Just like the other day, H-39 returns from a sortie with bandages on her head and arms. She should be resting yet she's busy organizing reports and pictures scattered on top of the desk. Since her wounds are still fresh and doesn't heal by resting in a bath, I accompany her in case she would exert herself.
"You've been wounded again..." I worry a bit
"They look like Abyssals but not Abyssals. Those Siren creatures you speak off are much difficult to deal with"
She's lucky to have her limbs intact, but I fear she may suffer worse injures next time or lose her life. I want to avoid losing someone because of my world's problems.
"One Siren who rose a hammerhead shark rigging asked me something about combat data. I don't know what she meant when they need to it along with the power source" H-39 tightens the bandage around her left arm
"Which one"
"This one"
H-39 swipes the messy pile of images and slides one to my side. The shot isn't near, but I could recognize the shape of the Siren and the rigging.
"The Siren Purifier. She's been actively recently" I grab the photo
"An old enemy of yours?"
"More like a pest"
The Siren Purifier may be an Elite Siren, but she has spare bodies she could activate as soon as the current one gets destroyed. Fortunately enough, there are no aggressive ones present in this nation yet.
"Don't try to fight any Siren head-on. You might end up getting yourself killed" I remind her
"They're looking for pieces of a ship. The USN stationed in Alaska found a missile launcher. It was stolen during transportation. The reports stated someone bombed them at night and cut the ship carrying it in half" H-39 points to one of the scattered files
"An aircraft carrier attacked it"
The primary suspects are Sirens knowing how they tend to observe and strike once you turns your back on them. They're being discreet now while their presence is low and few in this world. I'm certain they're not concerned in my presence here since I'm not in my peak strength anymore.
"Orochi. I recognize the missile launcher" I point at the photo attached
"Is it one dangerous ship?" H-39 swallows her breath
"I wouldn't say it's unstoppable considering the Enterprise of my world destroyed it. "The Sirens are cunning and find opportunity in even something unimportant to us" I'm still not confident at this point
"First it's Abyssals, now Sirens. Hopefully no monster from the depths show up..."
"Why did you believe me when I told you I'm from another world?" I change the topic for a bit
"You fell from the sky unharmed and you're body is a bit different from regular humans. Besides, you don't get tired or even sleep"
My body is much stronger and resilient than regular humans. It also removes anything that could hinder my battles. At least, the whole process doesn't remove my emotions and humanity.
"Aren't you a bit too kind for your own good?" I worry about her
"You're not a terrible person, so there's no reason for me to treat you with suspicion. Besides, I keep seeing you talk to yourself about trying to change the past"
"It's true. I aimed to be at my world, but I was kicked out here instead"
"That explains falling from the sky and being upset on your first day here..." She wryly laughs
It makes me think how even if she has experience in the front lines, she lacks the realization of reality. I admit that I wouldn't trust anyone if I'm in her place instead. My first action would be to detain and harshly interrogate someone appearing out of nowhere.
"Be careful on who you trust. Betrayal always comes from within"
There's no telling whether the people who always smile are to be trusted. I don't know whether the Sirens have a spy among this world or not. The Sirens are being quiet right now because it's still early, but they're going to make their move the moment opportunity presents itself.
"Leave the Sirens to me. You would only endanger yourself"
"Don't push yourself. Aren't you conserving your strength?" She suddenly gets angry at me
"It's fine. Just because I've gotten weaker doesn't mean they're stronger than me now"
That's not the complete truth. To be specific, I'm not certain if I could fight a fleet of them and get out unscathed. Still, I can't idle off for a long time and let these people be in constant danger from the Sirens.
"You haven't seen someone else like me? She has short white hair and wears a black uniform similar to mine" I remember another possible threat
"Another one like you? No, none of the Kriegsmarine have seen someone else pop up"
I take a deep sigh of relief, thankful my grief and revenge driven sister isn't here yet. There's still a chance she could be here but making her preparations. Tirpitz isn't rash and impatient even if she's more emotional now.
