They're on the move now...
Arbiter IX: Hermit couldn't help but burst out laughing and echoes throughout the eerily silent and mostly vacant room. Tirpitz sits in one corner with both eyes closed, clearly not interested both in their topic or whatever their schemes are while Arbiter III: Empress rolls her eyes, displeased with the behavior of her fellow Arbiter.
"Azur Lane's runts finally came here. I heard that obsolete battleship Mikasa is after the Sirens collecting Orochi's parts while dear old Bismarck found out her little sister is in this world" Hermit briefly glances at Tirpitz
Despite Bismarck's confirmed appearance and location in the current world, Tirpitz doesn't show the slightest concern. There's no reason to mask her concern when she doesn't have one to begin with, slightly irritating Hermit.
"Bismarck and the rest are separated, so that will buy us some time" Empress scoffs
"Akagi and Shoukaku encountered two shipgirls from the Maizuru. It's only a matter of time before they regroup" Tirpitz opens her eyes
"Then why not crush them already? It's easy to take care of Bismarck if Tirpitz shows up to make her vulnerable" Hermit angrily points at Tirpitz
"Unfortunately, that's easier said than done. Rather than weaken Bismarck, it will anger her. The fact that her sister who disappeared six months ago is working with the Sirens. Not to mention, I'm using someone else's power as my own"
"Speaking of that borrow power, where did it originate? I can distinguish it's from this world, yet it's abstract"
Tirpitz has yet to display this borrowed power as she isn't taking an active role lately, but Arbiter IX: Hermit suspects of a possible threat since she couldn't distinguish it with an unknown force shielding its true nature.
"According to my contract, I'm not allowed to confess under our current circumstances" Tirpitz shrugs her shoulders
"Contract? This is the first time I heard it" Empress rests her head on her left arm
"Everything comes with a price. In order to gain something, you must lose something. That is... equivalent exchange"
"Is that referring to how you obtained your borrowed power?" Empress curiously raises and eyebrow
"My benefactor is quite an eccentric person but an entertaining one. Although she's difficult to deal with, I agreed to form a contract"
"What's this contract exactly?"
"I stay true to my word" Tirpitz presses her index finger in her lips
Unfortunately for the two Sirens, Tirpitz firmly refuses to elaborate the contract she has just revealed as part of the same contract she signed with an unknown party. The firm and dead serious sharpness in Tirpitz's eyes only makes Empress curious to what's important about the contract that she's not allowed to speak it.
"Rather than me, Orochi's wreckage is more important. Once someone like Akagi finds out about Orochi, I'm not going to return unscathed" Tirpitz waves her left hand
"Oh yeah, she wasn't too happy that we used her beloved Amagi to manipulate her. People emotionally attach themselves and drown in regret once that attachment is torn" Hermit scoffs, mocking humanity's value to emotions
"The same trick won't work twice knowing that psychotic fox, but still...the one we will use to bind Orochi. I don't think it's a bright idea considering she's technically a failed recreation" Tirpitz points out the risk
"We'll know once we reactivate her mental cube. A piece of it is in the possession of the Royal navy after an H project battleship handed it over to them"
Empress displays a map of Europe and zooms it somewhere near Norway, to Tirpitz's surprise and excitement. The location is displayed by the pulsing dot, specifically in a naval base with several Royal navy shipgirls stationed.
"This brings me back. Isn't that place near where I-" Hermit smirks
"A certain someone isn't going to be too happy to see you" Tirpitz sighs
"Right now, what we should focus is diverting those shipgirls away from our goal"
(Good grief. To think abiding by the contract is more tedious than I thought. Hopefully, it will be worth all the trouble...)
Tirpitz lightly shakes her head, already mentally exhausted with her current situation as an accomplice of the Sirens and someone bound to an unspecified contract. Her uninterested expression displays how even the Sirens' goals aren't her top priority, but she is in a situation where she is forced to go along with it.
Solomon islands...
