Author: It looks like upcoming event isn't the only thing that will keep me busy. Due to real life situation, I can say I will certainly be busy for the next few weeks. I'll try uploading new chapters on the regular schedule if possible. If it's late...then it means I'm really busy.
Next chapter will be about Tirpitz returning to her duties as an admiral even if her wounds isn't fully healed yet and discussing about Fast battleship Princess' unexpected intervention. There will also be a bit of a battle.
Memories...from that time...comes back...
Drifting...and drifting. All I felt was drifting. Everything felt so light...back then.
"Even though thoses midget submarines damaged my hull and caused flooding, the damage wasn't extensive" I stretched my back
"They did sneak up and detonated explosives. Good thing you didn't capsize or anything" Scharnhorst tilted her head
"If the repair wasn't done in time, I would have sit this operation out. You would have been the only available capital ship here in Norway"
I sighed, thinking about what were to happen if the repair was slowed down. If it did...Scharnhorst and the destroyers would have continued the operation...while I'm out of action.
"The operation is a go then! Ahahaha! I thought you wouldn't make it in time!"
Scharnhorst smacked my back several time. The damage from a surprise submarine attack a few days ago are quickly repaired in time for the next operation. Scharnhorst is happier than I am.
"If your damages haven't been repaired in time, I would have been lonely" She pouted
"Don't be dramatic. You have the destroyers with you"
"...but I would have been the only battleships, you know. Both of our sisters are busy with their own operations"
She has point though. Gneisenau and my sister have their hands full at the moment. Scharnhorst and I are the only battleships available here in Norway.
"It can't be helped. There's only four battleships in the Kriegsmarine. Our U-boats outnumbers our capital ships" I told her
"They should have built more aircraft carriers. It became obvious air power dominates the war"
"Hahaha. Yeah..." I laughed
"Still I'm glad we're in this operation together. We...never get to fight side by side in the past" Scharnhorst's voice faded
"In the past?"
"Ah. It's nothing"
Sometimes she says things that makes little sense. Scharnhorst, despite her outgoing personality, has a mysterious side of her own.
"We better prepare for the battle, Tirpitz. I want go all out with a bang"
"People only say that when they're about to die" I reminded her
"...Ah. Really? Hahahaha. What I want to say is...let's do our best"
Scharnhorst pats my back and laughs off in a carefree manner.
"How can you take easy on things?" I asked
"You think too hard, you lose...is what I believe"
"In this war, our primary duty is to fight against the Abyssal and sink them at all costs"
We stopped in our tracks. Scharnhorst looked at me right in the eyes and she placed her hand on my shoulder
"Don't you think there's more to it?"
"What do you mean?" I'm confused
"This war...I mean. There's more to it in this war. How did it really started? Why must we fight over and over again?"
Scharnhorst looked at me, seeking for an answer. I can tell she has a lot of questions in her mind, but I can't provide an answer.
"Tirpitz, don't you think the 'truth' they're telling is isn't actually the truth?"
"Scharnhorst, what are you talking about?"
"There's a 'truth' buried in history. What it is...we don't know"
"What is this about exactly?"
"The truth on what truly sparked this war. I know...there's more to it..."
I looked at Scharnhorst, seeing how serious she is with just one look. It looks like she's desperately seeking for an answer. She quesitons many things which is why I feel like it would be her undoing.
Inside the admiral's office, Nagato focuses her attention on the reports, Mutsu's voice failed to pass through her hearing.
"Nagato"
Mutsu waves her hand between Nagato's face and the papers, finally grabbing her attention.
"Mutsu? What is it?"
"You've been looking at the reports, you don't pay attention to anything anymore"
Mutsu takes a deep sigh, showing concern at how Nagato is setting her focus too much it's unusual of her.
"I've been reviewing the post sortie reports and the new information from the headquarters. This is for the counter attack tomorrow"
"You've absorbed your attention to other things to distract your thoughts and feelings"
Mutsu had been with Nagato for a long time so she can recognize every habit of her and what it corresponds to. Nagato isn't surprised Mutsu quickly notices.
