It's like a malevolent apparition...
Project Ghost, a kansen fueled by negative emotions of humanity rather than the positive ones normal kansens possess. This one doesn't have enough self awareness to determine what's right and wrong. Ghost just gains a physical form, but some parts of her are...left incomplete. The failed project has void-like patches on her arms, cheek, fingers, and other body parts truly like an incomplete puzzle failing to cover darkness.
"You don't have to do this..." Ash tries to reason with her
"Aagghh...hurts..."
Her voice is raspy, echoing, and deep. This is due to her absorbing both humans and kansens she kills. Rather than make her reasonable, the countless emotions whirling inside her are driving her further into an animalistic insanity. Her lifeless violet eyes only burn with blind rage and unexplained hatred for humans.
"Forget it! She would never listen to reason" Ember draws her blade
It's all my fault...
Iron Blood collapsed right in front of me. My home is destroyed and my fellow Iron Blood members mostly fell without even landing a single scratch on her. Before all of that, Tirpitz went out of control and killed several Iron Blood ships before she disappeared.
"You goddamn monster!" Hiryuu META angrily curses at her
"Why won't it did?!" Ark Royal is frustrated
Not even the Ashes and METAs combined could put her down. Every strike lethal to a kansen would only anger her and sends her into worse blind range.
"It hurts..."
The others are still fighting, but I could barely move my limbs, let alone aim my cannons at this immortal monster. To think her kansen appearance is only external as inside her is just a blank void. I wouldn't have known if it isn't for her missing patches of skin that's just like torn paper rather than stretchy flesh.
"If I had stopped them earlier, then she wouldn't be like this. Ghost could have been born normal..." Ash blames herself
It's no one's fault, but Ash has a point. Ghost activated prematurely, so she ended up younger in appearance and highly unstable. She lacked intelligence to learn morality and self awareness. The result...is just an unkillable mindless beast. Even if we sink her now, it would just destroy her physical form. Ghost would just revert her wisdom cube core and reactivate after a short amount of time.
"Since we can't stop her, we just have to seal her" Helena META suggests
"Keep her imprisoned in her cube. How can we even land a fatal blow when it's just absorbing our attacks?" Ember raises her chipped blade
"We need enough firepower to concentrate in her heart. Spread out her resources in healing other parts. That way, she won't regenerate instantly" I straighten myself and suggest to the others
Our numbers have enough firepower to damage her body. It's just that we get exhausted first and every time our attacks slow down, she would regenerate. Ghost lack of intelligence is what's preventing her from learning how to properly regenerate herself.
"Ash, that one is beyond saving..." I directly tell Ash
"We have no choice but to defeat her..." Ash accepts the reality
Ash pities Ghost since they're both Enterprise with the latter just being a clone from the original. Humans willingly risked the project and defied normalcy. They want to pump as much power as possible and remove any "weakness". What they removed were emotions and morality. Without it, the result is the monster in front of us - a being existing to solely destroyed until destroyed herself.
"Once we seal her into her wisdom cube state, I'll keep her and find a way for her to be complete" Ash isn't fully giving up on her
"That's reckless" Scharnhorst grunts at her
"There's no way to destroy since she keeps putting herself back together" Gneisenau META clicks her tongue
We haven't found a way to permanently destroy Ghost. It's also dangerous because one wrong move and she might self-destruct, taking us down and more lives with her. At the very least, we could prevent more destruction by keeping her imprisoned within her own core.
I've been staying in their base for a week now, and the shipgirls who tend to pass here are quite friendly even to a stranger. There's no distrust and infighting among them. I believe they're done at that point since the timeline of this universe is different. Decades passed since the great war and their version of Iron Blood discarded our ideals.
"Germany..." I mutter to myself
I just stare at the Schnitzel, one of their common German dishes, in front of me. They can serve a variety of cuisines since shipgirls from mixed nations would either be stationed here or stop by to resupply. Well, they tend to serve more German food since the primary resident here is a German.
