reformed Azur Lane, nodded to the light cruiser.
He approached the radio inside the bridge and reached for the other members of the fleet. "Shoukaku, Zuikaku, we are getting close. Send your planes to scout ahead and report everything out of place."
"Yes, Shikikan," the elder of the Fifth Carrier Division responded, with the two Sakura sisters sending their aircraft into the sky and ahead of the fleet.
"Captain Decken, we are approaching our destination; report the condition of the cargo," he said, switching channels and addressing the captain of the cargo ship they were escorting.
"The cargo is in perfect condition, Commander." The voice of the man came in from the radio. "I'm having my men conduct some last-minute checkups; I'd appreciate it if you could send our way that sharp-tongued Iron Blood lady to help us with it."
The Commander internally sighed. "I'll… see if she's available."
Bracing himself for what he knew was coming, he switched channels once again and contacted the Iron Blood cruiser in question. "Hipper, Captain Decken requests your presence. His men are having trouble with the cargo and need-" He wasn't given the time to finish before Hipper's voice came in from the radio, hissing loudly in his ear.
"AH?! After all the time I've spent teaching them how to properly adjust the calibration they still can't do it by themselves?! Why should I waste more of my time and effort assisting those incompetent good-for-nothings?!"
Ryan grimaced. Next to him, Cleveland was doing her best to hold in a laugh.
"Because you are the only one capable of handling such a delicate matter, dear schwester." Prinz Eugen's voice came in next, addressing her sister in a casual tone. "No one else in the entire fleet is as capable as you when it comes to handling all that weird mechanical stuff."
"W-well, if there really is no other choice, I suppose I'll go help those slackers this time around," Hipper replied, trying her best to hide the embarrassment in her voice as she shrugged off the compliment.
"Thank you, Eugen." As much as he would like to interject and remind them that Yuubari was also sortieing with them, the Commander decidedto just mentally thank the heavy cruiser; she was the only one capable of handling her sister when she started with one of her scenes.
"Besides, your presence there would do wonders for their morale. You've become quite popular with those men after all the time you spent instructing them. I wouldn't be surprised if they developed some kind of fetish for your scolding," the cruiser added, unable to pass up a chance to tease her older sister.
"WHAT?! Eugen, that's not-" Ryan cut off the communication before the situation could get out of hand, letting out a sigh.
Cleveland was finally able to release her laugh without holding back, and the Commander regarded her with a reproachful glare. "Cleveland, please, at least try to maintain some semblance of seriousness."
She shrugged off his reproach with a wave of her hand. "Oh, come on, Commander, you are such a buzzkill. I know you are nervous, we all are, but this is the kind of stuff we need to ease the tension a bit."
"Of course I'm nervous. How could I not be? This is probably Azur Lane's most important large-scale operation; it's not an exaggeration when I say that the outcome of this mission is going to influence the development of the war itself," he said with a hint of apprehension in his voice.
"There he goes again…" thought Cleveland. Their Commander was always like that, capable of keeping his nerves steady even in the direst situations, but he crumbled like a house of cards when thinking about the future.
It wasn't a bad thing in her opinion, but that meant the stress would hit him harder during quieter times, and when that happened, it was their turn to ensure he would always be in top condition.
"Yeah, yeah, you already said that a billion times; now come sit over here so I can give you a massage." She patted the back of her Captain's chair, inviting him to sit on it.
"We're on a mission, Cleveland…" Ryan reminded her.
"I wasn't asking, Commander." With a shit-eating grin on her face, the cruiser grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the seat.
After forcibly sitting him on the chair, she positioned herself behind him and started working his shoulders with her hands.
The Commander immediately started melting in the chair. "You know I should report you just for putting your hands on your Commanding Officer?" He said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Oh yeah? And who are you gonna report me? My faction leader? Good thing we Eagle Union girls don't have one."
Losing themselves in their banter, the two enjoyed a few moments of calm.
When the Sirens first appeared, many years before, all the major factions decided that the best way to counter them was to join forces with each other; that alliance, though, was short-lived.
They all had different views on which was the best way to fight the Sirens, and soon, those opinions started clashing with one another, exploding in the greatest war the world had ever seen. Azur Lane on one side, Crimson Axis on the other.
The appearance of the Wisdom Cubes and the Kansen had only made things worse; each faction now had the means to pursue their own agenda in the research and development of the Cubes, and the Kansen were forced to take part in the war, not only against the Sirens but also against each other.
