The cold wind gently blew on the calm sea as the sun set. It was a quiet pre-evening, but that peace wasn't to last any longer. A battle that will decide their fates will happen soon. After the sun has set, Aircraft carriers Akagi and Kaga, Destroyer Fubuki, Mutsuki, and Yuudachi hastily retreat as a huge fleet of Abyssals was about to launch a raid against their base.
"We.. must.. hurry… or our base… will.. ugh…" Kaga whimpered.
"Don't talk Kaga, we'll be at the base in no time!" Akagi assured Kaga as she carried her by the shoulder.
"Kisaragi…" Mutsuki cried.
Kisaragi got sunk when they got attacked by a huge Abyssal fleet who came out of nowhere.
"Everyone! Trouble poi!" Yuudachi shouted as she pointed onto the horizon.
A fleet of Abyssals appeared over the horizon composed of 1 Battleship Princess Kai III, 2 Aircraft Carrier Demon II, 5 Standard Carrier Wo-Class Elite, 10 Battleship Ta-class, Ru-class, 20 Destroyer Na-Class Late Model II Elite, and 10 Heavy Cruiser Ne-Class Elite.
"A-are those the main invasion forces?!" Mutsuki asked, quivering from where she stood.
"We must hurry!" Fubuki added.
"Everyone, Diamond formation!" Akagi ordered.
The five were greeted by a burning base being heavily bombarded by the enemy force as the Kanmusu fought back all while the others began their retreat. The fleet they just saw before was just the backup fleet meant to hunt down the retreating Kanmusu. The main invasion fleet was way much more terrifying.
"Nagato! What's the situation! How many Abyssals are attacking?!" Akagi frantically asked Nagato.
"The Abyssal fleets are composed of one Central princess, three CV Hime, five Wo Class Kai VI, three Battleship Princess Kai, five Re-class BB, ten Ru-class Kai, three Heavy Cruiser Princess, three Ne-class Kai B, five Ri-class Kai, one Destroyer Princess, one Ancient Destroyer Princess, and thirty Na-class Elites…" Nagato trembled.
Akagi just looked up at the sky and sighed. All hope seemed lost for the moment. With Akagi hearing how many Abyssals were attacking, she already knew that they'll be totally annihilated.
"Where's Admiral? Is he okay?" Akagi asked.
"I.. don't know…" Nagato replied.
Both went quiet. They don't know if the Admiral is still alive. Suddenly, the sirens begin to blare, an announcement.
"We are now commencing a base-wide evacuation! I repeat, we are commencing a base-wide evacuation! All heavily injured Kanmusu-s would be the first ones to evacuate while the other Kanmusu-s who still can fight imperatively must defend the injured ones who are evacuating! They will soon evacuate after the injured Kanmusu-s! I repeat…"
All the battle-worthy Kanmusu-s began defending the base as the heavily injured Kanmusu-s progressively evacuated the base.
Akagi knows there's another Abyssal fleet waiting out there; she just knows that fleet will hunt down the Kanmusu-s who are evacuating. Something must be done to ensure that most would be able to survive this.
"Akashi, please take care of Kaga." Akagi whimpered.
"Huh, what are you gonna do?!" Akashi asked.
"W-wait! I-I can still... fight…" Kaga grunted and tried to stand up but failed.
"Forgive me, Kaga…" Akagi smiled at them and left.
Akagi planned to slow down the hunting fleet. Even knowing she was going to be alone and won't be able to fully slow them down, she didn't hesitate to try.
"Akagi-senpai!" Fubuki caught wind of Akagi's intention and shouted. "I'll be coming too!"
"You can't! If you must know, this is a suicide mission! I already know I will fail no matter what, but still..." Akagi cried. "... I want to do everything I can in order to help the others escape!"
"That's exactly why I'm gonna help you!" Fubuki assured Akagi.
"Don't forget about us, poi!" Yuudachi added.
"I-I'll do my best to help you!" Mutsuki gulped in her wimpishness.
"No! I won't let you go out there and die!" Akagi shouted.
"I don't care! I will help you no matter what!" Fubuki exclaimed.
"Same goes for us!" Mutsuki and Yuudachi answered in unison.
"You guys…" Akagi's face turned grim. "Fine, you can come along… but turn back once everything turns south! I can't let my juniors sink because of my foolishness, you all understand?!"
Everyone present nodded at her.
As soon as they detected the hunting fleet, Akagi immediately launched five Aichi D3A Type 99 Carrier Dive Bomber and five Nakajima B5N2 Carrier Torpedo Bomber which was escorted by a Mitsubishi A6M2 Model 21 Carrier-based fighter.
The flight group was greeted by a heavy hail of flak. One Aichi D3A got shot down while the rest managed to weave through the heavy flak barrage. Abyssal carriers begin to launch multiple Abyssal cat fighters to engage the Kanmusu's dive bomber and torpedo bomber but were engaged by the A6M fighters. The Nakajima B5N2 drops their Type 91 Torpedoes towards the enemy, it manages to sink one Na-class and severely damages two Ru-class while the other two torpedoes missed their target.