"You're worried about the admiral's condition and you're angry at Arkhangelsk. I get that, but it's better to open up your feelings once in a while"
Mutsu grabs away the papers from Nagato's hands, clearly urging her to vocally speak out her thoughts and feelings.
"I am worried for the admiral. She was on the brink of death when she was rushed to the hospital. She lost too much blood, but she somehow survived"
"..." Mutsu smiles
"Arkhangelsk. She's a danger and unstable shipgirl that needs to be stopped. She had killed too many people...both innocent and guilty"
"Nagato..."
"What makes me angry is the fact her slaughters are always covered by the KGB...an organization that thought to have collapsed along with the Red Regime"
Much like a certain German battleship, Nagato felt a sense of revenge towards Arkhangelsk. Despite Nagato's strict and disciplined personality, she's one of the shipgirls who no one wants to make an enemy of.
"As her secretary ship, all I can do now is fulfill my duties as this base's de facto commander"
"As expected of you..."
"I have to do what must be done so at the very least, the admiral won't have anything to stress about when she wakes up"
"I'm jealous the admiral has such a sweet and caring secretary ship"
"S-shut up. I'm just doing my job..."
Nagato negatively reacts, blushing at how Mutsu describes her as sweet and caring. She'd rather be described as serious and strict rather than sweet and caring.
"Secretary Nagato, here are the files you've asked" Ooyodo enters the office
"Ah! Right. The files I asked for"
Ooyodo's entrance is just on the right timing for Nagato to change the topic SK Mutsu won't further tease her.
(I like this cute side of her~)
Mutsu laughs to herself, not wanting Nagato to hear she's making fun of her and her soft side.
Meanwhile...
Bismarck sits by herself, breathing deeply as if she can barely manage her containing her emotions.
"Bismarck..."
Gangut stands in front her, casting a shadow and blocking her view.
"Gangut?" Bismarck slightly straightens her back
"Can I...talk to you?"
"...Sure" Bismarck nodded
Gangut sits besides near Bismarck, the two battleships in deep thought.
"I'm sorry for what happened with Tirpitz"
"Why are you apologizing?"
"I wasn't able to do something...useful"
Gangut gazes at her gloved hands, clenching it as she loathes herself for what happened yesterday.
"There's nothing to be sorry about. If you weren't there, it could have been worse" Bismarck takes a deep breath
Bismarck faintly smile, assuring Gangut she's not upset at her, but rather somewhat thankful. Tirpitz, despite her current state, is still alive so Bismarck is glad she didn't lose her sister for the second time.
"It was Arkhangelsk that almost done in my sister..."
Bismarck's hand resting on top of her lap clenched and she begins to slightly shake. This clearly indicated she's holding back violent emotions.
"When I see her...I'll do something worse things than what she did to Tirpitz"
She made it clear that her burning desire is to inflict pain on Arkhangelsk...in a gruesome way.
"It's best if you don't confront Arkhangelsk if you were to see her"
Gangut taps Bismarck's shoulder and advised her, with the intention of calming her down and not making the situation worse than it already is.
"Arkhangelsk is...not ordinary. You'll get yourself hurt if you let your emotions get in the way. Or worse..."
"...but"
"Do you think Tirpitz would want you to act so recklessly?"
That one question made Bismarck rethink her thoughts and ease down her blazing emotions. Bismarck doesn't wish to get involve in trouble that her sister would disapprove of.
"No...she wouldn't. If I get myself in trouble again, I'll make her cry again"
Bismarck takes a deep breath, regaining control of her emotions, much to Gangut's delight.
The next day...
Iowa, and Montana, along with several destroyers had just returned from an early morning practice when the two battleships noticed their saddened faces.
"What's the matter, little ones?" Iowa bent to get on their level
"So early in the morning and all of you are down already" Montana added
The destroyers looked at each other, all had the same feelings.
"The admiral...is she alright?" Mutsuki spoke first
"We all heard the admiral got badly hurt and on the hospital" Kiyoshimo raises her hand
"I heard she almost died" Even Hibiki is worried
Iowa and Montana looked at each other, thinking on what they should say to lessen the destroyers' worries.
