The exquisite taste of desire is the highest quality "steak" there is.
The monstrosity who only evolves by consuming intelligent beings, Beelzebub, once pondered at their current state. They can consume inorganic matter that they even treat concrete as no different from candy, yet they remain unsatisfied.
[Why not slowly chew them first? Let their fluids and innards melt into to your tongue first!]
Asmodeus, being the most proactive and intrigued of their kind, once suggested Beelzebub. It arouses Beelzebub's curiosity as they never once bothered to distinguish the difference between human flesh and animal flesh.
[Try another perspective! Humans have different taste than us. They can be inconsistent, but they're creative and curios at their meals too]
If Lucifer have been present back then, they would have ripped all of Asmodeus's tongue for even suggesting that humans are worth their attention. Unlike Lucifer, everyone else dislikes humans by nature similar to how a human would view a cockroach.
[Absorb their characteristics and thoughts - assimilate a specific target! Become indistinguishable from them, so you can also taste the same way humans does]
For the voracious beast, such feast is feasible. By human standards, they are parasitic, infectious, and cancerous. Beelzebub hungers for food, knowledge, bloodshed, power and anything that humans craves and never get satisfied.
[Another glutton is redundant. What suits you best is someone who needs to learn hunger! That way you can study and taste them from scratch!]
Yes. It's all due to the mere curiosity of assimilating a host, but there's a risk of unwilling hosts resisting and even rebelling. The slimmest chance of resistance must be eliminated, and there's only one method to achieve it.
...
Before they fall apart to end the battle back then, Beelzebub unhinges their jaw and blood drips from the gaps on their teeth. Their scales and shell pries off on its own, but the right arm is still intact. As much as they want to swallow the sisters in front of them, they shake their head and lifts the claw of their index finger.
"I will not eat all of you...just yet"
Despite Beelzebub's enormous size and weight, their claws only pierces about three inches in Tirpitz's body. They physically pierce her, but Beelzebub manages to connect themselves to Tirpitz's inactive wisdom cube. What appears to be a red string of muscle envelops the wisdom cube and integrates itself within the cube.
"..."
At first, the wisdom cube is completely dim as it's completely drained but in mere seconds...it faintly hums when the light blue glow returns when red fleshy essence "embraces" the cube and sinks most of itself within the core of the kansen itself. A parasite would always cling to their host, immediately seeking the source of the nutrients.
"...!"
At the same time, Beelzebub carefully assimilates themselves within the body by slowly pouring themselves within Tirpitz in the form of black and red sludge slipping in her gaping wounds. Instantly filling the "empty glass" will shatter it and render it useless. Beelzebub slips into every vein, wrapping on each bone, and flowing in the bloodstream - merging with their host as a parasite puppeteering it from within.
"Ah...ggh...!"
As the rest of Beelzebub's body crumbles and disintegrates more after all of their fluids escape, the one motionless body gasps for air after the mortal blow from Beelzebub earlier. The wisdom cube mutates into something horrifying, but Beelzebub restrains themselves from fully transforming the body. Tirpitz's body twitches left to right when Beelzebub experiences the excruciating pain of supposedly being dead but still conscious.
"Nngh! This body...!"
Beelzebub bites their lower lip when the rest of their consciousness is transferred within Tirpitz, successfully fusing themselves with the corpses and somewhat resurrecting it. They have full control of each limb and senses, but the result is somewhat unexpected. What greets them is a sharp pain sizzling and boiling them from the inside for at least ten seconds.
"Hhngh!"
Beelzebub tried to raise their left arm, but they realized they had bitten it off earlier. They couldn't raise their back either when they sense the deep cut in the abdomen. The slightest movement causes the shredded organs to twist further.
"Tch!"
Although the body is successfully alive to some degree, the wounds they inflicted earlier remain fresh. The voracious beast takes a dele breath and with little effort poured, bones, muscles, and skin simultaneously sprout from the severed area. The arm gradually reforms until the fingertips reconstruct itself within five seconds. Among the seven, Beelzebub regenerates the fastest and can further grow in strength through consuming living beings.
"I feel weak. I need to be accustomed to this body before I reform myself..."
As much as Beelzebub wants to repair the sliced organs and seal the bleeding abdomen, they calculate the reallocating the energy remaining isn't recommended.
"I'll leave scraps first in order to complete assimilating the host...and to avoid alerting my prey"
Beelzebub takes a whiff and manages to discern Bismarck's bleeding body nearby even when their nose is filled with carbon monoxide from the black smoke everywhere and the stench of charred corpses everywhere.
