Note: Among the songs in the current AL event, the (unexpected) duet of Taihou and Roon has to be my favorite. The event just started, so I'm not rushing with the farming and just casually clearing the maps.
Every single one is just the same...
No matter where she looked, the surroundings and figures that unfolded where all just the same. This continued for so long that she was forced to accept what laid in front of her. What was in front of her...was a future that diverted only to lead back to a single point. That point repulsed and irritated her the most. It was natural for her to bear such feelings as she sought to avoid that point only to be led back to it.
"What I did was to avoid a dead end for everyone. No - maybe it's because I wanted to avoid it so badly that I didn't notice. I was too hung up and this happened..."
"..."
"Nothing has changed. This is just like what happened more seven months ago. It's like...everything went back to the starting line. What do you think...Bismarck?"
"Tyrant..."
The fleet leader of Iron Blood, Bismarck, directly faced the miserable husk who was once her younger sister. Tyrant was beyond recognition when she first appeared which further solidified how there wasn't a trace of her former self left.
"You call yourself H-39 now, right? You felt like you're not fit to carry the name of the chancellor anymore so you ditched it...like what you did to Iron Blood and me" Tyrant faintly smiled
There was no grudge of resentment that lingered from how Tyrant spoke and acted. She was someone who no longer sought payback against someone who was the root cause of her miserable life as a pawn for both the shipgirls and Sirens. Their expression grew dim and dull from the true hell they faced for so long, but neither of them discarded their past emotions.
"Do you hate me?" Bismarck instantly asked her
"Did I say that?" Tyrant raised an eyebrow
"...You didn't"
"Then there's your answer"
The two stood in a plain and empty world with nothing but thin mist and vast emptiness around them. It was truly empty that the water beneath their feet laid still, without the slightest ripple.
"Bismarck, what would you gain from this? You charged without a second thought despite knowing there was nothing that could be done"
"I refuse to accept such ending" Bismarck tightened her fists
"Tirpitz is going to reach the limit soon. Her deal with that soft-hearted Siren can only do so much for her"
"Tirpitz only left Iron Blood because she was desperate..."
"And whose fault is that?"
"It was mine..."
"...and you're planning to make it up for it by getting in the way? Bismarck, you're smarter than this. You, of all people, should have more common sense. If you think you can gamble on one chance - then you're a complete idiot"
"..."
"You can't just hit a reset button without consequences"
Of course, such drastic actions would result in heavy consequences. They were both who sacrificed to achieve solely one thing...and both heavily paid the price. In the end, they both drowned in frustration and regret that the last flicker of hope within them vanished.
"Tyrant, what Tirpitz wishes to do..." Bismarck mustered enough will to spoke again
"What lie did you tell those girls?"
"...?"
"You should know by now that Tirpitz is going to divert that Bismarck's future...so she won't become someone as pathetic as you. The supercomputer called the World Tree can fulfill such childish wish...but she might get destroyed in the process"
"Then I'd rather be the one to be destroyed"
"To be specific, she's going to overwrite what already happened"
"By that you mean..."
"Until the Tyrant Code is destroyed, nothing will change. The very core of the Code..."
"...I cannot stop yet. Destroying the Code alone isn't enough"
Bismarck sought to save Tirpitz from herself, but she refused to die just yet. This level of familiar stubbornness immediately displeased the deceased Tyrant.
"Then you won't change anything. Tirpitz needs the World Tree to track the last stubborn piece and not to destroy someone who isn't really an enemy. Also, that someone...will seal Tirpitz's fate"
"..."
"Those girls will see through that lie sooner or lie. I'm betting Akagi finds out first" Tyrant chuckled
"Is it...my fault...?" Bismarck bit her lip
"It is...in a way. It's because you started to care for her that you changed her. Then again there's me beating her to a bloody pulp. I did that, so she may see how stupid her future choices will be. I did that, yet it doesn't mean it was over..."
Tyrant lifted her hand and stared at it while she gently squeezed it. She had no regrets over her choices, but there was a visible bitter smile on her lips. It was like she felt what she did was not enough to meet her goal.
"Three days from now, your good-for-nothing past self is going to be dragged in something she might never escape. When that happens..."
"I have three days left, huh" Bismarck sighed
"What are you going to do by then?"
"...I will leave the rest to you" Bismarck turned her back away
"I see. So it's going to be what happened seven months ago all over again. We really can't escape fate, my dear sister..."
Tyrant lamented how both of their turned out of them. To a degree, they both passed away. Tyrant had become nothing but a remnant who refused to die or just a stubborn apparition while Bismarck was someone who unwillingly returned from the dead.
