KanColle X Devil May Cry: Devil Trigger Protocol

Dante eyed the figure before him, his gaze sharp. "Why're you here?"

Yamato smiled, her tone soft but laced with intent. "To save you."

"Save me, huh?" Dante smirked, turning away, unguarded.

In that instant, Yamato deployed her rigging, firing a shell at him. Dante spun, deflecting it with a swipe of his arm. Boom! The shell veered, crashing into a wall, reducing it to rubble and dust.

"Nice dodge," Yamato said, unfazed.

"Blasting me out of nowhere? Don't know you, but that's bold," Dante shot back.

"What're you saying? I'm Yamato," she insisted.

Dante scoffed. "Sure, Yamato's strong, but no way she'd get here alone."

"Look at me. I'm Yamato," she urged, stepping closer.

"Looks only," Dante said, unconvinced.

"Remember when you saved Akagi and returned to headquarters? I cooked for you," Yamato pressed.

"That happened," Dante admitted, but his gut screamed she was a fake.

"Only you, me, the Marshal, Akagi, and Kaga know that. That proves I'm real," she argued.

"Drop the bad acting. It's laughable," Dante said, his voice cold.

"Acting? No way—" Yamato began.

"I sense magic from you," Dante cut in.

Her smile vanished, the air growing heavy.

"Don't know the trick, but magic screams fake," Dante said. The real Yamato had no magic.

"I'm Yamato," she repeated, defiant.

Dante stayed silent, his eyes narrowing.

"Either way, you die!" Yamato's killing intent surged, her rigging glowing.

Dante aimed Ebony & Ivory. "Still got bad luck with women."

"Battleship Yamato, engaging!" she declared, launching her attack.

Right Passage

"Phew, that was close!" Shiratsuyu exhaled, wiping sweat as the shipgirls finished off demons within a barrier.

"Let's move," Akagi said, leading them down a spiral passage. More demons appeared.

"Ugh, so annoying!" Tenryuu growled.

"How many are there!?" Miyuki snapped, slashing through.

They reached a large door.

"What's this?" Murakumo asked, frowning.

"…A sea?" Hatsuyuki blinked.

Beyond the door lay an ocean, surreal within the temple.

"Inside a temple!?" Aoba gasped.

"Supposedly," Souryuu replied.

"Look! A door over there!" Shigure pointed to a door floating unnaturally above the water.

"That's our way forward," Jintsuu said.

"Let's go—!" Tenryuu started, but Abyssal ships emerged from the depths.

"Abyssals!?" Satsuki yelped.

"Why here…?" Kisaragi murmured.

"Big enough for my planes," Junyou grinned.

"Engage!" Houshou commanded, readying her fighters.

Left Passage

Dante's fight with Yamato(?) raged on.

"At your limit yet?" Dante taunted, dodging shells effortlessly.

"Not yet!" Yamato(?) retorted, her form battered but unyielding.

"What are you?" Dante asked, weaving through her barrage.

"I'm Yamato!" she insisted.

Dante sensed magic, absent in the real Yamato, yet her eyes burned with conviction, believing she was genuine. He paused; she stopped firing.

"You're not Yamato," Dante said flatly.

"I'm the Yamato you know," she countered.

"Wrong."

"Why… why won't you understand!?" she screamed, unleashing a storm of shells.

Dante charged through, dodging, closing the gap. "Why…?" she gasped as Rebellion slashed her, reducing her to black dust.

"No soul. Getting shot like that reminds me of her," Dante muttered, eyeing the door.

He advanced to a bridge-like passage, finding another door with a switch. Pressing it did nothing, even after smacking and kicking it. Across, he saw an identical bridge with a door and switch.

"Advance both paths simultaneously."

"That's the deal," Dante realized. Both switches needed pressing together.

"They'll get cocky again," he grumbled, knowing the shipgirls would boast about helping him progress.

Right Passage

The shipgirls battled endless Abyssal destroyers and light cruisers.

"How many keep coming!?" Ooi shouted.

"No end!" Kongou roared.

"While we're stuck, the Admiral's probably racing ahead!" Shiratsuyu said.

The destroyers and light cruisers exchanged glances.

"We'll handle this!" Tenryuu declared.

"Go ahead," Jintsuu urged.

"What're you saying!?" Suzuya protested.

"We can't leave you!" Haguro added.

They refused, but the destroyers and light cruisers stood firm.

"Souryuu, Houshou-san…" Souryuu looked to her.

Houshou hesitated. Leaving allies was unthinkable, but Dante might advance alone. Unaware he was stalled, she relented. "Can I trust you?"

"Leave it to us," Inazuma said.

"Tenryuu-chan, go," Tatsuta added.

"Huh!?" Tenryuu blinked.

"Inazuma too," Ikazuchi said.

"Why!?" Inazuma gasped.

"Support the Admiral. I'll cover you," Tatsuta said.

"Inazuma's the starter ship, right?" Akatsuki noted.

"Take care of the Admiral," Ikazuchi said.

"But…" Inazuma hesitated.

"Fine, let's go, Inazuma," Tenryuu said, feeling their resolve.

Kisaragi handed Akagi Holy Water, saved from Dante. "Take this."

"You sure?" Akagi asked.

"You'll need it more," Kisaragi said.

"Got it," Akagi nodded.

"All guns, fire!" Kongou bellowed, clearing a path to the door, where destroyers and light cruisers stood firm.

"Which ship wants to sink?" Tatsuta taunted.

"We'll reunite alive," Jintsuu said.

"Yeah!" Naka agreed.

"But this number?" Miyuki asked.

"Outnumbered…" Hatsuyuki murmured.

"Same ship types. Smash them till they stop," Murakumo said, fierce.

