It's past noon and King George V has only returned to her homeland, the prestige land protected by the Royal Navy. As a knight, she spares no idle time to rest and continue to fulfill her duty. She immediately heads to the person who have sent to gather information in the first place - Queen Elizabeth.
"Your majesty, I have returned after scouring different nations for information" King George V bows
"George, you should have rested first! I heard what happened at the Northern Parliament!" Queen Elizabeth pouts
"As a knight, I must fulfill my duty to my queen"
"I would allow my subjects to put effort for me, but I won't disregard anyone's wellbeing" Queen Elizabeth massages her temples
"I shall take my rest after I deliver the information needed"
"Three Leviathans showed up in one place. What were they thinking?!"
"Truth to be told, I remained unaware of the Northern Parliament's plan until I stepped foot in their land. They were luring Mammon the Avaricious and Satan the Rageful"
"The Northern Parliament lured two. Where did the supposed dead Beelzebub come from?"
"..."
The skin on King George V's forehead wrinkles and her hands tenses while she stands firmly in front of her queen. Silence surrounds them for almost a half minute when hesitation and worry stops her from responding as soon as she's asked.
"George, what's the matter? What did you see back there?"
"...Beelzebub was never defeated by Iron Blood. They faked their own death in order to move freely" King George V takes a deep breath
"Huh?" Queen Elizabeth blinks in confusion
"Beelzebub parasitized Bismarck's younger sister...Tirpitz. They latched on within her wisdom cube, but they couldn't fully control the host. As a result, Beelzebub is mostly dormant and Tirpitz retains her freewill"
King George V straightens her back and stares at a baffled and shocked Queen Elizabeth as it would be rude to report if her gaze wavers to the side.
"Hold on! Beelzebub is leeching off Bismarck's younger sister?! You didn't state this in your report"
"I wished for her majesty to learn of this first. Bismarck herself only learned of the fact after witnessing Tirpitz's transformation and Tirpitz isn't aware of being a host to a filthy parasite"
"The report is shared to other faction leaders. If everyone learns Beelzebub is stuck in a kansen, they would surely try to exploit it. Do you fear of Tirpitz being treated as a monster and being used as a test subject?"
Surprisingly enough, Queen Elizabeth regains her composure quickly even after learning of a deadly secret.
"Yes. Tirpitz cooperated with the Northern Parliament in the past to defeat or at least suppress Beelzebub. Someone who gambled her life for the sake of her people should never be treated as a monster or an experiment"
"The Northern Parliament did research behind our backs. I know from Victorious that Tirpitz is rational and stoic, so I'm sure she didn't agree with Sovetsky Soyuz without a good reason!"
"The drug created by them is keeping Beelzebub at bay, but it won't last long. It wasn't what both Sovetsky Soyuz and Tirpitz intended"
"What did Sovetsky Soyuz plan anyway?"
"The initial plan was for Tirpitz to ingest an experimental poison and be devoured by Beelzebub. However, Beelzebub didn't devour her and merged with her body instead. While this wasn't the intent, it was still enough to starve Beelzebub"
"Bismarck doesn't know what her sister did, am I right?"
Queen Elizabeth narrows her eyes and immediately thinks of Bismarck first when King George V reveals an unlikely collaboration and a risky plan.
"Bismarck have yet to learn the whole truth. Tirpitz never told her or anyone else" King George V immediately responds
"Why?"
"It was because Bismarck will certainly stop her. Iron Blood was losing against Beelzebub, and Tirpitz couldn't afford to lose her sister...out of the fear of being left behind again"
When the image of Tirpitz with her back turned appears in King George V's thoughts, she slightly closes her eyes for a moment. It then warps to witnessing Beelzebub emerge at the frigid sea from a distance. In a matter of seconds, an enormous monstrosity twists and warps the host for monetary freedom.
"George, what do you think will happen if this gets out?"
"Without a doubt, Tirpitz will be seen as a threat and be contained. Knowing what the government is capable of, they'd use harsh methods to exploit Beelzebub's nature" King George frowns
"..."
"If using the right methods, we can use the weakened Beelzebub against their own kind. The last battle proved they can harm each other and possibly kill each other"
"Then are you suggesting to seeing an individual and exploit a weapon instead?"
"...It's the least cruel way...and the only one I can think of so Tirpitz doesn't experience cruelty at the hands of human curiosity"
"Bloody hell! Why does she have to be like her big sister?! Trying to do what's best for everyone by suffering alone! If I meet her, I'd give her an earful since Bismarck is being soft on her!"
Queen Elizabeth flails her arms in utter frustration while King George V silently and awkwardly lets her rant and smack the desk.
