What kind of future do you seek?
Bismarck wakes up in her office and finds herself resting her head on her right arm while the other arm is pressing against the paperwork she needs to review and sign. The desk, the walls, and the expensive looking furniture make it without a doubt that it's her personal office. In the first few seconds, Bismarck blinks in confusion to why she is suddenly in her office.
"What is going on?"
Of course she widens her eyes in disbelief because she is certain that she should not be back in Iron Blood yet when she's supposed to be in another world hoping to bring back Tirpitz through reason if possible.
"Something's not right. This might be a dream of some sort"
Bismarck shakes her head in disbelief and slaps herself, but she remains where she is without changes. Their air she breathes, the solid wooden desk her palms are pressing, and the interior of the office are far too real.
"I have to confirm"
Staying inside her office and remaining shock won't prove whether her current situation is a drastic change in reality or a realistic dream, so she hurriedly leaves her current spot. Bismarck hastily heads out of her office and turns her head left and right, confirming the hallway on both ends are exactly the same in the Iron Blood she knows.
"No, no, this must be a dream. I'm certain I haven't returned to Iron Blood yet. There's no way being separated alongside King George V is a dream"
Bismarck persists on the reality that she's supposed to be searching for Tirpitz and not back in her own nation. Again, she hastily moves her feet away from the door and proceed to the left side. On the way, she passes by some of the destroyers and U-boats, solely focusing on heading outside as much as possible.
"Everything's...normal?"
To her shock, she spots more of fellow Iron Blood shipgirls peacefully going back their day without abnormality. Bismarck lifts her head and gazes at the sky, narrowing her eyes at the scorching sun. She clearly feels the heat right through her uniform and faint wind brushing against her air.
"Waaah! A cute little bunny!" Prinz Heinrich is tightly embracing a certain underdressed destroyer with rabbit ears
"Guah!" KC Shimakaze is turning pale from the lack of oxygen
"There she goes again" Peter Strasser shakes her head
"You're choking her, Heinrich" Mainz points at the pale Shimakaze
"I can't help but be joyful seeing a cute little bunny like me~"
Prinz Heinrich pouts when the two aren't happy that her innocent affection for KC Shimakaze through a tight embrace is robbing her of oxygen. Shimakaze's animated turrets are helpless in freeing their shipgirl when they are all small with stubby arms and legs.
"C-can't breathe..." Shimakaze weakly speaks
"You're literally leaving her breathless. Let go of thy destroyer" Peter Strasser crosses her arms
"Heinrich!" Peter Strasser places both her hands on her waist
"Fine" Prinz Heinrich reluctantly puts her down
At the persistence of the two, Prinz Heinrich is forced to unhand her little rabbit friend, who immediately faints to the grounds with the Rensouhou-chans rushing to her aid.
"Iced coffee in days like this..."AL Graf Zeppelin shakes her ice-filled glass
"Iced or typical warm, I don't discriminate with coffee...as long as they nothing is mixed in it like milk. It just tasted weird since I like my coffee brewed" KC Graf Zeppelin raises her glass and stares at it
"You and Mainz will get along well"
"Oh, a coffee lover as well?" KC Graf Zeppelin raises an eyebrow
"A serious one at that. She doesn't spare blasphemy, not even the commander. You should have seen how she bursted out when the commander put sugar in the coffee"
KC Graf Zeppelin wryly laughs just imagining how Mainz is unforgiving when it comes to coffee and will ignore authority, even her own commander.
"Come back here, you little scoundrel!" Mainz pursues someone with her sword unsheathed
"Pyon!" Uzuki is running for her dear life
Mainz chases the playful destroyer who is clearly terrified and pushing her legs to flee from an extremely furious Mainz as fast as possible.
"Graf! Help, me Graf. She's going to make me into stewed rabbit!"
Uzuki desperately rushes to KC Graf Zeppelin and hides behind her seeing the hostile Mainz won't spare her as she soon as she catches her.
"You little scoundrel! Do you think you can escape me?" Mainz slows down when the trembling destroyer hides behind the two Graf Zeppelin
Still furious, Mainz points the tip of her blade to the pale from fear Uzuki. The latter clutches at Graf Zeppelin's capelet and crouches seeing the seething murderous intent in Mainz's eyes.
"What did she do this time?" KC Graf Zeppelin stands up
"This little devil poured milk on my coffee while I wasn't looking!" Mainz angrily replies
AL Graf Zeppelin quietly observes the situation with a faint expectant smile on her lips while KC Graf Zeppelin turns her head to Uzuki disbelief.
"Alright, you can freely turn her into stew"
"Pyon?!"
Without a second thought, KC Graf Zeppelin grabs and hands over an utterly shocked Uzuki to a mildly surprised Mainz since naturally anyone would protect their comrades.
"Uzuki, pouring milk in brewed coffee is uncalled for. You should know that since I like the taste and aroma of pure crushed coffee beans" KC Graf Zeppelin even lectures her
"Oh, you know how to drink coffee too?"
Mainz's face brightens up as she lifts and carries Uzuki like luggage to prevent the mischievous destroyer from easily escaping her grasp.
