What is it you wanted?
The field around Tirpitz is simple yet peaceful. What unfolds right before her eyes is the exact recreation of Azur Lane main base with shipgirls form various nations strolling around with the most cheerful and content smile on their face.
"Is this what they call a - Are you trying to comfort me?" Tirpitz shakes her head
"No, this has always been here. It's like I'm trying to keep reliving the only time I was happy" A shipgirl with flowing snow white hair and dull azure eyes immediately replies
"Ironically, it was you who took their happiness"
"I am a Leviathan. By instinct, I am an enemy of humans and Sirens. Although I'm expendable in the eyes of my brethren and an enemy to be killed by humanity, Amagi was the only one who held my hand and never abandoned me"
"Is that why you have that ghostly fox form?" Tirpitz raises an eyebrow
"That's a result of merging with Amagi's consciousness. She's the only reason why I'm tamed compared to when I first woke up"
"I see. No wonder why you aren't killing more shipgirls in other timelines. Fortunately for you, Ash stopped chasing you"
"She saw that I gained a reasonable personality and believed I would fight with humanity for the sake of Amagi"
"...I wish I could see the ending" Tirpitz scoffs
The voices of the shipgirls, who doesn't seem to be aware of their presence, are faint and nothing but echoes. Both Tirpitz and the nameless Leviathan pays little mind to it and simply enjoys the bright afternoon without the slightest disturbance.
"I'm not as mighty or notable like my sister. My body won't be able to get a hold of you for long" Tirpitz removes her cap
"You're aware of that yet you took the risk..." The Leviathan is genuinely sorrowful
"I don't want a fate of being set aside and be forgotten again. At the very least, I wanted to do something for Iron Blood"
"Everyone has their tragedy. Yours is your loneliness and helplessness"
"..." Tirpitz briefly closes her eyes
"Why didn't you at least speak with Victorious. She's your friend, isn't she?"
"That's because she'll find out..."
"She'll find out either way"
"..."
"For an unsociable person, you're quite the caring one. This remind me on that time I was unfrozen in the north and I ended up killing you"
The Leviathan in the shape of an indistinguishable human casually speaks about a certain regret. Tirpitz frowns how calm the Leviathan is talking about Tirpitz's death when anyone would at least hesitate or express awkwardness. Then again, the one beside her isn't the least human, just possessing emotions and consciousness similar to one.
"Tirpitz, do you want to see the rest of it?" The Leviathan's voice turns solemn
"It?"
"The memory you avoided to witness the ending"
"Ah, that..." Tirpitz sights
"So would you like to finish what we started?"
"Fine. It's not like I can avoid it forever..."
The Leviathan then gently places her cold right hand on Tirpitz's shoulder and the peaceful scenario in front transforms into a horrific one. She has Tirpitz witness how an Iron Blood forward base is engulfed in flames and swallows the sky with suffocating black smoke. The sea near the base is now littered with the debris from humanoid and mass produced Siren ships.
"The world grew dark. I see...then my eyesight had completely ceased to function"
A mildly burned and heavily wounded Tirpitz weakly lifts her right arm and gently presses the area just below her dulled icy blue eyes. She gently rubs her cheek and wryly smile when the already dark surroundings is engulfed in complete darkness.
"Then there's the fact I don't have a left arm anymore. I suppose this is when I whine on how I lacked strength like everyone else..." Tirpitz clutches her severed arm covered by her cape
Her breathing is already growing weak and she has little strength to stand up anymore, so she remains kneeling on the sea. No Iron Blood shipgirl would kneel and surrender to their fate, but Tirpitz has no energy to spare for trivial things such as pride and honor.
"Bismarck..."
The nameless Leviathan in the form of a ghostly fox with multiple tails manifests right before Tirpitz.
"Heh..."
Tirpitz can no longer see the faintest light or any form of her surroundings, but she has yet to go deaf. The moment she hears the soft yet growling voice, she could distinguish that's it's neither a shipgirl nor a Siren. In her thoughts, it's a enormous monstrosity bearing its fangs at her.
