Author: Next chapter will focus on a battle and the end of the someone. At the same time, a bit of foreshadowing and more information about "30 years ago".

Granny might temporarily go out of retirement in the near future (probably).

Northern Beast Princess is still weakened from the recent clash with Abyssal Sun Princess whom she escaped due to the timely arrival of Dreadnought Princess.

"This is so damn annoying. Ugh...being an Abyssal is such a pain"

She complained as she leaned her aching body on piled up scraps of steel left to rust inside the abandoned warehouse. While her injuries have partially healed, the major ones she sustained has yet to fully repair itself. Certain Abyssals have the natural ability to regenerate any form of damage, but damage taken from shipgirls or Abyssals slows down the regeneration.

"You look quite messy..."

Slow rhythmic footsteps walked through the gap where the light from the inside squeezed into the dim hideout. The figure walked closer, revealing herself to be Warspite who had checked on her condition upon regaining contact.

"That's some wound. What happened to you?"

"Abyssal Sun Princess. That's what happened"

"So you've encountered her, huh. I suppose it's a miracle you managed to get back in one piece"

Warspite has complexed feelings towards the Beast. She neither hated nor like the stubborn Abyssal Princess.

"Your little friend left not long after I freed her. I feel like I wasted my time"

"It always go back to where it all begun"

"What?"

"That's what Arkhangelsk told me before she departed for the north. She also mentioned about making a stop at Germany before heading there"

"That's just great. While I'm getting my ass kicked, that prick went on a vacation!"

Northern Beast Princess gritted her teeth to how Arkhangelsk quickly left just to be off on a "vacation" while she's constantly battles against Abyssals who hunted her down.

"I know you are frustrated, but she has her reasons...probably"

Even Warspite isn't entirely sure which doesn't help nor defend why Arkhangelsk ran off after learning the Beast couldn't connect with Tirpitz anymore.

"Bismarck found out about my involvement in the explosion two years ago"

"How did she reacted?"

"Obviously unhappy and upset. I can understand why she refuses to forgive me" Warspite shrugged her shoulders

"You didn't tell her about me, did you?"

Warspite fell silent, visibly confirming Northern Beast Princess' suspicion that Warspite never revealed the whole truth to Bismarck and the others.

"Why didn't you tell them how I took Tirpitz's place after she sunk?"

"I was afraid she would never accept the truth, especially on how Tirpitz sunk"

Bismarck wouldn't be able to handle the truth how Tirpitz sunk taking the shell meant for her which resulted in her heavily damaged body to sink from the fatal blow. Both of them knew it, but Warspite is the only one who would be reluctant to reveal the truth.

"You damn old lady. If you're going to confess, you should at least tell everything. Bismarck deserved to know the truth"

"Then why don't you tell it yourself?" Warspite retaliated with a question

"I made a promise to make sure Bismarck doesn't get herself killed. That's all there's to it and nothing else"

Northern Beast Princess made a promise regarding Bismarck and fulfilling that promise is her only concern to Bismarck.

"I thought you said you want to tell the truth to Bismarck?"

"Because I'll be already dead before that happens. Just look at me right now. All crap and barely escaped with my life"

Northern Beast Princess relaxed her back while letting her remaining wounds to heal on their own with the open wound on the side of her abdomen being the worst damage she had taken.

"I made one simple promise and I couldn't even do it properly. I want to know the truth why Abussals like me are born in this shitty war, but my promise is more important"

"This is what you get for wandering who knows where for two years and doing things you shouldn't even be doing" Warspite scolded her

"It can't be helped. Tirpitz would always question the true history of this war. It kept begging me too, you know"

Due to how she possess Tirpitz's memories, the Beast had the same amount of curiosity as her shipgirl self.

"While the past has its truth buried in history, right now...the future must be entrusted to someone who has the capability to change what the previous generation cannot"

Warspite vaguely spoke and thought about the only shipgirl she knew who can be entrusted in protecting the future and the possible key in the war.

Maizuru Naval District...

Saki reviews the latest report from the headquarters, a fleet from Yokusaka naval district spotted the Northern Beast Princess in the northern part of Japan three days ago.

"Admiral, this is..." Yamato picked a photo taken by Yokusaka's fleet

"The navy has spotted Northern Beast Princess and became one of the priority targets to sink"

Saki is visibly unhappy with the news which meant it would be difficult for The Beast to be under the radar noe that her re emergence is known.