"Aaah, I'm hungry again...but I need to assimilate the wisdom cube first"
Beelzebub raises their regenerated left arm and squeezes their new soft and fragile human hand. Their current state is much weaker and fragile than their original body, but they faintly smile in satisfaction and the hand slam back down at the ground as soon as they immediately close their eyes.
From now on, I'm "Tirpitz"...
...
...
Beelzebub the Voracious.
The monstrosity has sacrificed much of their original form because of their regrowth being slowed. They haven't devoured humans in a while, and their body is rather uncomfortable.
[Beel!]
[Asmodeus! Hands off my meal!]
Bismarck and Richelieu only hear the monstrosity growling incoherently and gnashing their teeth in frustration.
[I wasn't going to ruin your tenacious lunch! That's why I lured these sorry kansens to eliminate Richelieu instead] Asmodeus immediately explains
[I don't care about the cardinal, but when you put two meals together, flies will eventually swarm the other meal]
[Grr...]
Innards, bones, and flailed skin erupt from their back to form four organic tendrils. Spine and other kinds of bones spiral around the tendrils, appearing as a calcified barb or thorns.
(Beelzebub? No, this one is smaller and looks different. Perhaps it's another Leviathan)
"..."
Due to Beelzebub's keen senses, the small amount of blood spilled from the stab wound earlier causes them to salivate red slime. The fragrance is so sweet that it causes them to tingle and jolt.
[Easy there, Beel. If you lose focus, you might swallow Bismarck! Remember you need to spice her up first!]
Asmodeus detects Beelzebub's stimulation nearing the level of impulsively biting someone again. It's like the stew is still being stirred, but the aroma already lingers in the air.
[Do as you wish with everyone else. Bismarck is still my meal]
[How about a snack to stave off your craving? It's been a while since you swallowed someone]
[The cardinal is a white dessert...]
In Beelzebub's eyes, Richelieu is more of a slice of white chocolate cake sprinkled with chocolate bits and caramel all over it. They lick their dripping jaws while their flesh aches with the craving biting Richelieu in half.
(Don't tell me...) Bismarck glances at Richelieu
There's no actual word from Beelzebub, but Bismarck is certain that those six unblinking eyes are all fixated at Richelieu. Beelzebub salivating and licking their teeth makes their intention far more obvious.
"...!"
Just as Beelzebub raises their arm to swipe Richelieu, Bismarck swings her arm, immediately sending Geryon to headbutt its three heads towards Beelzebub's jaws.
"Nngh!"
This causes Beelzebub's hanging jaw to violently snap close and also make their bulky figure reel back by a meter or two. Geryon is smaller and "thinner" than them, but the swiftness of the charge catches the unstoppable devourer to nearly fall on their back.
"That thick abomination was aiming to make you their snack" Bismarck sighs in relief
Bismarck isn't certain of her attempt to stun or stagger the Leviathan would actually have any effect after facing Beelzebub who once unknowingly slammed Hindenburg's rigging with a mere smash of their tail.
"First, Asmodeus used my people as pawns. Now, another one showed up to eat me" Richelieu looks back and sees the unmoving kansens
"You must have dug something for them to go after you. Asmodeus is never this bold before" Bismarck frowns
"Perhaps. They're capable of coordinating with one another and learning from us. The one they seem to treat as leader is Lucifer, but they've been preoccupied by the Sirens lately"
"I wish we could discuss this now, but the big fellow looks unhappy"
Bismarck and Richelieu focus on Beelzebub who massages their lower jaw and moves them, somewhat glad it didn't dislocate, or they wouldn't be able to eat anything.
"Hmm..."
Beelzebub gazes over the kansens who are still in a trance and standing still because Asmodeus is keeping them in a hallucinatory state.
"Cookies first before the cake!" Beelzebub targets Algerie
"Oh no you don't!"
Bismarck pulls back Geryon and by pointing her sword at Beelzebub, the rigging lets out a loud roar as it unleashes a salvo.
"...!"
Beelzebub reels back after two shells explode at their forehead and left cheek. While it's incapable of scratching them the lightest, Beelzebub is at their weakest while parasitizing someone and starving.
"It's odd. This one is much weaker than Asmodeus and doesn't appear to possess special abilities" Richelieu shakes their head in confusion
(Right now, they just spoke about cookies and cake. Judging from how they wanted to eat kansens, could this be a resurrected Beelzebub? Did they escape their shell?) Bismarck is lost in her thoughts
"Bismarck?"
