Early morning, central Pacific Ocean.
As the first ray of dawn pierced through the clouds, an unprecedentedly massive fleet emerged on the horizon.
Thousands of black-and-red Fleet of Fog warships advanced in a horizontal formation, cutting through the waves.
Battleships and heavy cruisers formed the vanguard, while the flanks were guarded by light cruisers and destroyers. Aircraft carriers were positioned securely at the center of the formation.
Each warship maintained a distance of about 200-300 meters from the next. From a high-altitude perspective, the sheer scale of the fleet was breathtaking, stretching endlessly across the ocean.
Under the cover of thick fog, the sight was even more imposing.
At the forefront of the fleet sailed a colossal, over-600-meter-long battleship, its black hull embellished with intricate dark gold engravings.
This was the Fleet of Fog's super battleship, Yamato-class second ship—Musashi.
Standing at the bow was a girl, small in stature, similar to a destroyer in size. She wore a gray shirt, black thigh-high stockings, and short boots. Her silver-white hair flowed wildly in the sea breeze, while her crimson eyes narrowed as she gazed at the distant horizon.
"Come, let me see what kind of strength this so-called Commander possesses."
Surrounding Musashi were the elite members of the Fleet of Fog—
Kongou, Kirishima, Haruna, Atago, and other battleships flanked her. Even key figures from the Far Eastern Fleet, including Prince of Wales, Vampire, and Lexington, had been summoned.
The entirety of the Blue World's Fleet of Fog, including mass-produced ships, had gathered for this decisive battle.
Musashi valued this confrontation greatly and had assembled every available force.
"The enemy fleet is airborne, possibly even capable of leaving the atmosphere. Are we sure we can handle this?"
A brown-haired shipgirl, dressed in a white vest with a ponytail, turned to ask.
"Kirishima, if you're afraid, you can hide behind me."
Musashi replied coldly.
"Even if we cannot leave the ocean, we can destroy them with our supergravity cannons. No matter how fast their ships are, they cannot possibly outpace the firing speed of our weaponry."
"Moreover, I don't believe they have any means to break through the Klein Field in a short time."
Her confidence wasn't baseless.
The Fleet of Fog had three signature weapons—Super-Graviton Cannon, Corrosive Warhead Torpedoes/Missiles, and Klein Fields.
Against airborne starships, their unmodified torpedoes were ineffective, so their main reliance would be on supergravity cannons for offense and energy shields for defense.
In terms of firepower, the supergravity cannon outclassed the opposition's positron blaster cannons. In terms of defense, the Klein Field provided superior protection.
Even in numbers, the Fleet of Fog vastly outmatched Setsuna's Sakura Empire fleet.
While the mass-produced ships of the Fleet of Fog might not be the strongest, they could still buy time and create problems for the enemy.
"..."
Seeing their flagship's unwavering stance, the other Fleet of Fog shipgirls refrained from further discussion.
In truth, they were more curious than fearful of this unknown extraterrestrial force.
Many had already learned that joining them meant the possibility of being retrofitted into space warships and traveling to other worlds.
But before making a decision, they first needed to test their strength and determine who would hold command.
As weapons of war, they would not simply surrender based on mere promises or persuasion.
To gain the Fleet of Fog's allegiance, they had to be conquered first.
...
Meanwhile, around the world, humans began to take notice of the Fleet of Fog's unusual movements.
Reports from various sources indicated that the Fleet of Fog was assembling towards a specific location.
The Fleet of Fog assembled in numbers several times greater than the grand naval battle that had decimated humanity's navies over a decade ago.
Watching the waves and mist rise as the Fog warships advanced, many of the survivors from that time felt a chill run down their spines.
Back then, the entire world had pinned its hopes on a decisive battle to annihilate the Fleet of Fog. But faced with an insurmountable technological gap, the navies of all nations had been utterly destroyed.
From that day forward, humanity had been completely banished from the seas.
Now, with the Fleet of Fog regrouping in full force, there was only one explanation—
Another battle was about to decide not just the control of the oceans, but the fate of the entire planet.
Unfortunately for the humans of the Blue World, they were now mere spectators, having long lost the ability to participate in such a conflict.
...
Yokosuka, Naval Temporary Base.
Setsuna stood before the Sakura Empire fleet, clapping his hands to gather everyone's attention.
Richelieu took a quick headcount.
"The expedition fleet consists of 45 shipgirls—all present and accounted for."
"Hmm, including Mio, Ritsuka Fujimaru, Yamato, and the two Sirens, that makes exactly 50 of us."
"According to reports from our reconnaissance drones, the enemy fleet consists of over 2,000 Fog warships."
"What?!"
Gudako nearly jumped in shock.
"That many?! So each of us has to fight over 40 ships?!"
"Commander, can my Barbatos even scratch a Fleet of Fog Klein Field? If not, I'll have to use the magic that Mio or Lucoa taught me..."
"Just a heads-up—I can probably handle two or three mass-produced destroyers at most..."
Bonk—
Setsuna delivered a swift chop to her head.
"Scratch what? Are you seriously thinking of charging in with a melee Gundam during a full-scale fleet battle? Do you have a death wish?!"
"Just sit tight aboard the Eternal Snowfall and enjoy the show."
"..."
"Numbers have never been a concern for us."
