Chapter 293: Missile Destroyer

Qin Ge was not inside the cabin at this moment but stood on the bow, for he saw the Purifiers' desperate assault and felt that being inside the cabin or elsewhere made no difference.

So rather than waiting to die inside the cabin, he might as well come out and see the world's strongest combat power.

But just as he stepped out, he saw four missiles trailing flames, which hit the Purifiers in succession.

At that moment, he too was stunned.

Obviously this missile was not fired by the Siren faction, for its target was the sole Siren on the field.

Moreover, the missile was not launched by the Sakura Empire fleet, for the Sakura shipgirls were equally bewildered, unaware of where the attack came from.

However, obviously they were all battle‑hardened warriors; after a brief stunned pause they seized the moment, aiming at the point where the missiles exploded in the air and opened fire with all their might.

Meanwhile, Zhang Men's squadron of Awakened Shipgirls had also arrived aft, and fire support could be heard at any moment.

On the sea surface, dazzling illumination shells blanketed the area where the Purifiers were, and continuous explosion sounds followed one another without pause.

At that moment, another unit appeared behind the Purifiers and joined the battle. This unit was the front‑line Awakened Shipgirl detachment led by the Sakura Empire's front‑line commander, Kongou.

When the sustained gunfire ceased and the smoke cleared, the Purifier's figure appeared in the same spot.

She still looked exactly as she had when struck by the missiles, except that a crystalline blue shield now surrounded her, and it was this shield that blocked all damage from the Sakura Empire shipgirls.

"How is that possible?" Zhang Men exclaimed, eyes wide as she gazed at the shield encircling the Purifier.

Indeed, even with all Awakened Shipgirls and fully leveled shipgirls focusing fire, they could not break her shield, let alone kill the Purifier.

However, after the smoke cleared, the Purifier did not attack; instead, she looked at the assembled shipgirls and said with a grin.

"Hahaha, what a splendid battle, although we look a bit disheveled, the mission was completed successfully.

But remember, we Sirens are your enemies, the great evils who invaded your sea rights and sparked the war—we will have even stronger monsters awaiting you—grow stronger, we will meet again."

After saying that, the Purifier summoned a purplish‑red vortex behind her; carrying her battered body, she slowly drifted toward the vortex facing all the shipgirls and Qin Ge, sinking into it.

At that moment nobody attacked, for once the shield appeared all assaults were ineffective; better not waste time or ammunition—let her go.

However, as the Purifier was about to fully disappear into the vortex, she turned her head to glance once at Qin Ge on the command ship, then looked away.

As the Purifier fully vanished into the vortex, all the shipgirls came to their senses, beginning to ponder her earlier words, while Qin Ge, standing on the bow of the command ship, sensed a different meaning.

Obviously, the Purifier's earlier remark was a blatant provocation—but what might lie behind that provocation?

If the Sirens are the shipgirls' enemies, shouldn't they have wiped them out while they were still weak? Yet now they openly tell everyone, "Look forward to your growth."

While Qin Ge pondered, Tiancheng and Xinong gradually steered toward the command ship, as did the other fleets observing from afar, Zhang Men's Sakura Empire Awakened Shipgirls, and Kongou's Sakura Empire Awakened Shipgirls.

Once everyone had taken position, Qin Ge's shipgirls and the shipgirls of all major factions boarded the command ship.

Naturally, the Sakura Empire's Zhang Men, Kongou, and Akagi and Kaga boarded the command ship, while the other shipgirls formed a perimeter around it, taking up defensive posts and heading toward the Sakura Empire's home island.

"As veterans of this great battle, what do you think?" the White Eagle fleet's North Carolina asked Zhang Men.

"The enemy's strength exceeded our expectations; it seems earlier reports on high‑rank Siren humanoids were seriously mistaken—they are not as weak as we claimed, but rather unfathomable." Akagi said to North Carolina.

"Yes, we previously misjudged the strength of high‑rank Siren humanoids; we'll have to be more careful from now on." Washington nodded.

"But compared to that, I'm more curious about what that mysterious ship equipment of Donghuang actually is." Iron Blood's Prince Eugen gazed at Donghuang's Anshan and Changchun.

"Donghuang? That weapon?" Qin Ge startled, then immediately recalled the four missiles earlier. If they had been launched by Anshan and Changchun, everything would line up.

Because Anshan and Changchun, in their own world, had been refitted as missile destroyers, equipped with the Shangyou 1 ship‑to‑ship missile.

At this moment Anshan smiled at Prince Eugen and said, "This is a weapon we Donghuang developed, named missile.

And the model I and Changchun now carry is designated the prototype Shangyou 1 missile."

"Missile?" the senior leaders of the other major factions exchanged glances involuntarily.

Algeria asked Anshan, "Can other destroyers also be equipped with it?"

"No," Anshan replied without hesitation.

"Why? If it requires necessary materials, or an exchange of research results, we major factions believe we can produce materials and data that Donghuang cannot refuse," Littorio said.

Changchun shook her head. "No, it's not that. To equip missiles one must first undergo conversion into a missile destroyer; only then can missiles be fitted.

And nowadays most shipgirls, after modification, remain ordinary destroyers, not missile destroyers, lacking missile launch tubes—that's why Anshan said they cannot equip them.

Hearing this, the senior leaders of the major factions frowned. Meanwhile Qin Ge wondered aloud, "So Anshan, you few have undergone conversion to become missile destroyers? But I recall the Four Kongou had no conversion plan."

"Originally there was none, but after we underwent Awakening we grasped the conversion scheme, enabling us to refit and become missile destroyers." Anshan explained to Qin Ge, and also to the other factions.

"Post‑Awakening conversion? I don't know if that can be done with it." Soviet Russia considered the cognitive unit they had been fighting over.

"Unclear; it needs verification. However, judging by the data you gave us, it's probably impossible." Anshan shook her head.

"Is that so?" Chapaev frowned…