《Azurlane: Future Prosperity》19: Dread
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Mirai was sitting upon an expensive well furnished dark oak wooden table, wearing an all black naval uniform complete with the hat of a lieutenant general.
"Hmm... I never divulge this to the other shipgirls now that I think about it." Mirai mutters as she rewrote her excerpts about the superweapon.
The Nanoma Project was a top secret project which conducts test on the feasability of Nanomachines via Wisdom Dust. The prototype Mirai had built had so far the highest probability of success some even theorized it could eventualy create Space capable Ships.
The Prototype had been lost to Mirai, but as stated prior she was confident in having the capability to remake it under a year, if all things go well it could end within a month.
Just then a Knock from the door snapped her attention to the person inclined to come in. At first Mirai had thoight of greeting the guest herself but she threw that idea after realizing she held almost the same authority as the wolf eyed Admiral. With that thought in mind she giggled slightly then responded to the knocks.
"I don't bite, come in.... Atleast not when I still have two arms." She muttered the last part not knowing the personwho had entered heard it.
The door then opened and a curious cat with green hair and cat ears came in. She bowed her expression not changing from that of a lazy cat. But there was a dark shadow on her forehead and if one were to look more closely they'll realize she was sweating.
"Akashi~ Reporting nya~" Her voice was cute but her clothing was even cuter.
Trying to keep a straight face Mirai crossed her hands and leaned close to hide her lips, her eyes turned cold to make sure it does not show a sign of weakness and then she spoke,
"I see, you must be the Engineer they sent to help develop my project and also be my supplier." With absolute confidence Mirai flaunts her knowledge.
Akashi's eyes went wide and barely any notice she was actuaky sweating and queivering, without letting out anymore words she nodded and bowed respectfully.
"Y.. y-yes.. It was Akashi they sent. I will immediately bring the Wisdom cubes their price is...."
Akashi pulled out a clipboard and hid from it only taking casual peaks when she thinks Mirai had casted her gaze to another venue.
Raising a brow Mirai wondered, No doubt Akashi is scared. To dissasude the tension Mirai opened her mouth to prepare saying what she had thought to be the greatest speech of all time.
Suddenly Akashi yelps in surprise and terror. And so accidentaly she made a mistake by giving a massive discount.
"100 Cubes for 300 Gems–" She stopped herself realizing the blunder. Before she could retract her statement a creepy and terrifying laugh came from Mirai.
"Hehehehehehehee..."
This made her pale and immediately no word came out of her lips. Though she focused her remaining strength to run, but before doing so she needed to announce her reason to leave while also leaving with a satisfied customer.
Akashi was panicking in her mind as dozens of littlw akashi's scrambled together words she can use.
"I'll be going to get on my Suppliers!" She shouts almost deafening to a degree that Mirai covered her ears. Immediately she left after seeing what she had done and slammed the door close in a hurry. Realizing her mistake, "I'M SORRY!!!!!" She apologizes as her voice faded away from the distance.
"Huh... well moving on. I should explore the naval base for a bit. In an hour or so the fireworks will begin after all."
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Smiling with a bit of nostalgia she remembers the three, Atago, Haguro aka the Ninja sisters and Bratty Belfast. She was not inclined to save them, however if she can convince them then it will be a massive upside.
All she needed to do now was to put Sakura under her thumb, if not that then a sensible control of authority would suffice.
Upon reaching the Lobby Mirai felt some strange and fearful gazes but she happily strode to the entrance of the office building and eventualy outside where she was met by a familiar face.
With the vivid memory of the woman infront of her, Mirai remembers how she acted with the mask she had made to disguise herself in Sakura and how she met Akagi who was quite reserved prior to now.
"Akagi. How's your sister?"
A disrespectful remark came from Mirai herself. With a raised brow and a smile in her lips this naturaly triggered a hostile reaction from Akagi who pushed Mirai to the side.
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
Akagi then storms off without anything else to say, "What a bitch." Mirai whispers. Shrughing off the encounter Miral left whistling to immediately find a wisdom cube.
Mirai's still not use to recognizing strong fighters apart from herself. Though she must give credit to the Atago and Haguro sisters, they survived the war nearly unscathed that must give them enough threat to be considered as dangerous even for Mirai.
Walking around the crowded Festival Mirai felt bored, to pass the time as she looked from stalls that offered Wisdom cubes, then Akashi came to mind.
Akashi that Greedy Cat who loves ripping off her customers with the wrong yet equally interesting product, cough, cough Swimsuits cough, cough, made the thought of Modern Akashi laughable.
For one Akashi from the Modern Era struggles to keep up with the ever powerful Amazon Prime delivery services. Offering cheap and yet easy to access goods, Akashi's store for exclusive ship girl materials slowly declined over time.
