[FGO]: 103

"Target: Yokosuka Naval Base!"

Ryou drew his katana, the blade gleaming sharply in the sunlight.

"Oh!!!"

Below him, countless arms raised steam rifles high in the air, shouting.

While the Shogun was broadcasting nationwide, he had already led 500 elite warriors from the Aragane Station aboard a steam train.

At this point, it was still ten years before the start of the story, and the armored steam train Hayajiro Koutetsujou, capable of traversing through Kabane hordes, was still just a blueprint.

However, Ryou despised this concept entirely.

One small mistake could turn everyone in the station into a railway guerrilla.

In his view, treating an armored steam train as a lifeline and a last resort would only shrink humanity's safe zones, an act he considered utterly foolish.

Only by combining human wisdom with powerful industry could they defeat the Kabane, who were like wild beasts.

With a long whistle, the steam train carrying 500 fully armed soldiers set off.

The Aragane Station, located in the Hinomoto area, was less than 50 kilometers from Yokosuka.

With the powerful output of the McRucky Engine, the current steam train could reach speeds close to 100 kilometers per hour.

This meant that their target—Yokosuka Naval Base—would be reached in less than half an hour.

As he watched the scenery speed by on either side of the tracks, Ryou was filled with emotion.

The McRucky Engine was a black technology unique to this world.

By highly compressing steam and allowing it to cycle, it significantly increased the horsepower output of steam engines while drastically reducing fuel consumption.

It was because of the McRucky Engine that research on internal combustion engines had completely stalled.

But it made sense—steam engines powered by McRucky Engine not only had far more output than internal combustion engines but also consumed far less fuel.

For example, the steam train Ryou was on needed only a little fuel to supply the boiler with steam for the first cycle, and the train could run all day.

In the original story, Biba Amatori even used Kabane as a power source, achieving a quasi-perpetual motion machine with the McRucky Engine.

The McRucky Engine was utterly unscientific.

As Ryou was deep in thought, Jeanne approached him, her face showing a hint of hesitation, as if she wanted to say something but held back.

Ryou smiled slightly.

"Don't worry, if everything goes as planned, there won't be a need to kill anyone."

"Ryou, you don't think of me as an innocent girl who's never been to a battlefield, do you?"

Jeanne showed a bit of dissatisfaction on her face.

"My hands are already stained with blood, and from the moment I set foot on the battlefield, I was prepared for it."

"You're reliable. I apologize for my earlier thoughts. I hope you'll continue to support me as always, Jeanne."

"Leave it to me."

Jeanne then happily tapped her chest lightly with her right fist.

Crunch!

On the side, Ais, munching on a biscuit like a squirrel, watched their interaction with a blank expression.

"My lord, we're almost there!"

At that moment, Shinjirou came in.

"Finally, I almost had my bones shaken apart. It seems the train's comfort still needs improvement."

Ryou stretched, and in the next second, a sharp aura, like that of a blade, emanated from him.

"Shinjirou, make sure everyone is ready for battle! Let's go!"

With Ryou leading the way, Jeanne and Ais followed closely behind.

As soon as they stepped out of the train, they saw a crowd gathered around a richly dressed fat man on the platform.

Ryou was immediately pleased—everything was going according to his plan.

He had chosen his timing well, right after the Shoguns nationwide broadcast.

At this moment, the entire nation was in a state of panic. It was perfectly normal for a nearby lord to visit under the pretext of discussing countermeasures.

Moreover, as the lord of Aragane Station, Ryou's status meant that apart from Admiral Tsuchimoto Hisao, who was stationed at Yokosuka Naval Base, no one else was qualified to meet with him.

Given that Ryou's domain, Aragane Station, was strategically positioned in front of Yokosuka, and some supplies needed to be transported overland through Aragane, everything had gone as planned. Tsuchimoto Hisao had personally come to greet him, just as Ryou had anticipated.

"I'm honored that Lord Tsuchimoto personally came to greet me. I am truly grateful."

"Lord Yomogawa, you're too kind. My apologies for the inadequate reception."

After exchanging some pleasantries, Tsuchimoto Hisao, with a smile on his face, made a gesture of invitation.

"I've prepared a welcoming banquet. I hope Lord Yomogawa will honor us with your presence."

But Ryou's face took on a strange smile.

