*BOOM*
Dodging Purifier's shot, Courier landed the first hit with his slug.
Edinburgh: Yes...!
However, Purifier jumped, clearing the smoke as everyone look to see that she was fine.
Purifier: Okay, now it's fun! But too bad, gotta go! I'll be waiting for you on the final stage!
Charging her cannons, Purifier fires upon the Siren ships, confusing the Azur Lane fleet.
Sheffield: She's hitting her own ships, too...?
Purifier then retreats into a portal along with the remaining Siren ships and aircraft.
Courier: She got away... DAMMIT!
Everyone let out a sigh of disappointment as the last Siren escape through the portal.
Belfast: You are always here for us when we're in danger.
Courier: ...You take far too many risks for someone who considered himself a cursed ship.
Belfast: I feel as though I am protected by a knight in shining armor.
Courier blushed from Belfast's comment.
Courier: Was it really necessary to comment that?
Sheffield sighs while Norfolk and Edinburgh giggle.
Meanwhile
Kaga stands on top of the Orochi, staring at her mass-produced Siren fleet. Somewhere among the ships, Tester was talking with Observer.
Tester: We've outrun the Sakura Empire fleet. That said, they seemed too confused to put up much of a fight. We're close.
Observer: I have to say, it's quite a grandiose scheme. Battles need to be dramatic. They are the physical manifestations of will. It is will that drives them and gives them strength.
Tester: The things you say are too sentimental and hard to understand.
Purifier appears as she floats down to the two.
Purifier: They're just full of themselves, that's all.
Tester: Looks like someone took a beating.
Purifier: I'm not against a bit of rough play.
Purifier gave the Black Cube to Observer as it begins to glow brightly.
Observer: Let's begin. An encore of the past, or perhaps a calculation of the future.
The Black Cube glows even more brighter as it was absorbed by the Orochi.
Purifier: Tick-tock, tick-tock. Rise and shine!
Pillar of fire appears in front of Kaga, causing her to raise her arms to block the flames. As the flames died down, Kaga saw... Akagi.
Kaga: Dear sister...?
Tears begin to form in Kaga's eyes when she sees her sister again.
Kaga: Akagi... Dear sister Akagi!
Kaga runs up and tightly hugs her sister.
Kaga: You're alive!
Akagi: Yes. This is what the gods intend.
The sisters let go of each other. Akagi then looks at the Orochi.
Akagi: Look, Kaga... This is the power of Orochi- the power we desire.
The Orochi launches a missile into the sky.
Underwater, Dace was patrolling until a shockwave pushes her away, causing her to resurface to see a mushroom cloud.
Meanwhile at Azur Lane base
Inside the meeting room, the Cleveland sisters were looking at the pictures of a nuclear blast on a tablet.
Cleveland: What is this...?
Warspite: It has be a Siren attack, obviously.
Cleveland: But why did they hit a remote, uninhabited island?
Queen Elizabeth: To taunt us, perhaps? They underestimate us.
Hood: But, your majesty, this situation is dire. If they use this to strike this base...
Hornet: Kaboom! We won't stand a chance.
Prince of Wales: Courier did mention that one of his friends suffered a critical injury from this kind of explosion. From what he stated, severe burns and keloid scars affect the body along with radiation poisoning.
Cleveland: So we're doom...
Helena: I'm not sure if this is related, a huge, unknown vessel departed from Sakura Empire.
Helena stated as she puts down a picture on the table.
Edinburgh: Sheffy, this ship...
Sheffield: Yes, it matches the characteristics of the ship we beneath Sakura Empire.
Hood: This is Orochi... What an enormous ship...
Prince of Wales: The Sakura Empire port was heavily damaged by Orochi. This must be an unanticipated event, even for the Red Axis.
Illustrious: Perhaps the Red Axis were just being played by the Sirens, like us...
Courier: No.
Everyone looks to Courier, who was looking out from the window with a pair of dog tags in his hand.
Courier: You haven't done anything yet. We haven't accomplished anything.
Enterprise: Courier...
Courier: We start now. We're going to crush whatever it is the Sirens plotting. Keep going on the offensive until there's nothing left.
Belfast: This is not an issue for just us Azur Lane. The Orochi is a threat to all of humanity.
Queen Elizabeth: I've already pulled some strings. We always cleanse off any humiliation we receive. That is the Royal Navy way
Hornet: And the Eagle Union way is payback!
Enterprise: What about you Courier? What is your faction's way?
Courier: It's simple, but memorable "United we stand, divided we fall". Unity will bring us together to overcome the common goal.
Courier pockets the dog tags as he turns to face everyone.
"So lets fight... for the greater good."
Meanwhile with Iron Blood fleet
Z1: Didn't see that coming, did you, Eugen?