"The admiral is a battleship, remember? A Bismarck class like her won't fall that easily" Montana coincidentally assured
"I've fought alongside Tir-chan before. That's why I know she's going to be just alright~"
The destroyers all reacted, looking uplifted. Shortly, the aircraft carrier Ark Royal approached them from behind.
"That's right. Germans are tough people you know. They don't kick the bucket they easily"
The destroyers feel much uplifted than a few seconds ago when Ark Royal also confidently assures them with a smile.
"T-that's right. We should stop worrying and just hope the admiral recovers faster" Akatsuki placed her hands on her hips
"I'm sure everything's going to be alright, poi"
"Makigumo wants to give the admiral a present once she comes back"
Makigumo waves around her hands covered by her overly extended sleeves. After the destroyers had left and dispersed, Ark Royal stopped smiling.
"Still. It was a close close..." Ark Royal sighs
"Good thing the bullet missed the heart or Tir-chan would have been a goner"
Iowa shuddered at that thought while Ark Royal thought about if Tirpitz died at that moment, she'd go back being an Abyssal again. She's fortunate enough to survive even though it's barely.
"Don't you think we should do something about Arkhangelsk. She's clearly a threat to both humans and shipgirls" Iowa asked Ark Royal
"We can't act directly or it will provoke an unnecessary conflict. Arkhangelsk knows how to prevent us from taking direct action"
Ark Royal us frustrated at how Arkhangelsk knows the "rules" of the game and they're playing in her advantage.
"Unlike there's a loophole in the rules, our hands are tied"
Montana scratches her head while Iowa pouts, but Ark Royal shows little to no emotion as she walks away and leaves.
Later...
Nagato's fleet set out around the Genki sea. Their mission is to intercept and sink an enemy transport fleet.
"A counterattack, huh. I wonder if this battle will make a difference..."
Nagato murmurs to herself until she is alerted when Akagi and Kaga's aircrafts had spotted the enemy transport ships sailing in a steady speed at formation.
"Confirmed sighting! Six Wa class transport ship escorted by two Ro class destroyers, two Tsu class light cruisers, one To class light cruiser, and one Ri class heavy cruisers"
Akagi confirmed the enemy ships sighted from her aircrafts' radioed report.
(Only one heavy cruiser? Are the Abyssals taking that easy?)
Nagato felt a sense of dread as they approach to intercept the enemy fleet. The Abyssal fleet escorting the convoy are no match against Nagato's fleet composed of three battleships, two aircraft carriers, and three light cruisers
(For some reason, I have a bad feeling about this)
Nagato is unsure whether she should trust her instinct or not. There are no other Abyssals spotted within the area so she hesitate whether to listen to her intuition. Undetected, an Abyssal submarine shadowed them and radios an Abyssal fleet about the shipgirls.
"Launch the pre emptive airstrike"
By the flagship's orders, Akagi and Kaga simultaneously launched aircrafts by pulling their bow and releasing it, letting the arrow fly and transform into aircrafts.
"...?"
The Abyssals noticed the incoming aircrafts, both torpedo and dive bombers. The airstrike sunk two of the Wa class and damaged one of the Ri class.
"Successfully sunk two Wa class transport ships and moderately damaged the Ri class heavy cruiser" Kaga reported
"Alright, then! It's for the surface battle"
Nagato along with Bismarck and Gangut increased their speed in order to get their main guns withing range. They are followed by the Sendai class light cruisers.
"Fire!"
The three battleships let loose their large caliber guns, raining shells towards the Abyssals with no mercy. They intend to sink every single one. Unknown to them, an Abyssal fleet is heading to the battle while they are occupied.
"I may be an old ship, but that doesn't stop me from kicking your asses!"
Gangut laughs, firing her main guns left to right. She isn't holding back, showing off the power of her second remodel with a grin filled with pride.
"Taste the torpedoes of the navy's number one idol!"