"My apologies. I'm wondering which one is our opponent? Their appearance doesn't match anyone, even Beelzebub"
"It could be Beelzebub's replacement if they're not the exact one. These abominations are said to reincarnate themselves"
After the third salvo, Beelzebub's body vibrates that they cause ripples for a few seconds and followed by small waves around them. Their armor adjusts to the shockwave and heat of the explosion, calcifying some areas like making their head in a skull armor.
(I don't want to unintentionally spill my own meal, so I have to move her out of the way first)
Geryon charges again to at least sever their arm before it calcifies, but Beelzebub loses their patience and grabs Geryon's middle head. An effortless squeeze is enough to cave in one of the dragon heads and ripping the crumpled metallic junk from the rest of their body.
"I'd rather not lose my appetite with your Calamitous Voidflame"
Beelzebub groans while their thumb and index finger pierce through Geryon and a single pinch bends Geryon's steel armor. They rip out not only the steel plating but severed and effectively damaged some of Geryon's components.
"Geryon!" Bismarck immediately orders Geryon back to her side
"The attack you reserved for Asmodeus won't work anymore"
(This isn't good. I won't be able to use my special barrage or Geryon might be destroyed...)
"I always checkmate you when you least expect it. That's a bad habit of yours, Bismarck"
"How would you know that? I don't remember losing to you in chess"
"...!" Beelzebub covers their mouth
It's unusual for them to entertain themselves and be talkative with their opponents, but it's too late for Beelzebub to realize that they referred to Tirpitz's memory. The sisters sometimes bond over a friendly game of chess, and Tirpitz would sometimes point out her bad habits either while on duty or playing chess.
(They're odd...)
Beelzebub covering their mouth is a human behavior of unintentionally spilling out words. Bismarck only remembers Beelzebub expressing their desire for flavor and doesn't play with their opponents unlike Lucifer.
(Something's not right here. How would this voracious replacement know where to damage Geryon and act familiar with me)
Very few people in Iron Blood have knowledge of Geryon's blueprint, Bismarck only disclosed Geryon's design to those she trusts the most. A Leviathan wouldn't make precise strikes at first try. The fact that a Leviathan who doesn't care about tactics learns precision unnerves even Bismarck.
"I happen to meet someone who can dig secrets. Let's just say they involuntarily spilled some of your secrets when I got my hands on them in the past" Beelzebub scoffs
"What?"
(Bismarck confides in someone like Friedrich der Grosse, Prinz Eugen, Graf Zeppelin, and others like Tirpitz. Since she's cautious on who to reveal her weakness)
Anxious of being discovered of their parasitism, Beelzebub makes their response vague to divert her suspicion away from members of Iron Blood.
"Did you steal memories of the people you eat?"
"I assimilated them, and they nourish me. That is the ability within Gluttony itself"
"So, who are you supposed to be?"
"Baal. Baal Zebul the Voracious"
It's still Beelzebub in a sense since it's merely an alternate name for them just as some people tend to switch their name with Satan the Wrathful.
"Bismarck, if it's a juvenile Leviathan, we might be able to defeat them" Richelieu whispers
"Unfortunately, my trump card had been damaged"
"I'm not in the mood to kill you, but the exception doesn't extend to the former cardinal" Beelzebub tilts their head
"Former?" Richelieu frowns
"...!" Bismarck shields the side of her head with her forearm
Beelzebub extends its spine-like tail, separating each section and whips both Bismarck and Geryon to the side.
"So long as humans exist, your kind will not die. The Sirens tried to fend you and the others as you only grew in power as humanity progressed" Richelieu tightens the grip on her flag
The others kansens are still in a trance, but Richelieu fears unintentionally sinking her people. The beast declares themselves as the new gluttony looms over her, staring at her as a mere insect.
"We are the worst of humanity - Demons, as your kind call it. There were seventy-two of us considered strong but only seven stood at the pinnacle. One of the lesser ones were defeated by your people in the past. The fodder named Adrammelech"
"Your kind is hell-bent on decimating humanity. What will you gain from it?"
"We do not have ambitions and only act as per our nature. I am a never-ending hunger, so my growth is cancerous, and my methods are parasitic. Beyond me, I am much worse beyond this shell"
"All of you are sins yet you coexist with each other and never turned against each other even once"
"We understand each other well and make use of our nature. Belphegor slows down my hunger and Asmodeus spices my meals as a chef. I seek to fill my belly with the flavors of this world"
"You feed on humans, but what will you feed on once we go extinct? Do you turn against your own kind or snack in yourself?"
(Lucifer despises humans the most. They toy with humans for amusement and exterminate them once they lose interest. Satan only wants to kill everyone and Mammon - our actions will render humans extinct which means...)
In the past, Beelzebub has no understanding of fear or long-term goals. They only follow their nature as "Sins". They are primal in nature and only follows their instincts despite their sentience.
