"Sir, we will arrive in ten minutes."
Jarvis's voice came through the communications system.
Yuuki acknowledged the transmission as he continued flying alongside Yuu.
Suddenly, another voice came through the channel.
"Yo…"
Yuuki immediately recognized it.
"Sup, Verg…"
"Already on your way to the next mission?" Vergil asked. "I surveyed the island and found something interesting."
Yuuki raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"I see the mad doctor is with you."
"I am," Yuu replied. "And that's rude."
Vergil chuckled.
"Good. Then I don't have to repeat myself."
Yuuki looked ahead.
"Situation?"
"The villagers evacuated to the northern section once the Rapture assault began two days ago," Vergil explained. "There are resistance forces defending them. There have been casualties, but most of the villagers have stayed indoors."
"Who's leading the Rapture forces?"
"A top hired mercenary named Carlos Mendoza."
Yuuki frowned.
"Wait. Raptures hired humans?"
"Apparently."
Vergil's voice carried a hint of amusement.
"Everyone in this world can be bought. Besides, they also receive some kind of machine enhancement."
Yuuki's expression hardened.
"Mendoza? Why do I feel we have someone like him in our world back then?"
"Exactly and sort of. According to the Rapture database here, Mendoza has a psychotic personality and sadistic tendencies, but he excels in combat."
Vergil continued.
"The extremists he was originally working for—the Sword of Chagall—eventually decided that even his methods were too extreme for them."
"The Sword of Chagall?"
Yuuki sounded puzzled.
"Some kind of movement controlling the Sardegna Empire after its fall against the Sirens," Vergil explained. "They're working for the Sirens and the Raptures, and they enhanced him."
He paused.
"Eventually, they decided his methods were too extreme even for them. So he was hired by the Rapture Black Hand. His bloodthirsty attitude soon earned him the antipathy of most regular Sword members, who viewed him as a savage who had betrayed the ways of Chagall."
Yuuki stared ahead.
"The Black Hand?"
He groaned.
"Why do I feel Nod all over again?"
Yuu glanced toward him. She hadn't been born during any of the Tiberium Wars, but she had witnessed the Fourth Tiberium War as a child.
While the man flew next beside her fought in three world wars and all the Tiberium Wars in three lifetimes.
Even witnessed the fall of the Mental Omega Device.
Yuuki continued.
"Even Nod had Black Hand units. Hell, they were practically a separate faction during the Third Tiberium War."
He sighed.
"Don't tell me there are versions of them here too. I thought Marcion and Gideon were pricks back then."
"Kind of," Vergil replied.
"Maybe the Raptures have a faction called the Black Hand. We don't know enough yet. I haven't finished reviewing the latest data we obtained from Exia Island."
Vergil continued transmitting his findings.
"The satellite uplink shows that the Raptures are using droids as their primary foot soldiers. They also have buggies, APCs, and light tanks."
Yuuki listened carefully.
"More advanced versions compared to the First Tiberium War?"
"Exactly. They're also more advanced than the units we encountered on Exia Island."
Vergil sounded increasingly interested.
"I assume these units were created specifically by the Raptures."
Yuuki nodded to himself.
"And they're all machine-based."
"Which means they're easy to hack with our tools."
Vergil laughed.
"I can already see Takao and her sisters have successfully field-tested that capability."
Yuuki smiled faintly.
"Sounds like them."
"There are even Apache helicopters they've weaponized and mechanized."
Yuuki groaned.
"Damn. We have Black Hand in this world too."
He shook his head.
"I thought we'd dealt with enough of them back on Earth 1.0."
"Dude, these are advanced Black Hand-style forces."
Vergil sounded amused.
"This might be an entirely different version. Still, I hope you can capture several of their tanks, buggies, and other vehicles."
Yuuki glanced at Yuu.
"We need samples."
"You have plenty of rapture samples back in Philadelphia," Yuuki reminded him.
"Oh, come on."
Vergil sounded almost offended.
"More wouldn't hurt. Plus, we didn't have any Black Hand samples."
Yuuki laughed.
"Okay, okay. We can procure some samples."
"Yeah. Get me samples of their light tanks, flame tanks, APCs, buggies, and helicopters."
Vergil paused.
"Might as well get one of their troop transports too."
Yuuki stared ahead.
"You have a lot of requests."
"Oh, come on. For your best friend."
Yuuki sighed dramatically.
"All right… all right. I'll get you your samples."
"Excellent."
Vergil's tone became more serious.
"Oh, and that Mendoza guy is heavily enhanced too. You might need a big boy's help."
Yuuki's expression changed.
"Like big-big?"
"Yeah."
Vergil chuckled.
"Remember Nod's Brutes? Something like that."
He continued.
"The Raptures seem to have enhanced him as a last resort."
Yuuki thought for a moment.
"If I call in Mark 48, it might take an hour for it to arrive."
He looked toward the horizon.
"How fast can you deploy Veronica?"
"If I send her from Philadelphia?"
Vergil answered immediately.
"She'll be there in ten minutes."
Yuuki didn't hesitate.
"Send her."
Then he added:
"Plus, I need her copy-paste machine to help with the aftermath of the battle later."
"Your call."
There was a brief pause.
"All right. Veronica is on the way."
"Thanks, man."
Yuuki smiled.
"I'll get you your samples."
"Righto."
Vergil laughed.
"Make your research girls up here happy. Not just your Shipgirls and Nikkes."
The connection ended.
Yuu flew beside Yuuki for several moments in silence.
Then she spoke.
"That Vergil sure likes collecting samples."
Yuuki glanced toward her.
"Like you."
Yuu immediately laughed.
"If I hadn't asked you not to research the poor girls, you would have already kidnapped them."
"Hey!"
Yuu sounded genuinely offended.
"With your permission."
She paused.
"Besides, you can't resist my examinations anymore."
A mischievous smirk could practically be heard beneath her helmet.
Yuuki sighed.
"I knew you were going to bring that up."
Yuu laughed.
"Of course I was."
The two continued flying toward the island, while somewhere far behind them, Veronica was already being dispatched toward the battlefield.
And judging by Vergil's shopping list, Yuuki suspected that the GDI's vehicle research department was about to become considerably busier.
==================
"Global Defense Initiative?"
Liverpool asked as the group helped the resistance survivors gather themselves inside and around the damaged fancy inn.
The immediate danger had passed, but the building was still heavily damaged. Smoke drifted through the broken windows while resistance fighters checked on the wounded and gathered whatever supplies they could salvage.
Liverpool's eyes kept returning to the golden armor worn by the Takao sisters.
She had never seen anything like it.
"So that's what GDI stands for?"
"Yes," Takao replied.
Once the resistance reinforcements arrived and took control of the hotel, the group prepared to move again. The captured Rapture light tanks were brought onto the main road, and the Shipgirls and Royal Navy maids climbed aboard.
They would follow the road uphill toward the cathedral.
As they moved, Liverpool continued questioning the sisters.
"Then how did all of this happen? How did you end up with such an organization?"
Atago smiled.
"It started with Yorktown."
Liverpool looked surprised.
"Yorktown?"
"Yorktown was recruited by the new Commander, alongside Laffey," Atago explained. "He arrived first with devastating warships."
Takao nodded.
"Soon afterward, Illustrious and Belfast were found on a Siren island."
"Atago and I were found after that," Takao continued.
"Then we found Enterprise, Vestal, and Unicorn."
Atago smiled.
"And we even found Lady Hood's cube."
Liverpool's eyes widened.
"Lady Hood…?"
She almost couldn't believe what she had heard.
"I thought she was lost."
"So did we," Takao replied.
"But she's not," Atago said.
Liverpool looked toward the golden armor again.
"And this GDI…"
"It's an advanced organization," Maya explained. "We were formally inducted a few days ago."
She grinned.
"So yeah."
She tapped the armor covering her arm.
"We can level up."
Liverpool blinked.
"Level up?"
Maya nodded enthusiastically.
"Exactly."
Atago giggled.
"Ufuu… It is quite convenient."
Liverpool could only stare.
The concept was completely foreign to her.
Takao continued.
"After recovering Houshou, Maya, and Choukai, we attacked the Rapture Mother Whale."
Gloucester immediately turned toward her.
"You attacked a Mother Whale?"
Takao nodded.
"We did."
"We even regained Shoukaku and Zuikaku," Maya added. "And a lot of other allies."
Gloucester's eyes widened.
"Mother Whale?!"
She looked between the sisters in disbelief.
"How on earth did you people attack that enormous Rapture ship?!"
