Chapter 184: Upgrades Baby Upgrades!!
The smaller ship girl received a sharp knock on the head from her companion, clutching her scalp and hissing in pain.
"How can we be afraid to fight?" The mature ship girl frowned. "We must face everything with courage. Cowardice will strip us of our strength."
The younger girl looked dejected. "But I just don't like fighting."
"Still talking back." The mature ship girl raised her hand again, causing her companion to shrink back into silence quickly.
She turned to Raven with an apologetic bow. "I'm deeply sorry, Mister Raven, for this display. I am Richelieu of Iris Libre. Please don't judge our faction poorly based on this incident."
Raven chuckled. "There's nothing wrong with admitting that; no one truly enjoys war."
He looked at the younger ship girl. "It's simply that our enemies refuse to stop their aggression. As such we must rise to resist them and ensure our civilization survives. It's cruel, but we have no choice."
The more petite ship girl ducked her head and stayed silent.
The negotiations had stalled, progress grinding to a halt.
The Emperor, who had maintained his vigil in silence, stepped forward, his presence filling the chamber and drawing everyone's attention.
"Perhaps you should witness this truth."
The Emperor opened a projection with deliberate care, the holographic display showing the corruption He and Raven had observed through Ao's revelations, the current devastation consuming the Taoist Universe playing out before them.
The ship girls and commanders were sharp, quickly grasping the horrific implications of the Emperor's projection and the accompanying data streams.
The Taoist Universe was a grand realm that far exceeded the Azur Lane Universe in scope and power. Its laws were more complete, its strength greater, yet it had fallen into complete madness merely from witnessing a Contamination Source pass by, the entire universe becoming utterly corrupted.
If Azur Lane encountered such entities, their situation would likely prove far worse.
Those enemies wandering the void needed no direct action against the Azur Lane Universe, no malicious intent to destroy everything. Their mere existence was annihilation.
When the projection ended, solemn faces surrounded the negotiation table as the ship girls and commanders fell into troubled contemplation.
These void entities were infinitely more terrifying than the Sirens.
"This demonstrates why cooperation is necessary," the Emperor declared, His voice carrying weight that seemed to press against their souls. "No single civilization can withstand the enemies of the void alone."
Sensing their wavering resolve, He pressed His advantage.
"Only through unity can we achieve final victory, all Human Empire civilizations must stand as one."
Through His formidable presence and the generous terms offered, the Emperor ultimately swayed the major Azur Lane factions to join the Human Empire.
However, each faction retained certain autonomous rights to protect their interests, with even the choice of Universe Governor remaining theirs to make.
As the peace talks reached this breakthrough, streams of power flowed continuously into both Raven and the Emperor.
[The Azur Lane Universe Will's recognition of you has reached 3%.]
[The Azur Lane Universe Will's recognition of you has reached 50%.]
[The Azur Lane Universe Will's recognition of you has reached 75%.]
After the agreement was signed, the Universe Will's recognition of Raven's group reached 100%.
This meant the Human Empire could permanently maintain its space-time tunnel and deploy troops without facing universal rejection. Without sufficient recognition from the world's will, they would be regarded as invaders, inciting hostility from all native forces.
The ship girls quickly experienced the benefits of joining the Human Empire as Adeptus Mechanicus personnel poured through the space-time tunnel.
The shipgirls received comprehensive upgrades, while the Empire integrated terrifying weapons and advanced armor into their systems.
Beyond cutting-edge armaments like space-time ripple cannons, they received anti-matter annihilation cannons and dark matter missiles, along with advanced technologies, including space-time warp capabilities and space-time force field protection.
The enhanced ship girls were completely transformed.
Even the small ship girl who had wished for Raven to find a universe without war received substantial upgrades, a space-time warp device, a star-destroying beam, and an impressively oversized ship-slaying blade.
"I feel incredibly powerful now!" She bounced with excitement. "I want to apply for combat duty and beat up some Sirens immediately!"
Her enthusiasm was infectious, with all the strengthened ship girls eager to test their increased capabilities.
The Empire's benefits were equally considerable.
Raven obtained power and knowledge from the Azur Lane Universe while a light sphere representing Azur Lane appeared in the Mist Space, providing ongoing power to the realm.
The Emperor gained both power and vast repositories of knowledge, not only comprehending the essence and manufacturing principles of the Wisdom Cube but also mastering mysterious knowledge, including the fundamental principles underlying Siren technology.
