"It's not spiritual energy of heaven and earth? Then what is this blue gas?" Ayanami tilted her head and asked.
Illustrious patiently explained, "This blue gas of yours is actually Aura. As for why you can absorb Aura, I believe you, like Yukikaze, have awakened a unique ability."
Ayanami said with joy, "Unique ability? You mean I'm like Yukikaze, so does that mean I'm also one of those one-in-ten-thousand geniuses?"
Illustrious sighed, "To awaken a unique ability as a Gold-Plated Ship Girl, it's not an exaggeration to call you a genius among geniuses."
"Admiral! I heard unique abilities are divided into natural, fantasy, and special types. So what is my unique ability? Could it be something overpowered like time or space?" Ayanami asked excitedly.
"Neither time nor space!" Illustrious shook her head.
"Neither? Then what exactly is my unique ability?"
"According to my analysis, your unique ability is a special type of ability. Its content is to convert air into Aura and then absorb it into your body to enhance your own strength."
"That's it! Ugh! My unique ability is so trash! What a pity! If only it were time or space!"
"While time or space unique abilities are great, you don't need to sigh, because your unique ability is not bad at all."
"This isn't bad? Then tell me what's good about it." Ayanami was disappointed with her unique ability. If she could reset her character like in a game, she would definitely do so without hesitation.
Illustrious patiently said, "Your unique ability to convert air into Aura cannot be described as merely 'good,' but 'excellent.' Imagine if you could convert air into Aura, then you wouldn't need to fight the Deep Sea to accumulate Aura."
"The Aura generated by the core of a Ship Girl who has become an Epic Ship Girl or higher is limited, but you are different. The world is full of air, and you can obtain Aura by converting air. The Aura you gain this way is infinite."
"I get it! Simply put, I can use this unique ability to enhance my strength and have infinite mana like in games!" Ayanami was excited. So her unique ability was this incredible!
Illustrious poured a bucket of cold water on Ayanami's excitement: "However, your unique ability is currently incomplete. You can only passively absorb air and convert it into Aura. To achieve infinite mana in combat through automatic absorption, you must become a Five-Star Epic Ship Girl."
"Admiral, you're so mean! Can't you just let me be happy for a while?" Ayanami pouted unhappily.
Illustrious rubbed the back of her head. She smiled and said, "Sorry, sorry! But you don't need to be sad. Even passive absorption is not bad, because this way you can freely absorb air and convert it into Aura when you relax."
"As long as you continuously convert air into Aura and absorb it, I believe you will quickly become an Epic Ship Girl."
"Quickly? Then if I relax and absorb Aura every day, how long will it take me to become an Epic Ship Girl?" Ayanami was very much looking forward to becoming a Three-Star Epic Ship Girl, because once she did, her strength would increase tenfold.
Illustrious said seriously, "Perceiving your aura, it will probably take a year to condense an Epic Core and become an Epic Ship Girl."
"A year! Then Admiral, how long did it take you to become an Epic Ship Girl?"
"You can't compare yourself to me, because I am the fastest Ship Girl to break through to Epic Ship Girl. It only took me half a year to break through to Epic Ship Girl, and no Ship Girl in the world has broken my record yet," Illustrious said calmly.
"Why were you able to break through so quickly even without a unique ability like mine?" Ayanami asked, puzzled.
"If you can enter the Deep Sea Black Unmanned Zone and fight the Deep Sea for half a year, I believe you can definitely break through to Epic Ship Girl as quickly as I did," Illustrious said with a serious expression.
Ayanami shook her head vigorously, "Forget it! I heard the Deep Sea Black Unmanned Zone is Deep Sea territory, extremely dangerous, full of Deep Sea. If I entered casually, I might sink in less than a day."
"Oh, by the way, Admiral! Please give my unique ability a nice name!"
"A nice name, huh! Since your unique ability is to convert the world's air into Aura for absorption, let's call it 'Great World'!"
"What a cool name! Then my unique ability will be called 'Great World' from now on!"
"Alright, you stay here and absorb Aura. I won't disturb you." Illustrious turned and walked towards the Admiral's office, calculating the time. Azuma should have finished processing all the documents by now.
