Chapter 74: Crimson Protectors

Zuikaku navigated and leapt all the way to the deck of ship with a squealing Zuihou in tow. The damage she caused with that attack is incredible. She had destroyed multiple levels of the ship from bottom-up and used the destroyed parts as foothold to manoeuvre to the top. Once outside, I can see the sun beginning to set.

And like some final boss scene from a game or action anime, the two foxes have the backs turned towards the setting sun, casting a large shadow on the other two carriers. Have they been waiting this whole time? More importantly, how did they get to the deck before Zuihou and Zuikaku? 

"Can't you be more delicate? This vessel took a quite a while to be built. Oh well, as if a clueless little birdie like you can understand that." (RA Akagi)

"What the hell is all this? I know you are crazy but even this is outrageous." (RA Zuikaku)

I can see Zuihou moving her head in a circular motion. Looks like the ride was a little too much for her.

"Zuihou, you okay?" 

"Ah. Sorry." (RA Zuikaku)

Zuihou shook her head, as if to physically shake off the dizziness she is experiencing.

"I'm fine." (Zuihou)

"In this vessel bestowed upon us by the Creator, we wield unlimited power. That is, as long as we continue sacrificing exquisite souls... Ufufufu~" (RA Akagi)

"No true "god" would demand sacrifices! You'll never defeat the Grey Ghost with this twisted power that you've gained from betraying your own people! Never!" (RA Zuikaku)

Akagi's face contorted with rage and glared at Zuikaku,

"Silence! Don't you dare utter that name in my presence!" (RA Akagi)

So she hates Enterprise as well. Ao, you girl has a lot of enemies...

"There's no future for you if you cannot face the Grey Ghost! Believe me, you still have a chance if you turn back now..." (RA Zuikaku)

"Enough! It drives me crazy to hear that despicable name repeated over and over! I will destroy her... I WILL DESTROY HER MYSELF! AAAGGHHH!" (RA Akagi)

"Nee-sama, don't bother youself with this fool. Zuikaku, if that was your sorry attempt to try and stop us without fighting, you are a hundred years too early for that. Words can no longer save you." (RA Kaga)

"Tsk! You damn 1st Div bitches!" (RA Zuikaku)

The same kind of phantasmal planes materialized on Zuikaku's flight deck.

"Nee-sama, please start the data transfer. I will get rid of these pest." (RA Kaga)

Akagi took a deep breath. Her expression returned back to her usual sadistic-like expression.

"Very well. I will leave them to you, Kaga~" (RA Akagi)

Akagi took out a black cube and walked towards the edge of the deck.

A flight deck made out of blue phantasmal flame manifested itself on Kaga's right hip and shikigami paper circled around her,

"Now... Entertain me with your final struggles. Hehehe." (RA Kaga)

"I take care of her. Zuihou, stop Akagi." (RA Zuikaku)

"Got it." (Zuihou)

"Zuihou, you still have some planes, right?"

"Yes but I only have 2 Tenzen Squadrons left! I don't have enough bombs and fuel to resupply the last Type 99 Bomber squadron." (Zuihou)

Using Tenzens on dry land is going to be difficult... But we will have to make do.

"Use your arrows first. We will find a chance to use your bombers later."

Zuihou nocked her bow and took aim at Akagi, who was casually strolling. Either she is stupid or extremely confident that we can't do anything.

"I won't let you!" (RA Kaga)

Kaga pointed a finger at Zuihou. In that instance, three planes made out of blue phantasmal fire manifested themselves on her ghostly flight deck and took flight. The ghostly aircrafts slammed into Zuihou.

"Kyaaah!" (Zuihou)

"Zuihou!" 

The planes exploded upon contact, enveloping her in thick black smoke and bring her down onto the ground. Zuihou laid on the ground, clutching her arm as blood oozed from the wound, forming a pool of blood under her. Her clothes were torn to shreds, barely leaving behind enough to cover her breasts and lower body., and her bow snapped into two. On the monitor, her vitals immediately turned red.

"Zuihou, you okay? Talk to me girl." 

"My arm... Ugh! It hurts... I can't... move it..." (Zuihou)

Her breathing was heavy and rapid. Tears formed and dripped out of her shut eyes as her face twisted in pain. 