"German?" H-39 tilts her head
On the other side is H-39, whose full name is Charles William Ferdinand. In Iron Blood, we use the names themselves, but H-39 prefers to be called by her codename. I don't wish to pry into her personal life to why she avoids hearing that name.
"The food?" She stops chewing her Sunday roast
"Germany. Where I come from, we call them Iron Blood. Our ideals there are all about pride and strength, but Germany here is way
"The war's over for a long time, so my country rose from its...horrible past. It's all because of one obsessed dictator that there's a smudge in our history"
I don't know much her country, but their history recorded one man who stained the pride of their country in pursuit of power and an ideal world. He killed those who aren't Germans and splattered war crimes in their country's image.
"I won't be surprised if another war breaks out if the Abyssals are taken out of the picture" H-39 keeps chewing on her meal
"Why so?"
"The world powers are all about arms race. In this age, it's all about missiles and rockets now. They keep reinforcing their weapons in hopes of usurping one another. It's a constant cycle of who goes on top, and that's alarming"
Even when she says that, H-39 calmly eats her lunch. Not even her expression is concerned at all. There's no use to panic about it, and I'm certain she doesn't want to fret what's outside her reach.
"People are paranoid and insecure. They find comfort and security in their weapons to deter anyone from challenging them. It's the same how people brings a knife or gun when going outside"
She has a point. Iron Blood fears their rivals getting ahead of them so they develop top secret weapons and continue to improve our technology. One such project drove Tirpitz into an unstable state that she got deemed a wild animal to be euthanized. Unfortunately, she just got revived over and over again. Each time it happened, her sanity slowly slipped away...until I couldn't recognize my own sister anymore.
"Are you okay?" H-39 puts down her spoon and fork
"I just remembered my sister. My power was split in half. The unstable side was infused with her, so the incompatibility made her insane. No, it was gradual madness...after repeatedly forced to take damage by my nation"
I don't think I could eat upon remembering how they tested whether Tirpitz could truly survive multiple bombings. She survived each strike because she possessed the unstable portion of my power. Iron Blood didn't actually planned to get rid of her. They only decided to put her down like an animal because her META made her uncontrollable and rebellious. Tirpitz grew ill-tempered until she would harm even her own allies. I had no choice but to put her down myself...
"So are you here to find your sister?" H-39 starts eating again
"I'm here to find a Leviathan. She can both appear a sea dragon with glowing horns or a white haired girl with colorful eyes" I try to describe a certain someone
"Sorry, I don't think any navy saw a sea dragon. In this world, something like that is subject to conspiracy and theories"
That's why the concept of time travel and universal travel is impossible in their perspective. There are no Sirens to interfere here, so they only developed their own technology. I should expect it since the shipgirls here are human rather than originating from wisdom cubes.
"Then have your fleet encountered Abyssal-looking creatures? They're pale white women as well but they possess highly advanced technology" I wonder if they're really here
"Looks like an Abyssal but with powerful technology. I remember encountering someone riding a mechanical hammerhead shark. She has this wide eyed smile while raining down lasers at me"
"The Siren Purifier..."
There's no doubt about it. An Arbiter wouldn't immediately investigate what's happening, so they would send one of their frontline units - a Purifier unit. She's more than willing to go ahead and fight anyone deemed a threat or just a plain target practice.
"Do not engage the likes of them at all costs. You'll only die..." I clench my fists
"I was ambushed by one three days ago. That so-called Siren only ran away because...something appeared behind me"
"Something?"
"It was large and in the shadows, I could see three pairs of glowing red eyes. I couldn't clearly see what it is, but that thing has rows of razor sharp think and even told me to go home..."
A large creature that could speak and has three pair of eyes? It's likely Welt herself since Purifier wouldn't run from any monster. She's here and somewhat helping humans. This version of her learned human emotions because of Amagi, so she's friendlier and more tolerant of humans than before.