And now, after many years of conflict, they were finally able to reach a compromise. It took years of diplomatic efforts from both outside and inside parties, but all the major factions had joined once more, Azur Lane was reformed, and the first conjoined base was created.
It was located on an unspecified island in the Pacific Ocean; it wasn't marked on any map to dissuade civilians from actively trying to reach it on their own. It was the only Kansen-only base in the entire world; there were no human officers except the Commander himself, and for now, it housed Kansen from all four major factions, but soon it would be ready to accommodate those hailing from the Sardegna Empire, Dragon Empery, Iris Orthodoxy and Northern Parliament as well.
That is if the higher-ups decided that the alliance was worth keeping around; not all of them were happy with the peace treaty and would rather see things go back to how they were before. So, depending on the result of the mission, they could decide to cease supporting Azur Lane or outright disband it if they started seeing it as a waste of resources and effort.
That's one of the reasons why the success of this mission was so important. Their task was simple: they had to escort Captain Decken's ship and his men, assist them in the installation of the device they were transporting, and protect them from any Siren attack.
The device itself was a giant antenna-like contraption, safely secured on the bow of the cargo ship. It was constructed by reverse-engineering Siren jamming devices, and it was the result of years of research and work that the nations had conducted individually. Finally, with the peace treaty, all the major factions came in, sharing information, providing funds, and the best researchers and engineers they had, with the purpose of creating something that could help them turn the tides on the war against the Sirens.
They didn't need a weapon, though; their objective was to create something that could counter them on a much larger scale, and working together, they were able to accomplish it.
The contraption was the first official anti-Siren device, or ASD, in short. Or rather, the first functioning prototype. Part of their mission was to test it by luring Siren warships into range and using the device on them after the engineers had completed the installation, then, they had to collect the data and report it to the higher-ups.
So yeah. No pressure at all for the Commander.
Suddenly Cleveland stopped tending to his shoulders, spacing out for a second. "Commander, I've got an incoming radio call; it's Shoukaku."
"Time to get to work then." Ryan stood up from the chair and stretched his back. "Oh, and thank you, Cleveland; I really needed that," he said to the shipgirl while reaching for the radio.
"Hehe, anytime, Commander," the light cruiser said with a smile.
"Shoukaku, come in, what's the situation?"
"Shikikan, our aircraft have spotted multiple Siren vessels near our destination. It's a small patrol fleet with a single capital ship; no carriers in sight, nor any Elite. They are still unaware of our presence, but they seem to be looking for something," the Sakura carrier reported.
"Good work, I'll have the subs set them up for an ambush so you can finish them off quickly with a surprise attack." They needed to dispose of them quickly if they wanted to conduct the installation without any setbacks.
"Ryokai, Shikikan! We'll wait for further instructions," the white-haired carrier said, ending the call.
Switching channel once more, the Commander addressed the four submarines that were accompanying the fleet. "Girls, get ready for some action."
Purifier was annoyed.
If there was something she hated, it was running around the place without accomplishing anything.
Earlier that day, they lost contact with a couple of their scouting vessels, which wasn't exactly cause for concern; it happened every day, at the hands of Azur Lane or any of the faction's patrols. But that morning was different, it kept happening again and again, at regular intervals, without stopping. Then, it was the turn of a carrier, and at that point, Observer decided that they couldn't just keep ignoring it.
Of course she'd be the most concerned about it; the vessels that were destroyed were just pawns, but they were basically her eyes and ears on the ocean, and she couldn't afford to lose them. Of course, she'd ordered Purifier to go and find out what exactly was happening and report.
Purifier was assigned a small fleet with a single capital ship to help her scout the place, which she had been doing for hours now. She was starting to think that she'd be stuck with this job for the entire day.
Bored out of her mind, she absentmindedly looked up to the sky, which was slowly starting to get covered in black clouds, and then she saw it: a streak of smoke in the sky left behind by a figure with wings, high enough that she couldn't make out its features but low enough that she assumed she'd be able to follow it.
And that she did. She summoned her hammerhead shark-like rigging and started giving chase to it, leaving behind the patrol fleet she was leading.
It didn't take her much time to realize that the thing was too fast even for her. She was already considering abandoning the chase when she felt the presence of the pawns she had left on standby disappear.
When she went back to check on the situation, she found out that whoever attacked them was already gone. They must have taken them by surprise and made short work of them in a few seconds.
