Azuma took the lead by firing a missile, and the others followed suit by using their own dirty tricks.
"Bang, bang, bang...!"
Missiles, Smoke Bombs, and Stun Bombs pelted Illustrious continuously, startling her. "Whoa! Unfair! It's four against one! By the way, how did you all become so united?"
In the end, Illustrious went down—she had no choice! Under such dense attacks, even a godlike player would have to kneel!
The four Ship Girls teamed up to take out Illustrious and quickly overtook her. Then, Haman, Yukikaze, and Zuikaku passed Illustrious one by one.
Illustrious was finished. She had been hit by too many attacks and was still stunned, having lost all hope of winning.
The four cars of Aircraft Carrier and the other Ship Girls raced toward the finish line. After rounding a curve, they finally saw the end.
The finish line was at the end of a 300-meter straightaway. Currently, Aircraft Carrier was in first place, Azuma was second, Ayanami was third, and Shokaku was fourth.
"Ah! I'm so happy! Soon I'll be able to use wax and whips on the Admiral. Just thinking about it gets me excited!" Aircraft Carrier said with a look of pure pleasure.
Ayanami murmured in a low voice, "Tsk! I didn't expect Aircraft Carrier and Azuma to have such good drifting skills. I was careless; if I'd known, I shouldn't have used up all my dirty tricks just now."
"With three big shots blocking the way ahead, it looks like there's no hope," Shokaku said with a sigh.
"Bang!"
As the four Ship Girls' cars reached the 200-meter mark together, Azuma began firing Stun Bombs.
Why did Azuma have Stun Bombs? It was because she had kept a card up her sleeve while the other Ship Girls were dealing with the Admiral. She had held back just for a situation like this; with this Stun Bomb, Aircraft Carrier would definitely be unable to defend herself on this straightaway.
After Azuma fired the Stun Bomb, the other three Ship Girls were shocked. They hadn't expected Azuma to hold something back. She really was a sly dog, truly cunning enough.
"Bang!"
Aircraft Carrier was hit and was instantly stunned where she stood. In her stunned state, she couldn't step on the gas, and her car slowly came to a halt on the track.
Seeing this opportunity, Azuma naturally wouldn't let it pass. she immediately overtook her and took first place.
Ayanami and Shokaku also took advantage of Aircraft Carrier being stunned to overtake her, taking second and third place.
"30 meters!"
"20 meters!"
"10 meters!"
"Finish line!"
Azuma reached the finish line first, followed by Ayanami in second and Shokaku in third.
The cars behind them slowly reached the finish line as well. The eight Ship Girls saw Unicorn's car, but Unicorn reached the finish line while driving in reverse.
"Admiral! I won! You have to promise to do one thing for me!" Azuma said as she happily gave Illustrious a big hug.
"Congratulations. Luckily it was you who won; if Aircraft Carrier had won, I would have been in big trouble." Illustrious breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Speaking of which, what do you want me to do?"
"I haven't decided yet. I'll tell you tomorrow morning!" Azuma said after thinking for a moment.
"Alright! I'll wait for you tomorrow then!" Looking at the Ship Girls around him, Illustrious suddenly noticed one was missing. "Where's Laffey? Why don't I see Laffey!"
"Maybe she fell asleep on the track?" Haman suggested a possibility.
"Don't say that, there really is such a possibility. Everyone, let's go find her!" Illustrious mobilized the group and began searching for Laffey.
Illustrious found Laffey by the side of a track. Laffey was fast asleep. To keep her from catching a cold, Illustrious decided to take Laffey back to the Eagle Union dorm.
Illustrious announced to everyone through the soul network, "Found Laffey," and then brought her back to the Eagle Union dormitory.
After putting Laffey on the bed and tucking her in, Illustrious intended to leave, but as he was leaving, his clothes were caught by Laffey's small hand.
"Admiral! Don't go. Can you stay and keep me company?"
Illustrious pondered the meaning of these words. What did Laffey mean? Could she be interested in him? "Laffey! No, as the Admiral, I can't do that. You're still so young; if I did that, I'd be worse than a beast."
"What is the Admiral talking about? I want you to stay and play games with me," Laffey said with a look of pure innocence.
Illustrious breathed a sigh of relief. "Play games? But aren't you very sleepy? Since you're sleepy, just go to sleep!"
"Laffey isn't sleepy now. Please, Admiral, play games with me!" Laffey said pitifully.
Illustrious sighed. "Alright! Then what game do you want to play?"
"I want to play this game!" Laffey pulled out a box.