"Okay! Bye, Admiral!" Ayanami waved at Illustrious and continued to meditate, absorbing Aura through her unique ability,
A year ago, Shinano received a mission from the Pacific Governors Mansion: to investigate and recover the heavenly radiance ship device Inferno Hellfire, which was stolen from the Pacific Governors Mansion ten years ago!
During this year, through investigation, Shinano determined that the Epic Ship Girl she was currently tracking was the culprit who stole the heavenly radiance ship device Inferno Hellfire.
This culprit was Northampton, a Five-Star Epic Ship Girl under the Pacific Governor-General. She joined the Governor-Generals Mansion thirty years ago and became Lili Si's Ship Girl, but was attracted by the power of the Deep Sea Cult. To become a high-ranking cultist, she stole the heavenly radiance ship device Inferno Hellfire ten years ago.
To prevent the Pacific Governors Mansion from discovering and pursuing her, Northampton faked her sinking nine years ago during a battle with a Five-Star Nightmare Deep Sea.
By using a ship device called "Face-Changing" to wash away and replace her Ship Girl model in her consciousness world, Northampton successfully evaded detection and pursuit by the Pacific Governors Mansion.
Northampton had endured for nine years, and today she was going to retrieve the Inferno Hellfire, which she had secretly placed on this small island nine years ago, and hand it over to the Deep Sea Cult.
"Hahaha! As long as I hand over the heavenly radiance ship device Inferno Hellfire to the Deep Sea Cult, I can become a high-ranking cultist! By then, I will be a Ship Girl above all others, second to none!" Northampton exclaimed excitedly as she walked along a small path on the island.
However, Northampton didn't know that a terrifying presence was watching her from behind. She was still basking in self-satisfaction, overjoyed about her future prospects.
Arriving at the abandoned building on the small island, Southampton pressed a mechanism on a wall, and a secret passage immediately appeared beneath the building, with stone stairs leading down.
Taking a flashlight out of her rigging space, Southampton walked down the stone stairs.
Shinano, who was following behind, saw Southampton enter the secret passage; fearless, she did not hesitate to continue following her.
Halfway through, the highly alert Southampton turned her head to take a look, a glance that scared Shinano into quickly hiding.
Seeing not a single ghost of a shadow, Southampton muttered in a low voice, "Strange! Why does it feel like someone is behind me! But why don't I see anyone!"
For safety's sake, Southampton released her Divine Sense to investigate the entire island. After finding that she was the only one on this small island, she finally felt relieved. "Forget it, it might be my imagination. I should continue forward to retrieve my heavenly radiance ship device."
Seeing Southampton continue forward, Shinano breathed a sigh of relief. During Southampton's investigation, she had suppressed her aura into nothingness, which was how she avoided being discovered.
After following for a long time, Shinano finally saw Southampton stop in a secret chamber.
Southampton moved a lamp post, and the ground immediately opened up. Below, a wooden cabinet was slowly raised by an underground platform.
The underground platform only stopped when it rose to Southampton's feet. She bent down and opened the wooden cabinet. Inside was a Tachi in a scabbard. Pulling the Tachi halfway out of the scabbard, the blood-red blade emitted a terrifying aura.
"Great, after a ten-year plan, I have finally obtained Inferno Hellfire today as I wished." Southampton said happily, "As long as I hand it over to the Deep Sea Cult, I can become a high-level cultist. Then I'll have both fame and fortune. Just thinking about it now makes me incredibly excited!"
"Thank you for your hard work in leading the way!" A voice rang out in the secret chamber.
Hearing this voice, Southampton became nervous. She looked behind her and found that she didn't see anyone. "Who is it? A rat hiding its head and tail, show yourself quickly!"
"Idiot! I'm behind you!" Shinano appeared behind Southampton and then said indifferently.
After turning around and seeing Shinano, Southampton immediately jumped a big step back in fright. Looking solemnly at Shinano not far away, her heart trembled a little: "Who is this person? She appeared behind me, and I actually didn't notice."
"Who is your Excellency? Why are you following me so sneakily?" Southampton said seriously.
"You don't even recognize me?" Shinano said strangely.
"I don't!" Southampton asked for clarification.
"Eh! It's been a long time since I came down from the Island of the Firmament. It seems that today's Ship Girls no longer recognize me." Shinano sighed and then introduced herself: "My name is Shinano. I am untalented; my realm currently remains at Five-Star Legendary Ship Girl."
