Azur Lane Under the Stars

Page 624

Ren Shuo's mental network has revealed everyone's location, and it also greatly enhances Shinano and the others' combat capabilities.

At this moment, Musashi looked around, and he and Wakatsuki also turned their respective detection radars to the maximum.

"This is a bit tricky. If we can't see the enemy, it would be bad if we fired and accidentally hit friendly forces... And if we miss, the main gun will be temporarily out of commission, making us easy targets," Musashi thought.

"Don't worry, Lord Musashi, Wakatsuki will not let the enemy get close to you!" Wakatsuki gripped the long sword in her hand tightly, her determination unwavering.

"It's not like you can just tell me not to get close..." Musashi sighed.

Although I have thoroughly studied military strategy, I still lack practical combat experience. In the first round, with six against two, I was still put on the defensive.

When they sensed someone rapidly approaching, they were met with an overwhelming roar of propellers.

"What is this?! Quick! Anti-aircraft guns!" Musashi's expression changed drastically. He had been bombarded relentlessly yesterday, which had left him with psychological trauma. So he hurriedly said to Wakatsuki.

Ruoyue was also on high alert, and the anti-aircraft guns were immediately in position. After firing a round, she was dumbfounded.

"What is this?! This is an entire carrier strike group! Are you sure there's only one carrier on the other side?!"

Ruoyue looked at the dark mass of carrier-based aircraft flying towards her like a swarm of locusts and cried out in despair.

Despite this, the anti-aircraft guns in their hands did not stop firing.

Musashi was dumbfounded. Yesterday he thought Shinano's aviation was already outrageous enough, but after seeing it today, he realized they had been holding back... It's like they only used half their strength to attack themselves yesterday?

Unfortunately, even though Wakatsuki and Musashi fired their anti-aircraft guns at breakneck speed, to the point where the gun barrels were almost about to explode from the heat, it was still a drop in the ocean against the dense mass of carrier-based aircraft.

However, it is still possible to construct a defensive perimeter within a small area.

Musashi lived up to its legendary status as a battleship; when it had a spare moment, it was able to lock onto the approximate range of Shinano and launch a counterattack with its main guns. However, because it lacked precise guidance, Shinano easily evaded the attacks.

Greetings, Miss Wakatsuki and Miss Musashi.

When their main force was concentrated on Shinano and anti-aircraft defense, Belfast suddenly burst out of the smoke, her main gun already charged up. She aimed at the pale-faced Wakatsuki and fired a shot right at her face. Then, the torpedo exploded right next to her, instantly and severely damaging Wakatsuki and sending her out of the game.

Musashi's reaction was incredibly fast. The moment he saw Belfast, all the main and secondary guns were aimed at Belfast and opened fire!

Belfast instantly retracted all its ship equipment and sank straight into the sea, rendering all of Musashi's cannon fire ineffective.

"You can dodge like that?!"

Musashi was genuinely shocked; she had never seen anything like it before.

After dodging the main guns, Belfast reopened her ship's rigging, surfaced, and used her secondary guns and various harassing tactics to fight and retreat, eventually disappearing back into the smoke.

She could already sense that the vanguard ship girls over there were rushing towards her with all their might. If she didn't leave now and got entangled, she might be worn down to death if she didn't use time stop.

After all, vanguard ship girls aren't scary, but when combined with Musashi's encirclement and firepower, they're doomed.

Without Wakatsuki, it's Shinano-san's turn to shine.

With that thought in mind, Belfast headed straight for Shinano.

Indeed, without the air defense network jointly built by Wakatsuki and Musashi, Musashi's own air defense, which was practically nonexistent, was suddenly magnified considerably.

In an instant, Musashi gave up resistance with a complicated expression, allowing Shinano's planes to bombard him with their firepower.

In just over ten seconds, Musashi appeared on the shore, looking at Ruoyue and Ren Shuo.

Musashi looked at Ren Shuo inside the protective shield with a complicated tone: "Commander Ren Shuo, your ship girls... are really strong."

