The peace in another world continues...
Iron Blood and the Royal navy are longtime enemies, only for war to make them learn to cooperate over a common treat. Azur Lane is formed with the mutual goal of fending off a threat far more dangerous than humans themselves. The peace they seek lies before their eyes, and Bismarck can finally feel as if a weigh off her shoulders finally breaks free.
"This is a splendid view. Well, anything that isn't a battlefield isn't a splendid view" King George V wholeheartedly laughs
"This peace is hard-fought even if there are mysteries left unsolved" Bismarck takes a deep breath
The two proud battleships and once rivals, can finally sit right next two each other with friendly intentions and ease their worries at the sight of shipgirls frolicking everywhere.
"They say only ten percent of the world's ocean has been explored. I like to believe it means there areas better left untouched" King George V isn't completely sure
"Fearing those deep sea threats? My Kriegsmarine counterpart once mentioned of fearing to peak at the abyss once more" Bismarck remembers a certain someone
"Speaking of Abyss, I remembered the Sirens mentioning an entity that delayed the Leviathans before"
"The Sirens, huh. They should have been rendered extinct believing their means are justified"
"Even if it hurts others including yourself, you will reach for the power you seek. I see now"
King George V doesn't directly refer to anything, but she chuckles in amusement. They both focus on their nations, but King George V easily releases herself to a carefree attitude. She is responsible and diligent, but she learns to balance herself before she mentally and emotionally exhausts her knightly perception.
"By the way, shouldn't you be talking with your sister? She's been more relaxed and less solemn unlike before" King George V winks
"The problem comes in what I should discuss with her. I don't even know what are her basic interests..." Bismarck softly responds
"You can't ask Victorious since you're always distracted with how excitable and loud she is"
"Besides, I want her to spend time with other people first before I could readily speak with her"
"Heh" King George V smirks
"This isn't a big deal of sorts. I don't pester my younger sister like how you joke with Prince of Wales"
In the end, Bismarck refuses to give in to her suggestion and remains patient. Although there's still hesitation in Bismarck, she lightly worries whether it's best to leave Tirpitz on her own or not.
"Go for it, Georgia!"
Not far from where the two are, New Jersey waves both hands high up in the air and cheers for her Eagle Union battleship with all her might. The competition happens to be two battleships: Georgia from the Eagle Union and Iowa from the US Navy. They may be from different worlds and one doesn't exist historically, but their strength is surprisingly equal.
"Nngh!" Both Iowa and Georgia clenches their teeth
Their hands tightly locked against each other and the weight transferred to their arms is beginning to overwhelm a crate used as a makeshift table.
"They're really going at it..." AL Washington wryly smiles
"Doesn't matter. This is actually fun to watch" KC Washington is busy eating popcorn
"Ha! That makes me want to challenge you. You're gaining nothing but fat with all those junk food" KC South Dakota tries to provoke her rival
"Come on now, no rough housing" South Carolina gave a light chop to their heads
She steps between the two battleships and mildly frowns, seeing their rivalry knows no bound. They don't sincerely hate each other, but they would either challenge or argue at each other almost everyday. At least only when they come across each other and merely be in the same place for a whole minute.
(What's with the mature big sister aura...?) KC Washington and South Dakota thinks in unison
"I wonder if there's any tanned shipgirls in your world. Our South Dakota is not only tanned but also keeps talking about being a shield" AL Washington suddenly points out
"How she can be a shield if all she did was be a free target" AL Washington laughs at KC South Dakota
"Why you-"
Before the two could start a heated fight, South Carolina pinches both of their cheeks separates them a few inches from each other. They are both battleships, so they should act mature like the adults that they are.
"Wha-"
The wooden crate finally gives in from the weight of two heavy battleships. The sudden destruction of their makeshift table causes both of them to slip from each other and helplessly crash to the solid ground chest first. Iowa takes less damage due to the cushion of her chest while Georgia nearly damages her strange headpiece.
"Whoa!" New Jersey blinks her eyes
"Let's get a steel table next time..." Georgia dryly laughs
"Agreed!" Iowa grins
"Aw, no one won. Hey, do you want to challenge me two against one?" New Jersey suggests at the two
That version of her doesn't like having an excited moment cut off from her and seems any way to prevent it from fading away uncomfortably. This will leave her uneasy until she finds another source of excitement, so she immediately suggests an immediate challenge.