She growled in frustration; she had missed the action by a hair just because she decided to run after what was probably just a stupid drone or scout plane, and she had lost a fleet by doing that. It wasn't exactly a major loss, but it still stung her pride, especially because the others would rub it in her face for ages to come.
Still upset, she contacted her comrades to request assistance.
"Commander! We did it! The Sirens are gone, and the coast is clear." A cheerful tone of voice came in from the radio. It was Albacore, happily reporting their successful task to the Commander.
"Good job, girls! Come back and stay on your guard for trouble while we take care of the rest," Ryan responded. "If you are feeling tired, you can get up here and take a rest."
"Yay! Come on, girls, follow me! We get to take a nap on Cleveland!"
"Hurray!" The other three subs yelled back.
A smile came to the Commander's face. Albacore had been chosen as leader of the first inter-faction pack of subs, and she had been doing a great job so far. It wasn't easy at the beginning, but after a while, I-19, U-81, and U-96 had gotten used to the whimsical attitude of their Eagle Union colleague, and now they had gotten to the point where they worked together as if they already knew each other for years.
But it wasn't time to get lost in thoughts; they had finally arrived.
"Captain Decken, we've reached our destination; initiate the unloading procedure."
"Roger that, Commander Travis."
Ryan watched from the window as the cargo ship approached the metal platform where they were supposed to install the antenna. Men climbed from the ship onto the structure, while the crane started moving to hook up the cargo.
It was an old, abandoned oil rig, one of the few that remained standing, and it had been chosen to be the spot for the installation of the device. It wasn't in perfect shape, but it was better than building another one from scratch under the constant threat of Siren vessels roaming around the place.
"All Kansen, defensive formation around the rig," he ordered.
A chorus of acknowledgment came in from the radio, and the entire fleet started forming up around the platform, ready to provide cover for the men working on it in the eventuality of a Siren incursion.
Outside of the Fifth Carrier Division, there was a veteran of the Royal Navy, Ark Royal, and the Grey Ghost herself, Enterprise.
Among the seven battleships were King George V herself, Captain of the Royal Knights, and her sister Howe, the three South Dakota-class sisters, and the two Sakura sisters, Ise and Hyuuga.
The light cruisers were Cleveland, Helena, Belfast, and Yuubari, while Admiral Hipper and Prinz Eugen were the only heavy cruisers.
The remaining escort was comprised of destroyers: Laffey, Z23, Ayanami, Shimakaze, Glowworm, and Grenville.
It was an impressive fleet, and its size reflected the importance of the mission.
He was confident they'd be able to take on anything the Sirens decided to throw at them, but Shoukaku, Zuikaku, and the subs had already dealt with the closest threat, and the surroundings were devoid of any Siren vessel, so it was safe to say that everything should go smoothly from now on.
"Commander! Siren aircraft incoming from the east!" Helena's voice shook him from his musings.
"Goddammit…" He swore through his lips.
He directed his gaze towards the sky, and his breath died in his throat. In the distance, he could see countless aircraft approaching their position, covering the sky just like the black clouds on the horizon. He quickly took a pair of binoculars to get a better look. Behind them was a Siren fleet coming straight towards them; he could see carriers and battleships aplenty, and if he had to guess, he'd say they had plenty of escort ships too.
"Commander, what do we do?!" Cleveland asked him from beside him.
"We fend them off," Ryan announced, setting down his binoculars and picking up the radio once more.
"All carriers, deploy your fighters and engage the enemy ahead!" He started barking orders. "All cruisers, form up around the rig and deploy your AA! We can't let a single one of them through!"
"Everyone else! Load up your main guns and prepare to engage!"
"Roger that!" They all acknowledged with determination in their voices.
Then he addressed Captain Decken next. "Captain, the situation is escalating! How much time do you need to complete the installation?"
"Hard to say, Commander; we are already well into it, but we'll need at least another hour."
"We don't have an hour, Captain! Do it in thirty minutes or this will end very badly."
"Thirty minutes?! It's not even enough to stick it to the ground! We are not superhumans here!" The captain blurted out, outraged.
"Fine, I'll send Hipper and Yuubari over there to assist you. Just turn it on as soon asyou place it, and when you are done, tell me immediately."
"We'll do our best Commander, godspeed!"
After that, Ryan turned his focus back toward the Sirens; his Kansen were already assuming their position and getting ready to engage.
It was only a matter of seconds before the fighters clashed in the air and the fight truly started.