"Well said," Shigure nodded.

"I'll shine brightest!" Shiratsuyu cheered.

"Us too!" Satsuki said, glancing at Kisaragi and Fumizuki.

"For the Commander," Kisaragi said.

"I'll try hard~" Fumizuki added.

"I'm the least trained…" Yuubari muttered.

"We'll back you!" Ikazuchi said.

"Trust me!" Akatsuki added.

"Sorry…" Yuubari said, uneasy.

Akagi's Group

They crossed a bridge passage.

"Yo, Admiral!" Kitaooji called, waving from the opposite bridge.

"Finally… Fewer of you," Dante noted, puzzled by their reduced numbers.

"What's the Admiral doing?" Suzuya wondered, seeing him stand by the door.

"Can't progress?" Kaga asked.

They pushed the door; it didn't budge.

"How do we pass?" Hiei asked.

"Isn't this a switch?" Haguro pointed out, spotting one on Dante's side too.

"Press it to open?" Aoba suggested, hitting the switch. A rumble sounded as both doors opened.

"Both switches needed," Junyou realized.

"Advance together, that's it," Kaga said.

"So the Admiral couldn't go alone," Souryuu noted.

"Thanks to us?" Kitaooji grinned, joined by Ooi, Souryuu, Suzuya, Aoba, and Junyou in smug thumbs-ups. Dante ignored them, moving ahead.

"That guy ignored us!?" Ooi snapped.

"No time to waste. Let's go," Houshou urged, and they followed.

Outer Corridor

Exiting the doors, they reached the temple's exterior, fighting demons along separate corridors.

"Lots of doors!" Dante shouted, kicking one open.

Right Passage, Second Floor

The shipgirls re-entered the temple, defeating demons, destroying statues to dispel barriers.

"Another dead end," Akagi said, and they backtracked.

"Which way was it?" Junyou asked.

"Grr, so frustrating!" Kongou growled.

"Calm down, sister," Hiei said.

"Tougher than before," Kitaooji noted. Like the lower floor, demons and barriers blocked them, but the maze-like paths disoriented them.

Left Passage, Second Floor

Dante, lost in a similar maze, progressed faster, destroying statues and barriers, racing up a spiral passage. A door led to a room like where he fought Yamato(?). A missile flew; he sliced it with Rebellion, wreckage scattering.

"You, huh… Lady?" Dante said.

"Been a while, Dante," Lady(?) replied.

"No time for you now," Dante said.

"Cold. When'll you repay that loan?" she asked, referencing office repair costs. How did a fake know that?

"In another world, not dealing with debts. Talk later," Dante said.

"No way. Pay with your life. No demons live on my watch!" Lady(?) aimed Kalina Ann at him.

"That's Lady-like," Dante quipped.

Right Passage, Second Floor

"Demons, barriers, demons, barriers!" Tenryuu groaned.

"Inviting us but blocking us? What's that clown's deal!?" Ooi snapped.

They advanced despite getting lost.

"Found it! A statue!" Suzuya shouted.

They destroyed it, dispelled the barrier, and moved up the spiral passage to another sea.

"Why's there a sea in a building!?" Tenryuu yelled.

"I see the horizon…" Souryuu said.

"Demon-related place. Our logic doesn't apply," Houshou explained.

"Here they come!" Hiei warned as Abyssals appeared.

"Our turn?" Kitaooji asked.

"You go ahead!" Haguro said. Thunder and heavy cruisers planned to stay.

"What're you saying!?" Souryuu protested.

"Our goal's keeping the Admiral alive. If he stops that clown, we win, even if some fall," Kitaooji said.

"But…" Inazuma hesitated.

"Get moving," Ooi said.

"Go, go!" Kitaooji shooed.

"No one falls. Reunite alive," Houshou said.

The thunder and heavy cruisers smiled silently. Akagi's group reached the door.

"Ready, Ooi-cchi?" Kitaooji asked.

"With you, I can't lose," Ooi said.

"Reliable," Kitaooji grinned.

"Five against this many, though…" Aoba said.

"Joined a wild fleet, huh?" Suzuya said.

"Bit late for that," Ooi replied.

"True," Suzuya agreed, their fighting spirit intact.

"Dodge, sink them precisely," Haguro ordered. They nodded.

"Suzuya," a voice called.

"Huh…? Kumano?" Suzuya gasped, spotting heavy cruiser Kumano among the Abyssals.

Akagi's Group

They crossed the bridge.

"The Commander's gone!" Hiei said, noting Dante's absence.

"Did he go ahead…?" Kaga wondered.

"Both switches are needed," Souryuu said.

"Won't open," Junyou confirmed, trying the switch.

"Something happened…?" Houshou worried.

"We trust and wait," Kongou said.

"Admiral…" Akagi murmured, anxiety rising.

Left Passage, Second Floor

"Stop scurrying, it's annoying!" Lady(?) shouted.

"You're blasting away!" Dante retorted, countering bullets, missiles, homing missiles, and grenades with Ebony & Ivory, dodging nimbly. Lady(?) evaded his shots.

"Think you're real too?" Dante asked.

"Obviously real," Lady(?) said.

"Pain in the ass!" Dante growled.

"My line!" she snapped.

A missile from Kalina Ann exploded where Dante stood.

"Pathetic end," Lady(?) said.

Smoke cleared; Dante was gone.

"Where…!?" she gasped, turning to find Dante aiming Ivory at her head.

"Damn it…" she muttered as a shot pierced her, dissolving her into black dust.

"The Admiral's here!" Souryuu shouted.

"Thank goodness…" Akagi sighed.

"Fewer again… Others better be alive," Dante said.

They pressed both switches, opening the doors, and advanced.

See you next time!