A/N: And thus the final chapter of the third arc has arrived. A subtitle for the fourth arc can also be 'The Longest Day', since everything after this chapter will take place in the span of a day or less.

That aside, enjoy the revelations to come~


Whispers of Saturn

Chapter 22: Siren Hymn

The rattles of machine guns echoed across the half-destroyed city.

Bombs detonated, erupting into towering columns of black smoke.

All of it – to no avail.

''How pitiful~''

Roon smiled sharply, walking down the little side-street calmly even as the building behind her was blown apart by an artillery shell, bricks clattering across the street. Her eyes slid along the rooftops and her smile widened to a grin as she spotted several gunmen, prompting her to raise both her shark-esque turrets and fire. Twin black shells shrieked across the distance and blew apart the walls with ease, the buildings nowhere near sturdy enough to withstand a shot from a supercharged naval gun.

More debris clattered down but Roon paid it no mind, smiling even as bricks fell around her. Several half-eviseracted bodies fell from the crumbling rooftops and she walked past them without a care, knowing with a glance they were dead. Her eyes slid along the windows of the street, searching for the glint of a sniper's scope, but none was to be seen. Perhaps they had realised such an endeavour was futile?

Movement ahead made the transcendent cruiser look ahead – blinking as she found several soldiers wheeling an anti-tank gun into position, the massive 130mm barrel sticking out over the sandbag wall that had hastily been formed.

BOOM!

A puff of smoke and a shell whizzed through the air towards her. With mocking ease Roon side-stepped the shell, giggling when she saw the troops manning the gun panic, clearly not anticipating her to be so nimble. Despite her own guns she kept walking slowly towards them, savouring their fear as they hastily jammed another shell into the breech, the gun swerving towards her.

Another boom and a second shell lobbed itself at her, only to once again be nimbly side-stepped; hitting a car behind her and exploding into a deafening plume of fire. Roon didn't bat an eye, her grin widening to face-splitting proportions as she sped up her walk, delight blossoming inside her when the soldiers began to panic even more, yelling orders at each others. Bullets began to rain down on her from behind but they merely glanced off her armour-like skin, so she paid them no mind.

The anti-tank gun took aim at her a third time and Roon decided to crush their feeble hope; not even bothering to dodge the incoming shell.

Instead, she caught it.

Predictably it still exploded when it hit her hand, but with a simple swing of her arm the smoke was blown away – but to her displeasure the soldiers were already running away, leaving their anti-tank gun unmanned and now useless.

''Tch.'' The Ironblood cruiser shook her head, sighing. ''This is what I get for being polite...''

With a mental twitch her [Zerfallen] erupted around her – and shrieked through the adjacent wall. Even without looking she could feel it ravenously chew through brick and concrete, consuming all in its path and decaying it to absolute nothingness. Then it reached the next street over, taking the fleeing soldiers off-guard and consuming them in seconds, their bodies becoming nothing but ash; before they then became nothing, not even ash remaining.

''Hm.'' Roon smirked smugly, strutting her way through the hole and into the next street; her grin only widening when she found one unfortunate soul, half his body rotting and wisps of black miasma still chewing away at his now-consumed right arm.

''...s-send it...''

''Oh~?'' Roon cocked her head, approaching the downed man. ''What might you be-''

The soldier, who didn't look a day over twenty, raised a pistol and shot her.

The bullet bounced off her cheek with a ping.

''...you know, I'm sure that would've been more... impactful, if you humans didn't use such pea-shooters.'' Roon drawled with amusement and walked closer – unheeding of the two bullets that pinged off her nose and forehead, not even marking her skin. ''Please stop. You're just embarrassing yourself.''

''F-Fuck you...''

Roon was about to make a mocking comment, maybe stomp on his stomach to get some kind of reaction – when the distinct whistling of falling shells rung in her ears.

She blinked, glanced up; and found half a dozen 800mm shells whistling straight for her.

''Huh.''

A cacophony of explosion blanketed the street, the explosion so powerful it demolished the buildings around the side-street and flattened the entire area; followed by yet another wave of massive-calibre shells, then another. Wave after wave of railway artillery fired, utterly decimating the city block and turning the rubble into dust, so many shells landing that the terrain sunk several feet into the earth.

Only after several long minutes did the falling shells abate, and when they did... Roon walked out of the smoke with nothing more than an annoyed downturn to her expression.

''Mn... they'll be annoying to find.'' The mad cruiser rumbled, flexing her fingers. ''Oh well...''

''I always like a challenge~''

X-x-X

Enterprise had never flung herself out of a pair of doors faster than in that moment.

Kaga was one step behind her, and Cleveland a step behind her. The three rushed out into the golden-hued air, and Enterprise's eyes widened as she spotted the distinct shapes of several Siren warships; two Destroyers, two Heavy Cruisers, and one Battleship. That was it. No huge fleet of Destroyers protecting multiple Aircraft Carriers, no blockade of cruisers with supporting Battleships-

-just five warships.

'Did the Sirens get hit too?' Enterprise wondered even as she rushed closer, summoning her rigging in preparation.

The fact they had gotten so close without firing was a telling sign they likely weren't here to fight. Not even the dumbest of Sirens sailed to nearly point-blank range before firing; at best the ships were a couple hundred metres out. Considering that the the Siren Battleship was somewhere in the range of two-hundred to three-hundred metres long, it was a remarkably close distance for a Siren to sail for anything other than casual conversation.