KC Akagi serves freshly brewed tea to both the Sakura Empire aircraft carriers Akagi and Shoukaku. So far, they are the first pair to immediately and successfully meet up with some members of the Maizuru fleet while the locations of the others remain unknown.
"This has been an awful start of our trip"
AL Akagi's ears twitch when she gently places the steaming cup of Japanese tea near her nose in order to relax her irritated and stressed nerves. Not only she is stuck with the least person she can get along with, someone managed to stealthily sabotage her and everyone else.
"This isn't just a rumor anymore. The shipgirls of your world are really here"
The Kriegsmarine's Bismarck, who is leaning by a wall with her arms crossed, clearly expresses her disbelief. Her fear of the Sirens getting involved again becomes more likely now with the confirmed involvement of Azur Lane.
"I honestly didn't think we'd meet again this way. What brings you two to our world? I heard from CarDiv 05 that you and your allies are on a mission" KC Akagi gently asks
"The Siren's toy Orochi broke apart thanks to combined efforts, but they intend to gather its pieces again for an unknown reason. Even a separate group of Sirens are looking for them" AL Akagi frowns
"The Sirens again. Looks like another conflict is bound to stir" KC Akagi sadly sighs
"You said you came here with several more shipgirls" Bismarck approaches them
"That's correct. Our group is lead by both our Bismarck and Mikasa, but the gateway to this world malfunctioned and pulled us violently. As a result, we were flung and separated upon arrival" AL Akagi confirms
"This isn't good. If the others are scattered, then it's likely they have been spotted by other shipgirls asked from our fleet"
"I really hope nothing happens to Zuikaku. Knowing her, she would fight to the bitter end rather than be apprehended out of suspicion" AL Shoukaku bites her thumb
Both Akagi and Shoukaku from the Sakura Empire have been spared early thanks to an unlikely encounter with friendly shipgirls from the Maizuru fleet, but it only worries the two since the rest are somewhere unknown. They don't even know if they're safe or in grave danger.
"In this case, we need the help of the Royal navy, namely the ones working with Warspite. Our fleet alone can't cover a large area to search for them" KC Akagi worries
"Gangut and Tashkent is in the far north while Nelson and the others are in their country. We can cover a lot of ground for the time being" Bismarck confidently nods
"Mikasa, Bismarck, King George V, Admiral Hipper, Saint Louis, Zuikaku, Littorio, and Sovetskaya Rossiya. They are the others who are with us" AL Shoukaku counts with her fingers
"Our Bismarck is only here because she found evidence that her Tirpitz is working with the Sirens after disappearing for six months while Mikasa is after Orochi's wreckage that the Sirens are collecting for an unknown reason. I'm only here because I won't allow the Sirens to rebuild Orochi"
Although Mikasa and Bismarck have different goals for entering in the current world, their mutual goal is the Sirens who hold the answers to their mysteries while Akagi has little interest with the answers and only focusing on directly destroying their plans.
"..." Bismarck lowers her head
"I never expected the traitor to come from Iron Blood itself. Then again, Prinz Eugen proved herself to be a traitor by leaking information to Arbiter III: Empress. The reason why she betrayed her own nation is out of the option now because she's dead...but Tirpitz remains alive" AL Akagi smirks
"She disappeared without saying the real reason, but she was trying to tell the other me something" Bismarck clenches her fist
"Bismarck's little sister isn't the type to take the initiative, so something certainly pushed her to act out of the ordinary"
"This Orochi is a weapon that can potentially kill shipgirls, so why would Tirpitz help them rebuild it?"
"I'm not the right person to ask since I never bother learning the motives of traitors and threats to both the Sakura Empire and my beloved commander. Once we found our world's Bismarck, go bother her with your questions" AL Akagi scoffs
More than anyone, it would Iron Blood's Bismarck who can deduce to why Tirpitz had to disappear six months ago and work alongside the Sirens ever since. AL Akagi briefly sneaks a glance at Bismarck and narrows her eyes upon seeing clear hesitation that she would carry even in battle.
(Both Bismarcks are the same. Neither of them would be able to kill Tirpitz. Then I have to put down the traitor myself...)