Purifier and Observer remained unimpressed.
"If we send out the Executors, a single torpedo from each of them would be enough to flood the entire Fog fleet..."
"Or we could summon Compiler and start mass-producing our own ships. Let's see who wins the production race."
"No."
Setsuna rejected the idea outright.
"We're a spacefaring civilization. Why should we lower ourselves to the level of the locals and engage in a naval slugfest?"
"Besides, Executors cost resources to build, you know? Just because we're not short on supplies doesn't mean we should waste them for no reason."
Swoosh—
At his command, the shipgirls activated their riggings, and their starships ignited their thrusters one after another, lifting off into the sky.
Soon, a well-organized space fleet formed around the Eternal Snowfall, heading toward the battlefield.
"..."
"Is this the battle to determine the true rulers of this world?"
The humans watching from afar were awestruck by the sight of the starships taking flight.
Deep down, they hoped for Setsuna's victory. The ocean was too vital to humanity's survival.
But, in the end, regardless of who won, they would still be ruled by someone.
...
Aboard the Eternal Snowfall, Gudako, Yamato, Mio, Purifier, and Observer sat together as the ship soared southeastward.
Although Yamato's hull had been fully restored, she had yet to undergo a starship retrofit. Leaving her alone on the ocean's surface was not an option.
As for the two Sirens, they simply enjoyed sticking close to Setsuna. Observer claimed she was "collecting data," while Purifier was just too lazy to fight and preferred to watch the action unfold.
After breaking through the atmosphere, the fleet quickly reached the battlefield.
On the holographic radar display, the Fleet of Fog had formed a tight formation over the ocean, patrolling the area methodically, preparing for battle.
Compared to conventional naval warships, interstellar civilization's battleships weren't just about adding thrusters to make them airborne.
They boasted superior targeting, enemy detection, and stealth capabilities.
Under the influence of optical camouflage and radar jamming technology, the entire fleet was effectively invisible to the Fleet of Fog.
The enemy had no idea that an entire fleet of starships was stationed in Earth's orbit above them.
Meanwhile, the shipgirls had a complete, unobstructed view of the Fleet of Fog's formations below.
Every ship, its type, and positioning were projected clearly onto the main control console.
"Oh, there really are a lot of them."
"Among the Fleet of Fog, around fifty or sixty ships have developed Mental Models, while the vast majority are still mass-produced vessels."
Richelieu analyzed the scan results.
"Commander, they haven't detected us yet. Shall we commence long-range bombardment?"
"Hmm..."
Setsuna pondered for a moment.
"Lock onto all Fleet of Fog warships equipped with large-caliber supergravity cannons and commence fire."
"Their capital ships have Klein Fields for protection, making them highly resilient... Even if damaged, Yamato can repair their Mental Models, so we don't need to hold back."
"We must neutralize their counterattack capabilities immediately. Begin the assault."
"Understood."
Clank—
The starships adjusted their firing angles, activating their bombardment modules.
The Eternal Snowfall tilted slightly downward, its main axial cannon locking onto the Fleet of Fog's front lines.
Hummm—
With dual Wisdom Cubes charging its systems, the main cannon trembled as its internal energy compressed, over and over again.
At sea.
Musashi stood impatiently, scanning the sky and ocean.
"Tch. Are they late? Or are they too scared to show up?"
"No, that Commander doesn't seem like the cowardly type..."
"..."
Suddenly.
As if answering her doubts—
Whoosh—
BOOM—
Dozens of blinding red beams rained down from above, covering the ocean in a devastating barrage like orbital railguns.
Fog warships struck directly by the attack instantly melted into pools of molten metal.
"They've arrived?!"
Musashi's eyes widened in shock. She activated her phased array radar—
Yet, there was no trace of the enemy.
Looking up, she could only see piercing beams of energy tearing through the clouds from above.
Moments later, a barrage of missiles followed, streaking down like a meteor shower.
BOOM—
The firepower of the starships was beyond imagination. Countless guided bombs and missiles descended like a torrential storm from the heavens.
The ocean erupted into towering waves under the relentless bombardment.
Kongou, Kirishima, Haruna, and other capital ships barely withstood the assault under the protection of their Klein Fields.
But the mass-produced vessels were utterly helpless against the extraterrestrial onslaught.
—Designed for naval warfare, their thick side armor was meaningless when their decks and command bridges were obliterated by blaster cannons and orbital bombardments.
Then, the Eternal Snowfall's main cannon finished charging.
BOOM—
A beam over a hundred meters in diameter descended from the sky, carving through the ocean's surface.
Everything in its path was vaporized in an instant.
Even the ocean itself was cleaved apart, momentarily parting the sea in a scene reminiscent of Moses splitting the Red Sea.
Through the temporary gap in the water, the ocean floor was briefly visible.
Hundreds of warships caught in the blast radius were reduced to their molecular components within seconds.
As the ocean collapsed back in on itself, it unleashed a monstrous tidal wave, capsizing countless Fog warships in its wake.
"What the hell is that?!"
The Fleet of Fog shipgirls were completely dumbfounded.
Even their supergravity cannons didn't possess such overwhelming power.
"An orbital railgun?!"
"I thought the supergravity cannon was the most powerful weapon in existence—what in the world is this?!"
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