"Can my past self really save Tirpitz?" Bismarck softly asked
"What are you talking about? It's more like the other way around. I may be dead right now, but it doesn't mean I gave up entirely"
"..."
"You better hurry up...if you wish to change Tirpitz's fate"
"Why have you been staying silent all this time? You're up to something, Tyrant" Bismarck increased her guard
"Unlike you, I wasn't brought back by the power of the Sirens. Besides, I willingly destroyed myself...thinking there's no need for me to overstay. It turned out it was the exact opposite of what I thought"
"..."
"Time is running out, Bismarck. For you that is..." Tyrant turned away from Bismarck
Even if Tyrant had passed away a long time ago, her tone hinted she may have ulterior motives for the future. Of course Bismarck knew that someone who was no more than a persistent specter would be capable of direct action.
The whole situation remained unsolved and made little progress recently. Despite the situation, no one panicked or made irrational decisions as the Sirens suspiciously made no actions that threatened everyone for an unknown reason. Akagi may not be present in the last meeting with the rest of the shipgirls from Azur Lane, but Bismarck managed to get an opportunity to have a private discussion with her.
"Where have you been, Akagi? You've leaving frequently for the past week" Bismarck deeply exhaled
"I've been independently doing my share of work. I believe I would get more progress of I do it my own way" Akagi half-heartedly replied
"So, did you manage to gather anything useful?"
"It depends on what you believe is useful. I managed to narrow down our possible sneaky spy" Akagi giggled
"Who would that be?"
"I'm looking between Littorio and King George V. Littorio is suspiciously working closely with your future version while King George V had been awfully quiet even if her younger sister had been spotted but taken away by Prinz Eugen"
Akagi raised both hands and folded all fingers except for the index fingers on each hand. She briefly explained what made her suspicious of the possible treason of Littorio and King George V.
"You've been to relaxed around King George V. No wonder she's taking advantage of your trust" Akagi frowned
"Akagi, I don't accuse someone unless I have solid proof, but I don't lower my guard out of suspicion"
"So far, King George V hasn't been taking any actions. It makes me wonder whether her job is to simply observe and pass information. There must be someone else taking direct actions and moving freely" Akagi theorized again
"What are you saying?"
"I have been making several hypotheses on what our sneaky little spy have been doing. One of those is having two instead of one. If one gets suspected, the other will use the distraction to their advantage"
"That's a wild hypothesis..."
"Bismarck, someone sabotaged our trip here. The only ones present back then were us shipgirls. The small explosion right before we open the gateway was an obvious distraction. Akashi may not seem like it, but she is careful when it involves a serious mission"
Akagi recalled the moment they all travelled outside their own world. They were all prepared to leave and made last minute checks while Akashi and Yuubari checked the stability of the gateway before they could open to ensure the success of their targeted trip. Unfortunately for them, the machine malfunctioned and caused them to be flung far away from their marked destination.
"Then we were also separated the second time. When that happened...who were the only shipgirls present?"
"There were only half of us...and King George V was also there" Bismarck bit the edge of her thumb
"The Sirens managed to track us down so quickly not out of coincidence, you know. Omitter hinted us before we were all separated again, remember?"
"I remember that wretched Siren implying there are others. Akagi, do you believe she is referring to shipgirls rather than Sirens?" Bismarck guessed
"Most likely. I tried to think of a way to bait the spy, but I have my doubts now. Even if we were to draw out one, it will have little to no use of there's another among us" Akagi faintly grunted
"Then how do you propose we draw out both?"
"I'm not certain, but I might speak with Mikasa later. It's difficult to know which one I should trust other than you two. Although I doubt Shoukaku would be a spy, but I'd be genuinely surprised if it turned to be that way"
Akagi may not be certain who was the exact spy, but she was still cautious enough not to openly discuss about her knowledge to the rest of the shipgirls. At the very least, she was certain she could trust both Bismarck and Mikasa as both were the ones who gathered other shipgirls to join them in their mission.
"Then what if there's a possibility that I'm a spy as well. I heard someone managed to mimic the appearance and voice of their Graf Zeppelin here before. They didn't realize a fake one effortlessly infiltrated their base for a few hours" Bismarck frowned
"If I wasn't sure you're either the real one or someone trustworthy, I wouldn't be here sitting with you"
"..."
