Hikaru had a few quibbles but held them back. "Front line, then?"
"Front line has nine," Bismarck said. "Defense detail: the Lexington sisters, Ranger, Taihou, and Changchun—handle air defense. Tirpitz stays glued to the Commander and covers the rest. Vanguard—me, Veneto, and Missouri."
Hikaru glanced at the row of guests on the sofa—Alaska, Yamato, and the others. "And our visitors?"
Alaska sprang to her feet, itching to charge out and carve seven paths in and seven out of the Abyssal host.
"Defense," Bismarck ruled. "They assist Tirpitz on the screen. Saint George and Yamato—no slight meant—aren't over level 100; they don't measure up even to a second-line main like Prince of Wales. As for Alaska, her refit made her an AA-type missile battleship—she belongs on the shield wall."
Prince of Wales set her wineglass down with a hard click, a low, dangerous hum in her throat.
Bismarck's needling wasn't subtle. First she'd listed Prince of Wales at the head of "second line," and now she was saying others "don't measure up even to Prince of Wales." It was a slap in the face.
Annoying as it was, Alaska, Saint George, and Yamato kept their heads down after feeling that pressure. Saint George looked the sorriest of all—she'd strutted in swearing she'd see what "number one in the world" really meant. Now her Dragon-slayer sword was gone, and so was her spirit. In this base everyone was a monster—level 100 and beyond. Saint George didn't even dare imagine it.
Hikaru pretended not to notice the powder in the air between Bismarck and Prince of Wales. He rubbed his chin. "So you want the carriers on area defense while you three spearhead, backed by Elite Damage Control Fairies to bull through?"
Bismarck nodded. "Exactly."
"No. That's too rigid," Hikaru said, getting up to pace. "No flexibility, and the only 'pop' is Missouri. It's a dumb brawl."
By "pop," he meant the swap trick: the instant Missouri hit heavy damage, he could pull her and slot in a fresh Wisconsin to catch the Abyssals flat-footed—maybe steal a kill. But with Bismarck's plan, once the enemy understood how the Elite Damage Controls worked, they'd just drag it out and grind the rest—no way everyone has an elite fairy, right?
That was the rub: there were only fourteen Elite Damage Control Fairies to go around, and he could afford at most two more.
"You've got to make Fast Repairs carry more weight," Hikaru said to Bismarck. "Used right, a Fast Repair is half a damage control."
Bismarck's mouth tightened. "I'm worried the Abyssals won't give us those windows."
Of course they wouldn't. The perfect time to smash a Fast Repair is at moderate or heavy damage; the Abyssals wouldn't blink—they'd swarm the moment someone faltered.
"Then this won't do," Hikaru said. "If their mass outstrips what your elite fairies can soak—and it likely will—the defense line goes like an overstressed bowstring: snap." He took Prince of Wales's glass, sipped, and handed it back. "We need flexibility in the plan. We'll have to risk a little."
Repulse slid a glance at Prince of Wales's faintly flushed cheeks and topped off Hikaru's wine. "Then what do you propose, Master?"
As the ever-attentive maid, Repulse hadn't sulked after last time's failed hint about using the "strange horn" to bump Prince of Wales. She'd been nudging him again and again.
And yes—Hikaru was ready to use it.
That strange horn—spend a set amount of gems, and it pushes anyone under 100 straight to 100, or anyone at 100+ straight to 110.
[End of Chapter]
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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