"We Germans love our beer more than anyone, but coffee is my passion too" KC Graf Zeppelin proudly informs too
"This is excellent. We should go for a cup of coffee sometimes" Mainz immediately invites her
"I would love to"
"See, I told you two would get along instantly" AL Graf Zeppelin scoffs
Everyone right now is behaving normally and even interacting with each other which shouldn't be possible in Bismarck's eyes. No one noticed the strange situation except for Bismarck herself which confuses her on whether the scenario is truly a dream or the present time.
"I don't understand. There's no way a dream could be this real..."
[Don't let it swallow you, Bismarck]
"Who-?"
Bismarck immediately turns around but found no one behind her or anyone near her they could have said it. The other shipgirls are too far away from her to speak without shouting at the top of their lungs.
[You're getting taken in by this sweet lie]
"Show yourself" Bismarck turns around but still finds no one
No matter what direction she focuses or scans, there are no one near her that could whisper so clearly and ominously.
[Wake up. You still have to stop thing...so you wouldn't repeat...]
Right before Bismarck turn around again, someone grabs her from the back of her collar and drags her away violently. The warm and bright scene fades away right before her eyes and swallowed by pitch black darkness.
"...!" Bismarck gasps for air
Iron Blood is completely gone from her sight and the pitch black darkness...brings her back to Maizuru naval district. To be specific, she's somewhere in the storage area near the arsenal, leaning against the steel wall of one of the warehouses lined up.
"You were spacing out. Is everything alright?"
An unknown shipgirl clad in black uniform with a distinctive steel helmet completely concealing her head tilts her head in confusion.
"Who are you?" Bismarck raises her guard.
"H-39. A prototype of the H-class battleships. I...have no need for a name..."
"For someone reason I felt like we've met before. Your voice sounds a little familiar"
"You...must be thinking of someone else. I'm from the Kriegsmarine and not Iron Blood" H-39 crosses her arms
"...I'm not certain. Your voice reminds me of someone who spoke to me a long time ago. I was in a realistic dream and someone's voice woke me from it"
"I don't know who and what you're referring to, but if there's no issue with your health, then I'll be on my way"
"Wait" Bismarck regains her composure
"I don't belong in this fleet, and I'm running late for my next mission"
"Then why are still here?" Bismarck is slightly suspicious
"The Bismarck here asked my help since I've dealt with an Arbiter before, but I only offered my help if I have time to spare"
"..."
"I have to be in Newcastle by tomorrow. Someone there is personally asking for assistance"
The annoyed H-39 immediately takes her leave without much details of her important task. Bismarck narrows her eyes when she briefly sees that the nameless battleship is hastily walking away from Bismarck.
"That can't be right. I know I heard her voice before...back in Iron Blood"
Despite H-39 claiming to bever have been in Iron Blood or encountered Bismarck before, the latter couldn't brush away her suspicions specially after H-39 immediately decides to leave.
Meanwhile...
A fully recovered AL Akashi jumps from one suspended rigging to another while Yuubari pulls her from a battleship rigging before the chain snaps and possibly damage the rigging itself.
"These are all different from the rigging back in Azur Lane. You can't imagine the testing I could do with all of these, nya" Akashi rubs her sleeve covered hands together
"You can't just poke randomly in their riggings. It could explode in the middle of battle" Yuubari warns her
"I'm inspecting the components of each rigging and what kind of material they are made. To fight against the Sirens, I need to integrate special parts in each one, nya" AL Akashi lightly taps a rigging
"That's true since we're a completely different world and not just some alternate timeline" Yuubari scratches her head
"Tiny me, I brought the materials and tools needed!"
KC Akashi barges into the storage area carrying large box covering her upper body and still manages to barely hold he personal toolbox.
"Excellent! We can start away, nya!" AL Akashi maniacally laughs
"W-what?!" Yuubari is confused
"We already discussed about modifying our fleet's weaponry to be similar to those Azur Lane girls. That way, we can hit the Sirens hard and not just throw rocks at them. Some of our squadron managed to salvaged Siren parts for the past week. I was planning to study them first, but since my cat version is here, it's possible to modify the rigging now" KC Akashi explains
"You've been doing this without telling me?" Yuubari slightly feels betrayed
"Only a madman can understand another madman"
AL Akashi reveals various tools in her tiny hands as soon as she raises her arms high up in the air. The two Akashis maliciously laughs as if they're both mad scientists about to commit taboo.
"We don't have time to waste. The Sirens are collecting Orochi's parts already. I'm sure they're certain it can be a longtime obstacle to Azur Lane this time, nya" AL Akashi trembles
"Now that I think about it, what is this Orochi exactly?" KC Akashi raises an important question
"It's an original ship made by the Sirens, so it had state of the art technology...until we blew it up to pieces. I heard Tirpitz say something about a better plan once the pieces are complete and she's confident that it wouldn't be as easy like last time" AL Akashi shudders
"If the Sirens are making their superweapon, then I'll be joining the modification too. I can't have two maniacs left unattended"
Yuubari puffs her chests and makes her decision much to the two Akashi's dismay since they lack the freedom to experiment on everyone's riggings by integrating Siren spare parts on it.