A small, sparse crowd had gathered near the seawall, everyone with their riggings manifested and ready to fight. Unsurprising given how frayed everyone's nerves were – Enterprise was sure the only reason the alarm hadn't been sounded was because it might send the whole base into full-blown panic, thinking Roon was approaching. How ironic that their mortal enemy was considered so little of a threat in comparison to Roon, that they didn't even think once about them during this entire ordeal.

Enterprise tightened her grip on her bow, the crowd parting almost instinctively for her as she led the other leaders towards the frontmost warship; the Battleship. A shadow flickered through the sky and she honed on it, but the glare of the sun prevented her from making out any details besides a disturbingly familiar figure.

The Siren landed in front of her, one hand curling in inwards and her torso tilting forwards in a mocking bow.

Enterprise froze, staring straight into gleeful gold eyes that stared right back at her.

It was her. Purifier.

The Siren who sunk Yorktown.

Kill.

The instinct hit her full force with almost bestial desire, old anger bubbling in her throat and making her lips curl back into an angry snarl. She reared her hand back, silver energy instinctively gathering between her fingertips-

-until Kaga grabbed her arm.

''Stop.'' Kaga's stiff word successfully snapped Enterprise out of her sudden bout of mad rage, the emotion sucking itself out of her psyche with unnatural swiftness.

''Hehe, you don't look happy to see me, Ghost~'' Purifier's mocking drawl however threatened to bring the rage back – a rage amplified by Helios' presence in her soul, the deity making her emotions go haywire.

Mercifully Mikasa politely pushed past her – fixing Purifier with a cold look. ''What are you doing here, Siren?''

''Hah~? That's a cold welcome~'' The Siren gave a wicked grin, hands coming to rest on her hips. ''I came all the way here to give a lil' helping hand, and you treat me so cruelly~''

''I think we'll be fine as we are.''

In response, Purifier laughed. Not a snort, not a stifled snigger – but a full blown laugh.

''Hahaha~!'' She cackled, grin all but dripping with condescension. ''Really? You guys are fucked six ways to Sunday and kicked into next week, and you think you're fine?''

Mikasa glared, visibly biting back a more harsh remark. ''Speak your reason now, Siren Purifier, or we will shoot you where you stand for all that you have done to mankind.''

Purifier huffed in reply, flipping her ponytail back over her shoulder. ''Hmph. I wasn't lying; I came here to give you idiots a helping hand.''

''And we should believe you, why?''

''Because why the heck else would I drive right up to your port, granny?'' Purifier's lazy remark made Mikasa twitch. ''I know you guys like to think us Sirens are simultaneously mega-geniuses and also dumb as hell, but we're not so bugged out we'll drive right up to our enemy. Plus, if I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't do a goddamn bow – aren't you supposed to know these things, or have you finally gone senile? You look about the age, Granny-san.''

For all her composure Mikasa looked two steps away from throttling the audacious Siren, her pride wounded in more ways than one. Mercifully Warspite stepped into the conversation, one hand on her sword and her other coming to rest on Mikasa's shoulders, gripping tight enough to snap her fellow Battleship out of it.

''Suppose you speak the truth.'' Warspite began slowly, meeting Purifier's gently-glowing gold eyes. ''Why would you help us? We're enemies.''

''Because I was told to.'' Purifier's shrug of a response visibly displeased Warspite. ''What? Were you expecting some fancy, holier-than-thou explanation about how I've 'changed my ways' or that I've 'learned from my mistakes'? Puh-lease. I'd rather shoot myself in the foot than be buddy-buddy with you wimps; I'd save more processing power handling the pain than the pain your idiocy causes me.''

''For someone proposing to help us, you're really testing our nerves, Siren.''

''Hmph.'' Purifier merely huffed, looking amused. ''But at least your not pointing your guns at me anymore.''

Enterprise blinked, and she realised she had in fact lowered her weapon. So had everyone else around her, even Mikasa – something that visibly startled the Battleship, her eyes widening in surprise. Purifier's mocking words had been so biting, so sarcastic and scathing that they had briefly forgotten that the Siren was their enemy in lieu of the whiplash her words created.

''See?'' Purifier smirked haughtily, one hand on her hip while she snapped her fingers. ''So, can we go inside? We don't exactly have a lotta time to stick around and bicker about me being a goody-two shoes like you lot.''

''Very well.'' Hood's clear voice rung throughout the stunned silence. ''Please follow me. I'll escort you to the meeting room – everyone else but those previously involved in the meeting may be excused.''

''B-But-!'' Someone from the crowd – Cygnet? Crescent? - called out worriedly.

In retort, Hood merely turned a 'smile' onto the speaker. ''Those not involved may be excused.''

''A-Ah... r-r-right...''

With a pretty giggle unbefitting of the situation Hood strolled off, with a very smug Purifier in tow.

Enterprise met the Siren's eyes as she walked past, her heart pounding as she realised how vulnerable the Siren was. No weapon to block, her slim neck exposed and unguarded... one quick beam of [Starlight] and she'd be beheaded. It'd be so simple from point-blank range, just a little twitch, nobody would judge her for it...

Then Purifier walked past her, turning her back on her as she strolled after Hood.

Enterprise released a breath she didn't realise she was holding, subconsciously aware of how tightly she was gripping her bow, and how her palm began to warm with wisps of [Starlight]. She had been so close to lashing out there, like she was some wild beast. Part of it was Helios' affect on her mind, she was sure. But a larger part of it was herself. She wanted to do it, to grab the smirking Siren by the neck and just rip her head off.

''Are you alright?''

Enterprise exhaled sharply, grabbing the tip of her cap and pulling it down harshly. ''Yes.''

