One by one, they will fall before me...
It's been a while since Mikasa and the others head to the other world in order to search for the tracks of an unknown ancient Siren. Akagi and Kaga's lack of presence in the Sakura Empire allows Maya to freely move without deadly eyes lock on her every movement. She's not an expert in stealth and cunning, so she couldn't freely perform her tasks with Akagi keeping an eye for possible traitors.
"It's impossible to outsmart Akagi, so thank goodness she volunteered..." Maya sighs
"That's why I'm questioning why you are an informant..."
Kawakaze slightly lifts her katana and uses a damp cloth to polish it while also focusing on her conversation with the nervous Maya.
"If you got found out, I'm certain the rest of your sisters will be heartbroken. Not to mention, Akagi doesn't take treason kindly. Nagato-sama might just imprison you, but Akagi on the other hand..."
"Aaaah...! I don't want to think about it" Maya covers her ears
"Hmph"
"How about you? You're so close to Nagato-sama that I'm curious to how she didn't suspect anything. Hell I'm surprised Shinano-sama hasn't seen this in her dreams" Maya's animal ears twitch
"It's because I'm better at this than you do. Also, I believe what Lady Shinano would dream...is going to be the end of this whole trouble. If she had seen it, then she would only feel pity and grief for Iron Blood"
Kawakaze gently places her black katana on top of the sheath along with the white cloth she is using to polish and clean it. Her blunt answer coupled with her stoic speaking manner directly strikes Maya as if the truth has been spoken.
"What are King George V and Essex doing? They should have sabotaged the whole mission by now" Maya pouts
"Weren't you listening to what Empress said? It seems Tirpitz and Prinz Eugen had given up fighting them and chose to face punishment after the whole scuffle at Ireland" Kawakaze shakes her head
"What?! Tirpitz gives up all of a sudden? What's the point of leaving Iron Blood if she would just give up mid-way?"
"I'm not certain since those two aren't certain either. All I know is that something happened that made Tirpitz change her mind. Tyrant claims to not know anything, so I'm suspicious"
Maya swallows her breath with her anxiety growing while Kawakaze is feeling a bit irritated at Tyrant's tendency to be vague and secretive half of the time. People who don't directly answers are the ones most difficult to trust as they will eventually betray.
"King George V trusts her though" Maya tilts her head
"That's true, but the rumored phantom managed to briefly manifest into the living world. If it appeared, then that means the end will be reached in the near future"
"W-What kind of end exactly?"
"I'm not certain, but both King George V and Essex wanted to observe the results for themselves after coming in contact with Progenitor" Kawakaze shrugs her shoulders
Right now, the two Sakura Empire ships secretly informing the Sirens, can only guess of the current situation and the outcome as their task are both restricted within Azur Lane.
"Why am I the only one putting effort here? At least help me a little..." Maya sighs
"Empress said to continue being passive for the time being" Kawakaze returns to polishing her katana again
"Even though you wanted to keep a close eye on Belfast?"
"Belfast says she intends to keep her vow of neutrality, but I can't trust her false smile"
"Are you sure you're not just overreacting? Belfast keeps her word, and she hasn't been helping the Royal navy the slightest"
"I know that, but she never told us to why she vowed to be neutral. She has her own intentions for agreeing in the first place" Kawakaze frowns
"I'm beginning to think you just don't like her at all..."
Maya gently lies her back on the tatami floor, weary of hearing Kawakaze being too suspicious of Belfast for possibly personal reasons.
"Do you think...Tirpitz is making the right decision? Once she goes through it...there's no going back" Maya changes her tone
"I asked whether she's certain on her path, and I can tell she won't back down when if Bismarck stands in her way"
"I think I pity Bismarck now..."
"Nothing is happening yet..." Kawakaze sighs
"A certain someone told me that they lost contact of Essex, and King George V decides to search for her" Maya informs Kawakaze
"Essex disappeared? Did Tester take her out while she's watching the battle from afar?"
"We don't know yet. Essex didn't report any encounter with Sirens or shipgirls during the whole scuffle"
Neither of them are present during the whole situation at Ireland, but they both display concern since someone like Essex couldn't possibly disappear without a trace. If she was attacked, the Siren Empress would have known or at least sense it.
"Even if you want to search for Essex, you can't easily leave the Sakura Empire without raising suspicions. Let's leave the search to King George V"
Kawakaze continues to clean the sharp edge of her weapon while Maya rolls on her side with how thinking about the current situation at the other world is mentally exhausting her.
The Kriegsmarine's Bismarck sits by the wharf, silently gazing at the waves crashing down on the tetra wave breakers. It's already noon, and rather than enjoy the peace, she is sitting down by herself with a visible solemn and sorrowful expression. Tirpitz happens to stroll by the area and pauses when she spots Bismarck all by herself.
"What's the matter?" Tirpitz walks towards her
"..." Bismarck lowers her head
"Is this about your sister? I'm certain...you haven't gotten pass your grief yet"
Tirpitz stands beside her and worryingly asks her as this is the first time she sees this amount of sadness in KC Bismarck. She reaches out only to pull away her own hand before her palms can get tlg touch Bismarck's shoulders.
"It's alright. I admit it still hurts, but I learned to cope with it before" KC Bismarck faintly smiles
"What do you mean?"
"My Tirpitz keeps dying, but I was the only one aware of it. Rather, there was a time where she was in a loop of death. When her mental state finally broke down...that was when a monster emerged" Bismarck explains
"I'm...sorry" Tirpitz holds the tip of her cap
"Why are you apologizing?"
"If I had known, I would have tried to do something about it. I sensed there was something in her heart...but I didn't know it was because it was replaced" Tirpitz remembers the encounter
"You don't need to apologize. I never blamed anyone for what happened. So, don't go thinking you should have done something sooner" Bismarck shakes her head
"Bismarck..."
"I'm a battleship, you know. I don't just sulk in one corner and feel depressed. Well, I'm still grieving for the sister I lost...but I know she wouldn't want me to be on despair right now"
Bismarck may act overconfident and haughty sometimes, but she's primarily calm and disciplined, living up to her reputation within her nation and other nations.
"Tyrant may have known this since the beginning since the remnants of her consciousness was trapped in the same world where that ghost came from. Knowing her, there's a possibility she was involved"
"Then I'll have her explain everything once I find her" Bismarck resolves to search for the possible culprit
"I understood and accepted her goal before, so I was shocked she would do such thing. It's as if the one I faced at Ireland is a completely different person"
"A different person?" Bismarck raises an eyebrow
"The one from two days ago isn't the same one who caused the whole situation seven months ago. When I briefly talked to her, I was repulsed by the strong stench of mud from her. That Tyrant has become nothing but a pawn for someone else"
"You're saying she's being used?"