If she were to openly reveal her intentions, it's clear that everyone present would be heavily against killing a fellow shipgirl, but Akagi wouldn't hesitate to sink someone who would side the Sirens without hesitation.
"Good grief. I wanted to end this mission as fast as possible, but this little problem...caused more trouble than I thought. When we should be destroying Orochi's wreckage, we ended up finding the others scattered all over the world"
AL Akagi couldn't restrain her frustration over the delay caused by malfunctioned gateway and openly complained, making the others silently yet awkwardly listening her ranting.
"I need some fresh air..." AL Akagi angrily storms off
"Hey, senpai! Akagi!"
AL Shoukaku shakes her head and follows the impatient fox who is heading to the wharf. As a result, Bismarck shrugs her shoulders when the other Akagi turns to her as if gesturing for an explanation.
"To think they actually outsmarted me that easily" AL Akagi clicks her tongue
"I understand this situation is annoying, but you're overreacting" AL Shoukaku points out
"Doesn't your bird brain understand this situation?" Akagi stops in her tracks
Akagi cautiously turns to scan all directions before stopping in one corner, assuring no one is around to both see and hear their conversation.
"What do you mean?" Shoukaku is completely clueless
"We're sabotaged by another shipgirl, and that shipgirl may be among the ones in this world" Akagi softly speaks
"There's no way one of us sabotaged us. Why would a shipgirl betray another?"
"It's impossible for the Sirens to cause the malfunction. Someone who is in the scene had to tamper it. That means there's either one or more filthy traitors among our ranks. Well, they won't see the light of day again once I find out who it is"
"No...way. A shipgirl betraying her fellow shipgirls? That's completely absurd"
Shoukaku slowly steps back and continues to deny of a strong possibility that there is a traitor among them.
"If there's a traitor then, the Sirens already know we're here and possibly picking the others who are separated. Then...Zuikaku...no, no, not Zuikaku"
The fear of losing Zuikaku without her by her side sinks in Shoukaku, almost sending her into despair. Zuikaku is strong and competent, but she is still an impulsive little sister who never backs down from any opponent. Shoukaku's lips shake while Akagi cross her arms in dismay, seeing Shoukaku quick to be pressed on by her own emotions.
"If the goal of the Sirens are to shove us out of the way, then they separated all of us to buy time. There's a chance they're ignoring the others and continuing gathering Orochi's parts" AL Akagi groans and sighs
"But still..."
"I will not allow them to rebuild Orochi. They have yet to pay for using Amagi-neesama to manipulate me. I'll test apart their little toy for good!" Akagi burns with deep rooted bloodlust
"You're so focused on destroying Orochi that we don't even know why they're making this much effort over a failed project"
"If you hadn't learned anything from humans, the Sirens found a way to improve Orochi or simply saw that even as parts, it could be useful for new dangerous toys. The worst case scenario is if they managed to synchronize it with a mental cube as its core. If they figured out what's wrong with that piece of junk, then I don't think we can easily blast it to pieces again"
Right now, Akagi is completely unsure to the true goal of the Sirens wasting their time searching for a destroyed weapon's parts in another world. As much possible, Sirens are both efficient effective in their tasks, yet Akagi sees this as tedious and more trouble than it's worth. She doesn't rule out the possibility that the Sirens figured out the proper way to utilize Orochi, so it won't be easily destroyed again.
A Royal navy base somewhere...
A furious heavy cruiser, arrested and detained by the shipgirls of the Royal navy, screams at the top of her lungs. She curses and swears the shipgirls who is keeping her in the room while her wrists are handcuffed. Ark Royal is both bewildered and terrified at the terrible temper of their suspect while Prinz Eugen bites her lower lip before she could burst out laughing.
"Just who is this...angry heavy cruiser?"
Prinz Eugen points beyond the large one-sided glass that is always used in interrogation rooms by the police.
"While we're having regular patrols on our waters, she suddenly appeared on our radar. We don't know what's up with her, but she fired at us. Since she's a shipgirl, we have to subdue her" Ark Royal summarizes
"She's a feisty one..."
