Helena and Leipzig had no complaints; they'd only taken a few scrapes and didn't care in the least.
If anything, their eyes were on the purple horn slung over U-47's shoulder, brimming with envy.
Helena was restrained about it, offering only a quiet, "U-47's earned another merit."
Leipzig, by contrast, had stars in her eyes. She grabbed U-47's hand and began earnestly instructing her.
"That's the Abyssal Yamato's horn—the very thing the Commander asked for. It's worth a fortune. U-47, you must demand a tangible reward. Gold is best. Don't you dare let them fob you off with a cheap pat on the head. Here, I'll calculate how much gold you should ask for—"
U-47's head was spinning, and Leipzig still wasn't done. She rolled up her sleeves. "No, better if I go with you. I won't let you get shortchanged. And maybe you could cut me a little—ow!"
Leipzig ducked away, both hands to her head, wounded. "Big Sis, why'd you hit me?"
Bismarck gave her a look. "Because you spoil the kids. U-47, don't listen to her. The best reward for a warrior is a medal."
She turned to Yat Sen. "Any word from the Commander?"
Yat Sen shook her head. "He should still be in construction."
This whole rescue had taken barely an hour—lightning-fast.
Bismarck nodded, glanced around the gathered shipgirls, and issued crisp orders. "Changchun, U-47, with me to report to the Commander. Leipzig, go tell Vittorio Veneto to keep a close eye on the newcomers. Everyone else stays on alert for now. If you're hurt, line up and repair on the spot. Fletcher, fetch Deutschland and come with us."
Her arrangements were precise; everyone straightened and obeyed without hesitation.
Yamato, for her part, wore a wary look. She glanced toward Alaska and the others repairing beneath the outer wall, then let her gaze linger hungrily on the horn perched on U-47's shoulder.
The former were merely annoying "fellow professionals." The latter was something else entirely.
Everyone knew that when a shipgirl sank she dispersed into water and foam, leaving at most some broken rigging—on rare occasions, she might peel off a cherished piece of gear and offer it to the one who felled her.
But the Abyssal Yamato's horn? No one had ever claimed such a thing in all recorded history.
It had to be a powerful, miraculous object.
And the horn tugged at Yamato especially, like a treasure that begged to be claimed.
Yamato didn't realize every shipgirl present felt the same pull—the stronger the shipgirl, the stronger the attraction.
For now, she simply kept close to Bismarck, already planning how to prise information about that strange horn.
Out over the ink-dark sea, Abyssal Musashi withdrew in disarray with her forces.
"It was Rebirth by Fire—she actually has Rebirth by Fire!"
Abyssal Hindenburg was nearly incoherent.
Rebirth by Fire was a skill some Abyssal flagships could wield; in plain terms, it meant a one-time, full-HP resurrection.
The ability sounded broken even in theory—who would have guessed it would appear on a shipgirl's side?
Flagship M's brows drew tight. "Calm yourself!"
She looked past Hindenburg to the silent Abyssal Musashi, then softened her tone slightly. "Musashi—what do we do?"
"What do we do?"
Abyssal Musashi echoed the question and fell silent for a long time.
In one stroke they had lost Abyssal Friedrich der Große, Abyssal Yamato, Abyssal Zumwalt, and two standard-model flagships. The operation was, in every sense, a shameful, crushing defeat.
An indescribable humiliation and sense of failure gnawed at Abyssal Musashi's heart like a swarm of army ants.
"We haven't lost yet!" Abyssal Hindenburg jabbed a finger back toward the massed Abyssal host, her voice a little wild. "Our one and a half million troops are virtually untouched. We will prevail in the end!"
Abyssal Musashi snapped back, "And there's no glory in that!"
Her pride demanded single combat—one warrior against many, cutting them all down. That was glory.
Not smothering a dozen shipgirls under numbers a million strong. That was not Abyssal Musashi's way.
"If you want glory, you won't have victory. If you want victory, you must sacrifice something." Hindenburg's words slid coldly into Musashi's heart. "You're not going to defeat them honorably. Face reality."
Abyssal Musashi had no answer.
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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