Aichi D3A dove towards Aircraft Carrier Demon, they started firing their AA guns. Two D3A got shot down while one was damaged. The lone D3A Dive Bomber managed to accurately drop its payload at the Aircraft Carrier Demon dealing moderate damage, nullifying its capability to launch aircraft.
Fubuki, Mutsuki, and Yuudachi begin to use the "Line Ahead" formation and begin to fire all of their Type 93 Torpedoes, sinking two Ta-class and five Na-class.
"Good! Keep this up!" Akagi exclaimed.
"Incoming poi!" Yuudachi shouted.
The Abyssal begins to pummel them with heavy retaliation and bombardment. They desperately attempted to evade the bombardment but eventually Yuudachi and Mutsuki got hit!
"MUTSUKI! YUUDACHI!!" Fubuki shouted. She saw them floating unconsciously. Fubuki and Akagi tried to go back and save the two but further sustained Abyssals attacks prevented them.
"Tsk. Retreat…" Akagi lamented.
"But!" Fubuki tried to argue back but when she saw Akagi's crying face, she held back her words, except for that one word she already said.
"R-retreat…"
Akagi looked away from Fubuki, still trying to hide her tears. Despair kicked in and forced out all that she wanted to say. She expected that she was to die anyway.
"In the end, I am a fool for thinking I can easily sacrifice my life for others…" Akagi solemnly whispered.
She wanted to save the two but if she did, she'd also get caught and sunk by them. They had accepted they cannot realistically delay the enemy for longer. Even if this realization cost her pride, she can't afford to second-guess her resolve here again. Now she aimed to keep Fubuki from ever dying a death in vain.
Fubuki stared at the unconscious two. She was surprised to see them enveloped by a purple light. Soon after the light disappeared, the two were no longer seen.
"What was that?" She whispered to herself as they were to retreat.
The hunting fleet was divided into two fleets. They are now followed by two Standard Carrier Wo-Class Elite, two Battleship Ta-class, and Ru-class, and five Destroyer Na-Class Late Model II Elite.
Darkness finally came, turning day into night. Akagi and Fubuki were able to enter the region called "Iron bottom sound". As soon as they entered the region, Fubuki felt a throbbing pain in her head.
"Ugh.." Fubuki groaned.
"What's wrong?" Akagi worriedly asks Fubuki.
"I'm okay."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes…"
Iron Bottom Sound has distinct red water. No one knows why it was red but it's commonly known to be a graveyard for both Kanmusu and Abyssal forces.
The whole area of that region slowly got foggy.
The two girls suddenly felt that the region changed abruptly, the water slowly turned from red into a dark blue sea. The night sky suddenly got brighter, as if it's already noon.
"W-what happened?" Fubuki asked.
"I have no idea but someone's coming!" Akagi warned Fubuki.
The two readied their weapons as an unknown figure approaches.
"Is someone here~? We're the rescue team!" An unknown figure shouted.
"Are they really the rescue team?" Akagi questioned herself.
"Let's trust them…" Fubuki replied.
"What if they're enemies?"
"I have a feeling that they are friendlies."
"…"
"O-over here!" Akagi shouted.
"Oh! Hello there!" A girl appeared before them and greeted them.
She has brown hair sporting a long ponytail wearing a Japanese uniform with a katana holstered on her waist and has Kanmusu rigging. From the looks of it, her riggings look like a Fubuki class but she seems to be a bit tall for a Fubuki class.
"You girls look beaten up… Here, take this!" she handed them a glowing green cylinder.
"Ummm…" Fubuki stared at the girl, not knowing what to do with the cylinder handed to her.
"Squeeze it!" the girl gestured a squeezing hand.
The two squeezed the cylinder, releasing a lot of glowing green orbs and it envelops the two, it slowly heals them both and repairs their tattered clothes.
"W-wow! What is this?!" Fubuki exclaimed as she looks around her body.
"Amazing.." Akagi said as she stared at the glowing orbs surrounding her.
"Ummm, where are we?" Akagi asked.
"Well… Let's get out of here first…" The mysterious girl said and moved.
The two then followed her.
"By the way, I am Aircraft Carrier Akagi of First Carrier Division"
"I am Destroyer Fubuki, the lead ship of Fubuki-class Special Destroyer."
"I am Valkyrie Fubuki, the manifestation of all the sailors' souls who serve on the Imperial Japanese Navy warship, Fubuki of Fubuki-class Destroyer." she salutes.
"Eh?" the two are utterly dumbfounded.
"TA-DAH!!"
"EEHHHHH?!" both Akagi and Fubuki shouted in confusion.
"Hehe, this kind of expression never fails to entertain me!" She replied and giggled.
"B-but that's impossible! Only one Fubuki can exist!" Fubuki said.
"As you can see, this is the other world! Sort of."
The two are greeted by a vast blue sea with an empty blue sky, white mist covers the distance.
Another two Kanmusu-looking girls appeared and soon joined them.
"Found anything?" the other Fubuki asked the two.
