Author: It's a bit late (in my current location), but I'm uploading this anyway. This also a bit long compared to the last, so it took a few hours to change some parts (definitely not because I was playing AK whole day).
The 'Extra' is something like a foreshadowing for another time work or perhaps another story than related to the chapter.
Let's see how you will escape this...Bismarck...
H-39, a version of Bismarck from an alternate future, clutched her chest as she staggered back and slammed against the nearest wall. She controlled her breaths and conditioner herself both mentally and physically. It was the day she would take her possibly last chance before her limited time would run out.
"Heeeehh~ You're already reaching your limit, huh? It's your fault for exhausting yourself this badly. You would have lived one more month at best if you didn't focus all your strength on that"
"Purifier...? I must be...imagining things again"
The Siren Purifier appeared out nowhere and laid on her stomach while on top of rusted container. Purifier had been missing for days and neither sides had found her ever since she literally lost her head back at the Antarctic skirmish, so H-39 rubbed her eyes with two fingers and shook her head.
"I'm real as I can be~ The weird voice in my head said I'd find you here because you're in a pathetic state. I guess she wasn't wrong since you're close to kicking the bucket" Purifier widely grinned
"You were a bloodthirsty piece of shit when you last showed up, but you're unnaturally sane now. Who the hell are you?"
"I am a Siren, but I have no intention for hostility right now. I'm just here to have my fun since I've been kicked out of the Siren network" Purifier pouted
"You can't go back after being deemed defective, huh"
"I'm not defective. Observer and Tester are just too close-minded"
The outcast Siren Purifier pushed herself up and balanced herself while she stood up on her two feet. Her presence put H-39 in a bitter mood, but Purifier was more than glad to see her in a weakened and desperate state.
"You're somehow been freed from your bloodlust, but you're wasting your time here after being kicked out. For someone who is completely dependent on the network, I'm surprised you're still in one piece" H-39 scoffed.
"I'm not advanced enough to purge the malware on my own, so a certain someone extracted it from me. This world is full of plot twists and entertainment. What's happening now is like the tipping point - no, it's just the beginning for you"
"Are you just here to talk complete nonsense? If so, then go bother Belfast instead. You can eat popcorn and watch this whole joke a of a show" H-39 tried to shoo Purifier away
The Siren's presence was obviously unwelcome and unpleasant for H-39, but Purifier was someone who enjoyed the more she annoyed and infuriate other, a somewhat sadistic side of her.
"The Mirror Sea was you doing, right? You're trying to create a pseudo Singularity for some reason" Purifier tilted her head
"I can't create a perfect Singularity because my existence is in shambles. This is the least I can do since I won't last till tomorrow"
"This is so sudden. You've been acting tough like nothing is wrong, but your mental cube can't support your consciousness anymore. It's just that you have a large ego because of that pride of yours"
"Purifier, I will suffer a fate worse than death. Such is the punishment for someone who sought power to the archive within the world"
"Ahahahaha! So you did access the World Tree after all! Hey, hey, hey, what were you searching for there? Were you trying to find a way to save your beloved Iron Blood?"
"..."
"Well, what's more important on how you acted so tough that I didn't notice you're falling apart since the beginning. You fooled everyone!"
Purifier continued to slightly tease her, but H-39 was not in the mood to entertain the Siren's whims as her current focus was towards the shipgirls of Azur Lane. Bismarck would be present at the base while Tirpitz would join with the attack, so this was her possible last opportunity to at least deal with them.
Royal navy base...
Certain shipgirls within the base diligently patrolled the whole area while Sovetskaya Rossiya and her comrade Gangut were escorted by both Nelson and Ark Royal. Sovetskaya Rossiya remained focus on her path while Gangut turned left and right as if she was on a tour.
"Nelson, how did your people come into a possession of a Siren weapon?"
"Our version of the Royal Guards have been tracking down Sirens. A researcher-looking woman informed and lead to us there. Only few Royal navy shipgirls are aware of the existence to this weapon thanks to Queen Elizabeth's cooperation" Nelson briefly explained
"Long story short, we found it lying in one corner of the world as if it was hidden on purpose. This woman popped out of nowhere while we're investigating and aftermath of an attack to one of our facilities. She looked so human even if she had the eyes similar to the Sirens we fought. We didn't fight or arrest since she had no intention to fight...and I somehow felt like we're going to lose badly if we did" Ark Royal shuddered
"A human-like Siren with the appearance of a young woman, huh. She must have showed herself which is extremely rare" Sovetskaya Rossiya rubbed her chin
"Who?" Gangut looked at everyone
"I believe who you saw was indeed a Siren, but she's neutral compared to most Sirens. Our records stated she is only present to observe and will only interfere if the Creator's Sirens cause tries to cause imbalance again" Sovetskaya Rossiya shrugged her shoulders
The four briefly stopped in their tracks when the present of an unknown Siren was brought up because of her rare appearance to both humans and shipgirls. Nelson and Ark Royal looked at each other, briefly confused to what Sovetskaya Rossiya just described.
"Sorry. What I'm trying to say is that the one you met is most likely a Siren who can perfectly blend in with humans. Only few in my nation knew about the existence of this Siren because she was present with a certain woman a long time ago"
"Is this like the lochness monster or something?" Ark Royal whispered
"Why would a Siren lead to a dangerous mental cube?" Nelson slightly tilted her head
"We don't know, but it's best we meet up with Warspite" Ark Royal shook her head
The four continued since none of them had the answer to the reason behind an elusive Siren's presence to the Royal navy when it led them to the location of what seemed to be an abandoned Siren base.
"This is where we sealed the weapon we found" Nelson unlocked the door with the use of a special key card where the two Northern Union battleships widened their eyes when a pure black mental back was tightly captured within a shatterproof glass container. Two more Royal navy shipgirls, Warspite and Vanguard were also present in the room. Other than the two, an unexpected person also waited for them.
"Saint Louis?!" Sovetskaya Rossiya was genuinely surprised
"The battleship with an eyepatch told us you went nuts and stabbed their Tashkent" Gangut pointed
"It's true that I went mad and was almost taken down by Tirpitz. When I managed to escape, I was visited by someone who partially stabilized my mental cube. I don't think I can remain calm and sane if I were to be out there in the open seas, so I cannot join everyone if there's a battle" Saint Louis clenched her fists
"Warspite, the one with the big hat is Sovetskaya Rossiya and the one who looks like she just chugged in three bottles of vodka is their Gangut" Nelson cleared her throat
"I am part of our Bismarck's group while my comrade here was dragged in along with three other shipgirls" Sovetskaya Rossiya nodded
"I was with Roon, Essex, and Prince of Wales when our Tirpitz separated all of us" Gangut grunted
"By the way, Ark Royal and I will be meeting with Arkhangelsk and Howe, so we will be back later" Nelson excused herself and Ark Royal
"It'll be just an hour or so" Ark Royal lightly nodded
The two Royal navy shipgirls excused themselves as they needed to briefly meet up with other Royal navy allies while the two Northern Union shipgirls were left with the three.
"I'm aware mental cubes are the core of shipgirls such as yourself. This mental cube, does it belong to a shipgirl?" Warspite leaned near the contained mental cube
"It looks like another Siren weapon. No shipgirl has a black mental cube" Sovetskaya Rossiya inspected it
"I can confirm it too. It looks one of those things Sirens uses to power their weapons" Gangut crossed her arms
"A battery of some sort, huh. Our repair ships assisted in studying its nature and they detected an unknown type of energy. It's neither nuclear or electrical, but it faintly vibrates when held...and slowly corrode human skin when touched barehanded" Warspite furrowed her eyebrows
"Things created by Sirens are never good and definitely terrible for humans. This is just like one of the failed experiments the Sirens let loose in our waters" Gangut gritted her teeth
"That thing slowly corroded Chapayev's body...until she was reduced to a mental cube. It was that shadow shipgirl that copied Gangut's face " Sovetskaya Rossiya restrained her anger
One of their comrades was eliminated through a mysterious corrosion, a murder they can never forgive. Anyone who witnessed the demise of their comrade would seek retribution, especially with how supernatural the cause of death.
