Although Mad Lion mostly took a hands-off approach to White Eagle affairs, he was keenly aware of his position. His straightforwardness shouldn't be mistaken for foolishness.
The moment he spotted Godzilla underwater, Mad Lion understood the implications. However, he had no intention of personally transporting the monster to Sakura Prefecture. Instead, he planned to contact Elysia, the current administrator of the region, and delegate the matter to her.
This was perfectly in line with Mad Lion's style: the ultimate hands-off manager.
What Mad Lion didn't realize was that Elysia was equally hands-off. In the end, the responsibility would inevitably fall to Baldy Burke.
On the aircraft carrier, Mad Lion clapped SAM on the shoulder. "Anyway, brother, thanks a million for helping me haul this beast up! If you ever need anything from me, just name the time and place—I'll be there, no questions asked!"
This gesture revealed Mad Lion's unconventional generosity. Godzilla was clearly his war trophy, yet he was casually gifting it to Elysia so she could enhance her prestige in Sakura Prefecture. Moreover, since SAM had been instrumental in retrieving Godzilla, Mad Lion openly acknowledged owing him a debt of gratitude.
In other words, Mad Lion had gained nothing from this entire ordeal. Elysia reaped all the benefits, while he ended up owing SAM a favor for nothing.
From Firefly's perspective, it felt strangely like she had tricked him into selling himself out, only to have him help her count the money afterward. After all, she had initially lured Mad Lion into helping her with a "fishing" strategy. How had she ended up reaping two separate rewards?
Mad Lion's actions made her feel slightly embarrassed. "When should we have our rematch?" she asked.
Mad Lion shook his head. "Could we postpone it? That battle just now took a lot out of me. I need to rest, eat, and get some sleep to fully recover first."
Normally, Mad Lion wouldn't care about being at full strength. Against anyone else, he would have fought immediately. But SAM was different. If Mad Lion didn't face him at his absolute best, he would only regret it later.
Firefly pondered for a moment and nodded. "Fine by me." Herta had already begun researching the Dimensional Rift, and she might need to collect more data later. She could stay on the aircraft carrier a while longer.
As the two were talking, a dense cluster of shadows emerged from the depths—the fishman horde pursuing Mad Lion, having once again ascended from a thousand meters below.
This time, however, the White Eagle Fleet was a far cry from the three small destroyers of Sakura Prefecture. Without even needing SAM's intervention, the Captain issued his orders without hesitation: "Deploy depth charges! All CIWS, coordinate fire and engage freely!"
In the next instant, massive depth charges were launched from the frigates into the sea. Upon impact, each charge disintegrated into hundreds of smaller bombs, scattering widely underwater.
Thoom! Thoom! Thoom!
Dull explosions echoed beneath the waves in rapid succession. Simultaneously, the aircraft carrier and frigates activated their Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWS), officially known as Phalanx systems. Each CIWS turret housed six 20mm rotary cannons—essentially an oversized, heavily armed Gatling gun.
With a ludicrous firing rate of 4,500 rounds per minute, the CIWS unleashed an impenetrable storm of metal, tearing every fishman in the surrounding waters to shreds!
It's important to remember that these CIWS were originally designed for anti-aircraft defense, capable of tearing apart planes—let alone the flesh and blood of fishmen. Their only real weakness was their limited firing arc, making them unable to target enemies directly around their own ships.
But thanks to Godzilla, the White Eagle Fleet had long since dispersed. The Captain's orders emphasized mutual cover: if they couldn't shoot around their own ships, they'd shoot around their allies' instead!
Simultaneously, over a hundred aircraft circling overhead began diving to strafe and drop bombs, filling the sea with the acrid smell of gunpowder.
Watching this spectacle, Firefly couldn't help but admit that the fleet was exterminating fishmen even faster than she and Mad Lion could underwater!
Of course, she couldn't activate Sub-Combustion or use wide-area attacks in the depths, but this still demonstrated the overwhelming power of modern human firepower.
Even the few fishmen who miraculously survived the depth charges and storms of metal only to reach the ships were met by soldiers on deck, emptying their magazines and turning them into riddled corpses.
Soon, the sea was dyed a grotesque, inky green, emitting a nauseating stench. The massacre lasted a full five minutes before the fishmen gradually retreated, leaving behind countless mangled corpses and shattered remains.
Afterward, the White Eagle Fleet slowly withdrew from the area, maintaining a dispersed formation ready to support each other at a moment's notice, wary of a fishman ambush.
By noon, Mad Lion eagerly dragged SAM to the mess hall. "Time to eat! You need a full stomach to train hard and fight!"
After finding a seat, Mad Lion paused, glancing at SAM with a puzzled expression. "Hey, buddy, do you even need to eat? Or do you... refuel? Or something else?"
Firefly pondered briefly, then deactivated her transformation right in front of Mad Lion. The silver mecha slowly dissipated, revealing the young girl within. She smiled. "Of course I need to eat."
She had previously mentioned that she didn't particularly mind others knowing about her relationship with SAM. Mad Lion, who treated her like one of the guys, was now more like a friend. Telling him the truth shouldn't be a problem, right?
She couldn't help but wonder how Mad Lion would react if he found out his so-called "brother" was actually a beautiful girl.
The moment Firefly transformed back, Mad Lion froze as if time itself had stopped. His bewildered expression remained fixed, eyes unblinking, mouth motionless, even his breathing suspended—utterly still in every sense of the word.
If Mad Lion's utensils hadn't clattered to the floor with a sharp clang, Firefly might have suspected he'd genuinely been frozen in time.
Firefly waved her hand in front of Mad Lion's face. "Hey! Snap out of it!"
Mad Lion finally gasped for air as if jolted awake from a dream. He bolted upright, his eyes darting around in bewilderment. "Brother?! Where are you? Brother?!"
He even peeked under the table and rummaged through the nearby trash can. "Brother?"
Firefly: "?"