"I found nothing…" the girl with blonde hair and tanned skin wearing some sort of military uniform and a hat shrugged.
"Me either.." replied the girl with blue hair, wore a tiara and a princess-like gown.
"Oh, that's right. You guys introduced yourself!"
"I am Valkyrie Alabama, the manifestation of all the sailors' souls who serve on the United States Navy warship, Alabama of South Dakota-class fast battleship." She said as she tipped her hat to them.
"I am Valkyrie Unicorn, the manifestation of all the sailors' souls who serve on the Royal Navy warship, Unicorn of Unicorn-class Light Aircraft Carrier." She said, bowing very elegantly.
"What is this place…." Fubuki asked.
"Oh! This is the part where I'm gonna explain what [Rift], [Reality], and [Universe] are in this novel but Green tea already explained it in the first chapter so go back to that chapter in case you forgot it!" The other Fubuki smiled (at the readers).
"H-huh?" Fubuki stared at the other Fubuki in confusion.
"I just break the fourth wall!" Other Fubuki did a double peace sign as she makes an OwO facial expression.
"Ummm… Err… W-what is a Valkyrie?" Fubuki asked.
As she attempted to change the subject, Akagi's stomach suddenly growled.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"A-Akagi senpai…" Fubuki whispered.
"I-I tried to hold it in, but…!" Akagi flustered.
"Umm. I have some snacks, here." Unicorn handed some biscuits to Akagi and Fubuki.
"My, thank you very much!" Akagi tried to slowly eat the snacks.
"Delicious!~~" Akagi happily ate the snack.
"Continuing what I was saying. We, the Valkyries, are an entity made out of the souls of multiple warriors who passed away be it in combat or old age. We manifest in the stead all of their emotions, be it positive or negative. The souls that made us came from the sailors who served on the warships based on our names and currently, our employer has tasked us to protect this Rift against the Eldritch invaders!" The other Fubuki explained.
"So, how did we end up here?" Akagi asked.
"It's just a speculation but, someone transporting other worlders into our [Reality] for unknown reasons. The others like you that we just rescued said that they got attacked by an overwhelming force out of nowhere. Those attackers are something that they've never seen before." Alabama answered.
"Then that means Yuudachi and Mutsuki must be transported here!" Fubuki exclaimed.
"How?" Akagi asked.
"They got enveloped by this purple light and just disappeared!" Fubuki answered!
"Purple light eh?" Alabama begins to think.
"So, what do these two look like?" other Fubuki asked."Ummm. Yuudachi wears a black serafuku. She has straight long blonde hair with a hair ribbon on top and green eyes and doesn't miss a single 'poi' at the end of any of her sentences." Fubuki answered.
"Mutsuki wears a school uniform-esque garment that is half-opened to expose her navel, with a green skirt and brown pantyhose." She added.
"Oh! We just recently rescue them, they should be at our base, healing up." Other Fubuki answered.
"Thank god!" Fubuki was heavily relieved to hear that her friends are alive.
As they continue to traverse the empty sea, a portal appeared in the sky above them. A flying warship came out of it.
"Wow!" Fubuki smiled and stared at the flying ship. At the side of the ship the word 'Amber Town' is written.
They can see people inside the flying ship. Akagi and Fubuki waved at them while Unicorn and the other Fubuki saluted at them, Alabama continued to lead the way without batting an eye at the flying ship, the people inside the ship waved back at them, some saluted.
The girls have finally arrived at the base called "Midway". The base was a floating facility in the middle of nowhere. There were a lot of girls running around in it as all of them seemed to be busy. Fubuki immediately rushed towards the medical bay of the floating base.
"Yuudachi! Mutsuki!" Fubuki called out to them on sight.
"Fubuki! I'm glad you're both safe, poi!" Yuudachi cheered.
"The others are also here too!" Mutsuki added.
"Kaga!" Akagi exclaimed.
"I'm sorry Akagi. I wasn't able to help you…" Kaga apologized.
"It's okay.. we're safe now…"
"Akagi…"
"I still wonder what happened to Admiral…" Akagi wondered.
"I hope he is safe…"
"Akagi…"
"Ummm…." A girl with long dark brown hair with a fox ear appeared.
"Can you please quiet down a bit? Every time I hear my name, I unconsciously look around me."
"Huh?" Akagi stared at the girl with fox ears.
"Oh right, where are my manners? I am Aircraft Carrier Akagi of the Sakura Empire."
"Oh! I am Aircraft Carrier Akagi of the First Carrier Division."
Both Akagi shook hands with each other. This time, the other Akagi that appeared wasn't a Valkyrie, so they kept that one in mind. Then, a girl with short white hair with fox ears then came peeking through a curtain.
"Onee-sama…"
"Kaga! Introduce yourself!" the other Akagi ordered the girl with white hair.
"I am Aircraft Carrier Kaga of the Sakura Empire."
"I-I'm Aircraft Carrier Kaga of the First Carrier Division."
Both Kaga also shook hands as the two Akagi smiled at them.
Quite the pool of identities presented themselves in the open.