"Don't worry about it. That creature wouldn't harm humans, but it will attack once provoked" I gently assure
"I don't think I want to see something bigger than a battleship ever again. It's like one of those lochness monster theories actually being true"
"You were fortunate back then. If you see anyone who looks like an Abyssal but not one of them, leave as soon as possible"
The shipgirls here aren't equipped to fight Sirens. None of them would stand a chance if an Arbiter arrives and engages them in combat. Ghost is nowhere to be found, so I'm certain the Sirens are here searching for her. It would be difficult for anyone to find Ghost with how she's been sealed within her own wisdom cube and went dormant. The Sirens wouldn't be able to detect her energy due to being a dormant state.
"What do you plan to do next anyway?" H-39 wipes the side of her mouth after eating
"I have to explore this world. There's something and someone I need to find before I try to find my way back to where I came from"
"You dropped from the sky back then. Where did you really come from?"
H-39 cautiously looks to her left and right then to her back before she softly asks me. Only very few know how I arrived in this base. They would question my origin once they learn I fell from a height that would have killed anyone instantly. It wouldn't take long for them to realize I'm not an ordinary human.
"My home is in Azur Lane. It's not different from this world. There are normal humans there too, but our enemy is the Siren fleet rather than Abyssals" I didn't hesitate to reveal
She trusts me and shows no hostility, so I'm returning the same treatment. To avoid suspicion of being an enemy, I have to be open about my origin. H-39 at least deserves to know who I am after she allows me to stay here and not report my presence to her higher ups.
"I know it would be impossible to believe, but I came from a future timeline. My goal is to prevent my past self from making the same mistake as I did. That's why I need to find a black cube and inform her about an AI who could purge this world"
No one know who or what it is, but it's completely inhuman and mysterious much like Welt. That lizard knows about the AI nicknamed as Peacekeeper due to her longevity and experience in other universes, but she's refusing to cooperate.
"T-That's...something straight out a sci-fi movie" H-39 scratches her head
"I have no way home, so I'm not certain how long I will be stuck here"
"I really wish I could help, but travelling to another world is outside my reach..."
There's no need for her to lament about her helplessness because I'm helpless as well. I'm helpless to stop Eugen's betrayal, Tirpitz's fall, and the destruction of Iron Blood. I couldn't protect anyone even if there are still survivors from Iron Blood.
"Miracles don't happen just as how simply believing in others is foolish. Hope and sweet words won't save anyone..." I continue to lament
"That much is common sense. I met human soldiers who died terribly because they're looking forward to a bright future. The more you cling to hope, the more reality will bring you down" H-39 laughs at herself
It's not just me after all. H-39 has her own losses that's still haunting her to this very day. The only way is to keep fighting because stopping and mourning wouldn't change the future. I'm well aware of that while I still try to save this timeline even after losing everything in my timeline.
"By the way, you didn't tell me about the Tirpitz here..." I decide to mention it
"..." H-39's mood instantly shifts to a serious one
"I asked around and wondered why there reaction is rather quiet. A personnel them informed me... she's been deceased for more than four years now"
"I admit I'm well aware of it, but I'm not part of the Kriegsmarine back then"
"How did she die?"
"Her records...aren't really clear. I don't need to investigate to know they're covering up her real cause of death"
It seems the humans here aren't much different from the one I know. They're secretive and would do anything to protect their image. As much as I dislike lies and deception, I'm bound in my duty to protect Iron Blood...even now.
Six hours later...
Another night falls and the base is almost silent. Only key personnel are awake and there are only few shipgirls here who stay for days. The others would pass and leave on the very same day. It's best that there aren't much people here because I prefer not to attract attention.
"..."
I stroll around the area near the beach and I can already hear the waves sweeping the sandy shores. The cold night breeze brushes past me relaxing my tension to a certain degree. I always face the everlasting flames and suffocating smoke in my world, specially after how countless people died when the AI swept the world. Humans faced extinction and what's left of the kansens are barely alive survivors. The remaining Ashes and META are the only ones left who can protect them.
