Fifteen Years Ago
The world dissolved into light.
The bridge of the Daedalus disappeared.
The Razor Gunships.
The tactical displays.
The mission.
Everything faded.
Replacing it...
...was a vibrant naval base filled with life.
This was not the Global Defense Initiative Earth Division Headquarters.
Not yet.
This...
...was the original Azur Lane Naval Base.
The heart of humanity's greatest fleet.
The busiest naval harbor in the world.
Warships lined the docks.
Aircraft launched from distant runways.
Supply trucks crossed busy streets.
Humans and Shipgirls walked side by side.
Laughter echoed through the harbor.
Children of the destroyer classes chased each other between market stalls.
The smell of fresh bread mixed with the salty sea breeze.
Merchant stalls stretched across the promenade.
Akashi enthusiastically advertised her latest inventions.
"Nyaa! Limited stock! Buy now before they're gone!"
Beside her, Shiranui quietly managed stacks of crates while occasionally correcting Akashi's wildly exaggerated sales pitches.
Nearby...
Shipgirls browsed uniforms.
Equipment.
Souvenirs.
Fresh food.
It looked less like a military fortress...
...and more like a thriving coastal city.
Then—
"Commander!"
Four familiar voices called out together.
Everyone watching the projection instinctively smiled.
Racing through the streets came four young destroyers.
Javelin.
Laffey.
Ayanami.
And Nimi.
All laughing as they hurried toward a man walking leisurely through the base.
Behind him walked two women.
One with silver hair.
One with white.
Yorktown.
Enterprise.
The projection finally focused on the man.
Commander John Smith.
A man in his mid-fifties.
The one who had commanded the base for fifteen years following the war between the Azur Lane and Red Axis shipgirls.
Wearing the standard white-and-blue Azur Lane command uniform.
A few strands of gray had begun appearing at his temples.
Yet his expression remained warm.
Comforting.
The smile of someone every Shipgirl instinctively trusted.
He stopped as the four destroyers reached him.
"My, my..."
He chuckled.
"What brings my little troublemakers here today?"
Javelin immediately hugged one of his arms.
"We were looking everywhere for you!"
Laffey quietly wrapped herself around the other arm.
"...Found Commander."
"...Mission complete."
Nimi sighed.
"They've been running around the entire base looking for you."
Ayanami nodded.
"...This one participated."
John Smith laughed.
"So I see."
Behind him...
Yorktown pinched the bridge of her nose with practiced resignation.
"Commander..."
"You really should stop bending over every time they run up to you."
She gently straightened his posture with both hands.
"Your back was hurting again this morning."
John Smith rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"...I may not be as young as I used to be."
Enterprise folded her arms.
"You've said that every week for the last fifteen years."
"And every week..."
"...you ignore the doctor's advice."
John Smith smiled innocently.
"I prefer to think of it as selective listening."
Vestal sneezed.
Smith's eyes wandered across the people.
Shipgirls chatting freely with humans.
Children playing.
Mechanics repairing aircraft.
Cafés filled with laughter.
Nobody looked afraid.
Nobody expected what was coming.
Before the four destroyers could say another word—
"Commander!"
An energetic voice rang out across the bustling promenade.
Everyone instinctively turned.
A young woman came jogging toward them with boundless enthusiasm.
Long silver hair swayed behind her in a loose side-tail, secured by a large mechanical hair ornament. Bright blue eyes, each with distinctive heart-shaped pupils, sparkled with excitement as she clutched a photograph in both hands.
It was Portland.
Her blue training jacket fluttered as she hurried over, unable to contain herself.
"Commander!"
"You have to look at the newest picture of my adorable Indy-chan!"
Without waiting for permission, she happily presented the photograph to John Smith.
He chuckled warmly.
"All right, all right."
"Let's see this masterpiece."
He reached into one of his uniform pockets before letting out an embarrassed laugh.
"...Ah."
"My reading glasses."
Yorktown already knew what was coming.
With a quiet sigh, she produced them from another pocket she had apparently been carrying all along.
"...Here."
"You forgot them again."
John Smith smiled sheepishly.
"I was wondering where those went."
Enterprise folded her arms.
"You were wondering for exactly thirty-seven seconds."
He placed the glasses on his nose before examining the photograph carefully.
"Hmm..."
"A wonderful picture."
He smiled warmly.
"Indianapolis certainly looks happy."
Portland's entire face lit up.
"Right?!"
"I knew Commander would understand!"
She proudly puffed out her chest.
"Indy is the cutest little sister in the whole world!"
John Smith nodded thoughtfully.
"I believe every older sibling probably feels exactly the same."
"The happiness of a younger sister..."
"...is something to treasure."
Portland froze.
Her face immediately turned bright red.
Tiny happy noises escaped her mouth.
"Ehehe..."
"Commander gets it..."
"He really gets it..."
Her eyes sparkled even more brightly than before.
Enterprise looked at Yorktown with a completely straight face.
"...You broke her."
Yorktown let out another helpless sigh.
"Commander..."
"Perhaps next time you could compliment her after she finishes breathing."
Portland continued standing perfectly still.
Still smiling.
Still blushing.
Still clutching the photograph.
Akashi quietly peeked over from her nearby stall.
"Nyaa..."
"I think she stopped functioning."
Even Shiranui looked up from her crates.
"...Temporarily."
John Smith laughed good-naturedly.
"I only said the truth."
Enterprise shook her head.
"And somehow..."
"...that's exactly why it worked."
The four destroyers giggled together.
Javelin leaned toward Portland.
"I think Commander just unlocked your 'big sister mode.'"
Portland finally recovered.
She hugged the photograph tightly against her chest with an enormous grin.
"Today's the best day ever!"
Yorktown watched the scene quietly.
Her expression softened.
"He never needed grand speeches."
"Just a few honest words..."
"...and everyone felt seen."
Enterprise gave a small nod.
"...That was his strength."
Just then...
John Smith's communicator began ringing.
He glanced down at the screen before letting out a small sigh.
"...Looks like duty calls."
Yorktown looked at the display.
"An emergency meeting?"
John Smith nodded.
"Seems so."
He slipped the communicator back into his pocket before smiling apologetically at everyone.
"Looks like our walk ends here."
He adjusted his cap.
"Shall we head back?"
Yorktown immediately stepped beside him.
"Of course."
She smiled gently.
"And please..."
"...watch your step this time."
John Smith laughed.
"I'm not that old, Yorktown."
He confidently took three steps forward—
"...Oof."
His hand immediately went to his lower back.
Enterprise raised a single eyebrow.
"...Sure."
"You're not that old..."
"...Grandpa."
The nearby destroyers burst into laughter.
John Smith rubbed the sore spot with a sheepish grin.
"Well..."
"My son became a father two days ago."
He couldn't hide the proud smile spreading across his face.
"I haven't even met my grandchild yet."
"So..."
"...technically."
He chuckled.
"I really am a grandfather now."
Yorktown immediately covered her mouth to hide her laughter.
"Pfft..."
She glanced teasingly toward Enterprise.
"You just got granddaughter-zoned, Enty."
Enterprise stared at her for a moment.
"...I walked right into that one."
