Chapter 129 – The Escape

The moment Gorou saw the gaping hole in the deck, he knew things had gone south.

By the time he leapt up to the deck himself, there was no trace of Hikaru anywhere.

Only a white streak like a comet was visible in the distant sky, cutting through the air, heading straight for the island.

Gorou clenched his fists in frustration and sighed. "To think Hikaru was hiding so much strength… He's actually a powerful swordsman!"

Even now, recalling that sword strike made his heart shiver. It was as if the edge of that blade was still resting coldly against his throat, suffocating him.

Marshal Heizou stomped up beside him, eyes wide like bronze bells and voice booming like thunder. "Gorou, did you let Hikaru escape on purpose?! Right under your nose, and you expect me to believe that? Hell no!"

Gorou gave a bitter laugh. "What the hell do you know?!"

Sure, if he'd gone all out and shattered that sword light, there was a chance he could've stopped Hikaru.

But Gorou had his reasons for hesitating. First, Hikaru's sword aura didn't resemble standard combat energy at all—he couldn't read the style or rhythm of his techniques. Second, in that instant the sword was drawn, if Gorou had tried to stop him, it would've required brute force… and if he'd miscalculated and accidentally killed Hikaru, there would've been no way to clean up the aftermath.

So just that brief moment of doubt had given Hikaru his chance—to break through the deck and flee.

"Fleet Admiral! That bastard Hikaru used the command sword of Commander Takeyama's shipgirl! She must have a way to track him!"

Shun ran over, pale-faced. It sounded like a reminder, but in truth it was more of a desperate plea.

He had thoroughly burned bridges with Hikaru today. If he were in Hikaru's place, he wouldn't let himself off easy either—no matter if it took three or five years of lying low, vengeance would eventually come.

Gorou only shook his head. Marshal Heizou sneered at Shun and mocked, "What, backing down now? Scared of losing that little head of yours? What are you even afraid of?"

Shun's face turned green. His lips quivered, but he couldn't get a word out—nor did he dare to talk back.

Viribus Unitis walked over to the area where Tirpitz and the others had taken several Fleet Commanders hostage earlier. From the deck, she picked up a discarded command sword.

Hikaru had thrown it back down.

Seeing this, Shun's expression stiffened again.

That sword was actually Viribus Unitis's ship rigging. If it had remained in Hikaru's possession, she could have tracked him. But of course, Hikaru wasn't that foolish—he left the sword behind.

Arata stepped forward a few paces. "Fleet Admiral, Hikaru's objective is clear—he's gone to pick up the remaining shipgirls. If we radio command back at HQ right now, we might be able to intercept them in time."

Shun lit up and quickly agreed, "Yes! That's right, Fleet Admiral! We still have a chance—we can still catch them!"

"It's already too late," Gorou said heavily. "It's people like you who ruin everything."

Takeyama added coldly, "Commander Hikaru has Lexington and Tirpitz by his side. With their strength, they could already be halfway home. Even if we move before they do, who among us can stand against Tirpitz—the peerless demon herself? Who would dare make such an enemy for life?"

His words struck Shun like hands around his throat. He could only gurgle in response, face flushing purple, unable to say another word.

Gorou and the others had wanted to detain Hikaru to gain the upper hand in this situation. Now that Hikaru had escaped, the worst case was that they would simply never be able to face him again, and he'd no longer serve the interests of the Country.

But if they took things too far—like trying to arrest Glowworm, California, and the others—even if they succeeded, once those shipgirls learned the truth, they might very well take their own lives for Hikaru. At that point, it wouldn't just be awkward to meet again—it would become a blood feud, a grudge that couldn't be resolved in this lifetime.

And who would dare incur a blood feud with someone like Tirpitz?

She was the one who had singlehandedly knocked all the world's top warriors down a tier.

Now that Hikaru had returned to the wild—free of all shackles—it was no longer possible to defeat him. From this moment on, they would have to live with the fear of his revenge for the rest of their lives.

At that thought, Shun couldn't suppress his terror. He hugged his arms tightly and began to tremble uncontrollably.

Gorou gave him a look of utter contempt.

He hadn't expected this coward to fold so easily.

[End of Chapter]

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