"So this is where you are" A familiar voice greets me
"...!"
The presence appeared all of a sudden. My senses have been enhanced throughout the war I struggled to survive, yet I couldn't even hear her breathe and she didn't even take a single footstep.
"Helena..."
I lower my guard when I see the face of an ally slowly stepping out the dark corner. Has she been hiding behind that corner waiting for me to pass by?
"Thank goodness you're safe. I couldn't reach you upon arriving in Azur Lane..." Helena META sighs in relief
Even after progressing as a META, she's still the soft-spoken and concerned girl minus her old timidity. War and loss hardens her will, just like the rest of us...but I don't think I have the will and pride of prime self.
"Ash, Ember, and Hiryuu are in Azur Lane. How did you end up here?"
"...I think it was the Empress. My memory is still damaged, so I'm still not certain" I still need to remember some details
"The Empress, huh. That's expected from Arbiters like her"
"How did you find me here?" I don't want to forget asking her that
"Welt helped me track you down and open a gateway to this world"
Welt, huh. An unknown being born in this world yet older than any human civilizations. This isn't a surprise considering she can freely travel between timelines and universes like taking a stroll. Meanwhile, another version of Iron Blood had to build a tower just to access one timeline.
"She said it's not possible to bring you back yet. Something just have happened because she didn't come with me" Helena META is clearly concerned
"I don't particularly care about that lizard so long as she's not an enemy"
"Bisnarck...your wisdom cube had been damaged beyond repair. If you fight all out, your body will break down" Helena META approaches me
"..." I lift my head
"If it's my fate to die just to accomplish my goals, then so be it"
Death isn't something I would fear if it's my own. As long as I could prevent the death of Iron Blood, then I will gladly lay down my life to ensure it. My desire to protect Iron Blood is what's driving me even in this crumbling state.
"Maybe that's why Welt didn't want you to return yet. You're body is slowly breaking from the inside. Taking too much damage will be certain death" Helena META looks upset at my stubbornness
"You know my fate is sealed already. Even if I don't fight, my body will die sooner than anyone"
I could never avoid this now. There's no future for me where I would be alive to see a secured future for Iron Blood. I accept that inevitable truth but that doesn't mean I would let myself wither just like that. My pride crumbled as soon as I failed my sole duty, but I haven't given up on myself entirely.
"You'd be really lucky and stubborn to last more than a year. No wonder Welt said that..." Helena META sighs
"I will do what I can in this world. Tirpitz will come here, but I just don't know when and where. By then, I will face her myself and put her down like what I'm supposed to" I promised her
"Then you'll come with me after that?"
"Yes. I will join the others after I deal with my sister...who fell from grace"
That's a lie, and it's likely Helena META is aware those words are only there for a brief sense of comfort. She's concerned for each of us like how she's on the verge of tears seeing me standing straight even when my body isn't going to live long enough for a bright future.
"Do you want me to deal with Prinz Eugen? The one in Iron Blood is still the present one, but it won't be long before the META one makes her move"
Helena META has a chance against Prinz Eugen since they both possess the power of META, but Eugen is further enhanced by an unknown power. That same unknown power is the main cause of Tirpitz going out of control in the first place. The higher ups accepted an unknown core and have Tirpitz test it. Combining it with the unstable half of my META core isn't the smartest idea.
"No. Let the events unfold for now. After this game is over, another one will begin. Ghost will reactivate and we have to secure her missing wisdom cube once that happens" I have to remain determined
"We still don't have a way to reactivate Ghost without triggering a response from the world's primary defense"
Of course, we're both worried our timeline will repeat here. None of us can't afford to witness the World's enforcer manifest in a corporeal form and wipe out life - humans, kansens, and Sirens aren't safe from its extinction. If only it manifested when the Leviathans ravaged our world.