"It's painful to lose a comrade, especially if it's camaraderie" Warspite sympathized
"Purifier appeared to mess with us like she always do, but she took us by surprise when she unleashed a black mental cube like this one. It was howling in pain...and it suddenly appeared a colorless Chapayev" Gangut glared with full hostility at the mental cube
"We tried to eliminate it, but it was invulnerable to shells and torpedoes. Just with a single touch, Chapayev's body begun to disintegrate...and her mental cube was absorbed" Sovetskaya Rossiya did the same
"That thing should be smashed already!" Gangut pointed
"..." Vanguard frowned
"Calm down" Warspite raised her hand and gestured
Vanguard stepped in and prepared to draw her sword the second Gangut had the intention to destroy the possible Siren experiment. Before it could escalate into a conflict, Warspite partially raised her arm in front of Vanguard who immediately complied with the order and stood still with two hands on the side.
"This object is volatile and filled with a form of energy unknown to humanity. Any blunt force or physical trauma applied to it might result to catastrophic consequences. I can't afford to endanger any humans or shipgirls" Warspite refused
"You're basically saying it might explode like a bomb if we try to destroy it?" Sovetskaya Rossiya somewhat understood
"Correct. I also can't allow it to be destroyed so easily. I'll be held accounted if strangers somehow entered the facility and destroyed a volatile weapon" Warspite faintly sighed
"You have to remember only selected members of the Royal navy are aware of Azur Lane's existence and willingly cooperated with us" Vanguard added
"If that thing suddenly breaks out, I'm smashing it without question" Gangut crossed her arms
"Just like what my comrade said, we will not hesitate to destroy it if it moves the slightest. It may not be the same weapon, but it's still one of the Sirens' experiments" Sovetskaya Rossiya
"Feel free to do so if only it becomes a threat. I don't care if the humans think this is some sort of breakthrough. I won't allow any threat in this world"
Warspite only agreed if it indeed became active and moved on its own like how the two battleships described it. This mutual agreement was the only way to avoid conflict between the two sides.
Meanwhile...
Nelson and Ark Royal walked through a far corner of the base where storage warehouses lined up on both left and right. At the last warehouse to the right, Arkhangelsk waved her arm the moment they caught each other in their field of vision. She was not always active in missions against Abyssals due to her poor equipment, but she actively contributed in the war against Abyssals by shady means.
"What's up?" Arkhangelsk sarcastically smirked
"Where's Howe?" Nelson looked left and right
"She went with Valiant somewhere, and even brought York with her"
Arkhangelsk explained as moved from the steel wall and towards the large gate chained together by a large padlock.
"What's inside?" Ark Royal curiously asked
"Just a couple of troublemakers we caught trying to sneak while Howe and I were out investigating. Since I'm bad at fighting those two, I let Howe and Rodney deal them for me"
"..." Nelson and Ark Royal had a disappointed expression
After a minute of struggle to unlock the gate, Arkhangelsk held the two handles and split it open when she pulled it apart.
"...?!'
The two Royal navy shipgirls dropped their jaw and widened their eyes when two familiar people were chained on each other's backs and had their mouths slapped with a thick kind of duct tape.
"Aircraft carrier Princess...and Heavy cruiser Princess?!" Ark Royal rubbed her eyes
"I found these two dumbasses trying to sneak away while the others are busy fighting" Arkhangelsk chuckled
"Mmmpphhh!"
Aircraft carrier Princess violently struggled and shook her head as if she desperately wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. Arkhangelsk found entertainment in the form of the captured Princesses' struggles, but the other two Royal navy battleships both shook their heads and furrowed their eyebrows.
"Shouldn't you at least report that the Royal managed to capture these two? Well, we recaptured Aircraft carrier Princess..." Ark Royal raised an eyebrow
"Her majesty ordered to let them be detained in secret because they have useful information about the Sirens. If these two start blabbering about Sirens to humans..."
"The government would either panic or take drastic measures that there are enemies with futuristic technology in this world" Nelson crossed her arms
"You have something to say about Sirens. Let's hear it" Ark Royal removed Aircraft carrier Princess' tape
"That hurts, you shitty shipgirl!" Aircraft carrier Princess growled
Rather than gently remove the duct tape on the mouth, Ark Royal immediately strip it away in a split second which caused the two Abyssals to briefly scream in pain.
"Talk before we turn you over to the military police" Nelson cracked her knuckles
"Look, we ain't planning anything. We're just trying to get away from those fake Abyssals!" Heavy cruiser Princess spoke first
"There's this weird American aircraft carrier herding a giant dragon with many heads" Aircraft carrier Princess added
"American aircraft carrier?" Nelson scratched her head
"Her name 'Essex' is literally on her clothes. That weird blue aircraft carrier from hair to toe leading those fake Abyssals"
"Essex doesn't print her name on her uniform, and she's certainly not blue from head to toe" This confused Ark Royal
"Perhaps the Essex from Azur Lane? The other Gangut mentioned she was with their Prince of Wales, someone called Roon...and Essex" Nelson gasped
"Hey, you said you saw another Essex with the so-called Abyssals?" Ark Royal wanted to confirm
"We did! For real! I don't know what the hell is going on, but that shipgirl is chummy with those fake Abyssals!" Aircraft carrier Princess swore
Heavy cruiser Princess rapidly nodded as well to further confirm what they both saw before a Royal nav fleet led by Valiant captured both of them. Nelson and Ark Royal looked at each other, shocked to learn another twist of events.
"There you have it. A stowaway from another world turns out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing" Arkhangelsk laughed at the thought of unexpected treachery
"We better inform those two battleships from alternate Russia" Nelson suggested
"Arkhangelsk, we're leaving these two to you. Those shipgirls should know about this" Ark Royal prepared to leave
"Are you sure believing their credibility? They're Abyssals after all" Arkhangelsk crossed her arms
"The Essex from another world is confirmed to be present here by that other Gangut and currently missing. Their Prince of Wales was taken away by their Eugen" Nelson responded
"Benefit of the doubt, huh. Do as you please. I can see no reason how these two could detail someone's confirmed appearance despite being clueless in the whole situation"
The two shipgirls immediately left while Arkhangelsk was left alone with the two Abyssals who remained tightly bound together by chains. They may be fearsome and vicious Abyssals in the open seas, but their life was left at the mercy of an abnormal shipgirl.
"I-If we say she was talking to another shipgirl, would you take it easy on us?" Heavy cruiser Princess had another information
They were both Abyssals easily captured by the Royal navy during their escape, so they tried to bargain lighter punishment with information they could be useful for whatever their situation was.
"You might not end up in a lab to be dissected over and over again if you spill out all the details" Arkhangelsk smirked
"Ever since the whole deal with those fake Abyssals, the two of us have been on the run since. While we're laying low at the north, that blue aircraft carrier brought along a pal of hers" Heavy cruiser Princess swallowed her breath
"This might be the traitor among the outsiders currently in Maizuru..." Arkhangelsk rubbed her chin
"We might have seen before, but we're not really sure since we're busy running away from three sides..." Aircraft carrier Princess added
"Then this pal of hers, is she a red battlecruiser with a fancy sword?" Arkhangelsk knelt on one knee
"Battle...cruiser? She's a damn aircraft carrier" Heavy cruiser Princess corrected her
"An aircraft carrier? Hahahahaha! I'm liking these plot twists"
The captured Princesses nervously looked at each other by the side and swallowed their breath, visibly nervous to the sudden burst of laughter from the one who kept them bound, and what fate awaited them.