"International chess? Alright! But I'm very skilled, so don't cry when I beat you to a pulp!" Illustrious wasn't being arrogant; he was confident because he was a player who had once placed eighth in the finals of the Pacific International Chess Tournament.
"I only know a little bit, but I won't give up." Laffey trembled with excitement; it was the feeling of wanting to challenge a strong opponent.
Seeing Laffey tremble, Illustrious thought she was afraid of his superb chess skills, so he smiled and patted her head. "Hahaha! Don't worry! I'll go easy on you."
Laffey said to Illustrious with an expectant look, "Admiral, if I win, could you buy me 10 cases of Laffey?"
"If you win, buying them for you is no problem, but is it okay for you to drink that much alcohol?" Illustrious asked worriedly.
"Don't worry, Admiral. I won't drink it all at once, so don't you worry!" Laffey explained.
"Alright! But you only said what happens if you win. What happens if I win?" Illustrious said with a smile.
"Then what do you want me to do, Admiral?" Laffey tilted her head.
Illustrious stared at Laffey's white-stockinged thighs and couldn't help but swallow. He had a bold idea. "If I win, you have to use your legs to give me a massage."
"I've only heard of massaging with hands, I've never heard of massaging with feet," Laffey said in confusion.
Illustrious gave Laffey some knowledge about foot massages. "That's just you being ill-informed. I'll explain how to massage with feet. First, I'll take off my clothes and lie on the bed, and you'll use your feet to continuously step on my back. Oh, and you can't take off the stockings; it wouldn't feel right if you did."
"So that's how it is! Then I understand," Laffey said, sounding like she both understood and didn't quite understand.
Placing the chess set on the table, Laffey sat in her chair and began arranging the pieces.
Illustrious sat on the other side and waited for a moment. Then Laffey said they could begin, and the two of them started their game.
Five minutes later, Laffey had utterly crushed Illustrious.
After losing to Laffey, Illustrious slammed his head onto the table, then looked up at Laffey with a look of utter despair. "Didn't you say you only knew a little bit? How did you win so quickly?"
Think about it: he, Illustrious, was the eighth-place finisher in the Pacific International Chess Tournament finals, yet he was defeated in just five minutes by Laffey, who 'only knew a little bit.' If word of this got out, he'd be a laughingstock even to dogs!
"Yes, I only know a little bit," Laffey said calmly. "But I didn't expect the Admiral to actually lose to someone like me who only knows a little bit. It's truly surprising."
"No, no, no! I think your 'little bit' is actually a 'billion' bits!" Illustrious pointed out Laffey's error.
"Admiral, since you lost, you'll fulfill your promise regarding my ten cases of Laffey, right?" Laffey said with a look of expectation.
"Don't worry! Since I lost to you, I'll naturally buy them for you." Illustrious began to use the power of the Silver King. In no time, Illustrious's body erupted with a silver glow. The light enveloped his body, and the White off-the-shoulder dress he wore decomposed and transformed into a White high-slit qipao.
"Whoa! Admiral, it's so magical every time I see you transform!" Watching Illustrious's transformation, Laffey didn't even blink.
"Wait for me a moment, I'll be back soon." Illustrious flew out the window, turning into a silver stream of light as he sped toward Tianhai Island.
Ten minutes later, Illustrious returned, and Laffey immediately went to greet him.
With a wave of his right hand, ten cases of Laffey appeared before her. Seeing them, Laffey threw herself onto the boxes with a look of bliss, her face constantly nuzzling against them.
Seeing Laffey so happy, Illustrious couldn't help but laugh. Laffey really did love Laffey!
...The next morning, Azuma came to find Illustrious. She had already decided what she wanted him to do. "Admiral! I want you to come with me to plant a cherry blossom tree."
"Is it that simple? No problem. Where should we plant it?" Illustrious said with a smile.
"The scenery of the moon and the sunrise from the cliff west of the Naval Base is beautiful. I think if a cherry blossom tree were planted there, it would definitely be even more stunning," Azuma said with a face full of anticipation.
Azuma held the cherry blossom sapling while Illustrious held a shovel, and the two of them walked together toward the cliff.
Arriving at the cliff, Illustrious couldn't help but feel a refreshing breeze. Looking out at the sea from here, she could take everything in at a glance; it was quite beautiful.
"Let's plant it right here!" Illustrious pointed to a spot.
Azuma nodded in agreement. "Mhm! That spot will allow the cherry blossom sapling to get just enough sunlight and moisture so it can grow strong and tall."