"What, Five-Star Legendary Ship Girl Shinano? You are that legendary adult that Admirals and Ship Girls often talk about!" Upon hearing the name Shinano, Southampton almost knelt down in fear.
Speaking of this Shinano, she was a Ship Girl known to everyone among Admirals and Ship Girls. The reason Shinano was so famous was that she was not only a Five-Star Legendary Ship Girl but also the world-recognized strongest Legendary Ship Girl.
Facing such a tough character, Southampton panicked. She heard that Shinano had joined the Pacific Naval Base five years ago. Now that she had appeared before her, her purpose was definitely not simple. "Are you here to capture me or do you want me to hand over Inferno Hellfire?"
"Both!" Shinano said coldly.
Southampton knelt down without a second word, tears and snot flowing together. "Senior! Please let me go. I have an eighty-year-old mother above and a one-year-old child who hasn't been weaned below. Please have pity on me and let me off! Don't take me back. If I'm taken back, I'll definitely be sunk."
"Fine! Seeing how pitiful you are, as long as you hand over Inferno Hellfire, I'll let you go. I hope you will turn over a new leaf and become a good ship again." Shinano said indifferently.
"Thank you for letting me go! Senior, don't worry, I will definitely turn over a new leaf and be a new ship in the future." Southampton stood up and handed the Inferno Hellfire in her hand to Shinano with great reluctance. "Then Senior! Please, take Inferno Hellfire."
Taking the Inferno Hellfire, Shinano pulled the blade halfway out of the scabbard with her hand. Seeing the sharpness and aura of destruction of the blade, she sighed: "Not bad! It's a good sword. It truly is a weapon-type heavenly radiance ship device."
"Isn't it? But it's a pity that weapon-type heavenly radiance ship devices all have artifact spirits. If you are not the owner she recognizes, then you simply cannot use it normally." Southampton shook her head and said.
Shinano waved her hand and said, "Alright, what are you still doing here? Get lost!"
"Yes, yes, yes! I'll get lost right away!" Southampton walked toward the door.
"Let me see if I can become the owner of this heavenly radiance ship device." Shinano used her Divine Sense to communicate with the artifact spirit.
Seeing Shinano focus her attention on the heavenly radiance ship device, Southampton, standing at the door, immediately reached into the void. A ship-severing longsword appeared in her hand, which she gripped tightly. She thought disdainfully in her heart: "So stupid. You thought I would hand over the heavenly radiance ship device so easily? I gave it to you just to let you try to claim ownership. As long as you begin the process of claiming the heavenly radiance ship device, I can slay you right here!"
With a light leap, Southampton, flying in mid-air, slashed down at Shinano. Now Southampton's heart was very excited. As long as this sword cut down, she would be the person who killed the strongest Legendary Ship Girl.
When Southampton was only half a foot away from cutting Shinano in half, the corner of Shinano's mouth curled slightly, and she muttered in a low voice: "Idiot! You thought I was really claiming ownership? Hmph! That was just to lure you into a trap."
She lightly drew Inferno Hellfire. Although she couldn't use the power of Inferno Hellfire, Shinano could kill Southampton even with an ordinary iron sword.
Her unique ability, 'Throughout Heaven and Earth, I Alone Am Honored', began to activate. In an instant, Shinano possessed the power to crush Southampton.
She swept past Southampton, cutting her in two with a single stroke.
The struck Southampton's body split into two halves. As her consciousness was about to dissipate, she hated her own stupidity. Had she known, she would have fled back then and nothing would have happened. It was a pity that she ultimately fell to greed.
"An ant trying to stop a carriage, overestimating your own strength." Seeing that Southampton was dead, Shinano said disdainfully.
Using her Divine Sense to probe the island and seeing that no one else would disturb her, Shinano then attempted to claim ownership of Inferno Hellfire. However, the artifact spirit of Inferno Hellfire ignored Shinano. The reason was that Shinano was too strong; if she recognized Shinano as her master and accidentally angered her, she feared the weapon would be destroyed and the spirit would perish.
Accompanying a monarch is like accompanying a tiger; the artifact spirit of Inferno Hellfire also knew this truth. So now she only wanted to find a relatively weak master, so that she could bully the master at will.
"No, the artifact spirit didn't recognize me as master. Forget it, such things cannot be forced." Shinano said calmly.
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