Even she couldn't stop herself from smiling.
John Smith laughed heartily.
"You know..."
"I've commanded the strongest fleet in the world."
"I've negotiated peace between nations."
"I've survived twenty years of war."
He looked proudly toward the photograph Portland was still hugging.
"And somehow..."
"My greatest promotion..."
"...was becoming Grandpa."
The four destroyers giggled.
Javelin raised both hands excitedly.
"Commander!"
"When you come back from leave..."
"You have to show us pictures!"
Laffey nodded sleepily.
"...Baby pictures."
"...Mission requirement."
Nimi adjusted her glasses.
"I admit..."
"...I'm a little curious as well."
Ayanami gave a small nod.
"...This one..."
"...also wishes to see."
John Smith smiled with the same warmth he showed every Shipgirl under his command.
"Deal."
"When I return..."
"...I'll bring enough pictures for everyone."
Enterprise quietly looked toward him.
"...You really spoil them."
John Smith simply shrugged.
"They've earned it."
As he, Yorktown, and Enterprise slowly walked back toward Headquarters...
None of them noticed...
The distant contrails high above the clouds.
Nor the pair of faint crimson lights...
Watching the harbor from far beyond the horizon.
Watching.
Waiting.
Patiently.
The happiest days of Azur Lane...
...were quietly counting down toward their end.
==================
The neural projection followed John Smith, Yorktown, and Enterprise as they entered the headquarters.
The lively sounds of the harbor gradually faded behind the reinforced blast doors.
Inside...
The atmosphere was completely different.
Officers hurried between terminals.
Communications personnel relayed reports from every ocean.
Large holographic displays filled the circular command room.
At its center, a massive tactical table projected a three-dimensional map of the world's oceans.
Around it...
Multiple large screens lit up one after another.
Each displayed another Azur Lane command center from around the globe.
Senior commanders.
Regional fleet commanders.
Headquarters staff.
The highest-ranking military officials still remaining.
John Smith removed his cap and took his assigned seat.
Yorktown stood behind him to his left.
Enterprise remained quietly at his right.
One of the senior headquarters commanders began the briefing.
"Ladies and gentlemen..."
"We've received confirmed reconnaissance from Azur Lane Headquarters."
The holographic map shifted.
A vast section of ocean glowed crimson.
Several concentric rings expanded outward.
"A previously unknown Mirror Sea has been located."
"It is unlike any we have encountered before."
The projection zoomed inward.
What appeared was enormous.
Countless Siren signatures.
Factories.
Shipyards.
Energy reactors.
Defensive fleets.
The command room fell silent.
The commander continued.
"Our analysts believe..."
"...this is the Sirens' primary strategic stronghold."
Even present-day Yuuki instinctively narrowed his eyes.
"So..."
"...they finally found it."
The briefing officer nodded.
"After decades of searching..."
"We believe we have located the enemy's central bastion."
Another display appeared.
Across the top were two words.
Operation Snowball
The room became noticeably quieter.
The officer continued.
"Intelligence gathered over the past six months indicates the emergence of a previously unidentified high-ranking Siren."
A silhouette slowly materialized.
Unlike the standard Sirens...
This figure stood above them all.
Elegant.
Regal.
Surrounded by countless energy readings.
"Our intelligence division has provisionally designated this entity..."
"...the Siren Empress."
Even John Smith's expression became serious.
"If these reports are accurate..."
"...then this operation may determine the future of humanity."
The officer nodded solemnly.
"Exactly."
"For the first time..."
"We possess credible intelligence suggesting that eliminating the Siren Empress could collapse the entire Siren command structure."
He looked across every commander connected to the conference.
"This may be our only opportunity..."
"...to end the war."
Silence filled every command center connected to the meeting.
No one celebrated.
No one smiled.
Everyone understood what such an operation truly meant.
Because if this was indeed the Sirens' capital...
Then it would also become...
The bloodiest battle humanity had ever fought.
The briefing concluded with a single unanimous decision.
Operation Snowball would proceed.
For the first time in decades...
Humanity had discovered what intelligence believed to be the Sirens' central stronghold.
There would be no second chance.
Every nation committed its finest.
Over the following weeks, the largest expeditionary force ever assembled gathered at the Azur Lane Naval Base.
Dozens of troop carriers filled the harbor.
Landing ships loaded armored vehicles, supplies, ammunition, and engineering equipment.
Escort destroyers and cruisers maneuvered into formation.
Battleships completed final inspections.
Aircraft carriers prepared their air wings.
The operation called for an all-out assault.
A combined escort fleet of one hundred Shipgirls would accompany the invasion force into the Mirror Sea.
Among them...
Commander John Smith selected the fleet's most experienced veterans.
Yorktown.
Enterprise.
Prince of Wales.
Hood.
Bismarck.
Illustrious.
Belfast.
Z23.
Javelin.
Laffey.
Ayanami.
San Diego.
Eldridge.
Fusou.
Yamashiro.
Junyou.
Hiyou.
Karlsruhe.
Köln.
Königsberg.
Nevada.
Oklahoma.
Ranger.
Suffolk.
Kent.
Repulse.
Akashi.
Even the Bulins volunteered to support the logistics fleet.
Every berth in the harbor bustled with activity.
Technicians inspected riggings one final time.
Mechanics loaded ammunition.
Medical personnel stocked every transport with emergency supplies.
The atmosphere was determined.
Confident.
Hopeful.
If the intelligence proved correct...
This battle could finally end the Siren War.
The evening before departure...
The harbor was unusually quiet.
Most Shipgirls had already retired for the night.
Only maintenance crews continued working beneath the floodlights.
Commander John Smith stood alone along the seawall, looking across the dark ocean.
Behind him, soft footsteps approached.
"Commander."
He turned.
"Yorktown."
She stopped beside him.
Neither spoke for several moments.
The waves gently rolled against the pier.
Finally...
Yorktown broke the silence.
"...May I ask you something?"
"Of course."
She hesitated.
Her usually composed expression carried an unfamiliar uncertainty.
"...Do you ever..."
"...have a feeling..."
"...that something isn't right?"
John Smith looked at her.
"What do you mean?"
Yorktown slowly looked toward the horizon.
"I don't know."
"I can't explain it."
She placed a hand over her chest.
"My cube..."
"...hasn't settled all day."
"It feels..."
"...uneasy."
"As though..."
"...it's trying to warn me."
She lowered her eyes.
"I've fought countless battles."
"I've sailed into impossible situations."
"But..."
"...I've never felt like this before."
John Smith quietly listened.
After a moment, he smiled reassuringly.
"Pre-battle nerves aren't unusual."
Yorktown slowly shook her head.
"...No."
"This is different."
She looked toward the distant sea once more.
"It feels like..."
"...tomorrow..."
"...something irreversible will happen."
The sea breeze passed between them.
Neither spoke again for a long time.
Far beyond the harbor...
Hidden behind layers of distorted space...
Something watched the fleet assembling.
And waited.
===============
The following morning...
The Azur Lane Naval Base awoke before sunrise.
Harbor sirens echoed across the coastline.
Floodlights illuminated the massive docks as the operation finally began.
One by one...
The troop transports departed their berths.