"That can wait. I'd like to borrow something from you first, Lord Tsuchimoto."

"What might that be?"

A look of confusion appeared on Tsuchimoto Hisao's face.

"Why, your position as Admiral of Yokosuka Naval Base, of course," He replied with a smile.

"What!"

The samurai attendants behind Tsuchimoto instantly glared, shouting angrily.

The once-friendly smile on Tsuchimoto's face also disappeared. He squinted his eyes, his expression indifferent.

"Lord Yomogawa, that joke is not funny at all."

"Do you think I have time to joke around with a fat pig like you?"

Ryou scoffed.

"Alright then! Guards, arrest this arrogant fool!"

As Tsuchimoto shouted orders, he began to retreat.

He wasn't an idiot—if Ryou say something like this to his face, he must be prepared.

However, Tsuchimoto wasn't worried at all.

Yokosuka Naval Base was too important; there was no way the Shogun wouldn't station troops here.

With nearly 2,000 soldiers on land, including the gendarmerie and logistics units, plus more than 10,000 naval personnel, Tsuchimoto knew that the 500 men under Kenshou Yomogawa wouldn't stand a chance.

As long as he could stall for time, reinforcements would arrive, and then this madman would meet his end!

And after that, Tsuchimoto could take Kenshou's women for himself—a delightful prospect.

From the moment he laid eyes on Jeanne and Ais, Tsuchimoto Hisao had been burning with desire.

A flash of silver-white light streaked by.

The next moment nearly made Tsuchimoto soil himself.

The steam guns in the hands of the twenty or so samurai guarding him were all cut clean in half.

In the blink of an eye, Ryou crossed a distance of more than ten meters, appearing right in front of Tsuchimoto.

The two guards beside Tsuchimoto immediately drew their swords to strike at him.

But Ryou, with a hand on each of them, disarmed them with ease.

"Mon- Monster!"

"Hmph!"

Ryou snorted disdainfully, grabbing Tsuchimoto by the collar, yanking him close, and chopping at his neck with his hand.

Tsuchimoto immediately blacked out, collapsing in a heap.

Caught in a dilemma, neither Tsuchimoto's bodyguards nor the reinforcements that arrived later could withstand the elite warriors Ryou had brought, and they were subdued one by one.

Just then, a soldier running from the port shouted as he approached.

"Lord, it's bad! The largest warship in the port is leaving!"

One of Tsuchimoto's attendants, hearing this, smiled.

"Haha! You're finished! That ship is our pride, the most powerful warship in the world! You'll be blown to pieces!"

"What's the name of that warship?!"

Ryou grabbed the attendant by the collar, his voice trembling as he asked.

His usually calm heart began to pound wildly.

This might just be his lucky day!

The captured guard proudly raised his head, wearing a look of self-satisfaction. However, little did he know that when he mentioned that name, the cold expression on Ryou's face nearly slipped.

"Yamato!"

Ryou couldn't believe it—it was her!

Although he had never played the KanColle web game, he had seen the anime and related media.

Among the shipgirls, three had left the deepest impression on him: Yamato, nicknamed the lady with the umbrella; Shimakaze, known for her distinctive outfit and veteran player's skills; and Kashima, one of the candidates for the new three light cruisers.

Despite branching out into Azur Lane and Fate/Grand Order later on, his impressions of these three shipgirls had never faded.

Now, seeing the real-life Yamato before him was enough to get him extremely excited!

Knowing Yamato's history only made this encounter all the more surprising.

In the history of Japan's imperial navy, the Yamato was built at the Kure Naval Arsenal between Kyushu and Shikoku and was assigned to the Kure Naval District after being commissioned. Ryou had never expected to encounter her so far away from there.

This was fate!

After calming down a bit, he quickly figured it out. Since the Shogun had already decided to abandon the 400,000-strong army in Kyushu, the Kure Naval District, which was closest to Kyushu, also had to be abandoned. It made sense that the Kure Naval District's ships would be dispersed to other naval districts.

Luck was on his side!

But wait, someone was trying to steal the Yamato!

You're asking for it!

Ryou's expression instantly turned cold.

"Jeanne, stay here. Ais, you're coming with me!"

Before he finished speaking, he forcefully stomped on the concrete platform of the train station, creating a semicircular crater as he shot forward like lightning.

Even with just C-level agility, he was far beyond the limits of ordinary humans.

