As the fleets solidified their alliance, the Arbiters observed from a distance, their bnk, unfeeling stares fixed on the scene below. The three figures stood motionless, like advanced AI processing the unfolding events.

  Spoiler

  [colpse]"...An unexpected development has occurred. Should we abort the mission?" Temperance asked, her voice devoid of emotion, carrying an eerie calmness, she floated as she scanned.

  "That's fine," Hermit replied, her tone equally mechanical, she crossed her arm. "The risk remains within acceptable parameters. This is still manageable."

  Strength, the rgest and most imposing of the trio, nodded in agreement. "Understood. Stick to the mission. Eliminate the invaders and restore normal test site conditions."

  "I'll have faith in your assessments, then. Proceed as proposed," Hermit shrugged, her movements swift as she rushed toward the fleets.

  "All fleets, target the Arbiters, open fire!" the Commander ordered.

  Hermit, noticing the incoming fire, swiftly dodged to the side, the barrage missing its mark. She smirked, her eyes narrowing as she processed the situation. "S.A.V.I.O.R, huh? Empress told us he wouldn't interfere. Perhaps that was a lie?"

  Then, with a burst of speed, Hiryuu crashed into Hermit, sending shockwaves through the battlefield. The META and the Arbiter were locked in a fierce battle of wits and firepower. Hiryuu shouted to the side, her voice cutting through the din of battle. "Don't let them get into formation! Distract them!"

  Her rigging collided with Hermit's, sending sparks flying as they exchanged devastating blows. The battle raged fiercely, and when Hermit's rigging unleashed a powerful bst that struck Hiryuu's rigging, the force sent her staggering back. She quickly adjusted, regaining her footing and diving back into the fray. The intensity of their csh grew, each trying to outmaneuver and outthink the other in a deadly game of strategy and power.

  The sound of cshing steel reverberated through the air as Hiryuu and Hermit engaged in a ferocious duel, their movements a blur of precision and ferocity. Their battle was so intense that no one dared interfere. Meanwhile, Ark Royal worked alongside the carrier fleet to keep Temperance occupied, disrupting her command of the mass-produced Siren forces. Strength, on the other hand, charged forward with relentless power, her massive cw tearing through the water in sweeping, destructive arcs.

  "Elizabeth, can you disrupt Strength? I need time to figure out how to turn the tide!" the Commander called out urgently.

  "Understood! My Royal Knights, advance and engage!" Queen Elizabeth commanded, her voice sharp with resolve.

  The Royal Knights surged forward, cshing head-on with the Arbiter, Strength. Her assaults were relentless—each strike thunderous and lethal—but the Royal Knights held firm, countering with unwavering determination. Howe and Prince of Wales executed a fnking maneuver, unching a coordinated assault from both sides. Their bdes aimed for her rigging, but the strikes merely gnced off Strength's heavily fortified armor.

  Undeterred, they unched into the air, aiming their nces directly at her head, attempting to sever the menacing Arbiter in one decisive blow. But Strength’s rigging surged with crackling energy—an electromagnetic pulse burst forth from her core, traveling to her massive cw. With a single, devastating sweep, she sent the knights flying backward, their formation shattered.

  Before they could recover, Strength lunged forward—her cw raised high, aiming to crush George, who stood defiantly in her path.

  Just as the blow was about to nd, Enterprise dove in from above, releasing a storm of spectral arrows toward Strength.

  But the Arbiter was ready.

  A shimmering forcefield flickered to life around her. The arrows collided with it, disintegrating harmlessly upon impact. The shield held firm—Strength’s defenses proving far more formidable than expected, leaving Enterprise and the others momentarily stunned.

  "Ark Royal!" Enterprise shouted as she noticed the Ashes member had already knocked Strength backward with a decisive strike.

  "Leave Strength to me! Focus your attacks on Temperance while you have the chance!" Ark Royal called out, gncing back over her shoulder as her rigging gun began charging, the barrel glowing ominously.