Dozens of massive carriers filled with soldiers, armored vehicles, supplies, engineers, and medical personnel steamed toward the open sea.
Escorting them...
Was humanity's finest.
Nearly one hundred Shipgirls formed a protective screen around the convoy.
Destroyers raced ahead as scouts.
Cruisers guarded the flanks.
Battleships held the center.
Aircraft carriers launched reconnaissance squadrons that spread across the morning sky.
At the heart of the formation sailed Commander John Smith's flagship.
The fleet advanced in disciplined silence.
No one celebrated.
No one cheered.
Everyone understood the importance of today's operation.
If Headquarters' intelligence proved correct...
This would be the beginning...
...and the end...
...of the Siren War.
Yorktown stood quietly on the edge of her rigging.
The sea breeze brushed against her silver hair.
She stared toward the horizon without blinking.
Enterprise approached.
"...Still thinking about yesterday?"
Yorktown nodded.
"It hasn't gone away."
"My cube..."
"...still feels wrong."
Enterprise followed her gaze.
"You think Headquarters' intelligence is bad?"
Yorktown slowly shook her head.
"No."
"I think..."
She hesitated.
"...we're walking into something..."
"...that already knows we're coming."
Enterprise remained silent.
Behind them, Belfast quietly approached after finishing a report with Illustrious.
"My ladies."
"You both seem unusually quiet."
Enterprise looked toward her.
"Yorktown still has that feeling."
Belfast's expression became serious.
"...As a matter of fact..."
"...so do I."
Both sisters turned toward her.
Belfast placed one hand lightly over her own Wisdom Cube.
"It began shortly after dawn."
"I cannot explain it."
"It feels..."
"...as though something is watching us."
None of them spoke.
The ocean remained perfectly calm.
Too calm.
Without warning—
The sea ahead distorted.
The horizon twisted like shattered glass.
An enormous crimson ring erupted across the ocean.
WHOOOOOM
The water itself folded inward.
Reality cracked.
A Mirror Sea.
But unlike any Mirror Sea humanity had encountered before.
It stretched from horizon to horizon.
Covering the entire fleet.
"Mirror Sea detected!"
"All ships!"
"Battle stations!"
Before a single order could be completed—
The crimson vortex expanded.
The fleet disappeared inside.
The world changed.
Blue skies vanished.
Dark crimson clouds covered the heavens.
The sea below turned unnaturally black.
Towering cliffs surrounded the battlefield.
Far beneath the water...
Lay the Exelia Trench.
The deepest abyss ever charted.
"Commander!"
"We've been transported!"
"Navigation systems are offline!"
"Communications degraded!"
Before anyone could regain formation—
Thousands...
...of crimson signatures appeared across every radar screen.
Sirens.
Destroyers.
Cruisers.
Battleships.
Mass-produced carriers.
Far more than Headquarters had predicted.
The tactical display rapidly filled with hostile contacts.
One thousand.
Two thousand.
More.
Enterprise's eyes widened.
"...Impossible."
John Smith's expression hardened.
"...This wasn't a stronghold."
"...It was a trap."
The Siren fleet moved as one.
But instead of charging the escorting Shipgirls...
They ignored them.
Every formation...
Every gun...
Every aircraft...
Turned toward the vulnerable troop transports carrying humanity's soldiers.
John Smith immediately seized the command channel.
"All escort fleets!"
"Forget offensive operations!"
"Protect the carriers!"
"Do not let the Sirens reach the transports!"
The greatest naval battle in human history...
Had begun.
Operation Snowball
The Mirror Sea closed behind the fleet.
There was no way back.
The sky itself had become a dark crimson dome stretching from one horizon to the other. Black lightning silently danced through the clouds while strange geometric patterns pulsed beneath the ocean's surface.
Every compass spun wildly.
Every radar flickered.
Every communications officer reported the same thing.
"We've lost satellite contact!"
"Navigation is unreliable!"
"Signal interference increasing!"
Commander John Smith immediately took command.
"All escort squadrons!"
"Maintain defensive formations!"
"Battleship divisions, tighten around the transport fleet!"
"Carrier groups, establish continuous combat air patrols!"
The formation shifted.
Nearly one hundred Shipgirls surrounded the troop convoy carrying tens of thousands of soldiers.
Rows of transport carriers.
Landing ships.
Medical vessels.
Supply ships.
Fuel tenders.
Everything humanity had assembled for its final offensive.
Then—
Every tactical display turned red.
Thousands of signatures appeared simultaneously.
Not hundreds.
Thousands.
Enterprise stared at the screen.
"...Commander."
"They're everywhere."
The ocean erupted.
Mass-produced Siren destroyers surfaced by the hundreds.
Behind them came cruisers.
Then battleships.
Entire carrier formations.
Mechanical sea monsters unlike anything encountered before.
The Sirens had not merely built a fortress.
They had built an entire navy.
John Smith's expression hardened.
"...This wasn't intelligence."
"It was bait."
"Enemy aircraft!"
The crimson sky darkened.
Thousands of Siren aircraft poured from hidden launch bays carved into the cliffs surrounding Exelia Trench.
The first interception wave launched immediately.
"Enterprise Squadron, launching!"
"Hornet Squadron, airborne!"
"Yorktown Squadron, launching!"
"Illustrious, commencing combat air patrol!"
"Form up!"
The skies became a blur of tracer fire.
Carrier aircraft collided head-on.
Explosions illuminated the crimson clouds.
For every Siren aircraft destroyed...
Two more appeared.
Below...
The surface fleet collided.
"Bismarck engaging!"
Her battleship guns roared.
Entire Siren destroyer formations vanished beneath pillars of water.
"Hood, opening fire!"
Elegant salvos crossed the battlefield.
Rows of enemy cruisers disappeared beneath enormous explosions.
"Prince of Wales!"
"Full broadside!"
Shells screamed across the sea.
Mass-produced Siren battleships shattered apart.
San Diego's anti-air batteries painted the heavens with streams of fire.
"Eldridge!"
Blue lightning burst across the battlefield.
Entire formations of enemy drones short-circuited before crashing into the sea.
Javelin, Laffey, Ayanami and Z23 darted between enemy formations like ghosts.
Torpedoes.
Gunfire.
Close-range engagements.
Everywhere.
For a moment...
It looked manageable.
Then...
The second wave arrived.
They came from beneath.
The ocean exploded upward.
Entire Siren formations emerged directly underneath the convoy.
"They're bypassing us!"
"They're ignoring the escort screen!"
John Smith immediately understood.
"They're not trying to defeat the fleet!"
"They're targeting the transports!"
The realization came too late.
A massive Siren battleship surfaced between two troop carriers.
Its main battery fired point-blank.
The explosion tore through one transport's engine room.
Another was struck moments later.
"Carrier Twelve is taking on water!"
"Medical ship hit!"
"Fire onboard!"
Human sailors scrambled across burning decks.
Rescue boats launched despite incoming fire.
The escorting Shipgirls immediately abandoned offensive positions.
"Protect the civilians!"
Yorktown accelerated.
Enterprise followed.
Belfast's guns thundered as she covered the evacuation.
Everywhere...
