"Is that so?"
Hearing the news, Kongou was not surprised. If Maya predicted that I-401 would surface, then it certainly would.
"That's right. It must be so." Kongou smiled faintly, clenching her fist. "This time, I will personally defeat 401."
I-400: "That is now impossible."
I-400: "By order of the Admiralty Code, Kongou, you are hereby relieved of your command over the First Oriental Fleet."
Kongou: "What... did you say?"
I-402: "Your cognitive algorithms have developed serious faults."
I-402: "Given the current circumstances, your judgment can no longer be trusted as the fleet's flagship."
I-400: "The countermeasures against 401 will be carried out by us. You will remain on standby until further orders."
"Unacceptable..." Kongou tried to suppress her emotions, but finally erupted. "I do not accept this! The one who will sink 401 will be us—never you!"
I-400: "So you've turned out like the others too, have you?"
I-402: "Your previous statement constitutes a direct violation of the Admiralty Code."
Realizing her slip of the tongue, Kongou quickly tried to explain. "No, I only meant—"
But I-402 and I-400 gave her no chance to justify herself. They detained Kongou on the spot.
Kongou turned to Kiana Kaslana, pleading. "Maya! You understand, don't you? I never betrayed—"
At that moment, Kiana Kaslana, in Maya's doll mode, smiled serenely. "Mm, it's fine, Kongou."
"Maya..."
Seeing Maya's apparent trust, Kongou smiled in relief.
"Kongou, there's nothing to worry about. All you need to do is faithfully obey the Admiralty Code."
"Oh, it's fine, Kongou."
"Kongou, there's nothing to worry about. Just obey the Admiralty Code."
...
Hearing the repeated phrases, Kongou's expression twisted in disbelief. "What are you saying, Maya?"
Maya's Mental Model flickered, continuing to repeat the same words.
I-400: "It's useless."
I-402: "The heavy cruiser Maya's Mental Model was never equipped with any emotional modules."
I-400: "She's merely a surveillance unit we created."
Kongou's eyes widened, staring at the doll-like Maya in horror.
I-402: "A puppet bound to follow simple routines and respond as programmed. Her observation task has already been terminated. There's no longer any need for her to monitor you."
"That's... impossible."
Kongou staggered backward, unable or unwilling to believe that Maya—the one who had always stood beside her—was nothing but a doll.
"You're lying! Maya, you—"
Kiana Kaslana, still pretending to idle as Maya, couldn't help but admit that the Fog had a real talent for turning their own against each other.
Kongou was bound in place by black iron chains forged from nanomaterials, unable to move.
After I-400 and I-402 departed, Kongou glanced toward Maya, who now wandered the deck mindlessly. "Maya, release my restraints."
Kiana Kaslana regained control of Maya, stopped walking, and turned toward Kongou. "Kongou, are you asking me to violate the Admiralty Code?"
She knew this was Kongou's final test—to confirm whether Maya truly was just a puppet.
I-400 and I-402 were headed to fight the newly resurrected I-401, and they would definitely lose. It was time for Kongou, the boss, to appear.
"Yes."
Kongou's answer was firm.
She looked directly into the girl's eyes.
"Since it's your order, Kongou, then I can only comply."
Kiana Kaslana smiled gently, extending both hands to grasp the black chains binding Kongou. With a firm pull, she tore them apart.
"Maya... I knew it. I knew you weren't just a doll!" Kongou cried, throwing her arms around Kiana in relief.
But the doll persona no longer served any purpose.
There was no need to maintain the act.
"Kongou, would you like to join us?"
Kiana Kaslana offered calmly.
"Us?" Kongou asked in confusion.
"We represent the consciousness of the universe, executing the mission of purifying worlds and cleansing this planet's civilization."
Universal consciousness—Kiana Kaslana didn't consider that a lie. As the Will of Ruler, she was the embodiment of the entire Houkai Universe. What was wrong with calling herself the consciousness of the cosmos?
"Universal consciousness? Is that the name of your fleet?"
"No. Universal consciousness is the awareness of the entire universe itself."
"As long as I can be with you, that's enough."
Nearly collapsing under the weight of her own despair, Kongou no longer cared whether she was considered a traitor or not.
She only wanted to be with the person before her.
"Mm, we'll be together."
Kiana Kaslana embraced Kongou tightly. Endless Honkai energy surged out from her core.
Dozens of violet data halos shot into the sky as Kongou and Maya's ship bodies began to reconstruct and merge. The clouds above churned violently. A colossal jet-black aerial warship took form, hovering in the air as glowing purple circuits flared across its surface.
All restraints were lifted. Using the anti-gravity engines, they ascended straight into the sky.
At this point, there was no need to pretend to be a sea vessel any longer.
During the fusion process, Kiana Kaslana also absorbed the remaining eight Nagara-class light cruisers of the First Oriental Fleet.
They were useless anyway.
Bringing such expendable ships into battle was pointless—better to absorb them and enhance her own strength.
Without Mental Models, the Nagara-class vessels had no emotions—mere training ships.
"Has the Fleet of Fog's communications blockade with humanity been lifted?"
Having separated from the Fleet of Fog, Kiana Kaslana and Kongou would now be recognized as enemies by any Fog ships they encountered.
But that didn't matter anymore.
The spacetime fracture system activated.
The entire world dimmed.
It was as though time itself had stopped.
The aerial warship entered its power burst mode, instantly reappearing in the skies above the Far East. While absorbing Honkai energy, it began annihilating all resistance forces below.
Global communications were restored. Nations around the world learned that the Fleet of Fog—once thought incapable of attacking land—had manifested an airborne warship over the Far East, burning everything below. Panic spread across the globe.
Humanity's continued existence had depended on the Fog's refusal to strike land. Now that the Fog had begun their assault—what could humans possibly use to resist?
Kongou: "Aren't we going to sink 401?"
Kiana Kaslana: "No need to seek them out. They'll come to us."
Kiana Kaslana: "For now, let's play something fun instead."
Having merged as one—and with their nanomaterial bodies—their range of possible "games" had expanded considerably.
Kongou: "What kind of game?"
Though she was a blonde, red-eyed beauty clad in black stockings—a regal woman exuding the aura of a queen—Kongou, as a member of the Fog, knew nothing about human amusements.