Tirpitz leaned over the railing and opened her right hand. From the center of her palm, a dainty, delicate flower fairy emerged.
The fairy, no bigger than a fingertip, lifted her petal-woven skirt and began dancing gleefully in Tirpitz's palm.
This was an Elite Damage Control Sprite—an artifact-level item that could negate one fatal blow and provide a 24-hour absolute defense barrier. A true divine treasure.
Rather than being a spirit of some elemental force, it was better described as a materialization of pure energy, simply taking on the form of a flower fairy.
After completing last month's monthly missions, Hikaru had earned one more Damage Control Sprite. That made three in total—just enough for each of the shipgirls joining this sortie to have one.
"Put it away. Don't play around with it," Lexington warned quickly as she noticed a few curious glances from nearby.
"Oh." Tirpitz let out a small sound and clenched her hand. The tiny sprite pouted and vanished in a puff of bubbles, retreating back into her palm.
Truth be told, Lexington was probably being overly cautious. Among shipgirls, there were plenty of unique individuals—mages, shrine maidens, sea dragons, saints, temple priestesses, druids... Having a little flower fairy floating around wasn't all that strange.
"If only I could pull the rest of those sprites out of my warehouse," Hikaru muttered wistfully.
He still had 7 Damage Control Sprites in storage, but without materialization access, they were unreachable.
"We're already more than safe enough," Lexington said, slipping her arm around Hikaru's. "In fact, the one we worry most about... is you."
Hikaru pretended not to hear that and turned slightly grim.
Abyssal Barbarossa... To be honest, Tirpitz might be able to avoid being defeated outright by her, but defeating her in the middle of a battlefield surrounded by tens of thousands of enemies? That bordered on impossible.
If things went wrong and they got swarmed by flagship-level Abyssals, even someone as strong as Tirpitz could be taken down.
And Hikaru still wanted Tirpitz to make a name for herself—to earn the fearsome title of "Peerless Demon." It wasn't just about personal glory—it would help reunite everyone back at the Naval District and finally resolve her deep-rooted complex of being the only one left in her "fleet."
Was there anything that could counteract the Abyssal Leader?
Then Hikaru remembered: diamonds. So far, they could only be earned through missions. After all this time, he'd accumulated 1,120 diamonds. Maybe this war was the time to spend them.
"I'm going into a dream—hold me steady," he told Lexington. With a flick of his eyes, his consciousness plunged into the dreamscape.
Inside the store system—unlocked with a hefty 100++ diamond investment after looting those supply ships—he browsed through the items available.
Dock Expansion, 200 diamonds – increases the number of shipgirls a soul can hold by 10. Most real-world commanders could only manage about 10 shipgirls. Gifted ones might handle 20–30. The unlucky ones, maybe one or two. A godsend for them, but with a 500-slot dock, Hikaru didn't need it. Might be worth selling later.
Mysterious Textbook, 200 diamonds – instant tactical learning. But the academy was locked, so, useless.
Costumes – apparently they also came with bonus powers. But not needed right now.
Glutton's Cache, Harbor Cache, Candy Surprise Cache, 50 diamonds – unlocks furniture and special recipes. Useless.
Ring of Vows, 600 diamonds – for eternal commitment. Commonly called the "marriage ring." Also useless.
Elite Damage Control Sprite, 200 diamonds – There! This is it!
Hikaru gritted his teeth and made the purchase. In an instant, 1,000 diamonds disappeared like flowing water—exchanged for five Damage Control Sprites.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself leaning against Lexington's chest.
He sat upright. "I've got more sprites. Tirpitz, if you're charging into the fray, take four more. Lexington, you get one more. Fletcher, you're guarding me this time. Not much risk, so you won't get another."
Fletcher nodded obediently. Truth be told, just getting one sprite had already made her incredibly grateful. Usually, these things were reserved for the main forces tackling Abyssal Leaders in decisive battles. This was the first time she'd ever received such a precious gift.
Though to be fair, anything gifted by her Commander—even a blade of dogtail grass—would be equally precious to her.
[End of Chapter]
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