Azur Lane Under the Stars

Page 447

“Cool, cool, cool! Since you are so eager to participate in the trial of fate, then I will give you the most magnificent trial!” York struck his standard pose and said in a deep voice.

York glanced knowingly at Exeter, who understood: "She means... she agreed, but she'll go all out. You don't have any objections to that, do you?"

York, unaware of the seriousness of the situation, nodded excitedly: "Of course, it would be meaningless if it weren't a practice against an opponent going all out."

York, caught up in her excitement, didn't notice the Duke of York looking at her with pity.

York thought that Duke York was very powerful and fully trained, but surely not everyone in this port was fully trained? Putting aside the resource issue, there were so many powerful front-line characters in the port, no matter how you ranked them, it shouldn't be the Royal's Duke York.

So I figured that even if York was strong, he wasn't several levels stronger than me, and I still had a fighting chance.

York didn't know, but Lützow, judging from the Duke of York's behavior, guessed a thing or two and couldn't help but show a look of anticipation.

After a hearty meal, Lützow wandered around with his pillow, and soon encountered Deutschland and Tallinn taking a stroll.

The three of them started chatting, and there was a lot to talk about regarding the entanglements between them, including the entanglements over their names.

Zuikaku, wearing a beach dress and holding a cold drink, walked by and smiled as she looked at the three people who were seriously discussing something: "Are these three Lützows having a meeting?"

"Shut up, you flat-feathered beast! Believe me or not, I'll have my guards come and beat you to death!" Deutsche glared and immediately switched to his "Zu'an mode."

"Flat-flat-haired beast? Me?" Zuikaku pointed at himself incredulously. "Say that again? Believe me or not, I'll have you scattered before your guards even arrive?"

"Try it! I still have Tallinn here!" The Germans were not flustered at all. An aircraft carrier, at such close range, you think you can defeat two highly trained front-line units? You'd probably be taken down by us before your planes even have a chance to take off.

However, Germany clearly failed to realize that the aircraft carrier in front of them was an anomaly. Although it was an aircraft carrier, it wasn't like Akagi or Kaga, who were mages, or like Enterprise, who were ADCs. This was a melee fighter wielding a giant watermelon knife.

Tallinn took a step back, pulling Lützow along with him, implying that the matter had nothing to do with him, and gestured to Zuikaku to let him go.

Ruihe immediately smiled happily. Although her older sister forbade her from hitting other girls without a reason... she couldn't be blamed for offering herself up to be hit, could she?

So Zuikaku happily accepted the gift, and incidentally returned the favor to Germany with a severe beating.

Germany, covered in bruises, gazed at the back of Zuikaku, who looked relaxed and carefree in the distance. He then pointed tremblingly at Tallinn, his face filled with grief and indignation: "Why did you sell me out?"

Tallinn said matter-of-factly, “I don’t think the two of us can beat Hitoshiro in close combat… unless we use ship equipment, but if you do that, you’re just asking to get a spanking from Frederick the Great.”

"You traitor!" Germany felt even more aggrieved.

"Ahem... Lüzov, where were we?" Tallinn's eyes darted around, pretending not to hear.

“We were talking about…” Lützow was very cooperative.

…………

"This port area is so lively."

Strolling on the beach, with the sound of waves crashing against the shore and a gentle sea breeze in her ears, accompanied by the cheerful laughter of the ship girls around her, York had never felt so relaxed and at ease.

“Haha, everyone’s on vacation, so it’s quite lively,” Exeter explained.

"By the way, if your port area is on holiday, what about the patrols and routine mopping-up operations in the surrounding area?" York asked curiously.

"Well, let me tell you, the fish in the port area like to wander around and chase each other in the open and near seas when they have nothing to do, or catch fish or something. So they also take on patrol duties. They are all fully trained submarines, and the detection system has been optimized, so they basically won't miss a single corner in the near seas."

Exeter explained, "Also, there are combat maniacs in the port area who like to fight, so while everyone else is on vacation, these restless ones are sent out to wipe out the mass-produced ones. It's a way for them to relax and vent their frustrations."

For example, Ron, although he has changed a lot, his violent tendencies are still there, so he likes to go out and clear out enemies, which is a good way to vent his anger and then he can treat his family members gently.

If there's no way to eliminate them... then we'll treat the Purifier to a big meal, and then the two of them will go to the training ground. After an afternoon of this, Ron will feel completely satisfied, and the Purifier, who has now turned into an M, will return with a flushed face.

This is called a win-win situation.

"What if we encounter a humanoid Siren? What then?" York continued to ask.

Even if they weren't the Purifiers or Observers at the Siren boss level, even ordinary mass-produced humanoid Sirens would be a tough battle for many ports and maritime bureaus.