"The whole world is like a conscious system. Humanity is treated as part of it, so its enforcer would wipe out life to keep the world functioning"
What Helena META says is right. Ley lines connect all over the world and much like a spider's web, a single foreign motion will trigger a reaction from the spider itself. In our case, it's like a motion detector. One noise is enough to wake up its security.
"As much as I despise the Sirens, playing along with them is our best option. They could keep the AI from reacting to our interference" I reluctantly admit
"So far, the enforcer is still asleep within a dimension of its own. Still, we need to be careful not to rupture any of the ley lines. Ghost's rampage snapped the connection so badly the world didn't react kindly" Helena META remains nervous
That's an obvious fact. Our timeline was thrown into so much in chaos that it immediately executed the living beings in the world. The world was thrown into conflict, so it had the source of the disturbance and destruction - humanity itself.
"Anyway, I have to return soon. Travelling here is risky because it might cause a rift to open from this side. We don't want anyone to enter our world, specially those Abyssals"
"It would alarm this world of our presence" I agree with her
"I know you want to fight, but please avoid fighting as much as possible. You can't die yet...because you promised Hood you'd secure a future between the Royal navy and Iron Blood"
"..."
Whenever I remember her, all I see is the moment I hold her in my arms. We initially don't go along because of her clashing ideals and methods, but we deeply trust each other in combat. Outside of duties, Hood is actually someone who I can have a casual conversation. I don't need to be the Bismarck who's the leader of Iron Blood. When I'm with her, I could just be Bismarck, an individual and kansen lang everyone else.
"Take care of your body, Bismarck. You're strong, but you also face mortality" Helena META bids her farewell
"Then I hope Ghost's wisdom cube is just somewhere in Azur Lane"
I want to join them back in Azur Lane, but now meeting Helena META now makes me realize I can't leave just yet. Not only I will deal with my fallen sister, I have to investigate this world a bit more. I have to investigate why the Empress thinks it's necessary for me to be here. What could be in this world that needs my attention.
The next morning...
It's already seven in the morning and the people working here have already started their day. The way their U-boats work in a small group reminds me of Iron Blood's Wolfpack. They can be difficult at times, but they perform their tasks well when serious.
"Hmm?"
As usual, I take a morning stroll since it's not safe for me to be out in the open and I have to minimize fighting as much as possible. I could still fight the likes of Elite Sirens and Arbiters, but there's no guarantee I won't be able to win easily now.
"If only Bismarck is a little bit cooperative"
Upon passing to the wharf, I hear an unfamiliar voice. A petite woman with pink bob cut hairstyle is talking to a fair lady with wavy blond hair and an office lady-like uniform. There are others like a woman with a strange headband with horns, someone with messy brown hair tied in a ponytail, the last has neatly cut short hair.
"I think she got traumatized when you accidentally torpedoed her rudder during practice" The one with wavy hair dryly laughs
"It was chaotic with how we bickered" The one with a strange headband shrugs
"Warspite's blood pressure rose when she saw the exercise between the Royal navy and Kriegsmarine end in failure"
The Royal navy. I can't tell whether they are mixed fleet or all of them are from the Royal navy. Other than the one with wavy blonde hair, everyone else has a rose ribbon pinned on their chest.
(Are they the Royal navy of this world?)
The Kriegsmarine shipgirls I encountered here have militaristic style uniform and proudly bears the Iron cross. It must be some kind of pattern for them to have the Iron cross and these ones to have a red rose pinned on their collar.
"Hmm?"
By standing at a fair distance, the one with a pink bob cut shifts her eyes on my direction. Anyone would notice an entire person just standing still and vacantly staring at them. Not to mention, my attire isn't typical to what they here - it's darker and worn down by conflict.
"I haven't seen you before. Are you a shipgirl too? By that uniform , are you a Kriegsmarine?"