  "Ark Royal..." Strength muttered, her expression shifting into a slight frown as she locked her gaze on her opponent. "Data acquisition complete. Adjusting tactical parameters. Initiating strategic maneuver."

  "You won't escape this time, Arbiters!" Ark Royal shouted, her rigging unleashing a barrage of explosive rounds.

  Strength swiftly dodged the incoming attack, her movements precise and calcuted. As she closed the distance, her rigging began to glow with a dim, bluish hue, emitting a volley of electrified salvos. Ark Royal skillfully evaded the salvo, her sharp instincts keeping her one step ahead.

  The Arbiter then leaped forward, her massive cw sweeping in a deadly arc toward Ark Royal. With quick reflexes, Ark Royal sidestepped the attack, narrowly avoiding the strike as the two combatants locked eyes in a tense standoff.

  "All battleships! Commence attack on Temperance!" the Commander commanded, his voice echoing across the battlefield.

  Rounds of heavy fire roared toward Temperance, who hovered motionlessly with an air of calm indifference. Her nonchant gaze remained fixed as the salvos collided with her shimmering shield, the explosions lighting up the sky but leaving her unfazed. Without hesitation, Temperance retaliated, unleashing a barrage of explosive shells toward the fleet. The counterattack ripped through the air, forcing the shipgirls to brace themselves as the deadly rounds closed in.

  "Not bad, but this is where it ends. My web was already spun before you unched your first attack. Execute combat link protocol," Temperance commanded, her blue eyes glowing with a cold, calcuting light.

  Halting her fight with Hiryuu, Hermit stepped back and replied, "On it. Executing IX-XIV Linked Jamming Protocol!" Her pale yellow eyes fred as the command was issued.

  Suddenly, a surge of magnetic interference enveloped the entire battlefield. The Arbiters' coordinated attack disrupted the area as Ark Royal's weapons systems abruptly malfunctioned. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she called out to her ally.

  "They're bloody jamming my weapon systems, Hiryuu! You'll have to take over for a while!" Ark Royal shouted, struggling to recalibrate her rigging.

  "Son of a... Always coming up with dirty tricks to use on us," Hiryuu muttered, her expression darkening. "Got it. Just make sure your weapons are repaired as quickly as possible!"

  "It's a jamming system! Battleships, commence fire on them again!" the Commander ordered, his voice resolute.

  A barrage of salvos thundered toward the Arbiters, their sheer intensity lighting up the battlefield. Temperance and Hermit's shields began to flicker, their once-impenetrable barriers now faltering under the relentless assault.

  "It seems their systems are starting to exhaust," Memphis observed, her sharp gaze fixed on the weakening shields. "They can't hold out much longer against this level of firepower!"

  The battleships maintained their bombardment, ensuring the Arbiters had no room to recover. Explosions erupted in rapid succession, forcing Temperance and Hermit into a defensive posture, their shields barely holding against the onsught.

  "The carrier squadron is ready, Commander! We're awaiting your orders!" Saratoga called out to Greynar.

  "Drop the bombs! Make sure they don't get a moment's rest!" the Commander ordered, his voice firm as he scanned the battlefield. His eyes narrowed as he checked on Hiryuu, who appeared to be holding her own against Strength.

  The skies roared as aircraft unched from the carriers, their engines screaming as they streaked toward their targets. Hiryuu, locked in a fierce duel, managed to outmaneuver Strength’s attacks, her agility and determination to defeat the Arbiter keeping her in the fight.

  Noticing the airstrike was about to commence, Hiryuu swiftly backed off from Strength, activating a decoy talisman to create a diversion and retreat to the formation of the fleets. She muttered to herself, "It's been a long time since we've seen a joint attack of this scale. I'm a little excited, too. Add me in!"

