「Shallow Water — Former Battlefield Zone」
Fire danced across the water, flickering in and out as the two forces collided.
"These are enemies who even gave Musashi trouble…" 「Ichigo」
The blade, shrouded in blazing fire, moved in perfect obedience to its wielder's will. It struck. It defended. It left arcs of flame across the sea, the heat boiling water into hissing mist.
Her rigging was never engulfed in fire, and her forms blazed only in fleeting moments.
Yet with every swing of that blade, her form resembled a fox spirit of Sakura Empire legend. A being born to fight impurity. One who danced and dashed atop the furious ocean, fiery tails swaying along her back.
"Can't ask for more." 「Ichigo」
Firelight reflected in her eyes, a calm and confident smile resting on her lips.
"…And that child has moved with them as well. Good." 「Ichigo」
She came to a halt beside the crashing wave, where her enemies are no longer Yulijer alone.
As laid out in their plan, Ichigo took on the role of holding Yulijer back, buying time while the others advanced toward the academy to search for their Commander. But this decision was not made lightly, nor was it a meaningless sacrifice.
In the middle of their fight, important information from Hornet had already reached them from the academy, and fighting Yulijer head-on as a group would have been little more than a waste of time and energy.
That was why they split the group in two. One would hold the line as the anchor, while the others sailed ahead. Then Ichigo took the role without wasting time, since she's the most capable of holding the line for them.
Once her five companions had departed, Ichigo initially limited herself to clashing with Yulijer, focusing solely on stalling for time. Her sword of flame met his sword of rupture, neither showing clear superiority as their duel began.
Blade auras and aerial slashes clashed, each carrying fatality.
The temperature surged and dropped, as the ocean waved, roared and exploded. The sky was swallowed by black clouds, and tidal waves rose again and again with the world itself caught in the exchange.
With every attempt to bring the other down, the sea itself seemed to respond.
But just then, the rhythm of the fight broke soon after.
It started when he called for his "friends", and it had only grown worse from there.
Without warning, the sea darkened. Before Ichigo could sense the danger from above, a colossal silhouette crashed down from the sky, cleaving the ocean apart and tearing it open deep enough to expose the ocean floor beneath.
Meteors and smaller fragments followed soon after, falling down and forcing her into constant evasive maneuvers, like dodging an aerial bombardment.
And as if that weren't enough, two more high-speed opponents entered the fray. The wind howled and lashed out each time they moved. She could keep up with them, but only just enough to avoid being overwhelmed.
Speed was not her expertise.
From attacks laced with electricity and supernatural effects that siphoned her flames, to close-quarters pressure of a relentless swordsman's combo, she had no choice but to tank the blows head-on, too slow to evade them.
Even then, the assault from the fake king's allies showed no sign of slowing.
Among those who answered Yulijer's call were a spearman who kept her guard constantly raised, and a pale man who made Ichigo feel trapped, dragged backward like a disc spinning in reverse no matter how she resisted.
"...Almost out of ammo, huh." 「Ichigo」
Against the spearman ☆Mourgant☆, when she clashed the edge of her blade against the head of his spear, something felt… wrong. It did not feel as though it grazed her flesh. It was as if it struck something else instead.
Something inside her.
Something that resonated.
"You again." 「Ichigo」
There's something divine within that spear, though she could not explain what.
CLANG
Even when she managed to fend off a stab aimed at her throat, that sensation returned. Like something sharp grazing her very soul. It was a feeling far beyond pain or mere discomfort, something that unsettled her from within.
Hence, before he could gain the upper hand, the fire around her flared, climbing to a heat that bordered on the sun itself and forcing the spear to halt its advance.
He was driven back at once as three wheels of fire slashed into him.
And yet, what troubled her even more was how the wounds left by her flames and sword strikes closed almost immediately. Along with that spear, the various accessories he carried also seemed to possess unique abilities.
"Haaah..." 「Ichigo」
Another man, just as difficult to read, lingered nearby: ☆Freidhard☆.