"My nickname isn't for nothing, you know. Although you're my older sister from another world, I wouldn't lose. Besides, I want to see how strong another Iowa is" New Jersey's eyes sparkle
"Then leave me out of it" Georgia pushes herself up
"Nope. I want a full challenge. Two of you versus the Black Dragon"
New Jersey insists on taking a difficult challenge by having them arm wrestle her two against one without hesitation. One wouldn't think those three are experienced shipgirls who have succeeded countless dangerous missions.
[That's as far as you can go. It looks like I'll leave the scene with the Royal Navy and Iron Blood out this time...] A mysterious voice sighs in dismay
"Hmm...?" Tirpitz lazily opens her eyes
Tirpitz's ship remains anchored in an unnamed island in the Atlantic. She doesn't care the least as her whole ship complete with her last camouflage before her historical sinking and the red cross of Iron Blood swaying by at the highest point. The shipgirl herself is confidently relaxing by the deck, even prepared a table and two chairs for a cup of tea.
"You passed out again when I showed you a dream of a...decent future"
"Oh. Is that so...?"
Tirpitz finds herself in the deck of her own ship, still in her seat and sharing a cup of two with another person. Since she has all the free time in the world, she might as well utilize it like having a peaceful teatime. Awfully enough, the Royal navy shipgirls are the ones usually known to never leave tea in ever afternoon while Iron Blood shipgirls like her are known to be all about beer.
"Eugen is in Italy, but I doubt she's focusing on her task" Tirpitz grabs a book and in front of her and flips a page
"Your companion isn't duty-minded, but she is cunning and resourceful when needed"
A quadrupedal chimera-like creature no bigger than a cat sits by the table itself and...drinks warm tea through a straw. Tirpitz may be from Iron Blood, but the sight of improperly drinking tea reflexively twists a mildly disgusted expression from Tirpitz.
"Living since the beginning of civilization yet you have the manners of a savage" Tirpitz blatantly speaks
"You're being nitpicky like the Royal navy. Is it because of Victorious?" The chimera separates its mouth from the straw
"What only makes you tolerable is the knowledge stored in that library of yours. You've witnessed the rise and downfall all while making the seas as your own home" Tirpitz adds
"Although that's true, I've returned to the abyss when humanity begun exploring the world"
The ancient creature remains the size of its initial form for the obvious reason of conveniently fitting at land and onboard a ship. Its true size dwarfs even the Yamato class and stretches longer than the Iowa class. It pouts while remembering when humanity invents the first wooden shells fitted with cannonballs rather than metallic barrels firing pointed shells.
"I remained in Azur Lane since this world gave way to Abyssals. They've progressed well here until the nuclear tests" The creature grunts
"What are you exactly? You claimed to be a Leviathan, but I feel your true nature...is complicated even for me" Tirpitz slightly leans forward
"My creator knows the stars above the night sky well, Tirpitz. Despite being free, he was with the sunken city. I could never understand why someone like him chose the sea as his home and resting place"
"You're well past your grief and frustration" Tirpitz scoffs
"When I left the sunken city, I continued to observe human civilization. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out as well as I expected...specially that city entombed by lava. The fragile skeletons became encased with stoned-turned lava and subjected to lost history fanatics"
"I can already imagine you peeking by the shore and seeing a volcanic eruption"
Many lives have been lost during that historic moment, yet both sides remain indifferent. There's no reason to mourn strangers who have been swallowed by time itself centuries ago. More importantly, they don't play any significant role in their past lives and future goals.
"Well then, Tirpitz. What is it that you want? You fled to this world after severing your loyalty with Iron Blood. I'm certain it's not revenge you seek" The chimera stands on two hind legs
"I'm not that kind of person, you know. What I need is what's inside that head of yours"
Tirpitz stretches out her hand and gently presses her index finger on the ancient chimera's forehead. Its six eyes all direct its attention to the battleship's finger and tilts its head in full confusion.
"Hmm...you're the last person I know in Azur Lane that would boldly take the initiative. Iron Blood members are blindly loyal to their nation and doesn't question their ideals" The miniature beast narrows its six eyes
"That's you're fault though..." Tirpitz tilts her head
"Ah, that's right. I brought you for my selfish whims"
"What is it that you need from Bismarck? There was no reason to drag me into your mess, but I allowed myself to be used"
"Hmm, how should I put this? In another timeline, I was forced to kill some shipgirls which included you because it was truly necessary. Although I said I killed them, some of their consciousness lingered inside me like Amagi"
The tiny monster grabs its lower jaw with both hands and pulls down to reveal the inside of its empty mouth. Much like its body lacking any features, there's no flesh or blood inside it.