  With a grin, Hiryuu unched her own pnes, joining the carrier squadron in a bomb barrage aimed at the two Arbiters. The skies erupted with the roar of incoming bombers, their explosive fury raining down on their targets. While it appeared as though she was merely participating in the joint assault, it was clear that her firepower alone was enough to shatter the Arbiter's shield, far outstripping the effect of the other carriers' attacks, which seemed like a mere fraction in comparison.

  "The Ashes are something else!" Essex excimed in awe as she watched the Arbiters hold their ground, unable to counterattack. "Just one of them is enough to match the firepower of several of us..."

  "I'm just gd we were somehow able to make up for the reduction in Ark Royal's power," Memphis muttered, firing another round of ammo at a nearby Siren fleet. "It seems there's a huge disparity in the combat effectiveness among the Ashes members. Not all of them are abnormally strong."

  "It's pretty troubling that we still don't have a clear grasp on the true strength of the Arbiters. Stay focused," Essex reminded.

  "Right, about those strengths of the Arbiters..." Memphis's voice grew more somber. "One thing's for sure, though—they're strong enough to keep the Ashes on the back foot. The moment we underestimate them, it may be our undoing!" she muttered, her tone heavy with unease.

  The Arbiters suddenly redeployed their shields, causing concern among the fleets. Hermit muttered, "Look at that, the test subject fleet possesses firepower exceeding our estimates. This is some interesting data," a smirk of delight crossing her face.

  "Did we not just calibrate the parameters of our test vessels?" Strength asked, her voice ced with skepticism.

  "Seems there's a discrepancy between our simuted and actual performance. I'll save the data log for ter," Hermit replied, unbothered. "Anyway... Strength, go ahead and crank up the gravity fluctuations."

  "On it. Executing IX-XIV Linked Jamming Protocol," Strength muttered, her tone cold as she carried out the order.

  Without a second thought, Strength's rigging emitted a fierce beat, echoing like a heartbeat, yet unmistakably different. The sea around them began to churn violently, the currents rapidly increasing as if responding to the pulse. The wreckage of the Sirens was swept away by the raging waters, and the fleets floating on their ships were caught in the surge.

  Hiryuu, her gaze sharp, quickly muttered an incantation, her rigging flickering as she activated a domain to counter Strength’s attack. The air seemed to hum with energy as Hiryuu's own power rose to meet the overwhelming force of the gravity fluctuations.

  "Not good, this won’t work... After the Arbiters have started cooperating with each other, the difficulty of the battle will no longer be three times the challenge of facing one," Ark Royal remarked, her tone grim.

  "Don't lose hope. We can still fight," Greynar reminded the META ship.

  Hiryuu gnced at the Commander with a sly smirk. "Seems like you're pretty calm amidst all this chaos."

  He caught her smirk and took it as a challenge. Meeting her gaze, he replied coolly, "I've faced my fair share of trials. This... is nothing compared to what I've need to endure in the future."

  "Then keep acting like that. A Commander who is resolute must not waver in front of their ships," Hiryuu muttered, her voice ced with quiet approval.

  The Commander nodded, his expression was cold as ice as he gazed with a calm expression. He turned to his shoulder and issued the order. "Formation change. The severely damaged ships move to the second line. Vestal, this is the critical moment of the battle. There's no need to hold back—do everything you can to repair the ships!" he commanded the repair ships.

  "On it! No need to worry, we're here to back you up!" Vestal replied confidently, summoning her rigging as she began working to assist the fleets.

  Greynar turned his gaze toward the META ships. "Why don’t you two fall back and take a moment to repair? We’ll hold the line and keep the Arbiters busy."

  Ark Royal raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "You're telling us to retreat? You must be feeling bold. But with the power gap between you and the Arbiter Authority, the moment we pull back, you’ll be wiped out."

  "She’s right," Hiryuu added sharply. "Worry about surviving yourselves before trying to act like heroes."

  "Don’t worry," Greynar said calmly. "Those Arbiters aren’t going to take us down that easily."