"You'll find out about that after you finish your exercise tomorrow," Exeter said with a mysterious smile, keeping everyone in suspense.

"Oh? Then I'll look forward to it."

Honestly, everyone in the port area, even the weakest of these warmongers has a training level of 115.

If we really encountered her, even a Purifier would be a match for her. Unfortunately, the big boss is currently being kept at home like a cute pet. Even the Dream Weaver has many children who like to play with her.

…………

"Little Eugen, she really is a devil."

Hipper sat on the steps with his head down, the sand beneath his feet soft, a beer in his hand. Combined with the atmosphere around him, he looked like an utterly dejected, unemployed middle-aged man, and one whose family was also broken apart.

"It can't be that bad, can it? You weren't this dejected when Prince Eugen teased you before, were you?"

Gangut, a fellow drinker standing nearby, looked on with surprise.

“No, you don’t understand.” Hipper’s eyes deepened.

"Let me tell you, that feeling of one plus one being greater than 10 is very despairing."

"And another thing, do you know what disillusionment feels like? At first you think it's a little angel, but suddenly its wings turn black, it grows little devil fangs, and a devil's tail grows out... That feeling, that sense of loss, is practically the raw material to tempt people to fall."

Hipper's hand tightened suddenly, crushing the empty beer can in his hand.

"I don't really understand what you're saying," Gangut said, scratching his head in disbelief.

"...Let me give you an example. You hold the best vodka bottle, open it with great anticipation, and then find beer inside...Can you imagine that feeling?"

Gangut closed his eyes and imagined it for a moment, then silently shuddered: "This is a nightmare."

Having truly empathized with him, Gangut could only pat Hipper on the shoulder with a comforting expression: "All I can say is, be strong, get used to it! As the saying goes, if you want to get by, you have to learn to accept persecution!"

Gangut said everything he could to comfort Hipper.

"Enough talk, cheers..." Hipper took out another can of beer and drank it straight from the bottle with Gangut's vodka.

Hipper downed another glass, slightly tipsy, and holding up the empty beer can, he said, "It's alright! Hipper, I must be strong! Just bear with it! Once this period is over, and that little devil Eugen gets tired of playing around and goes back, if it's just Prince Eugen, then I, Hipper, will be a hero again!"

Gangut glanced at Hipper: "Who gave you the illusion that Eugen will leave?"

"Huh? Isn't he from the Maritime Bureau?" Hipper was stunned.

“Let me ask you this, are both Eugen the Younger and Prince Eugen people entertainers?” Gangut asked.

“Yeah, but so what?” Hipper consoled himself. “That doesn’t mean Eugen will stay.”

“Then let me ask you this: is there more fun in our port area or in the Maritime Bureau?” Gangut gave Hipper a deep look.

“That’s of course from our port area…” Hipperton paused, an incredulous expression on his face.

“So,” Gangut patted Hipper on the shoulder, “my condolences, little girl, the better days are yet to come!”

Chapter 501 York: Fighting Yourself

When new recruits arrive at the port area, regardless of whether they are from the port area or not, as long as there is a drill, many girls will go back to watch.

It's not that I'm looking forward to some exciting practice battles, but rather to seeing how my sisters will skillfully crush the weaker opponents.

Also, ship girls like Hyuga and Ise will act as bookmakers and place bets.

Look, while the drills below are being prepared, the betting odds above are already set up.

"Come on! Place your bets! Let's see who comes out on top in this battle between the two Yorks!"

"Isn't that obvious? How many ship girls outside can beat our sisters in the port?"

Kinu mocked Ise for being brainless.

Ise wasn't annoyed and continued, "Isn't this just a form of advertising? And let me tell you, even though this is how the advertising is done, look at the edges I've cut open."

"What side? Let me see..." Kinu looked curiously at the sign on the ground.

"Good heavens, you're really inhuman! How long are you betting on for the other side to lose? A minute? Half a minute? Or ten seconds?"

Kinu looked up at Ise: "Aren't you afraid she'll get angry?"

"What's so amazing about that? Just practice more when you're good at cooking." Ise uttered his classic quote.

But the problem is, isn't the equipment and modifications in our port area just like cheating for ordinary ship girls?

"I'm not going to talk to you anymore. Do you want to place a bet too?" Ise invited.

"Hmm, I don't play this game, so forget it." Kinu stepped aside and quietly watched as one ship girl after another came to place their bets.

"You can gamble in your port area?" Lüzov asked Tallinn curiously, looking at the crowd of people.

Tallinn explained, "It wasn't really gambling. It didn't use a lot of supplies or oil, and it wasn't anything particularly valuable. It was just the cost of a meal or some snacks."

