Author: I got over gacha hell in FGO but I'm still over grinding hell just to ascend my servants. Ushi and Cu may only be 3 stars but I love both of them (it started when I first saw Cu in UBW and Ushi in the current anime). Also I kind of like Caster Gil. I wished I chose him over the pink-haired trap.
Anyhow, next chapter will focus more on Iron Blood and a bit of Royal Navy presence.
In the darkest corners lie thoughts clad in shadow...
The stench of burning carcass spread around the area where blasted wreckages of Abyssals remained while the rest of their bodies sunk. Bismarck covered her mouth and nose with her hand, unable to withstand the strong smell of burning metal and rotten flesh. A single whiff of it made her feel nauseas.
"There's nothing but small fries here. Where are those damn Princess?!"
Bismarck looked left and right, dissatisfied at the common Abyssals she had sunk.
"Definitely not here. They won't just come out in the open like these Abyssals do. They're powerful but they're not unsinkable"
Tashkent pointed out before Bismarck grows frustrated. None had detected any Abyssals in the area except for the ones they had sunk.
"Hopefully, Nagato's fleet manages to find a trail or something. My anti-air guns haven't shot anything lately"
Atlanta is exhausted rather than frustrated at how all they've been sinking are common Abyssals. That, and she misses unleashing her anti-air guns swatting Abyssal aircrafts off the sky.
"M-my planes spotted an enemy. Just one though" Gambier Bay reported to the rest
"Where?!" Bismarck shouted at the top of her lungs
"Northeast. It's...huh - that's odd"
"What's the matter?" Yahagi approached
"It's the Heavy cruiser Princess. She's wounded and all by herself?"
"That's unusual but if she doesn't have any escorts and in no condition to fight, then this is the perfect opportunity"
Bismarck beat her fist together while the rest of the fleet prepares to intercept the wounded and lone Abyssal. The moderately damaged Heavy cruiser Princess grits her teeth in anger as she focused her strength on regenerating the open wounds on her body.
"Damn that fake Abyssal! She got me that easily. Next time, I won't lose to her for sure"
Heavy cruiser Princess slowed down when her radars detected several shipgirls heading towards her location. Realizing she won't be able to deal even with just several shipgirls, she increased her speed.
"Of all time I have to deal with shipgirls! Today isn't just my day"
She got even more furious with how she had to evade the shipgirls as fighting them head-on would put her to a disadvantage considering her current condition.
"Grr! It's one bad luck to another. Why do I have to deal with this?!"
Frustrated, Heavy cruiser Princess dodged the incoming dive bombers from CarDiv 05 while complaining at her bad luck. She managed to evade the dive bombers and only sustained minor damage.
"What the-!"
After the dive bombers, salvo from battleships Nelson and Bismarck greeted her without a second to waste. Exhausted and damaged, she begins to slow down but she pushes her own limit, continuing to struggle.
"Can't you people go away for once!" She screamed at the shipgirls
"Not until I beat the living shit out of you and you tell us what we want to know!"
Bismarck raised her fist and responded before opening fire again. Seeing how determined Bismarck is, Heavy cruiser Princess chose to flee while returning fire.
"We won't let you escape!" Nelson shook her fist
Even if the battleships wouldn't be able to match her speed, the destroyers and cruiser's can certainly catch up to her in no time.
"Eek! That vicious yellow dog again!"
Seeing Yuudachi determined to pursue her much like Bismarck's, Heavy cruiser Princess instinctively engaged the destroyers Yuudachi and Shigure, and the light cruisers Atlanta and Yahagi.
"Don't run away, poi!"
"We suggest you surrender! We prefer you to be alive for interrogation" Shigure shouted
"Like hell I'll surrender to the likes of you! I'd rather retreat than do what you say!"
Heavy cruiser Princess refused to comply which prompted Shigure to increase her speed, to forcefully make her surrender.
