The following day, after the sacred meeting with IJN Nagato.
Izumo, who had just woken up from the bed in her quarters aboard the JS Izumo, stood for a moment at the edge of the mattress. She tidied the blankets and washed her face at the washbasin. Water flowed from the tap into her palms, splashing against her porcelain-white face. She looked at her messy, long silver hair and began to brush it. She stared intently at her reflection in the mirror above the sink.
"I'm ready," she said firmly. The image of Bismarck nearly killing her yesterday over unfinished information had left her traumatized. But her resolve was set: she would prove she wasn't like them.
Jolly entered the room, opening the door.
Click.
Creek.
Thud.
"Izumo, you're awake," Jolly said, standing at the doorway.
"Yes, Jolly. I have an agenda today. I'm going to meet Senior Akagi at the hidden Sakura Empire docks—the special repair facility managed by Senior Akagi and Senior Kaga," Izumo said as she reached for the kimono hanging next to the basin. Her porcelain skin looked flawless, covered only by short pants and a black bra. Izumo struggled slightly with the kimono's sash.
"Here, let me help," Jolly said, immediately standing behind Izumo. She tied the back cloth-strap of the kimono.
"Thank you, Jolly. I still half-disbelieve that I am now a ship-girl in this world. It's been over a week since I realized it," Izumo said while fixing her hair.
"That's how it is. We were brought here with you—me, and Akaneko. At least we look out for each other and stay as a family in this world. We don't know what enemies are coming. I hope you succeed in your goal, Izumo," Jolly said as she helped straighten the kimono.
"Alright, I'm ready," Izumo said. "Please look after the ship. This vessel is integrated with me; it is a part of my body. If anything happens to it, it happens to me. Look after Akaneko for me, Jolly."
"Understood, Oh White Fox Queen," Jolly said, teasing Izumo by poking her waist.
"Hey!" Izumo said with a ticklish smile.
They walked out into the corridor. Jolly went to accompany Akaneko, who was wiping the wheel rims of a Qaher 313 drone inside the hangar of the JS Izumo's hull. Meanwhile, Izumo headed toward IJN Akagi.
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The sun had just risen, but its light seemed reluctant to pierce the thick fog enveloping the Sakura Empire shipyard. This was no ordinary port; it was once the storage for the failed Orochi project, a mad ambition involving Siren technology. Here Izumo stood, gazing at massive steel structures that looked like the frozen skeletons of ancient dragons. The entire port inside the cave was bathed in deep red—the signature color of IJN Akagi.
According to Nagato yesterday, this entire area had been moved from the original Sakura Empire territory before they unified at the Azur Lane central command. The worn-out remnants of the old project were brought to Azur Lane to be researched and to ensure these prototypes wouldn't be misused without supervision.
Izumo let out a long sigh. Her mind drifted back to yesterday: Bismarck's fury, Nagato's comforting embrace, and heaviest of all—Juneau's death. As a reincarnator, a 35-year-old man used to handling customer complaints in retail, he knew how to face someone's anger. But as JS Izumo—a modern ship-girl who shouldn't even exist in Azur Lane—she was facing the wrath of someone with world-ending power, mourning a fallen comrade.
"So you've come, Junior Izu," a feminine voice, soft yet containing a lethal aura, broke the silence.
IJN Akagi emerged from the shadows of a massive concrete pillar. Her red-and-black kimono fluttered in the sea breeze, carrying the scent of rust. Beside her stood IJN Kaga, standing tall with sharp, ice-blue eyes. Their nine fox tails moved slowly, as if they possessed lives of their own.
"Senior Akagi, Senior Kaga," Izumo bowed slightly, showing her respect. "I have come to ask for help. I need more power. I cannot fight by relying only on my raw instincts. Lady Nagato suggested I meet you, as one of the ship-girls who can make this happen."
Akagi opened her fan, covering half her face. Her red eyes flashed. "Do you know the history of what is stored here? Surely Nagato has told you. (She pointed to a massive, rusted red hulk of an old ship). Orochi is where desires and reality collide. For a ship like you, whose soul comes from outside this dimension, full synchronization with a Wisdom Cube is a massive gamble."
"I'm ready to gamble, even if it shatters my body," Izumo answered without hesitation. "I'm tired of being a spectator in my own world. I want to be the sword that protects, not just a carrier hiding behind the fog. You know the incident yesterday. I don't even know if I can help or not, yet you all welcomed me so well. I must repay that. Especially since your current enemy comes from my world."