''You're a terrible liar.'' Kaga replied evenly, laying one hand on her shoulder. ''I won't pretend to be capable of dispelling your grudges with that Siren, but I ask that you control yourself. If not for her, then for yourself.''

''Since when did you care about her?'' Enterprise didn't mean for the words to sound so biting, but her mood was far from chipper.

Kaga, mercifully, wasn't offended. ''I don't. I would be quite willing to sink her myself; if not for my kin who she so casually sunk, then for the sister she stole from you.''

Enterprise flushed in surprise, touched. ''Kaga, I...''

The fox-woman merely brushed past the carrier – her hand briefly brushing down the back of Enterprise's own and tugging on the cuff of her sleeve. ''I don't care for the Sirens. But if they are here to give us help... who are we to deny them?''

To that Enterprise had no comeback, her mind still reorienting itself from the past hour – from waking up, to learning of the dead, to comforting Zuikaku and shedding some guilty tears of her own, to now having to deal with her sister's killer. All of that in twelve hours would be one hell of a day. Having it all compressed into a single hour was almost nauseating with how many emotions were running through her mind, making her already exhausted even though the day just began.

Shaking her head tiredly Enterprise turned and followed after the other leaders; the sparse crowd of uncertain Ship-Girls reluctantly dispersing into smaller groups, speaking in low whispers about the obvious new topic. With any luck the bizarreness of the situation would distract them from their impending doom at the hands of Roon.

The walk back to the Royal Navy dorms was a tense one. Hood tried to break the tension with some amicable chatter, but even her smile grew strained when Purifier retorted with casual biting remarks that would probably make a lesser woman go for the throat. It wasn't even pure insulting; it was the casual, dismissive manner in which she mocked them that irked the group the most.

The fact Mikasa was now being addressed as 'Granny-san' wasn't helping matters either.

Enterprise slowed her footsteps down as she reached the top of the stairs of the Royal Navy dorms, taking the chance to suck in a breath; steeling her heart for the conversation to come. Just looking at Purifier's unguarded back was genuinely tempting her to lash out; she wasn't sure how long she'd last looking at her condescending face.

''In here.'' Illustrious politely opened the door for their Siren 'guest', earning a faux-cheerful hum from Purifier as she skipped on inside.

The others followed inside and Enterprise picked up the pace, following in after Kaga. By the time she entered Purifier had already taken a seat on the couch by the windows, her arms casually draped over the back of the couch and with one leg folded over the other, expression still smug. Belfast took a position behind Warspite, who stood over the right shoulder of the opposite couch. Mikasa also stood by the other shoulder, both clearly in a position to draw their swords should they need to.

Illustrious and Hood daintily sat down on the armchairs on either side, clearly intending on flanking the Siren should she make any sudden moves. Washington took a seat on the couch, and Enterprise followed suit – swallowing her disdain for the Siren as she plopped herself down on the couch, meeting Purifier's irritatingly cocky eyes. Kaga remained standing behind the couch, eyes hard.

''So.'' Hood broke the tepid silence, her tone even. ''Now that we're in more suitable accommodation...''

Purifier huffed, leaning back. ''I was being serious. I was sent here to help you idiots against Animaus, since the hungry bastard is starting to bloat like a goddamn balloon.''

''And what do you mean by that?'' Mikasa frowned, troubled.

The Siren slid her glowing gaze over to the Battleship. ''...how much did Helios tell you idiots?''

''Nothing, to us.'' Hood responded in a light tone, glancing over towards Enterprise. ''As far as my knowledge goes, only Enterprise here has directly contacted it. I cannot speak for Miss Kaga, but...?''

''I have, but only briefly. Nothing that relates to the present conversation.'' Kaga informed curtly.

Purifier expelled an explosive sigh. ''Geez, so I'm the one who has to explain basic-level crap... fantastic.''

The Siren leaned slightly to the left as she raised her right arm, snapping her fingers. ''Alright, I'll give you a crash course in knowing what the hell you idiots are up against. And for free too – aren't I generous?''

''Get on with it.''

Purifier pouted at Washington's curt request, but complied. ''Fine. First, something you idiots need to know is the difference between Helios and the other two. Helios is all about knowledge and learning stuff; the Creator calls it the Demon God of Knowledge. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?''

''Demon God...?'' Illustrious' brows rose into her hairline.

''Eh...'' Purifier waved a hand. ''It's the name the Creator came up for it. I don't remember the original reason, but from what my data banks have it was because Helios is all about learning stuff, and the Creator considered his subordinates 'angels', so it was only fitting to make their opponents 'demons', get it? Granted Helios is our ally and technically helped create me, but that's just semantics. The big guy doesn't give a crap about what we call it.''

''And who would the Creator be?'' Hood asked with eyes narrowed in thought.

Purifier didn't respond immediately, cocking her head to the side. ''Hm... it's a little complex, but to keep things simple; he's your Commander, albeit a future variant altered by Helios. He's been leading the defence of what is left of humanity against Animaus and Wahr'rot, and he's pretty much a demi-god in human form. He could wipe the floor with your entire base without even lifting a hand; heck, a thought could probably kill you dumbasses and you'd be none the wiser~''

Enterprise stifled the urge to glare, the hairs on her neck standing up from how Purifier described her 'leader'. The thought that there existed a being out there that could kill them so casually was... unsettling. At least with the three gods they were limited in that they didn't seem to be able to cross into their world directly, and even then their influence could be seen. But a person who wielded even a fraction of Helios' power, and was capable of bringing it into the physical realm? The thought was a deeply disturbing one.

''...so you Sirens truly are from another dimension.'' Mikasa intoned quietly, eyes hard.