Lerwick base...
In one of Royal navy's bases, Warspite analyzes a black mental cube contained within a shatter-proof glass cube sealed by metallic frames. The cube ominously glows dark light and thankfully remains harmless so far.
"Where was this found again?" Warspite asks Vanguard
"It was during an exploration in Antarctica about two months ago. The human explorers unfortunately died when it released unknown energy" Vanguard immediately responds
"I heard about it. Their arms were completely blackened and described to be have both rotten and burned" Ark Royal shudders
"Some of them had darkened vein-shaped burn marks all over their body and their eyes profusely bled" Vanguard adds
"It's harmful to humans after all. That's why I need to return this to my world"
A battleship being accompanied by Nelson overhears the conversation and interject in the topic.
"You are Mikasa? The other leader aside from the other Bismarck" Warspite gently smiles
"Oh, you're like a taller and more elegant Queen Elizabeth" Mikasa shakes her head in surprise
"What is this cube exactly?" Nelson joins in the conversation too
Mikasa silently approaches the sealed black mental cube that constantly emits faint light. Being near it while It's contained causes no harm to any of the shipgirls present, but Mikasa remains cautious to an inanimate object.
"A long time ago, it was an unknown aircraft carrier that appeared in the Sakura Empire and rampaged. Even if it's a humanoid shipgirl, it was mostly mindless like those common Sirens. It was blindly raging against the Sakura Empire and destroyed a whole base single-handedly. An unknown battleship appeared while we're being overpowered...and reduced it into that state" Mikasa partially explains
"If someone had it before in your world, why was it left in our world? It was a mindless shipgirl yet it was left here" Warspite is baffled
"I'm not certain how it ended up here since the battleship snatched away the cube and disappeared almost immediately. Whoever she is, her strength is like the Takao-lookalike we encountered before" Mikasa crosses her arms
"Maybe she left it there thinking someone like the Sirens wouldn't be able to chase her in our world and find it at the farthest corner of the world?" Nelson isn't sure with her guess
"No one knows up until know. Right now, my mission here to discover why the Sirens are rebuilding Orochi and prevent the Sirens from completing it" Mikasa gazes back at the cube
"It makes me wonder what else are in this world. First are Orochi's pieces and now it's the cube of a mindless aircraft carrier" Warspite massages her temples
(Orochi, this mental cube, and that mysterious battleship. Why do they involve this world when there's benefit to it?) Mikasa thinks to herself
Mikasa stretches out her hand but retreats it it before the tip of her fingers could reach the glass container. Even if the mental cube shows no sign of activity ever since the Royal navy has it in their possession, there's no guarantee it will remain that way until it's safely back in Azur Lane.
Thirty minutes later...
AL Prinz Eugen safely exits from a ripple in the middle of the sea and stretches her arms up in the air as soon as she catches the scent of seawater. The clam waves beneath her feet and gentle breeze relaxes her nerves while Siren escorts exits from other ripples behind her.
"Aspidochelone, time to engulf the whole area. Seal the marked radius around the islands. We're trapping them here like the clueless mice they are~" Prinz Eugen licks her lips
"Wow, you're a bit sadistic, aren't you. Hopefully Iron Blood doesn't make a haughty and holder version of you" The Siren Omitter giggles
"Mikasa has been picked up by the Royal navy from Denmark and Sovetskaya Rossiya is somewhere out there. Littorio is in Italy enjoying wine and pasta" Prinz Eugen counts the shipgirls with her fingers
"Saint Louis couldn't be tracked by the Sirens and no one matching her description has been found either" Omitter raises her finger
"We'll make a big leap if we retrieve the cube...without accidentally reactivating it"
"Project: Ghost. The failure of a recreation, huh. I thought the humans disposed it, but those two failed to destroy it"
"The shipgirl isn't what we needed, just its functioning mental cube" Prinz Eugen winks
"Why do I feel like you're up to something?" The Siren immediately suspects
"Whatever are you talking about~"
Prinz Eugen deliberately teases her like she does with everyone else, but their little free time is cut off when the fortress of a whale partially surfaces and let out a deep yet faint song which fades into a vibrating hum.
"The show is about to begin. Hopefully, they can put up a fight" Prinz Eugen raises her head
Faint visible energy surrounding Aspidochelone expands to the surface and the water below. It forms an unbreakable fielding bounding everyone within it. The energy is a visible and warped golden color, but it becomes completely invisible even in Prinz Eugen's eyes.
"Are we just going to brute force this again?" Prinz Eugen asks while sounding bored
"Completely! It's not like they have anything that can counter us. No reinforcements will come for them anyway" The Siren Omitter gives a confident thumbs up
"..."