"Did you get separated from a friend of yours?" She curiously asks
"Not a friend but a sister. It's a long story but don't think much about it now. She's my problem I have to take care of" I'm not fond of telling anyone about it
"..." H-39 worryingly gazes at me
"The main problem right now is the Sirens. You can't find them with your own power but I can"
"Then at least let me help you"
"You're the one who shouldn't be pushing yourself. Look at your injuries" I get a bit angry at her
Humans are fragile. Their lives end way too short and I couldn't always do anything to save them. I'm supposed to be the shield for my, but I learned there are enemies mightier than me. That's why I need to find a way to either annihilate Ghost or keep her sealed forever.
"I still have a mission to find a black wisdom cube and keep it away from everyone. It would be easier if that shadow Enterprise is reasonable" I massage my left temple
"W-while I don't really understand, I can tell it's dangerous from your frustration" H-39 is concerned
"That's why I have to act as soon as possible. I'm the only one here strong enough to go against the Sirens"
"But still..."
I know she's concerned since it's obvious I'm in a weakened state. The Sirens aren't going to stay still for a long time, so I must go after them now. Ash and the others are occupied in Azur Lane, so it's impossible to have them help me right now. Azur Lane, huh.
I need to check on the Iron Blood in this timeline when I'm done here...
Helena suggested I should stay keep hiding until I recover most of my strength. Anyone would agree on that, but I still have the old pride I possessed. I must set out to investigate Siren presence before they become more active. The Empress still has to answer why I've been banished here, and who's the unrecognizable face who knows about Ghost's whereabouts. Ash and Ember are in Azur Lane so I wouldn't be able to contact them for help. Helena only managed to visit me because she had help from that pesky lizard.
"Ash fears this universe will me the same fate, so she's searching for the culprit along with Ember. They're tracking down the culprit and narrowing it to one of the kansens"
Amagi, who's practically a ghost by now, raises her hands and let the night breeze brush on her palms. She doesn't need to worry about her health because she's not part of this world anymore.
"Welt isn't saying anything either, and I believe it's because her father is involved somehow"
Amagi keeps speaking and gazing at the star-filled cloudless sky while I just quietly stand behind her. Usually she's accompanied by that lizard, but I don't feel her presence, not even the homunculus.
"I want to help them, but I need to find where's Ghost wisdom cube. If it activates here and rampages, this world will meet the same horrible fate" I walk two steps closer to Amagi
"They're good people and you want to protect them, right?" Amagi guesses my thoughts
"Yes. Their kindness is genuine, so I want to make sure they don't get involved in our problem" I immediately nod
"How about your younger sister? The Tirpitz you know is in this timeline, planning to strike the Bismarck of this timeline" She reminds me of something I already know
"..." There's nothing I could say right now
"It pained me when I saw Akagi in despair, but I promised not to interfere..."
It can't be helped in her case. This Amagi is dead and accepted her fate a long time ago. She can manifest in this world as if she's still alive, but she's just a tangible ghost now. It must be fortunate to not feel obligated to the world once you're dead.
"Will you show yourself to your past self, Bismarck?" Amagi turns to face me
"I can't let anyone from Azur Lane yet, specially my hopeful past self. It would only stir trouble if another Bismarck shows up, and I don't want to fight old friends"
It would naturally cause trouble if my past self sees me, and she would attack me without hesitation. I'm not certain whether the Prinz Eugen here is loyal or not. There's a chance she's still the same as ever since the Prince of Wales and Admiral Hipper of this world are both alive.
"Ghost is somewhere in this world but completely dormant. There's no risk of her hurting anyone who would find her wisdom cube, but there's a chance someone might accidentally awaken her" Amagi furrows her eyebrows
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I want to help in any way I can without directly interfering"
"How's everyone in Azur Lane?" I lower my head
"This world is somewhat peaceful since the Leviathans aren't here. However, this universe still has its ruthless enforcer. One disturbance would be enough to trigger it"
That should be expected, but I still fear this world would get involved. I'm aware how there's no full certainty if the Peacekeeper has authority to an entirely different world. The laws here are different, namely their concepts.
"No one is keeping an eye on the Sakura Empire?" Amagi's fox ears straightens
"None according to Helena. There's nothing suspicious there right now" I shake my head
"I see. So no one could keep her in check all the time"
"What do you mean? Who are you talking about?" It alarms me
"This isn't the right time to tell you about it. The one who will deal with a potential threat is Ember"
I don't like what Amagi is trying to say. She makes it clear there's a threat within the Sakura Empire and not even Ash is aware of it. I couldn't be there to investigate it and possibly confront the unknown person myself.