In response, Purifier gave a thin smirk. ''Of course. The Creator and Helios made us Sirens so we could test you idiots; help make you stronger through suffering and giving you something to rise against. Wisdom Cubes react at their strongest when they're in danger of being destroyed; training won't do jack-shit if you're not in real danger. What, did you think we were some cartoon baddies, wanting nothing other than to be mean and destroy the world?''

A beat of silence.

''Hah!'' Purifier let loose a bark of laughter. ''You guys really are idiots!''

''Quiet.'' Washington growled, displeased. ''I'm sure we've all had different theories about your kind over the last decade. Thinking that you were helping us for some higher purpose was pretty low on the list of possibilities.''

''Fair enough.'' Purifier conceded, resting her cheek against her fist. ''But we're getting off topic now. Helios is different than the other two gods 'cause it actually doesn't want to destroy humanity, and us alongside them. It just wants to learn stuff and it's content with that; and that also means creating new species to see how they react. Kinda like a mad scientist, but made out of a billion eyeballs the size of Saturn.''

''Wahr'rot, on the other hand, just wants war. It doesn't care what kind – as long as someone's fighting, the bastard's happy.'' Purifier continued in a tone dripping with caustic amusement. ''The Creator dubbed it the Demon God of War, for obvious reasons. It'll fight us, It'll fight humans – hell it's constantly fighting with Helios for pretty much every second of existence. And of course since both of them are pretty much equal, Helios can't outright kill the asshole.''

''And lastly, is Animaus.'' Purifier's grin dimmed slightly. ''The Creator gave it the title Demon God of Madness, 'cause that's what the asshole does. Any sentient thing near it goes mad. Sure, the other gods can make people go mad due to how strong their souls are, but Animaus ramps that up to eleven. It's its whole shtick. It also has the honour of being known for its control over lust and love, since those lead directly into madness.''

''And what does that have to do with it being... 'bloated'?'' Hood phrased the question carefully, frowning as she absorbed the information presented to her.

Purifier, for once, didn't look overly amused. ''Its a hungry bastard. Its true form is just a massive blob of flesh with mouths on it; it eats everything. Planets, stars, eldritch hell-spawn – you name it, it eats it, including itself. The Creator gave the thing its title because it constantly eats itself and regenerates; constantly consuming itself only to eat itself again and again. Apparently it's been doing that for as long as it's existed – and frankly, even the Creator doesn't know how long that bastard's existed.''

''And Animaus will just keep bloating as it feeds on all the souls of the dead from this dimension, pressuring the barrier holding it back... until it breaks, and nothing is left to stop it from entering this dimension personally.''

For a moment, the meeting room was quiet as everyone digested the news. Purifier didn't push them, simply bobbing her leg atop her other as she waited for the next question; her golden gaze briefly flickering over to the golden sky outside, eyes unreadable.

''You keep saying... 'true form'...'' Warspite spoke slowly, trepidation on her face. ''...what do you mean by that?''

Purifier met the Battleship's eyes. ''Ah, right, you idiots haven't met them yet... you can tell 'em, Ghost.''

Enterprise twitched as all attention was thrust upon her, but reluctantly complied. ''Helios takes the form of eyes, from what I can tell. They don't have any consistent size or colour. Originally the ones I saw, when I first touched Helios' meteorite form, were just floating eyes. I... later met some inside my soul, and those ones possessed blue tentacles hanging from behind the eyes. The eyes possessed the ability to split themselves open like a mouth, and used it to attack Wahr'rot's spiritual form, which took the appearance of a hand with an eye in the palm area.''

''You went inside your own soul?'' Illustrious queried with honest curiosity. ''Why?''

Enterprise however grimaced. ''It's... personal.''

''Ah... I see. My apologises.''

Purifier snapped her fingers, gathering their attention back onto her. ''Ghost here is right. Only that she saw a little manifestation.''

Enterprise narrowed her eyes, something about the Siren's tone making her uneasy. ''What do you mean by that...?''

Purifier grinned back. ''Easy. The thing you saw in your pretty little head? Those little eyes... weren't the real Helios.''

''You're lying!'' Enterprise barked, standing up.

''Enterprise!'' Washington grabbed her arm, roughly yanking her back down. ''Explain, Siren.''

Purifier smiled – a distinctly tight smile. ''I don't need to lie, Ghost. Those little fragments you saw in your mind weren't Helios – part of it, maybe, but not the real deal.''

The Siren shifted, leaning forwards. ''When the war against the Demon Gods originally began, the Creator wanted more soldiers to fight back – but with humanity and the Ship-Girls bordering on extinct, even with Helios' assistance, he needed a solution. So he found one. He created a dimension that was 'protected' by the real world, layered like a cake. To get to it the gods had to penetrate through the dimensional barrier into that world – and doing so took power, weakening their overall strength. He used that dimension as a base model; cloning the dimension over and over again, each one harder for the gods to reach and allowing for those inside to be tested by us Sirens, to make them stronger for when the day came for them to fight the gods.''

''You're lying.'' Warspite narrowed her eyes.

''Hah? Want some proof?'' The Siren smirked cockily. ''This timeline began on the night of the meteor shower, when Helios injected himself into this dimension and unintentionally left a hole for the other two assholes to slip on through. More specifically, it began when the IJN Zuikaku said, quote – 'Hurry Enterprise! It's about to start soon!'.''

Enterprise shivered, intimately remembering Zuikaku shouting those exact words as she raced up the hill, eager to view the falling meteors. ''No... you...''