"Besides, I would have burned you right where you stood since spies is a threat to the shipgirls - specially to my commander" Akagi sinisterly smirked
"You're difficult to get along with, but you're obviously faithful to the commander more than anyone"
"Why do you think I'm here? The commander entrusted me to assist in resolving the situation. To be specific, she personally tasked me to retrieve a void mental cube from the possession of the Empress' faction"
"The commander tasked you with something?" Bismarck was mildly intrigued
"The Sirens contained a defective weapon within a mental cube and sealed it away. Observer used to have it until Omitter managed to steal it away from them. If I remember...it was Tyrant who made allowed Omitter to steal the mental cube"
"Tyrant? She worked for Observer, so why did she helped the Empress?" Bismarck's hand tensed
"I'm not certain since she's already dead. I'm only here to retrieve the mental cube, so the matter with your sister is up to you"
It was already made clear that Akagi would leave the issue with Tirpitz to Bismarck as the retrieval of an unknown mental cube was more important with how the commander personally tasked Akagi with it.
Meanwhile...
King George V paced back and forth, in an unusual panic. She faintly groaned and whimpered behind one of the base's storage warehouses while her Siren-made, communicator which resembled a miniature hybrid of a walkie-talkie and cellphone, was active.
"What do you mean Wales stayed with you? You should made effort to make her go away!" King George V restrained her curious voice
[She's more stubborn than expected, you know. Besides, she can't really stay there with H-39 around. That person is up to something...and she might try to kill Wales again]
On the other side of the communication was a carefree and mildly annoyed Prinz Eugen, who briefly chuckled as if she took pleasure on how the level-headed and confident King George V panicked when Prince of Wales chose to stay with Prinz Eugen.
"What if she finds out I'm working with the Sirens? I don't want to fight Wales more than anyone here" King George V clenched her fists
[That's not my problem, is it? I'm just here to ensure Wales doesn't get herself killed. Tirpitz says it's not her problem to deal with, so...]
"Where the hell is Tirpitz anyway?"
[She initially wanted to throw the others in chaos, but she had to divert her attention for the time being]
"What? Why?"
[Maya just informed us that Yuubari managed to fix the sabotaged gateway. The commander allowed one to volunteer into assisting there because they found out about the sabotage]
Prince of Wales stubborn refusal to leave Prinz Eugen's side was one difficult matter, but the fact that another shipgirl from Azur Lane would come was an even more difficult matter, especially that they managed to discover about the sabotage.
[Anyway, you should be prepared soon. The Empress said she's going to unleash the Hydra on a Royal navy facility as soon as Tirpitz comes back wherever she went...]
"I'll do what I can here for the time being. It's hard to move around since Akagi is keeping a close eye on me..."
[I wonder what excuse you'll make since you're going to be at the very same place where the Hydra is going to attack]
"Yeah, yeah. You can laugh right now since you're not the spy"
King George V cut off the communication before Prinz Eugen could taunt her any further. Prince of Wales chose to stay with Prinz Eugen which was somehow safer other than a vulnerable target for H-39, but it still proved a risk to leave her younger sister with someone who sided with the Sirens.
I suppose I found the perfect distraction...but it requires a sacrifice
Just as King George V turned her head left and right before she left the vicinity, an unknown shipgirl secretly observed her from a distance with a faint yet satisfied smile on her lips.
Royal navy anchorage...
Tashkent observed the brutal clash between Roon and Gangut only ended horribly for Tashkent herself. An unknown heavy cruiser whom Roon referred to as "Saint Louis" appeared out of the storm and heavily injured her from behind. If it wasn't for her rigging, the tip of the spear might have pierced a vital organ.
"Comrade!" Tashkent gasped wide open
Her body immediately jumped and almost rolled down the bed. The sudden shock caused sharp pain from the source of her wound then through the rest of her body.
"Don't move too much or your wound will open up"
"Vanguard? You have a new arm now...and an eyepatch?"
Rather than Gangut or any of her Russian comrades, Tashkent gently rubbed her eyes when the recently recovered Vanguard sat near her bed and clasped a hardbound book close. The last time she saw the British battleship, the latter had lost a large portion of her left arm and right eye permanently blinded by a thin yet precise slash.
"Don't move suddenly after we had to stitch up your back, little Russian" A mildly annoyed Vanguard grunted
"Y-you..."
"I had the little capitalistic cat and our Akashi construct a prosthetic arm suitable for combat. As for the eyepatch? Obvious choice since my right eye is permanently destroyed"
Vanguard slightly moved up her sleeve and showed the metallic replacement for her lost arm. It was indeed an artificial arm now, but one cannot distinguish it from a natural body part at first glance with how it was indeed designed to make it seem it was just a normal arm. On the other hand, Vanguard now sport a decorative eyepatch to conceal the scar on her left eye.
"How are you here? Gangut. Where's Gangut?" Tashkent was visibly worried
"She's resting in another room along with a violent fellow. Well, not as violent as the other one with a spear"
"...!"