"We've sent a submarine squadron to take them out as soon as they come out of hiding but none has reported back so far. So long as our little whale toy isn't preoccupied defending itself, the barrier would keep any outsiders from coming in here. Their anti air defenses isn't suited to damage our aircraft anyway" The Siren Omitter nods
"Sirens are all too confident..." Prinz Eugen shakes her head in dismay
"There's no complexity is needed, but we need to force the battle away from the base or the cube might be damaged. Hopefully it's not damaged already thanks to that pesky battleship who snatched if away in the first place" The Siren Omitter is unhappy mentioning an unknown shipgirl
"That person, huh. I wonder if something surprising will happen again"
Compared to the upset Siren Omitter, Prinz Eugen is curious and perhaps looking forward to an unexpected incident.
"I'll be taking the left side, so I'm leaving the center to you"
The Siren Omitter commences the mission and takes half of the Siren escorts with her and remaining half on stand by under Prinz Eugen's command. The enormous whale remains quiet underwater, being focused on limiting the battlefield and its lack of mobility.
Back at Lerwick base...
Mikasa and Warspite are still discussing about the black mental cube that remains harmless within a glass container when both of their attention are shifted to panicking personnel shouting at someone to stop.
"Aren't you...?" Warspite does recognize the person
"Bismarck? I know you've been found and in the Maizuru base, so what are you doing here?" Mikasa scratches her head
"Last I've heard, you're currently in the base with our Bismarck. I received no information of you arriving here" Warspite is as puzzled as Mikasa
"It hasn't started yet? Good, there's still time to mobilize everyone here"
Bismarck of Iron Blood looks around then at the black mental cube before sighing in relief. The two battleships looks at each other for a moment, confused and surprised at her presence in a Scottish island when she's supposed to be at the Maizuru naval district back in Japan.
"Prinz Eugen and the Siren Omitter are leading a fleet to attack this base. They'll be here in any moment, so we have to intercept them quick" Bismarck quickly informs the two
"What?!" Mikasa shakes her head in disbelief
"The whole island has been sealed off by a Siren weapon, so we're not going to receive any reinforcements. There's no time to lose! They need that mental cube for their plan in rebuilding Orochi"
"We can't let that happen. Warspite, mobilize your fleet here. Bismarck and I will set out first" Mikasa doesn't hesitate
"How do you know this? How do you travel here in a short amount of time?" Warspite is slightly suspicious
"I'll entertain your questions later. We can't afford the Sirens to keep overwhelming us and stealing their objective"
Bismarck of Iron Blood and Mikasa hurriedly leaves Warspite since they can just run to the port and manifest their rigging from their anchored ships.
"Something doesn't add up, but I cannot allow the Sirens to achieve their goals" Warspite sets aside her suspicions
"Warspite, we've spotted Siren aircraft heading towards here!" Ark Royal runs to her shouting
"What else are you waiting for? Gather the others and intercept them at once. If what the other Bismarck said is true, then we're on our own as we've been sealed off from outside help" Warspite hurriedly walks past her
"What?! That's bad, isn't it? We'll have to fight the Sirens while we're trapped here"
The two Royal navy shipgirls hurries before the Sirens can make the first strike while the only two shipgirls from Azur Lane present in the soon-to-be battlefield already set out to deal with the first wave of mass-produced Sirens.
"Mikasa, you and I will be intercepting Omitter coming from the left. Those Maizuru girls can handle Prinz Eugen"
"How do you know they're coming while we don't?" Mikasa needs an answer right now
"I've been tracking Prinz Eugen and didn't hesitate to pursue her when I learned she's going to take the black mental cube" Bismarck sighs
"Yeah, but how do you even know they're coming today and after the black mental cube secretly kept in that base?" Mikasa slows down
"..." Bismarck lowers her head
"Bismarck, just what's going on? Is there something you need to tell me" Mikasa swallows her breath
"Mikasa, you see I'm-"
Bismarck clenches her fists yet her response is immediately cut off by a barrage of energy projectiles and rockets splitting into smaller ones. The two battleships move away from each other and pours their attention into avoiding each one of the opening fire.
"Mikasa's really here, but Bismarck? That can't be right. Bismarck shouldn't be able to come here so quickly" The Siren Omitter frowns
(Even the Siren is surprised) Mikasa briefly glances at Bismarck
"Well, it doesn't matter. If you two are out of the picture, then the rest will be easy"
The Siren Omitter moves her rigging with gaping jaws to her side, gleefully preparing to engage the two battleships by herself.
"Even if we can't sink her, we just have to fend her off" Mikasa suggests
The Siren Omitter starts by unleashing shadowy bullet-like projectiles and follows a constant rapid fire of energy bullets, forcing the two battleships to evade and constantly move away from each other. Just then, the muffled popping sound of aircraft being gunned down fills the sky.
"Ahahahaha! Come on, entertain me! I haven't fought someone interesting in a long time
The Siren Omitter cheerfully spins and unleashes a spiral barrage of her blue energy projectiles, continuously toying with the two battleships.
"Hmm. No, this is no good" Bismarck sighs
"I know! It's hard to accurately land a hit!" Mikasa grits her teeth
"That's not what I meant"
"Bismarck?"
Bismarck moves further from both Mikasa and the Siren Omitter, much to Mikasa's surprise.
