For carriers, their aircraft were like familiars—they could sense information through them, even if the aircraft didn't belong to them.
Other shipgirls, however, could not.
Hikaru tapped his finger toward Ella. "Go ask Yamato if she knows what those people came here for."
Privately, he was annoyed. These people were nothing but trouble.
Ella hurried off and quickly returned, stammering her report. "She doesn't know at all. Alaska and the others never had any connection with her before."
As an instructor with no combat power, Ella had never carried such an important task—acting as a battlefield liaison!
Without noticing Ella's little excitement, Hikaru frowned in thought, then made his decision.
"I've decided we still need to save them. Guide them this way and break through the blockade. It's over two hundred nautical miles—then blast a path open if you have to. You'll take full command of the operation, but everything is secondary to the safety of our people. If it can't be done, you abandon the attempt immediately."
Bismarck received the order firmly, snapped to attention, and saluted before turning to leave.
"Wait," Hikaru stopped her, pulling out a stack of seven Quick Repairs and two Elite Damage Control Fairies.
"These just came in as part of my supply rewards. Take them and distribute as you see fit. Don't be stingy with the tools. I also have some flexible reserves left—at most I can add another five damage controls and ten quick repairs, or if it's only quick repairs, up to a hundred and ten more."
Quick Repairs in the shop cost 100 diamonds for ten, and Hikaru currently had 1,180 diamonds. If he converted them all, he'd have quite the stockpile.
This was, in fact, part of the original tactical plan: a war of attrition.
On paper it sounded insane—just ten or so shipgirls of a single base against over a million Abyssals. But if you factored in a hundred or more Quick Repairs, that was effectively a hundred extra lives. Suddenly, the numbers didn't look so bad.
The downside of Quick Repairs compared to Elite Damage Control Fairies was that they couldn't be used in combat, nor did they provide an absolute defense shield. That was why Hikaru hadn't immediately converted his diamonds to quick repairs—if the fairies ran short, they couldn't be replaced.
Bismarck accepted the pile of items, a rare smile flickering across her face.
"This gives us far more room for tactics. I will bring you victory."
Before, their usable stock had been ten damage controls and only three quick repairs. With seven more added at once, Bismarck suddenly had the freedom to consider bolder strategies—like using bait. At worst, it cost a single fairy. Just one-tenth of their reserves.
As for why Hikaru could pull out such miraculous tools, the shipgirls were long past surprise. Every month their regular sortie missions involved raiding Abyssal transport ships for their clothing. Collect enough—hundreds of pieces—and their Commander would somehow hand back powerful cannons, aircraft, and enhancement tools.
The best performers even received costume rewards.
The strongest A-2 bombers, a whole batch of +12 anti-air fighters, Tallboy bombs, and countless other equipment had come that way.
In fact, the warehouse still held neat stacks of hundreds of garments stripped from Abyssal destroyers, all hoarded up unused. What Hikaru planned to do with them, no one knew.
Hearing the situation explained, Veneto tilted her head up with a smile.
"Then this is the perfect time for my debut. A single thunderclap in the sky, and the savior appears in all her glory! Commander, let me lead the rescue!"
Of course, Veneto had her own motives. Though she'd only just joined, she knew from cross-world reports that this defensive battle would bring medals and MVP rewards.
Already behind Bismarck and Saratoga in contributions, Veneto had no intention of letting this chance slip away.
"No. You stay here at the base!"
The one to refuse immediately wasn't Bismarck—it was Hikaru.
Seeing the resentment in her eyes, Hikaru quickly softened his tone.
"You're my trump card. The Abyssals don't know yet that our base has someone like you. If you take the field, it has to be at the decisive moment, the one blow that turns everything. Unless the base itself is under direct assault, you cannot act."
Bismarck nodded in agreement.
"That was my thought as well. Commander, you still have six summons remaining, don't you?"
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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