20 Demon

"Aoba to the command ship... I repeat... Aoba to the command ship... Do you hear Aoba? Aoba to the command ship!"

Aoba tried so many times to call Kimura and the command ship, but none of them answer her question. She only hears a static sound and that really makes her worried about Kimura. She continues to call him until she feels someone tugs her shirt. She looks beside her and sees Uzuki and Yayoi that really worried about her condition. Uzuki then says,

"Mother, you don't need to worry... Father will alright there..."

Aoba looks at Uzuki's worried face and then smiles at her. Yayoi then tugs Aoba's shirt and says,

"If mom really worried with father, we should finish this mission fast... And then we going back to father's place."

Aoba nods and then hugs the two of them. She could feel that Uzuki and Yayoi stroke her hair and that calm her a bit. She then says,

"Thank you very much. If both of you aren't here, Aoba didn't know what will happen to Aoba now..."

Aoba then looks in front of her and only sees the empty sea. She tried her best to make sure everything there will be alright if Kimura suddenly calls her. And then, she hears Mutsu says,

"Admiral Ichijo! Are you alright? Why did you cut the communication back then? Huh?"

Everyone including Aoba looks at Mutsu and looks really relieved that the Admiral formation is alright. Not long after that, Aoba gets a call from Kimura,

"Aoba... Aoba, did you hear me? Are you alright out there? Please answer me!"

"Aoba is alright now. We do not find any enemy yet and that's really worried me. Rather than that, what happened back then, Admiral? Are you alright? Are you being attacked?"

Kimura didn't answer that question, but Aoba could hear the sound of relieved from Kimura. After that, Kimura says,

"I'm alright, Aoba. But, I advise you to retreat to the main unit now. Please tell Mutsu that."

"Huh? Retreat? Why must Aoba retreat?" ask Aoba

"..."

"Kimura?"

"I just get a report from Viltus... No... I just get a report from Shigure that her units were attacked by the enemy."

"Huh? From Shigure? That's really rare. Why did she report it to you rather than to Viltus?"

Aoba didn't hear anything from Kimura and from there she knows something must be happening to Viltus. She then asks him,

"What happens there?"

"Viltus just..."

But before Kimura could finish it the communication suddenly being cut. Aoba tried to call him once more, but it is pointless. Suddenly, one of the Ship Girl shouts,

"Contact with the enemy! They are 200 KM from our position!"

Aoba immediately looks in front of her and sends her remaining planes. She could see the enemy already gathers there and moving to their place. Aoba and some of the Ship Girls are reporting their finding to Mutsu. After hears that, Mutsu says,

"All units prepare your weapon now. We will start our offensive mission now."

"Eh?!"

"We will split them into a small group and annihilate them, just like our training in recent weeks."

Everyone nods and start to move to their respective unit, except Aoba. Aoba then holds Mutsu hand and says,

"Aoba believe we should retreat now. The number of enemies is bigger than we combined our power with the defensive unit."

"We don't have an order to retreat," answer Mutsu

"But, Admiral Okazaki already gives Aoba an order to retreat now. They could annihilate all of us."

"Even if Admiral Okazaki already ask that, is he already get the permission from Admiral Ichijo?"

"About that..."

"Then his order is invalid. Proceed with the plan, Aoba."

Aoba looks down for a while and then she says,

"This action is the same as suicide, Mutsu..."

"All mission is a suicide mission for us, Aoba. You should know about that," answer Mutsu

"But, there are a lot of people waiting for us in Japan. Why must we continue this meaningless battle?"

Mutsu glares at Aoba and that startles her a bit. Mutsu then says,

"It seems you are becoming too close with your Admiral and that makes you forget about our task as a Ship Girl. To fight as a weapon in order to protect humanity from Abyssal."

"Aoba didn't forget about that." answer Aoba

"Then, why did you say something like that?"

Aoba didn't answer Mutsu's question and hears Mutsu says,

"The influence given by you and Admiral Okazaki is really toxic. Everyone feels that they have a chance for their life, and that really sweet. But, in the end, everything will become worse than before."

"About that..."

"After this mission, I will ask the department to move you from Admiral Okazaki units to another unit."

"Why?"

"Because I already disgusted with you and Admiral Okazaki's action in the recent year."

Aoba clenched her hand and then asks,

"Is it wrong for all of us to love our Admiral? Is it wrong for all of us to have a dream with our Admiral?"

"That's wrong," answer Mutsu

"Aoba can't accept that! Aoba believe we could love and live together with them!"

"Aoba..."

"Eh?"

"We do not deserve to live with them... Because we are only a weapon."

Aoba can't hide her anger and leaves Mutsu there. She knows that Mutsu will not hear anything from her and will continue this mission. After that, she could hear Mutsu shouts,

"All Ship Girl, prepare your cannon now! We will attack them soon!"

Everyone looks at their front and prepares their weapon. Aoba knows most of them are afraid to sink now and they will do anything to stay alive. But, she couldn't do anything about it. And then, there she could see one different Abyssal.

An Abyssal that has one horn and looks more humanoid than the others. The woman wearing a black gown that really beautiful as the sun starts to set. She looks at the Ship Girl with a cold gaze and smiles at them. Behind her stands an unrecognizable monster with some cannon on them.

Not long after that, the monster there shouts really loud and that makes all Ship Girl scared. They know that they will be annihilated if the didn't do anything there. Mutsu then says,

"Everyone points your gun towards that woman! Waiting for my command!"

Aoba doesn't care anymore with any action lead by Mutsu. She only cares to protect her units. When she arrived there, she looks closely at the woman and sees something on the monster there. A familiar item that one Ship Girl she knows always wear, a white hat.

Aoba's heart stops a bit and she now understands why Shigure the one that reports that to Kimura. Viltus is devastated with the lost of Harusame that sink at that mission and Shigure is the one who capable to report that to him when Kimura calls them, while Yuudachi tried to calm Viltus a little bit.

Aoba knows this mission is more dangerous than her previous mission until she hears that the woman says,

"I will let all of you... retreats now... If you want to meet... with your beloved one... Or I will annihilate all of you there..."

Her voice is really calming, but also quite strong. Mutsu keeps quiet for a while and tried to process what the woman just says. Meanwhile, Aoba moves in front of Uzuki and Yayoi and then says,

"Uzuki... Yayoi... After the first salvo, go back to Father's ship. Aoba will find a way to retreat after that."

"We will not go..." answer Yayoi

"Please Yayoi... Go back to Father's ship... Aoba just wants both of you safe with him."

"No... We will not go because we already promise father that we will come back together. Right, Yayoi?" says Uzuki

Aoba really surprised to hear that from their mouth and then smiles at them. She couldn't hold her tears and then says,

"Both of you are really stubborn..."

"Ehehehehe... Mother should have to know why we become really stubborn right?" says Uzuki

"Yes... Even if this mission is our last mission as one unit, Aoba will not forget this feeling."

"Eh?"

"Even if we separated at a different place, please stay call me Mother, alright?"

Uzuki and Yayoi look at each other and then nods to her. After that, the three of them are looking at the woman and hears Mutsu shouts,

"Everyone... Attack them!"

With that, every Ship Girl start to bombard the Abyssal. Meanwhile, the woman looks at the incoming shell and the monster behind her to protect her. She then laughs a little bit and then says,

"All of you are... really an idiot... Everyone sink them..."

With that order, the Abyssal start to attack the Ship Girl. Mutsu who sees that immediately orders,

"Everyone starts to move now! Continue with our plans!"

And with that, the first big battle between Ship Girl and the Abyssal starts.