"She's been dead as well, so whoever brought her back is using her to cause toruble again. That Tyrant isn't my future self anymore..."
"Then we'll put her down for good this time. We'll make sure not a single piece of her mental cube remains"
KC Bismarck clenches her fists, certain to defeat Tyrant since Tirpitz no longer sees her as the same future Tirpitz who struggles to prevent her past self from making a mistake. The one alive right now is nothing but a pawn with the distinctive stench of filthy and black.
"I will make sure she wouldn't do the same thing to my allies. So long as I'm here, I won't let her or the Sirens lay a hand on my fleet"
The way Bismarck firmly reassures how she wouldn't let anyone harm her allies within the Maizuru naval district briefly surprises Tirpitz and prompts her to curve a warm smile.
"Bismarck, there's something I must tell you" Tirpitz loses her smile
She taps Bismarck's shoulders with her eyes firmly gazing the the puzzled and nervous battleship. Judging by Tirpitz's expression, what she suddenly decides to confess is definitely important.
Later...
Two days after the whole scuffle at Ireland, the shipgirls are back into their usual routines. Fortunately enough, the fight didn't escalate to their disadvantage due to the Sirens' sudden retreat. Right now, Tirpitz and Bismarck are taking advantage of the peace after the former's stubbornness to surrender. After everything Bismarck had to go through, she is glad everything went well in the end.
"You're forgiving H-39 after she destroyed both Odin and I before?" Tirpitz stirs her fresh cup of black tea
"I admit I'm still a bit furious, but I can't help pity my future self seeing her revived for the second time. It's worse knowing that she won't last long, and she knows she will die again..." Bismarck reveals her reason
"It's because she's dying, huh..."
"At the very least, I want her to die in peace. Seeing her eyes, I can tell she wishes she can permanently die this time. I'm not the type of person who would be pleased to be revived against my will after all..."
Bismarck truly pities her future self after realizing the exhaustion in her eyes. She doesn't know everything H-39 has to go through or she wishes to know, but she's certain H-39 has grown tired of her own life.
"Well, speaking of dead people...Tyrant is back in one piece despite committing suicide a long time ago" Tirpitz sighs
"Tyrant appeared to attack you but quickly left, why is that? Was there any goal behind it?" Bismarck remembers
She is fighting the Siren Purifier when Tyrant arrives in the middle of the battle and fights Tirpitz. Just like the Sirens during the scuffle there, Tyrant decides to retreat after barely making effort in the short confrontation with Tirpitz. Bismarck is aware Tyrant would strike either of them once she achieves her goals, but her goals itself remains a mystery.
"You were stuck in a diverted timeline, right? I...faintly recall my other version there" Tirpitz reveals
"You remember?"
"It's more like I'm conscious but unable to do anything...since I just died when that happened. That Tirpitz is almost me, but I feel like living through her eyes..." Tirpitz gently blows the steam off her cup
"Is that what motivated you to finally return to Iron Blood?"
"It's one of the reasons. My goal is to nullify the Tyrant code, but that bastard revived herself..."
"We fought Tyrant before and almost won against her"
"Almost. The reason why she was defeated was because she detonated her own mental cube"
They don't know whether Tyrant is weaker or stronger when comparing to the last clash. Back then, the two of them fight Tyrant, unable to truly defeat her since Tyrant chooses to end herself...until she ends up coming back to life.
"This reminds me of something. Are you alright? When you briefly fought Tyrant, it looked like you were in pain"
"...That was probably because I died and came back to life all of a sudden" Tirpitz briefly averts Bismarck's gaze
"You should have Akashi perform another check-up on you just in case. I'm certain Tyrant is going to target you again
"I'm still not used to you getting worried about me..." Tirpitz expresses her uneasiness
"Even if I will have to imprison you once we return to Iron Blood as part of my duty as the fleet leader, I am still your older sister"
"Return, huh..." Tirpitz solemnly smiles
"Tirpitz?"
"Nothing. It's...nothing"
Once the whole situation with the stubborn Tyrant is over, it's certain Bismarck would have to make Tirpitz take responsibility for her desertion. They will all return to their own world, but Tirpitz isn't as enthusiastic as her older sister. Rather, this brings forth uneasiness and sorrow.
Infirmary...
The Sakura Empire's Akashi finishes another round of checkup to Tirpitz per Bismarck's request while King George V and Prinz Eugen quietly stands nearby. Akashi notices King George V's intimidating glare, and makes little slides backwards.
"You're in no condition to fight Tyrant, nya" Akashi musters strength to speak up
"It doesn't have to be now. Tirpitz needs a bit of time to be stable enough to fight" King George V approaches Tirpitz
"You're too relaxed, nya..."
"There's no point in being upset about it"
"You can say that because you're in top condition, nya"
"Oh? The scaredy-cat now learns to talk back" Prinz Eugen's expression darkens
"Nya...!"
Akashi immediately rushes to hid behind King George V's waist as she is no bigger than a destroyer. When it comes to personalities, King George V is the least threatening and least hostile.
"Just don't tell about this to Bismarck. We'll handle the situation" King George V reminds Akashi
"Nya...?"
"Don't worry. We will all return home, even if these two are going to jail for being troublemakers"
King George V jokingly laughs as she points at the two Iron Blood shipgirls behind her. Tirpitz doesn't care about taking responsibility for recklessly leaving Iron Blood to side with the Sirens, but Prinz Eugen is visibly unhappy with anyone reminding her about it.
"You're nervous, nya..." Akashi sees through King George V's false joy
"H-39 can no longer fight Tyrant, and the latter herself will stop at nothing to achieve her new goal...even if it means she'll eliminate shipgirls..." King George V loses her smile
"That includes us..." Prinz Eugen scoffs
"No one is being specific in this entire event. What is Tyrant's true goal, nya?"
"I'm not certain, but she made contact with the rumored ghost shipgirl. She suddenly wants to face Tirpitz again because of a promise she never really revealed..." King George V crosses her arms
"You mean the same freaky ghost that possessed the corpse of this world's Tirpitz and made the Bismarck here all sulky and depressed, nya?"
"..."
The three goes silent when Akashi describes about what KC Bismarck has to go through and the result of it.
"My bad. I-I'll just leave, nya..."
