Chapter 46 - Hikaru’s Sword Qi

When an abyssal shipgirl is sunk, her shipgirl essence is released and dissolves into bubbles, leaving behind only the shattered monstrosity of her rigging.

In other words, Glowworm was essentially scavenging scrap metal.

Watching Glowworm dart back and forth across the battlefield, Hikaru wasn't worried at all. After all, he knew just how tough this little girl was after those days they'd fought side by side.

Those abyssal girls couldn't even scratch her.

Unlike Glowworm, who moved effortlessly through the chaos, California was starting to feel the pressure.

At such close range, and outnumbered by the enemy, it was impossible for a battleship like her—naturally less agile—to dodge everything.

A shell the size of a washbasin came flying at her. California barely twisted aside in time to avoid a direct hit to her face, only to catch a heavy shot square in the abdomen, her body staggering from the impact.

Boom!

A fiery explosion engulfed her.

Hikaru shot to his feet. "Is she alright?"

Lexington smiled wryly. "Battleships aren't that easy to take down. That shot probably cost her three durability points at most. She's still a long way from a critical state."

California had a total of 70 durability points. Even without armor enhancements, she still had 70 armor points—no way was she going down after just a hit or two.

A critical state meant losing over half her durability, at which point her rigging would start breaking down, and her combat effectiveness would drop to around 60% to 75%. Severe damage meant losing three-quarters of her durability, leaving her barely able to fight at all, with less than 20% capability.

Hikaru had seen the massive explosion and overreacted from concern. But come to think of it, if a battleship could be wrecked by a couple of potshots from small fry, it wouldn't deserve to be called a capital ship.

Relaxing a little, Hikaru nevertheless kept a sharp eye on the battlefield.

From within the sea of flames, California emerged.

She was in pretty rough shape.

Her white short-sleeved shirt had been burnt away, leaving only the tight outfit she'd worn when Hikaru first summoned her—a type of rigging uniform that wasn't easily damaged.

Soot smeared her face and torso, and her eyes burned with anger.

"Damn it… if my armor was fully enhanced, that shot would've barely scratched me!"

Her base armor stat was 70, but a shipgirl could improve her stats through training and refining her power—though luck and speed were typically harder to improve, stats like armor, firepower, evasion, anti-air, and detection could all be enhanced.

In the shipgirl encyclopedia, a fully trained California was listed as having up to 90 armor, placing her in a whole different league.

Of course, improving stats wasn't something you could achieve overnight. Right now, all California wanted was to blast her enemies to pieces.

As luck would have it, the abyssal fleet wasn't going to wait for her to regain her composure.

As California re-locked onto the remaining enemies, four abyssal scout planes emerged from the cover of enemy shellfire, swarming above her.

These scouts, launched by enemy light cruisers, were about the size of pigeons. But when California noticed them, her expression turned graver than when she'd faced the earlier shelling.

Her base anti-air stat was only 35—below average—and she had no dedicated anti-air guns, leaving her to rely on sheer stat checks.

Anti-air defense could be thought of as another form of armor—only effective against aerial attacks.

Before she could maneuver to dodge, the scout planes dropped their bombs.

California ducked down, covering her head to minimize her profile, gritting her teeth in frustration.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Despite being weak 1-point bombers, their explosive display was anything but minor. Hikaru watched as massive geysers of white water erupted, engulfing California.

"She's getting wrecked out there… she's just standing there taking it?"

Hikaru glanced at Lexington.

"Aircraft bombs deal special damage to shipgirls," Lexington explained. "They have some homing capability. California made the right choice to minimize damage."

Hikaru fell silent. Maybe it was because Fletcher and Glowworm had raised his expectations too high.

Both of them could practically dance through a storm of shells. Fletcher, in particular, with her 120 evasion and 110 anti-air, could shrug off even combined airstrikes from abyssal Akagi and Kaga.

Still, Hikaru worried. "I just hope she doesn't get torpedoed…"

On the water's surface, California finally stood back up from her defensive crouch.

The ribbon Hikaru had given her to tie her hair was gone. Her long golden hair now streamed loose like a battle-drenched warrior queen.