"Mikasa, hold her down for a while. I have somewhere else to be" Bismarck plans for abandon the battle
"W-what?" Where are you going?" Mikasa drops her jaw in disbelief
"Retreating? That's not like you at all" Omitter herself is shocked as well
"I have no need to entertain your whims right now, Siren. There's another reason I came here, and it's not dealing with you"
"Bismarck!"
Mikasa is born upset and dumbfounded to why, Bismarck of all people, chooses to forfeit the battle against a threat for another priority. In fact, Bismarck doesn't hesitate to leave Mikasa to fend for herself.
"Ggh!" Ark Royal is almost hit by a dive bomber
As the only aircraft carrier present in Lerwick as of the moment, Ark Royal is forced to primarily focus on defending the skies before providing air support to her comrades.
"Hmm~ They actually intercepted us rather than be taken by surprise? I wonder who tipped them off?" Prinz Eugen tilts her head
The Iron Blood heavy cruiser watches the struggle of the shipgirls rather than participate in the battle herself. She smiles at how one aircraft carrier is expanding all of her aircraft just to keep the continuous swarm of aircraft from bombing her allies that she could barely move on the offensive herself.
"Take out the aircraft carrier quick. Even if it's a different Ark Royal, an eyesore is still an eyesore" Prinz Eugen orders the Siren Strategists
"...?!"
One of the Sirens is bombed into oblivion by a dive bomber right above it. Prinz Eugen reflexively distances herself at the sight of a familiar red flaming dive bomber. Her rigging bear its fangs and readies her main turrets when more Sirens behind her are being eliminated like crushing ants.
"Found you~ Ahahahaha!" Akagi maniacally giggles
The red fox of the Sakura Empire seething with bloodlust and revenge greets Prinz Eugen by swatting Siren aircraft in the sky, thus giving Ark Royal more space to launch her dive bombers and torpedo bombers.
"A...kagi?!" Prinz Eugen breaks out in a cold sweat
"You think I'd let go of a grudge like that? I'm not going to stop until you're rotting in hell"
Akagi lights paper talismans in pure red flame before tossing them straight at Prinz Eugen, but blocked by a skill that releases connected hexagonal shields.
"How did you even get here? There's no way you can run all the way here in a short amount of time?" Prinz Eugen shakes her head
"Apparently Bismarck knew you and your Siren friends are targeting the black mental cube in that base, so I gladly tagged along when she told me"
"Bismarck? I'd understand if you found out, but Bismarck? That's impossible! If she was on the move - nevermind that" Prinz Eugen is upset at the turn of events
"My you look angry? I thought unpredictable situations like these excites you or only when it benefits you?"
Seeing Prinz Eugen being taken by complete surprise and slowly being cornered, Akagi couldn't help but lavish at her once proud prey now showing vulnerability. She licks her lips and then bites her lower lip as her body tingles at the thought of payback for the humiliation last time.
"Admiral Hipper isn't here to get in the way again. Unlike the others, I don't mind making it seem the Sirens betrayed you and took you out. That way Bismarck won't pester me and my beloved commander would still love me" Akagi devilishly smiles
"Something doesn't add up. There's no way Bismarck should know Ghost's mental cube is being kept here and that we're going to retrieve it today"
"I may be a little devil to everyone, but I'm afraid I can't spoil the surprise to why we were able to foil your plans today" Akagi places her index finger on her lips
Akagi moves her flaming aircraft and truly enjoys the sight of Prinz Eugen desperately evading the dive bombers and torpedo bombers at the same time.
"I'm going to take my time burning you, Prinz Eugen. I cannot forgive anyone who broke the commander's trust and humiliate me with a cheap trick"
Akagi throws more of her flaming talismans while Prinz Eugen returns fire, forcing both of them to evades each other's attacks simultaneously. The battle is more like a game of dodge ball with how they throw an attack then dodge counterattack and repeat the process a few times.
"...!"
Prinz Eugen's salvo successfully lands on Akagi when the latter slows down from the constant evasive maneuvers from Prinz Eugen's torpedoes and shells. She finally finds a room to breathe when the shells explodes upon impact, covering the believed to be injured Akagi on thick black smoke.
"You're getting rusty, Prinz Eugen!" Akagi immediately emerges out of the smoke barely harmed
"How?!" Prinz Eugen backs away
One of Akagi's flaming talisman burns sharply and flies straight to Prinz Eugen like burning knife and melts through her passive shield then successfully strike Prinz Eugen's left eye.
"...?!" Prinz Eugen bites her lip
The Iron Blood heavy cruiser prevents a pained scream to come out of her mouth as she staggers back and covers her smoking and badly burned left eye with her left hand.
"Ngh!"
After her defense is proven to be flawed by Akagi, the latter repeats the attack several more times and burns Prinz Eugen's left leg, right forearm, and shoulder, forcing her to move one step back with each hits landed.
"Ahahahaha! Come on, Prinz Eugen. What happened to your confidence? You're being distracted today"
(Bismarck and Akagi couldn't be all the way here from Japan. What's more is that when did Bismarck learned of our plans and our target? King George V assured me she's completely clueless!) Prinz Eugen is frustrated
"It's no fun that you're holding back against me. I would have been more satisfied if you were being serious, you know?" Akagi mocks her
"I admit that I'm trying not to kill you today because of my goals...but I can't afford to lose to a maniac like you. That's why...I'll sure the same dirty trick last time"
Prinz Eugen remains standing straight even with the sever burns on some areas of her body, specially her left eye being covered by her hand. She smiles victoriously even if Akagi so close to pushing to her a corner for her to take seriously.
