KanColle X Devil May Cry: Devil Trigger Protocol

In the Devil May Cry Naval Base office, Suzuya slammed Agni & Rudra onto the desk.

"I can't take it anymore!" she shouted.

"Hey, careful," Dante said, lounging in his chair. "Those are blades."

"Who cares!?" Suzuya snapped. "Do something about these two!"

"What's the issue?" Dante asked.

"They talk all night!" Suzuya said. "I'm barely sleeping!"

"She can't sleep," Agni said.

"She can't sleep," Rudra echoed.

"Why can't she sleep?" Agni asked.

"They say we talk too much," Rudra replied.

"Why does our talking stop her sleep?" Agni said.

"Well—" Rudra began.

The twin swords launched into an endless banter.

"Quit talking on your own," Dante growled, slamming them onto the desk.

"Harsh world," Agni sighed.

"Harsh world," Rudra agreed.

"I've learned my lesson!" Suzuya said. "Can I give them back now?"

"Nah, not yet," Dante said.

"Why!?" Suzuya demanded.

"Don't want 'em either," Dante said.

"Ugh! Stupid Admiral! I hate you!" Suzuya huffed, storming out with Agni & Rudra.

As she left, Kitakami and Ooi entered.

"What's up?" Kitakami asked.

"Extended her punishment, so she's pissed," Dante said.

"Oh…" Kitakami said.

"She deserves it, carrying those noisy things…" Ooi muttered.

"I heard that, Ooi," Dante said.

"What? I didn't say anything!" Ooi said, laughing nervously.

Dante's sharp ears caught every word.

"Just let her off," Kitakami said.

"Then I'm stuck with them," Dante said.

His selfish logic left Kitakami and Ooi unimpressed. Agni & Rudra were his weapons—obviously, he should deal with them.

"Anyway," Kitakami said, "the destroyers want to go clamming."

"Let 'em go," Dante said.

"They need an escort," Kitakami said. "Come with us."

"Ask the mom," Dante said.

"Houshou-san's busy," Kitakami said. "They want you as their guardian. Akagi-san and Kaga-san are coming too."

"What's clamming?" Dante asked.

"You clam!" Kitakami said.

Dante stared blankly.

Unbriefed, Dante found himself dragged to a clamming trip. Suzuya, still toting Agni & Rudra, joined the group. On the way…

"Where we going?" Agni asked.

"Clamming, apparently," Rudra said.

"What's clamming?" Agni said.

"Digging stuff from the ground," Rudra said.

"What stuff?" Agni asked.

"No idea," Rudra said.

Keep that noise indoors… Dante thought, glaring as Suzuya pointedly aimed the chattering swords at him, her petty revenge clear. It was wearing him down.

At the beach, Shiratsuyu declared, "I'll find the most clams!"

The other destroyers dug quietly, focused.

"Let's grab tons for dinner, Kaga-san!" Akagi said.

"Piece of cake," Kaga replied.

Dante, clueless, sat at the beach's edge, watching from afar.

"They digging for fossils or what?" he muttered.

"No, clams," Kitakami said, sitting beside him with Ooi.

"…Fun?" Dante asked.

"Wanna try?" Kitakami said.

"Nah, you two going?" Dante said.

"We're just chaperoning the destroyers," Kitakami said.

They glanced at Suzuya, who was…

"Take that!" Suzuya yelled, slashing the sand with Agni & Rudra.

"Our treatment's rough, brother!" Agni said.

"Rough indeed, brother!" Rudra said.

Suzuya hacked the beach with gusto, clearly venting stress.

"She's having fun," Dante said.

"Where?" Ooi deadpanned.

The clamming continued. Dante, bored, watched time crawl. Suddenly, he stood.

"What's up, Admiral?" Kitakami asked.

Dante frowned. Other clammers had been around earlier, but now the beach was empty. He hadn't seen anyone leave.

"Where'd the others go?" Dante asked.