"Comrade Gangut and I were attacked...then another one attacked me from behind. It was from a spear, and it almost pierced my lung. If it didn't get stuck to my rigging...it would have torn a vital organ..." Tashkent gently placed her hand on her shoulder
"Yes, you were heavily injured and could have died. The culprit regretted her action and was relieved she didn't kill you"
"W-What?" Tashkent scratched her head
"You said you were stabbed by a spear? Well, we found two strange outsiders with one of them crashing around...with her spear"
"Don't tell me...!"
"Rest assured. She's currently detained in an allied facility for questioning"
Tashkent clearly remembered the ambush from that stormy encounter. The sound of heavy rain and furious thunder concealed Saint Louis' approach. The moment Tashkent noticed her was the moment her body met the tip of her large sharply-tipped weapon.
"Wait. How did Gangut and I get saved? I passed out...and I remember someone else joining in the fight" Tashkent vaguely remembered
"Well, I wasn't the one who found you first. I'm not certain what happened, but someone was there when we arrived at the scene. That someone helped us tow the four back to the nearest base. Well...technically, the one who attacked you was brought somewhere else"
"Who was it? Why did she save us from an unknown attacker?" Tashkent swallowed her breath
"I'm not certain of the full details yet. That girl is currently with her ally in another room, clearly worried" Vanguard stood up
"Vanguard?"
"Heal your wounds first. I will take care of this matter since you're currently in Royal navy turf" Vanguard faintly smiled
"R-right..."
The wound from Saint Louis' spear had been treated, but it had yet to fully heal. Tashkent knew she had no choice but to indeed rest until she can sail and return to the Maizuru naval district along with the less wounded Gangut. Vanguard assured Tashkent wouldn't be reckless enough to ignore her suggestion, so she nodded just before she reached for the door.
"I'll be back later. There's someone I need to talk to first"
Vanguard tipped her cap right when she pulled the door and prepared to exit. Tashkent lied back down the moment the British battleship left the room. The Russian destroyer may have survived her injury, but Vanguard remained worried as she was part of the same fleet as her.
(More and more unexpected elements are adding to this situation. Even so, I have a mission to accomplish - a mission beyond my duty as a shipgirl of the Maizuru fleet. This may seem like I'm plotting from behind the scenes, but I have a duty to serve my mistress)
Vanguard muttered to herself as walked along the hallway. She had no I'll intentions against her allies, but she felt somewhat guilty of how she had her own motive in order to perform the direct order given to her.
(I can't refuse or disobey Warspite because my I more loyal to her than to her eldest sister. I mean why did she even considered that person's offer? I would have cut her down, but milady...)
Just as she turned at one corner, Vanguard briefly paused and let out a distressed and anxious sigh. Vanguard was clearly worried about Warspite's recent action, but she made no direct move to disagree or protest about it. In the end, she was someone who faithfully served someone without resistance.
"What are you sulking about, Warspite's favorite dog?"
"...Arkhangelsk. For you to call me a dog, you're confident I will not cut you down" Vanguard reached for the hilt of her sword
"That annoying heavy cruiser and her white fox friend are looking for you again. Something about the other hallucinating and violent cruiser we detained" Arkhangelsk scoffed
"...!"
"Also, I heard what happened in Hawaii. H-39 has been spotted there even if she had no order to sortie at that area. They would start questioning her if she keeps this up"
"She's not the Duke we know. The person behind that helmet-"
"Yeah, yeah. I know it's the confusing other version of that younger sister" Arkhangelsk waved her hand again and begun to walk away
"Younger sister?"
The one who replaced the original H-39 was a recover alternate future version of Iron Blood's Bismarck, so it puzzled Vanguard to what Arkhangelsk meant by younger sister. It was unlikely she used the wrong word or mistook H-39 for someone else, but the obsolete battleship took her leave already. Vanguard shrugged her shoulders and went her way. One of the wounded patients brought to their base, Roon, regained her consciousness, with two familiar shipgirls inside the same room.
"Mai...nz?" Roon blinked her eyes
"Good grief. To think the moment we entered the gateway...we would arrive in the middle of a battle" Mainz sighed
"Fortunately, we arrived before some hostile shipgirl cut you down" Azur Lane's Kaga also sighed
"How...since when...?"
"We just arrived a few hours ago. The gateway has been repair...well, mostly. We volunteered to aid Bismarck and the others, but it seems the situation worsened"
"What...?"
Roon forced her still weakened and damaged body upwards to partially lift her back away from the bed. She had a brief clash with Gangut, only to be defeated by an unknown enemy and awaken with two familiar faces near her.
"There's a traitor among us. It's the same person who sabotaged the initial trip here" Mainz revealed new information
"We don't who it is exactly, but we know it's someone who is part of the group who travelled here first." Kaga added
"I remember fighting some shipgirls I don't know when someone showed up and tried to kill us both"
"Then that could be the same person who we are looking for? That shipgirl could be trying to eliminate possible threats" Kaga stepped forward
"Akagi! I saw that damn fox Akagi! She jumped at us while we got exhausted.