Japan...
Bismarck, accompanied by Admiral Hipper, travelled discreetly outside the Maizuru naval district and head towards an unknown abandoned building with no humans in a two hundred-meter radius. Just to be cautious, Bismarck looked at every direction from front to back to ensure no one had secretly trailed them to their location.
"Who are we meeting? Why did you say I should be here too?" Admiral Hipper scratched her head
"We're meeting two people. One of them requested to meet you" Bismarck instantly replied
"Just who-"
"The requestor would be me, Hipper"
"M-Mainz?! You're here as well!" Admiral Hipper almost jumped back
Mainz and Kaga stepped out of the shadows and greeted the two with a faint yet friendly smile. Admiral Hipper clenched her chest as if she almost had a heart attack while Bismarck lightly nodded when the two made their appearance.
"Roon has been found as well, and we've been informed by some members of the Royal navy here that Sovetskaya Rossiya and Gangut are going to meet her" Mainz reported
"I see. Prince of Wales was taken by Eugen, but neither of them have been found yet" Bismarck sighed
"So, Prinz Eugen is truly alive. I've known her demise despite not being commissioned before the whole incident, but..." Mainz turned her attention towards Admiral Hipper
"It wasn't easy for me to accept when she showed up herself. Eugen did really show up alive and kicking" Admiral Hipper averted her gaze
"If I were to meet her, I'm sure it wouldn't be an easy. We never meet, and she might view it as I'm sort of her replacement after her betrayal and demise..." Mainz lowered her head
The two heavy cruisers fell into a somewhat depressed mood when Prinz Eugen's status as alive was mentioned between them. Admiral Hipper still couldn't fully accept how Prinz Eugen remained with the Sirens after she came back from the dead while Mainz wasn't too keen to meet her.
"Prinz Eugen aside, why did the commander send two more here?" Bismarck returned to the main topic
"There's three of us, but Belfast keeps running off somewhere" Kaga sighed
"Someone deliberately sabotaged your trip to this world. That's what we discovered while we were fixing the gateway. We only know it's among the shipgirls present back then" Mainz dropped her shoulders
"I see. So there's indeed a traitor among us..." Bismarck grunted
"Roon said she was ambushed by Akagi. We arrived nearby the area, but we couldn't see the culprit properly as she immediately fled the scene" Mainz shook her head
"The commander ordered to try capturing the traitor alive as much as possible. We can't let a pawn of the Sirens continue to walk among us" Kaga frowned
Then confirmation that there was indeed a traitor coiled around a sense of dread within Bismarck's heart. She trusted her allies and wanted to believe that no one else would be the Sirens' pawn.
"Mainz, do you believe it is indeed Akagi who betrayed us?" Bismarck asked in a straightforward manner
"In my opinion, yes. It's natural for Kaga to not believe Roon...but I know Roon is someone who wouldn't lie. There is no reason for her to lie" Mainz immediately replied
"Akagi..." Kaga clenched her fists
"Akagi believed it was King George V, but Akagi had been frequently leaving the base without notice. She doesn't specify where she is always headed and rarely cooperate with us now..." Bismarck informed the two
"..." Kaga remained silent
"I will be bringing most of us to an allied Royal navy base where it was believed they have a defective Siren weapon in their possession. I'm allowing Akagi to come along in order to prove whether she is indeed the spy or not"
"I want to meet Akagi..." Kaga requested
"I can't allow that. If the alleged spy realizes your presence and purpose, then it would become our disadvantage"
Bismarck refused Kaga's request much to the latter's chagrin, but Bismarck's reason was understandable since she wanted to be careful with how it was confirmed their trip was sabotaged.
"When we arrived here, we were separated at first, then separated again. If it wasn't for our allies in this world, it would have taken a long time before we were all reunited. I know Roon wouldn't lie, but..." Bismarck furrowed her eyebrows
"But...?" The two raised their eyebrows
"The day Tirpitz left Iron Blood, she left a recording in my office. That recording showed a suspicious conversation with King George V. Between Akagi and King George V, I don't know which one should I believe is my ally"
"Odin said that Saint Louis pointed Akagi as her attacker" Admiral Hipper raised her hand
"Another evidence" Mainz frowned
"That's..." Kaga bit her lip
The three Iron Blood shipgirls believed Akagi was more likely the spy rather than King George V, but Kaga still doubted whether Akagi turned against Azur Lane for the second time. She admired and deeply cared for Akagi which threw her heart into conflict.
"Our suspects are both King George V and Akagi, but the suspicion is leaning to Akagi..."
"That's why I'm bringing both of them tomorrow in order to know which of them would show their true colors. In the worst case scenario, it would be...both" Bismarck lightly sighed
"Then allow us to be secretly present there. We promised the commander to bring the traitor alive and have her be punished" Mainz gently asked
"If it's really Akagi, then I want to confront her myself..." Kaga added
"The last time the humans found a Siren weapon, they ended up getting demolished. If it happens again, we need all the firepower we have since the shipgirls here aren't built to fight Elite Sirens" Admiral Hipper raised her hand again
"Then I will allow it. It's best to be prepared in the case the Sirens would dare assault a human base to retrieve one of their experiments" Bismarck nodded
Kaga felt even more worried with the chance that it was indeed Akagi who sabotaged the gateway and regularly leaked informed to the Sirens with how Roon and Saint Louis pointed her as their attacker. If that was indeed the case, then she wished to be the one to confront Akagi before anyone else.
[Hmm. So this is where Bismarck went. I'm guessing the plan to distract them worked. Thankfully, Akagi proved to be a useful bait]
An unknown observer recorded the meeting of the four without a shred of suspicion that she was present within a safe distance. The four freely discussed their plans while an uninvited guest remained still and collected their discussion with a satisfied and sly smile on the lips.
[I doubt they would be able to accomplish anything as of the moment with how that annoying person will turn around this whole situation. In that case...Bismarck should be prepared for what's to come...]
The four continued in their discussion while the observer stealthily left the scene, clearly thrilled and amused with how the events would play out. She was confident that everything would play out as it was predicted, but she somewhat expected that there might be at least a sudden turnaround to add to the twist of events.
The next day...
About half of the shipgirls from both the Azur Lane side and Maizuru fleet arrived at an allied Royal navy base away from the mainland.
"We finally made it. Fortunately, we didn't have problems escorting the other me and her group here" KC Bismarck stretched her back
"Ireland. It's been a while since I travelled this far. I wish Yamato could come though" Musashi breathed in fresh air
"We're not here to dilly-dally. The Royal has a Siren weapon in possession" Hornet reminded the two
"Let's meet up with Warspite to know more on what the British got their hands on" Graf Zeppelin suggested
"Y-Yuudachi, Kawakaze, don't go running off on your own!" Prinz Eugen ran after two of their destroyers
The selected shipgirls from the Maizuru fleet stretched their stiffened limbs and took a deep breath as they briefly relaxed after another long trip. On the other hand, AL Bismarck sighed in relief as the ones she brought were all accounted for.
"I'll be going with Akagi to check on what kind of defective mental cube the humans managed to obtain here. The rest of you will remain on standby" Bismarck immediately laid out an order
"Whatever you say" Admiral Hipper shrugged her shoulders
"I'm hungry. I wonder if they have crumpets here" King George V immediately walked off
"I could use a sandwich or something" Littorio followed her
Everyone except Akagi and Odin went on their own while Bismarck attended the primary reason to why they travelled all the way to Ireland.
