"Look! What is that thing? A ship?"
"Impossible. How could that be a ship? Where could such a vessel come from? And what's with the hull? Is that steel?"
"Heavens! A steel ship floating on the ocean? Won't it sink?"
"Quick! Report to the General!"
"Take pictures! Whatever happens, get evidence first!"
...
The samurai stationed all around the Kujou Encampment stared wide-eyed at the sea.
Floating not far away was the Steam Battleship.
Their voices rose in disbelief and panic. Some scrambled to alert the Shogunate officers.
"What is going on?"
Before the panicked samurai could even make their reports, Kujou Masahito, the commanding officer of the Kujou Encampment, heard the commotion outside his tent. He frowned and stepped out.
The Kujou Encampment was a military zone. Strict discipline was enforced. Noise was forbidden.
Why were the soldiers suddenly so rowdy? Had something happened outside?
"Lord Masahito!"
Seeing him emerge, a samurai rushed over. "A ship has appeared outside the encampment, floating on the sea. Everyone is talking about it. Look over there!"
He pointed frantically towards the right flank.
Kujou Masahito looked up.
His pupils contracted sharply.
How?
Why was there a ship he had never seen before sitting right outside his base?
One look told him everything.
This was no ordinary ship. It was a vessel built entirely of steel.
Iron sinks in water. Ships made of iron should sink too.
So why was this steel behemoth floating effortlessly?
Where did it come from? As the commander of the Shogunate forces here, and a high-ranking member of the Tenryou Commission, he knew every ship in Inazuma. He had never heard of anything like this.
His brother, Kujou Kamaji, was currently acting as the head of the Kujou Clan in Inazuma City, while Masahito handled military affairs here. They wrote to each other every couple of days. If any clan possessed such a weapon, Kamaji would have told him.
This was a steel ship. Its strategic value was immeasurable.
More importantly, its design and construction were clearly beyond Inazuma's current capabilities.
Where did it come from?
Why is it here?
What is its objective?
If it came from outside, how did it pass the Thunder Barrier? The Raiden Shogun's storm made entry impossible.
Could it be reinforcements for Sangonomiya?
A terrifying thought struck Kujou Masahito.
He stared at the battleship grimly, his mind racing.
The Kujou Encampment was the Shogunate's forward base on Kannazuka.
The people of Narukami Island, who worshipped the Raiden Shogun, and the people of Watatsumi Island, who worshipped Orobashi, were locked in an eternal conflict.
The Tenryou Commission led the Shogunate army here to fight the Sangonomiya rebels.
Compared to the rebels, the Shogunate army was better equipped, better supplied, and more disciplined.
But a steel battleship changed the equation.
"Send someone to investigate immediately. Hail them. See if we can make contact."
Masahito didn't hesitate.
Regardless of allegiance, he needed to know who was piloting that ship and where it came from.
While his men scrambled to launch a boat, the Steam Battleship was already moving.
...
"We're here, Captain Beidou."
On the bridge, Huixing watched the red dots on the radar screen. "Just ahead of us. There are four red dots clustered together. If we take them out, we're halfway done with the mission."
"Good."
Beidou nodded. "Give the order. Open fire. Destroy the pirate ship first, then I'll go fish them out."
The mission required destroying ten ships and capturing ten pirates alive to face judgment in Liyue.
"Roger that."
Huixing grabbed the loudspeaker. "Fire!"
"You got it!"
In the control room, a Crux crew member responsible for the secondary cannons didn't hesitate. He slammed the button.
...
Not far away, on a pirate ship.
Three pirates stood on deck, jaws dropped, staring at the steel leviathan looming nearby.
"B-Boss... what is that?"
One pirate stammered. "Is... is that a ship?"
He had never seen anything like it.
"I-I don't know," the pirate captain gulped, his face pale with terror.
He had seen Shogunate warships in Inazuma City before.
But compared to this monster? Those wooden boats were minnows next to a megalodon.
And was that... steel?
Why wasn't it sinking?
BOOM!
A roar echoed across the water. A small artillery shell flew towards them at breakneck speed.
"Run!"
Terrified, the pirates abandoned ship, diving into the ocean.
KA-BOOM!
The pirate ship exploded upon impact, turning into a ball of fire and thick black smoke.
"Uh, Captain... we didn't kill them, did we?"
On the battleship, Huixing froze. "Even a small shell... if they're dead, we can't capture them."
Beidou: "....."
Her face stiffened.
Right. She hadn't thought about the splash damage.
"They're alive! They're alive!"
Furong shouted, pointing at three heads bobbing in the water, swimming for their lives.
"Excellent."
Beidou grinned. She grabbed a coil of rope and lashed it out.
The rope, usually limp, moved like a living serpent in her hands. In an instant, it looped around all three swimming pirates.
With a powerful yank, Beidou hauled them out of the water like fish on a line. They flew through the air and slammed onto the steel deck.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The three pirates lay there, soot-covered and miserable, looking around in horror at the metallic fortress they had landed on.
"Gag them, tie them up, and keep moving."
Before the pirates could speak, Furong had them bound and silenced.
The battleship's engines roared, and it turned toward the next cluster of four targets.
...
"How..."
The Shogunate messenger boat that had just launched from the Kujou Encampment watched helplessly as the battleship sped away.
"It's too fast! My rowboat can't catch that!"
"It's moving."
On the shore, Kujou Masahito's eyes narrowed.
The steel ship was leaving.
And it was heading toward... Nazuchi Beach!
"Everyone! To Nazuchi Beach! Now!"
Masahito roared the order. "Double time! Move!"
Nazuchi Beach lay between Yashiori Island and Kannazuka. It was a war zone.
The shallow shoals were littered with broken arrows, tattered flags, and the rotting hulls of shipwrecked vessels—scars of the ongoing war between the Shogunate and the Resistance.
Why was the steel ship going there?
Masahito led his troops in a sprint.
Is it really a rebel reinforcement?
It didn't make sense. If Sangonomiya had this kind of firepower, the Shogunate would have lost already.
...
Meanwhile, at Nazuchi Beach.
Kujou Sara was walking along the shore with a small squad.
"General Sara, are we sure our small group can handle the pirates gathering here?"
An aide asked nervously. "We received intel that pirates are meeting up, but rushing in like this seems risky. The Resistance is active in this area too. If we get ambushed..."
"It's fine. The Resistance consists of ordinary people."
Kujou Sara's face was cold and impassive. "Even if we engage them, these pirates aren't fit to be third parties in our war. Recently, the Fatui have been active, and these pirates are becoming a nuisance. Since they're grouped up, I'll wipe them out in one go."
These pirates—some acting as fronts for the Fatui—were annoying pests.
If the Resistance hadn't kept her busy, she would have crushed them long ago.
"General Sara! Look! What is that?!"
Suddenly, one of her soldiers screamed, his voice cracking with fear.
Sara turned her head sharply.
Her icy composure shattered. Her pupils contracted to pinpoints.
Her face filled with horror.
Looming out of the mist, heading straight for the beach, was a mountain of steel.
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