Kaga stepped forward, eyeing Izumo from head to toe.
"This synchronization will tear through your identity. You will feel every inch of your hull burning, every network of your ship's cables convulsing. You are not a human girl controlling a ship, Izumo. You are the weapon itself. The ship will merge into you as a weapon. You... will not be who you were before," Kaga explained.
Kaga's face stared sharply at Izumo. Izumo shivered, feeling a powerful aura of sternness from IJN Kaga. She remembered that before Kaga became a carrier, she was a battleship. She had already felt the pain of changing ship classes from BB to CV.
"Nyaaa! Preparations are complete!" chirped a familiar, high-pitched voice. It was the green-haired, petite ship-girl, Akashi. She appeared pushing a small cart filled with monitors and strange cables.
In the center of the cart was a transparent box containing two pure Wisdom Cubes, pulsing with a brilliant neon-blue light.
"Akashi, is this safe?" Izumo asked, slightly nervous seeing the energy throbbing from the cubes. She had received explanations about Wisdom Cubes and seen them while playing the game in her past life. Seeing them in person, however, made her skin crawl.
"Safe is relative-nya! But for modern technology like you, I have to modify the cube's frequency so a system rejection doesn't occur-nya. Now, take off your clothes and stand in the center of that circle," Akashi ordered.
Izumo swallowed hard. Under the cold gaze of Kaga and the inquisitive stare of Akagi, she slowly removed her outer kimono. She was left only in her black bra and tight tactical shorts. The cold shipyard wind touched her porcelain skin, making her shiver slightly.
Izumo stepped onto the circular platform Akashi had built. In the outer port of the Sakura Empire, several hundred meters away, the carrier JS Izumo began to emit a low hum that vibrated the seawater. Its monitors flickered to life, panels became active, and engines roared. Several planes, helicopters, and drones began to start their engines, as if sensing the massive energy their captain was about to receive.
"Starting-nya!" Akashi pressed a button on her large calculator.
Suddenly, the two Wisdom Cubes shattered into particles of incredibly bright light. The light didn't fall to the floor; instead, it shot out like arrows, piercing straight into Izumo's chest. The impact nearly knocked her backward, but Kaga swiftly leaped and caught her.
A blinding flash of light erupted, obscuring everyone's vision.
"AAAAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!" Izumo screamed.
She could feel the MiG-27K in her hangar becoming like her own fingers. She could feel the Qaher drones becoming her flying eyes. Everything she used to just click on a smartphone screen was now becoming a part of her anatomy.
"Hold on!!!" Kaga shouted from behind, gripping her back firmly. Kaga hugged her from behind, bracing Izumo's body which was being pushed back by the energy surge.
Finally, Izumo was able to stand upright on her own. Kaga released her grip and stepped back down.
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Seagulls flew over the sea, and beneath them was a heavy, massive aircraft carrier. It sailed at its maximum speed, 19 knots. The Predator, CN Type 004, with a ship-girl standing beside the runway: Long Chao
Hundreds of miles into the uncharted Pacific Ocean, a steel monster cut through the waves with terrifying grace. Her long white cloak fluttered stiffly, reflecting extreme military discipline. Her target was clear; she had already noted in her log that she had sunk one ship—one very unlucky to have crossed her path. Her target remained JS Izumo, who had escaped her pursuit in the storm.
"Target, a coral island. Distance: 45 kilometers," she said, reciting the data flashing in her mind—radar detections reaching dozens of kilometers.
Long Chao did not use a radio or voice to give orders. Through her mind, she released command waves to her squadron. In an instant, her flat, modern flight deck became a hive of activity.
Su-39 strike fighters took off with a deafening turbojet roar, followed by KB-X bombers carrying precise torpedo payloads and two high-explosive missiles. In the air, Aksungur drones flew higher, mapping every inch of the target with infrared sensors and radar. She also launched several high-precision missiles and grenade projectiles to create massive shockwaves.
"Destroy them," Long Chao said curtly.
Duar! Duar! Duar!
The coral island stood no chance. High-explosive torpedo-type bombs from the KB-X leveled its surface, while missiles from the Su-39s searched the crevices of the caves to ensure nothing remained. Hot clouds and fireballs billowed high, turning the blue vista into the gray of death.