"You haven't been cooperating recently. It makes me wonder why Bismarck allowed you to come along" Odin frowned
"Ara~ Are you suspecting me too, little battleship?" Akagi narrowed her eyes
"..."
"It's always the fox to be always distrusted first. All of you are always too shallow when it comes to perception" Akagi giggled
"Hmm. Are you saying you know something that we don't?"
"A wolf is more dangerous than a fox. Sometimes they're out there flaunting their justice and righteousness" Akagi turned her back on Odin and walked away
(I should keep an eye on her before - hmm?)
Odin managed to walk by ten meters when an oddity halted her on her tracks. As a result, Akagi escaped her field of vision when she returned her attention to her.
Storage warehouse...
The Bismarck from the Kriegsmarine meet up with her comrades in the Maizuru fleet, Nelson and Ark Royal. The two Royal navy shipgirls stood in front of a mechanical beast partially destroyed, but the upper half was thankfully intact.
"What's with the robot sea lizard?" Bismarck scratched her head
"That's an Abyssal?" Graf Zeppelin inspected what remained of it
"I don't know, but these three found it scouting our waters" Ark Royal pointed
"We rammed it!" U-101 raised her hand
"It's a mass-produced unit. We fought one in the Arctic before" U-81 informed everyone
"Thankfully, Lord Bismarck asked us to patrol the area in case a Siren is trying to sneak on us. If we found one, then that means there's a main force nearby" U-556 stepped forward
It was the obvious conclusion since only one common submarine unit was sent to roam the Royal Navy's waters. The Cetus unit that was partially destroyed was almost the same type the three members of Iron Blood's Wolfpack.
"Are the rest alerted?" Bismarck asked Nelson
"Maybe I should join with the others and intercept before an attack takes place?" Graf Zeppelin was in a hurry
"We sent our two destroyers to confirm any sightings, but they didn't report back yet" Ark Royal was worried
"I want to head out there too, but Warspite won't let me" Nelson puffed her cheeks
"I'm going to warn the others. The attack at Norway might happen again because the Sirens stole back what the humans found"
"Please don't be too rash. We don't know whether they brought their Elite Sirens or how many are there" U-101 ran to block Bismarck
"But...!"
"We have to coordinate with Lord Bismarck's group. If they're after the black mental cube, then they will bring their big guns" U-101 flailed her arms
"I'll inform the others now, so we may intercept them first!" U-556 rushed away
After one of the Wolfpack members hurriedly left, Bismarck felt frustrated that she can't act yet to face the Sirens before humans can be harmed by them.
"How can one submarine as big as this wasn't detected?" Graf Zeppelin pointed
"Sirens have advanced technology. Passing through human detection is easy as pie" U-81 walked towards them
"That's true. To Sirens, human technology is primitive..." Bismarck sighed
It might also the reason why the Sirens confidently sent only one mass-produced Siren unit to scout the Royal navy waters they managed to infiltrate with ease. Bismarck was forced to sit on one corner since it would be a fatal mistake to rush without Intel on their hidden enemies yet.
Meanwhile...
The Bismarck from Iron Blood and the Akagi from the Sakura Empire walked side by side, quietly as they travelled to the corridor. Their main reason to why they even traveled to Ireland was because of a defective product that Sovetskaya Rossiya continued to guard because it was similar to what destroyed one of her allies.
"It's been a while, Bismarck" Sovetskaya Rossiya was also present
"Sovetskaya Rossiya? I heard you haven't met with us because you had your own investigation" AL Bismarck raised an eyebrow
"I was thinking about the traitor among our allies. While I'm still suspicious, I'm more suspicious of H-39 who disappeared for days"
"Her last activity was in Hawaii and was taken in when she was heavily injured" AL Bismarck vaguely recalled
"She knows about this mental cube because she said she saw one when she was resurrected by the Sirens"
"That mental cube. I'm not certain whether this is the same one I was asked to retrieve" Akagi smirked with keen interest
"It's some sort of prototype. This thing mimics the shipgirls it faces and can destroy mental cubes like some sort of shredder" Sovetskaya Rossiya clenched her fists
The black mental cube continued to be peacefully contained, but the anxiety whether it was active remained to Sovetskaya Rossiya.
"I've seen this before. Although this one looked battered and damaged" Akagi leaned closer
"That balance setter lead humans to where it is located. I'm certain it can't be good if a Siren would allow humans to possess a dangerous byproduct" Sovetskaya Rossiya frowned
"Can't we just destroy it?" AL Bismarck pointed
"As much as I want to destroy it myself, this mental cube is volatile. One poke and it might either explode or form"
"It feels like...the Sirens are trying to create their own shipgirls" AL Bismarck thought
"Those wretched Sirens are experimenting on our mental cubes"
The Sirens have been known to experiment with all kinds of creations with humanity as the guinea pig for most occasions. This experiment went as far as to successfully eliminate Chapayev with little difficulty.
"This thing...killed Chapayev. My hand is itching to cut down even if it's not the same one" Sovetskaya Rossiya gritted her teeth
"Retribution, huh. Even if you were to destroy the same type of experiment, it won't return your comrade back once her mental cube was completely disintegrated" Akagi reminded her
"..."
"What you want to do won't result to anything, Sovetskaya Rossiya. Besides, it might backfire and leave you with nothing but regret"
"...!" Sovetskaya Rossiya switched her anger towards Akagi
"So you should just-"
"Enough, Akagi. We don't have to provoke each other"
Bismarck stepped in as soon as the tension around them rose significantly. Sovetskaya Rossiya and Akagi avoided each other's gazes when Bismarck stern and intolerant tone silences them before a conflict could arise.
"That mental cube is what they might what you can call a ghost ship. Like the name suggests, they are shadows of sunken ships" Akagi sighed
"So, they are like...Abyssals?" Bismarck rubbed her chin
"That could be it, but their current capabilities are only limited to mimicking the opponent in front of them. They don't possess a will of their own, so taking one down isn't a challenge" Akagi shrugged her shoulders
"It looked like a generic Siren at first, but it perfectly copied Chapayev when she fought it. Akagi, you said it was mindless...but this thing fought the same way as Chapayev"
"It's mirroring what's on front of it, so you either move too fast or use unique tactics against it"
Akagi gently pressed her hand on the transparent material that encased such a dangerous weapon. The two battleships locked their gaze at the black mental cube with extreme caution, but Akagi was visibly mesmerized at its sight.
"If you're planning to take it while none of us are looking..." Sovetskaya Rossiya already warned her
"You too, huh. You and Bismarck can't seem to trust me despite my efforts to pin down the traitor among us" Akagi frowned when she turned to face them
"Then why did both Roon and Saint Louis pointed you as their attacker. You were gone for a few days, Akagi" Bismarck revealed
"Roon? That girl is here?" Akagi narrowed her eyes
"Akagi, there's no room for you to lie here. So tell me, are you the one providing information to the Sirens?" Bismarck reached for the hilt of her sword
"I'm no longer connected to the Sirens. My strength and my will are all devoted to the commander"
Akagi defended herself and insisted she was not the spy for the Sirens. Bismarck and Sovetskaya Rossiya were obviously weren't fully convinced with words alone, perhaps due to Akagi's past as a"two-faced fox".
"Bismarck, do you think I would ever cooperate with the likes of Prinz Eugen?"
"..."
"You're simply biased since you have so much trust in King George V than a fox like me" Akagi pointed
"I'm not on anyone's side. I'm basing on evidences provided by others"
"This is why both Prinz Eugen and Tirpitz managed to easily betray you. You lack the ability to distinguish which one will backstab you next. At this rate, your real enemies...will continue to take advantage of your naive trust" Akagi scoffed
Sovetskaya Rossiya quietly stood in between since she had little to no clue to what caused the mild hostility between the two. All she could was to ensure their quarrel wouldn't escalate.