"They keep wondering how she came back from the dead...for the second time"

"Well we can't really explain how the Beast is the former admiral...who happens to be a shipgirl"

"Yeah. That would be big trouble for us" Saki slammed one of the papers

The frustrated admiral groaned, due to how one problems piles up with another and so on.

"It'd be nice if your sensei could at least help"

"You know that's impossible, admiral. Mikasa-sensei mysteriously disappeared and secretly retired"

In the records, legendary battleship Mikasa disappeared without a trace one day and was never seen again. Only selected shipgirls like Yamato have knowledge of her whereabouts.

"Why did a legendary battleship left the war anyway?"

"In the past, Mikasa-sensei fought the First Princess and both of them were equal in strength"

Yamato started by narrating Mikasa's past with the First Abyssals, about thirty years ago.

"They clashed several times until Mikasa-sensei learned the First Abyssal has no desire for war. She's the only Abyssal who sought to live the way she wished to"

"Oh. That's rare" Saki is impressed

"Mikasa-sensei wanted to help the First Abyssal to create a possibility where there's no need for bloodshed and casualties...but it didn't end how they both wanted it"

"What happened?"

"Sensei didn't tell much, but I'm sure it has something to do with the First Abyssal's death"

Mikasa refused to reveal the actual reason, but Yamato highly suspected it's due to the First Abyssal's death to why Mikasa abandoned the war.

"When I was young, I would always hear stories about the strongest shipgirl who ever lived from old geezers. They said she defended Japan when the Abyssals attacked, but disappeared one day"

"Well, there are many tales about Mikasa-sensei"

Mikasa's existence is known by those who lived during the beginning of the war, but at the present she existed just as a legend to most humans and shipgirls.

Meanwhile...

Sister ships Montana and Maine separates Donitz and Gangut respectively after the two fell from a slight quarrel to borderline violent argument. Before it could escalate, the two rushed to prevent the two from hurting each other.

"Let's all just calm, okay?" Montana peacefully asked the two

"P-please calm down, Gangut" Maine begged

The two battleships are known to be involved in fights and with Donitz's distrust with Russians, putting the two in the same place and at the same time isn't highly recommended.

"I'm not going to calm down. That damn German started it!" Gangut angrily pointed

"It's because you keep defending your comrade who is obviously guilty!" Donitz responded

"You have no proof. You can't just go accusing Tashkent of treason just because she's been acting strange lately"

The two are eager to hit each other, but the two Project shipgirls are doing their best to prevent the two from hurting each other. They are both shipgirls and comrades, but their personality prevents them from co existing peacefully.

"This is why you Russians can never be trusted. You'd cover up what one of yours did even if it's wrong"

"What the fuck did you say about us Russians?!"

"It's true, isn't it? I learned that the hard way after what your people did to me!"

One of her eye glowed brightly, displayed her incomplete Abyssal side which resulted in a failed experiment by the Russians on her and few other shipgirls. While the two continued to argue, the four Kongou class fast battleships watched from a safe distance behind a wall to how the quarrel is growing intense.

"Foreigners are scary when they fight" Kongou felt uneasy

"Hiiieee" Hiei softly squealed

"I think what we're doing is a bad idea" Kirishima is worried

"Haruna is alright with this. It's kind of fun, like watching a movie"

The four Kongou sisters focused on the ongoing quarrel they failed to notice Nagato approachiglng from behind until she spoke

"Hey"

"...!" The four almost scattered like fallen blocks

"What are you four doing?"

"We're just watching those two hot heads duke it out. Haruna's bet is on the German" Haruna is quick to respond and point

Her three have no comment to how Haruna takes the situation with little to no seriousness. While Haruna isn't completely ignorant or oblivious to her surroundings, she is the type of person to "throw someone under the bus". Innocent and charming yet deadly and dangerous at the same time.

"You have to be kidding me"

Nagato grunted upon seeing Donitz Gangut st the point where they had grabbed each other's collars, only to be held back from fighting by Montana and Maine.

"Hey, that's enough you two! As the secretary ship, I don't tolerate violence between any shipgirls"

Nagato intervened in the quarrel, forcing the two to fall silent and submit to how intimidating and strict Nagato is. Her personality is what made her an effective secretary ship and flagship, fitting her role as the "second in command" of the naval base.

"That German started it!"