Roon, furious at the swift and unexpected defeat from a shipgirl as dangerous as hef, curled up her fist and smashed the wall beside her.
"That can't be right. Akagi can't be the traitor!" Kaga wasn't able to restrain herself
"I saw her myself. She took everyone out...and even brought the Siren Omitter with her!"
Roon smashed the wall the second time and created a crater with large cracks all around it.
"Just calm down, you two. Kaga, we're here to track down whoever sabotaged the gateway and not try to kill each other"
Mainz stood between then and prepared to draw her sword in the case the two would break out in a physical confrontation. The last thing she needed was two of her allies in a violent fight, especially with how Roon was in no condition to fight but in an awfully unpleasant mood.
"I couldn't mistake that red fox with a vicious smile! The Siren Omitter showed up with her" Roon added
"Akagi...Akagi would never work for the Sirens for no reason!"
"I said calm down, you two!" Mainz shouted
"..."
The two immediately fell silent and averted each other's gazes. Mainz looked at them back and forth while the two were forced to behave.
"If what Roon says is true, then we can't meet up with the others"
"You believe her?" Kaga gritted her teeth
"I'm not saying that yet. We need to gather more information since whoever is the real traitor before we could jump out there like impatient idiots. Remember that the Sirens knows what Bismarck and the others are up to because of their spy. That means no childish fighting until we are sure" Mainz slightly raised her voice
Their enemy might take extra precaution and alert the Sirens if the three of them were to charge without a second thought. Roon insisted it was Akagi who attacked her, but Kaga denied that Akagi would actually be the spy. This put Mainz in a somewhat difficult situation as she cannot take either side until they have sufficient information.
Somewhere...
Isolated in a room surrounded by inches of thick concrete wall and sealed by a secured door, Saint Louis quietly rested even with chains that bind her arms and legs. Compared to Roon, Saint Louis' reactive mental cube rendered her mentally unstable which contradicted her stoic and calm self. Bismarck of Iron Blood, along with Odin, slowly entered the secured detention room in order not to startle or somehow provoke the motionless Saint Louis.
"Saint Louis..." Bismarck softly called her
"Bis...marck? Ah...you're still alive, huh..." Saint Louis raised her head
"You went mad the last time we saw each other. What made you regain your sanity?"
Bismarck slowly approached her while Odin quietly stood right where she stood as Bismarck questioned what happened to Saint Louis since the last time they saw each other. Saint Louis went insane the same way Z23 did, but somehow Saint Louis regained her sanity without the aid of other people.
"Akagi. I saw Akagi..."
"Akagi?" Bismarck was genuinely surprised to hear the name
"I haven't fully regained myself, but I can...somehow not go violent like a mindless animal"
"What do you mean you saw Akagi? She never left-"
For a moment, Bismarck thought Saint Louis might have mistaken Akagi for someone else, but she remembered how Akagi secretly went away and returned as she please. The exact details on why she left without a word to the others was left vague, but she explained to Bismarck how she needed to be somewhere else in order to search for the spy.
"She attacked me...and did something...that made me lose my rationality..."
"That can't be right. Even if Akagi went somewhere lately..." Bismarck almost bit her thumb
"Bismarck, I didn't just imagine it. I saw her with that devilish smile and murderous eyes of hers. She...she was speaking with another Siren so casually" Saint Louis groaned
"One of us sabotaged the gateway to this world, Saint Louis. If what you're saying is true, then...the spy is Akagi and not King George V" Bismarck informed her
"I know who I saw, Bismarck. There's no one else who would try to burn me down with her planes...and know what the Sirens are up to"
"Still, it still lacks enough evidence to point Akagi as the other accomplice of the Sirens"
There was little to no chance Saint Louis would lie, but Bismarck still casted doubt about the possibility of Akagi as the actual spy rather than King George V. She can't jump to conclusions yet or she might risk a crucial mistake that the unknown spy might take advantage of.
"I don't when will I lose control again...so it's best I remain bound by these chains..." Saint Louis groaned
"Saint Louis..."
"Bismarck, the other reason I decided to accompany you in this mission is because a strange enemy stole something from the Iris Libre"
"Who?" Bismarck leaned closer
"It was another version of you."
"What...?!"
"What she stole was a memory bank about Omitter's Mirror seas. I'm not certain, but she wasn't normal. She was constantly trying to maintain her physical form as if...she was an apparition..."
"H-39..."
"Be careful, Bismarck. I don't know what's going on...but she isn't the same Bismarck as you. She's...after something...so she's going after both Sirens and shipgirls..."