The same scene repeated.
Repulse intercepted incoming shells meant for an ammunition ship.
Kent rammed a damaged Siren cruiser to keep it away from a hospital vessel.
Suffolk escorted lifeboats through burning wreckage.
Nevada and Oklahoma formed a wall of steel between the enemy and retreating transports.
Akashi and dozens of Bulins ignored incoming fire.
Instead...
They raced toward damaged vessels.
Repair cranes deployed.
Emergency patch systems activated.
"Nyaa!"
"Seal that breach!"
"Bulin! More welding equipment!"
Even under fire...
None of them retreated.
Then...
The Priority Ships entered the battle.
Friedrich der Große.
Her guns shook the entire Mirror Sea.
Drake carved through enemy cruisers like a blade.
Azuma's heavy artillery obliterated advancing formations.
Roon charged directly into enemy lines.
Saint Louis fought like an immovable fortress.
Seattle coordinated the battlefield.
Monarch's battleship fire split the sea itself.
For a brief moment...
The advance slowed.
Then...
New Sirens emerged.
Larger.
Faster.
Stronger.
Entirely different from those humanity had faced before.
"They've evolved!"
"They're adapting!"
Priority Ship after Priority Ship found themselves pushed backward.
Enemy armor shrugged off shells that once annihilated Siren fleets.
New energy barriers absorbed direct hits.
Mechanical leviathans emerged from beneath Exelia Trench.
Even Friedrich's devastating salvos merely slowed them.
Roon's relentless assault failed to break their advance.
Drake's guns overheated from continuous fire.
Every advantage humanity possessed...
The Sirens had already anticipated.
John Smith watched the casualty board.
One transport lost.
Then another.
Another.
Human escorts disappeared from the tactical map.
Rescue helicopters vanished.
Entire infantry battalions ceased responding.
The operation was becoming a massacre.
Yet every Shipgirl continued fighting.
Not because victory remained possible.
But because every second they held the line...
Was another transport that escaped immediate destruction.
Another lifeboat launched.
Another group of soldiers rescued.
Enterprise's aircraft returned almost completely depleted.
Yorktown's rigging smoked from continuous fire.
Belfast's ammunition reserves dropped into emergency levels.
Bismarck's armor bore fresh scars.
Hood's elegant uniform had become blackened with smoke.
Yet none of them slowed.
Because behind them...
Humanity's last hope...
Was burning.
The battle never unfolded the way anyone had planned.
The Sirens had no intention of defeating the escort fleet first.
They ignored the battleships.
Ignored the carriers.
Ignored the strongest Shipgirls entirely.
Instead...
They plunged straight through the defensive line.
Toward the human transports.
"Commander!"
"They're breaking through!"
John Smith slammed both hands against the tactical table.
"All escorts!"
"Forget offensive operations!"
"Protect the carriers!"
Every Shipgirl turned.
Too late.
The first transport disappeared beneath a pillar of fire.
Thousands of soldiers vanished with it.
The second carrier exploded moments later.
A third.
A fourth.
The ocean became littered with burning wreckage.
Rescue craft launched immediately.
Only to be intercepted by Siren aircraft.
Everywhere...
Humanity was dying.
Prince of Wales never hesitated.
She accelerated toward the center of the formation.
"Howe!"
"Duke of York!"
"Stay behind me!"
Her sisters answered immediately.
"We're with you!"
The three Royal battleships formed a wall between the transports and an advancing Siren battleship division.
Gunfire thundered.
The sea shook.
One Siren battleship fell.
Then another.
Then—
A crimson beam pierced the smoke.
"WALES!"
Howe screamed.
Prince of Wales' rigging shattered.
Another barrage struck.
The explosion swallowed her completely.
For one impossible moment...
She remained standing.
She looked back.
Toward her sisters.
"...Live..."
Then her Wisdom Cube cracked.
The sea swallowed her.
"No!!"
Howe rushed forward.
Duke of York caught her before she could follow.
Both sisters could do nothing...
...except watch the waves where Wales had disappeared.
Hood stood beside Bismarck.
Back to back.
Just as they had promised after the war.
"We hold here."
Bismarck nodded.
"Together."
Their combined barrage devastated the Siren line.
Until dozens of enemy guns answered.
One shell.
Then another.
Then hundreds.
The Sirens struck directly at her ammunition storage.
For a brief, terrible moment, time seemed to freeze.
Then—
A blinding explosion tore through Hood's hull, a thunderous detonation that echoed across the entire battlefield. Fire and smoke engulfed her elegant form as her rigging shattered under the force.
Hood staggered.
Her once-pristine presence, the pride of the Royal Navy, was now wreathed in flames.
Queen Elizabeth could only watch.
"...Hood..."
Her voice trembled, powerless.
The Queen of the Royal Navy—who had always stood tall, commanding and unshaken—could do nothing as the one she revered most began to fall.
Hood's elegant rigging finally gave way.
Metal groaned.
Fragments broke apart.
She slowly began to sink beneath the darkened sea.
"No... no...!"
Elizabeth reached out, but the distance between them felt insurmountable.
Around them, Royal destroyers rushed forward in desperation.
"Lady Hood!"
"We're coming!"
They weaved through incoming fire, ignoring the danger, trying to reach her before it was too late.
Some deployed emergency lines.
Others attempted to shield her from further attacks.
But the damage was already done.
The ocean claimed her, inch by inch.
And all they could do...
Was watch their beloved mother slip beneath the waves.
Belfast reached for her.
"Lady Hood!"
Hood smiled peacefully.
"...Take care of everyone..."
Her Cube slipped beneath the waves.
Belfast froze.
For the first time since becoming Head Maid...
She forgot every protocol.
"...Lady..."
She simply stood there...
Unable to move.
"Laffey!"
"Javelin!"
"Ayanami!"
Nimi fought beside her three closest friends.
The four destroyers had always fought together.
Always.
Then the Sirens separated them.
"Nimi!"
Javelin cut through three enemy destroyers.
Laffey destroyed another wave.
Ayanami dashed across exploding seas.
They were only seconds away.
Seconds.
A massive shell struck beside Nimi.
The explosion engulfed her completely.
"NIMI!!"
Javelin dove through the smoke.
Nothing.
Only fragments of shattered rigging.
Laffey fell silent.
Ayanami stared blankly.
Their fourth friend...
Was gone.
San Diego continued firing until every anti-air gun overheated.
Enemy aircraft still came.
Thousands of them.
She smiled anyway.
"I'll protect everyone!"
A final bombing run descended.
The explosions consumed her.
Eldridge used every remaining charge stored within her rigging.
Lightning engulfed the battlefield.
Entire Siren formations ceased functioning.
Then her generators overloaded.
Enterprise reached toward her.
"Eldridge!"
Only silence answered.
Fusou and Yamashiro refused to separate.
Just as they never had.
"We stay together."
"Always."
They charged directly into an enemy battleship formation.
Their combined broadside destroyed three Sirens.
The return fire destroyed both sisters together.
Neither let go of the other's hand.
Junyou shielded Hiyou.
"No!"
Hiyou pushed her away.
"You still have planes!"
They argued...
Even while fighting.
