[5 minutes ago, US Congress.]
“What’s going on, President Luigi?!”
“…….”
Standing at the podium in the U.S. Congress, Eisen A. Luigi remained silent, repeatedly checking his smartphone despite the questions directed at him by the lawmakers.
Was he ignoring them?
No.
The lawmakers understood that he was monitoring the situation in real time through his phone.
“Why did Korea’s S-rank Ironblood attack the Master?!”
Even so, the reason why even members of his own party were raising their voices was—
“No, seriously, why…?”
First, it was pure confusion.
“Is that woman Ironblood out of her mind? She’s moving like this? Is she insane?”
“Humans are supposed to act with reason, but she’s no different from a rampaging orangutan that went berserk after getting punched.”
“Hey, be careful with your words. Saying ‘orangutan’—”
“Oh, if that sounded racist, I—”
“No, she’s worse than an orangutan.”
Even for high-ranking politicians, her actions were incomprehensible.
At least Blue Lightning’s actions could be explained through his sense of “justice”, but no matter how they examined it, there was no logical way to understand Ironblood’s behavior.
Naturally, suspicions arose.
“President Luigi! If you know anything, you must speak immediately!”
The second reason—
“You must know why Ironblood attacked the Master!”
It was less about curiosity and more about political attacks fueled by suspicion.
“Donald….”
President Luigi clenched his teeth, finally setting down his smartphone as a towering, blonde senator jabbed a finger at him and shouted.
“If we can’t figure out the reason, then what will you do?”
“If the President himself doesn’t even know why an S-rank from another country is acting this way, how can we survive in this era of Hunters?!”
“In this Hunter era, I have secured the most powerful Hunter as our ally.”
“And if that Hunter cannot even protect himself?”
Senator Donald thumped his own chest and roared.
“If he’s nothing more than a fragile human who needs constant protection from others—yet you still call him the strongest Hunter?!”
“He has already cleared three—no, four—S-rank Towers!”
“Those aren’t America’s Towers!”
“…”
President Luigi briefly glanced at the cameras installed in Congress.
Some of the cameras were blatantly shifting focus toward the shouting lawmakers, particularly zooming in on Senator Donald.
“…For now.”
Just as President Luigi was about to respond with barely contained irritation—
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted on the live broadcast.
A helicopter’s rotor was shattered, sending the aircraft into an uncontrollable spin as it began plummeting toward the ocean.
“!!”
“What the…?!”
In the midst of the sudden chaos, President Luigi quickly scanned the lawmakers.
Among those who had been raising their voices, there was one man who had remained utterly silent.
Smirk.
He briefly twisted the corner of his lips as he watched the helicopter fall into the sea—before quickly shifting his expression.
It was only for a fleeting moment, but President Luigi had caught it.
A newly emerging Hunter category.
Not just staying in Korea, but making a move to cross into the United States.
The unease this caused among the existing American S-ranks.
And the political maneuvering driven by that very anxiety.
“This…!”
It felt like watching a prewritten scenario play out, but all President Luigi could do was grip his smartphone tightly.
Even as the President, there was nothing he could do but pray for those onboard the helicopter as it plummeted toward the ocean—
KWAOOOOOOM!!
A massive shadow surged up from the depths of the sea.
Something shot out a cable, snagging the helicopter in midair. Then, as if carefully lowering it onto the waves, it landed gracefully, sending ripples across the water.
“W-What is that…?!”
“A warship?!”
It was a battleship.
A giant steel colossus had suddenly emerged from the ocean.
“…That is.”
President Luigi felt something both familiar and strange in that sight.
“…Iowa?”
Some might have thought of the U.S. state of Iowa.
“Iowa?”
“An Iowa-class battleship?”
“That’s ridiculous.”
Among the senators, a few elderly men, nearing their eighties, shot up from their seats with wide eyes.
“…That’s impossible.”
Feeling something welling up from deep within, President Luigi muttered his thoughts, relying on his instincts and experience.
“How could the nonexistent fifth ship exist…?”
The fifth Iowa-class battleship, [Illinois].
Appearing off the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula, near the waters of Jeju.
* * *
“…So this actually worked.”
The summoning was a success.
While the battleship’s construction had been completed in concept, he never expected to summon it in this manner.
“Master, are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. That was one hell of a ride, though. First time I’ve ever been on something like this.”
“Master….”
“I mean, I’m fine, really.”
Kiharu patted my shoulder, channeling mana for healing.
Inside the spinning helicopter, I had nearly crashed hard against the interior, but thanks to Kiharu’s healing, the pain vanished instantly—along with my dizziness.
“Commander. Over there—the bridge is lighting up.”
“Let’s go.”
Following Drei’s guidance, I sprinted toward the bridge.
I had only ever seen it in records, and I never had much interest in naval history.
But as the one who Summoned this battleship, I could see it.
This way.
A silver mirage shimmered, like a guiding light, leading me to the bridge—the place where this ship’s rightful commander was supposed to be.
A light like the Milky Way, left behind by fleeting fae.
I dashed across the deck, following the glow.
Pushing open the door at the top of the stairs, I arrived at the bridge.
“…Wow.”