Naka points her finger to the sky as she launches torpedoes, sinking one of the destroyers and heavily damaging the other one.
"Mine!" Sendai finishes of the heavily damaged Ro class with a full salvo
"Hey! You're stealing my spotlight!"
"Hahahaha! You snooze, you lose"
Sendai laughed at how Naka is pouting, much to the latter's chagrin. Jintsuu cut it before they could break into an argument. She yells at them, reminding them they are in a middle of a battle.
"We're in a battle. Focus, you two!"
The elite Wa class transport ships are armed with small caliber guns compared to the regular ones. As the shipgirls whittle down the Abyssal ships, it bought enough time for the "main force" to arrive.
"Hah! This is way too easy-!"
A shell went directly to Gangut, moderately damaging her in just one salvo.
"Kyaa!" Akagi is also moderately damaged after dive bombers dove directly above them
"Akagi-san!" Kaga rushed to her
"What? An enemy fleet out of nowhere?!"
Nagato and the fleet all looked at the direction where the shells came from. The one who damaged Gangut is Battleship Water Demon and the one who damaged Akagi is a dive bomber from a Nu class light carrier.
"Bull's eye~" Dreadnought Princess licks her upper lip
"Just these shipgirls. Tch! This will be boring?" Battleship Water Demon swept her hair
The two powerful Abyssal battleships escorted by the two To class light cruisers, two Ho class light cruisers, one Nu class light carrier, and one Ri class heavy cruisers joined the party.
"They came out of nowhere..." Jintsuu is in disbelief
"Our aircrafts didn't even detect them..."
Kaga finds this troubling as the enemy fleet somehow evaded detection from their reconnaissance planes.
"You were being followed by one of our submarines and you didn't even notice. Pathetic fools!" Battleship Water Demon insulted them
Just as they finished off the transport fleet, the shipgirls find themselves facing another battle, a much harder one.
"Hahahaha! I can't believe you shipgirls took the bait. That fleet was just a decoy to lure all of you to your deaths!"
Dreadnought Princess gleefully open fire, letting her monstrous "familiar" do all the shooting while she commands it.
"It was a trap all along!" Nagato realized it
"That's right. We knew you idiots wouldn't be able to resist such a bait. I mean after we sunk so many of your transport ships these past few weeks, we knew you'd be desperate to strike back"
Dreadnought Princess further elaborated, leering at the shipgirls and belittling them. To her, these shipgirls are no match for her, taking pride in her power.
"The humans can't recognize when they see one. As a result this happened" Battleship Water Demon felt disappointed
"...?"
Nagato has no spare time to think about trivial things, being currently busy dodging incoming shells left to right.
"Just hurry up and die, will you? I still have to hunt down the lonely Queen of the North"
"...?!"
When Dreadnought Princess mentioned the nickname "lonely Queen of the North", she knows the Abyssal is referring to Tirpitz.
"That blonde and angry battleship. I remember her. She's the the damn shipgirl who got in my way many years ago" Dreadnought Princess gritted her teeth
"That other one. She's one of the shipgirls who humiliated me and sunk me!" Battleship Water Demon clenched her fists
It seems the two Abyssal battleships have their respective targets present.
"Hmph! This is rare..."
"As long as you don't get in the way, we won't have any problem" Dreadnought Princess smirks
"I should be saying the same thing. I'll sink you with my bare hands if you take my prey"
They rarely get along. In fact, it's almost impossible for them to be in a battle together without turning against each other. Other than the reason they have their own targets, Central Princess will punish then if they jeopardize this battle with their personal squabble against each other.
"Tch! Talk about bad luck..." Nagato clicks her tongue in frustration
She quickly notices Battleship Water Demon is ignoring the others and shooting at her. The same with Bismarck against Dreadnought Princess. While the surface ships deal with the Abyssals, Kaga alone is providing air support.
"If only I could launch my planes..." Akagi felt helpless
"It's fine, Akagi-san. We standard carriers can't launch planes when we're moderately damaged, unlike armored carriers" Kaga reminds Akagi
"Still..."