''I killed Yorktown, didn't I?'' Purifier's musing words made the room silent in an instant. ''That's what you remember, isn't it? That I punched her through her chest... but what else happened on that day?''

''Excuse me?''

Purifier's eyes glinted with cold satisfaction. ''Who else was there? Surely it wasn't just you and Yorktown – you idiots consider it one of the worst battles in recent memory, after all. So, who was there?''

Enterprise opened her mouth. No sound came out; her brain grinding to a startled halt. Names came to her mind – San Diego, Tirpitz, Vestal... but she couldn't remember seeing them there. She only remembered the hurricane, the raging tides, and Yorktown. She couldn't actually recall seeing a single other Ship-Girl there, no memory in her head despite the momentous day.

Purifier wasn't done, her darkly-amused eyes shifting over to Illustrious. ''You take a walk every morning. It was a sunny day, wasn't it? So who did you see?''

''You can't expect me to recall such a minor detail...'' Illustrious frowned, uncomfortable.

The Siren merely grinned. ''Liar. You remember everyone you talk to. You cherish your morning conversations, don't you? Yet you can't remember if you saw anyone on that day, can you? Almost like... it never existed.''

''What about you, oh Glory of the Royal Navy?'' Purifier's sharp eyes took aim at Hood next. ''You're a veteran aren't you? Who else did you fight with on the battlefields besides Bismarck?''

Hood was silent, a rare uneasy expression on her face.

''Hmph. Well then what about you Belfast, when was the first day you kissed Queen Eliza-''

''You've made your point.'' Warspite harshly cut the Siren off.

Purifier wasn't bothered; merely smirking as she leaned back against the couch. Then Mikasa spoke.

''So you're saying each extra 'dimensional layer' makes the gods weaker than their true forms?'' Mikasa asked uncertainly.

''Then... how many...?''

For the first time, the smile slipped from Purifier's face.

''Seven thousand dimensional layers.'' Purifier said with deliberate slowness, not a trace of humour in her glowing gaze.

''Which means in this dimension... the gods are only using 0.01428% of their full power.''

Purifier's words rung in the sudden, petrified silence – the air so still you could almost hear a heartbeat. Enterprise almost collapsed back against the couch had she not been frozen stiff, shock permeating every inch of her existence. She wanted to laugh. She wanted to cry. She wanted to break into a thousand tiny pieces, to fade away and pretend the Siren's words were a lie, that this was all just some concocted dream her psyche forced upon her.

She had once declared to herself she would find Wahr'rot and Animaus, and eliminate them. That she, like the heroes of humanity's past, would rise up and defeat the monsters that threatened them. She was a fool. An idiot. A naïve, helpless bonehead. Defeat a god? She couldn't even stand when Helios directed its annoyance at her – how in the hell was she supposed to defeat a deity that she couldn't even endure the attention of? Who didn't even need one percent of their power to subdue her?!

''Oi.'' Purifier's sudden word shattered the silence, and snapped Enterprise to full attention – startled to find the Siren looking right at her. ''If you're scared, you may as well run now.''

''W-What...?''

''If just telling you this is enough to make you panic, then get out of here. I don't have time for dealing with crybabies who can't handle reality.'' Purifier stated in a lazy, matter-of-fact tone. ''You'll just drag me down if all you're good for is whimpering for mercy – 'cause I'll tell you now, Roon won't give you any mercy, and neither will Animaus. So if you forgot where you put that spine of yours, get out of my sight.''

Enterprise gaped, her mouth hanging open at the open insult – an insult that cut deep. Purifier saw right through her; saw all her fears, all her rising panic and hysteria, all of her worries; and just smacked them aside with words that stabbed her pride and twisted the metaphorical knife, berating her on multiple levels all at once.

Pride inflamed Enterprise narrowed her eyes, anger rising inside her. ''I won't...!''

In response, Purifier flashed her a sharp, pleased smile. ''Good. Looks like you're not worthless.''

The Siren clapped her hands together; the sharp sound echoing through the room and making more than one Ship-Girl flinch. ''Now that we've got the basics out the way, can we start, oh you know, planning on how to save the world?''

''I imagine you're more informed of the situation than we are, considering your origin.'' Washington remarked evenly, crossing her arms.

Purifier huffed, annoyed but reluctantly compliant. ''Roon's been killing humans over in Saffrona pretty much since she left this shitty base. Their souls would normally just fade away, since they're technically just clones of the original humans in the Creator's timeline – but Roon is feeding them to Animaus instead. To keep it simple for you idiots; the souls are causing the dimensional barrier to weaken, since they exist on the same plane of existence as the barrier; and Animaus can use them to spread 'cracks' through it until it shatters. And if it does – end of the world apocalypse, yadda-yadda.''

''And how long until that happens?'' Hood inquired.

Purifier hummed and tipped her head back. ''Let's see... about... forty-eight hours.''

''Gods...'' Mikasa breathed, shifting her gaze to the golden horizon. ''So little time...''

''Good thing you have little old me, huh?'' Purifier gave a sharkish smirk, rising to her feet. ''I'll try fix up who I can, at least so they can make a decent meat-shield. You lot can do planning and stuff; I'll tack on anything you should know after the fact.''

''And what makes you think we trust you enough to let you near our wounded?'' Enterprise asked with a deep frown.

The Siren turned a smirk on her. ''Would you rather I go down and fix them up, or leave them in bed while Roon turns the continent into a graveyard?''

Enterprise tightened her jaw, glaring lightly at the audacious Siren. Both knew what her answer was, no matter how much she hated to say it.

''I will accompany Miss Purifier.'' Illustrious said in a gentle voice, rising to her feet. ''I have some basic medical knowledge, so my presence at the hospital might at least prove to be helpful, while keeping an eye on our guest here.''