The next barrage answered for them.
Both disappeared beneath smoke.
Karlsruhe.
Köln.
Königsberg.
Three sisters.
Three cruisers.
They fought until their ammunition ran dry.
Then rammed the advancing Sirens.
The sea closed above them together.
Nevada stood before Oklahoma.
"I'll cover you."
"No!"
"You always do!"
She smiled.
"Big sisters are supposed to."
The blast took them both.
Ranger never stopped launching aircraft.
Even after her flight deck burned.
Her final squadron managed to save one transport.
Then her carrier vanished beneath the sea.
Kent and Suffolk fought side by side.
Just as they had trained.
One protected the other until the end.
Neither survived.
Repulse stood alone.
Every shell.
Every torpedo.
Every enemy attack...
She intercepted for a hospital ship.
The hospital ship survived.
She did not.
Akashi refused every order to retreat.
"Nyaa!"
"More repair cranes!"
"Get the Bulins out!"
The Bulins ignored the danger.
Instead...
They continued repairing damaged vessels while laughing together.
"We can still fix it, bulin!"
Another bombardment struck.
When the smoke cleared...
Neither Akashi...
Nor the Bulins...
Were anywhere to be found.
Everywhere...
Shipgirls cried out.
Friends searched the waves.
Sisters screamed each other's names.
Some found broken rigging.
Some recovered Wisdom Cubes.
Many...
Found nothing.
Commander John Smith stood motionless aboard the flagship.
One casualty marker after another disappeared from the tactical display.
Prince of Wales.
Hood.
Z23.
San Diego.
Eldridge.
Fusou.
Yamashiro.
Junyou.
Hiyou.
Karlsruhe.
Köln.
Königsberg.
Nevada.
Oklahoma.
Ranger.
Suffolk.
Kent.
Repulse.
Akashi.
The Bulins.
Each name vanished.
Each represented someone he had known.
Someone he had laughed with.
Someone who had trusted him.
His hands trembled.
"...Retreat..."
No one answered.
"...Retreat..."
His voice broke.
"...All surviving units..."
"...Fall back..."
The order he had sworn he would never give.
The surviving Shipgirls finally broke the Siren assault.
The enemy fleet withdrew beneath the waters of Exelia Trench.
Victory...
By every military definition...
Belonged to humanity.
Yet no one celebrated.
Around them floated the remains of the expedition.
Thirty transport carriers had entered the Mirror Sea.
Only five emerged.
Those five immediately filled every deck with survivors.
Burned soldiers.
Wounded sailors.
Exhausted Shipgirls.
The dead vastly outnumbered the living.
The surviving fleet slowly sailed home.
No songs.
No cheers.
Only silence.
Operation Snowball had succeeded in defeating the Sirens.
But the price...
Had broken Azur Lane forever.
================
Silence.
No one aboard the surviving fleet spoke.
Only the sound of waves breaking against shattered hulls echoed across the battlefield.
Yorktown stood motionless.
She could only watch.
Javelin had fallen to her knees.
"...Nimi..."
Her voice was barely audible.
Laffey simply stared at the empty sea.
"...Nimi..."
For once...
She couldn't even cry.
Ayanami clenched her fists until they trembled.
"...This one..."
"...couldn't protect her."
Unicorn hugged the three destroyers tightly.
Tears streamed down her face.
"It wasn't your fault..."
"We tried..."
"We all tried..."
The four friends who had laughed together every day...
Returned as only three.
Not far away...
Howe screamed toward the ocean.
"WALES!!"
Her voice echoed across Exelia Trench.
Again.
And again.
As though refusing to believe the sea had taken her sister.
Duke of York stood beside her, silent.
Her sword remained lowered.
"...Sister..."
For the first time...
Neither of them knew what to say.
Queen Elizabeth remained staring at the place where Hood had disappeared.
"...Hood..."
Her voice cracked.
Warspite gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Your Majesty..."
Elizabeth slowly shook her head.
"...I..."
"...couldn't save her."
Belfast stood nearby.
Her gloves were stained with soot and seawater.
She still stared at the dark ocean below.
Unable to move.
Unable to look away.
Recovery operations began immediately.
Every surviving Shipgirl ignored her own damage.
Instead...
They searched.
Every piece of floating wreckage.
Every fragment of rigging.
Every emergency beacon.
One by one...
Wisdom Cubes were recovered.
Prince of Wales.
Z23.
San Diego.
Eldridge.
Fusou.
Yamashiro.
Junyou.
Hiyou.
Karlsruhe.
Köln.
Königsberg.
Nevada.
Oklahoma.
Ranger.
Suffolk.
Kent.
Repulse.
Akashi.
Even the Bulins...
Their small Wisdom Cubes were carefully gathered from the sea.
One after another.
Every recovery brought tears...
But also relief.
Because as long as a Wisdom Cube survived...
There was hope.
There was still a way home.
Then...
The search parties reported one final name.
"...Lady Hood..."
Silence.
Divers descended.
Again.
And again.
Submarines searched the trench.
Search drones mapped the abyss.
Nothing.
The Exelia Trench was simply too deep.
The collapsing Mirror Sea had dragged Hood far below the reach of every rescue vessel.
Bismarck stepped forward.
"I'll go."
John Smith immediately turned.
"No."
"I can still reach her."
"The Mirror Sea is collapsing."
"I don't care."
Her voice remained calm.
"But firm.
"I will not leave Hood behind."
John Smith met her eyes.
"If you go now..."
"You won't come back."
The surrounding sea had already begun breaking apart.
Reality itself was collapsing.
Entire sections of the Mirror Sea were disappearing into spatial fractures.
Enterprise quietly placed a hand on Bismarck's shoulder.
"...We have to leave."
Bismarck lowered her head.
Her fists trembled.
For the first time since anyone could remember...
The leader of the Iron Blood could do nothing.
She whispered only one sentence.
"...Forgive me..."
Then the surviving fleet withdrew.
Leaving Hood...
Alone beneath the endless darkness of Exelia Trench.
By the time the fleet escaped the collapsing Mirror Sea...
Only a quarter of the original escort fleet remained operational.
Nearly one in every four Shipgirls who had entered...
Never returned under their own power.
Thirty transport carriers...
Had become five.
Entire regiments of soldiers...
Were gone.
The operation had become humanity's greatest military disaster.
Yet...
No one surrendered to despair.
Commander John Smith personally gathered every recovered Wisdom Cube.
He held each one as though it were a life still waiting to awaken.
Then he looked toward the survivors.
His eyes were red.
His uniform stained with smoke and seawater.
But his voice never wavered.
"We recovered them."
He gently held Prince of Wales' Cube.
"And as long as these remain..."
"...our friends are not gone."
"We'll send every recovered Cube to Headquarters."
"They will be rebuilt."
"They will come home."
Around him...
Broken Shipgirls slowly stood once more.
Some still cried.
Some still mourned.
But for the first time since the battle began...
Hope returned.
Because every recovered Cube...
Was a promise.
A promise that one day...
They would see their sisters smile again.
=============
The fleet returned home.
But it did not return victorious.
It returned...
Broken.
The once lively Azur Lane Naval Base had fallen into an unfamiliar silence.