Takao gave a small smile.
"Commander has his ways."
Atago folded her arms proudly.
"Ufuu… GDI is a powerful faction after all."
Liverpool nodded slowly.
The more she heard, the more she realized just how much the world had changed while she and the others had been separated.
Then Maya reached into her inventory and pulled out her .90-caliber Hawkeye Ramjet Rifle.
She offered it to Liverpool.
"Here."
Liverpool looked down at the massive weapon.
"What is this?"
"A Hawkeye Ramjet Rifle."
Maya placed it carefully into Liverpool's hands.
"It has quite a kick, but our Shipgirl bodies can handle the recoil."
Liverpool examined the weapon with growing curiosity.
"This is… considerably more advanced than anything we had."
Manchester smiled.
"You'll get used to it."
Liverpool tightened her grip around the rifle.
Manchester took out her radio and switched to the channel they had been using to contact the remaining Royal Navy maid.
"Sheffield."
She pressed the transmission button.
"Come in, Sheffield!"
Static crackled for a moment.
Then a familiar voice answered.
"Manchester? I lost contact with you hours ago. Well, I'm glad to hear from you again. Is Gloucester with you?"
Manchester smiled faintly.
"Yes. We just came from the fancy inn with two captured Rapture light tanks, and we rescued Liverpool. The resistance has already secured the hotel, so we're bringing her along with us. Where are you?"
"I'm still at the cathedral," Sheffield replied. "The Raptures seem to have gathered at the park. Something happened there. The resistance is reinforcing the blocked main road leading to the park."
Manchester glanced toward the road ahead.
"We're on our way to the cathedral. We're bringing two light tanks with us."
There was a brief pause.
"Captured light tanks? How?"
Sheffield sounded genuinely stunned.
"Those are Rapture machines. They can't be captured. We tried."
Manchester couldn't help but chuckle.
"We didn't do it ourselves. We barely did anything. We had help."
Another pause.
"Who?"
Manchester glanced toward the four golden-armored Shipgirls traveling with them.
"You won't believe it."
"Try me."
"The Takao sisters."
Silence.
Then Sheffield's voice came through, filled with disbelief.
"Takao… sisters…? Impossible. We haven't heard from any factions for more than ten years!"
Her voice suddenly became more urgent.
"Is Lady Takao with you?"
Takao shifted closer to Manchester on top of the tank.
"I am, Sheffield."
Her voice was calm, but there was unmistakable emotion behind it.
"I'm here with Atago, Maya, and Choukai. We're alive and well."
For several seconds, Sheffield said nothing.
Then her voice softened.
"Takao…"
She let out a shaky breath.
"You don't know how glad I am to hear you again. It's been years since that day. Ever since we lost contact with our master."
Takao lowered her gaze slightly.
"I know."
She glanced at her sisters.
"We're glad to hear your voice as well. Despite the fact that we once fought back then, I'm here now. And I'm here with my sisters. We're coming for all of you."
"Sheffield," Manchester added, "they were the ones who hacked the tanks."
"What?"
Sheffield's disbelief returned immediately.
"How did you hack the tanks?!"
Atago giggled.
"We have our ways."
Maya folded her arms.
"We joined a new organization."
Choukai added,
"Not Azur Lane or the Sakura Empire."
"Organization?"
Takao smiled.
"Global Defense Initiative."
Sheffield was silent again.
"We even have a new Commander," Takao continued. "He was the one who sent Belfast to rescue Edinburgh, Newcastle, and Glasgow, alongside the Kancolle Shipgirls."
Sheffield's voice suddenly rose.
"Bel is alive?! Head Maid Belfast still lives?!"
"Yes," Takao replied. "The Commander rescued her and Illustrious from an offshore Siren base not far from our old home island. Yorktown and Laffey were there as well; they were among the first Shipgirls he recruited. His organization is currently building a new base on our home island. We have a new place to call home now."
Sheffield sounded almost overwhelmed.
"Who is this new Commander? Is he from the resistance? Or Azur Lane?"
"No," Takao said.
She looked toward the golden armor covering her body.
"He's far more advanced than anything we've ever seen."
She gestured toward the equipment carried by the others.
"All of these armors, modules, and weapons came from his organization. Sheffield, we're talking about an entire new organization—one that has technology far beyond anything we've seen from the Sirens or the Raptures."
There was a long pause.
Finally, Sheffield answered.
"I see…"
Her voice became more serious.
"Then I'm at the cathedral. The Raptures are gathering for an assault from the park. Something happened there, and they're preparing to breach the area by air."
Sheffield's tone hardened.
"Please, come to our aid."
Takao looked toward the distant cathedral.
"We're coming."
Manchester nodded.
"We'll be there soon alongside Liverpool and Gloucester."
The transmission ended.
For a moment, the group continued in silence.
After more than a decade of separation, another familiar voice had finally returned to them.
And now they knew exactly where to go.
The cathedral.
The group eventually arrived at a T-junction leading toward the cathedral.
Resistance fighters were positioned around the intersection, watching the road carefully. Some remained inside nearby buildings while others kept their weapons trained toward the direction of the park.
As the two captured light tanks approached, one of the resistance fighters hurried out of a building and raised his hand.
"Wait!"
The tanks slowed to a stop.
The resistance fighter pointed down the road.
"There's a flame tank, a buggy, and an APC guarding the road!"
Maya looked toward the road ahead.
"Choukai and I will hack them."
She glanced toward the cathedral in the distance.
"We need every bit of help we can get if Sheffield said it will be major bloodletting later."
Atago nodded.
"Okay… Please be careful. We'll stay here until we receive the all-clear."
Choukai gave her a reassuring smile.
"We will, Atago-nee!"
Maya and Choukai immediately deployed their grappling hooks.
THWIP!
The hooks shot upward and latched onto the rooftops.
A moment later, the two sisters were pulled into the air, disappearing over the edge of the building.
The resistance fighters watched them go.
"Those two really are something…"
Meanwhile, Maya and Choukai traversed the rooftops toward the Rapture defensive position.
Atago, Takao, Manchester, Liverpool, and Gloucester remained behind with the captured tanks, which had also come to a stop as they awaited the sisters' signal.
As Sheffield had warned them, the road was heavily guarded.
A flame tank sat near the intersection, its weapon pointed toward the road leading to the cathedral. A Rapture buggy was positioned behind it, while an APC provided additional fire support.
Numerous droids patrolled around the vehicles.
Maya and Choukai exchanged a glance.
They already knew what to do.
Both sisters drew their silenced R59 Pierce rifles.
They settled into firing positions on opposite rooftops.
BANG!
A droid dropped.
BANG!
Another collapsed.
The sisters methodically eliminated the guards one by one.
The R59 Pierce rounds punched through their mechanical bodies with devastating precision.
Within minutes, the droids surrounding the vehicles had been cleared.
Maya lowered her rifle.
"Clear."
Choukai nodded.
"Let's hack them."
They moved closer and deployed their hacking equipment.
The devices connected to the Rapture command systems.
Lines of code streamed across their displays.
The two sisters worked quickly, bypassing the vehicle command protocols and rewriting their targeting instructions.
Then—
BEEP.
The hacking process completed.
Maya smiled.
"Got them."
Choukai looked toward the vehicles.
"Let's give them some new orders."
The flame tank's turret slowly rotated.
The APC began moving.
The buggy accelerated forward.
Then all three vehicles turned toward nearby Rapture droids.
WHOOOOM!
The flame tank unleashed its weapon.
A wall of fire swept across the road, engulfing several droids.
The APC opened fire.
BRRRT! BRRRT!
The buggy raced around the intersection, its machine gun tearing through another group.
The Rapture forces suddenly found themselves under attack from their own machines.
Maya watched the chaos unfold.
"Works every time."
But then she noticed something else.
Her expression hardened.
"Choukai…"
Choukai followed her gaze.
"What is it?"
Maya pointed farther down the road.
There, among the ruins, stood Carlos Mendoza.
He was setting up another ambush.
Several rocket droids were positioned around him, concealed behind debris and damaged structures.
Maya's eyes narrowed.
Then she noticed something else.
Mendoza had deliberately destroyed one of his own Rapture buggies and left the wreckage across the road.
He was creating a barricade.
"He knows we're going to the cathedral," Maya said quietly.
Choukai looked at him.
"He's preparing for us."
Maya tightened her grip around her weapon.
"That bastard…"
Mendoza had clearly anticipated their route.
He knew that sooner or later, they would have to pass through this road to reach the cathedral.