"If this is the best this world has to offer, they aren't worthy of blocking my path," Long Chao muttered.
She looked at her navigation map. The coordinates for the Azur Lane base were locked.
"JS Izumo... you are a stain on modern naval history. Hiding behind ancient WW2 ships will not save you," Long Chao said. She recalled data from a J36 ASF plane that was destroyed while spying—downed by an entity dubbed the "Grey Ghost."
Long Chao quickly issued a new command. She raised her hand. Twelve NH-90 NHF helicopters took off simultaneously, forming a protective screen around her ship while extending the massive carrier's radar range. With full speed, the heavy carrier cut through the waves with the resolve to annihilate anything that smelled like "Izumo."
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Outside the dock, the ship JS Izumo began to glow with a bluish hue. The hull seemed to vibrate, its steel material being rearranged at a molecular level. The energy bridged the gap between the ship and the girl standing in the shipyard. Akaneko and Jolly felt the ship tremble. They ran out and down from the ship toward the dock. There, Ashigara and Mogami were already standing with Nagato, watching the energy unification process firsthand.
"It has begun," Nagato said, watching the carrier before her as blue cubic lines began to appear, preparing to fracture.
Meanwhile....
"Synchronization reaching 85%... 90%... 95%...!" Akashi screamed amidst the energy storm.
"Maintain your consciousness, Izumo! Don't let the energy swallow your soul!" Akagi shouted, showing genuine worry for the first time. She gripped her hands and her fan tightly. Her face was full of concern, never blinking as she watched Izumo drop to her knees, absorbing the energy.
Izumo squeezed her eyes shut. She saw visions of her past self as a retail worker in Surabaya. She saw the retail shelves, the angry customers, and that motorcycle accident. Then, she saw Juneau. She saw the faces of the ship-girls who had placed their hopes in her.
"I am... no longer a weak human. I am Izumo!" she declared.
The JS Izumo at the outer dock shattered into energy cubes, which then streaked toward the secret shipyard. The small cubes merged directly into Izumo's body.
New Rigging, New Izumo.
Back at the Sakura Empire's secret shipyard, the energy dust slowly settled. Akashi was panting, while Akagi and Kaga stared without blinking. In the center of the circle, Izumo began to stand up.
Her appearance had changed completely. She was no longer wearing a cumbersome kimono. Now, she wore a highly flexible modern combat suit. Her outfit blended the aesthetic of a Japanese knight with high technology.
On her back, a massive and detailed rigging was attached. The hull of the JS Izumo had seemingly shrunk and attached to the sides of her body, forming an extraordinary weapon platform. At her waist hung two legendary katanas: Alka (blue) and HPLS (red). These blades had no physical metal edges; instead, they emitted constant laser energy, ready to slice through even the hardest steel.
"I feel like... I can sense the entire ocean," Izumo whispered. Her voice now carried a subtle, authoritative mechanical tone.
On her shoulders were two large launcher tubes—the manifestation of the Mars 290 Grenade Launchers. In her hand, she held a futuristic mechanical bow. This bow wasn't for firing regular arrows; it was a portal to summon AW249 Fenice helicopters from her energy storage dimension.
"Incredible-nya...!!!" Akashi approached, trying to touch the rigging, but her hand was nearly zapped by static energy. "This technology surpasses anything I can understand right now."
"Izumo," Akagi stepped forward. "The enemy is close. I can feel it. The scent of death carried by jet winds like yours."
Izumo nodded. She closed her eyes for a moment, activating her AESA radar, which was now integrated directly with her optic nerves. "Target detected. 200 kilometers to the south. Our four destroyers are in danger."
"Ara... you can detect them already? That info arrived while you were merging. I heard from Lady Nagato that the four Azur Lane destroyers were sent to intercept the enemy detected by Zuikaku. If it's the carrier that sank Juneau, it's time for you to help them," Akagi said.
"Go," Kaga said shortly. "Show them that the Sakura Empire does not birth losers."
Without another word, Izumo leaped. She didn't fall into the water; instead, she glided at an incredible speed. Her tactical boots created tiny but extremely fast ripples, like a bullet piercing the ocean.
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Battle on the Brink of Despair.
At the outermost patrol sector, Javelin, Laffey, Z23, and Ayanami were facing a nightmare. They weren't fighting ships; they were fighting shadows that moved incredibly fast. Even these four powerful destroyers were overwhelmed by the relentless air strikes.