The docks that normally echoed with laughter were occupied by rows of damaged ships.
Medical personnel rushed between stretchers.
Repair crews worked day and night.
Flags throughout the base flew at half-mast.
No music played.
No celebrations were held.
Even the younger destroyers spoke only in whispers.
Everyone waited.
One week.
That was all Headquarters needed.
One week...
And the recovered Wisdom Cubes would return as their friends once more.
That single promise kept the entire fleet moving.
Yet the wounds remained.
Enterprise locked herself inside her quarters.
The curtains remained drawn.
She refused visitors.
Meals were left outside her door.
Sometimes they disappeared.
Sometimes they remained untouched.
She replayed the battle over and over inside her mind.
Every decision.
Every order.
Every missed second.
She had stopped Orochi fifteen years earlier.
She had protected everyone.
She had become the symbol of Azur Lane.
Yet during Operation Snowball...
She could not save them.
She remembered reaching for Eldridge.
Watching Prince of Wales disappear.
Seeing Hood sink beneath the waves.
And most of all...
She remembered standing helplessly as four destroyers became only three.
Outside her room...
She had heard them.
Javelin crying until her voice became hoarse.
Laffey sitting silently outside Nimi's empty room every evening.
Ayanami blaming herself over and over.
"...This one..."
"...failed Nimi..."
Unicorn could only hug them.
Every day.
Every night.
Trying to comfort three broken hearts...
While mourning herself.
Enterprise clenched her fists.
"...I wasn't strong enough..."
No one heard her whisper.
Commander John Smith refused to let despair consume the base.
Every morning...
He walked through every dormitory.
Every ward.
Every repair dock.
He spoke to every Shipgirl.
Every sailor.
Every mechanic.
"The Cubes made it."
"They'll come home."
"Just a little longer."
Those words became the hope everyone clung to.
One week.
Just one week.
The recovered Wisdom Cubes had already been transported to Azur Lane Headquarters.
Humanity's most secure installation.
The Resurrection Facility had begun preparing them for reconstruction.
Everyone counted the days.
Six days.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Soon...
They would laugh together again.
Then...
On the third morning...
The emergency alarm sounded.
Every communicator across the base activated simultaneously.
Officers sprinted toward Headquarters.
The command center fell silent as the main display came online.
Only static filled the screen.
Then...
An emergency transmission.
"...This is Central Command..."
The voice was filled with panic.
"We are under attack!"
"Unknown ballistic launch detected!"
"Impact in—"
The transmission ended.
A blinding flash filled the display.
Silence.
No one spoke.
Communications officers desperately attempted to reconnect.
Nothing.
Another operator tried a secondary channel.
Nothing.
Every frequency...
Silent.
Minutes later...
The confirmation arrived.
Azur Lane Headquarters...
Had been destroyed.
A strategic nuclear strike had obliterated the entire facility.
The Resurrection Center.
The research laboratories.
The command staff.
Everything.
Gone.
The command room stood frozen.
Someone dropped a clipboard.
No one reacted.
Yorktown slowly covered her mouth.
"...No..."
Enterprise stared blankly at the screen.
"...The Cubes..."
No answer came.
Commander John Smith remained perfectly still.
He read the report once.
Then again.
As if hoping the words would somehow change.
They never did.
The recovered Wisdom Cubes...
Prince of Wales.
Z23.
San Diego.
Eldridge.
Fusou.
Yamashiro.
Junyou.
Hiyou.
Karlsruhe.
Köln.
Königsberg.
Nevada.
Oklahoma.
Ranger.
Suffolk.
Kent.
Repulse.
Akashi.
The Bulins...
Along with countless others...
Had all been inside Headquarters.
None survived.
The hope that had sustained the fleet for an entire week...
Vanished in a single morning.
Some Shipgirls collapsed where they stood.
Some screamed.
Some refused to believe the report.
Others silently walked back to empty dorm rooms...
Unable to accept that their sisters would never return.
The grief spread through the base like a storm.
Some blamed the Sirens.
Some blamed Headquarters.
Some blamed fate.
Some...
Blamed themselves.
For weeks...
The laughter disappeared from Azur Lane.
Commander John Smith never allowed himself to break in front of his fleet.
Every morning...
He stood tall.
He encouraged them.
He reminded them there were still people who needed protecting.
He carried himself exactly as a commander should.
But Yorktown knew.
Every night...
Long after everyone had gone to sleep...
He remained alone in his office.
The lights stayed on until dawn.
Sometimes...
She would quietly pass the doorway.
She never entered.
She simply saw him sitting behind his desk.
Photographs spread before him.
Lists of names.
Recovered mission reports.
A pair of reading glasses resting beside a cold cup of coffee.
His shoulders trembling ever so slightly.
No words.
No anger.
Only tears.
Silent tears...
For every Shipgirl he had promised to bring home.
That night...
The headquarters building was almost empty.
Most of the lights had already gone out.
Only one office remained illuminated.
Yorktown quietly stopped outside the door.
She had walked these halls countless times over the past fifteen years.
Tonight...
She had heard no paperwork.
No radio.
No voice giving orders.
Only silence.
She gently knocked.
"...Commander?"
No answer.
She slowly opened the door.
Commander John Smith sat alone behind his desk.
His command cap rested beside a stack of reports.
Photographs of fallen Shipgirls covered the desktop.
Some showed training exercises.
Others showed festivals.
Meals together.
Beach outings.
Simple moments.
Happy moments.
He held one photograph with trembling hands.
Yorktown had never seen him like this.
Not after Operation Snowball.
Not after countless battles.
Not even after Headquarters was destroyed.
His shoulders shook.
He wasn't crying as a military commander.
He wasn't crying as the leader of Azur Lane.
He was crying...
Like a father who had lost his daughters.
Like a grandfather mourning grandchildren he had promised would come home.
Every promise he had made...
Had been buried beneath the ruins of Headquarters.
Yorktown quietly walked over.
Without saying a word...
She knelt beside him.
Then gently wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
For several minutes...
Neither of them spoke.
Only the quiet sound of grief filled the room.
Eventually...
John Smith wiped his eyes.
"...I'm sorry."
Yorktown slowly shook her head.
"You don't have to apologize."
He gave a tired smile.
"I told every one of them..."
"...that they'd come home."
"I believed it."
"So did I."
He looked down at the photograph again.
"I failed them."
"No."
Yorktown answered immediately.
"You never abandoned them."
"You never stopped trying."
He remained silent.
After a long pause...
He reached into a locked drawer.
From inside...
He removed a small metallic storage case.
No larger than a notebook.
He stared at it for several seconds before speaking.
"...There's something..."
"...I've never told anyone."
Yorktown looked at him.
"Headquarters did receive one final transmission before the attack."
"They managed to send something back."
Her eyes widened.
"...What?"
He slowly opened the case.
Inside were several encrypted storage crystals.
No larger than a fingertip.
"The activation archives."
Yorktown stared at them.
"...Activation... archives?"
John Smith nodded.
"When I learned Headquarters was preparing the resurrection queue..."
"...I asked them to prioritize Akashi."
"And the Bulins."
Yorktown blinked.
