Azur Lane Mobile Front.

Inside the room, Shinano was already sitting by the window, gazing out at the view.

Hearing the noise from the doorway, she turned around and nodded to the two ships that had always loyally protected her.

"I have found the future that belongs to the Sakura Empire."

"Now, all of you, follow me to the Sacred Tree!"

"Lord Shinano, you have just awakened..."

Ryuhou found it extremely difficult to carry out Shinano's orders.

You should know that Sakura Empire is in complete chaos right now. Outside, Mikasa and the Divine Child are leading a fleet of ships in pursuit of Akagi and Kaga!

"I am aware of what has happened outside. You may all follow me."

Shinano's voice was ethereal, like an echo in a secluded valley, seemingly not of this world.

However, it's also clear that the Yamato-class aircraft carrier isn't in the best condition right now.

They exchanged a glance, Noshiro nodded, and took the lead in walking out of the residence in Shinano.

Noshiro took out his communicator and immediately contacted Mikasa, who was searching the surrounding waters.

"Mikasa-senpai, Lord Shinano has awakened!"

No need for many words; Noshiro only needs to briefly state the fact, and Mikasa will naturally understand everything.

"I see!"

Mikasa nodded, turned to Nagato beside her, and said, "Call everyone back. I'll figure out another way to deal with Akagi and Kaga."

"Senior, what's wrong?"

Nagato was puzzled.

"Shinano, she's awake."

...

The sacred tree in the sea surrounding the cherry blossoms.

After overcoming numerous hardships, Chicheng finally arrived here.

However, no sooner had she arrived than her pursuers caught up.

It was none other than the Shoukaku and Zuikaku sisters from the Fifth Carrier Division.

"Senior? You don't look too well."

Upon meeting, Shoukaku sent a concerned greeting to Akagi. However, her hands never stopped; the disproportionately large beam rifle was already in her hand, ready to attack Akagi at any moment.

Zuikaku, on the other hand, was much more straightforward. She didn't bother with Akagi at all and simply drew her ship-slaying sword, ready to deliver a fatal blow to Akagi at any moment.

Upon seeing Zuikaku, Akagi immediately realized that Kaga was likely in grave danger.

"Heh~ What's there to say now? If you want revenge, just come at me!"

The analysis of the barrier surrounding the sacred tree is not yet complete, and Akagi is definitely no match for the Fifth Carrier Division sisters at this moment.

Therefore, she needs to stall for time.

As for Shoukaku, she knew him too well.

As long as I strike up a conversation with her, she will definitely start talking to me obediently, but the consequence is that my blood pressure might be a little high.

"Oh dear, senpai, really. How could Shoukaku have a grudge against you?"

"Hasn't the senior always been very protective of Shoukaku?"

"Heh~"

Akagi responded to Shoukaku's answer with a cold laugh.

Anyway, there's nothing more to say.

"Shokaku-nee, she's stalling for time!"

Zuikaku couldn't stand it anymore; her older sister always seemed to be in this situation whenever she faced her seniors from the First Carrier Division.

As soon as Zuikaku finished speaking, one Siren ship after another surfaced on the water.

However, the quantity was quite different from what Akagi had expected.

"Oh? Senior, you've been dragging this out for so long just for this? You really disappoint me."

Seeing the few scattered Sirens on the sea, Shoukaku was too lazy to waste time with Akagi. The DRAGOON riders behind him flew out and fired a volley of shots at the Sirens on the sea.

A series of explosions rang out, and several sirens wrecked ships appeared on the sea.

Compared to Shoukaku's strategy of clearing out mobs before fighting the boss, Zuikaku's approach is much more direct.

She grabbed her greatsword, activated the Radiant Transmitter, and charged straight at Akagi.

Even though Akagi had witnessed Zuikaku's astonishing speed once before, he still broke out in a cold sweat.

There was no time to take any measures to stop it; the only thing to do was to rely on instinct to avoid it!

Just as Zuikaku's greatsword was about to touch his body, Akagi rolled on the sea surface, soaking his magnificent clothes, but Zuikaku's attack still missed.

However, as one of the most capable fighters in the Sakura Empire, Zuikaku naturally had a contingency plan for this situation.

She scooped up her right foot and delivered a powerful whip kick, striking Akagi squarely in the waist, sending him flying like a pebble across the sea and creating a series of ripples.

Then, he drew his Blade of Light from his shoulders, which transformed into two sharp throwing knives, and hurled them from the left and right sides toward the direction Akagi was heading.

Just as the Blade was about to touch Akagi, Akagi finally completed the process of analyzing the Sacred Tree Barrier.

Two shields made of runes blocked the way in front of the Blade of Light.

Although it shattered in just one second, turning into sparkling specks of light in the air, for Akagi, that one second was enough.

Chapter 168: Shoukaku's Ruthless Method

Thanks to the protective barrier surrounding the sacred tree, Akagi successfully evaded Zuikaku's attack.

The petals falling from the sacred tree began to dance rhythmically toward the direction of the Shoukaku and Zuikaku, scattering tiny points of fluorescent light that looked exceptionally beautiful in the night sky.