''Heh. So now I'm upgraded from 'Siren' to 'Miss', huh?'' Purifier snarked but merely earned a smile from the busty carrier. ''Che, let's get a move on then. I hate wasting time.''

''As you wish.''

Enterprise remained sitting as Illustrious and Purifier departed the room. Only when the two were gone did she released the tense breath she had been holding; all bur collapsing back into the couch. She hoped it wasn't a mistake to let Purifier near Zuikaku and the others; but she didn't trust herself to be near the Siren without coming to blows. No matter if what the Siren said was true, that everything before the meteor shower was just a series of false memories – she still loathed her for murdering Yorktown.

But in that case... did Yorktown even exist?

To that, Enterprise didn't know. And she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

''You alright?'' Washington nudged her, frowning.

''Yeah... I'm good.'' Enterprise sighed, sitting up. ''Let's get planning then. We're limited on time; we can't let a second of it go to waste.''

''Ahh, I hear you. I'd suggest that we go for a frontal attack, just steam-roll through with me in...'''

And thus, the preparation for the final battle commenced.

X-x-X

Vestal had to admit, waking up to see Illustrious and the Siren Purifier casually chatting was almost enough to make her go back to bed, deeming it some twisted dream foisted upon her consciousness.

However it was very much a reality, as she was quick to find out. Illustrious explained a shortened versions of the events that led up to their current situation, but even then the Repair Ship struggled to wrap her head around it – that the Sirens were technically helping them in some weird, roundabout way in an effort to create more soldiers to fight the gods. It was just so bewildering her mind struggled to understand it, let alone accept it; not helped by her fatigue after hours upon hours of work with only a three-hour nap.

Phuut Som Fae'th Ih'n Seyern

It didn't help that she's been hearing the same ghostly voice during her entire shift. If anything, it felt like it was getting louder.

Vestal shook her head, giving her cheeks a light slap – forcing her to refocus on her surroundings and not daydream. She side-stepped a small line of Manjuu as they carried some bandage rolls further down the hall, making her way towards her next patient; Maya.

She heard voices as she neared her patient's door, earning a slight frown from the Repair Ship; identifying them as Illustrious and Purifier. Instincts told her to leave and avoid the Siren, but her duty as a medic compelled her inside her patient's room – stifling the urge to give Purifier the stink eye. She hadn't forgotten what Yorktown's death did to Enterprise, and she hadn't forgiven the Siren for it either. Even if the whole world was just a mirage, a false reality, she knew her place in it. To treat the wounded.

And Purifier had done more than hurt her companions in the past.

''Hm?'' Purifier glanced back at her, curious – before the met eyes and the Siren smirked. ''Ah, so the doc's finally got here. Have a nice nap~?''

''It was terrible.'' Vestal said curtly.

''Great~'' The Siren's teeth shone with her grin.

''Now now~'' Illustrious tried to ease the tension. ''We don't have time for fighting. Let's just get on with our duties, yes?''

Vestal breathed out a sigh and nodded, not in the mood to argue. She reluctantly crossed the room towards the duo and approached Maya's bedside, frowning as she gazed down at the unconscious cruiser. The last she saw of Maya she was stable, but still wounded. Her haemorrhaging had mostly ceased, she was linked up with an IV drip and her broken ribs had been fixed up, however Vestal didn't have the energy to spare to heal up the rest of her injuries; leaving Arizona to fix them up so they wouldn't cause any undue pain.

Now, Maya was different. She was laid down on her back, her hospital gown removed to reveal the X-shaped scar across her torso, the skin still jagged and raw from where a blade cut through; a darker mark in the centre from a stab. The differences quickly became apparent as Vestal searched for the electrocution burns, finding not even a trace of them; even the scarred skin had healed up a bit. Not enough to take away the scarring, but enough that the skin wouldn't tear open from strenuous activity. The blood bruises that had formed from blunt impacts had faded as well, only a faint discoloured hue to her skin, and even that was slowly fading to her normal skin tone.

''How...?''

''Hmph.'' Purifier shot her a smug smirk. ''I'm more than just a fighter, you know?''

With a flex of her fingers several dozen tiny little drones disconnected from Purifier's inner-palm, revealing the wires and interlocked gears that hid beneath the Siren's false skin. With naught but a mental command the drones – each one no bigger than a pea – attached themselves to Maya's discoloured skin, tiny metal tendrils setting to work repairing the damaged skin and muscles with cold, calculated efficiency.

''...impressive.'' Vestal begrudgingly had to admit. It matched the rate of her own healing prowess; a big feat, considering Purifier possessed an attack power equal to some of their greatest fighters as well, whereas she was fairly useless in open combat beyond her anti-air capabilities.

''I know right~?'' Purifier pridefully puffed her chest out. ''I ain't gonna waste the energy healin' up her scars, since they won't matter in a fight, but at least like this she should be able to fight from the second she gets up.''

''I would prefer that my patients have time to recover, even if their physicality is returned to optimal conditions.'' The Repair Ship stated disapprovingly.

In response, the Siren snorted. ''Yeah, but we ain't got time, doc.''

''They are my patients.'' Vestal countered with narrowed eyes. ''I deem when they are fit for combat.''

''That so?'' Purifier smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. ''Because either they're fit for combat, or they're fit for the meat grinder. There ain't no in-between here, doc.''

''If we lose this fight, we've pretty much lost. Ain't no way we can come back from it.''