H-39 claimed to have remained outside of Azur Lane ever since her resurrection, but Saint Louis also claimed she had stole an important evidence from a past battle with the Sirens.
"It looks you can't even trust yourself, Bismarck. To begin with, she's not someone I would trust easily. It turns out it's because of her ulterior motives" Odin voiced her opinion
"To think the enemy worse than the Sirens...are ourselves. I fear we may be beginning to turn against each other" Bismarck clenched her fists
"We need to identify which one is our real enemy before we it escalates to infighting, and Tirpitz taking advantage of this"
"My sister. What is she up to? What does H-39 knows that we don't?"
Bismarck was the type to be direct and honest to allies and enemies alike, so H-39's suspicious secretiveness was a truly unusual trait of Bismarck. While Bismarck worried about the chance how distrust could stir up among them, her other companions had more to worry.
In an unknown location...
Mainz and Kaga already showed up but planned to remain hidden for a while. On the other hand, Belfast had her own agenda, a rather suspicious one at that. Light peaked through the hole of an abandoned warehouse with metal scraps and dented container units scattered inside. H-39 quietly sat by the edge of a container placed in the center while Littorio patiently awaited right below her.
"My, I didn't expect to be present as well, Littorio?" Belfast meet up with the two
"I told her I'd see this through because I'm a little interested. Well, that and I want to see what she's up to next" Littorio pointed at H-39 who remained quiet
"Mainz and Kaga have already arrived in this world because of the confirmed sabotage. It won't take them long to find out that it was King George V" Belfast informed the two
"What's your agenda for separating from them?"
"I'm tracking down Prinz Eugen who reportedly fled with Prince of Wales, but she won't certainly reveal herself for Prince of Wales' sake" Belfast sighed
H-39 jumped down from the container unity and slowly approached Belfast. She may have recovered from the supposed fatal strike dealt by Tirpitz, but her body had grown weak ever since then.
"Bismarck, you're..." Belfast noticed something
"Two days. I have two days left before my mental cube collapses. That's why I have to resort to drastic measures..." H-39 clenched her chest
"It has accelerated. You supposedly have at least one more month, but you're slowly deteriorating due to straining your mental cube" Belfast noticed
"I am just a dead person brought back into hopeless world"
"There will be an assault in a Royal navy base located at Ireland. Tirpitz will spearhead the attack along with the Siren Omitter. That will be possibly your last chance, Bismarck"
"I may not be strong enough to fight Tirpitz anymore, but I don't need to fight her. I just need those two sisters to be present for it to work"
"It's suspiciously convenient that the black mental cube is also there. Perhaps the one who calls herself Aurelius had foreseen this outcome as well"
H-39 may look stable on the outside, but she could no longer be at her peak strength because she repeatedly overused her mental cube with little to no regard of her own well-being. All she cared was to accomplish why she remained in the world even if she detested her own resurrection.
"Belfast, what you're doing is against the Royal navy. For someone like you to be no different from a traitor..." Littorio pointed out while she remained at the back
"Don't be mistaken. I have no I'll intentions towards my allies. I'm simply performing as I was told" Belfast corrected her
"By who?" H-39 frowned
"That would be classified. The shipgirl known as Belfast had been cleanly and faithfully performing tasks ordered by that person since the beginning"
"You're acting as a witness for someone else" H-39 guessed
"Correct. The master I've been serving had no intention of interfering with the affairs of others, but she needed me to be an observer"
"It means you won't do anything even if the world burns, huh" Littorio's smirked
"That is also correct. My true purpose is to witness and record noteworthy events while being the head maid of the Royal navy at the same time" Belfast cheerfully informed them
Belfast confirmed she was neither an enemy nor ally to anyone due to her primary duty as a witness for someone, H-39 remained skeptical at the light cruiser's true intentions that lied behind that respectful and cheerful expression.
"What about you, Littorio? What is your purpose for unusually cooperating with this Bismarck?" Belfast asked this time
"That's easy. I had a bet with an eccentric and intriguing human who I met a year ago. Her words are cryptic, but her curiosity is genuine much like a child" Littorio placed her hands on her hips
"You are someone who won't back down from a challenge, especially if you find it amusing" Belfast pointed out
"Of course! I had fun with that human over a game of chess" Littorio let out a bright smile
"That human - no, I must be thinking of someone else" Belfast shook her head
"I know who it is even by words alone, but what does that person wants?" H-39 asked Belfast
"To fulfill someone's faint wish, perhaps? It could possibly be the same voice Tyrant once heard while she was in a limbo. I'm guessing you heard it too?" Belfast rubbed her chin
"When my consciousness wandered into nothingness, I heard someone. It was neither a Siren nor a human. It was like...a ghost whispered to me"
"Then that means the turning point will be the assault two days from now, and you're planning to use that to your advantage" Belfast guessed
"That dead Tyrant guessed the upcoming events. She knows what I will do and how it will end. It's irritating to think a dead person is looking forward to what will happen next"
"Dead. I wonder about that..."