Prinz Eugen: Indeed, I did not. Who would have expected Kaga to choose such a violent approach?
Admiral Hipper: Are the Sirens behind this, too?
Z23: Akagi and Kaga are really with the Sirens...?
Admiral Hipper: It's pretty slow how Sakura Empire didn't realize they had a spy inside
Prinz Eugen: Is it really only the Sakura Empire?
Admiral Hipper: Huh?
Prinz Eugen: Perhaps, in Iron Blood as well... Or rather, there could be Siren influence in the higher echelons of all camps...
Z1: What are you thinking?
Prinz Eugen: Nevermind. There's no value in dwelling on that, at least for now.
Meanwhile with Sakura Empire fleet
Takao: What have you done, Kaga...? There is no excuse for this.
Shoukaku: I was underestimating her... I didn't think she would go this far.
Yamashiro: What's going to happen to Kaga?
Fusou: If she is in league with the Sirens, that is a serious betrayal of the Sakura Empire.
Atago: Worst case, we may need to strike her down, along with the Orochi.
Yamashiro: N-No...
Yukikaze: That's not right...
Shigure: Yukikaze...
Yukikaze: Ayanami, captured. Akagi, missing. Ever since the start of this battle, only bad things have happened...
Yuudachi: Come on! We don't know for sure yet that they betrayed us!
Atago: I understand your feeling, but...
Zuikaku: This is wrong. We haven't been fighting all this time to take down a friend.
Takao: Zuikaku.
Zuikaku: We're bringing Kaga back. If she won't listen, we'll slap her and wake her up. That's right. We're not playing along with the Siren scheme!
Yukikaze: Z-Zuikaku!
Yukikaze rushes up and hugs Zuikaku.
Zuikaku: Whoa!
Shoukaku: You're all grown up now. It's a bit sad to see you leave your big sister's hands.
With Akagi and Kaga
Kaga: Dear sister. What have you...?
Akagi: Oh, Kaga.
Akagi walks up to her sister and hugs her.
Akagi: Don't be so afraid. It's fine. I'm not going anywhere.
Kaga: No.
Akagi: Kaga?
Kaga: Who is that...
Kaga suddenly jumps away from Akagi.
Kaga: ...Inside my dear sister?!
Kaga then attacks Akagi with her flames, but was blocked by the mask.
Akagi: You can be so difficult.
Out of nowhere, Amagi appears as Akagi went unconscious.
Kaga: Amagi...?
Amagi: Long time no see, Kaga.
Kaga: No...That's not right either. Who are you?
Amagi: I am Amagi. Because that is what Akagi desires.
Kaga: Are you... Orochi?
Amagi nodded as a dark aura appears around her.
Kaga: Let go of my dear sister!
"Amagi": Are you sure? After all that Akagi went through to see me?
Kaga: Enough treachery, fake!
"Amagi": But you're a fake as well.
Kaga: Huh?
"Amagi": Amagi died, leaving Akagi behind. Parts of Amagi were passed on to another ship.
Kaga: Stop.
"Amagi": You know this, Kaga.
Kaga puts her hands to her head in disbelief as she fell to her knees.
Kaga: Stop...
"Amagi": Aircraft Carrier Kaga... You are a ship that was retrofitted using Amagi's parts. Akagi loved you because she saw a shadow of Amagi inside you. But that is an illusion.
Kaga: Dear sister... I...
"Amagi": You're not even a replacement. You're a collection of decayed parts. A ship of Theseus that shall not sail... That's what you are, Kaga.
Meanwhile with Azur Lane fleet
Belfast: Are you sure about this? It seems like you hold some special meaning to the Sirens as well. There may yet be another unimaginable trap...
Courier: Still, we must fight. To understand, we can't turn away from the battle at hand.
Courier replied as he looks onward to the ocean.
Courier: Once again, I'm fighting on the battlefield despite that I don't want to. But it's a choice I have to make.
Belfast: It was foolish of me to ask. My duty is to see your convictions through. I will be at your side.
Somewhere else, on the HMS Unicorn, Ayanami was troubled as Javelin and Laffey walks up to her.
Javelin: It's fine.
Laffey: It's fine. We can do it.
Laffey gave a thumbs up to Ayanami as Unicorn approaches them.
Unicorn: U-chan will protect us, too.
Suddenly, the sound of explosions alerted the fleet.
San Diego: What's this? What's up?
Cleveland: Red Axis, maybe?
Hornet: Looks like they've started the fight against the Sirens without us. Right... Let's do this!
Meanwhile, the Red Axis fleet were engaging with the Sirens.
Yukikaze: Leave it to me, the famous Yukikaze!
Yuudachi: I'll bite you!
Shigure: Don't go too far ahead!
Suddenly, multiple copies of the Tester appear in front of the three destroyers.