  "But—" Ark Royal began, ready to argue—but Hiryuu pced a hand gently on her shoulder, stopping her.

  "Let’s trust him," Hiryuu said softly, a faint, knowing smile on her face. "Enterprise would’ve said the same. We know what he’s capable of. Put your faith in him."

  "Hiryuu..." Ark Royal closed her eyes, then turned to him. "Alright, fine. We'll trust you not to die."

  "No need to get worked up," Hiryuu smirked. "Have you fought alone for so long that you've forgotten the other tactics avaible to you as an entire fleet?"

  "Thanks, you two. Now get the hell out of here and join us as soon as you can," Greynar commanded the META ships, which got a long pause gnce before retreating.

  Standing with his arms crossed, the Commander muttered in silence. "Command Savior."

  ~Command Accepted, initiating bootlink protocol.~

  Strength widened her eyes as she sensed something was wrong. "It seems S.A.V.I.O.R is being used against us. Hermit, Temperance, we need to switch our jamming system attack to a defensive jamming system, or else S.A.V.I.O.R will take control of our gravity wells."

  "On it," Temperance muttered. "Switching Linked Jamming Protocol from IX-VIII to VIII-X, prioritizing control."

  Hermit joined in. "Initiating IX-X Linked Defensive Jamming Protocol. That should help us hold the edge against S.A.V.I.O.R."

  The Commander winced in pain as he hit an invisible wall. The Arbiters were prepared for him to take over their gravity wells. It was a tricky maneuver, but it would buy them time, holding off the offensive while the Ashes recovered.

  Turning to Memphis, the Commander asked, "How's Vestal and the escort fleet looking?"

  She replied, bearing the news. "Thanks to the immediate treatment from the Ashes, they seem to have barely scraped by. The Arbiters have unched a full assault on us, sending almost all of their mass-produced fleets!"

  "The firepower and defense that are beyond their specifications, plus the gravity field interfering with the waters... Commander, it will be dangerous if this battle drags on." Saratoga muttered, her voice ced with concern.

  Sensing it might be best to hope for something unexpected to turn the tide, the Commander silently prayed for reinforcements. To his relief, his prayer seemed to be answered when a torpedo shot up from beneath the water and exploded against the Arbiters' forces.

  "I'll strike them from underneath. Their attacks don't work on submarines." A foreign voice crackled over the communicator. Then, a figure emerged from the water. "Hello, hello! I'm here to assist you, Azur Lane."

  Still bewildered by the situation, Memphis asked, "You... you're an Iron Blood submarine?!"

  "Mhm. VIIB-css submarine, U-47, at your service." U-47 nodded with a smirk, offering a quick salute to Memphis.

  "How did you get in here?" Saratoga asked, her confusion evident.

  The submarine replied casually, "The same way you got here, we were swept away by the Singurity. And I realized I couldn't leave without first defeating the enemies, so I came here to help."

  "That's... a relief," Memphis said with a frown. "But Crimson Axis seems to have its own objectives too... She isn't telling the full truth. What should we do, Commander?"

  Greynar pondered as the battlefield raged around them. "Fine, since the truce is still in pce, we'll accept your help. Assist us, and let's work on getting out of here."

  U-47 nodded with a slight smirk on her face. "Wise choice, I'm heading off then. Ready to fire a full torpedo load. Say goodnight, Arbiters..." She smirked silently, preparing to strike.

  As the submarine submerged again, its fleet of torpedoes unched toward the Arbiters. The strikes were swift and devastating, tearing through the Arbiter's legs and splitting half of its body into pieces. Strength and Hermit gnced at the water nonchantly as they retaliated, unching a barrage of ser attacks aimed at the submarine fleet.

  "A formidable blow, but ultimately futile," Strength remarked coldly, her rigging springing into action as it rapidly began to self-repair. "Initiating automatic repair functions."

  "Shit, they're self-repairing themselves," the Commander cursed, watching as the Arbiters continued to recover.