Belfast may be aware of an information that not even the two battleships knew, but she was just a witness who refused to interfere with the affairs and dilemma of others. She didn't want to disturb the current events as it would defeat her purpose, so H-39 didn't bother to inquire what she meant.
Extra
The enormous Siren weapon with multiple dragon-like heads as per its namesake, obediently laid dormant in one of the Siren base's drydocks. The Siren Empress, who had direct control over it, fondly gazed at the personal creation of the dormant Siren who created her.
"Hmm?"
However, her moment of peace and admiration had to be cut short with the arrival of Tirpitz who had gotten quiet for a while ever since the brief encounter against H-39, whom she failed to deal a fatal blow. She may have struck the heart, but H-39 somehow stood back up shortly after she left.
"I heard what happened in Hawaii. Prinz Eugen ran away with Prince of Wales while H-39 is somehow still alive. It's either you held back, or she's just too stubborn to die" The Siren Empress crossed her arms
"Well, she is technically my sister. Piercing her heart wouldn't kill her so easily no matter how odd it sounds. What's more important is that her mental cube is abnormal. She's supposed to fall apart already, but she's being provided an unknown power source"
Tirpitz managed to gather that much information despite their brief encounter not too long ago, but she was frustrated with the lack of detailed information. She managed to discover the abnormality within H-39's mental cube but was unable to learn the cause of it.
"I need that void mental cube, but her appearance is forcing me to shift my plans. I'll have to take her out...if I want to remove all trace of the original Code. She is from the future where I had died instead" Tirpitz clenched her fists
"Fufufu. So long as you can't eliminate all trace of Tyrant, you can't remove her existence entirely. The World Tree is a supercomputer who can provide all answers, but it seems the answer you're looking for is in front of you"
"..."
"Can you take her out though? Bismarck is superior to you in just about every way. You know that, so you accepted our offer"
"I didn't accept your offer for power alone. I just can't afford to waste any more time..." Tirpitz clenched her chest
"Still, you desire to surpass your sister who stood out among everyone. You just can't help but drag her down and crush that pride of hers. No, it's not just out frustration. Somehow, unnatural grudge and desire to kill are implanted in your mental cube, but you're impressively suppressing it all the time" The Siren Empress sharpened her gaze
"...!"
"Tirpitz, you don't even know what you want...yet you tell yourself that you're doing this for Bismarck's sake. You have to start making poor excuses"
"I...don't know what I want...?" Tirpitz frowned
"Well, the only one who can figure out your own feelings is you. I'm just stating how you try to ignore your own selfishness"
"..." Tirpitz lowered her head
"That aside, I already scheduled an attack to a Royal navy facility near Ireland. The Royal navy...might have found the mental cube Akagi is looking for"
"The defective shipgirl, huh. You don't even care if an enormous Siren weapon attack the base head-on. In this sort of thing, that girl is best suited for retrieval. Prinz Eugen might have difficulty doing right now because of the head maid" Tirpitz pointed out a flaw
"Mainz, Belfast, and Kaga. That's right, Maya informed us those three volunteered, but they're distracted right now" The Siren Empress shrugged her shoulders
"Humans and shipgirls. Both are incredibly annoying..."
"Even though you are a shipgirl yourself?" The Siren Empress faintly smiled
"Anyhow, what's the details of this next attack?" Tirpitz crossed her arms
"Bismarck, King George V, Akagi, Odin, and Admiral Hipper have been confirmed to visit the facility because of the rumored mental cube. It's a base primarily supervised by their Royal navy allies, so they can freely walk there. I heard Eugen and her little friend are planning to show up"
"To send the Hydra...is a little too much. Even with five shipgirls from Azur Lane, they have no chance of even scratching Hydra"
Somehow, Tirpitz worried how the Hydra alone could easily overpower five experienced shipgirls from Azur Lane. Tirpitz may have sided with the Sirens, but she wouldn't go as far as to let them die or be killed by the Sirens.
"I'll be leaving the control of Hydra to you during the mission since you're so concerned, but Omitter is on charge of the Siren fleet. Zero and I need to gather more information about the original Tyrant who calls herself H-39 now"
"Fine by me. I won't allow any more unnecessary human casualties"
"Humans may be an eyesore, but they're quite interesting to observe even if I still don't fully understand why our creator doesn't wish to harm them. Perhaps that human researcher is the key"
"Aaaaaah...!"