Wait. The wound which she sustained from Ise and Hyuuga's attack earlier... Kaga's attack made it worst. The mere cut caused by the two battleships has now turned into a gapping wound. Brun marks appeared around her body and around the wound. Her arm appears to be swollen as well. 

Did that attack break her arm?

My sweet girl...

"Hmph! Pathetic! I will finish you off later." (RA Kaga)

"You fuc-"

"Haaaahhhh!" (RA Zuikaku)

Zuikaku lunged at Kaga, swinging her katana horizontally. Kaga parried her attacked with those damn pieces of paper and with a swaying motion of her hand, more planes made out of blue fire took to the air and slammed themselves straight into Zuikaku's chest. The blast sent Zuikaku flying back. Zuikaku stabbed her katana onto the ground, stopping herself from being thrown back any further. She launched a set of planes of her own as her opponent did the same. She lunged at Kaga again and thrusted her katana towards Kaga's neck. The latter evaded it and performed a roundhouse kick. Zuikaku managed to react in time to shield herself with her katana. The impact still sent her backwards a little.

A beam of purple light shot up into the sky. Akagi has started...

I don't know what data she is transferring and to where but my gut tells me it's not a good thing. Zuihou is not in a good condition... 

"Zuihou, take deep breathes. Inhale for 5 seconds, exhale for 5 seconds."

Zuihou tried to steady her breathing. It took some time but she found her rhythm and her breathing soon stabilised.

"Good girl. Keep it up. You will feel better in no time."

I got to find a way to get her out of there. No. I have to stop that data transfer thing and finish this. Zuikaku is my best bet to save Zuihou but she is stuck with that white fox. Ending the battle is the quickest way to save Zuihou. But how? Will stopping the transfer process even do anything? Argh! We just have to try something!

"Ooyodo, Agano, do you read me?

"This is Ooyodo. We read you loud and clear." (Ooyodo)

"Status and location?" 

"We have exited the vessel and are currently holding position in front of the Torii gate from earlier. Admiral, what's going on? What is the purple light?" (Ooyodo)

"I will keep it short. Akagi is doing some kind of data transfer to god knows what. Something tells me we have to stop her otherwise it will lead to dire consequences in the future. Zuikaku is currently engaged in battle with Kaga and I don't see her finishing the fight any time soon. Zuihou is badly hurt and out of action. I need either one of you to stop Akagi. If you can get closer and in range, you should be able to shoot her and interrupt the transfer process." 

"Wai... Zuikaku... n tro..." (Shoukaku?)

I can hear a weak voice in the background.

"Ahh... The glorious light born from clashing souls... O, Creator, please grace us with your attention... for this is the light of the Awakening you desire..." (RA Akagi)

The purple light became brighter and it looks as if it has gotten faster. We are running out of time!

"Hurry! We don't have much time left!"

"Unders-" (Ooyodo)

There was a sudden burst of static noise, followed by an unfamiliar voice,

"Oh. I'm got in. Leave 'em to me. Imma provide support." (???)

The unknown voice sounded like a young girl with a kansai accent. Similar to Ryuujou.

"<Miss > Shouhou, you can't just cut in like that! T-this is HMS Edinburgh from the Azur Lane Alliance. We are friendly. Please don't shoot! We will be providing support!" (AL Edinburgh)

Shouhou? Azur Lane Alliance? What are they doing here?

"This is HMS Sheffield. We apologize for the interception but with the current dire situation, we have deemed it necessary to hack into your channel." (AL Sheffield)

Again?! How can they just hack into our military channel so easily? No matter!

"This is Admiral Keita of the Maizuru Naval District. I will let the hacking matter slide but we need immediate assistance."

"Copy that. <Miss > Unicorn and Shouhou-san is en route to the battlefield. Edinburgh and I will arrive in five minutes." (AL Sheffield)

Unicorn is here too. She would know.

"There is friendly and a casualty on the ship. Do not hit Zuikaku and Zuihou. I repeat, do not hit Zuikaku and Zuihou." 

"Roger. <Miss > Unicorn and Shouhou-san, do not bomb the area blindly." (AL Sheffield) 

"C-copy!" (AL Unicorn)

A young, familiar voice echoed from the radio.

"I hear ye'. So our targets are the 1st Div gals, aye. Works fer' me." (Shouhou?)