"Commander! What are we supposed to do?!" It was Albacore again.
"I want you four to stay back and deal with any surprise attack coming our way," he responded. "Don't get too close to them; we don't know if they have depth charges."
"Roger that, Commander. Stay safe, y'all."
"Ready for the show, Commander?" Cleveland asked with a resolute expression on her face.
"I'm always ready, Cleve," Ryan replied, as the first waves of aircraft clashed.
The first two minutes of the fight were spent watching the aircraft do battle in the sky. Sakura, Union, and Royal fighters clashed against Siren planes in a cacophony of explosions and gunfire. Soon, their numbers started dwindling, with aircraft from both parties falling like insects and crashing into the ocean below.
Watching the events unfold before them, Ryan and the other men had only one thought in their heads: Kansen were truly a blessing. Just thinking about the lives they'd be losing if there were actual manned aircraft up there fighting the Sirens instead of the ones conjured by the Kansen rigging was harrowing.
If it weren't for them, the number of human losses they would take in every battle would be unbearable, and humanity would have been wiped out ages ago. Ryan knew it from the beginning, these girls were their only hope, and he would do everything in his power to protect them, even though that was just his wishful thinking since every single one of them had enough firepower to level down a city.
The only thing he could do was be someone they could rely on and lead them to the best of his abilities when the need arose. Like now.
"The Sirens are getting in range! Take aim and prepare to engage!" He shouted again in the comms.
The hulls around him started taking position, aiming their main batteries toward the approaching enemy. The battleships in front of the cruisers, the destroyers flanking them, and the carriers getting ready to unleash another wave of aircraft.
And then, "ALL KANSEN! FIRE AT WILL!"
The sound of the main batteries firing their volley exploded around him, and a powerful boom reverberated through his core. Some of the shells missed their target, but most of them reached the Siren ships, impacting their armor and damaging them.
Of course, they didn't just stand there and took it. They retaliated immediately, firing their alien-looking guns at them while they advanced. Their rounds reached their target, hitting the armor or the shields of the battleships that were protecting the more delicate vessels. He watched in apprehension as South Dakota's hull shrugged off a hit that looked too much even for her, but not a single complaint came from the shipgirl, and he forced himself to keep his composure. The battleship that had declared herself his personal bodyguard would take it as an insult if he showed his concern for her in a moment like this.
They continued like that for a while, exchanging blow after blow, each side trying to score a critical hit on the other that would give them momentum and turn the tides of the battle.
Meanwhile, the carriers launched wave after wave of aircraft into the sky, each side trying to establish aerial dominance over the other or attacking directly the opposing ships. The dogfights were now happening right above their heads; AA guns came to life, and the cruisers started taking down the squadrons of aircraft that got too close for comfort, protecting the battleships from the aerial assault and returning the favor.
"Hold on tight, Commander! Incoming dive bombers!" Cleveland warned him, firing her AA guns toward the Siren crafts, trying to shoot them down before they could deliver their payload on her hull.
One of them was able to slip through the curtain of gunfire and diverted its course, heading straight towards the platform.
"SHIT! It's going for the rig!" The Commander shouted in horror. "Cleveland! Redirect your fire! You must take it down!"
Cleveland tried to execute, but it was too late; the aircraft was already out of range, and those that went after it weren't fast enough to stop it in time.
The two could only watch in horror as the Siren plane got dangerously close to the metal platform, only to be shot down by gunfire coming from the rig itself.
"Hey! What do you think you are doing?! Don't get distracted; do your job properly!" The voice of a certain heavy cruiser resounded from the comms, accompanied by a sweeter, calmer voice. "Master, don't worry about the rig; we'll do our best to protect it from here! You focus on the Sirens!"
It was Hipper and Yuubari; the two were proudly standing on the edge of the platform, riggings on display, and guns smoking.
"Thanks, girls, you two are a blessing," Ryan responded with a radiant smile on his face, while Cleveland breathed a sigh of relief.
At that moment, the Commander realized that playing defensively wasn't going to work forever. The Sirens were getting closer, volley after volley. It was only a matter of time before the oil platform would get into their range, endangering the lives of the men working on it and the success of the mission.
They had to change their approach. "Cleveland, open contact with every Kansen in the fleet."
"Roger that, Commander. You got a plan cooking up?" Asked the now excited cruiser.
"You can say that," Ryan replied, and then he addressed the rest of the fleet.