"Unfortunately, she isn't here. You're far too north, whatever you are. The only one here is the younger sister an inch close to death" Tirpitz dryly laughs at herself
"You don't want to die, do you?" The Leviathan lowers its head
"..." Tirpitz immediately falls silent
"You wan to live, but you know clinging to hope only closes you to despair"
"...Yeah. I told an annoying aircraft carrier I'd accept her invitation next time. She even said she won't forgive me if I don't come..." Tirpitz immediately admits
"..."
"I don't want to die, but what would I get from believing in miracles? It's so conflicting when I'm about to die. The fact that I know it and still struggling to live is frustrating. This is why...someone like me is best forgotten in history" Tirpitz clenches her fist
"So that's what you felt" The beast unhinges its jaws
"What? You're going to eat me now? Suit yourself. Don't blame me if you have any stomach aches"
Tirpitz can sense its faint breathing and the sensation of its jaws about to snap at her, but she feels no dread or even despair. Right now, she's conflicted on what she wants to do when her heart is screaming for her to at least live.
"Save those who struggle to live and abandon those who waits for someone to save them. That's my principle" The nameless Leviathan responds
"Unfortunately for you, I'm beyond saving"
"I can still preserve you if it means for a moment..."
"That depends on your perception of a moment" Tirpitz scoffs
"You'll find out that even a moment...means everything and lasts forever"
The Leviathan, wishing to act as painlessly and swiftly as possible, instantly snaps its jaws at Tirpitz, who accepts whatever fate awaits her in the hands of an unnamed monstrosity.
"You didn't tell me it was complicated..."
After the memory vanishes and the two return to an inner world in the form of a cape with the calm sea on the horizon, Tirpitz rubs her head. She witness the brief memory and its unfinished ending yet she understands very little.
"I did what I said" The nameless Leviathan sighs
"What do you mean?"
"..." The Leviathan moves her mouth
"...Ah, so that's how it is. All this time, I've been..." Tirpitz chuckles
"I'll tell Bismarck myself because by then you wouldn't be able to face her"
"I hope your efforts will pay off. You've been moving forward for so long"
"..." The nameless Leviathan turns away
The monstrosity in the form of an adolescent girl bends both knee and admires the flowers swaying at the direction of the sea breeze. Her hands incapable of warmth gently caresses the lively flowers flourishing even if their numbers are few.
"Also, you've been freely using me since the beginning" Tirpitz somewhat complains
"I need you for Bismarck. That girl is stubborn, but she won't abandon anyone in Iron Blood" The Leviathan picks a flower
"It'd be easier to show yourself to her"
"I have my own plans which might involve a grudge against the Sakura Empire and the humans in Iron Blod. Besides, I can't use you all the time" The Leviathan gently sniffs the flower
"Considering he heavy you feel whenever you overtake me"
"Since you brought it up, I'm going to make act now. That means I'm going to use you against Bismarck"
"You're casually saying it in my face..."
Tirpitz isn't much angry at how the nameless monster can even dictate her plan with a cheerful smile on her face while the flower osnslowlt drained of its vitality.
Admiral Hipper storms the corridors and hallways as her face fumes with a mixture of both happiness and frustration. She's not the type to express warm emotions openly and would automatically mix in her short-tempered and sharp-tongued personality.
"Eugen, you little-" Admiral Hipper shouts at the top of her lungs
The only reason she cuts off her own words the moment she hurriedly kicks the door is Prinz Eugen's current state. She's calmly having a cup of tea with Saint Louis when the sight of her furious older sister "ruins" her mood.
"Y-your left eye..." Admiral Hipper swallows her breath
"Akagi burned it. There's no way to heal it the way it is right now after the whole fiasco"
"..."
"Go ahead and rant. You've been wanting to scream at me, right?" Prinz Eugen chuckles
"I'll leave you two for now"
Saint Louis doesn't need more words to understand the situation, so she voluntarily lowers her cup of tea and casually leaves the scene. It would be awkward if she stays while the two argue with each other and she's not in the mood to hear how sisters' quarrel.
"What took you so long to surrender peacefully?! It took you blowing yourself up half a year ago and Akagi burning your eye! None of this would have happened if you had been rational!"