"But the fact that your port can offer this odds shows that there are many hidden talents in your port area," Lüzoff said with a smile.

Taren smiled but didn't reply, but in his heart he thought, their port area isn't called a place where "hidden talents abound," it's called a place where max-level characters are everywhere.

I don't like blue or purple outfits; only gold and colorful outfits catch my eye.

Of course, some special purple equipment is still worth considering.

As they were talking, both sides below were ready for the exercise. On the referee's platform, Exeter saw that both sides were in position and raised his hand.

"Now that both sides are in position, the exercise will officially begin!"

The iron-blooded York swiftly entered the sea where the exercise was taking place, using a roundabout route on the surface of the water, while remaining vigilant against the attack from the York opposite and trying to find an opening.

In addition, the secondary guns were conducting harassment and probing attacks in a small area.

Since the opponent hadn't used their abilities, York didn't use his own abilities either, just to be on the safe side.

Just as York was trying to probe and gather information from a roundabout way, York, with his delusional tendencies, went straight into reckless mode.

Without any flanking tactics or probing attacks, as a fully trained ship girl, she could sense that the opposing York was only at level 50. If she were facing a ship girl at level 50 and had to test this and that, even if she won in the end, her own crew would probably laugh her to death.

So, just go for it, go for it!

"Cool! Cool! Magic Cannon! Fire!"

In York's solemn yet childish tone, accompanied by shouts, York's main cannon actually fired jet-black shells that shimmered with starlight. What's even more absurd is that these shells, like shadows, could be distorted and even bend.

York looked as if he had seen a ghost, his heart filled with horror. What was this thing? Whose shells were this color?

In her memory, artillery shells were basically yellow conventional shells, blue armor-piercing shells, and red high-explosive shells. What was this black one?

Although surprised, York was, after all, a member of the Maritime Safety Administration's strike team, and he quickly recovered. Fortunately, the shells weren't very fast, so even if they could curve and track, it wouldn't be particularly troublesome...

However, this ability to turn corners and track targets must be her innate skill.

York raised her hand slightly, her beautiful eyes fixed on the incoming shells. The main cannon quickly charged and aimed at the strange main cannon coming from the other side, firing it.

As his shells drew closer and closer to the enemy's, finally making contact, a smile appeared in York's eyes.

Although it temporarily puts my main guns on a short-term cooling-off period, the enemy's shells are also fired from my main guns, and I also learned about the enemy's intelligence, which is very nice.

But the next second, to York's astonishment, his shell encountered the black shell and was silently evaporated, just like ice and snow encountering high temperatures.

What made her even more speechless was what followed. The enemy's main guns seemed to have no cooldown at all, and they started firing at her relentlessly, each one faster than the last.

York was able to dodge the first few shells with his agility, managing to get them into the water, but the later ones... became increasingly difficult to dodge, resulting in more and more paint getting on his body.

Even more outrageous was that the last shell that was used in the acting test landed on him. The shell entered the water and then flew up from the water and hit him.

Even after losing, York didn't know how he lost.

York was covered in paint and looked quite disheveled, but what about his opponent, the chuunibyou York?

He was almost spotless. There was no way he could fight back; he had already expended too much energy just trying to evade them.

"Be swallowed by darkness!" York laughed loudly, continuing to strike a pose, making himself look very "cool".

"Get up here right now, don't embarrass yourself." Seeing the ship girls all around watching the spectacle, Exeter felt humiliated and shouted angrily at York.

"Oh, here I come." York instantly turned into a quail and slunk ashore.

York, having finished rinsing up, stumbled into the resting area, still unable to understand how she had lost. What kind of bizarre and monstrous weapons did the opposing team use?

Honestly, York's equipment was modified by Akashi and Yubari. York doesn't pursue damage, only coolness. In her words, "Whether you're cool or not is a lifelong matter, but whether you're strong or not is just a small-scale modification in the port area right now."

And so, this cool-looking shell, which had moderate damage but could turn, track, and was even waterproof, was developed and handed over to York.

Combined with the Sirens' black hole technology, it would be impossible for the enemy to shoot down this shell unless they also have Sirens' black technology to counter it, or they use defensive skills to withstand it.

For example, if a South Dakota guy brings an upgraded set of repair tools, he's practically a deadly force. You might fire the cannon until it explodes, exhausting yourself, and you'll probably only manage to scratch the enemy.

With the two main characters no longer present at the exercise site, and the ship girls who had been watching having received their chips from Ise, they left satisfied. Ise, having made a fortune, hummed a little tune as she began to pack up her stall.

"One minute?" Lützow was also taken aback.

In her mind, even if the opponent was very strong, with the combination of roundabout probing and mutual combat, it would still take several minutes in the end, right?