Belisarius Cawl devoted himself to studying the basic parameters and characteristics of both universes, seeking glimpses into the secrets of creation itself.
Both sides achieved their objectives.
While cooperation between the two factions progressed enthusiastically, Taihou led several ship girls eager to test their upgraded systems into the void's depths.
Raven accompanied them, primarily curious about the Sirens and wondering if these dark-styled ship girls would prove as attractive as their counterparts.
The ship girls moved with remarkable speed, arriving at the void's darker regions within hours.
Raven observed a massive void fortress shrouded in darkness, its surface bristling with enormous cannons and defensive towers that projected immediate menace.
Strange black warships equipped with massive ramming prows and heavy cannons patrolled the surrounding void, every design element focusing purely on offensive capability with no wasted features.
Standing on Taihou's shoulder, Raven studied the distant dark fortress and its escort vessels.
"So these are the Sirens you've been fighting? How long has this conflict been going on?"
Taihou shook her head. "I honestly don't know. I've been fighting them since I first gained consciousness."
Friedrich der Grosse stepped forward, her black attire and stockings complemented by a cape with black exterior and red interior. At the same time, her formidable ship rigging materialized behind her with intimidating presence.
"Mister Raven, there will be time to understand our grievances with the Sirens later. For now, I suggest we demonstrate Imperial technology's power to these enemies."
The Sirens' stellar fortress drifted through the dark, cold void like a monument to warfare itself.
Thousands of oddly-shaped, red-and-black hulled unmanned warships hovered in formation, shrouded in ominous black mist, while dense swarms of fighter craft patrolled between the massive towers like metallic insects, their engine trails creating brilliant constellations against the darkness.
Within the fortress's core area, countless data screens floated suspended in the air, connecting all systems in a web of technological control, while emotionless, will-less maintainers worked according to their programming with mechanical precision.
A white-haired, golden-eyed Purifier with a long ponytail stood by the porthole, wearing a sailor uniform, black stockings, and long boots as she stared blankly at the vast emptiness beyond, lost in thought.
The core room buzzed with activity, yet she remained the only conscious mind present.
Unlike the ship girls, most Siren mass-produced vessels and machinery possessed no individual consciousness, meaning in most circumstances they could only maintain their endless vigil over the stellar fortress in solitude.
The loneliness of the vast starry void had made them reclusive and withdrawn.
For the Sirens, war represented the only respite from crushing boredom.
"Aaahhhhh, so boring!" she shouted into the mechanical din.
"When will the war start again?!"
"When can I go bully those cute ship girls?!"
The Purifier's complaints echoed through the chamber as she contemplated when this tedious existence might end.
The war had reached a stalemate with neither Sirens nor ship girls able to achieve a decisive victory, resulting in their current standoff.
This mundane existence was driving her to distraction.
She desperately wanted to resume the conflict, to continue training those adorable ship girls, and escape this terrible, monotonous routine.
Suddenly, urgent alarms pierced the chamber's ambient noise.
WARNING: Enemy detected approaching our position at 55% of light speed.
A tactical display materialized before the Purifier, showing fifteen red contact points approaching the Sirens' fortress with alarming velocity.
"??" Large question marks practically appeared over her forehead.
"These guys usually hide in their ports, relying on stellar defenses to resist our fleets! How dare they venture out looking for trouble today?!"
"Tsk tsk!! Did these ship girls eat a corrupted energy core or something?!"
"Immediately activate fortress defense protocols! Order all fleets to sortie!"
The Purifier issued rapid commands, switching the fortress to full defensive mode, while the patrolling warships executed sharp turns and headed directly toward the approaching ship, altering the girls' trajectory.
[Target distance: 155,214,201 km.]
[Target distance: 14,250,421 km.]
The ship girls closed the distance with frightening speed.
Within two or three minutes, the Purifier could visually confirm the rapidly-moving contacts, their azure flames from their thrusters blazing like newborn stars against the void.
"Wait, that's not right! Why is there a bird? And that golden ship girl, I've never seen her configuration before!"
The Purifier cross-referenced the fortress's detection data and frowned with concern.
She recognized most of the incoming ship girls from previous engagements, but what surprised her was the bird perched on Taihou's shoulder and the unfamiliar small ship girl with a luminous halo, clad in golden armor she'd never encountered in their databases.
[End of Chapter]
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