"I'm tired of saying it's not even me. There's no way I'm insane enough to destroy myself..."
The second Saint Louis closes the door behind her, Admiral Hipper immediately releases her stress and frustration with Prinz Eugen being the center of it. She doesn't even listen to her explanation about how the one who died is another version of Prinz Eugen.
"Didn't you care about Wales? What would she say if she's here?!" Admiral Hipper walks towards her
"I don't know. She's not here" Prinz Eugen scoffs
"Stop joking around, Eugen. I was seriously angry that you did all those reckless things. It actually made me think if it's because I wasn't a proper older sister!"
"It must be really serious for you to admit that..."
Admiral Hipper would always deny her true feelings and thoughts, but she's furious to the point that she wouldn't ease her emotions if she doesn't unleash what she's been bottling up all this time. This genuinely shocks Prinz Eugen and catches her off guard which rarely happens.
"Now you're crying..." Prinz Eugen furrows her eyebrows
Unable to hold extreme emotions, Admiral Hipper couldn't restrain her tears as it overflows and streams down her cheeks. She begins to sob and on the verge of letting out frustrated cries. Right now, she's like a child who's stubbornly restraining herself all this time and this sight makes Prinz Eugen expresses what could have been regret. She doesn't hate her older sister and she knows that her frustrated tears are all because of her actions.
"I-It's...all your fault...because...you...you" Admiral Hipper keeps wiping away her tears
"I know what I did was wrong and might be irrational, but I'm not some child you would keep on a leash"
"That's no reason to betray Iron Blood! The higher ups want you dead while Bismarck wants you alive. You sabotaged several operations and passed classified information to a third party!" Admiral Hipper stomps her foot
"..."
"There's no guarantee you won't get executed. I don't want you to get executed, idiot!"
"The Leviathan there Iron Blood found has awakened. I had to do something since Bismarck is too ignorant to notice"
"You should have trusted your allies. Bismarck trusted you because you're her right hand but you went to stab her in the back and-"
"I'm sorry..." Prinz Eugen sighs
"...?!"
Before Admiral Hipper can sore her throat from all the screaming, Prinz Eugen speaks three words that she knows Admiral Hipper has been waiting to hear from her. This time she isn't being sarcastic or half-hearted. For once, she's actually honest with her words.
"I said it, so can you stop crying?" Prinz Eugen resumes to her usual attitude
"I can't tell if you're being sincere or not!" Admiral Hipper pouts
"There's the angry big sister I know~" Prinz Eugen chuckles
"Y-you're joking around when I'm being emotional! I would throw you into the sea if I could"
"That aside, what I said isn't a lie. I feel a bit guilty but I didn't feel the slightest regret for my actions. I expected you to cry and scream at me, so I've been thinking how to calm you down. It turns out a simple sorry is all what you wanted to hear"
"..."
"If there's anything I want to say it's something similar to at least being thankful you're still you. I actually thought you might have become depressed and shut yourself when I supposedly died"
"..."
"Oh~"
Admiral Hipper blushing and about to burst in anger confirms Prinz Eugen partially guessing that she's been heavily affected all this time. Not only Admiral Hipper feels extreme infuriation but the painful sting of betrayal is too much for her to handle.
"I know going back to Iron Blood is a death sentence, so I might sneak away and disappear again before we return home" Prinz Eugen confesses
"Why tell me?" Admiral Hipper widens her eyes
"So you wouldn't cry and scream when I disappear again. Besides, you might chase me to the end of the world this time"
"Y-you!"
"I'm not an emotional type like you, so that's all I want to say" Prinz Eugen sighs
For Admiral Hipper, she has more to say and complain to her laid-back and unpredictable younger sister, but their conversation comes to an end when a certain someone enters the door. It makes Admiral Hipper swallows her breath while Prinz Eugen frowns in complete displeasure.
"I-I'll scold you more later...!"
The awkwardness is building up again, and so Admiral Hipper hurriedly leaves her parting words before hastily walking away and completely leaving the room.