So he had prepared an ambush.
And judging by the position of the rocket droids, he intended to hit them before they could react.
Maya looked at Choukai.
"Choukai, you inform Atago and Takao-nee."
Choukai immediately understood.
"What are you going to do?"
"I want to deal with that bastard."
Choukai frowned.
"Maya…"
Maya looked toward Mendoza.
"He's gotten away from us twice already."
Her expression hardened.
"Not this time."
Choukai hesitated.
"Be careful, Maya…"
She glanced back at her sister.
"Try to end him this time."
Maya nodded.
"I will."
Choukai immediately turned and prepared to return to the others.
Maya remained where she was for another moment, watching Mendoza carefully.
She knew him now.
Mendoza was not stupid.
He would expect them to attack from the road.
He would expect them to approach from the ground.
And most importantly—
He would watch from above.
Maya activated her Stealth Mode.
WHIRRRR—
Her golden armor shifted, and her presence disappeared from sight.
She silently moved across the rooftop.
One building.
Then another.
She crossed the rooftops without making a sound, keeping herself hidden from Mendoza and the rocket droids below.
Eventually, she reached a position overlooking the ambush point.
Maya crouched behind the edge of the roof.
She watched.
Waited.
Mendoza remained below, completely unaware that she was already above him.
Maya steadied her breathing.
She would let him make the first mistake.
This time, she wasn't going to chase him.
She was going to hunt him.
============
Carlos Mendoza gritted his teeth.
Three times.
Three damn times he had been forced to retreat from those girls.
His chest still ached from Takao's ion sword strike, while the graze from Choukai's rifle had left another wound across his body.
Fortunately, the Rapture enhancement coursing through his body was already repairing the damage.
Flesh knitted itself back together.
Broken tissue regenerated.
The pain gradually subsided.
But his pride remained wounded.
Mendoza spat onto the ground.
"Three times…"
His fists clenched.
"Three fucking times I've had to retreat."
He looked down at his hands, watching the enhanced muscles tense beneath his gloves.
"Stronger, faster…my ass! And those girls still beat me."
His expression twisted into a vicious grin.
"Those golden-armored freaks…"
He kicked aside a piece of rubble.
"They think they're invincible because they have fancy armor and weapons?"
Mendoza laughed bitterly.
"They're not invincible."
His radio crackled.
A familiar voice came through.
"Mendoza."
Mendoza immediately recognized the voice.
"Behemoth."
"You've been engaged with the GDI forces repeatedly."
Mendoza's expression darkened.
"GDI…"
He spat the name with contempt.
"Those bastards."
Behemoth remained silent for a moment.
"Report."
Mendoza looked toward the road leading toward the cathedral.
"Their strength is greater than we anticipated. They're not ordinary humans, and they're certainly not ordinary Shipgirls."
His voice became increasingly agitated.
"They've got some kind of powered armor. Golden armor, weapons I've never seen before, stealth systems, grappling equipment…"
He slammed his fist against the side of a ruined vehicle.
"And they can hack our machines!"
Behemoth's voice remained cold.
"We are aware."
"Then you should know what those bastards are doing!"
Mendoza snarled.
"They've already stolen our tanks. They're turning our own machines against us. They hacked the vehicles guarding the road and used them to tear apart our droids!"
His breathing became heavier.
"And those armored women…"
He laughed again, but there was no humor in it.
"Those four are monsters."
Behemoth asked,
"You have engaged them directly?"
"Three times!"
Mendoza's voice rose.
"Three times I've fought them!"
He pointed toward the road as though the sisters were standing there.
"First, one of them cut into my chest with that damn energy sword!"
His hand moved instinctively toward the healed wound.
"Then another put a round through me!"
His expression twisted.
"And when I finally had the chance to finish them, they turned our own machines against us and forced me to retreat again!"
Behemoth's voice remained emotionless.
"And yet you remain alive."
"Of course I'm alive!"
Mendoza barked out a laugh.
"The enhancement keeps me alive. It repairs me."
He grinned.
"But those GDI bastards don't know that."
He slowly looked toward the rooftops.
"They think they've won because they keep forcing me back."
His grin widened.
"They haven't."
Behemoth spoke again.
"Then what is your plan?"
Mendoza's eyes narrowed.
"They're heading for the cathedral."
"Correct."
"I knew they would."
He gestured toward the barricade he had created from the wreckage of the destroyed Rapture buggy.
"That's why I prepared this position."
Several rocket droids remained hidden among the ruins.
Mendoza had deliberately destroyed one of his own vehicles to block the road, turning the wreckage into an improvised barricade.
"They'll have to come through here eventually."
His voice became quieter.
"And when they do…"
He smiled viciously.
"I'll hit them with everything I've got."
Behemoth remained silent.
Mendoza continued.
"At the same time, launch the attack on the cathedral."
"Explain."
"If the cathedral's defenses fall, the resistance loses their last major defensive position."
He pointed toward the distant northern road.
"Then the way to the northern section opens."
His eyes gleamed.
"Their people are concentrated up there. Once the cathedral falls, we can push straight through."
Behemoth considered the plan.
"Your objective is to eliminate the GDI personnel while the cathedral is assaulted."
"Exactly."
Mendoza's smile disappeared.
"They've been interfering with everything."
He began pacing between the ruined vehicles.
"They rescued civilians. They captured our machines. They destroyed our droids. They broke our blockade. They even rescued those damn maids."
His voice became filled with venom.
"They've turned this battlefield into their playground."
He stopped.
"Not anymore."
Mendoza looked toward the road.
"Those GDI will bleed."
He slowly drew his weapon.
"I'll make those golden girls bleed."
His grin returned.
"And when their precious cathedral falls…"
He laughed under his breath.
"I'll personally hunt down every last one of them."
Behemoth's voice came through the radio one final time.
"Do not fail again, Mendoza."
The transmission ended.
Mendoza stared at the radio for several seconds.
Then he chuckled.
"Fail?"
He looked toward the rooftops.
"No."
His enhanced eyes scanned the ruined buildings.
"They'll be the ones who fail."
What Mendoza didn't know was that someone was already watching him.
High above the street, Maya remained completely invisible beneath Stealth Mode.
She had heard enough.
Her eyes narrowed.
"So that's your plan…"
She remained perfectly still, waiting.
Mendoza believed he was preparing an ambush.
He believed he was hunting them.
But this time—
Maya was already hunting him.
Maya waited.
Mendoza continued preparing his ambush below, completely unaware that his intended prey was already above him.
Then Maya made her move.
WHIRRRR—
Her Stealth Mode disengaged.
The golden armor shimmered back into full visibility.
Mendoza's head snapped upward.
Before he could react—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Maya raised her R59 Pierce and fired.
The rounds tore through the concealed rocket droids surrounding Mendoza.
One exploded.
Then another.
The remaining droids were destroyed before they could even lock onto her.
Mendoza stared up at the rooftop.
Maya calmly lowered her rifle.
"Brave of you to come after me by yourself."
Maya didn't even bother responding.
She jumped from the rooftop.
BOOM!
Her armored boots struck the ground.
Mendoza immediately charged.
Maya met him head-on.
The two exchanged blows almost instantly.
THUD!
Maya drove a punch toward his chest.
Mendoza blocked it.
He countered with a strike of his own.
Maya twisted aside.
Another punch.
Another block.
Another counter.
Mendoza moved with surprising precision.
Maya's eyes narrowed.
He was good.
Very good.
His martial arts were far more refined than she had expected from a mercenary relying on brute strength and enhancement.
She threw another combination, but Mendoza slipped between her strikes and retaliated with a series of precise blows.
THUD! THUD!
Maya barely moved.
Her armor absorbed the impacts.
But neither did Mendoza.
The Rapture enhancement was already repairing every injury she managed to inflict.
A cut across his cheek closed almost immediately.
A bruise faded.
Even the damage caused by her earlier strikes seemed to disappear within seconds.
Maya frowned.
"So that's what the enhancement does…"
Mendoza grinned.
"You finally understand."
He raised his fists.
"You can't wear me down."
His eyes burned with hatred.
"This time, I would teach you a lesson."
Maya said nothing.
Instead, she activated Heroic Mode.
WHOOOM!
Power surged through her golden armor.
Her attack systems intensified.
Mendoza's expression changed.
Maya vanished forward.
BOOM!
Her fist slammed directly into his torso.
The sheer force launched Mendoza backward.
CRAAASH!
He smashed through the wooden wall of the nearby building and disappeared inside.
Maya immediately pursued.