"..."
Beelzebub imagines a darkness. They sit as the only guest at a long dining table covered by silky white cloth designed with golden patterns. Rather than a stretching feast of various meals, they're left with a single empty plate in front of them. It will be like the short amount of time when the Sirens tried to trap them in a void where there's nothing to feast.
[Beel, she's stalling you while the others are on the way! Eat her already!] Asmodeus panics for a moment
"Hmm?"
Shells fly through the air, piercing the mist and exploding right at the huge target. Armor piercing shells pierce through their armor and drills through their flesh.
"Aagh!"
The pain sends a shock to Beelzebub which causes them to stumble on their back to regenerate before another salvo. The left side of their abdomen has been struck, somehow sensing the pain of a knife twisting their guts which is only possible for humans.
"You're far weaker than Beelzebub! That wretched creature would have flicked my shells like pellets"
Bismarck returns to the scene and wipes the blood at the side of her lips. Geryon lost one of their heads and a chunk of its chest have been ripped off, but it's more than capable of matching "Baal".
"What-"
Asmodeus tentacles stretch from out of nowhere and wraps around Beelzebub, immediately pulling them away from Bismarck. They vanish in a split second from how Asmodeus drags away their brethren into the thick mist.
"Oh my, it felt like I just woke up from a dream" Algerie rubs her head
"Hehehe~ I had a nice dream where I swung my axe and killed ten Sirens in a row" Mogador regains her senses
"They're back?" Bismarck nearly shakes her head in disbelief
"Asmodeus changed their priority to saving one of their own"
Although Richelieu sighs in relief that Algerie and Mogador are in control of themselves again, she turns her gaze to the thick mist still trapping them.
Meanwhile...
Beelzebub has retreated and reverted back to dormancy within Tirpitz's wisdom cube. They leave the kansens unconscious and bleeding on the surface water. She's alive thanks to Beelzebub preventing any fatal injuries to the host, but Tirpitz is still unconscious and breathing unsteadily.
"I'm full of holes, but I'm still standing..."
Tirpitz presses the left side of her abdomen where there's a gaping hole as part of the wound drilled through her, but she's not aware of Beelzebub's actions. Her white uniform is soaked in her own blood and the blood on her skin begins to stick to her skin.
"..."
It's uncomfortable since Tirpitz can still taste the cold metal all over her tongue. Tirpitz's legs are shaking, and her vision becomes double from the blood loss.
"Hey, are you alright?!"
Jean Bart calls out to her from behind, but she widens her eyes when she parts the fading mist in front of her. Tirpitz's blood-soaked figure is barely standing, and her eyes are losing vitality.
"What the hell happened to you?!" Jean Bart rushes to her
"I...saw a snake..." Tirpitz weakly replies
"A snake...?"
"I saw a white holy lady...but she turned big. A snake dripping with green venom..."
"What does she look like?"
The first creature that Jean Bart's imagines Abaddon whose true form is serpent-like dragon with their green venom as their most notable ability.
"Someone who looked...so gentle...kind...not kind..."
Tirpitz wobbles a few times until she's on the brink of collapsing, so Jean Bart carefully holds both of her shoulders.
"Something's very wrong...here..." Tirpitz is struggling to retain consciousness
"What do you mean?"
"I heard to voices...when we were poisoned...two of them...somewhere here..."
"Two?! Tirpitz, you have to tell me who's Abaddon?"
"..."
Tirpitz falls completely unconscious. Her body grows limp and somewhat cold. If anything, she's barely alive.
"...?!"
Hidden by the mist, several pairs of brightly glowing emerald eyes. A hiss rings in Jean Bart's eyes as if the serpent is coiling around her neck and whispering to her.
Thirty minutes later...
Aside from broken bones from either Bismarck or "Baal", everyone is alive and still in control of themselves. The same couldn't be said for Tirpitz, who's horribly injured and unconscious again not long after fully recovering from Iron Blood's last encounter with a Leviathan.
"Good grief. Something is preventing Beelzebub from assimilating their host thanks to whatever those northern girls did. Still, no one expected this husk had the resolve to die just to die a pointless death"
Leaving Tirpitz vulnerable and alone, Abaddon stretches out their hand to Tirpitz's neck. The fingers transformed to claws dripping with poison, carefully pokes through Tirpitz's skin.
"Who should we send to take care of those northern girls?" Abaddon thinks to themselves
[Beelzebub is having issues, comrade?]
In the middle of their thoughts, Mammon accesses the network while the embodiment of greed is sculpting somewhere at the north pole using unfortunate human explorers as clay.