Ais obediently followed without asking any questions, sticking close behind him.

"Wa—"

Jeanne tried to stop him, but he was already out of sight, only leaving behind a faint shout that baffled her.

"I'm coming, lady with the umbrella!"

For the sake of Yamato, he was willing to reveal his superhuman combat abilities.

Of course, revealing himself had always been part of his plan; it just happened a bit earlier than he had anticipated.

For Yamato, it was all worth it!

On the way to the naval port, squads of military police in uniform and steel helmets patrolled back and forth.

Some of them noticed two blurry figures flash by, like seeing ghosts in broad daylight, scaring quite a few of them.

"Stop! Who goes there?"

One of the military policemen finally sensed something was wrong and shouted a warning, pointing his steam rifle at the figures.

Ryou didn't even pause.

Even if the bullets hit, the steam rifle's power wouldn't be enough to break his skin.

"Damn it! Fire! Open fire!" shouted a military police officer.

Over a hundred military police immediately raised their steam rifles and unleashed a volley at him.

But it was all in vain—over 90% of the bullets missed him entirely, and those that did hit bounced right off.

"A monster!"

Some of the military police began shouting in terror.

Ryou was focused on the Yamato and ignored these weaklings.

In no time, he covered several kilometers and arrived at a massive dock.

The enormous dock, stretching over 15 kilometers, was filled with over a hundred ships of various types.

Wooo~~!

An alarm sounded, plunging the dock into chaos.

Disheveled sailors rushed out of bars and brothels, sprinting towards their ships.

Ryou's heart leaped with joy—his luck today was off the charts.

It turned out to be one of the navy's rare days off, with many sailors ashore for fun. The ships likely had less than a third of their crews on board, meaning they wouldn't be able to sail.

Heaven was helping him!

Ryou quickly turned to Ais and shouted, "Kouhai, cut off their gangways!"

Ais gave him a blank, innocent look.

Ryou smacked his forehead. Of course—her world didn't have ships like these.

So he swiftly changed direction and dashed towards the nearest ship.

Judging by its size, it seemed to be a destroyer.

Some sailors who had gone ashore for fun were already returning to their ships, crowding the gangways.

A flash of silver light streaked by.

He didn't stop as he moved on to the next target.

At that moment, the gangway suddenly snapped in two, sending the sailors tumbling into the sea with loud cries.

Ryou continued his path of destruction, slicing through gangways. Within a minute, over ten ships had fallen victim to his blade.

On the ships and the dock, naval soldiers fired their steam rifles at him, but they couldn't even slow him down, helplessly watching as he severed gangway after gangway.

Finally, Ryou glanced back at Ais, clearly asking, "You get it now?"

Ais gave a barely noticeable nod.

Ryou, reassured, picked up speed, dashing towards his target.

There it was, just ahead.

Beyond a battleship, about a hundred meters out at sea, a massive ship was slowly making its way toward open water.

Despite not being fully underway, the waves it churned up were so powerful that they rocked the nearby ships violently, even those weighing thousands of tons.

Seeing the elegant and imposing figure on the sea, Ryou took a deep breath and then leaped into the air.

Meanwhile, on the Yamato's bridge, Captain Sawa Zosei was observing the commotion on the dock through binoculars.

Seeing the gangways of the ships still moored at the dock being cut down, rendering the ships helpless, he couldn't help but feel fortunate.

As the captain of the Yamato, Sawa Zosei knew the immense responsibility he bore. The Yamato represented the country's pride and future, so he never let his guard down, not for a moment.

He held his crew to the same standard, training them more rigorously than any other ship. Even during breaks, only a third of the crew was allowed to leave the ship, ensuring that the Yamato could always set sail at a moment's notice.

Unexpectedly, this caution had thwarted the enemy's plans.

As soon as the alarm was raised, Captain Sawa Zosei immediately ordered the boilers to be fired up and the engine to be started, preparing for departure.

When he heard that the enemy had kidnapped the admiral, Captain Sawa Zosei decisively ordered the ship to set sail, feeling a quiet satisfaction at having foiled the enemy's plans.

But when he saw Ryou leap into the sea, he couldn't help but be amused.

"Arrogant fool, does he think he's the sea god Watatsumi?"

Yet the next second, what he witnessed left him completely stunned.