I can see something flying in from the distance on the monitor. Its wings flapped as it drew closer. I need Zuihou to move, otherwsie she will get caught up in the blast. Zuikaku and Kaga are fighting too close to her.

"Zuikaku, lure Kaga away from Zuihou. You're putting her at risk."

"How am I supposed to do that?!" (RA Zuikaku)

"Just... kick her like what she did to you!" 

"Good idea!" (RA Zuikaku)

Zuikaku swung her katana down at Kaga's head. Kaga parried the blade away by letting it flow down her shikigami shield. Without missing a beat, Zuikaku turned her hips to the side, brought her legs up with the knee bent, and launched her foot towards Kaga's face. The impact sent the white carrier reeling backwards. Zuikaku quickly closed the distance with her footwork and performed a flurry of attacks with both her katana and legs on Kaga. When Kaga blocked or parried her sword attacks, Zuikaku will follow up with a kick or two. Before long, the two are a reasonable distance from the injured Zuihou.

"This is HMS Unicorn. Shouhou-chan and I are in range. Commencing attack!" (AL Unicorn)

I can see planes appearing and coming closer at high speeds.

"What is that sound?" (RA Zuikaku)

"Oi Zuikaku! Move if yer' dun wanna get hit!" (Shouhou?)

"That voice... Shouhou?! You are alive?!" (RA Zuikaku)

"Imma explain 'ater. Move it!" (RA Shouhou)

The planes flew overhead, dropping their bombs on the ship and at where the pair were locked in combat. Right before the bombs made contact, Zuikaku disengaged from her battle and leapt away from the bombing area. The explosion engulfed Kaga, covering the area with fire and a large plume of smoke. A flying horse circled around the battlefield. I can see two girls mounted on it, Unicorn and another equally small girl in a red kimono. The other girl jumped off the flying horse and landed next to Zuikaku.

The small girl, about the same height as my Zuihou, has short white hair with a topknot, a fang, and brown eyes. She donned a sleeveless, red kimono with wide detached sleeves and red, pleated miniskirt. A white ribbon is weaved into her kimono at the shoulders, with anchors at the end. The two halves of a ship is attached to both side of her hips, with some kind of thin structure resembling a flight deck on each half. 

"That was dangerous!" (RA Zuikaku)

"Sorry. I did tell yer' to move." (AL Shouhou)

"I would hug you right now, but we got to deal with this first." (RA Zuikaku)

"Gaah! Tch! No matter how many planes or people you throw at us, it's useless!" (RA Kaga)

The large plume of smoke immediately dissipated outwards, revealing a singed Kaga. Planes materialized on Kaga's flight deck and took flight.

"Go to hell!" (RA Kaga)

Shouhou flicked open the folding fan in her left hand and put her index finger and middle finger together while curling the rest onto her palm. Just like the other three carriers, multiple shikigami paper manifested around her. 

"Sisters, charge! Let's show 'em who's the star o' this show!" (RA Shouhou)

The shikigami paper transfigure into bombers and immediately took to the sky. Fighter planes filled the sky and intercepted Kaga's planes. Shouhou bombers dropped their bombs onto Kaga, forcing her to evade and shield herself from the attack.

"Leave the rear support to me... I'll... do my best...!" (AL Unicorn)

"Shouhou, can you take of her? She is hurt really bad." (RA Zuikaku)

Zuikaku glanced at my poor Zuihou, who is still on the floor and not in good position to move. 

"Friend of yers? Aite. Leave it ta me. I will heal 'er in a jiffy." (RA Shouhou)

"Zuihou-chan! Are you okay?!" (RA Unicorn)

The flying horse landed next to Zuihou and reverted back into a flying plush toy. Unicorn rushed to Zuihou's side and knelt down next to her. Zuihou slowly opened her eyes and looked at her friend,

"Yuni... kon... -chan?" (Zuihou)

"Woah. Tats' a lot of blood." (RA Shouhou)

"Shouhou-chan, will our skills work on her?" (AL Unicorn)

"Shou...hou...?" (Zuihou)

"Dunno. Probably. We just have to try." (RA Shouhou)

 The two placed a hand on Zuihou. Their hands emit a soft yellow glow. Are they healing her? Zuihou still looks like she is in severe pain. Maybe their skills have no effect on her.