"Probably left," Kitakami said.

"See them go?" Dante said.

"Now that you mention it…" Ooi said.

Kitakami and Ooi sensed it too—an odd vibe. The destroyers and First Carrier Division were engrossed in clamming when the source of trouble appeared near the destroyers.

"Yee-haw!" Jester cackled.

"Wah!?" the destroyers yelped.

Akagi and Kaga, slightly apart, rushed to protect them.

"Having fun, ladies?" Jester grinned.

"Who's this guy!?" Shiratsuyu said.

"What do you want!?" Murakumo demanded.

Jester just smirked. A bullet whizzed past, dodged as he tilted his head.

"Still hot-headed, Devil Boy," Jester said.

"You're not invited," Dante said.

The destroyers hid behind Dante. Akagi, Kaga, Kitakami, and Ooi readied for action.

"Listen," Jester said. "I studied this world's history."

"If you're here to lecture, shut it," Dante said. "Forgot I hate chatterboxes? Everyone, back off!"

Dante fired Ebony & Ivory, but Jester teleported, dodging and closing in with a dropkick to Dante's chest, sending him crashing near the kanmusu.

"Admiral!" Akagi cried.

The kanmusu rushed to him.

"This world had wars," Jester boasted. "After, kanmusu and Abyssals started fighting, mimicking those wars like idiots!"

The kanmusu grimaced.

"So what?" Dante said, standing. "Not interested."

"Long ago," Jester continued, "demons and their foes clashed in this 'Japan' land."

"This world once—"

"We guardians of this land lost our power. We can no longer stop it."

Akagi's eyes widened. The voice from the cherry blossom viewing—it was warning them.

"History repeats, Dante," Jester said. "The Demon World's revival is unstoppable."

"How'd you learn that?" Dante said. "Not easy in a foreign world."

"Of course not," Jester said. "But a kind human told me. Join me to revive the Demon World—it'll be fun!"

"Your story's boring," Dante said. "Pass. Who told you?"

Dante fired again, but Jester dodged effortlessly.

"Knew you'd say that," Jester said. "But you'll help anyway!"

Jester snapped his fingers, and the ground rumbled. A giant clam demon emerged. Jester vanished.

"The biggest clam ever!" Shiratsuyu said.

"Not the time!" Satsuki snapped. "Is that a demon!?"

"Commander!" Murakumo called.

Dante raised his arm, signaling a pause.

"We'll engage!" Akagi said.

The kanmusu deployed their rigging—First Carrier Division launched planes, destroyers and Suzuya fired cannons. Kitakami and Ooi readied torpedoes, useless on land.

"What are you doing!?" Kitakami said.

"Fight already!" Ooi urged.

"Hold on," Dante said.

Back at the Naval Base office, Ooyodo and Houshou processed paperwork when Rebellion, Dante's sword, rattled violently.

Crash!

It smashed through the window and flew out.

Ooyodo and Houshou stared, stunned.

On the beach, Rebellion landed in Dante's hand.

"You've got weapons right there!" Suzuya said, waving Agni & Rudra.

"Don't want 'em!" Dante said.

He charged the clam demon, slashing with Rebellion, but its shell deflected the blade. He fired Ebony & Ivory—useless. The shell opened, revealing thick, tree-like tentacles that lashed at Dante and the kanmusu.

"Wah!?" Shigure yelped.

"Eek!" Kisaragi screamed.

"Dangerous!" Fubuki said.

"We're heading to sea!" Akagi said.

All but Kitakami and Ooi moved offshore, attacking, but the demon's shell blocked everything. Dante, on land, dodged fierce tentacle strikes but couldn't close in.

"Tricky bastard…" Dante muttered.

A tentacle swept, knocking him back and dislodging Rebellion. It grabbed him, slamming him into the ground repeatedly.

"Admiral!" Kitakami cried.

"This is bad!" Suzuya said.