Mendoza pushed himself out of the wreckage.
He barely had time to stand before Maya activated Speed Mode.
WHIRRRR!
Her armor surged.
She accelerated.
Mendoza's eyes widened.
He tried to match her.
The Rapture enhancement pushed his body beyond normal human limits, increasing his speed and reflexes.
For several seconds, the two became blurs moving through the ruined street.
Mendoza suddenly drew his combat knife.
He slashed toward Maya.
CLANG!
The blade struck her armor.
It failed to penetrate.
Mendoza attacked again.
CLANG!
Again.
Nothing.
Maya looked down at the scratches left across her armor.
Then she looked back at him.
"That won't work."
Mendoza snarled.
"You will pay for your intrusion, maggot!"
Maya reached for her own combat knife.
She drew it.
The two engaged again, this time fighting at close range with blades.
CLANG!
CLANG!
Mendoza managed to catch Maya's arm and twist it aside.
He drove his shoulder into her.
Maya staggered.
Mendoza followed with another strike, then another.
His enhanced strength finally gave him an advantage.
He managed to overpower her and forced her backward.
Maya gritted her teeth.
Then—
OVERDRIVE.
Her armor surged with power.
Mendoza's eyes widened as Maya seemed to dodged his strike.
"What—?!"
Maya drove her fist forward.
BAAAAAAM!
Her fist slammed directly into Mendoza's face.
The impact launched him through the air.
He crashed into the wreckage of the destroyed Rapture buggy.
BOOOOOOM!
The wreckage erupted into flames.
Mendoza disappeared inside the explosion.
"Maya-chan!"
Choukai's voice rang out.
She had arrived.
Takao and Atago followed moments later.
Behind them, the resistance fighters were advancing toward the battlefield, supported by the captured Rapture vehicles.
The hacked flame tank rolled forward, its weapon already trained toward the remaining droids.
The APC and buggy moved alongside it.
Maya turned toward her sisters.
"I've got him."
Then—
BOOM!
The burning wreckage exploded again.
Everyone turned.
Mendoza emerged from the flames.
His clothes were scorched, and smoke poured from his body.
Yet his wounds were already beginning to heal.
He looked at the four golden-armored women.
His expression changed.
For the first time, there was something other than anger in his eyes.
Fear.
He knew.
He couldn't beat them.
Not all four.
Not with their armor.
Not with their speed.
Not with their weapons.
Mendoza suddenly turned and leapt upward.
BOOM!
His enhanced legs propelled him onto the roof of the nearby building.
Takao raised her weapon.
"He's running!"
Mendoza disappeared over the rooftop.
He knew full well that he couldn't defeat the four golden-armored women.
Not conventionally.
Not anymore.
He had exhausted every advantage he had.
The only thing he had left was the enhancement itself.
Mendoza reached the top of the building and stumbled forward.
He grabbed the side of his head.
His breathing became heavy.
"No…"
He stared down at his trembling hands.
"There has to be another way."
Then he remembered.
The limiter.
The Rapture enhancement had one final function.
A last burst of power.
A function designed to be used only when everything else had failed.
Mendoza grinned.
"If I remove the limiter…"
His breathing became ragged.
"The enhancement will overload my body."
He knew exactly what that meant.
He would lose control.
His mind would become consumed by the enhancement.
His body would transform into an uncontrollable brute driven almost entirely by instinct and violence.
But the power—
That would be more than enough.
Mendoza slowly clenched his fists.
"Those bitches think they've won?"
His grin widened.
"I'll show them what happens when you push a man too far."
He reached toward the control mechanism embedded within his enhanced body.
The limiter.
The final restriction keeping his transformation contained.
His finger hovered over it.
For a moment, he hesitated.
Then he laughed.
"Fuck it."
Mendoza activated the override.
BEEP.
A warning signal sounded.
Then another.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
His body suddenly convulsed.
The enhancement surged through every muscle.
His veins darkened.
His breathing became a deep, animalistic growl.
The power coursing through him increased rapidly.
Mendoza threw his head back and laughed.
"COME ON!"
================
Mendoza escaped.
Once again, he had slipped away before Maya could finish him.
But this time, his retreat had come at a cost.
The entire ambush point had been devastated. The rocket droids were destroyed, the barricade had been cleared, and the road toward the cathedral was now open.
Maya watched the rooftop where Mendoza had disappeared.
"He escaped again…"
She sighed.
Atago walked over and placed a hand on Maya's shoulder.
"Well, at least the coast is clear now."
Takao nodded approvingly.
"You did well, sis."
Maya turned toward her older sister and smiled.
"Thank you, Takao-nee."
With the ambush eliminated, the group continued toward the cathedral.
The captured Rapture vehicles moved at the front, their engines rumbling through the ruined streets. The hacked flame tank, buggy, and APC accompanied the two light tanks, providing them with considerably more firepower than they had possessed when they first entered the village.
As they approached the cathedral, however, the resistance fighters stationed around the defensive perimeter immediately raised their weapons.
"Rapture vehicles!"
Several rifles were aimed at the approaching tanks.
"Get ready!"
The resistance fighters had no idea that the vehicles were under GDI control.
Takao and the others remained calm.
Before the resistance could open fire—
"Wait!"
A small voice suddenly rang out.
A short-statured girl stepped forward.
She had light-brown hair tied into a French braid, with bangs partially covering her right eye. Her orange-yellow eyes were sharp despite her small stature.
She wore a black, long-sleeved, knee-length maid dress with ruffled edges and puffy shoulders decorated with frills. Frilled buttoned cuffs covered her wrists, while a white corset and apron were wrapped around her waist.
White thigh-high stockings disappeared into silver-colored lace stilettos, reinforced with metal knee guards bearing a cross motif.
A white frilled headpiece rested upon her head, while a chained choker with a cross pendant hung around her neck.
She raised a hand.
"Stand down!"
The resistance fighters hesitated.
Then the familiar Royal Navy maids stepped forward alongside the others.
The moment the resistance fighters recognized them, their weapons immediately lowered.
"They're with us!"
The tension vanished.
The maids had become more than simple members of the resistance.
They had become symbols of hope.
After everything the villagers had endured, seeing the Royal Navy maids return alongside powerful allies was enough to reassure even the most exhausted fighters.
Soon, Sheffield herself emerged from the cathedral.
She was accompanied by an elderly woman.
Manchester immediately recognized her.
"Babushka!"
She jumped down from the vehicle and ran toward the elderly woman.
The woman smiled warmly.
"You're all here!"
Sheffield followed behind her, relief evident on her face.
"You all made it!"
Manchester nodded.
"With some difficulties."
Gloucester stepped down from the tank.
"Not ones we couldn't handle."
Liverpool climbed down afterward and sighed.
"This is really tiring."
Sheffield smiled.
"I can imagine."
Her eyes then shifted toward the four golden-armored women.
Takao and her sisters disengaged their helmets.
HSSSS—
The armor retracted around their heads, revealing their faces.
For a brief moment, the resistance fighters simply stared.
The four sisters' beauty was striking, even compared with the Royal Navy maids who stood beside them.
But Sheffield's expression held something deeper than admiration.
Recognition.
Disbelief.
And finally, joy.
"Lady Takao…"
She took a step forward.
"It really is you."
Her eyes moved from Takao to the others.
"And Atago, Maya, and Choukai…"
Takao smiled.
"Yes."
She glanced at her sisters.
"We made it."
Sheffield's eyes glistened.
After more than ten years, the Takao sisters had returned.
The elderly woman stepped forward.
Sheffield gestured toward her.
"This is Lola Merkova."
She smiled faintly.
"We call her Babushka. She's the leader of the resistance."
Lola approached the armored Shipgirls.
"You have our thanks."
She bowed deeply.
"Our village is indebted to you."
Takao immediately returned the gesture.
Her sisters followed suit.
"You don't have to thank us," Takao said. "We came here to help."
One of the resistance fighters approached them, still visibly amazed by everything that had happened.
"Babushka, you should hear this."
He looked toward the four sisters.
"The four armored women liberated the inn, the square, and the hotel."
Another resistance fighter added,
"They led us into the park."
"They cleared out the Rapture forces guarding the workers."
"And they saved everyone who was being forced to construct that Obelisk."
A third fighter shook his head in disbelief.
"Not a single civilian casualty. Even none of our men involved were killed and they even secured the supplies."
Lola looked at the four women again.
Her expression softened.
"You have done more for us in a single day than we could have hoped for."
Takao straightened.
"We are the Takao-class sisters of the GDI."