"Right now, Ghost's wisdom cube is buried somewhere in a plain white isolated landscape. It's vague...but I'm certain of it" Amagi remains anxious
"Buried in a desolate landscape..."
Unfortunately, I couldn't think of anything that would match the description since clue itself isn't specific. Amagi doesn't have clairvoyance, but it's like she's getting the image because she's sharing the same body with someone who carries the past and future in her being.
"As for Orochi's broken pieces, they're scattered all over the world. That child saw something in the future, so she acted quick" Amagi is referring to that fish-lizard
"The Orochi here was broken into pieces after being defeated, huh. Like hiding the puzzle pieces" I can't describe it clearly
"Orochi is just an experimental weapon and it's an empty shell...perfect for containing. I believe that child realized the Sirens might be planning on using Orochi to contain Ghost. Doing so will risk the Peacekeeper into acting"
"I can't let that happen. The Peacekeeper is the world's defense. It saw Ghost as an unacceptable anomaly and threat to the world"
The memory of that mindless enforcer flashes right before my eyes. It's impossible for me to forget how it doesn't even need to move to wipe us out like dirt. Ash nearly lost her left arm when she fought it with all of her strength.
"Amagi, would you want to be alive again if given the chance?" I reluctantly ask
"...No. I long accepted my fate a long time ago. The future is now in the hands of capable kansen"
Amagi's expression is a sign she still has regrets, possibly due to her sudden passing. I can't be certain if she at least wants to say goodbye to Akagi. Iron Blood is in the hands of my past self here because the one I have is long gone. At least, I could try to support that Bismarck without letting myself known to everyone.
"My rigging is specially contained to avoid detection. I need your help with tracking down Orochi's remains" I reluctantly ask
"So you want to travel to its locations undetected. I'll try to convince Welt to lend you a hand" Amagi doesn't hesitate to agree
"Thank you. If the Sirens are collecting Orochi's pieces right now, I have to make sure they won't complete the ship"
That laid-back lizard won't agree if I'm the one who's asking, but she wouldn't reject if it's Amagi who's asking. It's risky for me to set sail by myself because the navy here would be suspicious of an unknown ship and I don't have sufficient strength to fight everyone.
The next day...
This is the first time I'm actually leaving the base after slowly recovering my strength. Since the damage in my wisdom cube is severe, I can no longer be at full strength or else I would end up killing myself.
"So how is it?"
New Jersey...or Welt using the body information of a New Jersey from another timeline, drags the entirety of my physical body somewhere else. It's unbelievable how she could perfectly replicate New Jersey's physical form, expressions, and even her voice. I carefully study how terrifyingly exact are the clothing and accessories.
"I would use a ripple like the Sirens use, but I feel like this is quicker" Welt lazily waves her hand
This isn't just going through a portal but complete teleportation. A method like this is sometimes difficult because the target needs their entire physical body to be dismantled and reassembled with precision or else you would either lose a limb or have your limbs and organs get mixed up.
"Hmm, an uninhabited island. A former base I assume?" I turns my head left and right
I couldn't sense a single living being in this island except for the animals wandering in the beach and forest. About a hundred meters in front of me is a rusted and bent fence stretching on both sides.
"Why are you helping me all of a sudden, callous lizard" I'm still cautious of her
"These eyes can see the past, present, and future. Not just your future but Ghost's future as well"
"Omniscience without omnipotence. To know everything but lack the power to realize it"
"Hahaha! It's true that I'm not almighty but my capabilities far exceeds that of a Siren. Don't forget I'm way older the human civilization"
"Ha! Talk about an old hag"
Just as I'm about to open my mouth, Ark Royal META interrupts us, much to Welt's chagrin. She's right behind us, standing by a tree without even saying a single word earlier. Either she's good at concealing her presence of my senses have dulled again.
"You're here..." I'm not certain what to feel
"I just checked on the Royal navy earlier. By that I mean check whether the King George V here is the same" Ark Royal META approaches us
"The same?" I'm genuinely confused
"In the timeline I visited before this, the King George V there is no knight but a warrior. She became disillusioned and abandoned her knightly ideals. Well, human-made beings are fickle"
I think she's also referring to herself since her creator is a single man from an ancient and lost era. Despite being made by a human, the Sirens couldn't decrypt her design since they would need her blueprint for that. I doubt they could pinpoint Welt's timeline of origin where the exact "Atlantis" is located.