A sight even more overwhelming than those in movies.
“I’ve only read about this in records, but… is this really the ship that was supposed to be built in the 1940s?”
Elaine marveled at the bridge’s structure, scanning the interior.
Even looking at a commercial airplane cockpit, most people would instinctively know, ‘I shouldn’t touch anything here.’
And yet, the bridge of the battleship Illinois was filled with an overwhelming number of control panels and buttons.
“Kiharu. Don’t climb onto anything.”
“As if I’m some ordinary cat.”
Kiharu landed near the glass, scanning the horizon ahead.
Meanwhile, the one who seemed most at home in this environment—
“Commander.”
Drei placed her hand on the radar-like console and let out a small chuckle.
“You really only summoned the battleship?”
“What do you mean only?”
“I mean, I figured it would come with some kind of management AI, or maybe even a mechanical girl representing the AI—like an android secretary or something.”
“If you were hoping for a robotic companion, maybe next time. But I summoned this primarily as our base of operations.”
There were plenty of games where battleships were ‘personified’ as anime-style girls.
At one point, I had even considered trying out one of those games.
But in reality, what I had summoned was the battleship itself—nothing more, nothing less.
The fifth Iowa-class battleship, Illinois—a warship that, in real life, was planned but never completed, ultimately scrapped.
Yet now, here it stood, as if freshly constructed in the modern era, floating on the ocean.
Its exterior retained the look of its historical blueprint, but its interior was fully equipped with cutting-edge technology.
If I had to compare it to something—
It was like an automobile company recreating a 1940s classic car’s body as a collector’s piece, but under the hood, packing it with a state-of-the-art engine and modern technology.
“Commander. Do you know how to pilot this thing?”
Drei tapped the radar screen cautiously.
“Should I do it?”
“Can you?”
“It’s not about whether I can—I have to. Fortunately, I can access the system, and I’m currently synchronizing the battleship’s operational manual into my head.”
“…Alright, take your time. No rush for now.”
I sat down in the captain’s chair, smartphone in hand.
“Even if I can’t do precise maneuvering yet, there is one thing I can control right now.”
“And that is…?”
“It’s coming.”
Direction—Jeju Island.
“That crazy woman is literally running across the ocean after us.”
Ironblood was in pursuit.
“Not only did she take down the helicopter, but even after I summoned a whole damn battleship, she’s still charging forward like this? What, did someone blackmail her with a leaked Tape or something unless she kills me?”
Otherwise, there was no logical reason for her to be this relentless.
“Master, shall I handle this?”
“No, Elaine. We’ve just brought out our ‘youngest member,’ so let’s give them the honor.”
Vrrrm…
Illinois surged forward.
With unwavering momentum, as if it were merely doing its duty, it advanced across the Pacific.
“Let’s test its combat capabilities. After all…”
I smirked as I noticed something.
“It looks like she’s already been designated as an enemy.”
The moment Ironblood’s hostility toward us registered—
A certain button lit up.
And without hesitation, I pressed it.
At that moment—
Screeeeech.
“…Huh?”
Something moved—
Something that should not have been able to move.
* * *
“Unbelievable.”
A battleship, appearing out of nowhere, sailing toward the United States.
And Ironblood, sprinting across the ocean to chase after it.
“Da-ram! That—That’s real, right?!”
Faced with Ironblood’s relentless pursuit, Blue Lightning found himself at a loss.
Unlike certain others, he didn’t have wings.
He couldn’t keep up with that insane speed—unless he found some kind of power line to tap into—
“An undersea cable!”
Blue Lightning dashed toward the nearest utility pole.
He poured current into the high-voltage wires, tracing the underwater cables that extended into the depths.
“…Ah!”
No path.
Even though he had reached an undersea cable, it was buried beneath the ocean floor.
Even if he tried to leap across, he wouldn’t reach the battleship’s course.
“Damn it… Wait, what?”
Just as he was about to consider firing an electric discharge toward the battleship’s electronics, he noticed something—
“Is that… mana?”
A massive flow of mana was radiating from the battleship’s hull.
It wasn’t just a warship anymore—
It felt as if the battleship itself had awakened, like an S-rank Hunter—or perhaps something even beyond that.
“What in the world is this…?”
Boom!
Ironblood kicked off the water, launching herself into the air.
Her boots struck the ocean’s surface with tremendous force, propelling her upward in an arc aimed at the deck.
Her goal was clear—
To punch straight through the ship’s hull.
She soared even higher than the bridge, her body suspended midair.
And then—
Flash.
With a mechanical precision devoid of hesitation, something turned its head toward Ironblood.
“…A main cannon?”
KWAOOOOOOM!!!
A colossal burst of blue mana erupted from the ship’s turret.
A magic cannon—the likes of which had never been seen before.
The sheer output of its mana was unprecedented.
It wasn’t just firepower—it was akin to the breath of a dragon, the kind of boss-class attack one would expect from an S-rank Tower.
Within that flood of light, Blue Lightning saw it.
He saw the glow of Ironblood’s mana armor—
From her boots to the crown of her head—
Fading.
“Ironblood’s light… is going out…!”
* * *
“…”
Auto-combat mode.
Activated.