Lola tilted her head.
"GDI?"
Takao nodded.
"The Global Defense Initiative."
She looked around at the battered village and the resistance fighters surrounding them.
"We are a faction that remained hidden from the world."
Takao continued.
"Our Commander sent us here to extract the remaining Royal Navy maids and clear the Raptures out of this village."
She gestured toward the road behind them.
"We've already begun disrupting their forces. With the resistance and our captured vehicles working together, we can push them back."
Atago smiled.
"And we're not leaving anyone behind."
Maya glanced toward the cathedral.
"Especially not Sheffield."
Choukai nodded.
"We came all this way to bring everyone home."
Sheffield looked at them quietly.
For the first time in more than a decade, the scattered remnants of their old world were standing together again.
And now they had something they had never possessed before.
A new home.
A new organization.
And a Commander powerful enough to send them into a battlefield like this—and expect them to come back alive.
Takao and the others, including the Royal Navy maids, were brought inside the cathedral.
The vast interior had been transformed into a temporary shelter.
Injured women lay against the walls, some with makeshift bandages wrapped around their arms or legs. Children stayed close to their mothers, while elderly men and women sat quietly wherever there was space. Some were sleeping. Others simply stared ahead, exhausted from days of fear and uncertainty.
They were all waiting for one thing.
A safe passage back to the northern village.
Atago slowly looked around.
"So many…"
Her voice was quiet.
There were far more civilians inside than she had expected.
And almost all of them were looking at them.
The golden armor.
The futuristic weapons.
The unfamiliar technology.
The insignia displayed prominently on their shoulders.
The Diving Eagle.
Takao noticed the attention immediately.
She looked down at the insignia on her own shoulder.
According to their Commander, it was more than merely the emblem of the Global Defense Initiative.
It was meant to become the true symbol of hope for a lost world.
But none of these people had ever heard of GDI.
No one in this village had known that such an organization existed.
Until today.
And now, without even understanding what the insignia represented, the civilians were beginning to associate it with something they desperately needed.
Hope.
For years, the people of this world had watched humanity fight against the Sirens.
They had seen humans turn Shipgirls into weapons.
They had watched them send the girls they loved into battles from which many never returned.
Some of these civilians had hated humanity for it.
They had blamed humans for using Shipgirls as weapons.
But standing inside this cathedral, surrounded by injured civilians, frightened children, and elderly people who had survived nothing but catastrophe after catastrophe…
That hatred suddenly felt different.
They could no longer look at the people standing before them and see only weapons.
They saw survivors.
They saw people who had come to save them.
And the sight of the Royal Navy maids standing beside the golden-armored GDI soldiers only reinforced that feeling.
The maids had already been symbols of hope to the resistance.
Now the Diving Eagle was becoming one as well.
Whispers spread through the cathedral.
"Who are they?"
"They saved the people at the inn…"
"They captured Rapture vehicles."
"They rescued the workers…"
"They're fighting the Raptures…"
"They came for the maids…"
Every word carried through the shelter.
Takao remained silent.
She could feel the weight of those gazes.
Atago glanced toward her sister.
"They're looking at us."
"I know," Takao replied.
Maya looked at the civilians surrounding them.
Some were frightened.
Others were openly amazed.
But there was something else in their eyes.
Something Takao recognized immediately.
They were looking at them as though they had finally found someone capable of protecting them.
Maya lowered her gaze.
"They think we're their hope."
Choukai quietly nodded.
The realization was heavier than any weapon they carried.
They had entered this village as an unknown military force.
Now the people inside this cathedral were beginning to place their hopes on them.
And that was dangerous.
Hope could inspire people.
But hope could also make people reckless.
Takao remembered her Commander's words.
The Diving Eagle was supposed to be a symbol of hope for a world that had nearly lost everything.
Yet she had never expected that symbol to mean so much to people who had only just discovered it.
Around them, the civilians slowly began to relax.
For the first time in days, perhaps even years, some of them believed that the future might contain something other than another battle.
The resistance fighters had spent so long fighting simply to survive that many had forgotten what they were fighting for.
But now they were looking at the golden armor.
At the Diving Eagle.
At the maids who had returned.
And something inside them stirred.
The will to fight was returning.
Not because they wanted more war.
But because, for the first time, they believed the war could actually be won.
Takao looked toward the cathedral entrance.
Outside, the Raptures still controlled much of the village.
The battle was far from over.
But inside the cathedral, something had already changed.
GDI had arrived as strangers.
Now, without even realizing it, they had become the symbol everyone was beginning to rally behind.
The lost world had found a new hope.
And it wore a golden armor beneath the insignia of a Diving Eagle.
Takao and the others followed Babushka and the Royal Navy maids deeper into the cathedral, eventually reaching the main office where Lola Merkova had established her command post.
The room was modest.
A large wooden table occupied the center, covered with maps, handwritten reports, ammunition records, and notes detailing the movements of Rapture forces throughout the southern village. Several radios sat along one side, their faint static filling the room.
Babushka took her place behind the table.
Takao, Atago, Maya, Choukai, Sheffield, Manchester, Gloucester, and Liverpool gathered around her.
For the first time, they could speak without the rest of the resistance listening in.
Lola looked toward the maids.
"This village is one of the last remnants of our civilization."
Her voice was tired.
"The Sirens and the Raptures have taken most of the world. What remains of humanity is scattered, isolated, and constantly fighting simply to survive."
She placed a finger on the map.
"We have survived here because we managed to make arrangements with the forces around us."
Takao frowned slightly.
"Arrangements?"
"We have no specific strategic value," Lola explained. "No major factories. No important military installations. Nothing that should be worth attacking. So we made deals to ensure that this place would be left alone."
Manchester lowered her gaze.
"They're attacking this village because of us."
The room became silent.
Lola looked toward her.
"What do you mean?"
Sheffield answered before Manchester could.
"None of the people or resistance fighters knew."
Her voice was quiet.
"We didn't want them to blame us for their losses."
Sheffield clasped her hands together.
"The villagers had already been hiding indoors since yesterday. There were a few losses, but nothing compared to what we've seen elsewhere."
She took a breath.
"But once the Raptures began deliberately targeting civilians, we couldn't remain hidden anymore."
Manchester nodded.
"We had to reveal ourselves."
"And spread ourselves throughout the village," Sheffield continued. "If they wanted us, then we would divide their attention and keep them from concentrating their forces on the civilians."
Liverpool leaned against the table.
"None of us expected anyone to come to our aid."
She gave a tired smile.
"Certainly not an organization none of us had even heard of."
Takao remained silent, listening carefully.
Sheffield continued.
"We escaped our home island ten days ago."
Her expression darkened.
"We had been trying to find the source of the voice."
"The voice?" Atago asked.
Sheffield nodded.
"We don't know who it belonged to. We only knew that it was calling to us."
Takao's expression changed.
"We know of it."
The four Royal Navy maids immediately turned toward her.
"The voice," Takao clarified. "We heard it too."
Sheffield stared at her.
"You did?"
Takao nodded.
"That voice belonged to our Shikikan-sama."
The maids exchanged startled glances.
Takao continued.
"He used Hornet's Wisdom Cube to transmit his voice and heart across the world. His message reached Shipgirls everywhere—those who were still alive, and even those who had already lost their physical forms."
Atago folded her arms.
"We were much like you. We survived on an isolated island, trying to remain hidden from the Sirens. We had no fleet, no Commander, and almost no hope of escaping."
Maya's gaze lowered.
"Then the voice reached us."
"It gave us something to follow," Choukai added. "A direction. A reason to believe that someone was still searching for us. Well, they pretty much found me and Maya later."
Takao's expression hardened as she recalled the past.
"We tried to find its source. But the Sirens ambushed us before we could reach him."
She paused.
"We were nearly destroyed."
Atago continued the story.
"Then Shikikan-sama came to our aid."
"He found us when we had nothing left," Takao said. "No supplies. No equipment. No safe harbor. He didn't treat us as abandoned weapons or remnants of a forgotten war."
Her voice softened.
"He welcomed us into his fleet."
Maya nodded.
"He recruited us when we had nowhere else to go."
The four maids listened in silence.
Sheffield's eyes widened.
"Is he the Commander Head Maid Belfast serves now?"
"Yes," Takao replied.
Sheffield's breath caught.
"Belfast and Illustrious…"
"They were recruited after Shikikan-sama found Yorktown and Laffey," Takao explained. "They joined him before he found us."
Atago added,
"He also preserved the Wisdom Cubes of Queen Elizabeth, Warspite, and Valiant. Vowing to revive them one day."