Akashi covers her mouth and folds her ears, regretting for bluntly reminding everyone of the situation with the ghost back at Ireland. She then immediately flees the room before she could say anything that will cause the atmosphere to be heavy again.
"Either way, Tyrant needs something from Tirpitz...who would instantly die if they fight right now" King George V turns to face Tirpitz
"It's not just me, but everyone here is a target. Even if she kills me...she won't stop there" Tirpitz is aware on what kind of person Tyrant is
"Ember might know what she's thinking, but she ran off somewhere after cutting off the fake Custodian's head, so there's that..." Prinz Eugen brings up a slightly unrelated topic
"I don't have much time to waste. I will still continue what I intended to do"
"Trying to access an invalid dimension is not a walk in the park, Tirpitz. You either need the World Tree...or the Siren Progenitor, the only Siren even to the Creator" Prinz Eugen reminds Tirpitz
"That's what Tyrant is doing. She's hindering me on purpose...so I can't destroy the weapon stored there by a certain someone"
"Before we deal with Tyrant, just a reminder that none of us knows where Essex vanished. We lost contact of her even before the scuffle at Ireland ended"
Tirpitz goes between King George V and Tirpitz, reminding them on a more important task at hand. Tyrant is a threat to them, but they can't just ignore Essex sudden and mysterious disappearance.
"Then you have to stick with King George V. Nobody knows about Essex cooperating with the Siren Empress other than us, so we need to find her before anyone suspects" Tirpitz recommends
"Who would take Essex though? Tyrant couldn't have done it since she went straight to you" It puzzles King George V
"That's true, but she arrived in the middle of the battle that even Purifier showed up first" Prinz Eugen agrees
"We still have to move carefully. Akagi might go for the offensive once she finds out you and Essex are connected to the Sirens" Tirpitz looks at King George V
"If that happens, there would be two more shipgirls are going to jail..."
"We have to find Essex first"
"Eugen and I will take care of the search. I'm pretty sure you and the others will be busy with Tyrant's shenanigans" King George V taps Tirpitz's shoulders
"Hopefully nothing adds more to this situation..."
The two are capable on their own, but Tirpitz fears another nuisance will show up other than Tyrant. There will be always an unexpected factor in the mix, so Tirpitz doesn't want to lower her guard yet.
Royal navy base...
One of the Royal navy operated base at Grimsey island becomes temporary shelter for some shipgirls from Azur Lane while the base at Ireland is still under repair after Hydra's devastating barrage two days ago.
"What a mess..." Saint Louis sighs
"Tyrant, the Sirens, and the black mental cube..." Roon crosses her arms
"To this k Eugen used to be a part of this mess" Prince of Wales massages her temples
"While you guys are worried about that, no one seriously found Essex yet?" Gangut stands up
There are four stowaways but only three are present while they don't know Essex mysterious vanished during the whole scuffle the other day. They don't even know Essex is working as an informant for the Sirens and partially responsible to why they are dragged out of their world.
"Not even Tirpitz or Eugen knows where she is" Littorio joins in the conversation
"Not even the Wolfpack found any sign of her and they've been scouring the seas for a week now" Roon is slightly frustrated
"The question is that if Essex is still even alive..."
"...!"
Everyone believes Essex is more difficult to locate even if the other three stowaways have reunited again, but Littorio brings up the obvious possibility that Essex is no longer alive since she is separated like the rest.
"I don't believe someone like Essex is dead!" Gangut frowns
"I'm just stating the possibility. Not everyone makes it out alive, specially how the four of you were separated" Littorio shrugs her shoulders
"I won't believe someone is dead unless I see it for myself or at least confirm it..." Prince of Wales
"Do as you three please. I'm just here to keep an eye on things" Littorio shrugs her shoulders
"Everyone else at Maizuru is occupied while you're here relaxing"
Saint Louis steps in and speaks in a mildly displeased tone, but Littorio doesn't flinch and responds with her usual confident smile.
"There are just too many of us right now. The issue with Iron Blood has been resolved, so that's one less problem. I'm not really needed since the others are busy investigating the Siren Empress' group" Littorio chuckles
"Then at least help with the search for Essex. She was dragged here like these three and doesn't need to be involved with this mission" Saint Louis approaches her
"Fine. I'll see what I can do even if finding missing carriers isn't my specialty" Littorio turns away
Littorio gives in rather than go into an argument with Saint Louis since conflict among allies is highly unnecessary right now. Tirpitz and Prinz Eugen may not be a problem right now, but Essex remaining missing and Tyrant's presence are keeping everyone occupied. Well, almost everyone...
(They're a bit serious right now...)
As Littorio exits the room, she continues to think about everyone being worried about Essex's unknown whereabouts proves to be a hassle. She just wants to take the situation easy, but Saint Louis almost berates her for being unhelpful. Littorio cautiously turns her head before walking to a corner, right towards a discreet spot far from where people would usually pass by.
"This is all because of you..."
Littorio turns to face a corner of a wall that begins to glitch. A black unsymmetrical glitching rift forces itself open and an unstable physical form emerges from it. The incomplete being, taking the form of a degrading Chapayev, greets Littorio by waving her hand.
"That girl tried to fight back. It can't be helped" The ghost Chapayev scratches her cheek
Not only she exactly mimics Chapayev's appearance and voice, she also emulates her manner of speaking and demeanor. Everyone would be fooled by the "impostor", but the shipgirls of the Northern Parliament would notice in a minute just by their instincts.
"You mean..."
"Oh, no no no. She's very much alive...but the META one got in the way"
"Which one?"
"The Bismarck one. Ember chopped off my hand...and my torso the other day though"
"They call you imperfect, but you're practically immortal, something humans view as perfection"
"I was made by one after all. To be exact, it was that female researcher whom I can refer to as my mother. It's the reason why Ash refuses to fight me, let alone talk to me..."
"Well, I guess your imperfection is unable to incarnate your whole existence in this world. You only lasted back then because you're borrowing someone else's corpse" Littorio leans against a wall
Despite the ghost's sinister and remorseful display during the brief encounter with both H-39 and the Kriegsmarine's Bismarck, her facial expression displays longing and regret which piques Littorio's interest.
"I want to talk to Ash or Enterprise...about what truly happened with my creator, but Ash couldn't even look at me when I ask her. My last memory of that woman is her gentle smile telling me she would never reject me even if the rest of humanity did..."
"You're just like a child..." Littorio dryly smiles
"You could say that..."