"Lord Bismarck!"
An exhausted U-556 immediately interrupted the tension between Bismarck and Akagi that even Sovetskaya Rossiya was genuinely surprised at her appearance. The three shipgirls all directed their attention to the anxious U-boat.
"U-556, what's the matter?" Bismarck approached her
"S-Siren!"
"Siren?" Sovetskaya Rossiya tilted her head
"The Wolfpack intercepted a Siren submarine scouting these waters! It's most likely there's a fleet on standby. If there is indeed a Siren fleet, I'm certain they're here to retrieve one of their experiments" U-556 saluted and formally reported
"Bismarck" Sovetskaya Rossiya waited for the next move
"Assemble the others. U-556, spread out and confirm the presence of the enemy fleet. We will be by the coast"
"Roger!"
U-556 hurriedly run away because of the possible attack from the Sirens. The black mental cube is in the possession of humans, so it was most likely that the Sirens would stage an attack in order to retrieve it much like Norway.
"I don't care if you don't trust me, but I am taking down those Sirens. The commander ordered me to retrieve the black mental cube"
"Let's settle the doubts later. Bismarck, we need all the help we can get against the Sirens" Sovetskaya Rossiya suggested
"Sovetskaya Rossiya, don't let her out of your sights even for just a second. I'm heading to face the Sirens myself"
Bismarck remained mildly hostile towards Akagi as she left to meet up with the others with the dangers of Siren presence hidden somewhere around the Royal navy's waters.
"Littorio!" On the way outside, she saw her rush to her
"You have to see what's happening outside" Littorio heavily panted
"What's happening? Why am I hearing an emergency alarm?" Bismarck heard the echo of an alarm that signalled an attack within their base
"We have big trouble!"
Littorio hurriedly led Bismarck outside where the latter gazed up at the sky with a wide-eyed shock. The skies darkened as if a storm brewed out of nowhere. Shortly after, both Sovetskaya Rossiya and Akagi rushed outside and reacted the same way as Bismarck did. Not only the skies darkened, there were several thick black smokes in the distance.
"Bismarck, we have a problem!" Admiral Hipper ran to her
"Hipper, what's going on all of a sudden?"
"The offshore installations were bombarded by Sirens. We're being bombed by Sirens!" Admiral Hipper panicked
"Where are the others?"
"They joined with the shipgirls from Maizuru and responded to the attack"
"Hipper, you're coming with me. You two as well!"
They were just about to prepare to intercept a possible Siren attack when the situation was immediately turned against them almost instantly.
Near the anchorage...
The Siren Omitter excitedly raised both arms and burst in thrilled laughter while a numerous variants of Siren units, both humanoid and ships, silently awaited for her orders. It wasn't just her present, Tirpitz stood near her but visibly unhappy with the initial attack on the base's defenses.
"Burn and go boom!" Omitter continued to laugh
"Our units are reporting the shipgirls set out to intercept us" Tirpitz informed her
"Now then, you have the honors on bringing out the biggest firework!" The Siren Omitter grinned
"...Hydra, enter full combat mode. Raise all armaments and defensive mechanisms to eight percent. Launch port one to eight of ballistic missiles and aim for the remaining forts"
Tirpitz swept her arm in the air and with a single gesture, an enormous mechanical beast with seven dragon-like heads emerged out of the surface water which left a large wake that rocked the nearby Sirens and briefly rained in a small area as well.
"This is a Mirror Sea. Is this your doing?" Tirpitz gazed at the dark sky
"Nope! But it's definitely helping us contain the battle here free from outside interruption"
"...I have a bad feeling about this"
Tirpitz narrowed her eyes and clenched her fist, wary of the Mirror Sea manifested by someone else that wasn't a Siren. It was usually Omitter's duty to activate Mirror Seas and supervise the events within it, but the one manifested now wasn't her doing.
"Hey, hey, where did Eugen go? I heard she was coming along" The Siren Omitter looked everywhere
"She did...and Prince of Wales refused to let her go on her own" Tirpitz grunted
"It's because Admiral Hipper is there, right? Also, that girl said she spotted Kaga and Mainz lurking nearby" The Siren Omitter giggled
"Bismarck is bulldozing through the Siren fleet. I'm going to deal with her. Don't interrupt my fight with her, or I'm going to shoot at you as well" Tirpitz was serious
"Scary~ Don't worry, I'll be busy leading the fleet to keep those shipgirls distracted"
The Hydra followed after Tirpitz who wouldn't let the opportunity miss because it had been a while since she faced Bismarck herself.
"Intercept the incoming Maizuru fleet. Keep them at bay"
The silent and semi-autonomous colossal weapon turned all seven heads to the right and complied with the single order with no resistance as it was just an ancient weapon.
"W-What is that?!" Prinz Eugen dropped her jaw
"It was a giant sea dragon last time, this time it has seven heads now!" Musashi cracked her knuckles
"Tch! Even with the bombs outfitted by that green cat, my Stukas aren't denting its armor!" Graf Zeppelin gritted her teeth
"Just like the Bermuda, except this one has many heads!" KC Bismarck gritted her teeth as well
"It's just a really hard to kill but really big target! I'll shoot it even if I have to throw fists at it!" Musashi spearheaded the attack
Rather than shock and fear at the massive size of their current enemy with seven dragon heads, all Musashi felt was the thrill of an enormous target for her large caliber guns. The head on the right lowered itself and attempted to ram Musashi in an attempt to throw her away from the battle, but Musashi raised her arms and prepared to take it head on.
"You're not as big as the one from the last time, but I bet you're just as tough that giant sea fish!"
Musashi caught it by the tip of its mouth and used every ounce of her strength to keep it at one spot with its jaws forcibly kept shut by her. The other six heads were dealt by the other shipgirls of the Maizuru fleet.
"You may be big, but that's all there's to it!"
The elongated neck of the Hydra wasn't be as thick or bulky as its body, but its large size was as wide as a hull of an ordinary ship which made it an optimal target for dive bombers.
"Gggh!"
Musashi kept it in place while Graf Zeppelin's Stukas rapidly dove to accurately drop its bombs to several the least armored part of its enormous body.
"Alright!"
Two consecutive bombs tore its neck enough for Musashi to let it go and allow the severed head to sink at the bottom of the ocean.
"W-What! It's growing back!"
The head was indeed torn off by dive bombers, but wires and steel part sprouted from the headless neck. It begun to multiply and construct its decapitated head just like how the peeled off armor on its back reformed in mere seconds.
"Is this thing... regenerating?!" Bismarck rubbed her eyes
"Don't stop the attack!" An unknown voice yelled at them
"...!"
Aircraft made entirely out of blue and red flames flew in a synchronized manner and repeatedly bomb it, especially the area where two decapitated heads were about to full reform.
"Foxes, poi?" Yuudachi tilted her head
"Akagi...and who are you?" Bismarck scratched her head
"I'm Kaga" AL Kaga coldly introduced herself
"No time to rest. We need to bomb it until we expose its main core somewhere in the body. There's a mental cube as its source of matter reconstruction. It has dark matter stored within that mental cube" Akagi launched more aircraft
The other returned their focus on the enemy in front of them who constantly repaired its damages while it rained rockets than shells towards the persistent shipgirls.