"Didn't you kill that King George V?" I turn to face Welt
"It can't be helped. She stabbed Howe in the heart and nearly decapitated Prince of Wales. I just put her out of her misery"
I thought this lizard learned humanity, but she isn't the least fazed with murder at all. Well, I'm not too innocent as well after I killed humans who betrayed Iron Blood. Yet I couldn't see Prinz Eugen's betrayal until it's too late.
"Anyhow, this was the last whereabouts of Ghost's wisdom cube. She tried to break free from her restraints and manifest here two days ago" Welt briefly explains to us
"So you want us to fight her in case she's here? Do that yourself!" Ark Royal META angrily points at her
"I still have to go to Iron Blood because I need to implant an extension of me in their new weapon. Apparently they got a hold of my shedded husk and used the skull, spine, and other parts of that molted husk" Welt dryly laughs
"So you're just going to ditch us here?!" Ark Royal META gets angrier
"I'll be back in a short while. Hiryuu META came in conflict with the Sakura Empire and I have to make sure Zuikaku doesn't do anything rash"
Welt waves her hand and the space on her right cracks and shards disappears as soon as they fly in the air. She keeps casually breaking the space around her even if beyond that space is a blanket of void which leads to a corridor to every location in this world.
"Zuikaku?" Ark Royal META frowns in suspicion
"Ehe~" Welt places her index finger between her lips
"Grr!"
Before Ark Royal META could demand a clear answer from her, Welt hurriedly leaps through the gap in space and immediately undoes the damage to space itself, closing the gateway completely.
"Let's get going"
There's no time to waste standing around here, so I take the lead in passing through the brittle and bent fence. The damage isn't by natural cause. The wires bend within as if from a blast outside but no signs of blackened steel from heat so it's from physical force.
"You shouldn't be moving too much, Bismarck. The strength you once have is gone" Ark Royal META is a bit worried
"It's fine. I still have the strength to fight back even after failing to protect my Iron Blood"
"Your wisdom cube has permanent damage. Fighting will only crack it further and you'll die"
"Death comes for everyone. Fighting only delays the inevitable...and I decided to not let the tragedy of our timeline be repeated" I clench my fists
"There's no stopping you, huh"
"It's a bit early for me to face my past self but I know we'll meet in the future. Hopefully I get to fulfill it before the remaining energy in my wisdom cube gets depleted"
"Your sister is here along with Eugen. She's still calm but throws a tantrum from time to time"
I see. So the Tirpitz I know is in this world, but she's being quiet like the Sirens. I suppose they're really putting her in a leash. A part of my old self is furious for making my sister bend to their will just like that and tarnishing her pride.
"Let's focus on Ghost right now. She could be here, but she couldn't move" I immediately change the topic
"I should have asked Helena to come. Her radar is useful against surprises" Ark Royal META clicks her tongue
We reach the abandoned facility which has been recently damaged. There's no sign of erosion in the damages to the walls and floors in the facility but the same kind of physical force used to destroy the fence.
"These are recent damages. Ghost is jumping around trying to break free. Really just like a teenage Enterprise, huh" Ark Royal META carefully scans the surroundings
"Children are difficult to deal with. They're loud, rebellious, impulsive, and destructive. Perfectly sums up Ghost"
In human terms, it could be said Ghost is going through a phase. They say teenagers are specially impulsive and tends to break off from their parents. In this case, Ghost awakened early so she's in a rather bad mood and throwing a tantrum in the world. Unfortunately, this tantrum would last until she stabilizes or permanently dies.
"By the way, you've been living worry free in this world" Ark Royal META sarcastically comments
"I should be in Azur Lane but Empress kicked me here" I'm still not happy about it
"Empress kicked you out? Funny how she shouldn't be able to do that. Are you sure you're remembering the right thing?"
"My memory are mostly intact but I remember someone tossing Orochi's wisdom cube containing its combat data at power source in this world"
"Which one should we go after first Ghost or the chopped up Orochi?"
Both are dangerous on their own right but I believe Ghost is far dangerous. She's unkillable without a physical form and completely hostile. Orochi is at least a giant mindless ship destroyed by the Enterprise of this timeline.