She approaches me without the slightest caution, just pure curiosity. Do they not have sense of danger? What if I'm an enemy who would strike them down the moment they're at my arm's reach.
"No. I'm just...a stranger allowed to stay here" That's my response
"Well, may I know your name at least?"
"That's the problem. I have none, so they call me Nameless instead. Feel free to call me however you wish"
I know I'm still Bismarck even if I disgraced the pride engraved within that name, but this is a situation where none must know I am Bismarck from another universe. They wouldn't believe me the slightest and possibly view me with more suspicion instead.
"How about you. May I know your name?" I politely ask
"I'm Ark Royal, an aircraft carrier of the Royal navy"
Ark Royal? This is the Ark Royal of their world? She doesn't have the presence of the one who would have dirty thoughts towards destroyers or the META one I know. In fact, she has the attitude and tone of a decent person. Again, the shipgirls here are far different than the one I know. They just share the same name and history.
"Ark, who's that?" The one with short blonde hair approaches us
"Victorious, I think this is the stranger H-39 mentioned earlier. She said there's a unnamed ship staying here, so it must be her"
(Victorious?) I widen my eyes hearing that name.
No. I must keep in mind it's just the identity they share. The one from my timeline...is no longer alive. If only she didn't try to stop us when Tirpitz and I fought, she wouldn't have met a tragic fate and caused Tirpitz's spiral into despair.
"Hey, who's the new face?"
This time, the one with a strange antenna attached to her headband approaches me with a lively and easygoing attitude.
"An unknown ship" Ark Royal responds
"I'm just a lost battleship with no memory or home"
It's the best excuse I could come up with. They would pry more into my identity and keep asking me about it background. Hopefully, they would accept the excuse of an amnesia.
"I have nowhere to go, so I'm staying here" It's the truth
"Maybe someone similar to the H-class" Victorious isn't certain
"Hmm. She does look like one of the Kriegsmarine. You know how they are with their aesthetic"
"You think so, Nelson?" Ark Royal doesn't look pleased with her answer
This time it's Nelson. I'm not complete familiar with Nelson since the I know is Rodney. We faced each other for a short battle, but the main battle was between King George V and I. Strange how I treat Hood as my rival yet King George V should technically have that title.
"I may not be in the place to ask this, but did any of you encounter Abyssal-like beings with unknown technology?"
This is my chance to inquire the span of Siren presence. I don't have the strength to battle an Arbiter yet because it would damage me further.
"We just encountered regular Abyssals so far. Although that one time, I saw this giant shadowy fox with nine tails. It was really freaky because it breathe fire and burned down the Abyssals" Nelson tells me with the most excited expression I've seen
"..." I don't know how to respond to that
"Cut it out with your stories. There's no shadow fox in this world" Ark Royal gently elbows her
A giant shadowy fox. It's familiar, but my incomplete memory still finds difficulty collecting information. I can't say for certain it's the trickery of the Sirens or perhaps something similar to the Leviathans.
"What? Didn't the Americans find a missile launcher bigger and more advanced than any ship known to man?" Nelson retaliates
(Missile launcher?) It catches my attention
"Ah, the one they couldn't dismantle to study? They tried to saw it, but the blade broke" Victorious snaps her fingers
"Where was this missile launcher found anyway?" I join in the conversation
"It was around north of Alaska. No one knows where it came from, but if was buried deep in the snow" Nelson finds it puzzling
There's a high chance it might be a remnant from a Siren ship, but I'm not certain which one. It could be either just from one of their mass produced battleships or an experimental ship like Orochi.
"..."
My attention briefly goes to the one with a blonde wavy hair. Since a while ago, she's been entirely focusing on me than to her allies. No, it's more that she stares at me with unsettling curiosity. Her smile isn't a gentle or warm one...but one with malevolence. When she notices me staring back at her, she immediately takes her leave.