The maids froze.
"Her Majesty…" Gloucester whispered.
Takao nodded.
"Queen Elizabeth is still waiting for the day she can return."
Manchester's hands tightened at her sides.
"And Warspite?"
"She is waiting as well," Takao answered. "Their cubes were protected. Shikikan-sama never abandoned them."
For a moment, none of the maids spoke.
The possibility was almost too great to comprehend.
Their Queen might still exist.
Their lost comrades might still have a future.
Sheffield looked down, visibly struggling to contain her emotions.
"If Belfast is with him…"
Her voice trembled.
"If he gathered the others together once more…"
Sheffield raised her eyes toward Takao.
"Then if he ever calls upon us, please take us to him."
Manchester, Gloucester, and Liverpool exchanged solemn glances.
Then, one after another, they nodded.
The head maid of the Royal Navy served Takao's Commander willingly.
That alone was enough to settle the matter.
If Belfast had chosen to place her trust in him, then there was no reason for them to reject the organization in which the Takao sisters served.
Sheffield straightened.
"We will join the GDI."
Manchester nodded.
"If your Commander is truly gathering the remnants of our fleet, then we want to stand with him. As our new master."
Gloucester placed a hand over her heart.
"For Her Majesty. For Belfast. And for everyone still waiting to be found."
Liverpool gave a tired but determined smile.
"Besides, anyone capable of saving us from this situation can't be all bad."
Takao looked at the four maids.
Then she gave them a respectful nod.
"That's up for Shikikan-sama to decide. You'll meet him soon enough. He'll be here soon."
The Royal Navy had found a new Commander. They might have found him sooner if they had not been forced to flee from one crisis to another.
"But then the Raptures attacked the island," Manchester said.
"They wanted the geothermal energy beneath the volcano," Sheffield added. "They began clearing the island so they could harvest it."
Her hands tightened.
"Edinburgh, Newcastle, Glasgow, KanColle Akashi, Asahi, and KanColle Prinz Eugen were supposed to escape with us."
She paused.
"They didn't make it out in time."
Liverpool lowered her head.
"We had no ammunition left. No ship equipment. Nothing."
She looked at her hands.
"We were basically sitting ducks."
Sheffield continued.
"They stayed behind to cover our escape."
The room grew quiet.
Manchester stared at the map.
"We used whatever fuel we had left to get somewhere…"
She gave a small, bitter laugh.
"Anywhere."
Her eyes became distant.
"We lost our second home."
She swallowed.
"We couldn't even protect Edin. They stayed behind so we could escape."
Gloucester's expression softened.
"And then we heard Bel was alive."
She looked toward Sheffield.
"And that she was on her way to save them."
A long breath escaped her.
"We were glad."
Sheffield nodded.
"It felt as though a weight had been lifted from our shoulders."
Liverpool quietly added,
"After everything we'd lost, knowing Belfast was alive was the first good news we'd had in a long time."
Takao exchanged a brief glance with her sisters.
Then Manchester spoke again.
"We didn't know this village existed."
She pointed toward the western coastline on Lola's map.
"We were ambushed by a Siren fleet offshore."
Atago raised an eyebrow.
"Sirens?"
Manchester nodded.
"But something unexpected happened."
She looked toward Sheffield.
"The Arcane Shipgirl came to our aid once more."
Takao's eyes narrowed with interest.
"The same one who came to our aid ten years ago," Manchester continued. "She was also the one who brought KanColle Akashi, Asahi, and KanColle Prinz Eugen to us."
Sheffield nodded.
"She arrived too late to prevent Edinburgh's capture."
Her expression became solemn.
"But she stayed behind and covered our escape. She faced the entire Siren fleet alone while we fled."
Manchester looked at Takao.
"She gave us enough time to make our way here."
Sheffield studied the four sisters.
"I take it this isn't the first time you've heard of an Arcane Shipgirl?"
"It isn't," Sheffield answered herself after seeing their expressions.
Atago nodded.
"The GDI has one as well."
Manchester and Gloucester looked at her.
Atago continued.
"We retrieved her from a sanctuary island far from here."
Her voice carried a hint of fondness.
"That was where we rescued Prinz Eugen, Admiral Hipper, Javelin, and Cocoa."
Sheffield listened carefully.
"She was a hidden Shipgirl living on that island. A Shipgirl capable of using magic. Just like the one who found you."
Atago smiled faintly.
"She calls herself Kaguya—the Fox Arcane of the East of the Sakura Empire."
Manchester blinked.
"Kaguya?"
Gloucester's eyes widened.
"Arcane of the East?"
She looked toward Sheffield.
"The one who found and helped us was called the Arcane of the North."
The four sisters exchanged looks.
Sheffield continued.
"She was the one who helped us survive."
Her expression softened.
"She would send food supplies to us once every few months."
Takao's attention sharpened.
"Her name?"
Sheffield looked toward her.
"We called her Iris."
The name hung in the room.
"Iris…" Atago repeated.
She looked at her sisters.
"Maybe Kaguya-san would know something."
Manchester looked at her curiously.
Atago continued.
"She told us she was familiar with all of the Arcane Shipgirls."
Her eyes returned to Sheffield.
"If Iris truly is an Arcane Shipgirl from the North, Kaguya-san may know who she is."
Takao nodded.
"We'll ask her once the mission is over."
The room fell silent again.
For a moment, everyone simply looked at the map.
Two groups of survivors, separated by distance and years, had unknowingly been touched by the same mysterious existence.
And now, for the first time, they had a chance to uncover the truth.
Sheffield's eyes widened.
"Javelin still lives?"
The name brought back memories of the sanctuary island and the strange Arcane Shipgirl who had found them all those years ago.
Sheffield looked toward Atago.
"I know Hipper and Eugen… but who is Cocoa?"
Atago answered.
"She's a Nikke. Artificial humans created by humans about ten years ago, when they escaped underground."
Babushka's expression changed.
"There are humans underground as well?"
"Yes," Atago replied. "Some of them survived by living under the control and influence of the Raptures and Sirens."
She pointed toward the map.
"Others built an underground civilization of their own. They call themselves the Ark."
The room grew quiet.
"There are also humans who live beneath the sea," Atago continued. "They call themselves citizens of Aqua."
Gloucester stared at her.
"Humans underground and under the sea…"
She shook her head slightly.
"What are Nikkes?"
Atago took a moment to explain.
"According to the Nikkes within the GDI, the Ark created Nikkes as a successor to humanity's protection after shipgirls."
She folded her arms.
"They couldn't replicate Wisdom Cube technology, but through it, they developed something called a Bastion Cube. It could harbor life."
Maya added,
"They used those Bastion Cubes to create Nikkes."
Atago nodded.
"They're essentially a downgraded counterpart to us. The Ark couldn't create Shipgirls, so they created Nikkes with the technology they had available."
Babushka listened carefully before finally speaking.
"If this old lady may ask…"
She gestured toward the insignia on Takao's shoulder.
"What exactly is this Global Defense Initiative?"
Her eyes focused on the Diving Eagle.
"And that symbol you all wear?"
Takao glanced down at the insignia.
Atago answered first.
"Like Sheffield and her sisters, we are Shipgirls as well."
She looked toward the Royal Navy maids.
"We used to belong to a combined fleet called Azur Lane."
Takao continued.
"But GDI came two weeks ago."
The maids listened intently.
"A High Commander leading an organization equipped with technology far beyond anything we had ever seen."
She gestured toward the golden armor covering her body.
"He began recruiting us."
"Not just us," Maya added. "He called upon the Nikkes as well."
Takao nodded.
"He was gathering everyone he could find. Shipgirls. Nikkes. Survivors."
She looked around the office.
"Anyone willing to stand together."
Before anyone could respond, the door suddenly opened.
"Babushka!"
One of the resistance fighters rushed inside.
"The Rapture Black Hand forces from the park are coming here!"
Everyone immediately turned toward him.
"By air!"
The radio on the table suddenly crackled.
Friday's voice came through the communication system.
"Multiple hostile formations detected."
A holographic display activated above the table.
The image showed the area surrounding the cathedral.
A massive Rapture force was advancing from the park.
Mobile artillery platforms were moving into position.
Behind them came light tanks, APCs, buggies, and flame tanks.
But the vehicles weren't traveling on their own.
Rapture helicopters were carrying them through the air, dropping them directly around the cathedral.
More helicopters followed.
Then the display showed something even worse.
Rapture walkers.
Dozens of them.