"...?!"
A pale hand phases right through Akagi, rendering her completely numb and paralyzed right where she stands. To her surprise, her flaming aircraft instantly vanishes in thin air without her command.
"Who..." Akagi weakly turns her head enough to recognize the attacker
"I'm sorry to have done this, but I need Prinz Eugen alive. Don't worry, I didn't pierce your body. I just touched your mental cube"
A young woman with long snow white hair and soulless scarlet eyes faintly smiles and gently assures Akagi that she isn't going to die at the spot.
"Why...I couldn't sense you coming from...behind...?" Akagi grits her teeth
"You'd be angry at me if I told you" The unknown shipgirl scoffs
"Your scent. Why is it...so familiar?"
"I'm not obliged to answer that right now. You're reaction last time...was violent, so I decided to not repeat that mistake"
The pale shipgirl that speaks in a melancholic yet gentle tone, slowly removes her hand that isn't even physically touching Akagi. She indifferently watches the aircraft carrier collapses on the surface water, extremely weakened when all of her strength siphoned away in mere seconds.
"Don't keep calling me, Eugen. I can't always save you when you feel like it. Next time, I won't be coming to help you" The shipgirl grunts and reminds her
"Sorry about that. I truly am taken by surprise today"
"I'm not some trump card that you can use to effortlessly win any battles" The calmly speaking shipgirl is ironically upset
"I already apologized, alright? I promise to not call you next time" Prinz Eugen half-heartedly apologizes and promises with her fingers crossed on her back
"This is the last time I'll let this pass. Let's fix that eye of yours back in the base because I don't think an eyepatch would suit you. Maybe if you have horns and a mature body" The shipgirl jokingly suggests
"I still have to retrieve the mental cube"
"Forget it. She snatched it again"
"What?!"
The pale shipgirl stretches out her hand and shatters the space in front of her like glass and reveals an ever stretching space inside. Seeing how space itself is fragile and easily manipulated for the unknown shipgirl, the mostly paralyzed Akagi is speechless with disbelief.
"We've all been outsmarted by Bismarck today - both her allies and her enemies" The shipgirl scoffs
"You have a lot of explaining to do because clearly I'm the only oblivious one today" Prinz Eugen demands even with her injuries
"I don't even know where to begin"
The two completely ignores Akagi since she no longer possesses any threat with how she couldn't even lift herself up after her mental cube is tampered.
"It looks like we've both been played by the wrong person" Prinz Eugen mocks her
The shipgirls enters the shattered rift first and completely disappears while Prinz Eugen leaves a remark before waving goodbye and disappearing as well. As soon as the two shipgirls disappear, the broken space repairs itself as if it hasn't been shattered to begin with.
After the battle...
The exhausted and moderately injured shipgirls return to the barely damaged base, thankful that there aren't a single casualty. Nelson inspects her surroundings while pressing an icepack on her forehead while Warspite frowns at an unexpected sight.
"T-the container..." Ark Royal rubs her eyes
"We fended off the Sirens, but they managed to steal the cube. What's more..." Warspite couldn't believe at what happened as well
The container itself is completely intact without the slightest crack yet the black mental cube is completely missing. Warspite clicks her tongue, completely displeased at the out come.
"Vanguard is out cold since that enemy shipgirl aimed at you like she has a personal grudge" Nelson walks up to them
"Has anyone seen Bismarck? She left me in the middle of the battle and never came back? I don't care if she's Iron Blood's leader, she needs to properly explain herself!" Mikasa wants to scold her
"No one saw her after the battle" Nelson tilts her head
"Warspite, do you think..." Ark Royal suddenly realizes
"Hmm. It makes little sense since we all met Iron Blood's Bismarck, but the fact the cube is stole and she disappeared..." Warspite goes into deep thought
"Bismarck stole the cube for herself? That's something she wouldn't do and it wouldn't make the slightest sense" Mikasa quickly disapproves the theory
"We need to return to Maizuru and clarify what in the world is happening?"
Warspite informs her two fellow Royal navy shipgirls in order to truly confirm her earlier suspicions regarding Bismarck's coincidental arrival and mysterious disappearance while the mental cube disappears.
Maizuru naval district...
Hours after the clash with the Sirens which results in the base remaining untouched but the mental cube stolen, the newly recovered Royal navy shipgirls with the addition of Mikasa, hastily searches for the prime suspect of the mental cube's mysterious disappearance.
"Bismarck!" Mikasa raises her voice
Mikasa quickly finds AL Bismarck in a middle of a friendly discussion with KC Bismarck over a cup of coffee. She stands up at the mere mention of her name, glad at Mikasa finally making her way to the base and puzzled to why she's visibly upset.
"Do you have the black mental cube with you?" Mikasa immediately asks
"Black mental cube? Whatever are you talking about?"
