The crescent was so fast it carved a vacuum corridor, space rippling in its wake—beautiful, lethal, silent.
Under the Gaze of both combatants the fist and crescent collided. Thunder rolled; a titanic shock-wave burst outward, whipping the sea into raging waves.
For a moment the black crescent held—then shattered, no match for the colossal fist.
Barely diminished, the fist roared on, tearing through the sky toward Dido.
It struck in the blink of an eye. Dido threw up her Ship Qi Shield, but the fist smashed it like glass.
Crack—shatter!
The blow slammed into her, driving woman and fist together into the peak of Third Abyssal Anchorage.
Boom!
The mountain exploded; the ground buckled into a ten-zhang-wide, two-zhang-deep crater. Within it, Dido lay broken, every inch of her scorched and bleeding.
Agony wrenched a mouthful of blood from her; it trailed in a scarlet line down her chin.
"Cough… such a punch. No shame in losing to it…" Her breath fluttered, her hull on the verge of sinking.
High above, Middle Princess declared, "A mere Epic Ship Girl dares challenge my might? I'll bury you so thoroughly no wreckage remains."
She raised her right hand; crimson energy condensed into a five-zhang sphere that blotted the sky.
"Die."
With a low shout she flung the sphere downward. Air tore apart as the orb plunged, howling to obliterate all in its path.
Pinned to the earth, Dido hadn't strength left to lift a finger. She could only wait for the end.
Each second stretched. Her greatest regret: never again to stand beside her Admiral, to serve and protect him. Powerless, she slowly closed her eyes.
The sphere was two zhang away from erasing her utterly when a white silhouette flashed between them—an angel? Dido blinked: no angel, but the Ship Girl Illustrious.
Illustrious bent her white-stockinged right knee, gathering torrents of energy into the joint before smashing that energy sphere skyward with a vicious kick. It vanished into the heavens.
Moments later the remnant world shuddered; the sphere had obviously slammed into the pocket-realm's barrier.
A gentle breeze stirred her white hair as Illustrious, smiling beautifully, drifted before Dido and spoke in a soft, delicate whisper.
"Sorry I'm late. Leave the rest to me."
A girl rescued from the brink of despair almost always feels a surge of gratitude toward her savior—so it was with Dido now.
Hope had been all but gone when Illustrious appeared; seeing that radiant smile, Dido's face flushed and her heart pounded.
What's happening—was death near, causing some reaction? Yes, that had to be it; she definitely wasn't falling for Illustrious.
She refused to admit it, stubbornly telling herself: I love the Admiral, not Illustrious. I can't betray him... yet she didn't know that the more you suppress a feeling, the fiercer it bursts forth, one day overwhelming you entirely.
Illustrious hovered a short distance from Middle Princess; neither spoke, but their auras crashed like meteors, sending violent shock-waves through the air and slowing every current around them.
The contest of presence ended in a draw, and both thought: This opponent is no pushover—who wins is anyone's guess.
Wind whipped hair and garments; to onlookers they seemed bewitched, frozen in place.
In truth, the first to move or speak would concede the mental duel; they could only endure.
Twenty minutes later the famously impatient Abyssal cracked. Middle Princess coughed into her slender fist, then declared regally, "Among these Ship Girls your power is supreme. Kiss my foot, swear fealty, and I'll spare you—be my retainer."
Those flawless feet looked delicious enough to savor, and Illustrious nearly blurted acceptance—only just catching herself.
Recovering her poise, she sneered, "Save your trickery. I won't be your lackey; I'm respectable and not so easily charmed."
Middle Princess chuckled; she'd noted that flicker of desire. A little more pressure and Illustrious would kneel.
"Oh? Respectable, you say? Then look—really look." She grasped her hem and slowly lifted.
Illustrious stared, pulse racing as the skirt rose: Almost... almost there...
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