"I never thought you actually came here, Kaga" AL Akagi giggled
"...I was...worried. I volunteered when we learned that the gateway got sabotaged" Kaga softly responded
"So, are you worried that I'm planning to betray everyone again?" Akagi sternly asked
"Your love for the commander is real, Akagi. That's why I don't believe you will betray the trust of the person who reached their hand to you" Kaga sighed
"Fufufu~ You know me more than anyone after all" Akagi smirked
"I won't let them accuse you without evidence. I'll find whoever is framing you after this" Kaga launched another squadron
The first carrier division of the Sakura Empire joined together in their effort to dominate the sky against an enormous mechanical beast with the ability to constantly construct matter as if it regenerated.
"Oh no you don't!"
One of the heads attempted to snap Musashi in pieces as it charged at her with its jaws wretched wide open, but Musashi bombarded it at point-blank range and continued to do so even if she repeatedly got caught in her own attack.
"...!"
Musashi managed to destroy half of its face, but the creature refused to back down and weakly rammed her. If Musashi didn't raise her guard at the last second, she might have flown away. The battle continued to rage on for the Maizuru fleet's side against the Hydra, another took place...between three heavy cruisers of Iron Blood.
"Mainz, where the hell did you come from?! Why are you here anyway?" Admiral Hipper dropped her jaw
"I was around somewhere near the base and was forced to come out when the base is being bombed. There's a spy among your group, so I volunteered to come here. I never thought...I would quickly meet Prinz Eugen though" Mainz dryly laughed
"Mainz, huh. I never met you before. Are you another priority ship?" Prinz Eugen tilted her head
"My design is based on the Admiral Hipper class, so I'm somewhat part of the class" Mainz raised her sword
"Oh, so now you replaced me? Congratulations...for finding another younger sister" Prinz Eugen sarcastically clapped her hands
"No one is replacing you, Eugen! There's no way I'm replacing you" Admiral Hipper shouted
Of course, Admiral Hipper wouldn't lie with how she was at the verge tears. Admiral Hipper was someone who had always been honest when the situation we required. There was no way Admiral Hipper would ever say or lie that she had forgotten Prinz Eugen.
"Prinz Eugen, we may not have met before, but I'm here to arrest you and make you answer for your treachery" Mainz declared
"You're proud for a half-baked replacement" Prinz Eugen harshly responded
"...!"
"Seriously, I just died for six months...and they already made a priority ship based on the Admiral Hipper class. I can't believe I'm getting angry at this"
Prinz Eugen scratched her head in unusual frustration just at the sight of the duty-minded and serious Mainz.
(Thank goodness Wales went off to face King George V, or this would be...even more frustrating)
"We don't have to fight, Eugen. The both of us don't want to fight you!" Admiral Hipper tried to reason with her
"I'm not returning to Iron Blood. If you want to lock me up, you have to drag me by force" Prinz Eugen raised her main armaments
"This is your last chance, Prinz Eugen. Surrender right this instant. Hipper and I don't want to fight you. We never got to know each other, but I view you as my sister" Mainz stepped forward
"Tch, you're so annoying..."
It was clear that the two had solid intent to incapacitate her and capture her alive in order to be punished for her treachery against Iron Blood and her other allies. She had little motivation to fight them as enemies.
(What a stubborn older sister...and younger sister. Hipper, you haven't changed a bit)
Prinz Eugen didn't allow them to immediately notice how she cared about Admiral Hipper deep inside. She kept up the front of a traitor who was undoubtedly their enemy, but her own older sister kept her vulnerable. Since neither side made the first move as none of the three had the solid intention of a fight, the two battlecruisers observed the situation from a distance.
"I need to go to Eugen!" Prince of Wales clenched her fists
"It's between those sisters, Wales. You don't have the right to interfere" King George V reminded her
"But...!"
"You're not even supposed to be here. Get out of this battle right this instant. I don't want you dying here"
"I'm staying here. I told Eugen I won't let her do something suicidal again..." Prince of Wales insisted
"I'm supposed to be fighting together with Bismarck and the rest...but I need to babysit my stubborn little sister first"
It turned out that Prinz Eugen wasn't the only one infuriated with her own sister. King George V faced the same problem with Prince of Wales who refused to leave both the battle and Prinz Eugen. Everyone face their own battle even if it didn't involve an exchange of explosive shells, but the real battle was somewhere else.
"That's Tirpitz!" Odin furrowed her eyebrows
"Odin, continue supporting Littorio and the others. Tirpitz is mine to deal alone" Bismarck ordered
"But..."
"Do not interfere no matter the cost"
Bismarck gave one strict order and immediately left to face Tirpitz alone while Odin was forced to remain where she stood as she knew this was a conflict between the two sisters.
"Tirpitz...!" Bismarck shouted
"...Bismarck"
The two sisters found an opportunity to face each other again after their last clash at the Antarctic. After that, Tirpitz never showed herself to anyone from Azur Lane, but she did reveal herself to H-39 at Hawaii.
"I'm not stopping, Bismarck. I will undo Tyrant...and make sure neither of us will become her" Tirpitz raised her sword
"You will destroy yourself as a result. Tirpitz, you can't change the past that easily, especially if you're going to erase someone from both the past and the future" Tirpitz did the same thing
"It doesn't matter...because to begin with, my existence and history are just a speck of dust. You're different, Bismarck. Your legend is engraved for generations to come...so your loss will shatter the foundation of Iron Blood"
"Tirpitz..." Bismarck saw the frustration in her eyes
"I looked up to you and respected you, Bismarck. I didn't want you to go the same hell you did when you became Tyrant. I saw all of it...from Tyrant's memories"
"You can't carry that much burden, Tirpitz. You don't have to carry such responsibility. I know you want to ease my burden because I'm the leader and protector of Iron Blood"
Bismarck lowered her sword and realized the true reason to why Tirpitz went as far as to become an accomplice of the Sirens, of perhaps their pawn just so she could fulfill her goal.
"If you understand, then don't get in my way. All of this...so you wouldn't have to suffer further for our sake" Tirpitz tightened her grip
"I understand, so I must stop you. If my path is a rough one, I will face it head on. Tirpitz, I destroy this hellish fate without sacrificing you or anyone else. My wish is to secure a future for everyone in Iron Blood, so I willingly took the burden of being the leader and symbol of Iron Blood"
"You said those things...but you only end up dead like everyone else in Iron Blood. Bismarck...you have to always trample on others to achieve your happiness. Someone will always suffer in exchange for happiness...and that's what's happening to you!"
Tirpitz aimed all four twin cannons right at Bismarck and unleashed a full-blown salvo. Rather than dodge, Bismarck stood there and stubbornly faced the attack with her full body.
"...!"
"You don't have the will to fight me at full strength, Tirpitz. That's why...a fight between us is pointless" Bismarck swiped away the smoke
Bismarck stood unharmed with just mere scratches all over her body. This frustrated Tirpitz who had forgotten how Bismarck was perceptive towards her opponents and stubborn at the same time.
"I will lead Iron Blood even if I have to do it alone. I will carry all burden and suffer as long as I know there's a future where they will all smile" Bismarck insisted
"Why...why are you always like this? This is why you'll never escape your own suffering!" Tirpitz burst out in anger
"Tirpitz..."
"You cared leading our nation, but you never cared guiding your comrades. Bismarck, your blind views...will betray and destroy you in the end. You will only be left with regret on how you couldn't do enough for everyone despite trying to be the perfect leader for them"
"..." Bismarck pitied her frustrated younger sister
"This is why-"
"...!" Bismarck widened her eyes
Right before Bismarck's eyes, a full barrage rained at Tirpitz, but neither of them sensed an interference anywhere with how the battle became chaotic between the shipgirls and Sirens.
"Tirpitz-!"
Bismarck panicked for a moment since both of them were taken by surprise. When the smoke cleared out, it felt like all of Bismarck's senses froze in an instant.