"It's show time, y'all!" (RA Shouhou)

"Unicorn... will do her best!" (AL Unicorn)

Shouhou's shikigami papers transformed into bombers while bombers materialized on Unicorn's flight deck. Their planes took off in unison and flew towards Kaga.

"Grr... Only the strong may survive on the battlefield!" (RA Kaga)

Kaga's tails glowed blue as she launched multiple aircrafts consecutively.

"Oh no you don't!" (RA Zuikaku)

Zuikaku launched mutiple fighters to intercept Kaga's planes. The planes launched by the two Light Carriers slip past Kaga's planes and begin their bombing run. 

"Argghhhh!!!" (RA Kaga)

"Kaga?!" (RA Akagi)

"Kh! Don't worry about me." (RA Kaga)

The yellow glow around their hands became brighter but nothing seems to be improving.

"No effect ey'... Looks like we can't help much like this." (RA Shouhou)

"But there must be something we can do..." (AL Unicorn)

"She ain't got a wisdom cube core. Mayb' dats' why. Our skills only works with other Kansen." (RA Shouhou)

So they like the healers of the party. I was hoping they are able to do something but I can't blame them if they can't. The only option now is to defeat the enemies in front of us and get Zuihou back here for treatment.

"This is HMS Sheffield. We are in position. Target acquired. Initiating the clean-up." (AL Sheffield)

"Admiral, Akagi is within firing range." (Ooyodo)

All right! Looks like we got a chance to finish this!

"Target the black cube. Destroy it."

"Understood!" (Ooyodo)

"Ye-yes!" (AL Edinburgh) 

I can hear the sound of gunfire and whistling as the shells cut through the air. Explosions appeared just below Akagi's position. 

"Correcting angle. Do you hear that? The ringing of your death knell." (AL Sheffield)

Another gunshot echoed through the speaker and I can see the black cube shattering into pieces in Akagi's palm. 

"Kh! Tch!" (RA Akagi)

A flash of annoyance appeared on AKagi's face, before returning back to a sadistic expression,

"Aa~ah~ Just a little more and all the data would have been transferred..." (RA Akagi)

"Nee-sama!" (RA Kaga)

Kaga disengaged from the battle with the three allied carriers and rushed to her sister's side,

"I'm okay, my sweet Kaga. It's just a mere scratch." (RA Akagi)

All right! We stopped the transfer process!

"My apologies. We were too late." (AL Sheffield)

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"It seems this is where our plans come to an end." (RA Kaga)

"Unfortunate. Oh well. Let us depart. Ufufufu~ We shall find ourselves a new Sanctuary." (RA Akagi)

"Hey! W-wait! I'm not finished with you! Woah!" (RA Zuikaku)

Zuikaku stumbled as the whole ship seem to shake violently. The two fox levitated off the ground and flew off.

"ERADICATION SEQUENCE INITIATED. PLEASE EVACUATE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY." (???)

I can hear the same message being played another two times. Parts of the ship begin to break apart and fall into the water.

"What's going on?" (AL Unicorn)

"I don't know. But we need to move now!" (RA Zuikaku)

"Ooyodo! Get out of there. The whole thing is falling apart!" 

"Understood!" (Ooyodo)

"Wh-Wh-What to do??" (AL Edinburgh)

"Run!" (AL Sheffield)

Zuikaku scooped Zuihou up in her arms and ran as the ground started to collapse in on itself. Unicorn's plushie transformed into a flying horse and took off with it's owner and Shouhou. Zuikaku jumped off the deck and her rigging split into blue cubes before reconvening into a large Aircraft carrier just below her. Once she landed on the carrier, it disappeared under her feet, turning back into blue cubes before reverting back into her riggings. Once Zuikaku had landed on the water, she sped off as the behemoth of a ship crumbled into pieces behind them.

"Shoukaku-san and I are still at the Torii gate." (Agano)

"Got it. Everyone, rendezvous at Agano's position. Once everybody has been accounted for, head back to Maizuru base immediately." 

"Roger." (Ooyodo)

"As long as my sister is with me, I am willing to go anywhere." (RA Zuikaku)

"Sheffield, bring your fleet here as well. We have some things to discuss."

"Affirmative. I'm sure Master will want to know what happened here." (AL Sheffield)

I watched as everyone head towards the area around the Torii Gate. Sheffield summoned her ship and brought everyone on board. After which, they set sail in the direction of the setting sun towards Japan.