It had gotten to the point she was begging for someone to buy her product. Oh how would she love an oppurtunity to sell things in this era.
"Oh Hey Mirai? That's your name right?" Kongo snapped Mirai's attention away from her thoughts.
Looking up at Kongo who was slightly taller than Mirai, Mirai asked. "What is it? Anything for me Kongo-san?"
"San? Woah, you're a bit too formal. Anyway I want to introduce to you the two ladies you beat infront of the other commanders." Before she can say their names Mirai cuts her off with a surprise.
"Atago and Takao right?"
"You know them?" Kongo asked in shock and wonder.
"Yeah, I never forget losers, haha just kidding you two fought quite well."
Mirai could tell one was biting their lip and the other one was muttering something about torture. This was not good.
"Anyway I'm Mirai. Both of you-"
"We're not here for idle chatter, we've come for a rematch." Both girls immediately reached for their swords.
Mirai can't waste time. She needs the wisdom cubes fast. Even if she asked the two for help to fight off the other Atago and Haguro, they will not stand a chance even without missiles those two are terrifying even though they never use swords.
"Look, Kids. Go cry on the corner if you aren't gonna help. I got better things to do..." Mirai instinctively ducked and a sword passed her head. Angered by a provocative attacked Mirai decided to teach the two a lesson. "You won't be able to walk for a couple days, bitch."
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Pulling out her sword she immediately attacked the two by leaping forward. Surprised that the person that didn't wanna pull out their sword and humiliated them was more willing to fight, they steeled themselves and-
......
....
...
...
..
"Next time Respect your seniors you damn Virgins."
Mirai stood over the defeated sisters. More compliant than the last time they were standing.
"Mirai-san. Isn't that more humiliating than the way you did them infront of the commanders?"
"Why are you being so formal Kongou?" Mirai asked with a smile shooting back at Kongou for the earlier call out. "Anyway you two, where can I get or win a Wisdom cube in this festival?"
Takao mumbles with her eyes looking down. "Down by the pier a red stall is offering a Wisdom cube as an award. Ship girls who loves or is in love with a Commander would want it for a gift to their beloved."
Mirai turned around, Kongou wanted to say a word but didn't pursue it any further just following behind Mirai. Then Mirai spoke before she left the two, surprising Kongo.
"Training won't be enough to sharpen your ways with the blade. You need a teacher too. Atleast that's how I got here."
Without turning around Mirai left without surveying Takao's reaction or Atago's soft somber moans.
"You're such a sweet heart you know that?"
"Realy? Last time I checked I just broke their confidence and pride. If I did that to anyone they would've commited seppuku."
"Oh realy now? Well those sisters are not just 'anyone' you know?"
"I'm sure they'll find a suitable teacher too. Anyway I wanted to ask..."
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Half a Minute later, Mirai steadily aims an Air Gun. All for the perfect shot, prior to this moment Mirai had won a couple of prizes which she had Kongou Carry.
Even for a Battleship Kongou was unable to properly hold it in place. There was already a crowd forming to see what Mirai was up to and the reaction of everyone was simply misunderstanding.
"I bet whoever is the lucky Commander recieving the Wisdom Cube should immediately oath her." There were a few nods from the Humans side.
"I'm quite Jealous. I wish my Commander was like that commited." Some Ship girls too were nodding their heads vigorously.
"... I realy wanted that prize." While some girls on the crowd were weeping as the Prizes were being snatched one by one.
Kongou whose ears were picking up the idle chatter from the crowd frowned once more.
"What is Mirai planning to do with all this stuff?! If she didn't want it just exchange it!!" Kongou mumbled underneath her breath.
"Patience. Harmony. Sollitude. Sadism."
After muttering those words Mirai pulled the Trigger. After doing so she loaded the next shot and fired, over and over again until.
"... L- Lady... if all you've wanted was the Wisdom cube you could've said so!" The Manager of the stall shouted in anger.
Blowing the muzzle of the gun like it had been smoking from gun powder, Mirai replies.
"Now where's the fun in that? Kongou give everything I've won to everyone in the crowd. Wisdom Cube is still mine hehehe"
Rolling her eyes Kongou complied. The Manager then presented the last prize on his wall to Mirai, quiveringly. It was understandable he just lost alot of his money.
Lacking the patience to deal with the whimpering manager Mirai opened her wallet and dropped 300 gems, which delighted the person and easily handed over the Wisdom Cube. He said something more but Mirai's ears fell deaf as she lost interest.
"The length it took for you to get this far..." Kongou mutters annoyed in her ear.
Mirai only smiled, removing the white prestined glove on her hand she gave a light pat to the wisdom cube. What Mirai did not espect however, was the violent reaction that happened next.