"Listen well, King George V. You are to keep this information hidden from our people and the rest of our allies!" Queen Elizabeth clears her throat and points at the knight
"Y-Your majesty?"
"Don't look at me all confused! I'm a queen, not some tyrant who will disregard a life! Specially if that life is willing to throw themselves at the jaws of the beast to protect their people"
"As you wish, your majesty" King George V bows
"Arrange a meeting with Bismarck as soon as possible. I'm going to complain to her about letting her younger sister do something stupid!"
Queen Elizabeth repeatedly taps the top of her desk while her other hand is on her hips. As loud and haughty her tone can be, King George slightly smiles at the noble compassion of the person she sees fit to be the queen.
Iron Blood Headquarters...
A small steel case containing ten vials filled with dangerous liquids quietly rests on top fl Tirpitz's desk. She holds one opened vial and the stench gives her goosebumps and the side of her lips twitch. Not only it's infused with lethal poisons, Belphegor's diluted spinal fluids are also mixed, but Tirpitz is mostly clueless about its core ingredient.
"I feel like I'm about to vomit, but if it keeps my infection from targeting others..."
As much as Tirpitz's instincts are urging her to throw away the medicine, she takes a deep breath and tightly shuts her eyes. Before her trembling hand can accidentally drop and spill the liquid, she immediately shoves the muddy liquid to her mouth and forces her gagging throat to swallow every last drop.
"Gueegh! This tastes like dirt and mold!" Tirpitz covers her mouth
Her throat won't stop gagging and her body signaling her to spit out the foul liquid that already slipped down to her stomach. It's the parasitic aspect of Beelzebub attempting to reject the harmful substance by expelling it from the host.
"Ugh...my insides feel like it's burning..."
Every organ in her body is as if they're sizzling, sliced open, and squished simultaneously. It's a poison where it can kill a battleship within a few minutes, but even to a weakened Beelzebub, it's only a nuisance for a while.
"..."
About two minutes have passed and everything remains silent. Ever since regaining consciousness without anyone confessing the truth, Tirpitz is no longer paralyzed by the twisting pain in her stomach and Beelzebub's whispers. She no longer has the desire to try and bite her own allies or resort to eating small animals since the hunger always keeps her awake at night.
"Is there a permanent solution other than suicide at this point? Even if no one tells me, I know my infection runs deeper..."
A visage of Beelzebub suddenly appears in her mind. Deep within her thoughts, Tirpitz would always sense the voracious abomination staring at her from afar and clawing at her from the inside. She still generally believes the actual Beelzebub is eliminated and only a lingering fragment haunts her.
"Are they afraid it might get the best of me, and I'd mutate into something like Beelzebub?"
The vague memory where she sees Beelzebub's reflection as her own still haunts her. Tirpitz doesn't only feel a voice but another thought pushing her away.
"I won't burden Bismarck with something like this. If the time comes, then I have to end myself..."
Tirpitz gently places the empty vial down while the bitter and sour taste sticks in her tongue and throat. She shakes her head when her heart wavers after hearing it from her serious yet gentle older sister how she's determined to save her first before resorting to execution.
Research Facility...
Iron Blood has obtained a sample of Beelzebub's biomass and contained with a spacious cylindrical glass sealed by steel on both ends. The bright red flesh secreting transparent mucus clings to the side of the container. Small red veins stretch on different sides to allow the flesh to cling on a flat surface.
"If we didn't need it, I'd suggest we should incinerate it"
Friedrich der Grosse twirls strands of her hair while watching the biomass sprout an insectile appendage that twitches and flails. The biomass proceeds to absorb it back.
"I saw it with my own eyes. In mere seconds, I saw a towering monstrosity in my sister's place. I didn't know what to do while Soyuz stared at that monster without fear"
Bismarck approaches the organic sample that appears to struggle sliding its lump of a body to the right. It had no limbs or organs, but it moves to the angle where Bismarck is standing.
"Beelzebub didn't care about me and only focused on Soyuz. They were angry at Soyuz and wanted to eat them..."
The brief face-off between Sovetsky Soyuz and Beelzebub may have been a near death situation. Beelzebub prepares to snap their jaws at the kansen and their finger almost flicks her head off, yet Sovetsky Soyuz never flinched.
"It bothers you now because you learned that Beelzebub themselves is parasitizing to Tirpitz. We all know once parasites devour their host they will find a new one" Friedrich der Grosse glances at her
"We need to find a way to extract Beelzebub from her while they're still weakened"
"Don't be hasty. If we extract Beelzebub, they might reform and regain their strength. Without a host to restrain them, they'll decimate Iron Blood" Friedrich der Grosse immediately warns her
"You're right. Still, parasites spread fast and consume every part of their host. Once they do, the host will be left as a husk"
Bismarck frowns at the lump of flesh helplessly sliding down the walls of its circular container and attempting to climb back up. The veins sprout all around clings to the glass wall and wriggles as it attempts to lift the rest of the body off the ground.