"My~ It's been a while...Bismarck. I see you're still proud and mighty as ever" Prinz Eugen sarcastically greets her
"You still have the energy to be like that after running away for so long and having your left eye burned" Bismarck scoffs
"I can't help but tease my former boss. You're still looking for Tirpitz, right? Not to mention an impostor used your face"
"Eugen..."
The mere mention of it makes Bismarck realize Prinz Eugen does have valuable information with her. Bismarck completely closes the door and never takes her eyes off Prinz Eugen's as she approaches her.
"Let me start by saying that so-called impostor isn't an impostor. The one who secretly stole the black mental cube is Bismarck right to the very core"
"Are you saying this might be similar to Tyrant?" Bismarck clenches her fist
"Something like that. Except that Bismarck is a leftover from another ruined timeline"
"Leftover?"
"Well, you'll know once you meet her. Maybe you already met her since she brought Akagi with her" Prinz Eugen tilts her head
Bismarck is slightly suspicious to Prinz Eugen having vast knowledge on both the shipgirls in Maizuru fleet and the whole mystery with the so-called fake Bismarck. Prinz Eugen loves to be vague and Bismarck is aware of her teasing nature more than anyone.
"Surely you can recognize your own voice even if you can't see the face"
The thought of Prinz Eugen's hint has Bismarck digging and searching through her interactions with other shipgirls. Bismarck momentarily spaces out and loses into her thoughts.
For someone reason I felt like we've met before. Your voice sounds a little familiar
That can't be right. I know I heard her voice before...back in Iron Blood
Almost instantly, her puzzled response might more than just a thought of that moment. Her first suspect is the battleship that never removes her helmet and speaks in a solemn yet stern manner.
"H-39? It was her voice I heard in my head when I was lost in a dream" Bismarck grits her teeth
There's no one else who fits the description when she instantly remembers H-39 being the one to pull her out of the vision of a peaceful future.
"Correct. She's using Siren technology to customize both her voice and appearance. Tyrant is a failed META while H-39 is the true holder of the META" Prinz Eugen winks
"It's why no one suspected her when she suddenly walked in unannounced because she is another me" Bismarck is in disbelief
"You're shocked face is sure a source of amusement" Prinz Eugen smirks
"Then tell me about Tirpitz. What do you know about her?"
"The monstrosity with her needed something from you. Tirpitz realized this and stopped her before she completely woke up"
"What do you mean?"
"Iron Blood, with the secret help of an Arbiter, kept the weapon dormant but conscious. As a result, it's angry at the humans and wants to kill them. I discovered this only to be caught by Tirpitz. That's where it all begun"
"You implanted that idea half a year ago before you decided to kill yourself. Why?"
"I didn't blow myself up. That would be Tyrant's accomplice"
"You didn't answer my question"
"..."
Rather than immediately respond, Prinz Eugen teasingly smiles at her and gains entertainment from every second Bismarck's impatience grows.
"It's hard to describe her situation and I'm a bit angry thinking about her. She nearly killed me, so I had to try and run to the nearest human base I could find" Prinz Eugen groans
"Why would she kill you?"
"I nearly forgot to tell you. She's possessed by something that was born from the depths. It's why she decided to betray you to begin with" Prinz Eugen shrugs her shoulders
"...?!"
"For short, every decision she made wasn't hers. The one present right now isn't your sister but a monster trying to get you. For that to happen, it needed someone that would lure you to it"
"You're saying Tirpitz leaving Iron Blood was a bait for me and this monster is using Tirpitz against her will?" Bismarck frowns
"I told she caught me - I mean the alternate me red-handed before, right? I kind of tricked her into making contact with the Iron Blood experiment. As a result, it took hold of her...mostly"
"You...!"
Bismarck couldn't accept the callous confession from Prinz Eugen, but she instantly calms herself down. A leader mustn't lose her composure and be lured into a disadvantage after all.
"I have to remove whatever is using Tirpitz"
"You have to overcome tragedy with sheer willpower for that to happen. Otherwise, you'll die almost instantly against it. Besides, you have no will to kill your own sister" Prinz Eugen is aware of her weakness
"...I came here to save Tirpitz and even you. As the fleet leader, I won't abandon anyone in Iron Blood"
"Well, that's one stubborn resolve. Very well..."