"!? WHAT THE-"
Sparks of lightning that looked similar to thunder erupted from the cube and Mirai's hand, immediately the noises of the surrounding was silenced.
Looking around Mirai could see the panicking crowd and Kongo trying to reach for her but was unsuccessful because of the nearly 12 feet distance between them.
Soon her vission would too be taken over by a blinding light.....
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""""""""
"Ugh..." Mirai grunts as she looked up into the night sky. Tired of everything that was happening today, she rose up from the floor and was surprised to see a different surrounding.
".... Germany?"
Dread immediately filled her heart. She got up her feet and started looking around, at first it was odd to the point of eerie silence.
However upon taking a famikiar corner, her eyes went wide. Laying there with her shining white and gold armor covered or excuding blood was Cavour, dead. Her eyes lifeless.
"Negev...?"
Beside the dead Cavour was a familiar face, a woman that always had a scowl in her face now turned horrified with a gaping hole in her chest. Her heart was missing, the irony was what Mirai would've love to joke around but the seriousness of the situation made her stop.
Walking around once more, she was met by an aftermath. An aftermath of a Battlefield, Kansens from Iron Blood and the Modern Era layed across the floor and walls dead around a pile of Siren Seekers.
Seeing the horrors of such an event Mirai carried on. She had died, and there was no way she could interact to the past she had made. She could only see.
Passing by the Port she could vividly see two commanders, the first from Iron Blood and the other to the UN.
"Shit we got too much casualties. We need to pull back!" The UN commander says.
The Commander from Iron Blood jist silently nodded. Mirai could tell, because the reason she fought apex was to not tarnish the only oath she had yet to break, was him refusing to flee the scene. He had lost someone, and that broke him.
Just then a Siren emerged from the Water, covered by Crimson blood her shark like teeth were showing by a Terrifying Smile.
"I will... Eat you all." With a distorted voice she approached unnervingly.
Soon other Siren Rippers emerged. Terror filled Jess Loraine Hood's face, Jaeger immediately took the front and pulled his pistol out protecting Jess.
"Romantic!"
Bakunawa emerged with an Unconcious Youzui by her shoulders. Reforming her Salakot from wisdom cubes she points a finger to the rippers.
"If you're doing a chore finish it properly!"
This in turn made the Rippers mad and howled and began targeting Bakunawa. Mirai seeing what she missed was slightly mad, fighting rippers above water was something she wanted to experience...
Suddenly the world began tilting. A white flash covered the surrounding. Images slowly passess by her eyes. A fire slowy burned the corners.
"MIRAI!" The Familiar voice of Kongou rang out.
The Vision began to conclude itself but not before showing mere glimpses of the discontinued pass.
Standing opposite of one another's position was her Sister, Sake/Saki, and the other was her sensei Mizuki. Holding the Odachi of Mirai, flimes blazes around them as they began to fight.
The last best fighter of the fleet, Bakunawa covered in all sides by Siren Forces. Was atop a small hill of corpses as she tried surviving for a fight.
Another Flash came by and the scene changes to it's final image.
Within a dark voided room, a familiar woman from the USN stood across from Mirai, unlike the others byfar, the one infront of her recognizes her presence.
".... Zumwalt?"
Mirai mumbles, then she revieved an anser.
"At a stormy night, your endless suffering will begin."
The figure that had mimicked Zumwalt says before the face of Kongo blends in with the mask of contempt.
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"""""""
"MIRAI! I WAS WORRIED!"
Mirai rose up, but those words made her slightly bitter. She hissed silently and looked at what the Wisdom cube or what it formerly was.
Shock and murmors were beggining to rise, those who fled seeing an opportunity for gossip returned to see a bizarre phenomena.
"I'm sorry... the wisdom cube you wanted was..." Kongou tries to apologize but Mirai held her lips.
For such an action Kongou raised her brow, Mirai then exclaimed with excitement.
"WOW! If it was this easy turning the Wisdom cubes to dust- it would've definitely, no INEVITABLY, the Project would've been a success!! HAHA!"
Kongo began sharing the same thoughts with the crowd that Mirai had gone crazy, but then... their eyes would soon bare witness to.
Summoning a Sea Hawk Helicopter from her hangar she reformed it's materials and blended it with Wisdom Dust.
"KONGO! I Require a Scout Plane- don't send it up into the sky. Dissassemble it and pass it on me! Nanoma's prototype would be remade!!!"
Before Kongou could answer a loud explosion rippled across the air and seas. The crowd panicked thinking it was a siren attack, the Shipgirls immediately sortied but Mirai now in the Sakura Empire's side immediately smiled knowing what's about to happened, all while the Wisdom dust and Shipgirl equipment merged.
When everyone else was panicking, Mirai stood in the middle of the chaos smiling as in her hands slowly formed her greatest masterpiece yet.
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