The scout planes circled again, preparing for another bombing run. But this time, California reacted faster—her four cannons roared skyward, sending a blanket of fire toward the approaching bombers.

Two planes were shot down on the spot, while the remaining two hastily dropped their bombs off-target, splashing harmlessly into the sea.

Though she didn't have dedicated anti-air shells like the powerful triple A-ranked incendiary rounds, California had still learned to manipulate her energy to simulate such effects.

Hmph, I wasn't just loafing around at the Academy. I actually learned something!

So far, California had only taken 4 points of damage—barely a scratch.

Hmph. Just some trash 1-point bombers? I've faced 20-point bombers before. You think I'm scared?

Fueled by her anger, California charged.

She surged forward like a heavy cavalry unit, closing to near point-blank range. Her four cannons tracked the enemy targets, firing one after another.

One shot, one kill!

One by one, the abyssal ships exploded under her barrage.

After her furious charge, only two light cruisers remained, one heavily damaged and the other on the brink of collapse.

Standing atop the rolling waves, arms crossed, California sneered, "Is this all? What a disappointing finale."

Off to the side, Glowworm let out a small sigh, securing the wreckage she'd dragged along and slipping beneath the waves.

Hikaru suddenly remembered something. "Honey, let's head over—I need one of those abyssal shipgirls for an experiment."

Lexington carried Hikaru over to California's side just as she was finishing off one of the cruisers with a brutal sneak attack.

"California, don't let this environment mess with your head!" Lexington scolded sharply.

California shuddered. She wasn't immune to the corrosive influence of the Black Sea's aura.

"I understand… Lexington… sister."

The last word was barely a whisper, but Lexington didn't make a fuss about it.

With a wave of her hand, Lexington immobilized the final abyssal light cruiser, freezing it midair like an insect trapped in amber.

Another casual wave brought it right in front of them.

The power of a top-tier shipgirl truly borders on the supernatural.

This was the closest Hikaru had ever been to an abyssal shipgirl.

The creature stood between two wrecked shark-like riggings, her eyes covered by a visor-like piece of gear. She wore tight black pants, and nothing on her upper body but a few scraps of rigging.

There was nothing remotely appealing about her. Her skin was an eerie, corpse-like gray, with black smoke slithering beneath the surface like living snakes.

Lexington turned to Hikaru. "What are your instructions?"

"Let's wait for Glowworm first—I need her to make us a smokescreen."

Though Lexington could easily do it herself, she let Glowworm handle it. With a gesture, a thick mist rose from the sea, shrouding the area and reducing visibility to just a couple of meters.

California looked on curiously. "What's the Commander planning?"

"Step back, both of you," Hikaru ordered, drawing the alloy sword he'd bought for 100,000 credits. "I'm going to test my own destructive power."

Lexington reluctantly pulled California away. Though she hated the risk, she knew Hikaru was determined.

California raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? You're gonna swordfight an abyssal shipgirl? Don't hurt yourself."

Shipgirls, when fully powered, were like living superweapons. California had taken a full barrage and come out with barely a scratch.

abyssal shipgirls were no different.

Hikaru ignored the banter, steadying his breathing. He stood relaxed but focused, sword held diagonally.

He whispered softly, "I have traveled three thousand miles in battle… my blade alone could face a million."

For a moment, a chilling aura radiated from him, so intense it sent shivers down their spines—gone in an instant, leaving them wondering if it had been their imagination.

A flash of silver light sliced through the air.

When Hikaru lowered his sword, a faint crack appeared in the immobilized rigging—before it cleanly split in two.

The abyssal shipgirl dissolved into foam.

California stared, wide-eyed. "How did you do that? Are you… one of those supernaturals who wield cursed relics?"

Lexington, having seen more than most, frowned as she examined the sword. "Even if it's an alloy blade, there's no way it should cut through shipgirl rigging…"

She was right. No matter how strong Hikaru was, the material of that sword should have been like a toothpick against steel.

Yet he'd done it effortlessly.

[End of Chapter]

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