"It will be fine. We will all not sink here. We cannot afford to sink..."
Kaga is determined to win this battle even if their chances are slow because of their current opponents.
"For the pride of CarDiv 01"
Kaga launches another wave of bombers, giving the air support she can give to the fleet. If the current rate, the Abyssals will slowly gain even more advantage and they will be done for.
(I can't sink here. I just can't. Graf, Eugen...Tirpitz. They're all waiting for me)
Bismarck refuses to submit to defeat, willing to fight the odds if it means there's a chance she'll return alive.
"Agh!"
Another direct hit heavily damaged Bismarck, jamming one of her turrets.
"Bismarck!"
Gangut rushed to Bismarck's aid and covered fire while the latter regains balance.
"Tch! I'll wipe that smug off your face, Abyssal!"
Gangut herself is in no condition to fight, but she's a Russian who will fight even if it kills her.
"It's futile. I'm just too powerful for the likes of you shipgirls. Ehehehe~"
Dreadnought Princess boasting her strength with a demeaning expression annoys Gangut the most. So much she wants to punch the Abyssal with her bare fist.
"...?!"
As Dreadnought Princess fires at Bismarck who screamed as she relentless fires her remaining functioning guns, she paused...
(What is this feeling?) She thought
A fierce battle. One ship against countless others. A memory rings inside her head.
Tears...
Regret...
Farewell...
Sinking...
Smile...
Those pieces of thoughts gathered inside her like an unsolved puzzle with a lot of missing pieces.
"Tch! My mind is playing tricks again..."
All of this started ever since she faced Tirpitz after eleven years. She felt her mind wishes to remind her of something. A feeling that urges her to look deeply within her mind...and remember.
"I'll just sink these shipgirls and get it over with-"
Just before she could open fire, a shell exploded right at her. Seconds later, Battleship Water Demon is fired upon too. Another salvo rained on them with only few shells landing a direct hit at the two Abyssals.
"...?!" Both Abyssal battleships furiously glared
The one who had instantly provoked them is the wild Princess - Fast battleship Princess.
"I see. That little submarine girl lured me here. It was...a good thing. I...made it in time after all..."
She spoke straight compared to her previous behaviors. Perhaps because of her contact with a certain human.
"It looks like you broke out of your cage, you wild animal" Battleship Water Demon's expression darkened
"Another traitor, huh" Dreadnought Princess frowned
"You can't call me a traitor...if I was never on your side"
Fast battleship Princess smiles and fires her main guns. She proves how her medium sized triple mounted guns doesn't dictate her firepower. No matter the odds, Fast battleship Princess isn't afraid to face someone much more powerful than her.
"It's been a long time. I'm glad to see you again...Bismarck"
Bismarck is surprised at how an Abyssal knows her name and speaks as if she knew her very well.
"Grr! Annoying pest!"
Battleship Water Demon growled when one of her main turrets is completely disabled. Ever since Fast battleship Princess intervened, the shipgirls slowly fights them on equal footing.
"If you only haven't interfered"
Dreadnought Princess another one to have a grudge one. It seems random people interfering with her fights became a curse to her.
"Sink, sink, sink! Sink all of you!"
She unleashes just about all of her strength, but Fast battleship Princess isn't the least intimidated.
"Sorry...but you're the one...who's going to sink here..." Fast battleship Princess fires at her without restraint
She tells the raging Dreadnought Princess with a stoic and stern look on her face.
"I don't know what's happening, but I'll keep shooting anyway. Ura!" Gangut is dumbfounded at the sudden turn of events
"Who's that Abyssal?" Bismarck asked Gangut
Bismarck never thought of seeing an Abyssal that fights against her fellow Abyssals...except that other Princess back when "she had to sink her sister to set her free".
"Beats me. Never seen her before"
Despite their damages, the shipgirls retaliated, specially Nagato whose main guns still runs wild despite its condition. Her fairy crews maintains her guns as operational as possible and the damage control crew ensures there won't be nay risk of detonation.
(That Abyssal looks familiar...)