AL Bismarck turns to KC Bismarck, who shrugs her shoulders. Neither of the two Bismarck have the slightest clue to the black mental cube.
"You walked into Lerwick base informing us of an imminent Siren attack because they're after the black mental cube...which has been stolen" Warspite joins in the conversation
"Lerwick base? That's all the way in Scotland" KC Bismarck scratches her head
"I don't seem to understand what's going on"
Mikasa and Warspite stares at each other, surprised at AL Bismarck genuinely unaware of her supposed unannounced arrival in the base because a Siren fleet plans to steal an important object.
"You were there earlier this morning and warned us that the Sirens are after the black mental cube we secretly had in possession, but said mental cube was stolen even if fended off the Sirens" Warspite explains
"In the middle of battle, you left me on my own against Omitter. It's not something you would do, so I want to know what's going on" Mikasa needs the truth from AL Bismarck
"You two are saying the other Bismarck showed up in Lerwick base because of a Siren attack? That should be impossible"
KC Bismarck stands up and cuts in after hearing enough explanation to why Mikasa and Warspite are upset at AL Bismarck the moment they arrive at the base.
"How so?" Mikasa is beginning to be confused
"She never left the base whole day. We were together earlier this morning and even scolded the scamming cat for a whole hour" KC Bismarck comes to her defense
"S-she never left the base?" Warspite presses her hand on her temple
"I can attest to that. We even had a sparring session before lunch"
King George V walks in the commotion and raises her hand, also testifying that it's impossible for AL Bismarck to leave the Maizuru naval district without anyone noticing.
"The only one who disappeared without telling anyone is Akagi" Admiral Hipper, standing nearby, also raises her hand
"Akagi was there without a doubt. She faced off against a hostile shipgirl...but disappeared right before we knew it" Ark Royal remembers
"How could I ignore that terrifying fox woman who likes to throw flaming papers" Nelson shudders
The two Royal navy shipgirls has just arrived at the scene and joins in the conversation, further increasing the commotion and deepening the mystery of the possible fake AL Bismarck who arrived at Lerwick base.
"We find Akagi and we get answers, but she yet to return" King George V shakes her head
"This me you met, does she exactly appear and sound like me?" AL Bismarck faces Mikasa
"Without a doubt. She even acted like you...until she ditched a battle for no specific reason"
Mikasa is still upset about it, but she's no longer directing it at Bismarck after learning that it could have been an impostor since the shipgirls in the Maizuru base are certain Bismarck has been with them the whole day.
"It could have been an Arbiter since they possess unique abilities like Hermit's mist that can alter our senses" AL Bismarck theorizes
"Then it's likely she baited you out and took the cube once she's certain everyone is pre-occupied with the other Sirens" King George V hits her palm
"Damn it. How could have I not notice?" Mikasa grits her teeth
"What's this black mental cube they stole?" AL Bismarck almost forgets to ask
"It's the unknown aircraft carrier that rampaged in the Sakura Empire only to be snatched away by another unknown shipgirl" Mikasa confirms
"An impostor, huh" AL Bismarck is clearly displeased that a Siren has to copy her to fool the others
"I may know who it is. Remember there's one Arbiter who can mimic both our appearances and voices"
KC Bismarck steps in after matching a perfect shapeshifting ability to a Siren Arbiter. Everyone's attention are directed towards her as a result
"Arbiter Zero: Fool. She had another Arbiter help her to temporarily wield that kind of ability" KC Bismarck reminds them
"Arbiter XVIII: Moon. That Arbiter is killed by an unknown young woman" Mikasa remembers
"It doesn't matter. Fool is weak, so she asked another Arbiter to help her. It could possibly be Hermit...if they got along somehow" King George V isn't sure with her guess
"We need to makes haste. Littorio and Saint Louis has yet to be found while the Sirens are making progress with each day that passes"
The current Azur Lane shipgirls nods without a doubt since the situation needs to be taken seriously after the blunder today. An Arbiter outsmarted them and snatches a dormant mental cube of an experimental shipgirl without lifting a finger using AL Bismarck's appearance to completely catch everyone off guard.
Somewhere...
Akagi limps back weakened and more furious after another cheap trick is used to defeat her. Unlike last time, she managed to deal enough significant blow on Prinz Eugen which forces her to call for someone's help without hesitation. When her shaking legs meet the ground, Akagi's desire to take out Prinz Eugen grows.
"You look terrible, Akagi" Bismarck laments at the wounded red fox
"A shipgirl appeared and I couldn't sense her" Akagi angrily hits the ground
"...because it felt similar to too gentle, correct?"
"That's right. It was similar to Amagi-neesama's personality. Then there's the fact she managed to tamper my mental cube"
Bismarck removes her cap and combs her bangs with her fingers, barely interested at Akagi's frustration and injuries.
"The black mental cube?" Akagi almost forgets about it
"...The Sirens managed to retrieve it" Bismarck reluctantly informs her
"How?! I thought you didn't go in the front lines to secure it?"