"I'm not certain what the outcome of this overcomplicated plan, but I'm here to see things through. Just not as neutral or behaved as Belfast though"
"Do as you please. You're a renegade fighting under the flag you were never loyal to"
Chapayev notices her cheeks and left arm slowly withering away, her false body taking the punishment of lingering in the world for a certain amount of time. This marks her cue to return to the dimension her whole existence is anchored.
"I'll wait just a little more. I can finally solidify my existence in this world..." The ghost clenches her fist
"Once this is over, feel free to come find me. I would like to hear your thoughts of finally becoming...alive" Littorio smirks
"..."
The ghost with Chapayev's appearance retreats to the cost surface of the wall and lets her body being absorbed the glitch in reality, returning to a terribly lonely and endless dimension she calls her home. Littorio leaves the scene as well, and as she pops out the corner turning her head left and right, she is spotted by Saint Louis.
(Littorio?)
It doesn't look like Littorio notices her as the latter casually walks away from the scene and acts confident and enthusiastic as always. She initially thought of secretly trailing after Littorio, but she scraps that idea since she has no basis to be suspicious all of a sudden.
Ascension island...
The island somewhere at the South Atlantic and in the middle of two different continents, becomes an unfortunate target for Tyrant who decides to not just become an adversary for Iron Blood, but now for the shipgirls at Azur Lane currently on a mission. The humans flee from the bombardment of selected Timingila battleship units, which takes the form of mechanical shark-like creatures with four flippers with an extended tail.
"They've come" Tyrant smiles
"Hahaha! They're here early~" The Siren Purifier raises her head
"I'll leave the escorts to you. The interesting ones are in the main fleet"
"Gotcha~ I'll probably hold back"
The Siren Purifier vigorously shakes her arms up and down, impatiently waiting for the shipgirls to head to their direction.
"It's been a while since I've taken a fight seriously. No, I don't think these shipgirls can make me expand my usual capacity"
Tyrant has low expectations while she observes how a certain Swordfish squad makes the pre-emptive strikes on the common Siren units. The battle officially begins and the pair catches the fleet responding to their random attack.
"I knew it. The Maizuru fleet would respond as soon as Sirens are involved" Tyrant faintly smiles
"Heh? They brought girls from other fleet too?" Purifier tilts her head
"It's fine. You can use lethal force in this one. Which means...open fire at will"
"Hooray!"
The Siren Purifier, in her excitement, rushes to greet the responding fleet first while Tyrant patiently stands there and wait for the shipgirls who would challenge her this time.
"Miaizuru fleet's Nagato, huh. If I recall, she's the most skilled shipgirl in her fleet. How troublesome...but she might be a benchmark for the other Nagato"
Nagato's group immediately unleashes a full salvo towards Tyrant who confidently stands in her current spot without moving so much of an inch. Their shells directly make impact, immediately exploding upon contact.
"Tch! It's like we're firing at a wall, huh" Nagato clicks her tongue
"Should we press the attack, Nagato?" Yahagi asks
"Press the attack. If we don't take down the flagship, those sharks won't stop firing" Nagato reloads her cannons
"Take down. I think that's being a bit optimistic"
Ark Royal nervously laughs while she draws her bow and launches a dive bomber squadron as soon as she lets go of her hand. Tyrant may be a battleship, but she is much stronger than her original version of past version. In an all-out fight, the one she would wish not to face against is the original Tyrant herself, the Bismarck from an alternate future.
"Such measly aircraft would be like swatting pitiful insects!"
A confident smiles curves across Tyrant's face as she unleashes a hail of anti-aircraft, swatting down every aircraft entering her range like mindless flies. The regular Tirpitz wouldn't be able to defend herself against air-based attacks, but this one has both immense strength and experience. The air once swarming with aircraft becomes clearer with Tyrant's barrage picking them out.
"Even if I don't use my main cannons, they would barely scratch me...if I'm taking this battle seriously. Unfortunately for them, I'm not in the mood to be fooling"
Tyrant unsheathes the sword she always uses on regular opponents even while, the cruisers and destroyers are constantly interrupting her. The combination of relentless cannon barrage and rows of torpedoes prove to have little effect since Tyrant barely takes damage even when she's giving them the advantage of striking down a still opponent.
"Argh! Why won't she go down?!" Kawakaze grits her teeth
"She's making her move!" Sakawa warns the others
The others distance themselves as soon as Tyrant raises her sword and begin swinging consecutive times in front of her, slicing the shells right before they could physically make physical contact on her. The air wavers with every consecutive strike by Tyrant's swings.
"Yahagi, run!" Sakawa desperately warns her
Tyrant continues to toy with the fleet by cutting through each of their shells like cutting through paper. What she tightly grips in her hand is no normal sword. If it's a normal sword, it wouldn't be possible to slash through explosions without breaking or receiving the slightest chip.
"All of you are being overconfident. I am not like the Abyssals you've been fighting for so long!"
Tyrant increases her speed and boldly charges at the continuous rain of shells and bombs, plus the torpedoes from the "light ships". It's beginning to look like Tyrant is just mindlessly swinging her sword all over the place with how her attention is solely towards the shipgirls rather than their attacks.
"Yahagi!" Sakawa widens her eyes in horror
No matter how much Yahagi distance herself, Tyrant has little to no problem shortening the distance between them. Yahagi pushes herself into defensive as Tyrant locks her grim gaze at her.
"...!"
Unfortunately, Tyrant cuts through Yahagi's barrage and thrusts herself out of the thick black smoke with a content smile faintly curving at the edge of her lips.
"Damn it-!"
Right before Yahagi realizes, Tyrant is already within reach. By reach, it means Yahagi is within the reach of Tyrant's oddly sharp and durable weapon that can cut through battleship hull, depending on the swinging strength of the wielder.
"Guah!"
"Yahagi!" Sakawa screams at the top of her lungs
All Yahagi could do is brace for her inevitable fate the moment Tyrant gazes at her right straight to her eyes while she raises her personal weapon. It only takes a second for Tyrant to swiftly swing down her blade of silver right through Yahagi's torso. She tightly grips her weapon and delivers enough force to mortally slash through the light cruiser's chest and cause blood to lightly squirt out before spreading to her uniform.
"Aaaah...she got me. Sorry...I got careless...Sakawa...everyone..."
Yahagi could only utter her final words before her body with deep cut across her torso freely collapses to the surface water then down to the bottom of the ocean. Right before Yahagi's fading life comes to an end, she cherishes the split second of the morning sun then the remorseless gaze of her killer. She then powerlessly shuts both eyes close before sensing her body splashing down to the cold depths of the deep ocean. Although, she manages to catch a glimpse of Sakawa's utter horror as her sister is killed right in front of her.