Babushka stared at the projection.
The resistance fighters around her went pale.
"They brought everything…"
The distant sound of engines began to grow louder.
Then came the first explosions.
BOOM!
The cathedral trembled.
Takao immediately turned toward the others.
"Everyone, get ready."
Babushka stepped forward.
"Ladies…"
Her voice was firm, but there was desperation beneath it.
"We couldn't ask more from you."
She looked toward the cathedral doors.
"But we are asking."
Her gaze moved around the room.
"This cathedral is filled with old men, women, and children."
Her voice cracked slightly.
"People who cannot fight."
She clenched her fists.
"Don't let them destroy us."
A distant explosion shook the building again.
"Don't let anyone else die."
Takao looked at her.
Then she gave a calm nod.
"Leave them to us."
She turned toward Sheffield.
"The reunion will have to wait."
Sheffield understood immediately.
Takao raised her voice.
"Sisters! Spread out!"
Atago, Maya, and Choukai immediately moved.
Sheffield turned toward the resistance fighters.
"Everyone, spread out!"
Then she looked at Babushka.
"Babushka! Take shelter inside the cathedral. Seal all the doors!"
The resistance fighters began moving.
Outside, the battle erupted.
BOOOOOOM!
Another artillery shell struck nearby.
Screaming could be heard from inside the cathedral as civilians panicked.
The Royal Navy maids moved into position.
Gloucester, Liverpool, and Manchester climbed to elevated positions overlooking the surrounding streets.
They raised their Ramjet Rifles.
CLICK.
The rifles locked into firing configuration.
Below them, resistance fighters took positions behind barricades, windows, ruined vehicles, and stone walls.
Then the Rapture helicopters arrived.
WHUP-WHUP-WHUP-WHUP—
Several transports flew over the cathedral.
Their cargo bays opened.
Dozens of Rapture droids dropped from the sky.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
They hit the ground and immediately began advancing.
More transports followed.
This time, they dropped armored vehicles.
Light tanks.
APCs.
Buggies.
And flame tanks.
Atago raised her hacking module.
"Target the flame tanks! Turn their weapons against the droids."
She immediately sprinted toward one of the advancing vehicles.
"We'll handle them!"
Maya and Choukai moved toward the sky.
"We'll target the helicopters!" Maya called.
Choukai nodded.
"Leave the air support to us!"
The resistance fighters opened fire.
"Leave the droids to us!"
Rifles and machine guns erupted across the defensive line.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The first wave of Rapture droids fell.
But the enemy numbers seemed endless.
More helicopters appeared.
More tanks descended.
More droids flooded into the streets.
And then—
BOOOOOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the cathedral.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Another shell followed.
BOOOOOOM!
The windows shook violently.
Outside, the mobile artillery platforms had begun their bombardment.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The cathedral's walls trembled under the relentless barrage.
Takao looked toward the artillery positions.
Her expression hardened.
They couldn't be everywhere.
The sisters could engage the tanks.
They could intercept the helicopters.
They could protect the resistance.
But there were simply too many targets.
Takao looked toward the cathedral.
Inside were hundreds of civilians.
Children.
The elderly.
The wounded.
People who had nowhere else to go.
Another artillery shell screamed through the air.
WHOOOOOSH—
Takao looked upward.
For the first time since arriving in the village, she realized the situation was becoming too large for even the four sisters to handle alone.
She clenched her fist.
Then she reached for her communicator.
"Shikikan-sama…"
Her voice became quieter.
"We really need you."
The four sisters immediately moved.
Their hacking systems activated, interfacing with the command networks of the Rapture vehicles surrounding the cathedral.
BEEP—BEEP—
One by one, the captured machines began responding.
The Rapture light tanks suddenly stopped advancing.
Their turrets rotated.
Then—
BOOM!
One of the tanks opened fire on the Rapture droids behind it.
Another tank followed.
BOOM! BOOM!
The battlefield descended into chaos as Rapture machines turned against their own forces.
APCs swung their mounted weapons toward the droids.
Buggies accelerated through the streets, running over clusters of Rapture infantry.
Even the flame tanks turned around.
Their weapons ignited.
FWOOSH!
Streams of fire swept across the advancing droids.
The pressure on the cathedral immediately began to ease.
Then the helicopters carrying the Rapture vehicles began behaving strangely.
One transport helicopter suddenly banked sharply.
Its weapons turned toward another Rapture formation.
RATATATATAT!
It opened fire.
Another helicopter followed.
Then another.
The helicopters that had arrived to destroy the cathedral had suddenly become its air support.
Maya grinned.
"They're ours!"
Choukai nodded.
"Keep them coming!"
The skies became a battlefield of their own.
Rapture helicopters attacked Rapture ground forces.
Captured tanks defended the cathedral.
APCs and buggies moved through the streets, cutting down droids.
For a brief moment, it looked as though the tide had turned.
But there was still one problem.
The droids.
There were simply too many of them.
The resistance fighters continued firing from their defensive positions.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Droids poured through the streets despite the losses.
Every time one group was destroyed, another appeared behind it.
The sisters could control the vehicles, but they couldn't be everywhere at once.
Then—
Something massive fell from the sky.
BOOOOOOM!
One of the captured Rapture tanks was crushed beneath an enormous impact.
The vehicle buckled violently.
Its armor folded inward.
The tank was destroyed almost instantly.
Everyone nearby froze.
A huge figure slowly rose from the wreckage.
Dark.
Massive.
Humanoid.
Its body was covered in layers of black nanomaterial that constantly shifted beneath its surface, flowing like living metal.
The creature stood roughly 8 feet, 2 inches to 8 feet, 5 inches tall.
It was larger than the soldiers surrounding it.
Broader than any normal human.
A savage brute of a mutation.
The remaining Rapture vehicles immediately turned their weapons toward it.
BOOM!
Tank shells struck its body.
The impacts barely slowed it.
The dark nanomaterial absorbed the damage.
The creature charged.
BOOM!
It slammed into the nearest tank.
The armored vehicle was thrown sideways as though it weighed nothing.
Another tank fired.
The brute caught the front of it.
Its hands dug into the armor.
With a roar, it lifted the vehicle and hurled it aside.
CRAAAAASH!
The resistance fighters stared in horror.
"What the hell is that?!"
The creature slowly turned toward them.
Its body continued to mutate, nanomaterial crawling over its limbs and reshaping itself with every movement.
Then it spoke.
A distorted, monstrous voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Maggots!"
It slammed one massive fist into the ground.
BOOM!
Dust and debris erupted around it.
"Come and face me."
Atago's eyes widened.
Takao froze.
Maya and Choukai stared at the creature.
They recognized that voice.
"Mendoza…?" Choukai whispered.
The monster raised its head.
The once-human face of Carlos Mendoza was barely recognizable beneath the mutation.
The limiter had been removed.
The Rapture enhancement had completely overwhelmed his body.
He was no longer simply an enhanced human.
He had become something else.
Something monstrous.
Mendoza roared and charged another captured tank.
BOOOOOOM!
The tank was torn apart.
Atago tightened her grip on her weapon.
Her expression became serious.
"That's him."
Takao nodded.
"Mendoza."
Maya's eyes narrowed.
"He's completely mutated."
Choukai swallowed.
"And he's stronger than before."
Another captured vehicle opened fire.
Mendoza simply charged through the barrage.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The explosions engulfed him.
Then he emerged from the smoke.
Unharmed.
He grabbed the vehicle and ripped it apart.
The four sisters exchanged glances.
They had fought Mendoza before.
They had beaten him.
But this was different.
This was no longer the man they had fought earlier.
This thing was an uncontrollable brute, its body sustained by a seemingly endless mass of Rapture nanotechnology.
Takao's expression hardened.
They could fight him.
They could probably even hurt him.
But there was one problem.
They couldn't use their full power here.
Their Ship Modes were their greatest weapons.
And activating them in the middle of the village would be catastrophic.
The cathedral was filled with civilians.
The resistance fighters were scattered throughout the streets.
There were wounded people everywhere.
A full-scale Shipgirl engagement would put all of them in danger.
Atago looked toward the cathedral.
"We can't use our Ship Modes."
Maya nodded.
"Not here."
Choukai tightened her grip.
"If we release that much power…"
"The civilians will be caught in it," Takao finished.
Mendoza roared again.
He threw another destroyed Rapture vehicle aside.
"COME ON!"
His voice echoed across the battlefield.
"FOUR GOLDEN BITCHES!"
He pounded his fists together.
"You wanted to fight me!"
