The Divine Throne of Shipgirls

During his command of a submarine fleet ambush against Abyssal Yamato, Senior Marshal Kazeharu made the grave mistake of seeking glory too eagerly and advancing recklessly—resulting in a humiliating defeat. Of course, that's easy to say in hindsight. The battlefield is always shifting, and no one could've predicted the sudden appearance of Abyssal Tirpitz and Abyssal Bismarck leading over a hundred thousand Abyssal shipgirls. So while the loss of over 30% of his submarine fleet was severe, Kazeharu alone couldn't shoulder the entire blame.

The real problem came after the failed ambush. As the remnants of the fleet retreated under pursuit, Kazeharu made a brutal decision—cutting off part of the force to act as bait and stall the Abyssal onslaught, sacrificing a few to save the many.

Of course, such a decision had to be made by drawing lots. One of Arata's shipgirls was selected. Naturally, Arata was unwilling. He had already lost one submarine and was in mourning—grief-stricken and raw. That's when he clashed with Kazeharu. Roughly fifteen percent of the other Commanders also objected—most of whom had also been picked for rearguard duty.

Kazeharu responded with a ruthless iron hand. Accusing them of disobeying orders on the front lines, he detained them all, had each one flogged a hundred times, and then threatened their shipgirls: their Commanders had committed military treason and deserved execution, so the only way to save them was to fight to the death.

Because Kazeharu had also lost one of his own shipgirls in the draw, and because he cloaked his actions in the banner of patriotic sacrifice, the situation didn't escalate into full-blown mutiny. But when Abyssal Yamato led another army in a renewed assault, Kazeharu was forced to retreat again—and again, one of Arata's shipgirls was chosen to stay behind.

Arata begged, but Kazeharu refused. Pushed past his breaking point, Arata flew into a rage and tried to assassinate Kazeharu—only to be killed on the spot by his shipgirl, Hiei. The rest of Arata's fleet blackened and fell to the Abyss immediately afterward.

Looking at the big picture, the central command still considered Kazeharu's decisions to be relatively impartial. He had lost shipgirls too, and he often sent his own fleet to lead dangerous missions. So the top brass was inclined to believe that even if his methods were harsh, they didn't merit a death sentence—perhaps just a demotion.

But to the shipgirl headquarters, his actions were a clear betrayal—outright murder. If human civilization could only survive by tricking, betraying, and coercing shipgirls into dying for it, then they'd rather abandon their alliance with humanity and live freely like the sea monsters.

This is the irreconcilable divide between humans and shipgirls. Born from ideals, shipgirls believe in dying with dignity rather than living in shame. But human hearts are far more complicated. The dilemmas they face run far deeper.

If saving a hundred million meant picking ten thousand innocent lives to sacrifice—could it be justified?

If Kazeharu had given the order to fight to the death as one, not a single shipgirl would've complained. But he didn't. He tried to preserve the larger force by coercing a few to die for the rest. His goal was noble. His methods were not.

And to the shipgirl headquarters, that made it an unforgivable offense.

After reviewing all the facts, Hikaru stared Kazeharu down. "It's not my job to judge you. My job is to deliver you to the courtroom."

Kazeharu rose a few inches into the air, arms spread wide. The sands and stones around the beach howled like a storm, swirling behind him to form a towering figure—an airborne giant, nearly a kilometer tall.

"Just you?" he sneered.

Wakayama quickly pulled Josephine aside, eyes gleaming with amusement.

Lady Lexington narrowed her eyes and stepped forward. With a calm gesture, she made a simple grasping motion.

The towering sand giant instantly crumbled. Tens of thousands of tons of stone and debris cascaded from the sky like an avalanche.

All across the beach, Commanders and shipgirls scattered, using their own powers to dodge the deadly storm of falling rock.

The sandstorm raged for minutes before finally settling. Kazeharu's slightly hunched figure emerged from the dusty haze.

His voice was hoarse, like a defeated general's. "Impressive. No wonder Yamato didn't bother coming herself. When did headquarters raise such a powerful new talent?"

Cumberland summoned her ship cannon and leveled it directly at Kazeharu.

"Come back with us. Face the trial."

"I already told you!" Kazeharu pounded his chest, roaring, "No one has the right to judge me!"

A sudden flash of light flared in his right hand—forming a blade of energy.

He thrust it toward his own chest.

Kazeharu was trying to take his own life!

[End of Chapter]

[50 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]

[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]

[[email protected]/BellAshelia]

[Thanks for your support!]