Just as Ryou swung his katana, Aisi immediately sidestepped to dodge.
Perhaps he put too much force into it because, at that moment, his action of retracting his sword slowed by 0.1 seconds.
Aisi's wrist flicked, and the [Despair] in her hand immediately emitted a brilliant light.
Sixteen silver-white star fragments shot toward his wrist.
Ryou couldn't dodge in time, and his wrist was hit by the sword, causing blood to splatter.
Clang!
The katana in his hand fell to the ground with a loud noise.
Seeing this, Aisi subconsciously relaxed her focus.
At that moment, Ryou suddenly raised his uninjured left hand and grabbed Aisi's wrist that was holding the sword, then pulled forcefully.
Aisi instinctively tried to resist, but his move was too sudden.
Caught unprepared, she was immediately pulled into his arms along with her sword.
Before she could break free, Ryou spun around like a top, positioning himself behind her.
His left hand twisted her sword-wielding arm behind her back, while his injured right arm hooked around her neck. At the same time, he extended a leg to hook between her legs, pulling hard.
Aisi immediately lost her balance and dropped to one knee on the ground.
Just as Aisi was about to claim victory, the situation suddenly changed in an instant.
Ryou completely blocked Aisi's chances of resisting, using joint techniques to subdue her entirely.
Aisi struggled slightly but found that neither her body nor her weapon could move, so she gave up resisting entirely.
Perhaps because she was used to fighting monsters in the distorted world, Aisi's battle tactics and techniques seemed somewhat rigid when facing a more cunning human opponent.
Moreover, she was reluctant to strike at the opponent's vital points.
Facing such an Aisi, Ryou felt both gratified and worried.
He was gratified that, despite everything she'd been through, Aisi remained as pure as crystal.
But he was worried that when facing an opponent of similar strength alone, she might suffer.
Ryou couldn't help but speak slowly.
"Kouhai, your biggest weakness is that you have too little experience in fighting people, and you're unwilling to strike to kill."
Aisi showed a thoughtful expression and nodded.
However, her face then flushed slightly, and she squirmed uncomfortably before softly saying, "Let go..."
Ryou then realized that their bodies were pressed against each other, with a faint fragrance wafting into his nose.
He finally understood that their current posture was somewhat awkward and extremely suggestive.
But who was Ryou? Having conquered a legitimate goddess, a proper saintess, and achieved feats like 3P and saint domination, he was no longer an average veteran.
With a calm expression, he released Aisi and helped her up from the ground.
"Shall we continue?"
Ryou asked when he saw that Aisi had straightened her clothes.
"Yes!"
Aisi nodded fervently, looking at him with eager eyes.
He wanted to misunderstand her intentions, but Aisi's behavior was purely driven by her desire to become stronger, overcoming her shyness.
Ryou couldn't help but smile wryly. Without the protagonist's halo, he still couldn't guarantee that he could successfully win over Ais.
Perhaps, in a certain sense, Aisi's innocence made her surprisingly difficult to win over.
"Then, let's go again!"
Ryou cast aside his distracting thoughts. In his mind, becoming stronger was also his top priority.
Only by becoming stronger could he cut through thorns like a man and protect his woman.
In the next second, the two figures crossed paths again, and the cold gleam of blades flashed once more.
...
And so, time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed, and Ryou had fully mastered his explosive strength.
As for Ais, after being thoroughly trained by him, her experience in fighting against people had skyrocketed.
However, she still didn't like aiming for vital points in human battles, and it seemed that this wouldn't change.
After sitting tight for this period, the situation on the island had basically stabilized.
Although some ambitious people tried to cause trouble, they were all suppressed by him with ruthless methods.
In contrast to the decadent and corrupt officials, the clergy under Ryou's command were practically saints.
After overcoming their initial fear, the people of the island unanimously praised the clergy after getting to know them better.
Ryou didn't deny that in the future, the church might also face issues like corruption.
But that wasn't his concern.
After all, his ultimate goal was to unite humanity worldwide and eliminate 95% of the Kabane to complete his mission.
It wasn't like he was trying to establish a unified Galactic Federation.