"...?"
"Since I have grudge for almost dying, I'm willing to cooperate this time...only against that No Name monstrosity. Although Akagi would try to kill me at first sight"
"That depends if you're not up to something again. If what you said is true, then Tirpitz didn't abandon Iron Blood. Someone else is using her to lure me"
"Even I'm not certain the whole history with you, but that No Name had a grudge against Iron Blood
Meanwhile...
The discussion between Bismarck and Prinz Eugen is still ongoing, so Saint Louis is currently joining King George V over a cup of tea. The latter is her usual cheerful self while the former is visibly not in a pleasant mood.
"I heard you got yourself into trouble when the Sirens captured you. Of all people, Eugen actually saved you" King George V chuckles
"I was barely conscious. The whole time I was either trapped in a dream or a endlessly falling in an abyss. When I finally regained consciousness, I saw Bismarck's younger sister..." Saint Louis vaguely recalls
"There's more to it, right?" King George V lightly sips her tea
"When I briefly gained consciousness, she looked empty and vacant. This made me think if I was looking at an emotionless person"
"Prinz Eugen might have answers but she would rather commit suicide again rather than confess"
"Prinz Eugen. I remembered it was her who took me away when the Sirens drove me insane. Although I despise traitors like her, it's undeniable she saved me from a horrible fate"
Saint Louis is frustrated at this fact while King George V is concealing her amusement behind her gentle smile. She looks at her still warm tea and closes her eyes when she whiffs the pure aroma of English tea.
"Since all of us have been gathered, do we at least know what caused the machine to malfunction? We were separated because someone sabotaged it and I believe it might be someone among us" Saint Louis whispers to King George V
"Like who? Everyone here is trustworthy. No one here is insane enough to side with the enemy"
"Akagi may be the first person I would think of, but she's genuinely loyal to the commander. There must be someone here since we've properly prepared for this mission only to suddenly fail'
"Bismarck and Mikasa are out of the question since they suggested the whole mission. I can't think of anyone who could have sabotaged us. Sovetskaya Rossiya faced against the Sirens while Littorio had been sightseeing in Italy this whole time. The crane sisters and Admiral Hipper are unlikely as well" King George V scratches her head
King George V counts and narrows down the shipgirls present in her fingers but it still confuses her. No one has enough reason or motivation to allegedly sabotage the whole mission. On the other hand, Saint Louis isn't convinced that there might be none among their ranks and goes into deep thought.
"Speaking of Sovetskaya Rossiya, I heard she's tracking the one responsible for attacking her motherland. Not only it brought casualties but burned down a whole base while at it. The culprit is an aircraft carrier concealed in shadows but said culprit was snatched away by a battleship in black" King George V shrugs her shoulders
"A shadow of a shipgirl, huh. When I did dream of a monstrosity, it had a human form - a shipgirl form to be exact. It looked indistinguishable from a girl from now she appeared and spoke. Beside her was someone who looked a bit like Enterprise but younger" Saint Louis recalls someone else
"A younger looking Enterprise but not Enterprise. Hmm...I think the Royal Navy have seen someone like her before. It was brief because that unknown shipgirl clashed with Ash and turned the sea and sky into hell from their heated battle. In the end, a battleship I'm black interrupted them"
"Do you think they're the same?"
"Perhaps. Every time the shadowy aircraft carrier appears, the same battleship would interrupt and snatch away the culprit" King George V also suspects
"One of the Ashes perhaps. There have been reports of engaging the battleship in combat, but none of their attacks can scratch her"
"Well, we can tell Bismarck after she interrogates Prinz Eugen. That is if Prinz Eugen is willing to honestly confess"
They have more mysteries in hand with the addition of the identity of an unnamed battleship presumed as one of the Ashes and an aircraft carrier that appears instantly as it disappears.
EXTRA
The black mental cube with the consciousness of its shipgirl remaining dormant, quietly hovers a few inches above H-39, Bismarck META's, palm. Fortunately enough, she manages to steal it from the hands of humans before it awakens and reforms its physical form. Although she is successful in securing and protecting it, Bismarck META is exhausted with the amount of power she has to expend to keep a dangerous object.