"To think one heavy cruiser fights back against a patrolling fleet without hesitation"
"She looks German, but I'm certain she isn't part of the Kriegsmarine. I haven't been informed of new shipgirls aside from the H-class battleship"
"The thing is..."
Ark Royal and Prinz Eugen continues to observe from the outside while Admiral Hipper grits her teeth, frustrated at her current situation. Not only she is alone in an unknown country, she is immediately detained by the shipgirls.
"Damn this! This is supposed to be a normal mission..."
Just like the others, Admiral Hipper is separated after a possible sabotage to the gateway to the current world. Unfortunately for her, she isn't flung in the same sea as another shipgirl compared to the first two pairs who safely reached the world.
"I have to get out of here and find-"
As Admiral Hipper mutters her only course of action, Prinz Eugen slowly opens and the doors and first peaks her head in as if to not startle the detained Iron Blood yeah cruiser.
"H-hello" Prinz Eugen shyly enters and waves her hand
"You don't look like the one who arrested me" Admiral Hipper narrows her eyes
"I'm not part of the Royal navy"
"Royal navy? You mean the Royal navy with Warspite, King George V, and that annoying Glasgow" Admiral Hipper stands up
"Y-yeah, that Royal navy"
Prinz Eugen slowly takes her seat while Admiral Hipper seemingly calms down and becomes curious instead upon learning of the other Royal navy.
"Although I'm not part of the Royal navy, I'm an allied shipgirl. You're a shipgirl too, right?"
"I am Admiral Hipper, a heavy cruiser from Iron Blood. I need to speak to someone from Maizuru naval district or something"
"Iron Blood? Ah! I knew it!"
Prinz Eugen lights up in joy, immediately recognizing the word "Iron Blood" almost immediately while Admiral Hipper leans back, surprised to what could she be so happy about.
"You're from Azur Lane, right? Months ago, we met your world's Tirpitz and some of our allies were stuck to your world for about a week"
"Wait...are you from..." Admiral Hipper's voice shakes
"I am Prinz Eugen, a Kriegsmarine heavy cruiser stationed at Maizuru naval district"
"Maizuru naval district?! Finally - wait, you're this world's Prinz Eugen?!"
When Admiral Hipper should be glad that she's fortunate enough to encounter someone from Azur Lane from Maizuru naval district, she is indeed more focused at the revelation that the one in front of her is the counterpart of the Prinz Eugen she used to know.
"Don't screw with me!" Admiral Hipper fraises her voice
"H-heh?" Prinz Eugen blinks in confusion
"I mean you look so cutely innocent. You're the goody-two-shoes kind!" Admiral Hipper angrily points out
(What's up with her?) Prinz Eugen is utterly confused right now
"There's no way you're Prinz Eugen. I mean the one I know keeps taunting me and doesn't act like a cute little sister"
"I don't know what kind of person is your Prinz Eugen, but I'm the Prinz Eugen of this world. It shouldn't be a surprised that we only share origin and name..."
"..."
Admiral Hipper suddenly falls quiet and lowers her head, immediately turning the atmosphere awkward without warning. Just a few seconds ago, Admiral Hipper is completely shocked that she meets the Prinz Eugen from the Kriegsmarine but falls into a depressed-like state.
"Is there something wrong?"
"...Damn it. I'm just reminded that my Eugen is gone...after she went and destroyed herself..." Admiral Hipper clenches her fist
(I feel like being here only made her feel bad. I didn't even do anything...!)
"To think I'd miss hearing her laugh at me and say my name in a sarcastic tone. Why did that idiot killed herself rather than surrender...?"
"..."
The loss remains fresh in Admiral Hipper's heart and even though Prinz Eugen isn't aware of the whole event, she can't deny the longing and regret in Admiral Hipper, who is desperately holding her tears.
"...!"
To Admiral Hipper's surprise, Prinz Eugen gently reaches out her hand and pets her head, an instinctive response seeing her burdened by sorrow that won't leave her after all this time. Admiral Hipper may not know Prinz Eugen, but her gentle touch and kind expression adds reasons to hold back the tears on the edge of her eyes.