"I'll deal with Orochi after we make sure Ghost is-"
I freeze right where I stand. We've just entered the lobby of the largest building in this long-abandoned base. A raspy and hoarse moan echoes throughout the empty hallway. The source is towards the only intact entrance to the rest of the building. Not just the anguished groans but the sound of fleshy hand hitting and pulling through the concrete floors.
"I'm certain that's not human"
Ark Royal META pulls out a saber I'm not certain she could even use. It's better that we both have weapons even if our equipment isn't much useful on land. Since I shouldn't fully exert my strength unless desperate, I ready my sword as well in the case some Siren monstrosity pounce from this dim building.
"Aaaughh..."
A creature with worn out fingers desperately pulls itself. What emerges first is a pair of pale human-like arms gripping the cracked concrete...and pulling its inhumane body.
"What the hell is that? I know about the Abyssals of this world, but there's no way it's human"
One of the humanoid Abyssal types with black crystal protruding from the left side of its face weakly crawls out to the lobby. It's left eye is missing thanks to what's sticking out of her face and even its mouth got torn. What's worse is that it's lower half of its missing. Rather its entrails hanging out, black substance sealed of its waist.
"The higher ups kept calling Eugen a lucky ship, so they thought her survivability would be useful in an experiment of their. They extracted something from the spine on one of Welt's molted shell. I don't what came over them to inject it on Eugen who nearly destroyed a whole base while in excruciating pain" I look at the crystals on the crawling Abyssal
"Hmph. Now I see why she turned against you. I'd be pretty pissed too if some bastard injected me unknown things"
Whatever they got from Welt boosted Eugen to great length that my regular self got overwhelmed instantly. Eugen is playful but cunning. However that unknown chemical caused her personality to change.
"She was in pain for three days, but we had to keep her restrained because she would mutate whenever she could handle the pain" I casually reveal to her
"I'm sorry what?!" Ark Royal META shakes her head in shock
"You heard what I said"
I walk away from Ark Royal for a moment and stops the pitiful Abyssal crawling without its lower half. There's no use in keeping it alive seeing its pitiful existence, so I drive my sword right to its skull from the top. Fortunately, it laid motionless and completely silent with just a simple fatal strike.
"And you let it happen?" Ark Royal META points her sword at me
"Eugen volunteered for the experiment, but I'm not certain whether she was confident or suicidal. Perhaps both"
"As a leader, you should have objected to it"
"At that time, Iron Blood was desperate for power. I gambled on the little chance it would succeed. If it did, then we could have power beyond META"
"Well, it clearly failed!"
"...!"
Before we could argue any further, another sound nearly startle us. Rather than the sound of slow crawling, it's the sound of slow and steady footsteps. I can hear breathing and the clanking of chains.
"...?!"
Rather an actual and intact humanoid, instead what's in front of is a shadowy shape I don't think we would meet so soon.
"Ghost? No, just a piece of her" Ark Royal META points at the enemy's chest
"To think we'd face this Enterprise copy so soon"
Rather than a shadow with a definite shape, its like a black mass with a shard of her wisdom cube sticking out in its chest.
"Don't..." She opens her mouth
"...!" Ark Royal and I step back
"...Don't call me by that shitty name"
Its black mass of a body spreads out and loses its unstable physical form, engulfing both Ark Royal and I in the process. This black mass surrounds us faster than we could think of turning back and rushing to the open door behind us. The light disappeared and there's only pitch black darkness. It doesn't just feel like a closed space but a stretching world where my body feels light. No, I feel like every part of me is suspended midair and I could barely breathe properly.
"How and when did she learn to speak even for just a monent?"
I struggle, refusing to close my eyes or hold my breath. By sheer instincts, I'm aware how this is a simple trap to deter intruders. It's impossible for Ghost to manifest with just a shard. She would at least need to attach to any physical anchor - may it flesh and blood or steel and oil.
"...!" I grit my teeth and steeled my body
My concentration is towards one direction, just in front of me. I remove every distraction from any other angle, just a narrow focus to where I'm sensing some sort of heat a humming sound. It's not a song or anything, just the hum of a functioning mechanical device.
"...!"
I just blinked for a split second and the darkness keeping me trapped suddenly pulls back from my blindspot. Ark Royal META rolls to her side, conscious but seemingly dizzy just after a minute or two of the struggle. I'm used to be snared, cornered, and restrained by my enemies so a simple trick is no longer a surprise to me. The only surprise is the humming sound itself and how we're instantly freed without taking action.