"The Leviathans can harm each other. We've seen it with Beelzebub absorbing parts of Mammon and Satan's molten blood stopping Beelzebub's regeneration" Friedrich der Grosse clears her throat
"The Leviathans. They're intelligent, but they don't have a real goal and act solely based on their nature. What does Beelzebub intend to achieve by using Tirpitz's body as if it's their own?"
"..."
While Bismarck frowns at the living flesh seemingly reaching out to her, Friedrich der Grosse subtly glances at her for a few seconds before staring at the imprisoned sample as well.
"Tirpitz suspects Beelzebub is causing her condition, so when do we plan to tell her that the actual one is latching to her wisdom cube?" Friedrich der Grosse changes the topic
"We don't know how much Belezebub's influence extends. They may be able to hear and see even while not controlling the body, so it's best to limit the information"
"Do you fear that Beelzebub might destroy the body as a last-ditch effort?"
"I do. If Beelzebub can parasitize with a kansen, they can hop to another body. The Northern Parliament used an experimental drug to keep them weak"
Bismarck mildly grunts at the specimen helplessly sliding down again only got it to attempt climbing back up using its vein-like tendrils.
"I have to prepare at the eventuality of Beelzebub adapting to the drug. Sovetsky Soyuz warned me of Beelzebub's adaptability" Bismarck turns away from the sample
"Once the little parasite regains their strength, we won't be able to keep it leashed anymore. Are you prepared to kill Tirpitz?" Friedrich der Grosse sternly asks
"If it's to protect our people, then I will...even if it's my own sister..."
"No wonder Soyuz volunteered to do it..."
Friedrich der Grosse whispers under her breath and sighs is slight dismay while also shaking her head. She has known Bismarck for a long time and has stood as a both a confidant and de facto leader in her absence, so she's one of the few people can sense the hesitation in her fading response and the exhaustion in her tone.
Later that night...
The hunger has disappeared, so Tirpitz's stomach is no longer in pain and her head no longer suffers from excruciating headache whenever she starves. Still, she finds herself in another sleepless night outside her room and wandering the beach.
"..."
Some parts of her memories remain empty and with noticeable gaps, but she still regains glimpses and fragments of the events before "nearly dying" against Beelzebub.
I'm at my wit's end. Bismarck will eventually get killed if this keeps going and Iron Blood will fall. Am I going to be slowly torn apart again while I watch my land burn and my people be grinder.
While continuing her midnight stroll, Tirpitz pauses when her body becomes slightly numb and her body wobbles. She takes one step back before she stumbles down. What she sees isn't the wavering scene of a beach but her clenched fist hitting against a wooden table
"..."
Rather than push aside this thought, Tirpitz concentrates on her perspective instead. She lets the voices and feelings return to her. As the past memory of her hits the table with enough force to shake a coffee-filled mug and let the pen roll, her heart races from the frustration and her palms sweating.
Everything feels cold...
I can't feel my body...
It's all fading away...
I feel tired all of a sudden...
Still this isn't enough...
There's something I have to do...
This is certain death...
Even so, I will keep fighting...
What flows next is dying thoughts. Tirpitz feels herself lying the cracked concrete. The growing coldness is from the continuous blood loss and mortal injury she suffered at the hands of Beelzebub after being mutilated in mere minutes.
"I never...planned on winning..."
The old Tirpitz weakly laughs and wheezes while blood and other fluids fill her lungs and throat. She lets out a cough, spraying her own blood and letting them spill from the side her lips down to her neck.
"We're...both going to lose...voracious high lord..."
Beelzebub's enormous form looms over her. Her voice is too weak for someone like Beelzebub to hear, let alone care enough to understand.
"If...If I'm going down...I'm taking you...with me. That's why...we'll both lose...if they can't win...against you..."
Tirpitz gasps for air and coughs out more blood with every few words she forces out her drowning lungs and damaged throat. It doesn't matter to her if her words don't reach Beelzebub, she only needs to let her thoughts out in the moment of her death.
"I'm sorry, but I can't...stay true to my promise. I hope...you're the one who lives longer...between us...big sister..."
Even if she can't move her body of her head to look at Bismarck one last time, she mumbles under her breath as Beelzebub hunches again and she finds her mutilated body reflected in Beelzebub's eyes.
"Tirpitz"
"...!"