Tirpitz may have an idea to the certain person the Siren Empress just mentioned, but before she could inquire about the connection between the unknown human and the elusive Siren, a loud exhausted groan interrupted their discussion.
"Essex, what in the world happened to you?" Tirpitz narrowed her eyes
"That's what I want to know too!"
Essex returned to the Siren base both charred and injured from what seemed to be an intense and disadvantageous battle. She received a boost in strength from the Sirens, so it surprised Tirpitz how someone like her was overpowered and forced to run away.
"What do you mean?" Tirpitz frowned
"I was tracking down where Kaga and Mainz ran to, but someone ambushed me in the middle of the investigation. I don't know who it was, but someone managed to manifest a pseudo Mirror sea"
"...!" It caught the Siren Empress' attention
"All I remember is seeing black and someone grabbing me by the face. I managed to escape the Mirror sea and thankfully I wasn't chased" Essex sighed
"Since you're still alive and in one piece, you'll be providing support to Tirpitz in the next mission. You're healthier than Tirpitz even in that state, so it should be fine" The Siren Empress smirked
"The next mission? Ah, you're going to retrieve the black mental cube. Isn't bringing Hydra a bit too much? Bismarck's fleet couldn't scratch it last time" Essex scratched her head
"Hydra isn't going to be used for senseless slaughter again. It's just going to be a distraction while we retrieve the black mental cube" The Empress clarified
"You're not going to be in the front lines since it would be too risky to reveal yourself even if suspicious are going to be pointed towards Akagi"
"Are you going to be alright though? You're barely keeping yourself together. You need to access the World Tree, but you will have to take them head-on this time and forcibly take it from them"
"I will be fine. I'm not at my peak strength, but it doesn't matter as long as I can get what I want. I need that mental cube in order to browse through the World Tree's files...in order to completely eliminate Tyrant and avert another disaster"
Tirpitz assured Essex that there would be no risk of exposure since Tirpitz would be in the vanguard like always along with the Siren Omitter and possibly Prinz Eugen. This wasn't enough to completely rid Essex of her worry as she was almost sunk by someone who could manifest a mock Mirror sea.
"I'll have to inform Eugen myself about this since she won't leave Wales alone for one second and refuses to let any Siren near them" Tirpitz scratched her cheek just as she turned away to leave
"I'm coming too!"
Essex hastily followed after Tirpitz when the latter immediately left the vicinity in an unpleasant mood again. Observer Zero only entered the scene herself when she happened to pass by the pair who hurriedly left, but neither sides said anything to the other.
"I've been informed by Essex's surviving escorts that someone erected a Mirror sea while she was investigating" Observer Zero yawned
"I'm guessing it's not a Siren. Purifier mysteriously disappeared, but she was reportedly seen with certain shipgirls" The Siren Empress guessed
"I don't think the three new volunteers are involved" Observer Zero shrugged her shoulders
"Speaking of a Mirror sea, is Omitter preparing to engulf the base and surrounding waters in a Mirror Sea? We have to contain the skirmish as directed by our creator"
"She is being too excited that she's constantly rechecking and simulating whether engulfing a specific area wouldn't compromise her combat capabilities"
"I admit that the calculations for the upcoming assault is volatile. There's a high risk of the mental cube regaining it's physical form which mimics existing shipgirls. It is technically not alive and outside the boundary of normal comprehension" The Siren Empress expressed her concern
"It has no full concept, so we can't eliminate it from this plain of existence. Even if we do succeed, it will simply rematerialize almost instantly. Not to mention, if it manifests, I can guarantee casualty on the shipgirls' side"
Observer Zero stretched out both hands and displayed two holographic screen on top of her two palms. It displayed the probability of casualty based on her repeated simulations and algorithms and implemented.
"The defective mental cube aside, the Mirror sea is a bigger concern. Whoever is experimenting on establishing a Singularity is running field tests and performing typical trial and errors. This isn't just a random event by someone's whim"
"We'll have to track H-39's every movement. She is Bismarck, but her mentality and behavior isn't certainly similar to the one present in this timeline. Even if her hellish experience hardened and tempered her, her current behavior is unpredictable even by Sirens like us"
"Understood. She has been revived by a jolt of the Creator's power, but she managed to sever their already established link on her almost instantly. Her ability to counter and render our abilities useless against her will be troublesome once she actively clashes with us" Observer Zero nodded
(H-39, could it be you're the source of why I sensed a single yet faint wavelength similar to Tyrant)
The Siren Empress begun to see H-39 as a threat even if she rarely cooperated with the shipgirls of Azur Lane. It was clear that she only acted based on her personal interests, but it alarmed the Empress as she suspected her as the culprit behind the pseudo Singularity.