"Don't make it harder for yourself than it already is!" Yahagi tried to pursaude her
She the destroyers and light cruisers pursue at the defiant Heavy cruiser Princess, Bismarck and Nelson made sure they wouldn't lose sight of the target in their radar.
"Why would Heavy cruiser Princess be alone in this part of the sea? Not to mention, she's damaged before we intercepted her" Nelson rubbed her chin
"I don't know and I don't care. All that matters right now is beat the answers out of her"
"Think about this Bismarck, no other fleet reported of encountering a Princess class today yet this one showed up out of nowhere, wounded like she had just a recent battle"
Nelson couldn't stop thinking to why Heavy cruiser Princess is somewhere far away from where she was last seen and the mysterious source of her damages.
"Don't think about such minor things, Nelson. The opportunity is right in front of us and she's planning to escape"
"You're single-minded and determined today, huh. That's...very rare"
"I can't just keep doing nothing! My Tirpitz is still missing and the the other one suddenly disappeared"
Nelson realized how frustrated Bismarck is when her own little sister is still missing while the other one from another world mysteriously vanish.
"This is just some shitty luck or am I just bad at keeping an eye on Tirpitz"
"Both disappeared mysteriously but that doesn't mean it's your fault" Nelson sighs
"But I wished I could have done something. I'm the big sister after all"
"Heh...I could say the same thing. We're both big sisters" Nelson smirked
Nelson proudly laughed but the two slowed down when the air grew colder and the sky darkened, a sign a heavy rain is about to pour down.
"I've got a bad feeling about this" Bismarck swallowed her breath
"Not good. We might lose Heavy cruiser Princess if a storm is upon us!" Nelson bit her lip
The two battleships went at full speed, pursuing the Abyssal currently slowed down battling four shipgirls.
"Damn you, damn you, damn you all!"
The two worm like creatures with twin turrets on each head in her abdomen screeched as it opened fire.
"The aircrafts are retreating. It's beginning to drizzle" Yahagi clicked her tongue
"If we lose Heavy cruiser Princess, we're back to square one" Atlanta added
"Just tell us where is the Siren Purifier, poi!" Yuudachi yelled
"Siren...Purifier...? That fake Abyssal!" Heavy cruiser Princess gritted her teeth
"So she does know" Shigure nodded
"So you shitty shipgirls are the reason that fake Abyssal showed up! With the machine that opens portals!"
"Portals? The Tirpitz from another world mentioned about the Siren having a machine that opens portals?" Yahagi remembered
"Tell us where is this portal machine, poi! I'll shove my turret your face, poi!"
Yuudachi declared while charging at the barrage of shells, laughing with murderous intent and briefly terrifying Heavy cruiser Princess in the process.
"Like the hell I'll tell you guys what you want to know! Go fuck yourselves in hell!"
Even so, Heavy cruiser Princess refused to surrender, never stopping her barrage of one shell to another. Her body had been absorbing shells from four light ships, staying afloat even with the damage she had taken before encountering the shipgirls.
"I can't keep this up! Those two battleships will catch up soon even if the pesky aircrafts are gone"
She thought to herself that if she take on two battleships, her body wouldn't sustain heavy damage from two large ships. Heavy cruiser Princess bites her lip, desperately thinking of a way to escape from the shipgirls.
(I'll have to get out of here or I'm done for-!)
Her thoughts are interrupted when projectiles rained on her and the four shipgirls. A maniacal laughter echoed from the direction where the attack had come from.
"Hahahaha! My readings were right! There are shipgirls here"
The Siren Purifier jumped in great joy with an ever large smile and unblinking eyes.
"I-it's you...!" Heavy cruiser Princess shivered
"Heh~ You're still alive. Since I have nothing to do right now, I'll just sink you along with them"
"Give us back Tirpitz, you creepy alien...poi!" Yuudachi raised both arms
"Tir...pitz. Hmm..."
Purifier tilted her head, ignoring the shipgirls. Yahagi, annoyed at how relaxed and confident the Siren is, opened fire...but her shells were easily deflected by Purifier's primary defensive systems thanks to the data she gathered from battling shipgirls.