Tirpitz jolts and swiftly moves her feet back at the slightest tap on her shoulder. She also lightly pushes the shoulder right as she turns around to face the source of the voice. There's no threat or intent, but her thoughts have drowned within the fragments of her memories.
"Bismarck? You surprised me there..." Tirpitz sighs in relief
"You were spacing out and groaning" Bismarck furrows her eyebrows
"Bits of the past come back to me and it hurts like hell..." Tirpitz lightly shakes her head
"Is...everything alright?"
"I'm fine. I don't have the insatiable hunger anymore, but I know this won't last forever"
"Even if we're buying time, we'll find a permanent solution that doesn't involve you dying" Bismarck stands beside her
"When my stomach hurts before, I keep bashing my head somewhere where no one will see me until I get tired. I feel itchy inside like something is crawling...and I just want to rip myself apart to make it stop"
The tips of Tirpitz's index and middle finger touches the side of her neck, and she traces from one side to the other.
"I fear if I resist my hunger for too long, I'd go mad and lose myself entirely"
"That's not going to happen, because I won't let it. We talked about this" Bismarck nearly raises her voice
"We have to prepare for the worst. Beelzebub keeps haunting me and curses me with this infection"
"..."
Bismarck averts her gaze for a moment and bites her lower lip since Tirpitz remains unaware of the actual Beelzebub being present and looming inside her as a dormant parasite.
"I'm not planning on giving up or anything. I'd resist this temptation and find a way to free myself" Tirpitz reminds her
"I know. I don't remember my younger sister giving up too early after all" Bismarck proudly scoffs
"Still, before I hurt anyone, don't hesitate to end me. I want to die without blood on my hands...just my own blood"
"If that happens, then I will execute you. I won't allow anyone else to do it" Bismarck nods
"I'm sorry for giving you this burden, Bismarck. I just don't want regrets or watch you hesitate"
"..."
Bismarck stares at Tirpitz for a few seconds, but she's still reminded of how Beelzebub forcibly transformed her body to regain their form as an abomination of flesh and steel. She would always be reminded that a monster like that is latching inside Tirpitz while the latter remains unaware of her true condition.
"Let's talk about you going behind my back"
"I know I did that, but I still can't remember why. Soyuz doesn't tell me anything..." Tirpitz sighs
"Even if you don't remember, I still can't believe you did something reckless. While I was unconscious for three days, you sneaked away and collaborated with Soyuz"
"...I want to feel guilty and defend myself, but I still have nothing here"
Tirpitz taps the side of her head when her gaping memories don't reveal any useful information. She's only aware of being in the Northern Parliament but not what led her to venture there.
"I'm angry because you're just like me" Bismarck crosses her arms
"..." Tirpitz scratches her cheek
"To do what's best by self-sacrifice and enduring suffering alone - that's the part of my old self that I don't want you to take on"
"You did the same thing which led you to a three-day coma"
"That's the point. I don't want my little sister to be as foolish as I am" Bismarck exhales
"..."
"You're a gentle person. That's why I don't want you to be like me. Learn from my mistakes and be better" Bismarck grabs both of her shoulders
"Still..."
As much as Tirpitz wants to be moved by Bismarck's soft and caring side, she can't help but see fear reflected in her striking blue eyes. This leaves Tirpitz confused if Bismarck is afraid for her...or of her. She feels Bismarck's hands tremble on her shoulders.
"Don't die on me..." Bismarck squeezes Tirpitz's shoulders
"I won't. I promise"
"Good because if you break your promise again..." Bismarck shakes her head
"I'm not a child, Bismarck. I know very well not to get myself killed"
"..."
Bismarck widens her eyes when another memory reminds her. This time it's where she managed to regain conscious after nearly dying from Beelzebub. The latter themselves have mysteriously disappeared, but she found Tirpitz lying on her pool of blood unconscious and with a shredded torso.
"..."
No one witnessed how she cried out her name several times and even shakes her, but she feels a cold and motionless body beyond the ongoing flames around them. There was no pulse or breath which number Bismarck's limbs and speeds up her heartbeat.
"Bismarck?"
"Sorry. I just remembered something...unpleasant" Bismarck refuses to specify
"Right..."
As for Tirpitz, she feels Beelzebub as if they're behind her. She feels their claws squeezing around her throat and their faint growls beside her ear. Their voice couldn't reach her as their influence remained weakened even after recovering from the last battle. Tirpitz swallows her breath when she feels the the claws pressing against her face and tempted to dig through her skin and peel her open.
Storage area...
At the same time, Odin is passes by a warehouse with a slightly open door. For security purposes, all doors should be locked if there's no one on duty or at least closed. She couldn't shrug it off, so she turns her foot to the side and slowly walks towards the storage.