"Carriers, do you copy me?" The Commander asked the shipgirls.
"Loud and clear Commander," Enterprise answered him. "What are your orders?"
"I want you to make every single aircraft you have left take off all at once; I need that air superiority, even if only for a few seconds," Ryan requested, making the Kansen pause for an instant.
"That is quite reckless, Commander." This time it was Ark Royal. "But I don't dislike it; we'll be ready on your mark."
Dismissing the carriers, he addressed the next member of the fleet.
"Belfast, I want you to hold your fire and get ready. On my mark, unleash the biggest smokescreen you can make."
"Understood, Master," the head maid acknowledged his order.
"The rest of the cruisers, form up around the Cleveland; we'll protect the rig from any stray fighter."
"What about us, Commander?" It was King George V, her tone still proud and firm even with the strain of the battle taking its toll on her. "Is there any space for us in your plan?"
"I want you and the others to get into formation and steamroll those bastards like fresh tar on a city road," the Commander answered with a smirk and a devilish expression on his face.
"Oh yeah! Now we're talking! I was getting bored of this back and forth." One of the Ise sisters came in, not even trying to hide their excitement.
"Everyone has their orders. Carriers, proceed!"
"Roger that."
The carriers started pouring an insane number of aircraft into the air; there were so many of them that it looked like a giant flock of metal birds. Those planes reached their comrades already in the air and made short work of the Siren fighters, pushing back the line of the aerial battle and forcing the Siren vessels to focus their efforts on them.
"Belfast! Now!" The Commander ordered, to which the cruiser responded by unleashing her smokescreen in the highest quantity she had ever done in her life, enveloping her allies and most of the battlefield in front of them in a thick curtain of smoke. The visibility was extremely low, but thanks to Helena's radar, they had nothing to fear.
"And now, all battleships, spearhead formation! Full steam ahead!"
Still under the fire of the Siren warships, with the three South Dakota sisters at the center, the two Sakura sisters on their left, and the two Royal Knights on their right, the seven battleships advanced into formation through the smoke, unleashing volley after volley upon the enemy.
With the Siren fighters no longer harassing them and the enemy fire not as intense as before thanks to the cover of the smokescreen, they pushed forward toward their opponents.
When the seven metal behemoths emerged from the curtain, sailing towards the enemy with unrelenting fury, the Sirens realized that they had lost momentum. They tried to break the Kansen formation, singling out the ship in the center and focusing their fire on her, but South Dakota stood strong under their hits and was able to pull through. Losing one ship after another, the Sirens were forced to break formation themselves and started scattering sideways, leaving their carriers vulnerable.
"Destroyers! Follow the flank of the formation and make sure none of them escapes." Always on top of the situation, the Commander gave his last order to the remaining shipgirls. Z23, Ayanami, and Shimakaze on one side, and Laffey, Glowworm, and Grenville on the other started picking up at the Siren vessels, sealing the fate of those who were spared by the assault of the battleships.
After a few minutes, the smoke started dissipating, the sound of battle was slowly decreasing, and the Commander and the other Kansen left behind were able to take a look at the result of his plan.
From a distance, they could see the last remaining forces of the Siren fleet being chased around and dealt with by the destroyers. The carriers were dealing with the remaining aircraft, and the battleships, sailing around the wreckage of the ships they had destroyed, were regrouping to come back to their position.
"It's over…" Ryan released the breath he was holding and slumped forward on the table.
"We did it, Commander!" Cleveland jumped behind him, patting his shoulder with her open hand so hard he thought she had dislocated it. From the comms came the joyous cries of the other members of the fleet, celebrating their victory.
"Yeah, we did it, Cleve. You did a fantastic job," said the Commander, wincing in pain at the boisterous display of happiness. "Good job everyone, you were great out there; now get back here so we can assess the situation and take a well-deserved rest," he added, addressing the rest of the fleet.
"Commander, wait!" Helena's panicked voice suddenly came in. "I'm still detecting one Siren signal left... and it's behind us!" Following her statement was the sound of an explosion, and then Helena's cry of pain was heard over the comms.
"Helena! What the hell was that?!" Cleveland rushed out of her bridge, followed by the Commander. They headed toward the stern of her ship and watched what was happening. The superstructure of the Helena had a hole in it that looked too well-defined to be caused by a shell; flames were spreading, and smoke was rising from it.