"Omitter was there, remember? I had to fend her off" Bismarck frowns
"If this keeps up, then the Sirens will accomplish their goal in no time"
"I won't let that happen. Once Tirpitz shows herself, I will deal with her myself"
"Better make sure of it..." Akagi can barely stand up
Bismarck returns her cap and firmly assures Akagi that the Sirens won't have their way. Even if she says it with serious confidence, Akagi doubts she can stay true with that after allowing the Sirens to steal an important object.
"By the way, you should return to Maizuru before the Royal navy girls arrive" Bismarck turns away
"How about you? There will be chaos among everyone once they arrive. They already suspected you the moment you showed up" Akagi points at her
"That's not my problem because they won't know anything"
There will be question of Bismarck's unexpected appeared in Lerwick, but the latter coldly replies. She has no interest whether it will cause disarray between the shipgirls, assuring Akagi they are blinded from the truth.
"..." Akagi clenches her fists
"I will stop by the base later. There's someone I need to deal with first"
"Who would that be?"
"..."
Bismarck refuses to disclose the identity and leaves the wounded Akagi on her own much to the latter's disappointment. Not only Bismarck states her disinterest of an inevitable conflict but also refuses to mention her target.
"I almost forgot" Bismarck pauses and walks back to Akagi
"What is it this time?"
"Good night...Akagi"
"...?!"
Bismarck grabs Akagi by the face and immediately causes to pass out and fall without struggle to the ground. After being weakened by a pale shipgirl, Akagi isn't able to retaliate in the few seconds before Bismarck knocks her unconscious without hitting her bluntly.
"Forgive me, but they will be after you for the time being. You were there as well"
While Akagi peacefully sleeps in the concrete, Bismarck removes her cap and sincerely apologizes for the sudden "betrayal" and returns the cap back to her head as soon as she leaves the scene.
EXTRA
Shortly after the failed retrieval of an important piece, which is a dormant mental cube of an experimental shipgirl, Prinz Eugen returns with several areas of her body burned by Akagi's hellish flames. She continues to cover her most noticeable burn on her left eye, a bit unhappy that she's partially blinded.
"I can't fully heal your left eye. Akagi had the killing intent when she struck you. For now, I cooled down your wounds and repaired slight damage"
The pale shipgirl gently moves Prinz Eugen's bangs to the side and presses her fingers near the burns at the left eye. She manages to ease the pain and lessen the severity of the injuries at the very least.
"I'm like Scharnhorst now..." Prinz Eugen touches the pad placed to cover her left eye
"It will heal in less than a week. Three days if I manage to reverse the damage completely" The pale shipgirl chuckles
It's similar to a stringless eyepatch, but not only it covers her left eye, it also conceals the burn mark etched on her skin like a deep knife cut.
"It could have been easy, Eugen. They're trapped within a dome without backup...yet you couldn't steal it"
Tirpitz shakes her head in disappointment while she clasps a book clos and slams it on top of a table. Rather than be thankful Akagi failed to finish her off, disappointment and displeasure is the first thing she expresses.
"Someone got to it first. Bismarck was there and warned them early"
Prinz Eugen removes her hand covering her left eye and shows how the horrible burn really did blinded her.
"...No, she isn't"
For a moment, Tirpitz blinks in confusion when the excuse Prinz Eugen has to use is Bismarck somehow being present there and aware of their plan, cussing the Royal navy to intercept them and fend them off.
"She was there. Omitter even fought her" Prinz Eugen insists
"Eugen, Bismarck never left the Maizuru base. King George V was there with her the whole time"
"What?!" Prinz Eugen moves back a single step
"Besides, do you think Bismarck could reach Scotland all the way from Japan in short notice? What did you think she did? Teleport like the Sirens?"
"Then how did Akagi got there?"
"Beats me. From what I've been informed, Akagi was the only one confirmed missing the whole day"
The disconnected events should stir confusion to Tirpitz, but the latter is standing ten meters in front of Prinz Eugen with no visible shock. In fact, Tirpitz is more focused on being disappointed at Prinz Eugen for making a lousy excuse and failing when she has the advantage.
"Tirpitz, there's someone else getting in the way. It's not those shipgirls from Maizuru or from Azur Lane"
"If it's a third party, then who do you think it is?" Tirpitz sighs in exhaustion
"I don't know..."
"Still, it won't change the fact you carelessly allowed someone to steal a key component. We need Ghost, Eugen. That thing may be a failed imitation, but it's still Enterprise regardless"
"You weren't even there to help me"
Prinz Eugen may not be the type to always retaliate, but it's impossible for her to casually ignore the complaints of someone who isn't even doing much of the fighting.
"..."
As if accepting Prinz Eugen's words as truth and somehow admitting Tirpitz's accepts being partially at fault, she sits on the table folding her arms and her mood becoming tense.
"I see. Then, I don't have time to waste around..." Tirpitz responds after a whole minute of silence
"...?"
"Knowing who I'm up against that is..."
Rather be unhappy that she may have another obstacle placed in front of her, she's slightly excited because she clearly implies to know a new threat. Tirpitz isn't the type to be looking forward to a confrontation or be casual with it. The drastic change in behavior worries Prinz Eugen.