"There's no sign of forced entry..."
The doorknob and the lock haven't been damaged, but Odin constantly inspects everything in her line of sight. The lights are open and not a single content is out of place. Boxes are stacked neatly and parts are stored in either shelves or open boxes with proper labels.
"Something's off..."
A faint breeze blows by her cheek, but there's only silence and dust around her. Not the slightest shadow or breath nearby.
"..."
Odin grabs her scabbard and swiftly pulls out her sword. Her eyes repeatedly scan from left to right while she slowly takes several steps forward and navigates to the countless rows of shelves within the warehouse.
"Intruder, whoever you are, show yourself. No one trespasses in our land and leaves unscathed. Depending on your intentions, I may spare your life"
Odin doesn't waste her time and announce her intent. Her voice echoed the eerie silence as nothing, and no one responds back to her.
"Strange. I feel like something is staring at me..."
After turning to the left to inspect another row, there's still no sign of someone hiding or spying on her. Again, not a single box or equipment is out of place. Even the culminating dust is unmoved.
"...!"
Odin quickly turns around with her sword raised as she's prepared to swing at the slightest squeak.
"Oh..."
Instead of a monster of sorts, she lowers her gaze and spots a typical rat in front of her. The critter stands on their hind legs and squeaks again. It tilts her head and rubs its snout with its petite paws.
"So this is the land notorious for their arrogance"
The rat widely grins and speaks with a tone of a cold and stern young man. Blood seeps out of its eyes and their buck teeth is transformed into fangs.
"What...who am I looking at?!" Odin jumps back and points her sword
"You people call me Lucifer the Arrogant"
"Lucifer?!" Odin feels her breath escape
"Don't be surprised. This is natural for me because I am arrogance itself. To look down on others and make everything about me - such is my nature"
"For the embodiment of pride to turn into a rat" Odin frowns
"Turn? Hahahaha! You must be confused or utterly stupid. I would never step foot in this dumpster. That's why I ordered my brethren to infiltrate your home instead"
"...!"
A single bite on her ankle causes Odin to swing the bitten foot, causing a rat to smack against the steel shelf.
"What the..."
The rat's mouth is foaming red and black liquid leaks out of its eyes and nose and the grey fur on their head is completely drenched.
"Ugh...!"
Odin immediately feels the strength on her hand disappear when her hand loses its grip and drops her sword to the ground. Next, her legs give out we she's forced on her knees and her hands pressing the ground.
"So you're going to kill me now?" Odin twitches the side of her lips in pain
"Don't mistake me. My kind made the same mistake twice and looked what happened. If I spill blood here, Beelzebub will learn I'm here and as a result, their host will find out too" The rat crosses its arms
"Agh...wretched-"
"Hush now. This will feel like a bad dream in a moment"
"Don't you touch me-!"
Odin tries to lift her hand at least to smack the bipedal rat, but her position is fixed and her limbs seemingly glued to the floor.
"You won't notice a thing. By the time you realize something is wrong, the deed is already done" The rat stands closely in front of her
"What...are you planning to do?"
"My goal is to help my kin regain themselves. If they refuse, well...I will end them before they dare lower themselves to be a human pet"
"Hmph! Self-centered and superficial - fitting for the lord of pride"
"It's a matter of determining liability. If Beelzebub proves to be one, then I will toss them away. We are brethren, but we are not equal - you and everyone else must remember that"
The rat lifts their head and stares at Odin sweating and quivering from attempting to lift her body, but her limbs still refuse to cooperate.
"I admit I'm a little curious, but I'm still here primarily for my own amusement. Why do you think I haven't slaughtered all of you yet?" The rat chuckles
"...!"
Odin can only grit her teeth in frustration while she's forced to hear Lucifer cherish her helplessness and face her without a care. As Lucifer's voice grows quiet, slimy black fluid drips down her cheek. Since Odin couldn't even move to lift her head, she can only feel claws from behind pointing an inch from her eyes and barbs wrapping around her throat.
"..."
Seconds seemingly passed for Odin, but she finds herself standing the middle of a warehouse filled with countless rows filled with boxes and crates. Her sword is still on the ground, but Lucifer as a rest suddenly vanished.
"Was that the wind?"
Odin gazes up while scratching the back of head, somehow forgetting of Lucifer's appearance as a rat. She shakes her head in confusion right before she picks up her sword lying beside her even when she doesn't remember when or how it left from the scabbard secured at her waist. Even the rat she smacked earlier vanished as well. Odin breathes a sigh of relief, unsure of why she spaced out for a few seconds and feel lightness in her chest.