"Shimakaze understands!"
Shimakaze-chan replied with a cheerful smile.
Accompanied by the smooth sound of mechanical friction, the three twin-mounted 127mm/50 caliber turrets swiftly rotated, powered by the immense kinetic energy of hydraulics.
With Shimakaze's powerful computational abilities, the barrels made slight adjustments, quickly locking onto the target.
"Fire!"
Shimakaze-chan dramatically waved her hand, but with her petite and adorable figure, her attempt at appearing commanding made her look more like a loli pretending to be serious.
Bang!
Almost simultaneously, six high-explosive shells, glowing with orange-red light, shot out of the long barrels. In less than a second, another six followed.
The three turrets, arranged in a staggered front-and-back configuration, continuously spewed fiery tongues. The first volley was still in the air when the next rounds followed in rapid succession.
For a moment, the sky seemed filled with glowing orange-red fireballs, as if someone had set off a massive fireworks display over the solemn and majestic White House.
Since transforming into a ship girl, Shimakaze's firepower output had reached a near-insane level. The rate of fire from her three twin-mounted main guns was comparable to that of a machine gun.
The distance of over three kilometers was covered almost instantaneously, and the shells quickly rained down on this iconic, authoritative building of America.
At that moment, the White House remained completely unaware.
Inside the president's office, a gigantic figure, nearly three meters tall, lounged on a specially made sofa. His muscular body, bulging with purple veins like wriggling worms, made him look like a figure straight out of mythology, akin to Hercules.
But the most eye-catching feature was the shiny bald head, which, when angled slightly, reflected dazzling light.
George Washington felt life was quite pleasant now.
At that moment, he was sipping coffee meticulously prepared by his servants, enjoying a delicate breakfast, with the day's newspaper laid out on the table.
Everything was just as it had been during his lifetime.
Yes, he had once returned to the Lord's embrace, but now, he was alive again.
Through his persuasion, his successor voluntarily relinquished the position of President of America. Though the nation was now little more than a name, Washington firmly believed that, under his leadership, America would rise from the ashes once more.
Just like a hundred years ago, when he had led the fight against the British in arduous and extraordinary battles.
The only thing that bothered him was that while he had gotten stronger, he had also gone bald.
As for the woman who had resurrected him, she could go to hell!
The American people would never be slaves! Anyone who tried to enslave this freedom fighter, the spokesperson of democracy, and the creator of the Declaration of Independence was simply delusional!
In his very bones—no, in his soul—was the indelible mark of freedom. Anyone who sought to enslave him or the free people of America would face revolution, war, and independence!
As Washington pondered how to revive America, a sharp whistling sound suddenly came from outside the window.
Instinctively, Washington looked toward the noise.
In that instant, a glowing red shell shattered the window and lodged itself into Washington's breakfast table.
His eyes, wide like saucers, bulged as he stared at the shell that had replaced his ham.
Fortunately, his reflexes, honed through years of military service, saved his life.
With a swift roll, he used the solid wooden sofa as a shield.
The next second, the high-explosive shell detonated with a deafening roar, and intense flames engulfed everything in the room.
The terrifying shockwave sent Washington's massive body flying.
Luckily, his greatly enhanced physique and the sturdy wooden sofa saved his life. But just barely. In the searing heat and toxic, acrid smoke, Washington suffered burns over 99% of his body, leaving him teetering on the edge of death.
But this was just the beginning. As the orange-red high-explosive shells rained down like a storm, the entire White House shook violently. Dust and debris continuously fell from the ceiling, making it look as if it were snowing inside the room.
The load-bearing structures groaned under immense pressure, and it seemed plausible that the White House could collapse at any moment.
Miraculously, perhaps protected by the spirits of past presidents, the office itself was never hit by another shell.
Mustering all his strength, Washington crawled to the desk by the window.
The desk, used by dozens of presidents, had turned to ash.
Enduring the intense burning sensation, Washington reached into a hidden compartment beneath the ashes and pulled out a small silver-white box.