To their dismay, they were able to identify the culprit immediately. Hovering in the air, with her rigging on display and the barrel of her laser cannon still glowing, was an Elite Siren, the one identified with the name "Purifier."
"I should have known it was you… Azur Lane." She turned her attention to them with a glare that sent shivers down their spines. "You were the one who destroyed all our scouting vessels; it was your fault I spent the entire morning running around the place for no reason at all! I'll make you pay for making me look like an idiot!" Her eyes and rigging started glowing with an ominous yellow light.
Cleveland pushed Ryan aside with all her strength, sending him to the other side of her bow as Purifier's rigging released a beam of energy from her cannon that pierced Cleveland's deck. It didn't cause the same amount of damage it did to the Helena, maybe because this one had a shorter charging time, but nonetheless, the damage dealt was reflected on the body of the shipgirl, opening a gash on her belly under her uniform that started bleeding profusely.
"Cleve! Recall your hull and summon your rigging! You can't fight her like this!" Ryan shouted to the cruiser.
"If I do that… you'll fall into the ocean… you'll be at her mercy," she said while clutching her stomach and grimacing in pain.
"Aw, what a touching moment. Truly revolting." Purifier mocked them, making a gagging sound.
Ryan took out his transceiver and contacted the rest of the fleet. "All Kansen, we have contact with an Elite Siren; Helena and Cleveland are wounded. We need help as soon as possible!" It wasn't as good as using the radio on the bridge, but it did get the job done.
"Already on it, Kommandant." A volley was shot from somewhere he couldn't see, and Purifier narrowly dodged it, then Prinz Eugen and Belfast jumped on top of the Cleveland, having already summoned their rigging.
Eugen put herself between the Siren and the wounded shipgirl, ready to deploy her shield, while Belfast tended to the Commander, helping him up on his feet again.
"Thank you, Belfast; what about Helena?" He was worried about the condition of the cruiser.
"There's no need to worry about her, Master. Albacore and the others are taking her to safety." Belfast reassured him. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Helena's hull had disappeared from where it was. "She must have recalled it to let the subs take her away. I hope the damage is not too serious."
"Wait a second… you must be the Commander in the flesh; no wonder the battle was so fun!" The anger that Purifier had shown was suddenly replaced by excitement. "If I put you through the test here, I get to fight all I want, and Observer might be a little more lenient with me for losing all those vessels; fantastic! I get to kill two birds with one stone."
"I have no intention of taking part in this so-called 'test' of yours," Ryan said in defiance. "In fact, I suggest you surrender and give yourself up without questioning."
Purifier laughed at his words. "Confident, are we? Let's see how much of that confidence is left when I demolish all your precious Kansen." Her rigging was about to unleash another beam but was interrupted when a shell impacted her side.
"If there's someone who's getting demolished today, that's you, my little Siren." A powerful and commanding voice came in from their side. King George V was sailing straight towards their position, flanked by the other battleships, all of which had recalled their vessels, riggings on display, bruised and battered from the previous fight.
"Don't forget about us!" On the other side, the destroyers led by Shimakaze were also approaching.
Aircraft could be heard soaring above them once again. "We have you at gunpoint, Siren! Don't move a muscle." A familiar voice came from the top of the Cleveland's superstructure. Ryan looked up and saw Ark Royal and Enterprise with their weapons drawn and pointed at the enemy.
Feeling courage welling up in his heart again, the Commander sent an ultimatum to the Siren, still hovering near the deck of the ship. "You are outnumbered and outgunned, Purifier! Comply or we'll have to resort to force!"
Instead of showing concern, another mocking laugh left Purifier's lips. "And who said I'm the one being outnumbered?" She snapped her fingers, and a series of portals opened around them. An impressive force emerged from them, and both mass-produced ships and low-tier humanoid Sirens landed on the surface of the water, surrounding them.
"Crush them to pieces!" Purifier shouted, and all hell broke loose.
AN: I wanted to introduce Freedom with this chapter, but I also wanted to try my hand at writing a proper naval battle, so I decided to use it as an excuse to introduce the Commander and Azur Lane in general, then I figured it'd be cool to write a fight with multiple Kansen using their rigging against the Sirens, and before I realized, the chapter had reached 10k words and I was forced to split it in two and remove Freedom's parts.
So, the next chapter will start with Freedom's POV and his intervention in the battle, because of course that's what was gonna happen.
By the way, this was my first time writing a full-scale naval battle and I could really use your feedback on it.
Next Chapter: Wings of Freedom