She focuses on shooting at Battleship Water Demon yet she couldn't take off her eyes at Fast battleship Princess.
"It's time...you realize you're not the only one...who is a monster in a battle"
Fast battleship Princess held on against Dreadnought Princess. Her armor and firepower may not be completely on par with Dreadnought Princess, but she still considered a powerful Princess class Abyssal. She merely smiled even if she took more damage than Dreadnought Princess.
"Before I regained control of myself...I've hurt so many people in the past...including my shipgirl comrades. That's why...I won't let you sink these shipgirls - not while I'm here!"
They exchanged shell to shell, but Fast battleship Princess' speed and maneuverability is superior compared to Dreadnought Princess so the former is skilled in evading incoming shells. She learned her lesson back in North cape.
"Grr! You're an annoying one! I have to give you that"
Fast battleship Princess aimed and fired at Dreadnought Princess' monstrous rigging, repeatedly bombarding it with AP shells. She lets out a roar like cry, as her frustration at her resilient enemy grows. Her brief moment of distraction allowed Bismarck to land a direct hit, blasting off one of her turrets. She pushes her turret to it's limit, maximizing it's output in this desperate battle.
"Feuer!"
This doesn't mean she had lost yet, but crippled down her strength, allowing the shipgirls to slowly turn the table against them. Even Battleship Water Demon is preoccupied with Nagato and Gangut raining down shels at her while the Sendai class flank her from both sides.
"Argh! This is why I hate traitors!"
Battleship Water Demon had enough of traitors who are nothing but nuisances. About four Princess class Abyssals have already betrayed the Abyssal fleet and sided with the shipgirls.
"Do you think all of you can sink me that easily? Ha! I don't think so!"
Dreadnought Princess ignored the shells exploding on her left to right. She sustained countless direct attacks, proving she is an Abyssal that cannot be easily sunken. Her main guns continued to roar, willing to fight the shipgirls and Fast battleship Princess, showing her persistence...unlike Battleship Water Demon.
"You have to try better than that!" She grinned, absorbing the damage
She retaliated with a full salvo, most of them missed, but a shell unfortunately struck Bismarck, causing her heavy damage. She fires another full salvo, seeing Bismarck won't be able to dodge this one.
"...?!"
Both Bismarck and Dreadnought Princess are speechless when Fast battleship Princess deflected the shell with the back of her hand smacked it aside, causing a minor burn on her hand.
"Y-you..." Bismarck never thought an Abyssal would protect her
"Once a comrade...always a comrade..." Fast battleship Princess panted, her stamina is beginning to wear down
Fast battleship Princess vaguely tells Bismarck before she returns to fight the two Abyssals head on. She never thought there exists Abyssals like Fast battleship Princess who betrays the Abyssal fleet and sides with shipgirls.
"Damn this! We have no choice...but to retreat" Battleship Water Demon decided
"What? Retreat?! Those are the words of a coward!"
She refuses to retreat in a fight, seeing it as a form of humiliation and admit of defeat. Fast battleship Princess continued to open fire even if she knows the enemy is planning to retreat.
"..."
As much as she refuses to flee from a fight, the appearance of Fast battleship Princess had turned the tides against them. Between her pride and her life, she is forced to choose the latter.
"I hate this. I hate this!"
She screamed at how the shipgirls aided by a traitorous Abyssal forced her to choose retreat rather than fight a battle she could have won. Even Battleship Water Demon felt as humiliated as her since they are both forced to flee due to a sudden turn of events.
"This isn't over! I'll make you pay, traitor!"
Battleship Water Demon vowed absolute revenge on Fast battleship Princess for getting in the way. Dreadnought Princess briefly glares at them without a word as she retreats too.
"They ran away?" Bismarck controls her breathing, almost exhausted
"That's right! You better run, cowards! Better hope you don't get shot by your Abyssal comrades!"
Gangut shakes her fist and screams at the retreating Abyssals. With the Abyssal threats gone, Fast battleship Princess turns to take a good look at the shipgirls she had aided.