"They were in a dream-like state and freely wandered in an eternal world"
"A long time ago, the people in the north believed death wasn't the end but just a different continuation of their live. It was just they were stripped of their flesh and burden. They were brutes by today's standards, but the have an interesting take in death" Tirpitz faintly smiles in amusement
"What really brought you here? You don't have a particular goal in mind, right?"
"I'm here to pass my time. There's nothing I really want or wish to accomplish. Unlike humans, I'm not born with the craving to reach and consume everything"
"You really don't like people, huh"
"I don't hate shipgirls, but humans disgusts me. My life was only tolerable because I was actually entertained by how shipgirls never ceased to amuse me. Except another version of Bismarck at first. She wanted me dead for killing another version of you"
"I don't care about an alternate timeline where I and several other shipgirls died. My priority is towards Iron Blood"
The tiny creature grits its teeth while Tirpitz only reacts with raising an eyebrow. Although Tirpitz has no deep grudge against humanity, she isn't fond of them either. Her goal primarily concerns Iron Blood even when she decides to go AWOL.
"I need a power that even the Sirens don't understand. That lies within your head... Primordial Abyss"
"That's a ridiculous nickname just because I'm ancient and was born in the depths. My creator gave me a name that translate to this era as Welt or World" The chimera growls in extreme displeasure
"The one who was the world for what it was and will be. No matter whatever wild card shipgirls had, it still meant nothing. There are no accidents, right?"
"Correct. No matter what you or everyone else do, it wouldn't change anything. Even the constant unpredictability of shipgirls was predetermined and taken into account"
"I suppose I can understand why you chose to let that other timeline burn. There was no salvation even if you were to stall the Leviathans to give humanity preparation time"
"They plan to change the future, but that future won't cease. It will always remain among the countless timelines out there and their interference would only divert a new one. The Sirens and the Ashes must be thinking to at least create a chance of a good future even if the previous one cannot be undone"
In the creature's words, it scoffs in dismay with how everyone is pursuing an imperfect happy ending. No matter what they do, the grim future would always remain and the whoever is left there is going to live until the world self-destructs. Timelines cannot be perfectly erased, just split off a different future.
Somewhere in Italy...
Night comes for the land known for their pasta and pizza. As silence spreads all over the vast waters of the Mediterranean sea, Prinz Eugen of Iron Blood narrows her eyes in the darkness. She could use a searchlight to confirm for enemies, but that would be too careless of an outsider shipgirl like her.
"That Tirpitz leaving me to scout for a whale. Wait, would it even fit in these waters?"
Prinz Eugen waves her hand and manifests a projected screen of her modified radar. Normal shipgirl radar wouldn't be able to detect the exact distance of near landmass or also be part sonar.
"What's the purpose of Orochi again? That heroine in a fairytale will destroy it again" Prinz Eugen's complains to herself.
She is unhappy with the Sirens' new project but finds herself tolerating it since she willingly cooperated with Tirpitz rather than face execution back at Iron Blood.
"Maybe we should retrieve that cube in Lerwick first. Someone might take it first right before we know it. No, there isn't a shipgirl Azur Lane shipgirl here... probably. It would take some time for Bismarck to realize Tirpitz is here"
Since there's nothing for her to do again, Prinz Eugen thinks to herself and weighs their priorities. Tirpitz is suspiciously laid-back and confident, so Prinz Eugen has to be the one to worry about their next steps. She's the cunning type and observes the movements of her former allies, so she would assume there's a chance someone else from Azur Lane is present.
[Eugen, have you found anything useful?] Tirpitz contacts her
"Not a single one. How about helping me out?" Prinz Eugen presses the intercom on her ear and frowns
[I will begin preparations soon. The first one being dealing with my weakened condition]
"Your fortunate that nuisance isn't here]
[That's why I sent you there too...]
"What?"
[I learned from Welt that Aurelius dealt with her and kicked her somewhere]
The realization genuinely surprises Prinz Eugen and she reacts with both eyes widened only for her expression to sharpen shortly after. The new briefly renders her speechless only to stir unhappiness in her.
[I don't know if she's there, but we can't be too sure]
"Can you at least deal with that? You're ordering me around like Bismarck"
[...]
"Tirpitz, how are you going to compensate from your current state? Not only you can't win from regular Bismarck, you'd get destroyed by a META one"
[If that META was so strong, how come Iron Blood still fell into ruins?]
"That was your fault, wasn't it? Rather, it's the reason you're here"
[Truth to be told, I have little expectation of the past and the future]
"There's more to it, right?"
