"According to legend, over a thousand years ago, there was a super war caused by human boredom. This war involved a quarter of the world's countries and two billion people, with battles so fierce that the sky darkened, the sun and moon blurred, and the world was plunged into darkness... In short, this war was later referred to as World War II.
In this war, not only did a large number of humans die, but countless warships also sank in various bizarre ways. Some were sunk by artillery, some by aircraft, some by torpedoes, some by running aground, some by friendly fire, and even some by potatoes...
Despite so many reasons for death, there was one warship that, after more than thirty battles, remained unscathed and heroically saved countless Japanese sailors. The Japanese navy, with mixed feelings, called it the eternal phoenix, an unparalleled omen, an invincible opponent, and a comrade they never wanted to approach again—a being that transcended all warships.
She is the next ship girl we will face, and our strongest opponent—Yukikaze."
Gu Han and his group were on their way to Yukikaze's base. As they walked, Gu Han told the others about Yukikaze's basic information.
"Mr. Ti, don't joke with me. I, An Ning, have also studied some information. Yukikaze is just a destroyer, with gun barrels not even a third as thick as Kongo's. How can she possibly be our strongest opponent? I think she should be our weakest opponent. We don't even need to send out a Sword Maiden; just sending an Ancient Sword would be enough," An Ning said carelessly.
"Little girl, don't say that Yukikaze is inferior to me. I don't want to be overshadowed by an omen..." Before Gu Han could speak, Kongo, as a captive, shivered and quickly stated that she was not worthy of being compared to Yukikaze.
"Pfft, I don't believe it. How can a destroyer be more powerful than a battleship? You, Kongo captive, don't try to fool An Ning. An Ning won't fall for it!" An Ning looked very smart, as if no one could deceive her.
"Alright, since you don't believe it, I'll tell you the legendary story of Yukikaze!" Kongo said, pulling out a cup of black tea from somewhere and sipping it slowly before continuing:
"It was back when I was still a normal battleship, before I became a ship girl and entered the ship girl world. After the outbreak of the Pacific War, Yukikaze, along with other destroyers and light cruisers, escorted my two sisters, Kirishima and Hiei."
"One day, the enemy cruiser Helena discovered us, and the battle began. After 24 minutes of chaotic artillery fire, the enemy retreated, but we lost two destroyers, one battleship, one cruiser, and three destroyers were damaged. My sister Hiei, whom Yukikaze was primarily protecting, was heavily damaged in the initial battle and was bombed by U.S. aircraft the next day, rendering her unable to function. She had to be scuttled in sorrow, but Yukikaze remained unscathed."
"My poor sister!!!"
"An even sadder event occurred two days later. My sister Kirishima, along with my friend Takao and Yukikaze, among thirteen other warships, encountered the enemy fleet. The damned Washington hit my poor sister Kirishima with nine main guns and over forty secondary guns in just seven minutes. Kirishima sank along with Hiei, but Yukikaze was not even scratched."
"A year later, Yukikaze escorted a transport convoy to New Guinea in the Bismarck Sea. Due to continuous enemy air raids, we lost the destroyers Shiratsuyu, Chōchū, Settsu, and seven transport ships, with countless human casualties. But Yukikaze and the infantry battalion it carried were unharmed and even rescued a large group of friendly soldiers from the water."
"Three months later, the enemy encountered Yukikaze again and fired torpedoes at her. But unexpectedly, the torpedo passed under Yukikaze and hit the flagship light cruiser神通 (Shintō)..."
"A year later, the Battle of the Marianas began. Yukikaze was supposed to be on the front lines, but due to a training accident before the battle, her propulsion system was damaged, reducing her speed by half. She was ordered to escort the oil tanker Shōyō Maru. As a result, most of the sisters who went to the front line sank, and the Shōyō Maru, which Yukikaze was escorting, also sank, but Yukikaze remained unscathed."
"Then came the largest naval battle in human history, the Battle of Leyte Gulf. As you can guess, our fleet lost over thirty warships, but Yukikaze remained unharmed."
"The most tragic story happened next." Kongo's face showed extreme pain. "That day, it was drizzling. Yukikaze and Urakaze were escorting me back to Japan when we encountered the damned U.S. submarine Sealion in the Taiwan Strait. I was already severely injured from the Battle of Leyte Gulf and had no ability to resist. Along with Urakaze, I sank forever in the waters off Taiwan."
"Although I had sunk, Yukikaze's legend continued! The newly born flagship Yamato's sister, the aircraft carrier Shinano, defied the odds and invited Yukikaze to escort her on her maiden voyage. But she was also attacked by a submarine. Shinano survived only 20 hours before leaving us forever."
"Soon, it was our final battle with the enemy. We gathered all the remaining sisters of Japan to escort the flagship Yamato in a desperate fight... In the end, only four destroyers, including Yukikaze, survived and returned to the harbor."
"These were the last four destroyers of Japan, but they also sank one by one in subsequent enemy bombings, leaving only Yukikaze. She was the sole survivor among 82 destroyers."
"World War II ended, but the legend of Yukikaze did not end..."
"After the war, the U.S. Navy had an excess of ships and began decommissioning many of them. Any U.S. warship that had encountered Yukikaze was either scrapped or sold to other countries..."
"In 1947, Yukikaze sailed from Nagura Port to Shanghai as part of Japan's war reparations to the Chinese Nationalist government, and was renamed Danyang. On the day of the transfer ceremony, President Chiang Kai-shek received a report of the People's Liberation Army's offensive. Two days later, the Liu Deng army broke through the Yellow River defenses and advanced a thousand miles to the Dabie Mountains."
"In 1948, Yukikaze and Chongqing participated in the famous Tashan Blocking Battle, a crucial battle in the Liaoshen Campaign. More importantly, the fall of Jinzhou sealed the defeat."
"Later, it was rumored that Chongqing no longer wanted to be with Yukikaze and thus defected..."
"In 1971, the last year of Yukikaze's life, President Chiang Kai-shek decided to decommission her. On the day the order was issued, the Republic of China was expelled from the United Nations. On the day Yukikaze was dismantled, President Chiang Kai-shek was involved in a car accident and fell ill, eventually passing away."
Kongo's story lasted over ten minutes, and everyone except Gu Han was sweating coldly for the same duration. Yukikaze was truly terrifying, and just hearing her story made them lose all desire to fight her.
"Sour popsicle... Why are you so calm? Are your nerves really that thick?" Song Hama, sweating coldly, asked Gu Han.
"I took a shower before I came!" Gu Han gave a strange answer.
———
Finally, they arrived at Yukikaze's location, the shipyard of the naval base. Yukikaze was sitting at the entrance of the shipyard, quietly watching the distant, ever-changing clouds.
"Is this Yukikaze? She's just a little girl!" Song Hama, upon seeing Yukikaze, could not suppress his inner lolicon nature. "I don't believe this little girl can be so terrifying!"
"You don't believe it?" Gu Han's lips curled slightly. "Then, let's see. Release your mountain guardian and have her talk to Yukikaze alone."