"You're still standing after all, Bismarck" Ash finds her sitting in one corner over a pile of debris
Bismarck META sulks in corner where the light from the holes on the rooftop barely delivers light on her. Even when dust and dirt surrounds her, the exhausted META shipgirl finds solace in solitude without the noise of explosions and destruction deafening her. Unlike the current proud and mighty Bismarck, this one has weathered with harsh conflict and loss, making her more solemn and practically emotionally dead.
"This one is troublemaker just like you. Well, she is technically Enterprise as well" Bismarck META lifts her hand
"She furious at the world because she never wished to be born a defect. I don't hate her for that while Ember hates humans even more" Ash scoffs
"Keep her once she wakes up. I don't have the energy to babysit her"
"I'd rather let her live among the humans to know compassion rather than be driven even more mad from conflict. If she learns to accept humanity on her own, then Azur Lane will have a powerful ally"
Ash gently pushes the cube back to Bismarck META and states she wants to have even a defective weapon live a peaceful life. Someone like knows horror and tragedy, so she wouldn't want a 'child' to experience such thing at an early age.
"A Leviathan is in this world and Ember is chasing it. Even if she confronts it, her sword will only break in a single swing" Bismarck META scoffs
"Ember won't lose her life. Nameless is rational enough to avoid battles even when her opponents are aggressive and hostile" Ash has little to no worry
"It seems you've become friends with her after she consumed countless shipgirls from several timelines"
"There's no reason for me to see her as an enemy. She wished to protect Amagi's will and decided to live among the humans. Although it might have bore a bit of a grudge after Bismarck helped suppress it after coming to this world"
"Now she's using Tirpitz to lure Bismarck, primarily to spite her. I wish I could explain it to my past self but she's heated for what I did at Lerwick"
Despite the danger it possesses, Bismarck META casually places the dormant mental cube beside her and rests her back on the pile of steel behind her. She's constantly emotionally exhausted from keeping the weapon by her side without taking her eyes off it.
"Orochi is halfway complete, but it's just a piece of junk without an enormous power source. Unfortunately for them, the power source is this sleepy child" Bismarck META refers to the black mental cube
"Even if they install the cube in Orochi, they wouldn't be able to control it. The second they would try to subdue it, the same hell will break loose again" Ash fears for the worst"
"So how's those rabbit duo and Ark Royal doing? I've only seen you here" Bismarck META almost forgets about them
"Hiryuu sided with the commander after a clash and argument. That's for the best since I can be at ease knowing she would protect the commander even if she works in the shadows" For a split second, Ash faintly smiles
"I don't have enough power to fight anyone, not even my past self. Not to mention, I can't do anything to deal with the monstrosity possessing Tirpitz"
"How unusual. The Leviathans are our enemy yet one of those weapons of war made its choice. Even if she was exiled and hunted by her brethren, she never backed down from protecting the very people she once killed" Ash approaches her
Ash dusts off a sealed box of spare parts and sits near Bismarck META, joining her in cherishing the solitude and complete silence. They're equally exhausted from pursuing a goal that's always far away and seemingly near impossible, but neither refuses to surrender.
"This sleeping child, Ghost, she'll be confused at first. When you two happen to meet after all of this is over, please watch over her..."
"Don't you want to least find closure with Hood. You never properly told her how you admired what she fought her and respect her as a rival" Ash crosses her arms
"I...have nothing to say. It's best to leave her the way she is. Besides, I'm not the type to have an emotional conversation with someone I did respect as my rival" Bismarck META closes her eyes
"You two sisters are the same. Always leaving with regret and leaving pain to someone in the Royal navy because you're too stubborn to be honest..."
"Call it stubbornness and pride as you wish. I have no desire to speak with Hood and possibly complain she never returned to finish our duel. She has yet to show my how far her resolve can take her..."
"Hmph. You really are Bismarck..."
"..."
Bismarck META has nothing more to say and continues to rest while one hand is on top of the black mental cube as if to be instantly alerted if it decides to be active and wreak havoc in the world again. She can't always keep its rampage under control, specially now that she's physically exhausted and reserving her power.