No one is perfect.
As long as he could ensure that this organization stayed on the right path before he left, he would turn a blind eye to smaller issues.
With the situation stabilized, Ryou was ready to set off.
But before leaving, there was a small problem.
"Admiral, why aren't you taking me with you on such an important mission? As your wife and flagship, it's the responsibility and duty of a flagship to serve you closely!"
Yamato blocked him with an expression that said, "You're not leaving until you explain this."
Ryou immediately felt a headache coming on.
According to his plan, he intended for Shimakaze to take him quickly to the Forbidden City.
He could have flown there himself, but since this mission was not just a reconnaissance mission and might involve combat, conserving his strength and staying sharp was crucial.
So, he chose Shimakaze, the fastest ship.
After signing a contract with him, Shimakaze's speed had been further enhanced.
At full speed, she could reach three times her previous speed, which was 120 knots—equivalent to 222 km/h.
That speed was practically like flying on water!
No wonder she was known as the famous speed demon of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Ryou planned to take the Shimakaze directly heading straight for the Forbidden City.
With a high-speed destroyer providing cover, Ryou's deep-penetration mission would be well-protected.
Although Shimakaze wasn't known for her artillery, she still had three twin 127mm turrets, providing some firepower support.
Therefore, Ryou hadn't considered taking Yamato along.
It wasn't because Yamato's actual ship form was too large to fit into the inland rivers—after all, transforming into a ship-girl form was a basic ability.
The main reason was that the island had been occupied only recently, and Ryou needed someone reliable to manage things and maintain stability. Naturally, this responsibility fell to Yamato.
After all, while Aisi was powerful in combat, she was clueless about governance and not good at communication.
Yamato, on the other hand, was a typical Yamato Nadeshiko—cultured, knowledgeable, and with strong computational abilities. Helping him manage the territory was a piece of cake for her.
You could say that Yamato had become a top-tier secretary.
However, on the day of departure...
Just as Ryou was about to board the Shimakaze, Yamato blocked his way.
The way Yamato looked so fierce was like she had caught a certain unscrupulous admiral running away with his little mistress.
As for Shimakaze, she curiously watched the two of them from the side.
Ryou had no choice but to explain his reasons to her.
After much effort, he finally managed to calm her down. Holding her hand tenderly, Ryou said:
"Please take care of the territory, Yamato."
Yamato blushed slightly with a touch of shyness.
"Don't worry, Admiral, I will do my utmost," she replied.
"If anyone dares to ruin the Admiral's hard work, I'll make sure they regret it."
Her gentle face suddenly showed a hint of fierce determination.
If anyone dared to cause trouble while he was away, he did not doubt that Yamato would use her 520mm guns to teach them how to be law-abiding citizens!
As Ryou climbed the gangway of the Shimakaze, he turned back and waved to Yamato, who was standing on the dock.
Yamato responded with a soft and gentle smile and an inexplicable atmosphere formed between the two of them.
Woo~ Woo~!!
As if urging him on, the Shimakaze suddenly sounded its whistle loudly.
Ryou boarded the Shimakaze, and the gangway was retracted.
Deep within the core of the Shimakaze, the McRucky Engine began to emit a dazzling golden light.
The Shimakaze slowly sailed out of ChiLung Harbor, heading towards the open sea.
Yamato stood on the dock like a statue, not leaving until the Shimakaze had completely disappeared over the horizon...
Experienced sailors all know that sea voyages can be incredibly boring.
On the vast ocean, the scenery is always the same. Especially now, with the Kabane spreading worldwide, over 90% of shipping routes have been completely paralyzed, and not a single ship can be seen at sea.
In the vast sea, it was as if this was the last warship left in the whole world.
As Ryou stared at the almost unchanging sea, lost in thought, Shimakaze came hopping over, holding something that looked like a turret model.
Upon closer inspection, it was clear this turret model was alive, with a cute, dumbfounded expression when it saw him.
Ryou suddenly found the turret somewhat adorable—what a "moe" moment.
This living turret model was none other than Shimakaze's standard companion, the famous Twin Gun-chan.