[Welt's right. It doesn't really matter in the end, but I'm not the one to sit down and watch. There's something I wish to learn]
"What would that be?"
[About our mental cubes being possibly poisoned. Mine's will succumb to erosion even if it hasn't begun yet]
"..."
[Chapayev was killed not too long ago for that reason, right?]
Tirpitz speaks about her dilemma yet her voice has no worry or even anxiety. Prinz Eugen falls quiet for a moment, internally wondering to whatever thought is going through Tirpitz right now. She isn't afraid or seeking way to avoid it. From one sentence alone, it tells how she has yet to accept or reject her current situation.
[In this timeline, we're imperfectly made. The good-for-nothing humans left a fatal flaw to several shipgirls. No, I think it's a flaw that developed from their oversight. It's like not taking account external factors when creating building a foundation]
"While it looks steady at first, it begins to degrade over time until it couldn't support the rest, right? Is that what's going to happen to you?"
[I'm not certain. I don't have the might of my older sister with how my creation left out natural obedience to Iron Blood]
"Tirpitz, what will happened to you four months from now?"
[Well, we'll have to wait until then... won't we?]
"Please tell me you're not going to get yourself eaten..."
[I won't let Welt eat me. There's also one version of me stuffed inside her head]
"Then you'll have just to force the power of META in you"
[Have you forgotten what would happen if I did that?]
"Oh, right..."
[Anyhow, I have other matters to deal with right now. If there's nothing in Italy, might as well head to France]
After that, Tirpitz ends the communication with a single beep. Prinz Eugen removes her hand from her ear and sighs in dismay once more. Her shoulders dropped and her mood turned lazy from how Tirpitz is ignoring her own well-being and might possibly become reckless.
"France, huh. Hopefully I won't come across the Royal navy allied with Maizuru. They're such a headache, specially that loyal dog of the Warspite here"
Prinz isn't purely annoyed at the thought of shipgirls who might recognize or at least have an idea of her identity. Her strength might have been greatly increased because she's often alone, but she's the type to avoid unnecessary fights as much as possible. The thought of a blindly loyal shipgirl amuses her, specially that it might have a resemblance to certain knights of the Royal navy from Azur Lane.
The next day...
In a coastal town with a forward base not far from it, Prinz Eugen of Iron Blood freely wanders bustling and crowded streets. Tirpitz couldn't risk wandering in crowded places, specially with nearby shipgirl bases, since someone from Maizuru will recognize her. This may be just another excuse to force all the heavy work on Prinz Eugen.
"France, huh. The fractured faction is but a history here since the modern France is whole...and known for their wine and bread"
Prinz Eugen casually relaxes outside a restaurant. Rather than continue with her search, she takes her time to sit down, drink tea, and read the pamphlets for tourists. In the eyes of the local people and other wandering people, she's a strange German who could possibly be a shipgirl judging from her attire. Her appearance catches the attention of passerbys, but they quicjlt turn to another direction the moment nsje glances at them menacingly.
"Why am I looking for a whale when I'm supposed to be looking for that failed copy. It doesn't look like Tirpitz knows her priorities at all..."
Tirpitz is neither foolish nor careless, so Prinz Eugen doesn't understand her decisions lately. She is aware that it would be inevitable to encounter some shipgirls from Azur Lane and possibly be confronted by Bismarck, but she is barely concerned at all.
"Hmm...Akagi can be dealt with using Amagi against her, but that lizard is too soft. Then maybe use Hakuryuu? No, that would be a problem if two Hakuryuus come face to face..."
The problem continues to pile up, and if becomes more difficult for Prinz Eugen to keep their plans intact until the end. There will be changes due to the unpredictable nature of shipgirls who always persist. Her priority is to deal with the likes of Akagi, who will hunt her down if ordered by the commander. Prinz Eugen, annoyed at her inevitable situation, slowly spins her iced tea and let the ice cubes clink and slowly melt from the motion.
"May I sit?"
"What do you - oh, it's you..."
"It's been a while, Prinz Eugen"
The knight captain, King George V surprises her with being present outside Azur Lane. Prinz Eugen tolerates her as much as Prince of Wales, but she's wary of the knight who subtly ready to reach for her blade and wouldn't hesitate to eliminate any threat directed at her.