  "Not just Strength," Memphis muttered with a grim expression. "The other two can repair themselves as well."

  "Does this mean they all have repair systems? That's so unfair!" Essex groaned in frustration.

  Strength scoffed, her tone dripping with disdain. "You can repair yourselves dozens, even hundreds of times, but it's unfair if we do it once? What's wrong? Where's that confidence and momentum you had just moments ago? Keep fighting," she taunted the carrier.

  "Damn it," the Commander muttered through gritted teeth. "Just as Hiryuu warned... they'll keep wearing us down until we can't fight back anymore. Hiryuu... do you actually have a retreat pn?"

  "Of course not," Hiryuu replied bluntly as she and Ark Royal returned to the front lines, their repairs complete. Taking a moment to assess the battlefield, she noted the fleets were holding up reasonably well despite the relentless pressure. Turning to the Commander, she fixed him with a steely gaze.

  "If you want to retreat, go right ahead," she said coldly. "But we have no intention of running with our tails between our legs. Our objectives are clear: to defend the Singurity our allies created, no matter the cost, and to obliterate all our enemies in one decisive strike. Retreat isn't an option."

  "A-ah!!" Memphis excimed, pointing accusingly at Hiryuu. "It turns out this Singurity was opened by you!"

  Her remark earned a confused look from Hiryuu, who tilted her head. "Eh? So you didn’t know this before?"

  Memphis sighed, rubbing her temples. "It was just a guess before, but I didn’t expect to get a face-to-face confession from the culprit herself! Opening a Singurity and throwing the entire NA Ocean into chaos... You really—" She paused, clearly still bewildered. "What's the purpose behind all this?"

  "It doesn't concern you... or so I'd like to say. But that wouldn’t be entirely accurate," Hiryuu mused with a smirk.

  "Hiryuu..." Ark Royal warned the bunny.

  "Okay, okay, I have no intention of spilling more," Hiryuu said, raising both hands in mock surrender. She then turned her gaze to the Commander. "Here's a proposal for you, Commander."

  "What is it?" he asked, gncing at her with wary eyes.

  "The Arbiters are only after us," she began nonchantly, her gaze shifting to the distant figures of their enemies. "There’s no reason for you to risk your lives defending this Singurity. If retreat is still on your mind, we won’t stop you. I’ll even tell you the way out."

  She shrugged, her tone casual, though her eyes remained sharp. "How about it? If you decide to leave, rest assured, I won’t attack you from behind." Her gaze returned to him, a faint smirk tugging at her lips.

  'Even if retreat might seem like the best decision, she’s helped us. And I definitely have a connection with the Ashes from the original timeline. Abandoning them here wouldn’t sit right, would it?' Greynar pondered, his thoughts churning amidst the chaos of the battle.

  The Commander shook his head. "I won’t abandon you two. Even if this is just a truce, you’ve helped us deal with the Sirens in the NA Ocean. Besides, this Singurity—and my connection with the Ashes—are reasons enough for me to stay. I’m not going anywhere."

  "Figures," Hiryuu replied with a smirk, clearly expecting his response.

  Ark Royal sighed, shaking her head in disbelief as she readied her rigging. "You’re either the dumbest Commander or the smartest one. But I suppose it doesn’t matter, does it?" She allowed a faint smile to creep across her face. "Alright, then. Let’s finish this."

  "Though, as we've established, we're all in this together," the Commander began, his tone ced with concern. "Despite our combined efforts, we're still being worn down little by little. I'm sure you both realize that if this battle drags on any longer, we’re going to lose." His expression reflecting the truth they couldn't ignore.

  "You mean we need more reinforcements?" Hiryuu raised an eyebrow.

  "Yeah, maybe if you two could contact Enterprise or Takao..." The Commander suggested, but his words were abruptly cut off as Ark Royal shook her head.

  "Impossible," Ark Royal interjected. "G and Takao aren't here—they're away at the moment, and there's no way to reach them in time."