[Beelzebub is being starved. It's why their control is weak, no? Asmodeus told me everything a few minutes ago]
"I'm trying to stimulate the host's nervous system, namely the temporal lobe. She blocked off the part of the memory"
[Hoho~ What an interesting mystery. Can I join in? I like to cause some trouble for Sovetsky Soyuz]
"Aren't you busy playing with the Eagle Union's healthcare and real estate?"
Abaddon pulls away their claws while an unconscious Tirpitz while the latter weakly groans in their sleep.
[It turns out, I didn't even have to do anything! This era is brimming with corporate greed! Hahahaha! I love it here]
"..."
[Jokes aside, I want to add more of those Northern Parliament girls from my collection. Two aren't enough]
"Beelzebub needs to feed. Heh, now this gives me an idea to both sate a bit of Beelzebub's hunger and crush the host's spirit"
Abaddon stretches a wide grin that it tears the side of their disguise's mouth. Out of the seven, Abaddon loves to scheme and torment their enemies.
"...!"
Abaddon immediately repairs their mouth and straighten themselves the second the doorknob turns.
"I'm not bothering, am I?"
Bismarck blinks, surprised that Brest is in the room, seemingly watching over Tirpitz.
"Don't worry, I was merely checking on your sister" Abaddon forces a smile
"I-I see"
"She's stable for the time being, but she won't be able to participate in battles for a while"
"Tirpitz will probably be upset. She's looking forward to return to the frontlines..."
Bismarck walks towards the side of the bed, sorrowfully smiling at her peacefully sleeping younger sister.
"To think even with her injuries, she tried to fight Asmodeus. Thanks to her stubbornness to stay put, she's in a worse condition" Bismarck clenches her fists
"Don't blame your sister. She might not want to be a burden to her older sister"
As for Abaddon, her hands clutch her knees, furious at Bismarck's pure concern as a caring and protective older sister.
"The battle is over, so you should relax a bit, Bismarck. A hero cannot go on another journey without a proper rest" Abaddon tries to ease their trembling nerves
"The battle is far from over. Gluttony had been reincarnated and Asmodeus got away"
"Baal Zebul, correct? What a terrifying villain. You managed to defeat their juvenile incarnation and forced them to run"
"..."
"They tried to devour you, but you managed to incapacitate them with your armor piercing shells. You truly are Iron Blood's champion"
Bismarck widens her eyes for a bit and parts her lips as if she wants to say something, but ultimately shuts her mouth close again. Not to mention, "Brest's" last statement is more sarcastic than impressed.
Meeting room...
After a short visit to where Tirpitz is resting, Bismarck heads to discuss the after with Richelieu and Jean Bart. Bismarck's Geryon is still under repair after Baal tore off one of its heads and ripped a part of its chest. She should be resting after being stabbed in the stomach, yet she still misters enough strength to meet with Richelieu and Jean Bart.
"Roon's condition is stable. She nearly lost her arm after Baal sent her flying" Richelieu sighs in relief
"Fortunately, no one died today. It's still bad news that Gluttony spawned another bastard" Jean Bart clicks her tongue
"Iris Libre still lost Guichen while Iron Blood lost Friedrich Eckoldt..." Richelieu lowers her head
"All of this trouble and we still never found Abaddon. The only clue we have is your sister muttering someone pretending to be holy is actually a snake"
"Did Tirpitz say anything else?" Bismarck furrows her eyebrows
"We only got a white holy lady who's pretending to be gentle and kind. Considering Iris Libre, it's hard to narrow it down"
"..."
Somehow, Bismarck thinks of Brest earlier. She's immediately suspicious even if there are several other ships who also fit the "white holy lady" category.
"Is something wrong, Bismarck?" Richelieu tilts her head
"Did you two already inform the others about the battle with Beelzebub? Like how they appeared and how they were defeated" Bismarck looks at Richelieu first
"Not yet. I'm planning to share details once everyone is stable. So far, those controlled by Asmodeus suffered broken ribs" Richelieu shakes her head
"I thought so..." Bismarck grunts
"Huh?" Jean Bart scratches her head
"Then no one knows that Gluttony was reborn as Baal Zebul, what they looked like, and how I shot them?" Bismarck straightens herself
"What are you getting at?" Jean Bart rests her head on her arm
"I fear the serpent had been closer than we all thought...and I left her alone with Tirpitz"
"..."
Richelieu and Jean Bart stare at each other for a moment, both anxious and puzzled at Bismarck's implication. Everyone is exhausted and wounded, but they can't afford rest with poisonous and self-destructing envy slipping right past them.