"Tirpitz is somewhere called the Mariana trench. That ancient sea lizard dove at the depths no humans had reached yet. I came to check if there's something interesting, but she told me I'm better off visiting you" King George V takes a seat
Before Prinz Eugen could agree whether she wants her presence, the battleship immediately grabs a seat and rests her legs after a long journey from another world. King George V greets her with a completely pleasant smile and gentle expression, much to Prinz Eugen's confusion. She's usually always thinking about her duty and rarely act carefree.
"Who knew you'd also be renegade in this timeline too? Did you forget your fate in another timeline?" Prinz Eugen crosses her arms
"By abandoning my knightly principles, I became nothing but a exiled warrior. In another timeline, I tried to do what I believed to be the best for the Royal navy, but it was them who betrayed me. The history here of executing monarchs sure cleared a bit of my confusion"
"The French revolution, I assume. They're known for executing nobles and monarchs a long time ago..." Prinz Eugen faintly laughs
"You could say I had an epiphany. Whatever I did, I felt no content or satisfaction. I was unsatisfied as a knight serving the throne, but I endured it out of my loyalty. My wish to protect the Royal navy drove me to begin straying away from my knightly principles. In the other timeline, the higher ups planned to betray me because they're delusioned from a bygone era. It's when my own sisters wanted to arrest me by force. The other me ended up clashing with them and nearly killing them"
"I see. You wanted to keep growing stronger to protect your nation even if it means not following their standards...but that genuine desire was betrayed. I remembered being told that the Royal navy agreed you're not worthy of your position anymore and deemed you dangerous"
"That's when I realized I was strong and I could get even stronger. By breaking away from the Royal navy that I sharpened my blade to a fine one. At least, in another timeline"
The way King George V states how aware she is of her fate in another timeline is puzzling Prinz Eugen. Others would be conflicted on whether to follow the path or struggle against it, but King George V's pleased smile hints that she's following the former instead. Prinz Eugen is not the one to scold her about planning on diverting her path, but she's urged to speak about it.
"You're still loyal to the Royal navy, so why ally with the sea lizard? I know you don't like or even trust the Sirens at all since you're a shipgirl"
"I'm a still a shipgirl, you say? Well, I'm essentially still a shipgirl, but..."
"What happened?"
"Certain unworthy officials planned to dispose of me since I'm digging into their secrets. They wanted to make the other knights be at fault to prevent them from investigating. Although they managed to kill me with the help of two Arbiters, I was miraculously revived when I thought my cube was destroyed"
"How - wait, I think I have an idea..." Prinz Eugen shakes her head
"Using the knowledge lost in time, my existence was reattached to this world. Then without hesitation, I cut those humans down and disposed them somewhere. Till to this day, the Royal navy believed it was a gas leak that killed them"
"...That was you"
The explanation and brief revelation shuts Prinz Eugen's mouth for a whole minute, still doubting whether to believe someone blindly loyal like King George V would think of pointing her sword at her superiors. It's understandable since not even loyalty can forgive betrayal, specially someone like her who solely wishes to protect the Royal navy even if it means going against them.
"I followed my code, so I decided to follow that so-called ancient sea lizard"
"Why?"
"I'm indebted to her. Not only she revived me and helped me get my revenge, she tweaked a bit of my mental cube. Although I no longer have the potential of Cognitive Awakening, I broke free of my human limitations. This way, I could counter threats too difficult for my allies" King George V admits and also accepts
"Wales isn't going to like this. You wanted to protect your allies even if it means discarding yourself as a knight. I think you saw something you shouldn't"
"I did. It was a future devastated by a failed copy of Enterprise, one that not even Ash couldn't get rid of. That copy was born from an ancient mental cube from the same creator of that lizard. They used it in hopes of making another ace against the Leviathans, but it lacked humanity and turned against them" King George V shrugs her shoulders
"You wanted to defeat it...or her. Even if you reach the level of META, defeating someone like that is still impossible. You have to throw her in the void to eliminate her" Prinz Eugen warns her
"Well, it might end up different. This one was secretly created earlier and was stolen by a certain someone. Then she was thrown into this world and the Royal navy here found its dormant cube"
"Codename: H-39, a prototype of the H-class. You should target her first"
"Ahahaha! So that certain someone is here too, huh. If she's the same as Ash and Ember, then she'd be a worthy foe to test my newly gained power"
"What you got was a blackened mental cube though..."
Prinz Eugen would be more concerned if it's Prince of Wales, but King George V is another source of concern being the older sister. She barely cares with the issue in the Royal navy, but she already senses King George V is a wild card that's both a useful asset and trouble. Either way, her strength is needed for now even if she has her own agenda and doesn't want to let the Royal navy be destroyed.