"Humans are really fragile. Cut them down once and they never get back up. This doesn't have the same thrill like when Ember pushed me to the brink of our clash"
Tyrant swings her blade in the air to rid of Yahagi's blood on the sharp edge while also lamenting the lack of powerful or superior opponent.
"Hmm?" She turns to face Sakawa
"...!" Sakawa trembles
The one whose deadly and empty gaze turns to lock on her is the same person who cuts down Yahagi in a swift and ruthless manner. The thought of suffering the same fate runs through Sakawa's panicking mind. Her heart feels hatred and rage after the sudden and cruel loss, but fear overwhelms Sakawa that she couldn't move.
"Bastard!"
Nagato, at the peak of complete fury, lashes out at Tyrant by driving and swinging her fist right through her face with enough force to knock her away and momentarily lose her balance. As the secretary ship, she maintains a disciplined and strict behavior, but she loses her calmness the moment one of her allies is cut down.
"I will send you to your grave, Tyrant!" Nagato vows
"Big talk when your shells can barely damage me..." Tyrant scoffs
"You may hurt me or take one of my limbs...but I will make you regret taking the life of my comrade" Nagato's eyes dilated
"Is that so?"
Just as she briefly glances at Nagato's deadly serious threat, Tyrant pulls her own weight backwards much to Nagato's confusion.
"Huh?"
The water right in front of her erupts, and a Cetus unit bursts out of the surface in an attempt to snap its metallic jaws with rows of sharp jagged teeth towards Nagato. As Nagato's size suggests, she possesses enough physical strength to catch the mechanical beast's jaws and slowly snaps its lower jaw from the head.
"It doesn't really matter who comes. What I needed are fodders who will bleed and sink to a watery grave. Your fleet might just enough to trigger the course of events I calculated"
"Fodders? You lured us here...to kill us all?"
Nagato successfully rips out the Cetus unit's lower jaw from its body and swing a heavy punch right through its face. The beast staggers back, only for Nagato's high explosive shells to blast it into unrecognizable pieces.
"Where's Tirpitz? Is she still hiding because of her current state?" Tyrant frowns
"What are you talking about?"
"She didn't tell you? Huh, I should have...expected that"
(What is implying to say? No, perhaps she's baiting me!) Nagato shakes her head
"Mental cubes themselves are fragile even if our bodies can sustain countless punishments. Once the mental cube itself begins to sustain damage, there will be irreversible damages if the shipgirl continues to overwork her mental cube"
"You must have gone insane with the nonsense you're spitting"
"That good-for-nothing Tirpitz is overworking her Mental Cube to the point she is causing irreversible damages to her well-being. For simpletons like you, that Tirpitz is chasing permanent injuries to herself"
Tyrant reveals Tirpitz's weakening condition due to stressing her Mental Cube which might be an advantage for Tyrant who can eliminate Tirpitz with little effort at this rate.
"You're despicable. Not only you ended Yahagi, you're planning to finish off someone who is at her weakest right now. An opportunistic coward is worse than a ruthless killer"
"Trust me, I'd do everyone a favor by getting rid of Tirpitz. She's better off dead now rather than wait for it"
"You don't get to dictate how and when people should die. You're not
better than the human justifying the blood in their hands...!" Nagato clenches her fist
"Is that so, then you can die like that rest of them..."
Tyrant loses the excitement and returns to her usual grim and cold behavior. Nagato doesn't care whether she would end up sinking a shipgirl like Tyrant, so the latter responds with an equivalent killing intent as well.
(That whale's Absolute Field proves to be greatly useful that they don't notice the shield itself. Thankfully Progenitor allowed me to borrow this one for today)
Tyrant gladly evades and accepts the incoming shells from Nagato's forty six centimeter guns, standard for the so-called "Big Seven". As if mocking Nagato further, Tyrant catches one of the shells using her left and crushing it with little grip strength. The shell explodes right in front of Tyrant, but the latter swipes away the smoke and continues to leer in disappointment at Nagato.
"...!"
Tyrant does swipe away the smoke, but she uses the brief moment of concealment to lunge forward.
"Oh?"
Tyrant immediately changes her movements and distances herself from Nagato when the destroyers Hatsuzuki, Shigure, and Tashkent interrupts her. Not everyone is fighting the Siren forces rampaging near the island. Three of the destroyers manages to break free from the mechanical beasts and rush to Nagato's side.
"Hmph..."
As a result, Tyrant takes her attention away from Nagato to focus on wiping out the three insects disturbing her. She could ignore the three since normal destroyers doesn't pose a threat to her, but Tyrant is not a pleasant mood.
"Shigure!" Tashkent screams her name
"...!"
Tyrant drastically increases her speed, sacrificing the stability of her engines and gradually overheating it in order to close her distance to one of the destroyers in a matter of seconds. A battleship like her shouldn't possess that level impenetrable armor and rapid acceleration, but Tyrant makes sure she wouldn't have the disadvantage in this battle.
"Ggh!"
Shigure is unable to evade as certain death approaches her faster than she could process about it. Tyrant's sword manages to pierce right through flesh and steel rigging. Rather, one Tyrant strikes is another who foolishly stands in front of the path of the thrust and willingly catch the fatal blow right through the chest.
"Ha...Hatsu...kaze...!" Shigure's voice shakes
"R-run...!"
"Sacrificing yourself. What pointless effort"
"There's nothing pointless...in...protecting the future...of those with potential..."
"I see. Then die like the first one..."
Tyrant twists the sword before pulling it out. Hatsuzuki remains standing, so Tyrant twists her wrist along with her sword and deliver a finishing blow to Hatsuzuki, a clean open slice to the throat. Blood spills out as soon her throat is sliced open, but her body immediately collapses and confirms to sink as well like Yahagi. Tyrant blankly stares at her second victim sinking to the bottom of the ocean.
"Shigure!"
Tyrant allows Tashkent to grab and flees the scene with Shigure since both of them would die if they choose to remain and avenge their comrade.
"Tch!"
As the smoke clears out, Nagato attempts to land her fist to Tyrant's face, only for that attempt to fail. Tyrant already expects Nagato would go for a direct hit with the explosion concealing her vision.
"Tyrant!"
Nagato opens fire as soon as she furiously screams her name at the top of her lungs. Shipgirls sinking at the hands of another Abyssal, but a shipgirl killing another is beyond ruthlessness. Just like earlier, Tyrant remains standing and allows the shells to directly strike her, acting confidently due to Aspidochelone's presence near her. Before the smoke would completely clears out, Nagato aims to swing her fist right at Tyrant while the latter is blinded by the smoke from her barrage.