Shimakaze, holding Twin Gun-chan, rushed straight up to him.
"Admiral, Admiral, what are you looking at?"
Ryou smiled and patted Shimakaze's little head.
It was because of Shimakaze, this bundle of joy, that the journey didn't seem so dull.
However, Shimakaze would occasionally do things that left him both amused and exasperated.
For instance, right now.
She suddenly leaned in close to him and sniffed him like a little puppy.
"What are you smelling?"
Ryou asked with a laugh.
Shimakaze wore a puzzled expression, pressing a finger to her lips.
"Strange, why can't I smell it..."
Then she looked at him with eyes full of curiosity.
"Hey, hey, Admiral what did you give Sister Yamato that night? Shimakaze wants some too~"
At first, Ryou didn't understand, but when he thought about it, his face immediately changed.
"You know, that thick, white stuff with the strange smell, woo woo!!..."
Before Shimakaze could finish, Ryou quickly covered her mouth.
"That was a reward for Sister Yamato because she behaved so well. If Shimakaze wants some, you'll have to behave even better and be more obedient~!"
Ryou said this with a serious tone, even though he didn't believe a word of it, and then slowly released his hand from her mouth.
Unexpectedly, Shimakaze believed it!
She nodded obediently with a sweet smile.
"Admiral, Admiral! Shimakaze will try her best!"
'Better not try too hard!'
Ryou frantically thought to himself, feeling a pang of guilt.
In any case, he had managed to get away with it for now.
He subconsciously wiped the nonexistent sweat from his forehead.
Yes, something was going on between him and Yamato.
Ever since that embarrassing play in the church, Jeanne had seemingly stopped speaking to him altogether.
He initially thought that after some time, she'd cool down, but even after more than half a year had passed, she still showed no intention of acknowledging him.
Even when Ryou occasionally returned to Yokosuka, she ignored him, focusing solely on managing the territory and carefully educating Ayame.
Ryou suddenly felt like he had become one of those heartless scumbags in TV dramas who abandon their responsibilities, with Jeanne ending up like a single mother.
Feeling guilty, he naturally couldn't force Jeanne anymore, and so their relationship remained at a standstill.
Yamato seemed to have noticed the situation between him and Jeanne, including the cold war that followed.
One was a lonely soul in a cold war with his lover; the other had feelings that went beyond mere affection and took the initiative to approach him.
As time passed, everything fell into place naturally, and the two ended up together.
At the time, Ryou had asked Yamato, knowing he could never have just one woman, whether she was still willing.
To his surprise, Yamato smiled gently.
"The Admiral may not belong to the ship girls, but the ship girls will always belong to the Admiral."
When she said this, Yamato had a serene expression, as if she were stating an undeniable truth.
At that moment, Ryou believed that even if he asked her to die, she wouldn't hesitate for a second.
Looking at Yamato's gentle smile, Ryou made a vow in his heart:
'This is the woman I'm going to marry!'
If I give up on such a good woman, I wouldn't even be a man.
Of course, he had no intention of abandoning Jeanne either.
His weakness was being a playboy, but his strength was having a sincere heart.
He wouldn't make any excuses for this and would never give up on the women he was interested in.
From then on, the two of them acted like a real couple.
Except for the final step, they'd tried almost everything, including oral.
Perhaps it was during one of those times that Shimakaze accidentally saw them—what an awkward story that was.
The Shimakaze continued to sail across the sea at breakneck speed, heading towards Tianjin.
Although Shimakaze wasn't at her maximum speed, she was still moving at over 80 knots.
At such a speed, the journey from the island to Tianjin would take just one day.
From the mouth of the Hai River at Tianjin Port, the Shimakaze slowly entered the river.
As the ship moved, golden-red lights began to flicker, and soon, the riverbanks were filled with Kabane.
If it weren't for the wide river blocking their way, they would have swarmed the ship. Despite this, some Kabane still occasionally jumped into the water, only to sink without a trace.
The city was in a state of devastation, with no sign of living humans at all.
Tianjin had fallen, just as Ryou had expected.