"...Why them?"
"They were our engineers."
"Our mechanics."
"If anyone could help rebuild Azur Lane after the war..."
"...it was them."
He closed the case again.
"The transfer wasn't completed."
"They managed to transmit fragments of their activation data..."
"...before Headquarters was destroyed."
His expression darkened.
"But..."
"...the attack destroyed the primary archive."
"The remaining activation codes..."
"...were incomplete."
Yorktown looked at the case.
"...Can they still be revived?"
John Smith slowly lowered his head.
"I don't know."
"The Wisdom Cubes are gone."
"The master activation sequence was lost with Headquarters."
"These fragments..."
He gently tightened his grip on the case.
"...aren't enough."
Yorktown reached toward him.
"Commander..."
"If there's even the slightest chance..."
"...tell everyone."
"We'll find a way."
John Smith smiled sadly.
"I've asked myself that every night."
"But hope built on something incomplete..."
"...can become another tragedy."
He stood and walked toward the reinforced wall at the back of his office.
A concealed panel quietly slid open.
Behind it...
A small hidden vault.
He carefully placed the storage case inside.
The door sealed shut once more.
"I'll protect these."
"Even if they're only fragments."
"Perhaps..."
"...one day..."
"...someone wiser than me will discover how to use them."
Yorktown's eyes lingered on the hidden compartment.
"Please..."
"Tell me where they are."
"If something happens to you..."
"...someone has to know."
John Smith slowly shook his head.
"No."
"Not because I don't trust you."
"I trust you more than anyone."
He gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"But knowing won't change anything."
"Not yet."
"If these fragments become the target of another attack..."
"...then Akashi and the Bulins will truly be lost forever."
Yorktown lowered her head.
She understood.
Not because she agreed...
But because she knew exactly the burden he had chosen to carry.
One more secret.
One more promise.
One more weight...
For a commander who had already lost far too much.
====================
Months passed.
Life at the Azur Lane Naval Base slowly found a fragile rhythm again.
People returned to work.
The docks became busy once more.
Damaged ships were repaired.
New recruits arrived from every nation.
The surviving Shipgirls smiled again...
Though never quite as brightly as before.
Every now and then...
Yorktown would glance toward Commander John Smith's office.
She never asked about the hidden vault again.
She still didn't know where he had concealed Akashi's and the Bulins'.
He had taken that secret with him alone.
Meanwhile...
The ruins of Azur Lane Headquarters were declared a permanent exclusion zone.
The nuclear detonation had left the entire area contaminated.
The surrounding sea was sealed off.
No ship was permitted to approach.
What remained of Headquarters was abandoned forever.
The surviving staff...
Researchers...
Military officers...
Engineers...
Administrative personnel...
Were relocated to the Azur Lane Naval Base.
For a while...
The base became more crowded than ever.
It wasn't merely a naval base anymore.
It had become humanity's last command center.
Its last hope.
Then...
The Sirens struck again.
There was no warning.
No fleet approaching the horizon.
No aircraft detected.
Only—
"UNKNOWN MISSILE DETECTED!"
The alarm echoed throughout the base.
Operations officers barely had time to react.
"Impact in ten seconds!"
Nine.
Eight.
Seven.
Commander John Smith looked toward the tactical display.
"...Everyone take cover!"
Too late.
A tactical cruise missile descended through the clouds.
It struck the main headquarters building directly.
The explosion shook the entire island.
Windows shattered.
Concrete collapsed.
The command tower disappeared beneath smoke and flame.
The shockwave swept across the harbor.
Yorktown was thrown off her feet.
Enterprise's aircraft on the runway flipped onto their sides.
The communications network went silent.
Then...
The Sirens attacked.
Mass-produced fleets emerged from every direction.
Landing forces stormed the beaches.
Aircraft blackened the sky.
The battered Azur Lane defenders had no choice.
They fought.
Again.
Every surviving Shipgirl threw herself into the defense of the island.
Enterprise launched before her flight deck had even finished burning.
Bismarck rallied the Iron Blood.
Queen Elizabeth led the Royal Navy.
Nagato organized the Sakura Empire.
Yorktown coordinated rescue operations while returning fire.
The battle lasted until sunset.
By the time the final Siren vessel retreated...
The island still stood.
But the cost...
Was unbearable.
The missile strike had devastated the headquarters.
Over forty Shipgirls had been killed before the battle had even truly begun.
Hundreds of human personnel...
Sailors...
Scientists...
Azur Lane officials...
Never escaped the collapsing building.
Unlike Operation Snowball...
There were no recovered Wisdom Cubes.
The cruise missile had obliterated everything at its point of impact.
Nothing remained.
No promise of resurrection.
No hope.
Only names.
Yorktown stood among the rescue teams.
The casualty lists grew longer.
Then...
She reached one name.
"...Hornet..."
Enterprise silently took the list from her.
She read it once.
Then again.
As if refusing to believe it.
"...No..."
Her younger sister...
Gone.
Without even the chance to say goodbye.
Across the Sakura dormitory...
The damage was even worse.
The missile's shockwave had caused part of the residence to collapse before the Siren bombardment finished the rest.
Rescue teams dug through the rubble for hours.
When they finally reached the center...
They found only silence.
Among those lost...
Was Amagi.
She had remained behind with several Sakura destroyers...
Helping evacuate the younger girls when the building collapsed.
Akagi fell to her knees.
"...Nee-sama..."
Kaga stood frozen.
Unable to move.
Unable to speak.
For the second time...
They had lost Amagi.
Only this time...
No miracle waiting.
No resurrection.
Only loss.
Yorktown quietly lowered her head.
Operation Snowball had nearly broken Azur Lane.
The destruction of Headquarters had shattered its hope.
This attack...
Destroyed what little remained of its innocence.
From that day onward...
Every Shipgirl understood one painful truth.
Sometimes...
There would be no second chance.
The rescue continued long after the fires were extinguished.
Smoke still drifted across the shattered headquarters.
Collapsed walls.
Broken steel.
Scorched docks.
The once-proud Azur Lane Naval Base had become a field hospital.
Stretchers lined the roads.
Medics ran from one casualty to another.
No one spoke louder than a whisper.
The casualty reports continued to arrive.
Many of those lost had been destroyers.
The youngest members of the fleet.
Girls who had filled the base with laughter only hours before.
Their Wisdom Cubes had been recovered where possible, carefully gathered from the rubble and placed into protective containers.
Each Cube represented a life waiting for a resurrection that everyone still believed would come.
Houshou slowly knelt beside one of the containers.
Her hands trembled as she rested them upon its lid.
"...You were all supposed to come back for dinner..."
Her voice broke.
She lowered her head, tears quietly falling.
Not far away...
Friedrich der Große stood silently before another row of Cubes.
She had always carried herself with dignity.
Like a mother watching over every child under her care.
Now...
She could only stand there.
One by one...
She gently touched each container.
"...Rest."
"...Mother is here."
The words were barely audible.
Around them...
Many Shipgirls wept openly.
No one tried to hide it.
Enterprise sat alone atop a pile of broken concrete overlooking the ruined headquarters.
Hornet's name echoed through her thoughts.
Again.