Opening the box, a cloud of white mist formed from the cold air, revealing a dozen glass tubes filled with crimson liquid that shimmered with beautiful ripples as the White House shook.
Without hesitation, Washington grabbed all the tubes, stuffed them into his mouth, and bit down hard.
With the sound of shattering glass, the liquid, mixed with shards of glass, flowed into his mouth.
After completing this act, Washington collapsed onto the floor, as if awaiting judgment from fate.
Boom!
A loud explosion echoed.
Under the relentless bombardment, the building that symbolized America's history crumbled into ruins.
...
Seeing the White House collapse, Shimakaze ceased her bombardment.
"Mission complete! Big Sis Ais, am I fast or what?"
Shimakaze made a 'V' gesture towards Ais.
"Mm."
Ais, imitating Ryou, reached out and patted Shimakaze on the head.
"Well done."
"Hehe..."
Shimakaze blushed and smiled shyly.
But just then, Ais' expression hardened, and her hand stopped moving.
"What's wrong, Big Sis Ais?"
Shimakaze asked curiously.
"Enemy."
Ais coldly uttered the word before decisively rushing out of the control room and heading to the observation deck outside.
"Wind!"
With Ais' command, a gentle breeze of wind elements immediately enveloped her body.
"I'll be right back."
Leaving that message behind, Ais soared into the sky, flying toward the ruins of the White House.
"She's gone… As expected, Big Sis Ais is fast too~ I've decided! Next time, I'll challenge her to a race!"
Watching Ais' retreating figure, Shimakaze-chan looked as excited as if she had just discovered a new world.
...
Empowered by the wind element, Ais quickly crossed the three-kilometer distance.
Boom!
Just as she reached the area above the White House's ruins, a small section of the rubble exploded, revealing a massive figure beneath.
Washington barely survived the storm of shells.
However, he was now in a pitiful state. His once shiny bald head was covered in soot, a broken wooden stake was lodged in his back, and his body was scorched and scratched all over.
"Damn it! Who the hell did this?! I'll kill you!"
Washington gripped a massive battle-axe in both hands. The shaft of the axe alone was over three meters long, and its blade was larger than a car wheel. The edge of the axe was sharpened to a razor point, gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
He furiously swung the enormous axe, and the gusts it created left deep gashes in the nearby rubble.
"Damn it! Come out! Show yourself!"
As Washington cursed, he suddenly heard the howling of a storm above him.
By this point, most of Washington's clothes had been destroyed, leaving only a few rags barely covering his modesty. His massive, purple-gray muscles were exposed to the air, and from the hole in his chest, a red glow was visible. A heart, tightly encased in metal, could be faintly seen.
There was no way Washington could still be considered human.
Since he was no longer human, but a monster, Ais showed no mercy.
She launched a surprise attack from above Washington's head.
Washington was immediately shocked, instinctively raising his giant axe to block.
Clang!
With a sharp sound, the Sword [Despair] clashed fiercely with the giant axe.
The outcome was decided quickly.
The [Despair], a magical weapon forged by the God of Craftsmen, was indestructible, whereas Washington's giant axe, despite its intimidating appearance, was nothing more than a heavy, ordinary weapon.
With a teeth-grating noise and sparks flying, the [Despair] drilled a large hole into the surface of the giant axe as if it were an electric drill.
Washington's eyes widened in disbelief.
These days, how come every one of these beautiful girls is not only more attractive but also more powerful than the last?
Could it be that in today's world, beauty equals combat power?
Before Washington could figure it out, Ais, like a nimble bird, gracefully changed direction and flew behind him.
A fierce thrust turned into countless points of starlight, enveloping his entire body.
In an instant, countless drops of blood bloomed across Washington's back.
"Ah! Damn you, little pest!"
In excruciating pain, Washington swung his giant axe furiously in a wide arc behind him.
The mere gusts from the swing blew the rubble behind him into the air, a testament to the terrifying power of the strike.
However, no matter how strong the attack, it was useless if it didn't hit the target.