Vestal wanted to challenge her words. To defend her patient's right to recover before stepping onto the battlefield. To be absolutely sure they wouldn't collapse the moment they were out of her sight. But the Siren's words instilled a grim foreboding in her heart, intimately remembering such dark days as the Battle of Bulker Bay.

Sometimes you didn't have time to save them all. When two people needed life-saving treatment and only one medic was available, you had to make a choice of who to save. Who was more important, who was more liked, who was friendlier and more loved by all-

-none of that mattered on the battlefield. When it came down to it, the person with the higher combat capability took priority. You didn't win wars with hopes and dreams. You won wars by having the bigger gun. And even if it meant taking her sins with her to the grave, Vestal had learned to make those hard choices, of who to save... and who to let die.

In this case... the comfort of her patients, wasn't a priority anymore.

''...very well. How long until we can safely bring her back to consciousness?''

''Gimme five minutes. I'll move onto 'Javelin' or whatever her name was; make sure she's at least able to be moved the heck out of this dump.''

With a curt nod Vestal spun, departing the hospital room as she sought out her next patient; her heart steeled for the treatments to come.

As the medic departed Purifier smirked, pleased by the effect her words had. The Siren shifted her gaze back down onto the Sakura swordswoman beneath her, her glowing gold eyes seeing past skin and bone, detecting all the injured parts of flesh and muscles; fixing them up to optimal combat potential. Scarring wasn't a concern, considering the circumstances. You could look ugly as shit but still be a force to give the gods pause, if you had the power.

''Did you really mean what you said?'' Illustrious' soft voice rung out in the quiet hospital room.

Purifier hummed. ''Eh... I mean, this place isn't really a dump, but insulting people is something I find entertaining, since I know you idiots are as high-strung as a violinist hanging from a-''

''I meant about us losing this fight.'' Illustrious cut the Siren off, frowning worriedly. ''If we lose... will it really be all over?''

Purifier's slight smile dimmed. ''...yeah, pretty sure. I'll be fine, since I'm just a clone of my original format, but you lot will definitely die, and this dimension will just get consumed into nothing.''

''Can't your companions help you?''

The Siren huffed. ''Companions? They're all dead. Roon launched an attack and basically tore us to shreds; honestly, we weren't expecting her to come so soon. In the last thousand dimensions she didn't launch her attack until a day later, so we were all scattered when she arrived – and by the time we got our shit together, Observer Alpha was dead and Observer Zero was half-dead. I was dormant at the bottom of the sea until the Creator activated me; I guess he expected something like this to happen, since my other selves were all active in the last thousand dimensions.''

''...it sounds so strange, to have clones of yourselves.'' Illustrious said softly.

''Eh, it's not so bad.'' Purifier shrugged. ''We're not a hive-mind or anything; though we're not far off either I suppose, due to our neural network. Most of the dimensions operate at the same time; currently 221 dimensions are running at the same time as this dimension, and another 371 are running twenty seconds behind. Not that it matters to the gods, since they don't see time the same way you idiots do. Operating on several thousand dimensions at once isn't exactly the most arduous of tasks for them.''

''How frightening...''

''Hah~?'' Purifier smirked, shooting the worried woman a smirk. ''Getting cold feet? Don't worry; your pretty little head won't have to face them... after all, you've got someone else in mind, don'tcha~?''

''...I would pretend I didn't know what you were talking about, but considering what you are.. I do indeed.''

''Then have some faith in your little buddies.'' Purifier withdrew her drones back into her palm. ''And focus on smacking some sense into that nihilistic bitch you call a friend.''

''How uncouth.'' Illustrious shook her head. ''Once this is all over, I'll have you sit down and learn to be a more proper lady.''

''Oh~? What makes you think we'll win all of a sudden?''

''What can I say?'' Illustrious' eyes glinted with grim playfulness. ''I have faith.''

In response, Purifier barked out a laugh.

''That's more like it! Now help me wake up sleeping beauty over here, I'd rather not have my head chopped off.''

''As you wish~''

X-x-X

Forty-eight hours sounded like a long time.

When you were preparing to fight for the fate of the world, it seemed like such a miniscule grain of sand in the hourglass.

Enterprise sighed, rubbing the lingering sleep from her eyes as best she could. Just over two hours until the apocalypse began. They had spent the entire time planning their attacks, forming contingencies upon contingencies, healed what wounded they could and prepared them for battle; they had done everything they could. The other nations were informed of their imminent attack and were prepared to pull their forces out the moment they stepped foot onto the battlefield, considering that their soldiers had been little more than meat shields for the last forty-six hours.

Nearly two days. It was hard to tell the actual time. The golden horizon remained even after entire days passed, though the blinding gold sun had risen higher into the sky, nearly in the noon position. Sleep had been hard to get between her anxiety over the imminent apocalypse and the threat of being ambushed while she slept, and even when Zuikaku joined her she only managed to catch a few hours of shut-eye before she was awoken by Helios pushing her to act.

Hell, Helios was the only reason she even knew how long she slept. The deity was unfazed by the time distortions happening to the planet, informing her of how many 'hours' she had slept, though she wasn't sure how accurate they were to a being that seemingly existed outside of time itself.

''Enterprise.''

The aforementioned carrier hummed, peering over her shoulder. Washington smiled grimly at her and approached her side, the two of them standing before the windows of the meeting room; now the official command centre for the duration of this operation. Outside the windows the entire fleet was mustering, the more authoritative Ship-Girls barking orders as they gathered everyone into ideal groups.