"Fast battleship Princess. Why did you help us?" Nagato spoke up
"I...was once like you. A proud ship of my country, but unlike you...I met cruel end...yet I went down in an honorable death"
"You're not like any other Abyssal"
"Ha ha ha. Perhaps not even the Abyss itself was able to take away my memories of who I was once"
She looks up into the sky, basking at the sunlight she never get to enjoy while being trapped in a "cage". The wounds all over her body and battered rigging is worth the fight as she is able to intervene just in time to at least fend off the two Abyssals.
"I may be an Abyssal...but I will never forget who I was once..."
She turns her back on the shipgirls, preparing to leave the area with no intention of fighting them.
"Who you used to be?" Nagato asked again
"Who I was once sunk along with my identity. Perhaps if cross paths again...I might tell you"
Fast battleship smiles even though she refused to tell Nagato who she used to be. Something she doesn't want to tell right away to shipgirls she doesn't know. Before she leaves, Nagato asks her one last time.
"Are you an ally or an enemy?"
"..." She turns her head and looked at Nagato right in the eyes for a few seconds
Fast battleship didn't respond. All she did is pause for a moment before leaving. Gangut makes a move, but Nagato raises her hand and signaled not to do anything other than let the Abyssal leave. The other shipgirls raises down their guard when the Abyssal disappeared from their field of vision, while Bismarck wonders about the identity of Fast battleship Princess.
EXTRA
Around the North Atlantic ocean, a"fleet from the west" encounters a powerful Abyssal fleet. The enemy fleet emitted visible yellow aura, indicating they are flagship level.
"This is bad! I've never fought Abyssals this powerful before!"
The flagship of the fleet, the Canadian destroyer Haida, exchanges fire with the enemy ships even with the gap in firepower. Among the fleet, her determination to fight against all odds screams with every shot she fires. She is a fierce destroyer who was a former Royal navy shipgirl and demonstrates why she is looked upon by her Canadian comrades.
"Haida, what should we do?" One destroyer panicked
"We have to-"
Their conversation is immediately cut when large caliber shells rained on them. Luckily, the shells missed and only caused large water splashes near them.
"Those two are such a disappointment. Then again, that wild Princess got in the way and even sided with the shipgirls"
Central Princess faced with the fleet of mixed navies, seeking to calm down her inner disappointment for the two strongest Abyssals' failure to sink one mere fleet. She rarely comes out in the open and this caused to spread fear to the fleet who are unfortunate to engage her in battle.
"It's the Central Princess! All ships retreat at full speed!"
While Haida is not fond of retreating, taking Central princess herself head on is a sure death wish. She ordered everyone to retreat as soon as possible in full speed. The Abyssals prepare to pursue the fleeing fleet, but Central Princess raised her hand. All of the present Abyssals instantly complied with no questions, showing she has the highest authority in the Abyssal fleet as their leader.
"Let them go...just this once. I want the whole world to know that I've come out to play"
An evil smile curves in her lips, unable to contain her excitement for the plans she holds for the future. She's the strongest Abyssal and proved herself to be unbeatable, except for the first and last time she lost against her eternal rival - "The first shipgirl", who is said to be an ancient battleship.
"That was a close call. It's just strange they let us go just like that"
Seeing there are no enemy ships pursuing them and their radars detected not a single one, Haida finally sighed in relief. She is rather thankful they managed to escape with no casualties, which can be described as truly miracle...but a worrisome one.
"The Central Princess herself appeared, but they didn't come after us even if they had the chance. I feel like...this is a bad sign"
Haida shuddered as both her mind and heart are telling her that despite this "miracle", something horrible will await in the future. Central Princess is a huge threat and her rare appearances all leads to one thing...danger.
"The navy must quickly know about the Central Princess...has truly became active again"
The Canadian destroyer bit her lip, fearing and preparing for what the Abyssals has planned for the future. Right now, all she can do is report the encounter to the navy and also inform them about how the enemy let them escape with no casualties. Among everyone, Haida worried the most as she had encountered Central Princess a long time ago...and knows Central Princess doesn't simply let her enemy escape without a reason.