"Hey, how about we get something to eat? It's almost time for lunch" Nelson grabs both of her comrades' shoulders
"How about you join us?" Ark Royal invites me without hesitation
"...I would love to"
I feel awkward being around Ark Royal even if it's a different one, but they're so friendly that it would be rude to turn them down. Besides, their bright eyes are expecting me to say 'Yes'. I'll have to deal with the other one who may or may not be a friendly ship...after I join them for lunch.
As much as I'm weakened right now, I have to investigate this world...
EXTRA
An abnormal storm suddenly encroaches around the sea, malfunctioning our radar and narrowing our line of sight. This is to be expected because storms have been popping out one after another for the past week. Not a single faction is certain with the cause. not even Iron Blood itself. Of course, the logical conclusion would always point to the Sirens with how they love to toy and experiment on both this world and humans. Once they made us into opposing sides of the board and the commander's intervention destroyed the game they elaborately set up. No...maybe a third part was present that not even the commander was aware of.
"You're dozing off again, Bismarck?" Prinz Eugen takes a huge sigh
The others have been separated by this abnormal weather. This change is suddenly throwing off my judgement and making me a bit disoriented. I don't know if it's just how I'm annoyed right now or if this weather is tampering with our perspective. Maybe it's just me after all because Prinz Eugen is fairly calm albeit frowning at the endless rain constantly drenching our clothes and rigging.
"How are we going to find our way out of here? I don't think we'd just wait the storm out" Prinz Eugen looks left and right
'Yes, I don't think it's going to stop any time soon"
I gaze up the darkened sky while raindrops slides down my face. This storm doesn't stretched out forever, and the only choice we have is to charge through it until we reach its boundary. I'm hoping the others are doing the same right now since searching for the rest while trapped here is only a waste of time and energy.
"Let's go. We need to reach the end of this storm" I immediately tell Eugen
"Sure"
Prinz Eugen stares off at the distance for a moment shortly before she acknowledges my command. She's been doing so since we managed to find each other amidst this troublesome weather. My guess is she's unhappy with the situation right now which is why she's not in the mood for any sarcastic comments. Still, this is the first time I've seen her this serious and focused when not fighting...or perhaps it's because she doesn't have her usual mischievous smile.
"Hmm?"
We see several lights that are either blue, red, and yellow in color. My instincts kick in, so I load all my turrets and aim at the direction in front of me. Those lights can't possibly be from an allied ship, but I'm not certain if it belongs to a Siren either. My radars are barely functioning as if this weather is interfering with our equipment on purpose.
"Enemy ships!" I shout at Prinz Eugen
About ten seconds later and I realize they are indeed from hostile ship but not from Siren ones. They are monstrous in appearance that they couldn't possibly be Sirens. The mounted guns make it clear they're indeed ships, but their bodies are flesh rather than steel. Siren ships can be distinguishable since they're either actual ships or humanoid ones with advanced rigging. These ones are just molded monsters that screech at us.
"Bismarck, what are they?!" Prinz Eugen is as surprised as me
The enemy starts with their opening salvo, and we swiftly move back to dodge the hail of shells. The small caliber ones fired at us clearly indicate they are either destroyers or light cruisers. Unlike us, their aim and sight aren't impeded by this weather the slightest.
"Feuer!"
I immediately retaliate as soon as I move my body in a suitable position. They're repulsive creatures who could only scream incoherent noises, but I won't underestimate any opponents ever again. I unleashed the full might of my cannons without hesitation and the roar shakes the rain around me for a split second.
"Tch!"
My aim is a little off, so my shells only manages to land a direct hit on two opponents. They're larger than a regular human, but they easily sink the moment my shells land straight at their heads. What are they? They don't have any distinguishable features at all. The light from earlier are from their pair of glowing eyes while they're shape barely resembles a whale of sorts. Although I don't remember whales having metallic skin, three rows of teeth, and high-pitched screams. Could they be Siren experiments unleashed to annoy us again?
"Eugen?"