"I'm highly disappointed..."
Tyrant catches Nagato's fist right before it could make an impact and send her flying like a while ago. She squeezes Nagato's hard fists, slowly breaking her bones while unable to free herself from Tyrant's grasp.
"In a battle of raw strength, I will lose. Unfortunately for you, I made it certain none of you will be able to scratch me" Tyrant slightly hints
"Gguuaaaah!"
As Tyrant slowly twists Nagato's fist while crushing it, Nagato is unable to stand up straight. Not only she can sense the bones in her hand is slowly being crushed, the damage is extending to her arm now.
"You'll meet the rest of your allies on the other side. I heard that there's an afterlife for you people. Your useless Tirpitz blabbered about it...right as her heart is permanently destroyed"
Tyrant's main turrets creak as four twin turrets adjusts its angle to be directly aiming towards Nagato. From what Nagato sees, she won't survive once Tyrant unleashes a full salvo at point-blank range. She would survive if the main barrage would be from another shipgirl, but Tyrant is different from a shipgirl as she is in the same category as Ember and the others.
(I'm sorry, admiral. It looks like this is one battle I won't survive...)
Rather immediately surrender to her fate, Nagato prepares to retaliate until the very end. Tyrant prepares to end Nagato with a "cowardly" salvo at point-blank range while Nagato wants to at least cause significant damage if she will go down at the hands of someone like her.
"...?!"
As if luck is on Nagato's side today, Tyrant immediately loses her grip on Nagato the moment her radars detects the presence of a nuisance storming into the battlefield. Tyrant grunts as she pulls herself away the split second she detects the interruption. The main target of her cannons changes from a mildly injured Nagato towards the new direction Tyrant is facing.
"She's here - I knew it!"
Tyrant grits her teeth and braces for the incoming squadron of torpedo and dive bombers clearly targeting her. The torpedo bombers immediately lowers their altitude, preparing to launch their torpedoes, while the dive bombers nose dives in perfect sync. Rows of torpedoes and a hail of armor piercing bombs forces Tyrant to shift into defensive.
"You're still alive? I'm guessing you were saved by a certain someone...Essex"
Just like when the Maizuru fleet showers her with relentless shellings, Tyrant survives the combination of torpedoes and dive bombers with no significant damage. If anything, she is unhappy with the interruption and states her displeasure when she recognizes the source of the attack.
(Did she say Essex? This must be the other Essex those stowaways are looking for)
Nagato grips her broken arm, barely able to lift it, and guesses the uninvited guest's identity. The battle now shifts between a moderately damaged Essex against Tyrant in perfect condition.
"Tyrant, why are you relying on Aspidochelone's pseudo-enhancements to make this battle one-sided? Even if you're up against superior numbers, you would never resort to using such a tedious method" Essex suspects something is amiss
"..." Tyrant refuses to answer
"Is it because you're no longer at your peak strength much like the original Tyrant? Your original mental cube got destroyed, right? The one keeping you afloat...is a patched up copy"
"My dear sister told you that? You're not smart enough to analyze it on your own. Even so..." Tyrant takes a deep breath
"...?!"
"...You're not in the condition to fight me"
Tyrant snaps her fingers once, summoning about two Sirens to pounce at Essex from below the surface.
"Nice try...!"
An aircraft carrier without escorts like Essex right now wouldn't be careless enough to leave her open for an easy strike. Her fighter and bomber squadrons go to her aid, shredding through the two Cetus units' head.
"Wha-!"
Essex's aircrafts blows through the two mass-produced units with ease, but the one minute of distraction is more than enough for Tyrant to close her distance with the careless Essex. She swings her sword downwards, missing the Eagle Union aircraft carrier by an inch. Luckily for her, the only thing that silver blade slices through are a few strands of her bangs.
"Don't involve their fleet, Tyrant. They don't even have any use for you!"
"They have their use...as fodders that is" Tyrant responds
"If I had arrived earlier, there wouldn't be two dead people..."
"Do you really have time to be regretting that?"
Tyrant swings her sword left and right, creating enough force to faintly send shockwaves with each time she slashes the air. Essex frantically dodges Tyrant's lethal swings by pulling herself away and turning her body without a split second of carelessness. Her fighter aircraft provides cover with their machine guns, but four aircraft can only keep Tyrant's attention away from Essex for only about two minutes.
"Nagato, we have to retreat" Ark Royal rushes to Nagato
Thanks to Essex's appearance, Tyrant is forced to go up against her and discard Nagato even when she is close to sinking her like the other two.
"I'm already out of Swordfish thanks to that smug Siren. Not only that Siren is pushing Vanguard and the others back, we're sustaining more damage than them"
Ark Royal suggests for a retreat. Since Nagato is the flagship and basically the second in command of their fleet, the final decision would lie on her. That is her responsibility as the flagship of the Maizuru fleet.
"I cannot throw away more lives...but that shipgirl is from Azur Lane" Nagato is conflicted
"We already lost two today, we can't afford to pile up more casualties"
"..."
"If you sink here too, our fleet is screwed" Ark Royal reminds her
Nagato bites her lip, weighing between the risk of losing more shipgirls from her fleet or Essex's fleet.
"...!"
An explosion between Tyrant and Essex's clash interrupts Nagato while she's in the middle of deciding and widens her eyes seeing Essex suffers significant damage after failing to dodge all of Tyrant's high explosive. Essex arrives with visible injuries, but she chooses to engage Tyrant in a one-on-one fight. She stands up straight even when her flight deck cracks and breaking away then turns to face Nagato.
"Don't just stand there! Fall back with the rest of your fleet. Tyrant and Purifier won't bother going after you" Essex shouts
"Don't be foolish! You won't last ten more minutes" Nagato points out
"You can escape here in less than ten minutes, right?"
"...?!"
"You already lost two shipgirls. Don't wait until everyone else loses their lives"
Essex continues to persuade Nagato to value her fleet's life and abandon someone heavily damaged like her. On the other hand, Tyrant pauses and silently allows them to argue whether to retreat or not as if she is confident that result wouldn't matter.
"I didn't drag my exhausted body just so you could hesitate. Prioritize your allies more than a random stranger like me"
"Your allies are looking for you. The three friends you came with is doing what they can to find you"
"I know that! Which is why I won't let myself die here. I'll just buy enough time before I can make my escape"
"..."
"Just go, damn it! This asshole isn't going to wait forever"
Nagato briefly turns to face Tyrant who looks like she is losing her patience with how Essex continues to pursue Nagato to retreat along with her fleet.