Illustrious began to shovel the dirt and dig a hole. After a few scoops, a small pit appeared in the ground. "Azuma! Place the cherry blossom sapling in the center, and remember not to let it tilt."
"Okay! It's ready, you can fill it in now," Azuma said as she steadied the cherry blossom sapling.
Illustrious began to shovel the soil. After shoveling all the dirt back into the pit, they had finally finished planting the cherry blossom sapling.
"Oh right, we still need to give it some water." Looking at the sapling, Azuma took a watering can and sprinkled water over it. Once the water soaked into the ground around the sapling, the two of them finally completed their task of planting the cherry blossom tree.
Illustrious and Azuma looked at each other and then at the cherry blossom tree they had planted with their own hands, unable to hide their joy. This tree was something they had accomplished together, a beautiful memory belonging to them, and they were naturally delighted.
Azuma leaned against Illustrious's shoulder and said softly, "Admiral! Twenty years from now, when this cherry blossom tree has grown up, let's watch the moon together under its branches!"
"Alright! I promise you, this is our pact. Even if you forget by then, I will remember and remind you," Illustrious said with a smile as she held Azuma.
"I won't forget! I'll remember something this important forever because it's a promise between me and the Admiral," Azuma said with a serious expression.
Looking at the sea and holding Azuma, Illustrious felt that now was the perfect time to confess to her. "Azuma! I have something very important to tell you."
"You look so serious, what is it?" Azuma blinked and asked.
Illustrious summoned her courage and said, "Azuma, from the first moment I saw you, I..."
Just as Illustrious was about to say "fell in love with you," she suddenly felt a powerful presence rapidly flying toward them.
"Admiral! Did you feel it too? Such a powerful presence. Who is it, releasing their aura like this? I'm afraid they don't come with good intentions." Azuma's face turned pale. With the enemy being so powerful, could the Admiral handle it? If something were to happen... bah, bah, bah, what a jinx; the Admiral will definitely be safe.
This was the aura of a Four-Star Legendary Ship Girl, and it was quite familiar—it was that Taihou. As a Four-Star Legendary Ship Girl, Taihou's presence made Illustrious's expression instantly turn grave. "Azuma! Go tell everyone to hide. If I don't come back, just forget about me."
After saying this to Azuma, the clothes on Illustrious's body began to transform into a white high-slit cheongsam. With a bang, she turned into a silver stream of light and flew toward the east.
Watching Illustrious vanish into the sky as a stream of light, Azuma murmured softly, "Admiral! You must come back safely. If you die, I will scuttle myself and never live on in this world alone."
Azuma went to notify the other Ship Girls to evacuate, while Illustrious came to a halt in mid-air five kilometers to the east.
After stopping, Illustrious began to release her own aura. Sensing Illustrious's presence, Taihou immediately braked hard, changed direction, and flew toward her.
Taihou, appearing as a red stream of light, saw Illustrious with her naked eyes and immediately stopped thirty meters away, confronting her.
Wearing a red low-cut evening gown, Taihou sized up Illustrious. Seeing the 300-meter silver sword above Illustrious's head and sensing that Illustrious's strength was only comparable to a Five-Star Epic Ship Girl, her expression became very disdainful. She said coldly:
"I didn't expect you to be the Silver King, but in my eyes, your strength isn't even worth mentioning. Illustrious, you actually lied to me that day, saying the ring of desire hadn't been cleared yet. Cleared my foot! You took that thing long ago. Hand over the ring of desire obediently, and I can let you die without pain. Otherwise, I'll make you wish you were dead."
Illustrious looked at Taihou as if she were an idiot. "Since you're going to kill me anyway, why should I hand it over? Either way, I end up dead."
"To be honest with you, Senior, after I got the ring of desire back then, I was short on cash for a while, so I sold it."
Taihou laughed out of pure anger. "Hahaha! It seems you take me for a fool! Fine, fine, fine! Since you won't hand it over, I'll kill you, and then your things will naturally be mine."
"Sigh! You don't believe me when I tell the truth. Fine then! Let's fight!" Illustrious shook her head and sighed.
"Fight? Wahahaha... You think you can fight me with strength that's only comparable to a Five-Star Epic Ship Girl? You're making me die of laughter!" Taihou clutched her stomach and laughed.
-------------------------------
Hope you enjoy this fanfiction if you do and would like to read the next 30 chapters in advance, pls do check out my Patreon.
patreon.com/TLScarlet
Also don't forget to give me a Power Stone if you do like this fiction. Your support really motivates me to continue doing my best in translating, Thanks!!