Ren Shuo humbly replied, "It's alright, it's just that you guys lack combat experience."

Upon hearing this, Musashi sighed, "What can we do? There are only so many ship girls in this space, and we can't even gather two teams for exercises... so of course we have less combat experience."

The remaining matches are practically pointless to watch; they've become one-sided.

The smoke bomb just wouldn't dissipate. Belfast was like Jack the Ripper of the Fog City, appearing and disappearing without a trace, but every time he appeared, it was a sure sign of a good result.

Shinano didn't choose to use full firepower, after all, she wanted to give the enemy some face. Instead, she had her Dream Butterfly combined with carrier-based aircraft to maneuver and provide support.

As time went on, defeat was inevitable.

The first to be hit were the two children, Little Spee and Miyuki, followed by Haguro who appeared on the shore. Finally, Sakebori, unable to hold on alone, was defeated in resentment.

"It's really embarrassing. The other side cleared the game almost without taking any damage."

Musashi tapped his forehead with his slender fingers, looking like he had a headache.

Although I was prepared to intentionally lose... it's still a bit outrageous that I got completely dominated by the other side without them holding back at all.

"So, have we passed our test?"

"Oh, I guess... It's just that I feel a bit ashamed of us, completely powerless to fight back..." Musashi gave a wry smile. "I always keep my word..."

She composed herself, unfolded her ship's rigging in front of Ren Shuo, and said solemnly, "After this battle, I can see that you are someone who can command the storms at sea. Therefore, the Yamato-class battleship, Musashi, will be at your command from now on, Commander."

"And me! I'm Little Spee, Commander, nice to meet you."

"Commander, hello... Haguro."

"Hehe, I knew it! I could tell you were really good. Please take care of me from now on, Commander." Sakabo also smiled.

Miyuki was still as shy as ever, hiding behind Haguro, only revealing a pair of timid eyes: "Miyuki, Commander, please, please take care of me."

"Well, in that case, Wakatsuki will need one more person to protect her from now on! I am Wakatsuki! I will definitely be able to lend the Commander a hand in the future!"

Ruoyue also offered her loyalty.

"Well then, without further ado... Where are we going next? What are we going to do?" Ren Shuo asked.

Musashi looked at a forest in the distance: "It's right there. It's the beginning of everything, the root of everything, and also the Commander's final destination. It's right there."

"Oh, I see... Let's rest for a bit, then we'll go together." Ren Shuo looked at the somewhat disheveled women and was still very considerate.

Musashi shook his head: "No need, Commander. Only you can enter that area; no one else can."

"We can't get in, can we?"

Before Ren Shuo could speak, Shinano frowned and asked.

“I don’t know about you. We’ve tried to get in, but we’ve been turned away every time… Unless a god comes to us, we can’t get in.” Musashi shook his head.

“This is a bit troublesome…” Belfast frowned, looking at Ren Shuo with some hesitation.

How can the owner's safety be ensured?

"Go ahead and give it a try. If you can't get in, then we'll discuss it further," Shinano said.

"That's the only way." Ren Shuo and Belfast had no objections.

"Then, you should rest for a bit. We'll go take a look first, and then we'll make some plans," Ren Shuo said to the six ship girls who had recently joined the port.

"As you command, Commander."

Musashi led the way, and all the girls spoke up.

Chapter 661 The Little Cabin in the Woods

"I'm so tired, Commander, are we there yet?"

On the way, Shinano hung his hands in front of him, hunched over, looking listless.

Looking at the unknown distance ahead, I couldn't help but feel a little discouraged.

"Happiness is coming soon, it should be here soon."

Ren Shuo reassured him.

"Why don't we take a break? I think Miss Shinano is quite tired... We won't get there anytime soon."

Belfast thought for a moment and then made the suggestion.

Ren Shuo nodded: "Alright then, let's take a rest."

The group found a large tree, and Belfast laid out a picnic tablecloth under it. Shinano immediately lay down on it without any regard for appearances.