"...All ships, retreat. I repeat! All ships, retreat!"
As soon Nagato radios the order to the rest of the shipgirls, Tyrant sighs in relief and lifts her sword. She is finally done waiting while Essex curves a false confident smile, something so obvious that it couldn't convince Tyrant.
"Hmm. They chose to flee - a logical choice. Did you hear that, Purifier?" Tyrant contacts her accomplice
[Oh, they really are running. Should I pick them off one by one?]
"Let them be. I finished analyzing what I came for"
[Can I just kill one?]
"..."
[...You're so lame]
On the other side, Purifier pouts while she's busy keeping her left from falling off from severing completely. Her right hand is squeezing her barely intact arm while her hammerhead shark-shaped rigging and drones are on standby since Tyrant orders to let them escape.
"Today's your lucky day. That no-fun Tyrant got what she came for" Purifier maniacally laughs
"Oh yeah, what would that be?"
"To scan and pinpoint the breakaway in the flawed field of the isolated dimension - wait, I'm not supposed to say that..."
"No time for chat, Hornet. We gotta bail!" Iowa pulls her away
"Aaaah. She's going chop my head off again..."
Purifier becomes distracted because of her brief moment of carelessly blurting out Tyrant's goal for suddenly attacking a lone island. This opportunity prompts the rest of the Maizuru to retreat while Purifier blankly stares at the bright sky.
"The Maizuru fleet made their escape. Good for you, I suppose..." Tyrant sighs
"You look bored already" Essex jokingly states
"How long is Tirpitz planning to keep it to herself? She's falling apart faster than me" Tyrant frowns
"..."
"...Asking you is pointless. I suppose I have to directly myself" Tyrant lowers her main guns
"Are you going to ditch the fight?"
"Correct. I have no reason to sink you as of the moment. I can't risking that person going after me"
(She's afraid of someone?)
Tyrant spins her weapon as she moves to sheathe it again, sliding the blade down to the scarred on the side of her waist. At the very least, Essex is grateful that Tyrant chooses to ignore her all of a sudden.
"Tell me, why do you continue helping her? I see no benefit in helping Tirpitz achieve her goal"
"I was against it at first, but she was certain to her very core. I saw how she would be willing to go through it for the sake of that one chance - a chance to protect Bismarck and the rest of Iron Blood. There's no way I could look down at her certain wish"
"..." Tyrant listens
"Besides, it should be obvious to why she would accomplish it no matter the cost. It's the least King George V and I can do..."
"You're feeling sorry for her. How...pointless"
"How about you? Why are you going after Tirpitz again? I thought you kind of changed after being slapped back to your senses. Did you get possessed or something?"
"That's none of your business"
Essex responds to Tyrant's question, but the latter harshly refuses to do the same. Instead, she turns her back from Essex, who is displeased with the rudeness and cold attitude.
"There won't be a next time"
Tyrant slightly turns her head just to warn Essex before fleeing the open seas and off to an unknown next destination. If Essex is in her peak condition, she would chase after Tyrant, but every corner of her body is aching and twisting in pain.
"She's so confident when her shield is coming from that giant whale. With her imperfect resurrection, she's weaker than before. Bismarck can take her down for good...before Tirpitz - I'll think about that later. I need somewhere safe to rest"
Essex slaps both of her cheeks to shake off her thoughts. Right now, her priority is find a safe harbor to anchor her ship and rest her heavily injured body. Tyrant is no longer in the area, so Essex can finally take a deep breath and focus on her current state.
"So, you did limp all the way here"
"...!" Essex immediately turns around
"Unfortunately for you, I'm not here to spare you like Tyrant did...Essex"
"Littorio...!"
Of all the shipgirls and the timing, Littorio somehow tracks down Essex and catches her off guard while she briefly recovers from the encounter. The Sardegna Empire battleship places her hand on top of her sword's hilt, mischievously smiling at the anxious and wounded Essex.
Extra
AL Prinz Eugen isn't supposed to be doing as she pleases since on they return to Iron Blood, she will have to face punishment for relaying classified information to the Sirens and deserting her own nation...but right now, she's spending "quality time" with her Kriegsmarine counterpart, who unlike her, is friendly and honest. They're contrasting, personality-wise, but AL Prinz Eugen views KC Prinz Eugen with a teasing curiosity.
"So you see Bismarck as your big sister, and she actually likes it? Hahahaha. If it was my Bismarck, she would have suspended me for a week" AL Prinz Eugen covers her lips with her fingers
"Well, Bismarck-neesan is reliable and good at being a leader...sometimes" KC Prinz Eugen scratches her cheeks
"You know it feels like yesterday we first encountered each other. Back then, you don't know it's me though" AL Prinz Eugen rests her head on her arm
"If anything, I felt like something felt off. I knew you're not just a civilian but not of the Kriegsmarine either
"Aren't you the least uncomfortable that I'm a former traitor of my nation? I also happen to be a notorious liar and backstabber"
"You already surrendered, didn't you? It means you don't want to go against your own allies anymore"
KC Prinz Eugen tilts her head, visibly confused, while AL Prinz Eugen widens her eyes and straightens herself since she doesn't expect that kind of answer from her counterpart. Anyone would be cautious and a bit cold, but KC Prinz Eugen sees no reason to be hostile against a former traitor.
"Are you right in the head? No, it's probably you're just naive" AL Prinz Eugen sighs
"I know that I shouldn't be too friendly with someone who committed treason, but your big sister deeply cares about you even before your surrendered" KC Prinz Eugen warmly smiles
"I shouldn't expect no less from my washboard of a sister. She's sharp-tongued and short-tempered, but she she gets stressed out when something happens to her allies. She keeps scolding at me whenever I endanger myself...but that's why I tease her a lot"
"...You have a strange way of showing your love to your Admiral Hipper" KC Prinz Eugen nervously laughs
"I may not look like it, but I'm actually quite fond of my dear big sister. Not only she's my favorite target of my teasings, but also because of how she cares about everyone" AL Prinz Eugen twirls strands of her bangs
What AL Prinz Eugen says is what she actually thinks of her "tsundere" older sister. To KC Prinz's Eugen surprise, she actually sees fondness in her counterpart's eyes, a rare sight in someone who is rather laid-back and loves to tease others.
"Euugeeennn!"
Admiral Hipper angrily marches to where the two Prinz Eugen are currently sitting and relaxing. Behind her is the worried Mainz since Admiral Hipper is visibly furious and embarrassed. She unfolds the tightly crumpled paper in her hands and slammed it on top of the table where the two Prinz Eugens are sitting.