"A reactor?"
Both the heat and humming sound are from a single machine collecting dust just in front of us. There are scratches stretching from the current location of the enormous reactor to the unnatural hole in the wall behind it. It's an evidence someone with inhumane physical strength dragged it here without even tampering with it. That reaction has been in this abandoned base for more than a fee weeks, months even.
"Just a part of Orochi's reactor. It's like a cylinder inserted to the reactor itself" Ark Royal META fully recovered from her dizziness
"Is this...some sort of bioreactor?" I cautiously approach the object
The form is just inches thick cylinder with metallic frames sealing top, bottom, and the sides. The red liquid portion is only half the size of the bioreactor since it's surorinded my circuits, gears, and other parts. Why would someone would drag a bioreactor you could fit in a truck to an abandoned island? It's completely functional and can be used even when not connected to Orochi.
"Ghost's shard?" Ark Royal META approaches the suspicious object
The same shard from the earlier encounter is now on the ground beside the bioreactor. It's intact and without a scratch, but steam escaped from the piece even if it's incapable of overheating like an actual machine in the first place.
"I see. This is the one they used to recycle matter into useful byrodouct and a piece of Ghost is feeding on it" Ark Royal picks up the shard
"It doesn't explain the hallucination earlier"
"Hermit's ability just without the mist. My only theory is that Ghost is capable of learning from feeding and absorbing technology. That and it could learn from people it ate whole much like our pesky lizard friend. Well, this may be just its desperate effort to keep us away" Ark Royal META smirks
"It adapted to the Sirens to this extent? Why is the piece just here? Where's the rest of Ghost?" I just realized
"Welt's clue is there we have to rip it off from walking corpse. She said it's not murder since another shard is keeping the corpse animated like it's perfectly normal" Ark Royal doesn't sound too happy
"An animated corpse? Undead then..."
"Those wrerhed Sirens started this when they tried to break the wisdom cube. As a result, three pieces broke off. We have one now, so we need to find two more" Ark Royal keeps the piece in custody within a pouch on her left
"Ghost can't revive without it's whole cube, so the Sirens did it on purpose like how Orochi was broken off to prevent reconstruction" I deduce from the only evidence in front of me
"I'll try to find the other two pieces in Azur Lane, so I'll leave the whereabouts of Orochi's power source and combat data to you. If you find any hull pieces, blow it up to hell. Amagi's ghost said it mustn't be reassembled"
"Why not just recyle the ones they have? It's troublesome to find missing pieces dropped on the ground"
"It's like puzzle pieces. You can't recycle the piece you have to complete the original puzzle. Maybe like magnetic? It will try to reconnect with its pieces no matter how they try to twist it to a new form. Amagi tampered with it after all"
(Even as a ghost, she's really trying to help us"
Orochi is dangerous but not invincible. However, it could adapt to our tactics which would make any attack less effective over time. A miracle shot wouldn't be sufficient the moment it's complete again. It might succeed in launching a missile with the same firepower as modern ones. Perhaps it could have what Welt called "a mockery of a black hole". Either way, I have to focus on delaying the Sirens' plans if I couldn't stop them.
Iron Blood base...
Several manjuus work together to carefully suspend an intact monstrous whale corpse a few inches off the ground. A portion of its tail and leg had been blasted to chunks from a U-boat torpedo and its jaw is partially hanging from its face. It's in a terrible shape but it's the most intact corpse we could salvage. Now that it's motionless and I could approach it up close, it really is larger than regular land vehicles.
"It bleeds and completely flesh inside. This is far grotesque for a Siren"
Sovetskaya Rossiya, one of the two visiting Northern Parliament kansens, walks around the hanging corpse and carefully inspects its cracked metallic hull and exposed chunks of flesh. Rather than regular red blood, these monsters bleed unusually blue. They're alien-like but they resemble sea creatures like fish and whales. Sovetskaya Rossiya even pokes its hanging jaw and rubs her index finger on the first row of its teeth.