He kept trying to disarm Ichigo, as if he bore a distinct hostility toward her katana-shaped blade. Unlike the others, he relied less on raw power and more on refined technique, something closer to martial arts.
His arms were no larger than hers, his legs even thinner.
But that did not make him any easier to deal with.
Even a casual slap from the back of his hand forced Ichigo to block with full concentration.
When she succeeded, she managed to knock him away and regain her footing. But when she failed and her weapon was stripped from her grasp, he dragged her into raw brawls and brutal contests of strength.
Blows that sent the sea crashing away. Kicks that split the waves apart.
Her tails went numb each time she tried to block his relentless pummeling.
"Have you forgotten about… this?" Ichigo crouched as her main cannon fired.
BOOM
At times, Ichigo also changed her tactics, striking with punches and kicks, using her rigging both as a shield and as a powerful tool to repel her enemies. But unlike the others she could fend off normally, when she struck him—
MOOB
The impact came later.
"Have you forgotten about this? That rewind—again!" Ichigo snapped.
Somewhere between the two of them, reality bent.
Suddenly, Ichigo found herself repeating the movement she had just made.
Facing multiple foes whose strength rivaled Yulijer's, Ichigo endured blow after blow, damage carving steadily into her body. Even her trusted rigging could no longer bear the full weight of their assaults.
However...
"Now I'm completely spent… I see. This is how it feels when every round is gone." 「Ichigo」
Waves rose and crashed as the ocean churned beneath her. Amid the turmoil, a quiet flutter filled her chest. For even if her cannons had fallen silent, she still had fuel left to set her sword ablaze.
"So this is it… how it feels to give everything." 「Ichigo」
Her hands tightened around the searing blade.
Meanwhile, after watching her display of power, Yulijer chuckled under his breath.
"Wow… you really held out while everyone came at you. That's impressive. Still not stronger than me, but hey—surviving that takes more than just being a Ship Girl and getting lucky." ☆Yulijer☆
His smile widened, unmistakably pleased.
"I have to admit, I'm curious. I wonder what you'll look like after I've beaten you down. Strong girls usually become a lot more obedient once they're broken," he then tilted his head slightly. "You know… your sisters were very good at that."
That malice alone was enough to turn the sea into a place no vessel could safely sail.
Waves crashed and scattered without end, leaving only the deafening roar of a sea eager to devour even the greatest ship mankind had ever built. No steel hull could remain afloat in waters like these.
Nothing humanity created could hope to withstand the likes of them.
And even so, the ship girl stood atop the rumbling waves.
"Why don't you join in as well?" 「Ichigo」
"Hey, hey. I'm just settling a debt," Yulijer replied. "Earlier, I fought five of you. Sure, one Ship Girl ran away, but that still counts. Now it's your turn to face five of my friends. If I joined in too, that wouldn't be fair, would it?"
"I don't mind." 「Ichigo」
Ichigo's smile widened.
Yulijer's smile stiffened.
Moments later, waves surged toward him, only to be cut down by his "friends" before they could reach their mark. Even as the sea grew ever more violent, it still seemed to favor the Ship Girl who had long sailed upon it.
It was as though every ocean in the world had united its wrath beneath their feet.
Hiding his irritation, golden ripples bloomed beside him. With effortless, almost mocking grace, Yulijer pulled EA from the Gate of Babylon, a single careless flick of his hand sending the ocean itself shuddering.
Once again, the Sword of Rupture twisted the very air around it. The white-haired man raised it without much doubt, and the world roared as he poured a burst of mana into the blade.
The waves at his feet turned savage, threatening to drag him under. In response, golden light flared into existence, forming both a platform and a cage around him.
He tilted his head slightly. "What do you say? Want all of us to get serious?"
His question carried the same darkness and cold as the ocean raging below.
The same was true of his companions, who watched her without warmth.
As if she were already something discarded. Something no longer alive.