The majority of Ship-Girls wouldn't be fighting Roon directly. They just didn't have the power too; they'd last a second and no more against her, if that. Instead they would be firing from afar or remaining on standby in the event Roon pulled any tricks, which Purifier theorised she may well do because of her Gift – [Zerfallen], a miasma that could rot and decay anything it touched, living or otherwise. There was no room for mistakes and no reason to keep their remaining forces at the base any more; they had nothing to protect, besides their entire world.

'I wonder how Bismarck is faring?' Enterprise wondered idly, recalling the Ironblood woman's departure. She hoped they wouldn't come to blows, that she would see the logic in facing Roon rather than them.

Kaga had been sent off for that reason on her own orders; to contact Akagi and try to form some kind of truce, if only until Roon was dead. It wasn't much but hopefully Akagi would be agreeable with it. The fox-woman never liked Roon in the first place, so it wasn't impossible she'd put aside their differences to unite against Roon. Enterprise's only worry was if Kaga could get there and rejoin the fleet unharmed.

''Are we ready to depart?'' Enterprise asked evenly, drawing in a breath.

''Mm.'' Washington bobbed her head. ''All that's left... is for you to make the announcement.''

''E-Eh?'' The sudden statement took Enterprise off-guard. ''Me?''

''Of course.'' Mikasa's voice rung from across the meeting room. ''You are the only one among us who can contact Helios. Out of all of us you have the best chance of knowing if something changes drastically; thus, you're more suited to acting as the mouthpiece of the operation.''

''I'll be fighting on the front-lines, I can't afford to also be the Flagship...''

''No need to worry there.'' Warspite chimed in, shouldering her broadsword. ''Belfast and the Royal Maids will operate the communications department; they'll be split in multiple locations to prevent Roon from cutting us off. The rest of us will focus on fighting.''

Enterprise frowned slightly. ''I would think Mikasa would be more suited.''

''Heh. You're too modest, Enterprise.'' The Sakura Battleship chuckled lightly. ''Have some faith in yourself. You're more than fit to lead us, whether it to victory, or to the ends of this earth.''

''...I suppose when you put it that way, I have no right to refuse, huh?''

''Got that right.'' Purifier snarked from across the room, eyes glued to the window opposite her. ''Now let's get this show on the road! We're burning time here, idiots~!''

Enterprise bit her tongue and complied, striding up to the main desk – multiple pieces of radio equipment dotting the table, along with a microphone. Sunlight shone over the metal and glinted into her eyes, prompting her to gently curl her fingers around the microphone and pluck it off its stand.

She hadn't rehearsed what she was going to say, considering she didn't even know she'd be giving a speech in the first place. Yet there wasn't time to sit and think; every minute wasted was another minute that risked helping Roon. Waiting nearly two days building their forces had been risky enough, now was the time for action.

Enterprise exhaled, pressing down on the button at the bottom of the mic stand. It crackled to life and made a quiet screeching sound as the microphone adjusted to the ambient volume. Outside she could see nearly the entire base halt. From the courtyards to the massive warships resting in the waters outside the docks; the entire base listened.

''This is the USS Enterprise.'' The carrier began in a slow, heavy voice. ''Flagship for the duration of Operation Trident.''

''The operation will consist of barraging KMS Roon from afar while the main fleet engages Roon directly; attacking from land, sea, and air. Those of you who have separate orders will already have been informed of them. At no point is anyone not a part of the main fleet to engage Roon directly, and anyone who gains line-of-sight of her is to flee the area immediately and radio her location. HMS Belfast will keep the communications channel open. The same rule applies to KMS Bismarck, KMS Prinz Eugen, KMS Z46, KMS Admiral Graf Spee, KMS U-556 and MNF Jean Bart.''

Enterprise paused, trying to drum up the words. All she had done was just repeat instructions; not what they wanted nor needed. They wanted more.

They wanted courage.

''...I know many of you are likely scared.'' Enterprise swallowed, leaning on the table. ''I am too. Roon is a frightening individual, and the fate of the entire world rests on our shoulders. This is no longer about ideology, about politics or opinions. This is a battle to decide whether or not all of humanity will go extinct alongside us.''

''Some of us, will not make it. Many of us may not make it, to see the end of this operation.'' Enterprise admitted, shutting her eyes. ''But I have hope that we will succeed. That our combined strength will be enough to turn the tide, to save the world from imminent destruction. Because we've done it before. When the Sirens first stepped foot on our oceans a decade ago and ravaged our coastlines, we pushed them back!''

A fire welled inside her chest and Enterprise let it carry her onwards, her voice gaining strength. ''When we lost a battle we won two more! When we were outnumbered we evened the odds! When we were outgunned we still sunk their strongest Warlords! We've been punching above our weight class since our inception, and this time will be no different!''

She clenched her free hand into a fist, and for the first time in ages, Enterprise believed her own words. ''We will win this war. Of this, I assure you. No matter the cost, no matter how hard it will be – we, will, win.''

Despite her softening voice her words drew an immediate effect; a resounding, thunderous cacophony of war-cries and cheers audible even through the thick walls of the dorm, bringing a warm smile to the carrier's face. Perhaps she was suited to being a leader after all.

''Now...'' Her words drew the crowd to a whisper.

And with her heart steeled and eyes focused on the horizon – Enterprise issued the final order.

''All ships... full speed to Saffrona City!''

[END]


A/N: I remember someone saying they guessed there was an alternate dimension or timeline where Ash/Ember was from. I don't think they were expecting 7000 clone dimensions, and everything from before chapter 1 to be a series of false memories.

Mikasa is also gonna need some treatment to deal with those burns Purifier gave her, hehe~

See you all next time in Chapter 23: Fatal Synchrony~

(No preview this time).