Yukikaze: What is this? What is this?!
Tester: Oh, what a cute guest. Let's run some tests and see what data I can get.
Shigure: Upper-class Siren!
The clones of the Tester then fire their laser cannons at the Red Axis fleet.
Yamashiro: So many powerful-looking Sirens!
Shoukaku: Troublesome... We can't even get close to the Orochi.
Zuikaku: We have to do it, Shoukaku. If the path before us is blocked.... We have to cut through with force!
Zuikaku sends out her flaming origami at a Tester clone. However, it was blocked by blue fire. Both her and Shoukaku look to see Kaga.
Zuikaku: Kaga...!
On the Orochi, Akagi was slowly waking, but was confuse on what was happening.
Akagi: What... am I...
"Amagi": Don't worry, Akagi. Your wish has already come true. Eternal love is right here with you.
Akagi: My wish... My love... Dear sister Amagi, I... Sakura Empire...
Summoning her rigging, Kaga prepares to attack the Crane sisters.
Kaga: You will not harm Orochi.
Zuikaku: Kaga...!
Both Zuikaku and Kaga throw their flaming origami at the same time, only for them to hit each other.
Zuikaku: Why are you working with the Siren?! This is wrong!
Kaga: My only wish is to make dear sister Akagi's wishes come true!
Once again, Kaga throws more of her flaming origami as Shoukaku blocks them.
Shoukaku: Come on! Where is your usual cool face?!
Meanwhile, Tester was firing her lasers at the Destoryers, sending Yuudachi rolling back.
Yukikaze: Yuudachi!
Shigure: Hey! Are you okay?!
Yuudachi: Oh, yeah, I'm good...
Yuudachi replied with a dizzy look on her face.
Shigure: This isn't good.
Out of nowhere, shells fall towards the Sirens, causing Shigure to look back to see Prinz Eugen.
Prinz Eugen: Hey! Stay sharp!
Soon, the Iron Blood ships arrive.
Z23: Please get up.
Z1: Concentrate or they'll get you.
Shaking her head back to reality, Yuudachi quickly gets up.
Yuudachi: Double down!
Tester: So glad to have so many guests.
Admiral Hipper: What now? Even with our joint force, we're still quite outnumbered.
Prinz Eugen: Oh, my sister, did you lose your optimism along with you breasts?
Admiral Hipper: HUH?! I'm going to slap you around!
Prinz Eugen: I'm just joking. But you're right. Right now would be a great time to draw a new card.
More shells came down and destroy more Sirens.
Tester: Here they come.
Z23: Reinforcements?
Prinz Eugen: Who knows? Is the enemy of my enemy my friend? I certainly hope so.
Meters away, the Azur Lane fleet arrives at the battlefield.
Observer: Welcome, Azur Lane. We've been waiting.
The Azur Lane fleet summons their rigging while Prince of Wales pulls out her sword.
Prince of Wales: Glory to the Queen!
The Carriers launch their aircraft as Courier loads a special slug into his launcher.
Belfast: Courier. Enterprise.
Enterprise: Warriors, go forth!
Courier: It's now or never! Give them hell!
Cleveland: We can't let Royal Navy take all the fun! Let's go, guys!
The Cleveland sisters, along with Destroyers and Cruisers, push forward as aircraft flew overhead.
Zuikaku: Wake up, Kaga! The Sirens are just using you!
Kaga: Nothing matters.
Both Zuikaku and Kaga launch their aircraft at each other as they engage in a dogfight.
Shoukaku: I won't let you hurt Zuikaku.
Zuikaku: Sis!
Shoukaku went forward to protect Zuikaku from the flaming Zero that is coming towards them.
Kaga: Oh... Nothing matters at all to me.
Suddenly, a Spitfire came by and shots down the burning Zero. Shoukaku and Zuikaku look and saw Unicorn along with the AL Destroyers.
Zuikaku: You're from Azur Lane...
Ayanami: Things do matter
Kaga looks to her left to see Ayanami pointing her sword at her.
Kaga: Ayanami, it's you. Are you trying to get in the way of my dear sister and I?
Ayanami: No. I'm here to save everyone.
Meanwhile, Courier, Enterprise, and Belfast were attacking some of Tester's clones and destroying Siren ships.
Belfast: Courier! Enterprise! Look...!
Both Courier and Enterprise look at the Orochi, and spot two figures standing on top.
Enterprise: Is that...
Courier: Akagi?!
Enterprise: And that other one...
The Orochi starts to glow, confusing Enterprise, but Courier knows what's about to happen.
Enterprise: What are they doing?!
Courier: Ah shit...
A launcher opens up on the Orochi, revealing a missile.
"Amagi": It goes without saying. Doesn't it, Akagi?
Akagi: Yes... Let's begin a real war.
End Of Chapter