Having witnessed the Shokaku sisters' barrier before, I naturally know that these petals can be transformed into weapons for attack.

Moreover, when it comes to firepower, Shoukaku believes it is second to none.

Eleven DRAGOON units were launched simultaneously. With its two forms of DRAGOON, Shokaku even surpassed the Enterprise's Strike Freedom in terms of firepower network.

In just one salvo, Shokaku fired more than forty beams of light.

The dazzling beam of light illuminated the midnight sea as if it were daytime, even causing Akagi to unconsciously squint.

Such a terrifying barrage of firepower, and Shoukaku still keeps using it continuously. Even Akagi has to admit, it's outrageous.

The flowers of the Sacred Tree can transform into light projectiles, and its leaves can transform into shields.

These factors provided Akagi with considerable assistance during his operations and those of the Fifth Carrier Division.

More than once, Akagi narrowly avoided attacks by relying on the leaf shield.

However! The sacred tree itself was in poor condition due to Akagi's previous actions, resulting in some sparse branches and leaves.

Furthermore, due to the vast difference in strength, Akagi was forced to frequently use the power of the Sacred Tree.

The result was naturally—Yushinki: Screw you, I quit!

The sacred tree, which already had very little left, was completely depleted by Akagi's relentless exploitation and soon went on strike.

"Senior, please don't make things difficult for the Divine Tree anymore~"

Shoukaku deliberately put away its weapons and floated leisurely in mid-air.

Looking at the huge but bare sacred tree, Shoukaku felt a pang of heartache. She had loved coming here to admire the scenery for a long time.

Zuikaku had been observing the whole time, while Shoukaku hadn't had a proper fight since changing its uniform.

This time, the target is Akagi, who almost made Shoukaku-nee retire.

As a younger sister, one should naturally give her older sister as much as possible.

Moreover, the order given by their own commander was—fire at will, just don't let her escape.

So Zuikaku simply floated to the side and enjoyed watching Shoukaku's heroic fighting posture.

Perhaps having grown tired of the DRAGOON system, Shoukaku unexpectedly recalled all the DRAGOONs that had previously overwhelmed Akagi.

Then, she pulled out a beam saber that was ridiculously large.

Akagi was so frightened that the fur on its tail stood on end.

"Oh~ Shoukaku-nee wants to practice swordsmanship!"

Zuikaku stood there, practically begging for a few slices of watermelon.

Given the current situation, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Akagi's defeat is only a matter of time.

Besides, I still have myself!

"I wonder how things are going on the commander's end~"

Robo had actually informed Shoukaku and Zuikaku about Sakura Empire's actions.

Surprisingly, the two of them did not show any opposition whatsoever; in fact, they even expressed their hope that the commander would go to greater lengths.

Rob exclaimed that Sakura Empire was incredibly lucky to have the two of them.

Ever since Shoukaku charged forward with her giant beam saber to engage Akagi in close combat, Akagi actually felt that her situation was worse than when she was enveloped in a barrage of fire.

As a traditional mage, he doesn't focus on power.

Akagi's close-combat skills...

To put it simply, her company is even weaker than Rob's, which just started out. Because she can't even manage to make a powerful brick-throwing machine.

To avenge the previous arrow wound, Shoukaku deliberately avoided aiming for fatal spots.

She specifically stuck the paste onto Akagi's tail.

In no time, Akagi's once fluffy, red tail was covered with burn marks.

Just as Shoukaku was pondering his next move, a Sakura Empire fleet approached from afar.

This fleet was officially the Sakura Empire fleet led by Shinano.

All the ships at the ceremony venue, including Mikasa, Nagato, and the Takao Sisters, are here.

Shinano glanced at the huge sacred tree in the distance. Although it looked a bit strange, fortunately, there was nothing seriously wrong with it.

Before waking up, Shinano dreamed more than once of the sacred tree, which held great significance for the Sakura Empire, burning in flames.

However, each time, Shinano failed to see the reason for the burning of the sacred tree.

Shinano once thought that it was just one node among countless branch worlds.

However, her intuition told her that the Sacred Tree was about to be destroyed.

Now that the sacred tree is still intact, Shinano's worries have subsided.

"There's the sound of gunfire ahead!"

Hibiki, acting as a scout, was the first to spot the movement ahead.

"It seems that Akagi has escaped here?"

Upon hearing the news from the front, the Sakura Empire fleet was abuzz with discussion.

Now that Akagi has been found, this farce should be coming to an end soon, right?

This is what all the ships present were thinking.

It should be noted that after this series of events, all the Sakura Empire ships that had experienced them were exhausted, both physically and mentally.

Now, all they want is to finish quickly, then find a place to get a good night's sleep.

Under Shinano's orders, the Sakura Empire crew increased their speed and headed towards the Sacred Tree.

Unbeknownst to them, from three directions—Robo, the Northern Alliance, and the Eagle Union fleet—they were already approaching the Sakura Empire's homeland.

"This is the Eastern Empire Fleet. Our unit has reached its designated position. Please report your location."

To achieve the best possible combat results, Rob and the other two sides briefed each other on their situation before the operation.

"Kid, I was delayed a bit. It will probably take another half hour to get to the designated location."