Ren Shuo helplessly helped Shinano smooth out her slightly exposed skirt, then said, "Really, pay attention to your ladylike image, you almost exposed yourself..."

"But there's no one else here. So what if the Commander saw me? It's not like I haven't seen him before." Shinano seemed quite indifferent.

Belfast smiled as she prepared black tea and pastries.

"You really are something," Ren Shuo chuckled.

"Ugh, Commander, my legs are sore. Could you massage them for me?"

Shinano placed her leg, which was covered in white over-the-knee socks, on Ren Shuo's knee and said.

Ren Shuo had no choice but to gently tease and knead the object.

Shinano's legs are the plump type, perhaps because she doesn't like to exercise. Anyway, they feel very soft to the touch, but they don't look bloated. Instead, they have a feeling that they would be too fat if they were a little more, and too thin if they were a little less.

Overall, it's a leg-themed series.

“Master, please have some black tea… Would you like something added to Miss Shinano’s black tea?” Belfast asked.

"Oh, thank you," Ren Shuo said.

Shinano grunted twice and said, "I don't need it, I'll just drink it directly."

Shinano was enjoying Ren Shuo's massage while casually sipping red tea, appearing quite content.

Belfast and Ren Shuo were discussing how far it was.

Looking at the destination in the distance, Ren Shuo couldn't help but sigh, "Although it looks so close, there's still quite a distance to go."

"That was a real blunder. I should have just brought a car from Ms. Akashi's place for transportation."

Belfast seemed somewhat guilty for making Ren Shuo travel such a long distance.

Ren Shuo comforted him, "Your master isn't that delicate. It's just walking, right? I can carry the little guy from the port area for several miles on my back."

We chatted idly like this, and the break time passed by.

After putting away the tablecloth, Belfast and her group continued their journey.

Fortunately, the last leg of the journey was only about a kilometer, which took about ten minutes, and the three of them arrived at the edge of the forest.

Although the vegetation is lush, it does not give people a feeling of oppression or fear. On the contrary, you can feel the vibrant presence of life.

The vibrant energy emanating from the forest made Ren Shuo take a deep breath.

"As expected, there is a barrier."

Belfast curiously poked at the seemingly distorted space and felt a barrier.

"Shouldn't this be called a barrier?" Shinano tilted his head and said.

"Actually, they all mean the same thing," Ren Shuo said.

"So, how do we get in?"

Shinano looked at Ren Shuo: "Didn't you say the Commander could enter? Why don't we give it a try? If we can get through, we can come back, right?"

Belfast said, "It still feels a bit risky... What if we go in and can't get out?"

Shinano lowered her hand, which had been tucked into her sleeve, and several dream butterflies slowly flew toward the barrier. Like rain falling into the sea, the dream butterflies vanished without a trace, dissolving into the barrier.

"This is... eaten?" Shinano frowned as he sensed the final response.

"If Akashi and the others were here right now, that would be great." Ren Shuo had never missed Akashi so much.

"I think this is not a good fit for my major. Musashi and the others said that this thing was created by the gods? Shouldn't it be called Nagato or Richelieu?"

Shinano raised objections.

Seeing that the two had started chatting, Belfast coughed and brought the topic back on track.

"So, what should we do now?"

"This isn't even a gate. If it were a gate, there would probably be a doorbell or something," Ren Shuo said, scratching his head.

Belfast's eyes lit up: "That's right, we can try letting the barrier's owner know we're here."

"But there's no doorbell either," Shinano mumbled, still not quite understanding.

"Master, it might be a bit of a hassle for you; we need to draw some blood." Belfast said apologetically as he pulled out a syringe.

"...Why do you carry syringes with you all the time?" Ren Shuo asked in surprise.

Belfast explained, "Miss Amagi suggested I bring this, saying it would come in handy if another similar barrier existed. Anyway, the syringe isn't very big, so I brought it."

Ren Shuo rolled up his sleeves: "Come on."