  Greynar clicked his tongue in frustration. "What perfect timing for them to be away."

  "However..." Hiryuu began, her eyes gleaming with determination. "There are still other options avaible to us."

  "Hiryuu, you don't mean..." Ark Royal's eyes widened in arm, her grip tightening on her rigging.

  A mischievous grin spread across Hiryuu's face. "Oh, it's decided!" she decred, her voice brimming with confidence. "Ark, give me full cover. I'm going to prepare for an overload attack~!"

  "What a bloody lunatic you are..." Ark Royal muttered under her breath. Then, turning to the Commander, she raised her voice. "Commander, pull your fleets back! Get them as far away as possible!"

  "W-what?!" The Commander stared at her, clearly shocked by her sudden demand. "But what about Hiryuu?! What is she pnning to do?!"

  "Just trust me and fall back!" Ark Royal shouted as she began retreating. "Hiryuu's about to unleash her Sakura Empire magic, and you do not want to be caught in the middle of it!"

  The Commander swiftly ordered all fleets to fall back. The girls hesitated momentarily, confused, but ultimately complied, gncing back as Hiryuu began to emit a pulsating electrical aura. Numerous talismans ofuda swirled around her, forming a glowing, mystical circle. She turned back briefly, smirking with resolute determination, fully aware this would be the final stand against the Arbiters. Her gaze locked onto the Antiochus she despised, the source of her hatred rooted in their leader, Zero.

  "Let's see how you like this, Antiochus," Hiryuu muttered as her rigging surged with META energy, radiating an overwhelming power.

  The Arbiters watched her carefully, their expressions tense. Strength clicked her tongue in frustration. "Tsk... you still have this level of combat effectiveness?" She readied herself to charge at Hiryuu but faltered, clearly nearing her limit.

  "We need to retreat, Strength. We cannot win if the Ashes unch a counterattack of this scale," Temperance urged.

  "Detecting a surge in energy. Simuting intended purpose..." Hermit analyzed aloud.

  "They’re likely pnning to take us all out, including themselves, in a massive explosion. The surrounding experimental subjects would also perish if she does this," Strength commented grimly.

  "Calcuting," Temperance said, her eyes glowing as she entered deep analytical mode. "Even we would sustain damage from an explosion of this magnitude within the Singurity. However, the one who triggers it would not survive. At the very least, Hiryuu will meet her end here."

  "Just remember, Zero instructed us to deal with the Ashes, not the experimental subjects. Taking unnecessary risks that could result in their eradication is out of the question," Hermit warned.

  "Zero specifically directed us to avoid interfering with the experimental subjects alongside S.A.V.I.O.R. Override your elimination protocols," Strength said, gncing at Temperance.

  Temperance exhaled in resignation. "...Acknowledged. Prioritizing Zero's directives. We will pursue the Ashes using newly deployed vessels."

  Hermit chuckled, her gaze lingering on the retreating fleets. "Let’s just consider them lucky this time. I didn’t expect they’d actually manage to pose a significant threat to our operations... That’s enough for now. Retreat. Temperance, Strength, provide cover."

  "Very well... Disengaging from hostiles.," Temperance responded.

  "On it," Strength added, preparing to shield their retreat.

  Just as Hiryuu reached her limit, she propelled herself toward the Arbiters with supersonic speed. Her rigging surged with power, and the talismans around her burned brightly, leaving glowing trails in the air. She noticed the Arbiters beginning their retreat but refused to let them escape unscathed. Summoning her sword, she sshed at them with all her might.

  The strike connected, unleashing a blinding light that engulfed everything around her. It was a dazzling radiance that seemed to vibrate with the promise of a massive explosion.

  But the expected detonation never came.

  Instead, the world seemed to dissolve into pure white, the battlefield vanishing as though erased. All sound was stripped away—no explosions, no echoes of retreating fleets—just an eerie, absolute silence.