"Did you seriously just drew a washboard and flight deck with my face on it and distributed it to their destroyers?!" Admiral Hipper shouts
"Of course I did~" AL Prinz Eugen immediately admits
"Then you told them about that one embarrassing time I reminded you to keep a secret?"
"Yes, that too. I even told my cute little counterpart here and she laughed like everyone else" AL Prinz Eugen giggles
"No, I didn't!" KC Prinz Eugen denies
"W-why you-!"
"Calm down, Hipper!"
KC Prinz Eugen immediately stands up to go in between her Iron Blood counterpart and Admiral Hipper. She grabs the furious Admiral Hipper back by holding both of her shoulders. Admiral Hipper on the other hand, angrily flails her arms and snaps the more AL Prinzz Eugen chuckles at her furious state.
"Maybe if you stop complaining on how I didn't surrender earlier, I would stop"
"T-that's because you gave us a hard time going after you! I didn't want to fight my own little sister of all people" Admiral Hipper crosses her arms and averts her gaze
"Why don't you get some ice cream with my adorable counterpart. I heard you let out a happy squeak when you tasted their special parfait"
"...!"
"Aaaaah, let's go get parfait from Mamiya!"
KC Prinz Eugen immediately drags Admiral Hipper before she can snap from AL Prinz Eugen's deliberate teasings. She knows AL Prinz Eugen is getting her entertainment from it, but Admiral Hipper easily gets provoked even if she should be aware how obvious this is. This leaves Mainz and AL KC Prinz Eugen at the scene since the other two slowly fades from their line of sight.
"It looks like you have something to say, or are you still uncomfortable with me?" AL Prinz Eugen relaxes her back on the chair
"We never met before this whole incident, so it's a little...awkward" Mainz sits on the vacant chair
"Do you hate me? Hipper told me about how your the serious and duty-minded type" Prinz Eugen raises an eyebrow
"...I don't completely hate you since Hipper genuinely cares about you to the point she would never fight you even if it kills her. Eugen, I don't believe anyone is truly evil...unless they're Sirens" Mainz admits
"For someone so serious, you're more naive than the other Prinz Eugen" Prinz Eugen sighs
"I'm well aware on how not everyone can change to being good, but I believe you didn't leave Iron Blood out of self-interest"
"You're basing everything out of your own judgement. I guess you lacked the experience in dealing with the ugliness of this world"
"..."
"Well, I do admit I can't truly hate you either. If Hipper trusts you, then that's enough for me"
"I guess we're the same in a way..." Mainz shakes her head
The two of the barely knows each other, but their conversation is the first stop to getting a grasp of each other's personalities. Mainz doesn't historically exist like Prinz Eugen, but the latter secretly views her as some sort of adoptive or half younger sister. Her design is based on the Admiral Hipper class, so she's sort of technically a member of the Admiral Hipper class heavy cruisers.
"Since you're not that bad, I'll give you and Bismarck some advice"
"...?"
"Don't keep your eyes off Littorio. That person is possibly more troublesome than me"
"What's that supposed to mean exactly?"
"I don't know"
Prinz Eugen chuckles as she stands up, immediately ending their conversation. Before she leaves Mainz to realize what those words mean, she suspiciously winks at her before walking away from the scene. Mainz can only blink her eyes in confusion, since she isn't sure whether Prinz Eugen is actually giving her a hint or just teasing her like what she does to Admiral Hipper. The two versions of Prinz Eugen has their moment, so the AL Bismarck and H-39 their moment as well.
"You cannot always wallow in your sadness" AL Bismarck approaches her future self
"Don't you hate me for everything I did? In desperation, I destroyed Tirpitz right in front of you..." H-39 doesn't even look at her
"I have...mixed feelings about your actions, but I don't see you as an enemy or have a desire to cut you down"
Bismarck frees herself of the hatred she feels of any resentment or grudge from when H-39 instantly ends Tirpitz right in front of her eyes. Even if Tirpitz is alive again like Odin, H-39 doesn't believe she should be forgiven so easily.
"If you are my future version, then you should know I don't hold into petty emotions for so long" AL Bismarck sighs
"..."
"I know you've regretted your actions and don't believe you should be forgiven, but I no longer have any grudge against you. You want to apologize to Tirpitz...but you also don't believe she would completely forgive you"
"The memory is still fresh. I could never forget how I cut down the Tirpitz from my timeline...and saw regret and sorrow in her eyes. Tirpitz never hated me for killing her, but she felt deep sorrow knowing her death is the trigger of unleashing Iron Blood's demise"
H-39 stretches her hand and presses her palm on half of her face. Her ruined timeline continues to haunt her and has to live with that regret until the day she finally dies without interruption.
"...I hate myself. That's why I ended up berating and lecturing you back then"
"You wanted to teach me a lesson...by forcing me to experience the diverted timeline" AL Bismarck freely guesses
"Something like that. I just don't want my past to foolishly lead Iron Blood to their demise again. If you hate me and curse me, I wouldn't mind...so long as you avoid making a mistake out of pride again"
"I told you I no longer hate you, but I don't fully understand you"
"..."
"If anything, I want to know what's going on inside your head"
"...All I wanted was a future for everyone in Iron Blood. My future is permanently destroyed, but I want to at least save this one..." H-39 confesses
"Your method will not save Iron Blood. You made me realize how I can only build a future for Iron Blood with everyone. A future built alone will only crumble in futility and frustration" AL Bismarck sits beside her
H-39 doesn'f have the same burning determination and hope as AL Bismarck have, but she faintly smiles when she sees how her past self is learning from her mistake.
"All I wanted was for you to pave a path without regret. I don't want you to lose everything you held dear...because you'll end up a sorry excuse like me"
"I will protect Tirpitz and everyone else in Iron Blood. If I fall for good, then I know Iron Blood will fall into ruins because I am their symbol and pride" AL Bismarck clenches her fist and gazes on it
"...I'll believe you can protect everyone's future...because you are not as alone as you used to think. That's why I won't have any regrets anymore...and hopefully remain dead permanently"
"H-39..."
"Before I die, I will find a way to make amends for my sins. I will make sure of that..."
"How many days do you have left?"
"No longer than four days. I just extended my crumbling lifespan with sheer willpower alone"
H-39 gently clutches her chest just thinking about she knows when she will die. She wishes to permanently die, but she still feels regret over having little time left.
It seems you're not aware on what fate awaits you in the future...