"Tirpitz...Tirpitz...hmm?"
While she continues to ignore her opponents, she returned her focus at the arrival of Bismarck and Nelson who quickly opened fire upon recognizing her. Even with their armor piercing shells, Purifier shrugs off her attack, her defense adjusted to outmatch their firepower.
"Aaah, so you like wanted Tirpitz back...!"
Tyrant pointed at Bismarck who is confused to what Purifier had just said.
"Which one though? The Tirpitz originating here is stuck with Tyrant who got her right arm ripped off because she let her guard down" Purifier giggled
"What?! What do you mean stuck?! Where's my little sister, you creepy bitch!"
"You must be defective. The Tirpitz who originated from this world is in a closed dimension. She's stuck there~"
"Where's the other Tirpitz. What have you done to her? Is she stuck there too?!" Bismarck demanded
"You're so noisy, huh. That one managed to get back to her own world...and back to her comrades. It might look like a happy ending but the worst has yet to come"
(The worst has yet to come?) Nelson took those words as a hint
"That Tirpitz is not even your so-called sister yet you get attached. You people tend to emotionally attach yourselves to others, form a so-called 'connection'...and that's actually pathetic. It's unquestionable why humans, who depend on their emotions to others, are quick to be extinct"
"Don't look down on human emotions, bitch!"
Bismarck couldn't tolerate anyone insulting and belittling human, charging in blind anger and almost got herself shot if it wasn't for Nelson firing first.
"Don't charge in recklessly, you bloody kraut!"
"But-"
"No buts! Remember we're facing an enemy unlike we've ever seen! I mean she shoots lasers and rockets!" Nelson didn't hold back yelling
"Grr..." Bismarck gritted her teeth
Seeing the two battleships made Purifier burst into laughter, amused at how their "emotions" caused disparity and miscalculated decisions which always lead to a fatal result.
"If you miss your little sister so badly, then how about you two reunite? Not that she'd recognize you. I bet she'd try to rip off your head too!"
The Siren Purifier manifested the same tool she used to open a rift during the last battle with the shipgirls.
"Opening rifts is uneasy and tedious because it requires a large amount of energy and a powerful processor but it's no problem for me~"
"Like I'd let you do as you please!" Bismarck charged in again
"Hahaha! That's it and come to me yourself"
When Bismarck got in the range of the device, Purifier activated it in a snap of her fingers. As Bismarck is seemingly disappearing, thunder roared and the wind howled. Tearing a rift in space causing anomalies in the surroundings.
"Opening rifts affects the weather in your world, but who am I to care? It's not like disturbing the space-time continuum is a nuisance to Sirens like me"
"You little-!"
The waters beneath Bismarck grew violent as the light drizzle drastically shifted to heavy rain until there is little visibility.
"This is...just like when Tirpitz disappeared! So opening portals to another worlds caused all these weather phenomenons"
"Correct~ I'm surprised you recognized it"
"How would I forget the sudden stormy weather when my sister vanished without a trace...and another one popped out"
"Tyrant used the same technology as I am using now. If you want, you have to beat me in my own game. Not that you can win anyway"
"Don't underestimate me, you cocky bitch!"
"Hahahaha!"
Purifier gleefully evades Bismarck's shells, dancing around like a carefree child. Before the Siren could return fire, the mad dog of Solomon pounced on her, fired her twin turrets to Purifier's face at point-blank range.
"Don't forget we're here too, poi!"
Even with the terrible weather, the other shipgirls managed to maintain themselves in the fight.
"Fire!"
With Nelson opening fire, the other three followed and a barrage of shells fell upon the laid-back Siren.
"Aaaaw, you damaged my tool. Looks like I have to fix it. Such a bother~"
The rift fell apart with the device used to open it being significantly damaged by the shipgirls.
