Surrender

On May 5, 2033, a solemn surrender ceremony was held in Tokyo Bay, Sakura Country.

The ceremony was broadcast live to major media outlets around the world. Countless reporters carrying cameras gathered there, and at that moment, the eyes of billions of people worldwide were fixed on this place.

Among those attending were Sakura Country's current prime minister, Saionji Ito; Sakura Country's commander-in-chief, Sugiyama Hideaki; Puppet Army commander Araki Kenichi; President Jesmin of Beautiful Country; and many other prominent figures. The world's major powers, including Hua Country, the Bear, Great Britain, and France, had also sent representatives.

When the time reached eleven in the morning, sunlight glinted across the rippling sea, where an immense battleship lay broadside.

Farther out at sea, destroyers, frigates, cruisers, and other warships floated like mountain ranges upon the waves. The sight was breathtaking.

As for the battleship, its nine 600-millimeter-caliber cannons angled toward the heavens. Its hull resembled an ancient castle, its bow was like a drawn sword, and its deep-blue body gleamed with a cold radiance beneath the sunlight—heavy and impregnable.

At that moment, colorful flags hung high above the deck. Soldiers in naval uniforms stood ramrod straight along both sides, their hands clasped behind their backs. Pride and self-confidence were written across every face, and the way they looked at others carried the air of scorning the whole world.

This battleship was naturally the Head of State, which had stolen the show during the Ryukyu naval battle. Its appearance drew flashes from every camera on-site and provoked wave after wave of exclamations.

Saionji Ito and the others looked grim when they saw the battleship. It was this very vessel that had annihilated the USS Roosevelt Carrier Battle Group. Without it, they would not have been forced to appear here.

"Is that the battleship