"S-sorry. That's what my sisters do when I feel really bad about myself" Prinz Eugen immediately pulls her hand back upon realization
"H-Hmph! I'll let it pass just this once since you had to see an annoying side of mine" Admiral Hipper puffs her chest
"..." Prinz Eugen notices
"W-what are you looking at me chest?!" Admiral Hipper immediately wraps her hands around her chest
"Nothing!"
On the other side just outside the room, Nelson giggles at the sight of Prinz Eugen being immediately friendly with the suspect who is actually Admiral Hipper from the world of Azur Lane.
"I was about to walk in and tell them about Akagi and Shoukaku from the Sakura Empire meeting some of our allies and confirming more shipgirls being lost too, but I don't want to ruin the mood" Nelson giggles
"We want found another one, but we have more lost shipgirls from Azur Lane" Ark Royal sighs
"Gangut and the others should be informed by now to let them know about this complicated situation. There's a chance they spotted someone from Azur Lane. Since just like their Akagi and Shoukaku, they popped out in the middle of the sea" Nelson crosses her arms
"The Sirens have come to our world again and it seems they're collecting pieces of some sort. From what I was told, it's a weapon that's previously destroyed"
"It doesn't makes sense to rebuild something that was easily destroyed by shipgirls, but they have another scheme in mind for sure" Nelson frowns
There's a high chance that they may be up against more dangerous enemies compared last time, specially at that fact the Sirens are rebuilding an destroyed weapon in their world. Right now, Nelson and Ark Royal's attention are shifted to Admiral Hipper crying and complaining to why Prinz Eugen keeps noticing her chest albeit unintentionally.
Naval base in New Siberia...
In the northern part of Russia, Gangut and Tashkent are currently back in their motherland, but some comrades from the Maizuru naval district are present as well. What annoys Gangut right now isn't the unnecessary company of their other comrades but the green cat stuffed in empty barrel while Tashkent prepares to fill it with sent cement.
"Who do you think you are barging into our waters? You're not human, so you're not an ally" Gangut cracks her knuckles
"W-wait! I'm just a friendly cat from the Sakura Empire, nya!" Akashi stands up and raises both hands
"You have cat ears and tail. Mind explaining that?"
"It's common among the Sakura Empire. Akashi is not an enemy, nya!"
"Could this be the Akashi from Azur Lane. We met the Tirpitz from that world, right? Besides I just received word earlier about the Sirens and the shipgirls from Azur Lane" Tashkent whispers to Gangut
"What is a repair ship doing in Russian territory by herself? A non-combatant shouldn't be alone this far, right?"
Gangut grabs Akashi by the head and pulls her out of the barrel like a toy being picked up in an arcade machine. The scammer cat continues to tremble in fear with her tail between her legs, seeing Gangut is completely suspicious of her.
"I'm not supposed to be here. I was accidentally dragged when their machine malfunctioned, nya" Akashi insists
"Machine?"
"Some of my allies from Azur Lane are following the Sirens here, but we got pulled when the portal to this world malfunctioned. I was dragged in too as a result, nya" Akashi continues to explain
"...You know we've been informed that Akagi, Shoukaku, and Admiral Hipper have been found by our allies and told us more of them are here. Although they didn't mention Akashi being part of the group" Gangut continues to be suspicious
"I told you I was unintentionally dragged here too. My job is to do business and repairs, not fighting! I may be a cat, but I don't have nine lives, nya!" Akashi shouts at the top of her lungs
"She's too scared to lie, comrade. Let's just bring her back to Maizuru to confirm"
Tashkent taps Gangut's shoulders, convinced that Akashi is likely to tell the truth rather than lie. It's logical thinking how a repair ship like Akashi wouldn't even think of joining a dangerous mission to another world without combatant allies.