"Get us to Dante!" Agni said.

"Our brotherly power!" Rudra said.

"Now's the time!" they said.

Suzuya steeled herself and returned to land.

"Suzuya!?" Kaga said.

The demon tried to absorb Dante, who punched the tentacles but couldn't break free. Suzuya shouted.

"Admiral, use these!" she yelled, tossing Agni & Rudra.

"Suzuya!" Agni said.

"Throw us!" Rudra said.

"Here!" Suzuya hurled them.

Dante caught the swords, stabbing the tentacles. Agni's flames burned them, forcing the demon to fling Dante free. He grabbed Rebellion, slashing tentacles with Agni & Rudra's fiery cuts.

"Soiya! Soiya!" the swords chanted.

"Silence!" Dante roared.

"There's a gap in the shell!" Kitakami said. "Torpedoes might work!"

"Maybe!" Ooi said.

They yanked torpedoes from their launchers and threw them.

"Here!" Kitakami said.

"Hmph!" Ooi said.

The tentacles swatted the torpedoes back.

"…Huh?" they said.

The torpedoes exploded, blasting Kitakami and Ooi away.

"Kitakami! Ooi!" Suzuya cried.

"Damn it!" Dante said.

New tentacles regenerated endlessly. One grabbed Dante again, dragging him toward the sea.

"Admiral!" Suzuya yelled, firing cannons but getting swept away by a tentacle.

Dante was pulled underwater. The demon sped off, and the kanmusu lost sight of it.

"No way…" Kaga said.

"This can't be real…" Shigure said.

"Commander…" Akatsuki said.

"Admiral!" Akagi screamed.

Near an uninhabited island, a water spout erupted as the clam demon surfaced. Dante, still bound, struggled as it tried to consume him.

"Not… so fast!" Dante growled.

Pulled inside the shell, he stabbed Agni & Rudra into the demon's core. Agni's flames, boosted by Rudra's wind and Dante's Devil Trigger, roared massively. The demon tossed him out, sealing its shell defensively.

"Ashes to ashes!" Agni said.

"Dust to dust!" Rudra said.

"HAAA!" Dante roared.

He linked Agni & Rudra, spinning them overhead to create a fiery vortex. Leaping and spinning, he unleashed a massive flame tornado. The demon burned within it. As the vortex faded, Dante and the demon fell, his Devil Trigger spent. The demon crumbled to dust.

"…Where the hell am I?" Dante muttered.

Back at the Naval Base dining hall, the clamming team returned.

"And you just waltz back!?" Tenryuu snapped.

"…We tried," Akagi said. "The enemy was too fast underwater."

"We didn't do nothing!" Kitakami said.

"Don't give me that!" Tenryuu said, swiping a bucket of clams off the table. "The Admiral's gone, and you bring back clams!?"

The clams scattered across the floor.

"Oh…" Akatsuki said.

"Don't act high and mighty when you weren't there!" Ooi snapped.

"Stop it…" Ikazuchi said.

"I'd never abandon him!" Tenryuu said.

"We didn't abandon him!" Kaga said.

"You think you'd have done better!?" Kitakami said.

"What'd you say!?" Tenryuu growled.

"Enough!" Houshou shouted.

The room fell silent.

"The Admiral won't die easily," Houshou said. "Akashi-san, did he take his rigging?"

"It's still in the factory," Akashi said.

"Even he can't fight underwater without rigging," Jintsuu said.

"You saying he's dead!?" Tenryuu said.

"No, I didn't mean…" Jintsuu said.

"Stop!" Naka said. "This isn't the time to fight!"

"Houshou-san…" Haguro said.

"We'll form three search fleets," Houshou said. "If he's alive, he's in some sea zone. Ooyodo-san, report to Headquarters."

"Understood!" Ooyodo said, leaving.

"There's another issue," Houshou said. "We need to find him fast…"

In town, a giant horse pulling a carriage rampaged, wrecking everything.