"Don't regret it like your Commander did." ☆Yulijer☆
Flares erupted as he raised his hand high.
Aura detonated in violent bursts, combustion rolling outward in visible waves. The air thickened, until the space around them warped beneath the weight of power no longer restrained.
And yet again...
"Is that so…? Is that so!" Ichigo laughed. "Huhuhu… then I'm truly grateful for that!"
The fire blazing within her was no less intense than the cold intent carried by Yulijer and his companions. She brushed away the faint moisture beneath her eyes and let out a laugh far too hearty for the tension crushing the air.
"You… laugh? I see. What a battle junkie. You only feel alive when you're staring death in the face." His gaze hardened. "Then survive, if you can. As the leader of the six System Users, I'll allow you to be the first to experience our full power."
He raised EA as high as it would go.
Another Enuma Elish was moments from being unleashed.
"After I kill you, I'll finish off the rest of your friends at the Academy along your foolish Commander too! Be grateful you won't have to witness it!" Yulijer screamed.
After this, even if she survived at all, death remained a very real possibility.
And that was without even considering Yulijer with EA. If those System Users truly went all out, it would be more than mere difficulty. Ichigo would clearly find herself in an overwhelmingly disadvantageous position.
'…I thought so. Still, it was worth hoping.'
"Enuma!" ☆Yulijer☆
Ichigo knew that better than anyone.
'To be honest… I wanted this moment to be just between you and me.'
The ship-girl—Ichigo, or at least the name she carried now—was already familiar with sights like this. A sky and sea filled with countless shapes, each one more than capable of dragging her beneath the ocean.
'…Sorry for not saying it back then. And for slapping you when we first met.'
Scenes where defeat was the only possible outcome were nothing new to her.
Operation Ten-Go.
The battles she relived in her dreams.
The labeled Kings on Skull Island.
And now, this.
She was used to last stands like these.
"ELISH!!!" Yulijer roared.
'May we meet again, Commander.'
She had earned that claim.
Because she, too, stood among the strongest in history.
"I think it was..." 「...」
And the one who bore THAT name, along with that sword.
"Bankai." 「Yamato」
The flames vanished in an instant.
"Zanka no... tachi!" 「Yamato」
From this moment on, there would be no more roaring fire.
Even so, the sea itself would continue to boil until nothing remained.
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——————|◼️-🔷|
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A vast, dark, and roaring ocean stretched out before him, swallowing the entire horizon. Standing alone with a laptop clutched at his side, the man gazed into the ever-widening abyss—waiting for those who would return.
"…Akagi, I'm really sorry, but this is my solo play from here on out. Sit tight and enjoy the show from over there. Please… don't cry like this," Sakura Zeimachi murmured softly.
Waves from the shoreline kept crashing in, soaking his shoes over and over.
He already understood what was happening—and what would come next—even if his attention drifted slightly toward those in the other dimension. Toward a certain ship girl who'd been reaching out to him through her mind ever since yesterday.
"…Zuikaku's there too? Alright, don't make too much of a scene. I still can't promise you anything… but I'll pay up and settle my debts to all of you." He paused, tilting his head. "Hmm? …You two already started fighting, huh?"
In the distance, the blackened sea was shrouded in rising steam, the water simmering and bubbling bit by bit. It was undeniable proof of the extreme heat surging from their battle raging far out on the waves.
That sight kept pulling his gaze back over there, but when he spotted the shadow of a colossal creature slowly approaching, he let out a long breath. Finally, they'd arrived—with some of them waving their hands at him.
Of course, he waved back.
"…Yeah, I've used your world as my personal playground after all. I'll give you girls the compensation you deserve. Ahaha… no, everyone gets the same fair pay—including you. What do you mean it's not fair? …Then, bye." (Sakura Zeimachi)
It wasn't long before the voice that only he could hear faded away completely.
He rolled his stiff neck, wiping the seawater that had just splashed across his face.
"…Uhh, why are they jumping?" Sakura Zeimachi muttered, squinting at the horizon.