Ais, as nimble as a bird, kept flitting around Washington, gracefully evading all his attacks.
Washington, on the other hand, resembled a clumsy bear being toyed with, unable to even graze Ais' clothes.
Bang!
With a loud crash, Washington's giant axe smashed heavily into the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.
He fell to one knee, his entire body riddled with holes, blood slowly pooling beneath him.
"You think you've won? No! You haven't!"
Unexpectedly, Washington suddenly roared, and as he did, the red glow from his heart flared up dramatically.
Ais' expression changed slightly. She immediately remembered something Ryou had once warned her about.
Without hesitation, she turned and flew high into the sky.
At that moment, the light from Washington's heart reached its peak, glowing as if a miniature sun had been buried within his body.
"The American people will never be slaves! Long live freedom!"
Washington suddenly raised both hands and shouted.
Boom!
A massive explosion.
Washington's entire body suddenly detonated!
A small sun appeared out of nowhere, and thick black smoke formed a mushroom cloud high above.
A massive shockwave spread rapidly from the center of the explosion.
The nearby ruins of the White House were swept away as if by an invisible giant hand, scattering debris in all directions.
The tremendous blast carved a hemispherical crater into the ground.
When the smoke and flames cleared, the surface of the crater was covered with a layer of transparent crystal.
Ais, hovering high in the sky, waited until the explosion subsided before slowly descending to the ground.
At that moment, a fiery red crystal flower entered Ais' line of sight.
Above the petals of the crystal flower floated a golden square crystal—the Abyssal Crystal that Ryou had previously collected after Wu Zetian's self-destruction.
"A dropped item?"
Ais tilted her head, looking around cautiously. Seeing no immediate danger, she plucked the crystal.
As soon as the crystal was taken, the red crystal flower withered instantly.
Tucking the Abyssal Crystal into her chest, Ais turned and flew back toward Shimakaze.
...
Meanwhile, in the distant, snowy lands of the Ice Kingdom...
Ryou had already approached the Russia capital, Moscow.
Perhaps due to the extremely cold temperatures in this vast, barren land, the usually resilient Kabane seemed unable to survive long in such an environment.
As he traveled further, he saw far fewer Kabane, but instead, more and more frozen corpses.
Their purple-gray skin, resembling corpses, encased hearts wrapped tightly in steel.
It appeared even the Kabane couldn't withstand the harsh snow and cold.
When Ryou arrived near Moscow, his eyes narrowed.
Thousands of corpses hung from the city walls. Judging by their thin clothing, they had been hung there and left to freeze to death.
Considering that Moscow was now ruled by Ivan the Terrible, a historically notorious tyrant, Ryou's mood instantly soured.
Most of these people who had been frozen to death were likely those who opposed his rule.
After casting invisibility and flight buffs on himself, he quietly flew into the city.
As expected, the city was desolate. Although there was no Kabane, Ivan the Terrible himself was the city's biggest problem.
Upon closer inspection, Ryou noticed that most of the people in the city had dull, lifeless eyes, the look of people who had completely lost hope.
Along the roadsides and in the dark alleys, corpses of those who had starved or frozen to death could be seen everywhere.
This city was already dead.
Ryou shook his head. He wasn't a saint, and if he was going to save everyone, it would only be after he completed his mission.
Arriving at the center of Moscow, a massive, luxurious complex appeared before him.
It was far more extravagant than the Kremlin he had seen in photos.
Compared to the misery of the city, this opulent palace was one of the evidences of Ivan the Terrible's tyranny.
Even more outrageous was the sound of joyful music coming from within the palace.
Outside the palace lay a field of corpses, while inside, a grand banquet was being held.
Separated by a single wall, it was as if heaven and hell stood side by side.
Ryou's eyes turned cold.
He didn't consider himself a good person, but one thing was certain: he always looked out for his people.
A ruler who didn't care whether his subordinates or citizens lived or died was no different from a beast.
Glaring at the Kremlin, from which the music continued to play, Ryou scoffed and exchanged something from the system—a glass bottle.