With Changchun's missiles unleashed, the three carrier shipgirls exchanged glances and gave a firm nod—it was time for them to act as well.
They were under even more buffs than Changchun. Behind them, Prince of Wales silently unfurled the [Atlantic Charter]. Changchun had already activated her tactic [Full Deck Assault], and the carriers themselves added their own skills and tactics into the mix.
Ranger's skill that boosted bombing power only applied to herself, while Lexington linked her mind with her two sisters-in-arms, directing them to coordinate their carrier aircraft into tactical formations.
This was her skill [Pioneer of Aerial Tactics], which increased the firepower of all carrier aircraft in the fleet by 15%.
Saratoga also possessed this skill, but since her elder sister had taken command, the flagship carrier of the base focused solely on output. She activated [Robin], which boosted her own carrier aircraft firepower by 7% for each allied carrier in the formation.
Unfortunately, with only two partners by her side, she couldn't reproduce her peak performance. The thought left Saratoga faintly regretful.
Hundreds of six-star bombers—B-25s and A-2s—formed up and, under the escort of Lexington's F9F Panthers, cut through the swarm of Abyssal carrier planes like a hot knife through butter. The formation punched straight toward the heart of the Abyssal carrier fleet.
But the Abyssals weren't defenseless. Tens of thousands of fighters surged upward to intercept.
They, however, struck nothing but empty air.
The strength of six-star hero aircraft lay in their overwhelming superiority in one-on-one combat. In other words, against swarms of Abyssal one- and two-star junk planes, they could pass unchallenged, arriving and departing as they pleased.
Only an idiot would line up for "shoot me, then I'll shoot you" exchanges.
Lexington certainly wasn't that kind of idiot. Under her command, the bombers scattered like startled bats, breaking into pairs and diving toward high-value targets—those Abyssal carriers with level 90 training or above.
Identifying them was simple: if their rigging gleamed with rainbow-colored lines, they were above level 90. Even gold-tier five-star "skins" had a high chance of being 90+.
That was one of the defining traits of Abyssal shipgirls: unlike regular shipgirls who needed refits to improve rarity, Abyssal units increased their rarity naturally as their training levels rose.
As the bombers spread out, Lexington's Panther fighters also got to work.
Tens of thousands of Abyssal planes blotted the sky like black storm clouds, but rainbow-trailing hero fighters moved among them like seabirds gliding through the gale—free, unrestrained, unassailable.
Lexington split her focus, commanding bombers to release their payloads while directing fighters to scatter and pick off Abyssal flagship squadrons.
Battleships could carry aircraft as well. Tirpitz, for example, had a capacity of twelve. But since she had no talent for aerial combat, a battleship equipping fighters was generally a waste—at most they would carry reconnaissance seaplanes.
The Abyssals were different. Their battleships often slotted a flight deck alongside three main guns, as if it gave them a sense of security—refusing to rely entirely on subordinates. They trusted only their own strength. Allies? Those were just cannon fodder.
And it was precisely these Abyssal battleship squadrons that Lexington targeted.
Not because their aircraft posed a real threat—their battleship-mounted bombers were useless, and even their scouts were irrelevant.
This was about morale.
Victory in this defense wouldn't come from attrition; it would hinge on duels between champions. But shredding the Abyssal flagships' token air wings could still deal them a psychological blow.
And that was enough.
Lexington pushed harder, driving her aircraft into the fray like tigers among sheep, tearing through Abyssal wings without pause.
Meanwhile, nearly a hundred rainbow-trailing aircraft patrolled high above the fleet.
They were the defensive screen—ready to intercept any Abyssal squadrons that might attempt a sneak strike against the base itself.
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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