"How are we going to smuggle her out? Kirov and the others would suspect" Gangut whispers
"Stuff her in a suitcase or something? She's small, isn't she?" Tashkent shrugs her shoulders
"You're going to kill me before I reach - what's that, nya?"
Akashi's attention is suddenly shifted to shipgirls like Washington and Hornet observing the fairies transport what seems to be wreckage from an unknown ship. She narrows her eyes at the scrap metal secured by chains and being towed away, only to widen her eyes in horror.
"Don't stuff it away, nya!"
Akashi immediately rushes to the shipgirls dragging the wreckage to a nearby warehouse, her escape catching Gangut and Tashkent by surprised. Tashkent drops her jaw in disbelief when Akashi flees in a speed that could rival her.
"That's part of Orochi. It's not something you would throw in a scrapyard!" Akashi climbs on the secured haul
"A cat?" Washington scratches her head
"Orochi?" Hornet does the same
"Hey, what's gotten into you?!" Gangut runs after her
"This was part of Orochi, a weapon the Sirens built before. It was destroyed and some of its parts were scattered by an unknown enemy, nya"
"A Siren weapon?!"
"It's what Akagi and the others are looking for, nya? If they rebuild it here and improve it, your world won't stand a chance, nya!" Akashi desperately flails her arms
"Hey, what's this talk about a weapon?" Washington is visibly concerned
"It's the reason why they're here. They want to know why the Sirens are bothering finding Orochi. Please take me to where the Sakura's Akagi right now, nya!"
Fearing for what's to come, Akashi jumps down the wreckage and loudly pleads to Gangut while shaking and wrinkling her sleeves.
"It can't be helped. If it's that important-"
Just as Gangut makes the decision out of fear for this supposed Siren weapon, a loud explosion rocks everyone in the base. One explosion follows two more, then three more until the numbers keeps increasing the noise gradually growing closer.
"Enemy attack! Unknown entities suddenly appeared within the shore and took out onshore defenses!" Shigure immediately warns them
"Shit! This is the worst timing" Gangut grunts
"No time to lose. Let's make them regret coming here!"
Washington runs first and the rest follows shortly, leaving Akashi by the secured wreckage with the sudden emergency. She isn't a combatant, so she clearly doesn't need to follow them, but she is unsure to what to do now.
"This is really bad, nya!" Akashi paces back and forth
The fact that they have a piece of Orochi in possession means the Sirens would retake it to rebuild Orochi. Akashi witnessed Orochi before and only the combined effort of everyone from Azur Lane that the supposed powerful weapon is completely destroyed.
"Even if they collect Orochi, it won't be complete. How can they reassemble this piece of junk anyway?"
Akashi musters enough courage to poke a piece of Orochi with her bare hands and sighs in relief that the piece is completely harmless as it is. Right now, it's just a piece of metal from a destroyed massive ship powered by a black mental cube.
"That's no longer your concern"
"...?!"
A familiar voice jolts Akashi and causes her to freeze right where she stands. Slow rhythmic footsteps approaches the scene and Akashi forces her head to slowly turn while she's paralyzed with an unknown fear.
"T-T-Tirpitz?!" Akashi stumbles on her rear
"I have to thank the shipgirls here for making my search easier. I've been finding the pieces myself for a while now, you know"
Tirpitz approaches the piece secured by chains and gently wipes away the dust of the large broken hull. The large piece may be progress, but Orochi is a massive ship and a lot of its parts are still scattered everywhere.
"Don't tell me...you're with the Sirens" Akashi swallows her breath
"As part of my contract, I have to work with the Sirens even if it's annoying. I don't want to betray my older sister, but I have to help them collect Orochi"
"Why would you this? Bismarck cared about you, nya!"
"I know. Isn't that why she's here to begin with? She knows I'm here, so she didn't hesitate to follow. To think a group would actually come here and my sister agreeing to tag along" Tirpitz chuckles
"How do you know that?"
"Who knows...?"
Tirpitz shifts her attention to a ripple opening near them. Akashi crawls aways when Siren Scavengers emerge out of it and immediately proceeds to anchor the piece with them.