"H-39...!" Tirpitz gritted her teeth
"Do me a favor...and just die" H-39 plunged her sword deeper in Tirpitz's chest
To Bismarck's horror, H-39 mysteriously appeared within the battle in a blink of an eye without detection from both Tirpitz and her. She even managed to land a mortal blow to Tirpitz with a sword stabbed right to the chest. Tirpitz tightly gripped the blade that sunk to a vital spot, but the paper granted to her by the Sirens kept her alive even if it would have normally killed her.
"You bastard! Why?!" Bismarck lost her composure
The person who mortally wounded Tirpitz was none other an alternate future version of her, so she was filled with natural anger. Her future version struck Tirpitz in cold blood and certain murderous intent. It wasn't just an accident as the blank expression cleanly expressed how H-39 planned this beforehand .
"This is for both of your sake. Well, its also for my sake" H-39 pushed Tirpitz away and let her be paralyzed at the surface
"What?!"
"My life is borrowed, Bismarck. I'm slowly dying from the beginning, but my life was shortened further because of a certain someone. That's why...I will have to resort to such underhanded methods"
"You're desperate" Bismarck frowned
"Yes. Desperate times calls for desperate measures after all" H-39 sighed
"By killing both of us?"
"Something like that"
Since they were the same person, Bismarck believed H-39 couldn't possibly be an enemy or scheme something against them, so her sudden betrayal came to a shock. What Bismarck didn't expect the most was for H-39 to strike Tirpitz with no remorse or hesitation, like a cold-blooded killer. She stood there with a blank and stern expression while Tirpitz remained incapacitated.
"You...!"
Odin, who wasn't supposed to interfere as per Bismarck's serious order, disobeyed her for the first time and retaliated against H-39 who turned to the nuisance with little interest.
"Hate me as you wish. It's not like you'll get another chance to kill me"
"...!"
H-39 immediately snapped Odin's sword the moment she unsheathed it and raised it. The one before was Bismarck's future version, so she was both superior to strength and speed compared to the present one.
"Guten nacht"
Before Odin could regain her composure after the sudden shock, H-39 straightened left hand and pulled it back. She channeled all speed and precision as soon as she drove her fist towards Odin.
"W...What...?!"
H-39 punched right through Odin's abdomen with a single blow from her left hand while those grim eyes never looked away, a sign of full certainty from H-39. Odin's body begun to corrode and disintegrate with how blackness begun to spread all over her until her mental cube was crushed by H-38's own fist.
"Odin...!"
It happened almost instantly right before Bismarck's eyes. Odin challenged H-39, but H-39 slightly bend her body and thrust her fist until it penetrated right through Odin's abdomen. Anger filled Bismarck when Odin's mental cube, after she was reduced to her primordial state, was instantly crushed by H-39's left hand.
"For killing one of my comrades, I will cut you down if it's the last thing I'll do. It doesn't matter if we are the same person, H-39!" Bismarck shred all form of hesitation against her future version
"This is my last ditch effort, Bismarck. This moment...will be the turning point"
H-39 raised her left arm and when her right hand clutched her sleeve, she ripped it off and revised another shock for Bismarck. She completely tore off the clothing that concealed her left arm and fully revealed a twisted secret.
"Your arm...became black?!" Bismarck's voice shook
"While you were all busy shooting at each other, I helped myself with the unguarded black mental cube and integrated it to my body, specifically to my left arm. That mental cube hosted a program that can dissolve the smallest byte of information within a shipgirl's cognitive chip and mental cube. Basically, it's an experimental delete button for shipgirls. Well, since it's experimental, it's not a reliable weapon to use constantly"
"...!"
"Unfortunately, Gangut tried to stop me...so I had to stab her right to her skull"
"I won't forgive you...for this vile act" Bismarck raised her sword
"Like you stood a chance!"
H-39 opened fire and Bismarck as well. The two versions of the same Bismarck clashed with no hesitation against each other - with the intent to completely sink the other without regret.
(This speed and power is insane even for me. Is she even dying any moment?) Bismarck was visibly frustrated
"You don't stand a chance, Bismarck. I'm faster, stronger...and better than you!" H-39 constantly pushed Bismarck to a defensive state
"I will not back down just because you are stronger. For this underhanded treachery, I will cut you down myself"
Once Bismarck made her resolve, she would never give up or back down no matter who the opponent was, especially if her future version coldly murdered one of her closest allies in Iron Blood.
"Why are you doing this? We are the same person" Bismarck clashed blades with her
"You're going to end up as another failure, Bismarck! You won't save your beloved Iron Blood...and you won't save Tirpitz from herself"
H-39 sliced through Bismarck's shells with such precision that every swing sliced the shells right at the center. Even if Bismarck landed a bit, H-39 proved to be extremely resilient to her attacks even when neither side held back.
"Iron Blood will collapse from within. The foundation you worked so hard to build will crumble because you failed to guide your comrades"
"You are someone who had given up before it even ended just so you can spare yourself" Bismarck realized
"Bismarck, the more you continue alone...the more you will lead Iron Blood to it's inevitable end. All you care is as along as everyone is happy"
"What's wrong with wishing happiness for my own allies?" Bismarck retaliated
"You fail to include yourself in it"
"...!"
"That's why people around you won't stop suffering. Your isolated view will only cause disconnection for Iron Blood"
For so long, H-39 held rooted contempt for herself and finally lashed out to her past version. The source of her frustration and disappointment stemmed from her own regret and failed to realize what went wrong. Those eyes that remained blank finally unleashed those hatred for herself.
"You can't save everyone, Bismarck. The more you try to save them by yourself, the more you will trample on the lives of others. That's why you will always remain a failure"
"That's..." Bismarck bit her lip
"In the end, you will just end up blaming yourself. You will keep on bearing that eternal regret until you will grow to hate yourself. You will end up...just like me!"
"..." Bismarck was unable to respond
"...!"
H-39 stopped in her tracks when a barrage from behind almost caught her by surprise. Due to her immense strength, the shells that directly struck her did little to no damage. In fact, she was more annoyed than surprised at the one behind her.
"Tirpitz..."
This time, Tirpitz retaliated for the "cowardly" barrage earlier and how a critical blow was dealt to her in a near instant.
"Then there's also Bismarck..."
The sword held on her right hand blocked Bismarck's strike while her left arm easily stopped Tirpitz's attempt as well.
"I'm...still here" Tirpitz groaned in pain
"H-39!" Bismarck's eyes blazed with fury
"I don't have time to waste...with you two weaklings!"
H-39 grew instantly impatient and sent out an instant shock wave that knocked back both Bismarck and Tirpitz by about five meters.
"...!"
Bismarck almost lost her balance from the sudden shock wave she didn't know H-39 was capable of. She immediately returned her focus to right in front of her when her opponent stood, but the fate had been sealed.
"...Tir...pitz" Bismarck felt like her heart stopped for a moment
"I'm ending this...right now!"
H-39's left hand tainted by the black mental cube pierced right through Tirpitz's chest. H-39 felt little to no regret that she had struck another mortal blow against her own younger sister while Tirpitz gritted her teeth, visibly upset at her vulnerability.
"Tirpitz...!"
Right before Bismarck's eyes, H-39 would claim yet another casualty next to Odin - her younger sister Tirpitz. The latter tightly gripped H-39's tainted left arm even if her death was inevitable.
"I really...just wanted for you to have a happy future...because you were always sacrificing...your own happiness..." Tirpitz sincerely confessed
"No...no...not like this..."
"I never wanted to betray you...but what choice...do I have? Someone...has to make the sacrifice...so others...wouldn't have to..."
"Tirpitz...!"
"Don't sacrifice...your happiness...because it will only lead...to regret. Take care...big sister..."