"I should take you guys a bit more seriously next time"
Purifier waved farewell before quickly escaping in the storm. Bismarck tried to pursue her, but she almost lost her balance.
"Forget it, Bismarck. We have to retreat or we'll be wiped away by this storm" Nelson ordered
"She's getting away! The damn Abyssal got away, we can't let this one got away too!"" Bismarck refused to give up
Irritated, Nelson slapped Bismarck across the face and looked at her right in the eyes.
"We may lose this one but there's always a next time. Don't throw away your life recklessly. Don't get yourself killed, you hardheaded German!"
Seeing that it's impossible to pursue Purifier, Bismarck is forced to comply and retreated along with the rest of the fleet.
"Damn it. We were...so close"
"We'll get her next time. We...won't give up" Bismarck tried to reassure her
"What if there is no next time...?"
Bismarck clenched her fist at the possibility, afraid that they might have lost their best opportunity. The other members of the fleet felt the same way but they were silent.
Azur Lane side...
Tirpitz blinked her eyes to make sure what she's seeing isn't an illusion. She found herself in a sea where the sky has been darkened by thick black smoke and wreckages everywhere, both from the Sirens and shipgirls.
"A hopeless future. That's what's to come, little sister"
Behind her, a copy of of Bismarck spoke to her. From the first glance, this Bismarck had gone through an intense battle...but there was a crack on her face.
"Sister?"
"I am your sister but at the same time I am not. I'm the remnants of the Bismarck from Tyrant's timeline...after she absorbed what remains of me before my death"
"If she absorbed you...then why can I see and talk to you?" Bismarck felt nervous
"It's beginning..."
"What's beginning"
"Tirpitz-"
Her conversation with Bismarck is cut off and the surroundings switched to a different one. She was still in a sea of flames but the current location is somewhere else.
"Two sides of the same coin as humanity calls it"
Tirpitz swallowed her breath upon seeing Tyrant looking at her amused.
"You...!"
"It seems your core displayed a flawed...or a leak. You're vulnerable, you know"
"...?"
"Your thoughts are disorganized and your emotions are displaced everywhere. That's showing vulnerability"
"What do you want from me?!"
Rather than responding, Tyrant pointed at where Tirpitz's heart is.
"I was so close...but that Beast interfered. But I will find a way...to get what I want..."
Slightly wounded and with her left arm missing, Tyrant pushed herself forward while Tirpitz backs away.
"In order to transcend beyond limitations...I have to get you no matter the cost. I can't let...everything go to waste"
"Tyrant..."
This is the first time Tirpitz saw Tyrant in a desperate state and obsessed with her one and only goal.
"Even if Bismarck left me this burden...and went to die just like everyone..."
"Why are you so determined to get me? What is it...that's pushing you this far?"
"At the very least...I need to fulfill this promise. You're my alter ego...so I know you will understand...when no one could"
Tyrant's eyes were determined to achieve her goal willing to sacrifice even an arm just to accomplish it.
"I won't let anyone get in the way. I will...I will find it...when she couldn't..."
"Looks like being desperate isn't good for you"
"I won't let anything stop me when I was so close!"
Tyrant grabbed Tirpitz by the collar, tightly squeezing her hand and grunted as if she's restraining her intense emotions.
"It doesn't matter. Even if I can't get to you now I'll always find a way...for a checkmate" Tyrant loosened her grip
"What do you mean by that?!"
The image of Tyrant and the surroundings vanished like a computer being shut down. This caused Tirpitz to awaken like someone pulled her out of a dream.
"You were having a bad dream, weren't you?"
She turned to her side and saw Prinz Eugen sitting on the side of her bed, staring at her. The heavy cruiser waved her hand while Tirpitz blinked, speechless at her presence.
"How long have you been there? Have you been watching me sleep?"
"I was just watching you talk in your sleep for two hours. You weren't answering the door so I let myself in" Prinz Eugen giggled
"You just can't enter my room like that, you know. What are you doing here anyway?"