"Tell the Empress I will be heading to Norway soon to collect another one and to prepare the Hydra Prototype"
One of the Sirens silently nods as the rest of them pull the ship's piece into the ripple with them and disappears in mere seconds.
"If Orochi is rebuilt, we may not be able to easily destroy it again, nya!" Akashi reminds Tirpitz
"How annoying - both shipgirls and Sirens. This is why..." Tirpitz grunts
"...?"
"I have faith to everyone in Azur Lane. That's why I entered this contract"
"What contract, nya?"
"That's none of your concern as well"
Tirpitz raises her hand and snaps to the right, sending Akashi flying to the direction where she moves her hand. An invisible blunt force strikes Akashi right to her skull and throws right to the wall, showing enough restraint to not kill her.
"I believe they can overcome this obstacle as well. If it's them, then a future is possible. You know this too, right...?"
Rather than speaking to the unconscious Akashi, Tirpitz lightly turns her head around and actually refers to an unknown person who is ominously and completely silently standing right behind her.
"This better be worth the trouble. The contract I mean..."
Whoever it is remains silent even when Tirpitz is gradually displaying hostility, but they curve a faint smile in her lips. This only annoys Tirpitz, who is the one forced to put effort and move without being distracted. Tirpitz shakes her head and quickly leaves the scene while that unknown figure disappears as soon as Tirpitz takes one last glance before exiting through a ripple as well.
Meanwhile...
Hornet's aircraft are dropping like flies against the superior numbers of Siren aircraft and their advanced technology. They can barely push back the Sirens after they hurriedly intercept them before they destroy the rest of the base.
"Hahahaha! Would you look at that? Did you touch and active piece of that experimental mental cube?"
The Siren Omitter tightly grabs Tashkent's left arm and forcibly raises her arm. She lowers the destroyer's left sleeve and inspects her wrist and forearm, grinning at the sight of reddish vein-like scars running from her the tip of her fingers to her forearm.
"I'm surprised you didn't lose your arm in the process, but from the looks of it...this part is partially numb now. A little more and it could have been paralyzed" The Siren Omitter giggles
"Y...You...!"
Tashkent, heavily injured, coughs out blood and unable to break free from the Siren's grasp. If Omitter wishes it, she could end Tashkent who is like a rat squeezed in a trap.
"Hey, want me to rip off your arm? It's not like the effects are reversible, you know" Omitter tightly squeezes Tashkent's arm
"Ggh!"
"That kind of energy is obviously hazardous to shipgirls, you know. It's like radiation that burns you from the inside out"
"What do you want from our world, you filthy creature?"
"You have to find out for yourself. I'm done buying time anyway"
Omitter carelessly tosses the weakened and bleeding Tashkent to the side before she jumps back. Light shines on her back because a golden ripple forms right behind her. The other Sirens slowly makes their retreat, also summoning a ripple from behind and exiting through it.
"If you weaklings can't defend a small force, then lets see you par with a weapon of our own. Iron Blood isn't the only one with razor sharp beasts, you know"
Confident, the Siren Omitter warns them of a possible assault much like this one but using a weapon of their own instead. She winks and bids farewell to Tashkent still coughing out blood and Gangut who is rushing to her direction.
"Hey, you-!"
Unfortunately for Gangut, Omitter swiftly jumps back and evades the incoming shells before sinking into the bright ripple and disappearing both her rigging and her main body.
"Tashkent, are you alright?" Gangut helps her stand back up
"She broke my bones, namely three of my ribs" Tashkent coughs again
"Thank goodness she didn't kill you"
"She knows about what happened to my arm. Comrade, we need answers from those shipgirls from Azur Lane. The Sirens are going to involve our world again" Tashkent presses her side where her ribs are broken
"We shouldn't be too relaxed if they are really going to be rebuild one hell of a weapon"
Gangut looks behind her and see the injuries everyone suffered from what looks like a feigned attack since the Sirens retreat before they could cause a single casualty. The sudden attack and retreat is just a small part of their plans and only the ones from Azur Lane can guess what they are planning to do next.