"That Russian started it!"

Both pointed fingers at each other, passing the blame to who will be held accountable with the quarrel.

"You two better have a reason why you are starting a fight with each other"

"Gangut keeps defending Tashkent when that little Russian is obviously guilty" Donitz explained first

"She keeps accusing Tashkent of something we didn't even know if she did" Gangut retaliated

"What's this about Tashkent?" Nagato raised an eyebrow

"It was Tashkent who help sabotaged the operation against Midway Princess. She had been taking information from the base and passing it on to someone else"

"Not this again. Didn't the admiral already told you how you don't go accusing your own ally without actual proof"

Nagato had already been informed by the admiral on how Donitz repeatedly insisted how Tashkent is a traitor to her fellow shipgirls. This happened more than once even admiral Saki grew annoyed.

"If the Russian destroyer Tashkent hasn't been doing anything suspicious then where is she now. She had been missing since morning, right?"

"..." Nagato has no reply to that

"Secretary ship, that destroyer had been skipping her duties and runs off to who knows where without telling anyone. Don't you you think that's suspicious?" Donitz tries to convince Nagato

"That's true, but even the admiral ordered to take no action against this suspicion of yours. We have more things to worry about other then your personal distrust on Russians"

Donitz jolted, her deep and personal dislike for Russians is often seen the primary reason why she accuses other Russians of suspicious behaviors and gets into arguments with them. Due to her lack of control with this, even Nagato is convinced Donitz is driven by her personal emotions.

"The Northern Beast had come back from the dead...again"

"...?!"

"She's one of the navy's priority targets to sink along with Abyssal Sun Princess and Dreadnought Princess"

Nagato informed the two of the naval district's new primary mission.

Norway...

From Skarsvag, Gotland stationed herself around Altafjord when Abyssal have gathered more in the waters not from the fjords. So as one of the few sjipgirls defending Norwegian waters, Gotland changed her anchorage.

"So this is the tomb of a lonely battleship, huh"

Gotland looked over the platform that was used to scavenge a capsized battleship and her dismantled behemoth hull where left to rust in the waters. It was much like a horror story as many sailors drowned and died trapped inside the vessel after it had turned over.

"Let's see. Her name was Tirpitz. As a shipgirl, I wonder what kind of ship she is. Maybe she's like her big sister...who indirectly caused the sinking"

Gotland is afraid to cross paths with Bismarck whom she indirectly assisted in her sinking as she was the first ship to spot Bismarck upon her retreat from the battle of Denmark strait. This resulted in the infamous hunt and form of revenge by the Royal navy.

"This reminds me. The Beast said she doesn't want to visit this part of Norway. I wonder why"

Gotland deeply contemplated at the Beast's refusal to visit Tromso, specifically the area of Altafjorden. She didn't specify the reason, she simply wanted to avoid a specific location.

"What's that? A small museum dedicated to the battleship?"

Gotland stopped by a house sized museum dedicated to the Tirpitz's history and career. Curious about the battleship, she paid a visit to the museum and met the lone curator of a long time museum and attraction.

"Hello" Gotland waved

"Ah, hello there Missy. Came to know the history of the lonely Queen?"

"The...lonely queen?"

"The Tirpitz. Here in Norway, she is sometimes referred as The Lonely Queen of the North. Strangely, Ms. Aria is the only one I know who doesn't like that nickname"

The elderly curator jokingly laughed while Gotland tilted her head in confusion.

"Say, you're not from around here, are you? I know a local when I see one"

"That's because I'm a shipgirl from Sweden. I was stationed on Skarsvag, but I had to relocate due to the change of Abyssal activity"

"A shipgirl?! Woah! That's a rare sight. The last shipgirl I met was a strange fellow...but she was a beauty. Slightly tall, kind of pale, blonde with blue eyes...and she bore the Iron cross symbol. Punched a hole in the wall when I said the nickname though"

Many years ago, the curator remembered a shipgirl visiting her museum, but got upset when the Tirpitz is referred as "The Lonely Queen of the North". She didn't yell, but she violently reacted by making a hole in the wall with her bare fist. Shortly after that, the shipgirl angrily left the museum without saying anything after apologizing.

" I-I see..."

After having a brief chat with the caretaker of the place, Gotland turned her head towards the door when the bell rung as it was opened. A young woman who matched the curator's description, save for the hair color, paid a visit.