Right at that instant, H-39 performed the same end as she did to Odin and reduced Tirpitz to her original form, a mental cube. Of course, she instantly crushed as she briefly stared at it while she held it in her palm. H-39 effortlessly squeezed the active mental cube and reduced what was one Tirpitz to particles right in front of Bismarck's eyes.
"You are a monster. A vile scourge worse than any Sirens I met" Bismarck restrained her deep anger
"Your anger will mean nothing soon..."
"H-39...!"
"This is possibly my last chance of saving..."
Bismarck drew her blade with vengeance and pure hatred against the ruthless monster that was once her future version. Two lives instantly vanished right in front of her eyes, and she couldn't even do anything to prevent it. She felt frustrated at herself more than anger at her enemy, so she charged with pure murderous intent as well.
"...!"
A large circle of intricate patterns surrounded the area consumed by the Mirror Sea the moment H-39 raised her left arm. A cube composed of smaller cubes that can freely be stuck to each other or hover around a small diamond core shape manifested in top of H-39's palm.
"H-39, what are you planning to do?"
"The turning point"
A withered tree made out of pure energy manifested right at the epicenter of the Mirror Sea, at the very core of the circle that enclosed the whole area. Both shipgirls and Sirens stopped their conflict the moment they saw a tree made out of pure steel with a rubik's cube like object on top of it manifest out of nowhere.
"The World Tree..." The Siren Omitter grinned
"What?!" Sovetskaya Rossiya widened her eyes
"That bastard...!" Littorio clenched her fists
It wasn't just them, the Maizuru fleet and even Prinz Eugen's side saw the mythical existence actually project and temporarily anchor to the world. King George V and Prince of Wales locked their focus on the object while Prinz Eugen sensed the end...
"Wait, that's...!"
The Maizuru fleet, especially the Sakura Empire's Akagi and Kaga who helped them heavily damage the Hydra, sensed inevitable danger the moment it brightly shone enough for everyone to halt the battle.
"Akagi..." Kaga looked at her
"This is perhaps the end...or the beginning of something" Akagi wasn't certain
The cube that sat on top of it scattered the smaller blocks which composed of and revealed an eight sided core at the center, similar to what H-39 held in her hand. Bismarck desperately tried to foil H-39's plan, but she was swallowed by the World Tree's pure energy...and so everyone else. Silence devoured the whole Mirror Sea as everyone embraced their fate at the very last second.
...
...
...
...
...
...
A lone leaf floated by a river and was gently swept by its current. It perhaps forgotten that the tree it embraced and was attached to had to let go of it as part of the cycle. Leaves would fall and new ones would take it place. That same process applied to everything that existed in the world. Humans, animals, insects, and even something as trivial as a piece of leave within the thousands others were included. This was indeed an inevitable cycle everyone and everything had to face. This was a part of a cycle called "time" where everything has beginning...and an end.
Yes. Everything ...
"...!"
Bismarck gasped open for air as if she pummeled from a gentle flow to a violent rush down a stream. Unknown anxiety and other emotions stirred inside her, unsure where it originated from. She had taken another exhausted nap within her office. Her back was sore while her head rested on her arm, briefly confused for a moment.
"Bismarck..." Graf Zeppelin gently called out her name
"Graf...Zeppelin?
Somehow, she was shocked to see Graf Zeppelin naturally stand right in front of her. It was indeed natural, but she was still somehow puzzled at her surroundings. It was normal she inside her own office, and it was also normal that Graf Zeppelin was right in front of her with several documents carried by both hands. There was an empty feeling which caused her to stare in utter confusion and scan her surroundings.
"This feels...different..." Bismarck stood up
"Bismarck?"
"I need some fresh air"
Bismarck shook her head and thought that a stroll around the Iron Blood headquarters would clear her confusion after she had just awoken from her nap. Everything around her was what it should be, but her mind remained puzzled and possibly slightly lost.
"Somehow, I feel dizzy after taking a nap..." Bismarck gently massaged her temples
"Oh? Bismarck, is everything alright?" A familiar voice called her
"Tirpitz?"
Tirpitz stood behind her and raised an eyebrow when Bismarck was briefly startled at her casual voice. Bismarck blinked her eyes while a slightly puzzled Tirpitz greeted her with a gentle smile in a normal day. She was briefly confused at herself to why the voice of her younger sister startled her, but she returned with a gentle smile as well.
Everything felt like normal...
EXTRA?
H-39's last ditch effort turned out to be more drastic than anyone expected. The Siren Empress witnessed the whole event from a world filled with vast white emptiness and thin mist everywhere. She twisted her index finger, slightly unsatisfied with the turn of events.
"It seems H-39 managed to access a program between reality itself. She managed to borrow it's universal-level altering properties to twist the timeline again" Belfast sighed
"Not to mention, she ended up destroying a few shipgirls moments before she died. Is this fine?"
The Siren Empress spoke not to Belfast but to a peculiar young woman with the appearance of a young woman in a lab coat.
"This is fine. Even if she tipped the balance to her favor, there's no reason for me to interfere. I can the root of all outcomes, but I have no right to alter it"
The guest sipped the tea Belfast just poured for her. The Siren Empress was somehow worried, but the person on the other side of the table wasn't the least nervous or worried about how the event turned out.
"Tirpitz was destroyed, and Bismarck retaliated in retribution. The moment H-39 spin the gears of fate, it was as if everything was undone. I admit that it was pitiful for someone like her, but drastic measures is required" The guest continued to sip her tea
"But..." The Siren Empress slightly exhaled
"Do you not trust my judgement, Empress?"
"I deeply trust your judgment because you've seen the state of all timelines. No Siren can predict the true outcome as much as you do" The Siren Empress was briefly surprised
"Hahaha. Then, we need to temporarily observe everything from the sidelines. Bismarck has figure it out herself for the time being"
"You are curious to whether Bismarck will accept that timeline or not" Belfast guessed
"So long as the natural order isn't threatened, I will remain passive and neutral to humanity. The ordeal between those sisters is well...between them" The guest chuckled
"..." The Siren Empress remained worried
"You remain restless. Feel free to speak your mind" The guest encouraged her
"I...I feel that H-39 will get in the way of she somehow comes back alive again. You're exhausting your power, so I cannot let a measly corpse ruin your plans" The Siren Empress frowned
"You're diligent in my absence, and you've done well as the defacto leader"
"..." The Siren Empress briefly jolted when she was praised
"Ara~ This is how a child reacts to being approved by her mother" Belfast giggled
"Why are you the observer of the entire event. You are a shipgirl of the Royal navy" The Siren Empress curiously asked
"I am neutral, so I do not side to either Sirens or shipgirls. You could say I'm qualified for this job" Belfast gently smiled
The guest, on the other hand, nibbled on the assorted cookies in front of her as if she was a human child who enjoyed a quiet afternoon...inside and exclusive space.
"Aren't you going to sit down as well, Enterprise? You could use some fresh snacks rather than more ration bars" Belfast turned her attention to her
"..."
The Siren Empress slyly smiled as she faced Enterprise who just stood nearby with her arms crossed and a hostile glare directed right towards the Siren Empress.
"Why is she here as well?" Enterprise pointed to an nuisance beside her
"Obviously, I've been invited. No one can access this dimension unless that woman permits me or anyone" The Siren Purifier gleefully skipped around Enterprise
"Also, of all people...I never expected a red herring"
Enterprise pushed the Siren Purifier away and glared at another person who stood right beside her. That person kindly smiled at her, but Enterprise remained wary after the unexpected twist again.
"That girl...is the shipgirl I made when I was with that fascinating woman"
The guest gently lowered her empty cup of tea and while Belfast refilled it, she calmly replied. Again with the sudden twist, Enterprise furrowed her eyebrows and stared at the shipgirl with an unexpected origin.