And again.
She blamed herself for every life she could not save.
Belfast quietly climbed the rubble and sat beside her.
Neither spoke.
The Head Maid simply remained there.
Sharing the silence.
Eventually Enterprise whispered,
"...I couldn't protect her."
Belfast answered softly.
"You loved her."
"There is a difference."
Enterprise shook her head.
"It wasn't enough."
Without warning, she stood.
Her rigging began to manifest.
"I'll finish this."
"I'll sink every Siren until none remain."
She took a step.
Then another.
A sharp sound echoed across the ruined courtyard.
Slap.
Enterprise froze.
Yorktown stood before her.
Her hand slowly lowered.
There was no anger in her eyes.
Only heartbreak.
"...No."
Enterprise stared at her older sister.
Yorktown's voice trembled.
"If you go now..."
"...you'll only leave another empty room behind."
The words shattered what little composure Enterprise still possessed.
She collapsed into Yorktown's arms.
For the first time since the battle...
She cried.
Not as humanity's strongest carrier.
Not as the hero of Azur Lane.
Simply...
As a younger sister mourning another.
That evening...
Commander John Smith gathered every recovered Wisdom Cube.
He personally carried each one into Headquarters.
One by one.
No ceremony.
No speeches.
Only quiet determination.
Yorktown watched from a distance.
She heard him quietly tell the remaining officers,
"We'll protect these."
"If the day ever comes..."
"...they deserve to come home."
Later that night...
Yorktown entered one of the damaged storage rooms.
Hidden beneath a folded naval blanket...
Rested a single Cube.
Hornet's.
She carefully lifted it into her hands.
"...I'm sorry, Commander."
She hugged it tightly.
"I can't let her disappear into the vault."
She quietly carried it away.
When Enterprise found her a few minutes later...
Yorktown immediately looked away.
Trying not to cry.
Enterprise understood without needing an explanation.
She simply stepped forward...
And embraced her sister.
Neither said a word.
Across the Sakura dormitory...
Silence.
Akagi's room remained closed.
So did Kaga's.
Meals left outside the door remained untouched.
Days passed.
No one saw them.
No one heard them.
Amagi's second loss had reopened every wound they thought had healed.
For Akagi...
It felt as though twenty-five years had vanished.
She was once again the younger sister who had watched Amagi slip away.
Only this time...
There was no promise of resurrection waiting at Headquarters.
Kaga never left her side.
The two sisters mourned together...
Hidden behind a closed door.
The destruction of Headquarters had claimed more than Shipgirls.
Senior Azur Lane officials...
Researchers...
Command staff...
Logistics officers...
Entire departments ceased to exist overnight.
The chain of command fractured.
Orders that once took minutes now took days.
Communications became unreliable.
Supply routes collapsed.
Humanity was no longer merely fighting the Sirens.
It was struggling to govern itself.
The Sirens understood.
They returned.
Again.
And again.
Almost every day.
Small raids.
Bombardments.
Hit-and-run attacks.
Never allowing the defenders time to recover.
Every sunrise brought another alarm.
Every sunset counted another list of losses.
The Azur Lane that had once been the world's greatest naval alliance slowly transformed into something else.
Not an organization held together by command.
But by the determination of those who refused to abandon one another.
The attacks did not stop.
There was no time to mourn.
Every few days...
Siren fleets would emerge from the horizon.
Some came with aircraft.
Others with submarines.
Some struck supply convoys.
Others targeted coastal batteries.
Every alarm sent exhausted Shipgirls rushing back into battle before their previous wounds had fully healed.
They fought because there was no one else left.
One assault nearly broke the Sakura Empire's remaining defenders.
The Sirens concentrated their attack on the eastern harbor.
Nagato organized the defensive line.
Enterprise launched repeated sorties.
Bismarck reinforced the center.
Akagi and Kaga...
Who had barely left their room since Amagi's death...
Quietly walked onto the battlefield.
Neither spoke.
Neither looked at anyone.
They simply summoned their rigging.
The fox sisters fought with a desperation that frightened even their allies.
Every volley was relentless.
Every strike carried grief.
They held the eastern line long enough for civilians to evacuate.
But the cost was severe.
When the battle finally ended...
Medical teams found them collapsed among the wreckage.
Akagi's uniform was torn beyond recognition.
One side of her face was stained with blood.
She had lost her left eye.
One ear had been torn away.
Half of her fox tails had vanished, burned away during the battle.
Nearby...
Kaga's injuries were no less devastating.
Her left arm had been destroyed beyond immediate repair.
One ear was gone.
Like Akagi, nearly half of her tails had disappeared.
Neither sister regained consciousness until they reached the hospital.
The base did everything it could.
Doctors worked around the clock.
Vestal barely left the operating room.
The sisters survived.
Physically...
They would recover.
Emotionally...
No one knew.
Commander John Smith made a difficult decision.
Amagi's Wisdom Cube would be moved into secure storage.
Not to take her away.
But to ensure that no future attack could destroy the last remnant of the Sakura Empire's flagship.
When Akagi learned of the decision...
Something inside her finally broke.
She struggled against the nurses.
Against the security officers.
Against anyone who came near.
"No!"
"You are not taking Nee-sama away!"
"She's all I have left!"
Medical staff restrained her before she could reopen her injuries.
She continued struggling until exhaustion finally overtook her.
Even then...
She whispered only one name.
"...Amagi..."
Kaga remained silent throughout.
She simply watched from her hospital bed.
Her expression unreadable.
Several nights later...
The hospital reported an incident.
Akagi's room...
Empty.
Kaga's room...
Empty.
The guards had been incapacitated without being seriously harmed.
The medical sensors had been disabled.
The security cameras had recorded only static.
The first person John Smith checked...
Was his room.
The door stood open.
One compartment...
Empty.
Amagi's Wisdom Cube...
Gone.
The commander closed his eyes.
"...Akagi..."
The alarm spread across the entire base.
Search parties launched immediately.
Reconnaissance aircraft covered the surrounding islands.
Destroyer patrols swept every shipping lane.
Submarines searched beneath the waves.
Enterprise personally led the aerial search.
Bismarck organized the surface fleet.
Nagato searched every Sakura outpost she knew.
No sign of the sisters.
Then...
The Sirens struck.
Waiting just beyond the search perimeter...
They launched a coordinated ambush.
Multiple rescue groups found themselves under attack simultaneously.
The search operation immediately became a battle for survival.
John Smith had no choice.
Every minute spent searching cost more lives.
His voice over the fleet-wide channel was quieter than anyone had ever heard.
"...All units..."
"...Disengage."
"...Return to base."
No one wanted to obey.
But they did.
The surviving fleet turned back.
Leaving the open sea behind.
Akagi...
Kaga...
And Amagi's Cube...
Disappeared without a trace.
From that day onward...
No confirmed report of the two sisters was ever received.
Some believed they had been captured.
Others believed they had chosen exile.
Many refused to give up hope.
Commander John Smith never removed their names from the active roster.
Every monthly personnel report still listed them the same way.
Missing in Action.
Not because he knew they were alive.
But because...
Until undeniable proof existed otherwise...
He refused to write the word Lost beside their names.