Glowworm's lower legs were covered in sleek black metallic propulsion boots, and at her waist hung a glowing green magic core.
In addition, her hips and back were fitted with miniature bridge modules, torpedo tubes, turrets, smoke canisters, and a funnel. The torpedo tubes and turrets were empty, however—she wasn't equipped with any corresponding armaments.
In her hand was a slim magic wand, and circling her were three finger-sized glowing mechanical familiars—her flares and scouting drones.
That's right—Glowworm's wand wasn't just for show. She really could use magic, albeit not particularly powerful.
And the absence of main guns and torpedoes didn't mean Glowworm couldn't fire or launch them—just that their power was negligible.
But the three floating steel plates around her clearly meant she was planning something weird.
These plates, formally known as Auxiliary Armor (Small), were blue three-star equipment that added 5 armor points while reducing 1 evasion point.
Myoukou crossed her arms. "See my twin guns? With nearly 50 firepower now, what are you going to do with all those dinky steel plates? Survive one more shot?"
Glowworm's patience finally snapped. Puffing up her cheeks, she let out a muffled roar. "You're so noisy—shut up already!"
Myoukou was about to retort when Glowworm suddenly charged, closing the distance in an instant. Myoukou barely managed to bring up her armor to defend—only to be slammed in the stomach by Glowworm's small fist.
"Pwoh—!"
A look of intense pain twisted Myoukou's face. She clutched her side and slumped into a duck-sit on the sea surface. Her abdominal armor was shattered, her rigging cracked, even smoking.
She had been blown up by a single punch!
"What the hell was that?!"
Takao was both shocked and furious. Elizabeth had already dashed over, skimming the surface to catch Myoukou, handing her off to another watching shipgirl for repairs.
"It's not too bad—she'll be fine in a bit."
Shipgirl repairs were fairly simple—more like self-healing. As long as they received enough resources and kept in good spirits, they'd recover. The lower their level, the faster the repair. Even though Myoukou was a heavy cruiser, at level 1 she'd only need about 20–30 minutes to recover.
Injuries during drills were expected, but what shocked everyone was that Glowworm had one-shot Myoukou. That was terrifying. At level 1, Myoukou should've had around 31 armor, while Glowworm's was only 5—even with extra plates, Glowworm should've been at a disadvantage in melee.
Hikaru winced inwardly. He hadn't expected this either. The gap between a high-level and a fresh shipgirl was way beyond what the game had prepared him for. Even a level 100 destroyer could still get wrecked by a level 1 heavy cruiser if hit.
But reality clearly didn't play by game rules.
"Sorry—I didn't expect Glowworm to be this strong."
Hikaru apologized sincerely, and Takao didn't seem to hold it against him. He was too stunned to be angry and muttered, "Why is your Glowworm this powerful? Even a battleship couldn't punch like that."
Hikaru could only gesture to his ID badge with a wry smile. "Check the level: LV143. Believe me now that I'm a giga-whale?"
Takao was speechless. So that glitched badge actually made the shipgirl this strong? No way!
Elizabeth, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes. She had seen a lot more than Takao. As far as she knew, Glowworm should've only been able to equip two pieces of gear at once.
Shipgirls could carry a lot, but they could only use a few items at a time depending on their capacity.
And Glowworm had clearly manifested three auxiliary armor plates simultaneously.
Interesting... Though honestly, it would have been stranger if someone like Hikaru didn't have abnormalities.
Elizabeth turned to Masaki. "Want to let your Wilhelmina (USS William D. Porter) try?"
Hikaru seized the moment. "If Glowworm proves herself, you all need to get me a sortie permit. Not just once—three times."
Masaki's eyes gleamed, then he nodded slowly.
The real concern about letting Hikaru sortie wasn't just safety. It was also a matter of military procedure. Even though a commander had a lot of autonomy, a newbie without a base couldn't go out without approval.
But this wasn't some random newbie—maybe he really was a monster.
Seeing that Masaki had agreed, Hikaru added, "But have Glowworm go easy—just enough to prove the point."
Glowworm looked troubled. "Commander, I can't go easy…"
Masaki waved it off. "Don't worry. My Wilhelmina's already max level—nukes wouldn't scratch her. Just let your girl go full power."
Hikaru was a bit dazed. If a level 100 Wilhelmina could tank nukes… how strong was his level 96 Glowworm?
He hadn't seen anything too impressive yet. Was he missing something?
While he pondered that, Wilhelmina finished equipping blanks and strode onto the sea.
The last match had ended before it even began. Elizabeth now decided to follow proper procedure and raised her voice: "Combatants, move to 3 kilometers apart!"
The two destroyers sailed out, becoming small dots in the distance.
Elizabeth stood tall and let out a crisp hiya!
Hummmm—!
With a metallic hum, a massive tower shield materialized on her left arm. In her right hand, she held a lance with a head as broad as Hikaru's torso—practically a hybrid of weapon and shield.
The silver-gray shield was marked with the Royal Navy insignia, and so thick it could be mistaken for a blast door from a bunker. It could easily take a nuke. There was even a viewport at the top with twin +17 British 15-inch turrets peeking through.
The lance was nearly 3 meters long, its shaft hung with a white flag marked with England's red cross. Twin turrets flanked the spearhead, showing that it was equally capable of ranged and melee combat.
Hikaru glanced at her rigging and then at his own alloy longsword on his back.
Yeah. His sword might as well be a butter knife.
This… this is what a real weapon looks like!
Elizabeth, noticing Hikaru's awe, slammed the shield into the ground. A shockwave pulsed out from its surface, extending over 10 kilometers, separating the sea and land like a shimmering barrier.
"Just in case they misfire at the shore. Better safe than sorry."
So just like Glowworm had magic, Elizabeth must be a unique type—a lancer with some kind of special class.
And man, Hikaru really wanted her power…
Out on the open water, Glowworm and Wilhelmina had reached their designated positions. They looked like two tiny dots against the blue.
Elizabeth leveled her lance.
"Begin!"