"Senior Nimi! They're too fast!" Javelin screamed. She tried firing her cannons at the NH-90 helicopters circling above, but they evaded with ease. Her muzzle velocity wasn't enough to match the helicopter's maneuvers. Then, three NH-90s dropped torpedoes toward Nimi.
"Stay in formation!" Z23 barked back, despite being wounded in the arm. Unbeknownst to her, a torpedo was heading right for her position, and a massive explosion erupted.
From afar, Long Chao stood a top the CN Type 004 appearing on the eastern horizon. Without warning, she unleashed a volley of R-Han 122B missiles. The missiles didn't fly straight; they maneuvered in zig-zags, tricking every air defense effort the destroyers had.
BUM!
A massive explosion hit the water beside Ayanami. The blast pressure threw her into the air. Her sword rigging cracked.
"Ayanami!" Laffey, usually sleepy, now had her eyes wide open with fury. She tried to fire, but an NH-90 above her released a light torpedo.
"Is this the end?" Javelin thought as she saw 12 NH-90 helicopters dip their noses, preparing to fire missiles simultaneously at the helpless girls. She saw Nimi sitting exhausted, wounded by the torpedo blast, her weapon rigging smoking and broken. Javelin closed her eyes, clutching her broken spear.
Slash.... Blarrr..... Duar.....!!!!
Suddenly, everyone's radar caught an incredibly strong signal. A blue dot combined with a red dot streaked from the direction of the base at an impossible speed. With a katana-slashing motion.
"Sorry I'm late, friends," Izumo's voice echoed over their radio channels.
In an instant, Izumo appeared in the sky above the destroyers. She drew her bow, and in one pull, four AW249 Fenice helicopters emerged from blue light, immediately unleashing gatling gun fire at the enemy's NH-90s.
Izumo landed on the water with an impact that created a massive wave, becoming a shield for Javelin. Izumo slung her bow over her shoulder, then drew the Alka and HPLS katanas. They instantly glowed blue and red. The grenade launcher on her left rigging swiveled forward.
"Mars 290, Fire!" Izumo commanded.
From her shoulders, eight anti-submarine grenade projectiles launched. But instead of exploding in the water, they detonated in the air, creating an energy curtain that obliterated all the R-Han missiles heading their way.
Long Chao, now only 30 km away, was stunned. "Hey, Japanese ship, Izumo... so you've changed, have you? I am Long Chao, CN Type 004, and I will sink you to the bottom of the sea! My grudge from that match won't be settled until you're dead!"
Izumo stared sharply at Long Chao. Her silver hair fluttered, and her fox tail stood tall. She raised her katana, emitting pure blue laser energy toward her foe.
"CN Type 004, Long Chao! I am no longer the ship you chased in that storm. I am not a carrier you can easily destroy like in the Lost City! I am JS Izumo, the protector of Azur Lane! And today, your journey ends here!" Izumo shouted loudly, her voice carrying across the distance.
The sea surged. The battle between modern ships in the world of ancient ship-girls had just begun on a much larger and deadlier scale. Long Chao launched everything her deck had. One J36 ASF fighter, two Su-39 strike planes, KB-X bombers, and Aksungur drones all streaked toward Izumo.
Izumo didn't stay still. She asked Javelin and Ayanami to help her, while Laffey was told to help and guard the wounded Nimi.
"You're skilled with weapons, right? Ayanami, use the HPLS katana, and Javelin, you take the Alka katana. These two are my anti-air weapons; they can destroy any incoming planes and missiles. Just use your mastery of weaponry," Izumo said, as she reached for the bow on her shoulder again. She pulled three arrows from the quiver on her back. Aiming at the incoming planes, Izumo released the arrows.
Three MiG-27K Flogger strike fighters appeared, and then Izumo fired again, releasing two Qaher 313 drones. Izumo then aimed the torpedo tubes on her lower rigging toward the CN Type 004.
"Fire!" Izumo cried out.
Four green torpedoes with yellow "Danger" logos launched. Mark 45 Astor torpedoes—nuclear powered. They streaked through the water toward the CN Type 004.
"Come on! This is what I love! Hahahaha!" Long Chao laughed. She aimed her anti-torpedo systems at the projectiles launched by Izumo.
What happens next?
Kansen CV Light vs. Aircraft Carrier Vessel
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To Be Continued
Chapter 8: Echoes of Modern Steel