"Oh, Ms. Aria, you just came in time. We got ourselves a shipgirl here. A Swedish beauty too"

Gotland widened her eyes and gasped in great surprise when Aria, the name of the young woman who had just entered, is recognized by Gotland.

"It's you...!"

Gotland is somewhat glad to reunite with an "old friend" who doesn't seem to recognize her or understand whatever she is saying.

"I'm sorry, but have we met?"

"It's me, Gotland. Don't you remember? You saved my life a few weeks ago"

"I did? Maybe you mistake me for someone else" Aria is confused

"I can't be mistaken. I know your face when I see it even if we had only known each other for like two weeks"

Gotland shook her, insisting they knee each other even if 'Aria' clearly has no knowledge to who the Swedish girl is and what could possibly be her relation to her.

"Sorry, but it really looks like you're mistaking me for someone else. Besides, I don't really...remember...much"

"What?" Gotland is puzzled

"Hahaha. Sorry, Ms. shipgirl, but little Aria over here has what you can call an amnesia"

"Amnesia?" Gotland isn't a stranger to the term

"Yeah. She was found on the shore one day without knowing who she is and where she came from" The curator explained

"I see..."

Gotland dropped her shoulders, dismayed at what she learned, but she is puzzled to why someone who resembled the Beast exactly is standing in front of her. Yet she remained puzzle to how a mysterious woman has the exact appearance as the Northern Beast.

Spring...when cherry blossoms flutter...despite their short lives

The once legendary battleship, now a memory and a myth to humanity, sat by her home and watched the cherry blossom petals fall in her garden. For decades, she had watched the comfort of cherry blossoms with the countless seasons that had passed. Mikasa no longer counted the days that had passed, but she is often reminded of the time her body no longer feels.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

A young girl with long braided hair sat near the ancient battleship, reminiscing about the past as much as her. They have fought side by side during the early days of the war. They were few of them back then, but they were the old generation of shipgirls that paved waved for the new generation - the current generation.

"You've entrusted the future of this nation over to Yamato. I wonder if she'd live up to your legend"

"Hahaha. I hope. I have entrusted the future of this country to Yamato, but I have entrusted the future of the world to Enterprise"

"Ah, that American aircraft carrier. She made a name for herself. Even Texas agrees she might as well be the answer to what we've been looking for"

"Perhaps she could accomplish what we and the First Princess failed to do" Mikasa smiled hopefully

"Mikasa..."

"How about you, Avrora? Did you find yourself a successor?"

"Her name's Kirov. She's a good girl, but can be a pain sometimes"

When thinking about the successor she took under her wings in order to assure the future of her nation, Avrora contemplated if she had chosen the right shipgirl. Mikasa, on the other hand, is certain to have chosen the right successor as the next protector of the nation's seas,the next pride.

"When I think about Yamato, I worry about her fleet's situation right now"

"Is there something wrong?"

"A comrade of Yamato had a sister ship who sunk and returned twice. She feared what would happen to that sister ship once she returns for the third time"

"The result...would be uncertain, but that shipgirl would be damaged both body and mind. I've witnessed quite a few who were never the same after sinking more than twice..."

Avrora lightly shuddered, at the horrible memory of a shipgirl who had been damaged for life due to repeated sinking. Being both veterans, they knew how unpredictable the consequences of each sinking can be. Despite being a strict mentor to Yamato, Mikasa doesn't have the hurt to make Yamato fully understand the toll of sinking to a shipgirl's mind and body.

"It makes me wonder why fate itself had shaped our lives this way. To be bound the eternal cycle of rebirth...it's frustrating when I think about it"

"We, who had witnessed the true nature of this war, had grown accustomed. At this point, I barely care anymore" Avrora shrugged her shoulders

"You're cold-hearted sometimes, you know" Mikasa twitched her lips

"I have to because if not...I wouldn't have protected my nation and my people. We both know that, Mikasa"

Avrora clutched the sleeves of her coat hanging over her shoulders, numbing her own heart for the sake of protecting she cherishes, her nation in general.

"Well we sacrificed a lot...for the sake of our people. My scars are a proof of it..."

Mikasa gently pressed her fingers on the permanent scar right below her cheek, a memorable one she got from her first battle with the First Princess herself. Her smile, filled with sadness, synchronized with Avrora who understood the meaning of sacrifice, something most current generation of shipgirl will never truly understand.