"Nothing. I came to bother you like what I do with everyone else"
"..."
Tirpitz sighs as she gets up but she almost lost her balance when she tried to walk.
"Is there something wrong? You don't look too good" Prinz Eugen raised an eyebrow
"I'm fine..."
Tirpitz grunted and left her room, Prinz Eugen following after her. When Eugen grabbed Tirpitz's hand, the latter sensed a sinister aura, like a threat clutching her wrist.
"...?!"
Instinctively, she quickly pulled away her hand much to Prinz Eugen's surprise as Tirpitz looked agitated and scared.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"N-no. It's like for a moment...I thought the one who held my hand was someone else"
"What? I'm not Prinz Eugen now?" Prinz Eugen placed her hand on her hip
"No...no...that's not it. I'm just being a bit paranoid"
"Hmm...does it feel like you're beginning to lose your mind or something?"
Prinz Eugen grabbed Tirpitz's left hand with both of her hands, tightly squeezing it.
"You're not going mad so it's alright. It was just a bad dream after all..."
For some reason Tirpitz's instincts are urging her not to believe what Prinz Eugen had said. In fact, itsi difficult to trust someone who likes to tease and play with others.
"Eugen! There you are!"
Admiral Hipper interrupted and marched towards her playful little sister. Clearly, Prinz Eugen isn't too pleased with her older sister ruining the moment.
"Where have you been? You've been gone for hours and I couldn't even contact you! I thought you sunk or something"
"My dear older sister is worried now? That's very touching" Prinz Eugen teased her like always
"S-shut up! You disappeared all of a sudden and you were nowhere to be found so...so..." Hipper blushed
"You were worried. Just admit it"
In an awkward position, Tirpitz left the two to deal with their own problems while she goes away to clear her mind. She has no time to be in between with anyone else's business right now.
"What was that just now? It felt like a completely different person touched my hand and not Eugen"
Tirpitz bit her lip as she passed by some destroyers who greeted her but she didn't notice them which puzzled the little ones. She continued walking until she stopped by a hallway.
"Why am I getting worked up over a bad dream and a hallucination? I'm overthinking this"
She shakes her head and tries to calm herself down but she jolted and almost jumped back upon being tapped on the shoulder.
"My child, is everything alright?"
"I'm fine. I was just talking to myself..." Tirpitz reassured her
"You look nervous"
"I just had a really bad dream..."
"Then why don't you try talking about it. I'm sure it'll make you feel better"
Thinking about the dream, Tirpitz doesn't believe she wants to discuss seeing Tyrant and the dark sea filled with bodies of both enemies and allies.
"I...don't want to talk about it..."
Tirpitz walked away, worrying Friedrich der Grosse who had never seen her so agitated and nervous. She was just fine until she had a "bad dream". Outside, Tirpitz sits by a corner only to catch a glimpse of a detailed silhouette, almost like an existing person's shadow.
"...!"
The figure opened its mouth as if it was speaking but there were no words coming out. Coldly sweating, Tirpitz shakes her head.
"No, no, that's not real"
She repeatedly tells herself and when she looked at the direction where she saw the figure...it had disappeared, much to her relief.
"I'm beginning to see things ever since I got back..."
Tirpitz closed her eyes and realized herself, concentrating on her thoughts. When she opened her eyes, two silhouettes are in front of her. One of them is standing still while the other one is walking back and forth, clearly nervous.
I told you those shipgirls will only make things more difficult...
Even if there was a setback, they have yet to foil my one goal...
Aside from them, Observer is keeping an eye on you...
I'm well aware of that. We're both aware of that...
Even if you took direct action, I'll keep working in the shadow...
That would be better. It's best if they are unaware of your presence...
Tirpitz saw two silhouettes speaking in a distorted voice. Though one of them in speaking in a familiar fond but she couldn't pinpoint who. Seeing the two figures converse, Tirpitz felt like those weren't just ordinary hallucinations and she isn't really losing her mind.
