The Divine Throne of Shipgirls

A ten-gigaton nuclear bomb was already the largest payload humanity could currently deploy. A hundred-gigaton warhead? It couldn't be delivered by aircraft at all—and even if launched, to a flagship-class Abyssal, it would only make for a larger, slightly harder-to-evade fireball at ground zero.

The real question was: was Abyssal Barbarossa at the center of the blast? And what was the extent of her damage?

Even if she was only moderately damaged, the Forward Command could justify an all-out operation—a full-force suicidal strike to assassinate her.

Half an hour later, the intel came in.

"Takeyama's London reports: the Sword South Ghost, Hedong Ghost, and Pinglin Ghost have all successfully dropped their nukes. Estimated Abyssal casualties include approximately seventy thousand ships either sunk or heavily damaged. Barbarossa was within the blast radius but at most lightly damaged. Additionally, a new flagship-level Abyssal suspected of high magical capacity was spotted on the battlefield. Reconnaissance suggests it may be a fully-trained six-star shipgirl-class Abyssal."

The operation was a total failure. For a moment, no one said a word.

Fleet Admiral Gorou sat in silence for a long time, just about to speak, when he was wracked by a fit of coughing so violent it sounded like his lungs might tear apart. After a long moment, the spasm subsided. He waved over Indiana, who helped wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth with a white handkerchief. Only then did he issue his next orders.

"Transmit to Marshals Naoya and Keita: the decapitation strike will proceed as scheduled at dawn. Contract the front-line perimeter around Barbarossa by 300 nautical miles and monitor her every move. Prepare for retaliation. All other personnel, proceed with Operation Plan Two as normal."

The command center burst into movement again—as if burying themselves in work would keep them from having to confront the bitter truth of failure.

Hikaru glanced at the decoded dispatch and asked Yamato in confusion, "London? Why send a heavy cruiser for reconnaissance?"

Yamato leaned back so far she was nearly lying down, gazing up at Hikaru's face from below. "Takeyama's London is exceptional. She's fully trained, and she's developed a unique ability: no matter how much damage she's about to take, if she's fully prepared, she can tank it all with just five points of endurance lost."

"That's insane," Hikaru muttered in awe. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret—he didn't have London. In fact, he lacked most heavy cruisers. His lineup leaned more toward girls like Wichita, Portland, and Quincy—either powerful or personally meaningful choices.

In the game, London's skill had only a small chance of activating, so she never ranked high among heavy cruisers.

"Yamato, is this your friend?"

A tall, sharp-featured man with deep-set eyes and foreign blood in his veins approached with a smile, nodding courteously to Hikaru.

Yamato sat upright and declared with all seriousness, "This is the man I'm currently evaluating as my future husband. My heart has drifted long enough. Perhaps it's time to find a harbor to call home. When this war ends, I might marry him."

The man's mouth twitched. "Then what about me?"

Hikaru stood and shook his hand. "She's kidding. I'm just her assistant—Kuramoto Hikaru."

The man glanced at Hikaru's chest, not seeing any ID badge, then caught sight of the insignia for a Captain. He nearly burst out laughing.

Just a Captain—fresh out of the Academy. No way this guy was real competition.

"Mid-Marshal Shun. Being brought here by Yamato means you've got real promise, Hikaru. I'm both her friend and longtime admirer. If you ever run into trouble, you can come to me."

From the name Shun and the archaic style, he likely had foreign roots and had returned to serve in China.

Yamato crossed her arms. "Well, introductions are over. You can leave now, right?"

Shun shook Hikaru's hand and forced a smile, though something gnawed at him. Why did he feel irritated?

Maybe it was because Hikaru had remained lounging comfortably in his chair—even while shaking hands with a Mid-Marshal. And in his arms, no less, was a girl peacefully asleep.

That kind of casual posture was absolutely unthinkable for someone of Captain rank meeting a superior. In a military unit, such behavior could warrant flogging or confinement.

But Shun didn't let any of it show. On the contrary, his smile widened as he offered a few words of encouragement. Glancing around and seeing no spare chairs, he watched as Hikaru—still oblivious to the atmosphere—hopped up on the edge of the long table and started chatting with Yamato about the Inspection Division of the Shipgirl Headquarters.

It was one of the Division's most important functions within the military—preventing humans from manipulating or coercing shipgirls into suicide missions.

And since Yamato couldn't refuse, she lit a cigarette, crossed her arms, and began discussing it with Shun in earnest.

[End of Chapter]

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