As I keep my distance from the monstrous creatures, I just realized Prinz Eugen disappeared from my sight. Did she get separated by the storm again when she moved away from the enemies? The dark weather makes it impossible for me to spot even her faintest figure, let alone radio for her current status.
"...!"
More monsters appear from behind. Unlike the demonic whales with guns in front of me, these ones have at least a pair of arms. They may not be like my current opponent, but they're equipped with slightly bigger guns mounted on the left side of a toothed hull and on top of their heads. Their hands are more preoccupied clutching to a thick black cable connected their rigging to their monstrous body.
"..."
Someone else is there. It's no monster like the ones in front of me, but she's in a distance behind the incoming whale-like monsters. The weather still makes it difficult for me to distinguish anyone from a distance, specially with how I'm too occupied dodging and retaliating. This would have been over if the storm isn't weakening my aim and focus.
"..." The unknown figure quietly observes from a distance
I couldn't see anything that could make me recognize the kansen-looking girl concealed by the dark weather and rain. However, I could recognize the moving rigging on both sides. It's similar to Iron Blood rigging but darker and edgier in appearance. The faint red outlines are the only ones making me recognize it's even a rigging.
"...!"
That unnamed figure suddenly opens fire at my direction...but not aiming at me? Her shells pierces through the rain and lands towards the enemies behind me. Her aim isn't the least hindered with how she manages to lands critical hits on their bodies and immediately sinking them in the process. Could she have the same firepower as me? No battleship should be at my level yet when it comes to raw power.
(Just who is she?) I think to myself
One of the monstrous whales bursts to surface with its massive jaws unhinged. The size of its mouth is enough to devour a full grown human hull without difficulty, and its row of teeth could grind through bones and steels like an ordinary meal. Unfortunately for the monster, I moved away from its mouth and pierced my sword to its underbelly and slide my blade as it passed right above me. The sensation of cutting it is indeed skin and flesh, but its blood is rather bluish in color. An ordinary whale at least have red color like humans, but that's to be expected from a possible experiment of the Sirens.
"Feuer!" Prinz Eugen's voice ring out from my left side
Her cannons waste no time to let out a powerful boom when remaining enemies try to flank me from her side. They don't burst into flames and spill oil everywhere. Instead, these monstrous creatures bleed and their burned flesh scatter around us. Their steel-like skin conceal greyish flesh beneath, and I don't think the gust floating aren't even close to any living beings/
"The rest fled..." Prinz Eugen heavily pants
(She's gone?)
The unknown kansen who saved me without a specific reason vanished along with what remained of the monstrous creatures. I couldn't recognize her except for her familiar black uniform and sharp rigging. What I should be thinking right now is how I emerged victorious even in an ambush and Prinz Eugen is completely unharmed.
"Where have you been?" I quickly ask her
"I'm not certain. One second I was with you and the next I found myself alone. If it wasn't for the noisy cannons, I wouldn't have found you"
Just like I thought earlier, the weather made it easily for us to be separated. The noise from the exchange of cannon fires surely attracted other enemies and Prinz Eugen. At least, it was useful enough to direct Prinz Eugen back to my side.
"Eugen, did you see a ship with a black uniform by any chance? Someone who had red outlines on her rigging" I ask her an important question
"No, I didn't see anyone. It's so dark and rainy that I wouldn't see anyone unless they come close themselves" Prinz Eugen immediately responds
"I see. It's just me then..." I feel somewhat disappointed
I don't need much assistance a while ago, but I still appreciated the support fire even if it's just once. Other than that, I'm a bit intrigued to how she opened fire without difficulty and didn't miss a single shot. After we successfully escape to the storm's boundary and search for the rest, I have to dry myself up before searching the possible identity of the unknown ship. She's similar to an Iron Blood ship, but her rigging is a bit advanced compared to our blueprint ships like another case of Siren rigging fused with our rigging.
Hopefully she is no enemy to us...