The sisters remained silent.
Mendoza lowered himself into a charging stance.
"THEN COME AND FACE ME!"
Takao stared at the monster.
For the first time since the battle began, she felt something she rarely allowed herself to feel.
Uncertainty.
They were strong.
Their armor was powerful.
Their weapons were advanced.
But without their Ship Modes, they couldn't unleash everything they had.
And Mendoza knew it.
He had transformed precisely because he knew he needed more power than they could safely use here.
Atago looked toward Takao.
"So, Takao-nee…"
Takao said nothing.
Maya and Choukai waited.
The monster began charging.
BOOOOOOM!
Takao raised her weapon.
The four sisters prepared themselves.
They would have to stop him somehow.
But they couldn't do it alone.
============
"Sir… Veronica has arrived."
Jarvis's voice came through the communications system.
Yuuki and Yuu immediately looked upward.
High above the battlefield, something had entered the planet's orbit.
It wasn't a human.
It wasn't a GDI operative.
And it certainly wasn't a combat maid like Arisa.
It was Veronica.
A mobile service module deployed from the Philadelphia Space Station.
Yuuki had designed Veronica specifically for situations like this—a mobile support platform capable of responding rapidly to battlefield emergencies and delivering specialized equipment directly to GDI personnel.
Inside its storage compartments were massive armor systems, including the Mark 44 and Mark 48 platforms.
More importantly, Veronica carried automatically assembled components based on the Iron Man Mark XLIV armor, allowing it to construct and customize a Hulkbuster-class combat platform in real time.
Yuu looked toward Yuuki.
Yuuki smiled faintly.
"Yuu, I hope you're ready to enter the Hulkbuster."
Yuu's eyes widened slightly.
"You made one for me?"
"One specifically designed to fit your Mark 49."
Yuu smiled.
"I am ready, Chief."
She tightened her grip.
"I'll watch your back."
Below them, the village came into view.
Smoke rose from the streets.
Explosions illuminated the battlefield.
The cathedral remained under heavy attack.
And somewhere beneath the smoke was the monstrous figure of Mendoza.
Jarvis spoke again.
"Sir, Mendoza appears to have entered a mutated stage."
Yuuki's expression immediately became serious.
He looked toward the battlefield.
"So that's what he did…"
He understood the situation instantly.
The four Takao sisters couldn't use their Ship Modes without putting the civilians and resistance fighters at tremendous risk.
Which meant they needed another option.
Yuuki looked toward Veronica.
"That's our cue."
He raised his communicator.
"Veronica, suit us up!"
The mobile service module immediately responded.
"COMMAND ACKNOWLEDGED."
Yuuki then turned toward the sky.
A familiar shape was already circling above them.
"Grimm!"
The massive eagle banked sharply.
"Provide us with aerial watch!"
Grimm gave a powerful cry.
SCREEEEEECH!
Its wings spread wide as it climbed higher, scanning the battlefield below.
Veronica descended.
The mobile service module opened its armored compartments.
Mechanical components detached from the platform one after another.
CLACK!
WHIRRRR—
KSSSHHH!
Armor plates, servos, power systems, and weapons assemblies separated from Veronica and accelerated toward Yuuki and Yuu.
The components surrounded them in midair.
One piece locked into place.
Then another.
Then another.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
The armor assembled itself around their bodies while they were still flying toward the village.
Yuuki's Mark 86 system became enclosed within the newly forming Hulkbuster armor.
Beside him, Yuu's Mark 49 Rescue Armor was fitted with its own reinforced Hulkbuster platform, specially adapted to preserve her medical and rescue capabilities while giving her the strength necessary for heavy combat.
The final armor plates locked into position.
K-CHUNK!
The two massive armored figures were almost complete.
Yuuki looked toward Yuu.
Yuu looked back.
Below them, the cathedral came into view.
The battlefield was already in chaos.
Rapture vehicles were fighting their former allies.
Resistance fighters were desperately holding the streets.
The Takao sisters were preparing to confront Mendoza.
And the mutated brute stood among the wreckage.
Yuuki cracked his knuckles inside the armor.
"Let's make an entrance."
The two Hulkbuster-armored GDI high command operatives accelerated toward the cathedral.
Behind them, Veronica began climbing back toward the upper skies while Grimm remained overhead, watching the skies.
The battlefield had just gained two very large reinforcements.
===========
Mendoza's senses suddenly felt wrong.
Something was coming.
He couldn't explain it.
His enhanced senses had been sharpened far beyond those of an ordinary human, yet whatever he was detecting seemed to move faster than his mind could process.
Then—
SHING!
A massive axe came descending from the sky.
A sword followed beside it.
Both weapons were spinning violently through the air, wrapped in crackling blue-white lightning.
Mendoza's instincts screamed.
He threw himself backward.
BOOM!
The axe slammed into the ground where he had been standing.
The sword struck a heartbeat later.
KRAAASH!
Electricity exploded across the battlefield as the two weapons continued spinning forward.
Mendoza looked up just in time to see them tear through the Rapture droids charging toward the cathedral.
SLASH!
One droid was cut cleanly in half.
CRACK!
Another was struck by the lightning surrounding the spinning weapons and collapsed instantly.
The axe and sword continued their trajectory, carving a path through the advancing droids before disappearing farther into the battlefield.
Mendoza stared after them.
"What…?"
Then he heard something behind him.
Laughter.
Not from the resistance.
Not from the Raptures.
Takao.
Atago.
Maya.
Choukai.
The four sisters had begun smiling.
Mendoza slowly turned toward them.
Takao's expression had changed completely.
The uncertainty that had been there moments ago was gone.
Atago's grin widened.
Maya looked almost amused.
Choukai's eyes brightened.
They knew exactly what had just arrived.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!
Two enormous figures descended from the sky.
The impact sent dust and debris racing across the street.
The ground shook beneath their feet.
When the dust began to clear, two monstrous suits stood before them.
They were not ordinary Iron Man armor.
They were enormous.
Extremely bulky and wide, their frames dwarfing standard Iron Man suits and built to operate on a scale comparable to the Hulk itself.
One was dominated by dark crimson-red armor, reinforced by massive golden-yellow plates across the chest, shoulders, arms, and legs.
The other carried a dark blue-and-gold color scheme, its armored silhouette equally massive and imposing.
Blue-white Arc Reactors glowed brightly from their chests.
Smaller reactors illuminated their palms and various joints throughout their frames.
Thick hydraulic lines ran between the armor plates.
Pneumatic systems hissed.
Heavy mechanical joints shifted beneath layers of reinforced plating.
Every movement carried the unmistakable sound of enormous machinery preparing for war.
Mendoza stared.
"What the hell are those?"
Above the battlefield, Veronica hovered in place.
The mobile support platform remained suspended overhead, its systems actively maintaining the connection with the two massive armors below.
Then the armor began moving.
WHIRRRR—
Mechanical components detached from Veronica.
CLACK!
The pieces descended toward the two figures.
One armor component locked around a shoulder.
Another connected to the chest.
Hydraulic assemblies wrapped around the arms and legs.
Additional plating folded over the existing Mark 86 and Mark 49 systems.
K-CHUNK!
K-CHUNK!
K-CHUNK!
The Hulkbuster platforms continued assembling themselves around their respective base suits.
Yuuki's Mark 86 disappeared beneath layers of crimson-red and gold armor.
Yuu's Mark 49 Rescue Armor was similarly enclosed within the dark-blue-and-gold platform.
The modular outer shells locked into place piece by piece, reinforcing the suits with enormous mechanical frames designed for overwhelming strength and durability.
KSSSSHHH—
Hydraulic systems pressurized.
WHUMMMMM—
The Arc Reactors surged as their massive helmet closed.
The two armored giants stood fully assembled.
For a moment, nobody moved.
The resistance fighters stared.
The Royal Navy maids stared.
Even some of the Rapture forces seemed to hesitate.
Mendoza slowly raised his head.
Two enormous armored figures stood between him and the cathedral.
Then the crimson-and-gold armor took a step forward.
THOOM.
Another step.
THOOM.
The armored figure raised one hand.
The voice that came from inside was unmistakably human.
Calm.
Confident.
And loud enough to carry across the entire battlefield.
"All right, everybody!"
The armor's glowing eyes focused on the battlefield.
"Stand down!"
The battlefield seemed to freeze.
Takao smiled.
Atago folded her arms.
Maya gave a satisfied grin.
Choukai exhaled in relief.
Their Shikikan-sama had arrived.
And this time, he had brought something big enough to fight a monster.