"Don't touch it too much. We still need to dissect and examine it" I calmly tell her
"Are you displeased by the presence of another nation? I heard Iron Blood doesn't like others meddling with them" Sovetskaya Rossiya pulls away her hand from its mouth
"I prefer to study it without interruption. The commander suggested results would be faster if I cooperate with others, so I merely complied with it"
I honestly couldn't understand the commander's mentality half of the time, but I have deep trust in their judgment. Their decision saved the fleet several times and proved to be thinking on long-term future. Although the Northern Parliament proved trustworthy with their promises, I still have doubts on them.
"We agreed it's for our mutual benefit. The Northern Parliament will lend you their resources in exchange for information about the shadowy kansen they call Ghost" Sovetskaya Rossiya's expression turns serious.
"A kansen who could switch any type of ship it wants. This kansen couldn't be identified since it's like a silhouette emitting black smoke all over its body" I'm a bit curious on it as well
"It singlehandedly defeated all of our stationed ships and destroyed our base. There's no way I would let such humiliation slip by"
What Northern Parliament has in common with Iron Blood is their pride and dignity. Sovetskaya Rossiya grits her teeth and frowns remembering the sudden attack two days ago. I would be furious as well and would seek revenge the first chance I get. The other day, I heard they couldn't give an explanation on how one kansen defeated ten ships in a one-sided battle and vanished without a trace.
"Why did it appear in your territory anyway?"
"The Northern Parliament is testing new equipment from a research left behind by someone a long time ago" Sovetskaya Rossiya approaches me
"Then what happened?"
"A portal of sorts appeared right before the testing ships and a wisdom cube appeared out of it. That cube formed a shadowy kansen and defeated us"
This is too strange to be true, even if it's caused by Sirens. There's no logical explanation to why it appeared right before them without apparent reason. It's a kansen but it's identity is concealed by a dark cloak and smoke.
"Well, we could discuss more about it once we finish analyzing...this creature" Sovetskaya Rossiya grunts
It's not machine but it's not something close to human either. This unknown creature has destroyer-size guns mounted in its mouth much like a ship. Right now, I could only describe it as living creatures transformed to be half ships.
"Its shell is completely metallic but just flesh beyond it" Sovetskaya Rossiya knocks on its metallic skin
"There are humanoid types other than this grotesque creature. They're not any better since their rigging appeared to be merged with their bodies...and somewhat animate like Iron Blood rigging"
I've encountered what appeared to be heavy cruisers due to their mixed mobility and firepower. Their rigging attached to the spine possessed s mouth much like this one and even let out a faint roar. In fact, almost all of them have rigging with a mouth and complete set of teeth.
"We've encountered aircraft carrier ones. Rather than a flight deck, their aircraft took off from the inside of their mouth for some reason. Even by just looking at the aircraft design, I know it's far from what a Siren would make" Sovetskaya Rossiya pokes the hanging jaw again
"It's as if they're not originally from this world..." I guess without much thought
"That's more likely because they only appeared recently. Every faction reported sighting of them and it's always appearing from some sort of portal in the middle of a storm
A storm? Now that I think about it, they only appear during unusual weather's and never with a clear sky. Their appearance caught us by surprise and everyone scrambled to pinpoint their origin.
"By the way, you reported an unknown cruiser helped you eliminate these creatures last time" Sovetskaya Rossiya reminds me
"Yes. I remembered seeing a kansen with a rigging similar to Iron Blood. She didn't say anything and stayed in a distance where I couldn't see her" There's no way I would forget it
"The one who just shot at the monsters and left without a word?"
"That one"
"Hmm. I'm both curious and suspicious..."
I have no other information about this kansen since my encounter lasted about a minute or two. Maybe she deliberately stayed in a distance where I wouldn't be able to clearly see her, but I don't know why she would do so.
"I feel like this is the beginning of more trouble, Bismarck. We may be safe for now, but we might lose our subordinates if we take this situation lightly" Sovetskaya Rossiya pulls away her hand again
"That's true. Our situation is abnormal that I wouldn't just ignore it. There may be threats out there other than the Sirens and these monsters" I sincerely agree
"Like that shadowy shipgirl and intelligent sea dragon-like creature"
We're already having difficulty with the Sirens. I don't think Iron Blood would be able to keep it's ground without sustaining losses. As much as possible, I want to keep my fellow Iron Blood members alive and my nation intact. Creatures like the corpse hanging in front of me is completely foreign to us, and the Sirens might use it to their advantage.
