Sovetskaya Rossiya and King George V marches to Chkalov's laboratory after being informed of urgent news since Sovetsky Soyuz is still occupied with her meeting. Rather than any serious damage or injuries, they find Chkalov letting Tirpitz drink an unknown chemical straight from a vial.
"Ugh! This tastes like a dead rat's guts!" Tirpitz gags after drinking the red liquid
"How would you - oh right, you ate them..."
Chkalov gives her another vial, but that one is filled with bubbling black mud. Her medicines are already questionable and it only feels like she's letting Tirpitz taste her experimental medicines.
"So what's the emergency?" Sovetskaya Rossiya scans the surroundings
"Oh, that's right. Like Soyuz said, one of Beelzebub's friends must have snuck in our base"
"What?! How do you know that?" Sovetskaya Rossiya marches to Chkalov
"Tirpitz heard their voice. They're trying to reach out to Beelzebub"
"I don't know if it's them, but someone else is ringing inside my head. They keep telling me to hurry up and eat..."
"What did they look like?"
"Six arms, gold-plated chest...and a necklace of skulls"
Tirpitz closes her eyes and concentrates on the source of murmur irritating and distracting her thoughts. It's somewhat blurry, but she can make sense of the dragon-like creature infamous for their love for hoarding valuables and multiple limbs.
"It's Mammon..." Chkalov rubs her chin
"Then can you pinpoint their exact location? Mammon isn't an expert in stealth and concealment considering they get distracted with treasures" Sovetskaya Rossiya wants to confirm
"You need to focus where the voice is coming from. The Leviathans communicate telepathically, so you can trace back the other end of the communication" Chkalov suggests
"Are we sure she can find Mammon?" King George V cuts in
"Of course. We can use the hungry bastard latching on her wisdom cube" Sovetskaya Rossiya immediately responds
Only the three are aware of the true nature of Tirpitz's situation, so while they're cautious, Tirpitz is dumbfounded at their shared look.
"Latching on what?" Tirpitz looks at them
"To make it simple, you have a parasite in your wisdom cube. It's an infection eating you until you're nothing"
Sovetskaya Rossiya clears her throat and reveals the surface of what Tirpitz is suffering. She has to restrict her words while she's unsure if Beelzebub can overhear and observe while dormant.
"Beelzebub relies on their scent to distinguish who to eat first. We need you to track down Mammon as soon as possible" Sovetskaya Rossiya begins to demand
"Tirpitz, you have to understand we're in a hurry because we don't know what Mammon intends to do and how much damage they can cause" King George V calmly explains
[Beelzebub what's going on there? Why are you being quiet?]
"...!"
A shock makes Tirpitz jolt because Mammon tries to reach out to the lethargic Beelzebub. The latter is lying down within the corner of Tirpitz's consciousness, and they can only groan and flick their tail. Beelzebub is being overwhelmed by the "poison" Tirpitz have been ingesting that they cannot adapt to the drugs simultaneously.
"Something's not right. Why am I seeing someone from the Northern Parliament? Mammon's voice is ringing in my head...but I'm seeing one of your comrades...covered in blood" Tirpitz presses her hand on her right ear
"Who...who did you see? Who did Mammon...?"
It only takes Sovetskaya Rossiya a few seconds to realize why Tirpitz is confused and dumbfounded.
"Someone young with different colored eyes with a fur hat...and are those fox tails?"
"Murmansk. The wretched...they..."
Sovetskaya Rossiya can barely contain her anger that her shaking voice is on the brink of screaming and she's itching to swing her sword.
"They intrude our motherland...and take the life of a comrade. For that, the frigid north will be their grave"
Sovetskaya Rossiya takes a deep breath and while she's seething with rage, she tightly grips her scabbard and sternly vows to everyone present.
Arsenal Warehouse...
Wooden crates have been shattered to bits and steel is either bent or partially melted. Muscle and tissue strings snap, causing Murmansk's left arm to plop at the floor and blood squirt from the left shoulder.
"Good grief. Look what you did! I was planning to taxidermy this corpse after we deal with you people"
Portions of the small intestine spill out from the cleanly cut abdomen. Mammon presses the slimy and squishy organ with their pair of petite hands to avoid the organ from being dirtied by the grime and dust on the floor.
"Ah..."
Their gouged right eye is barely hanging by the optic nerve, but the fleshy string snaps. Mammon opens their jaw when the white and round object plops at the ground as well and rolls near their feet.
"You cost me a cute taxidermy!"
Mammon's teeth sharpen and their voice distorts, clearly ticked off and displeased with losing a souvenir. A black substance spills out of the open right eye socket. Black bubbling flesh with holding multiple eyes all stare at the critically wounded kansen.
"...You...you won't leave here alive..." Gangut coughs out blood
Gangut no longer has the strength to move after receiving multiple cuts on her body and a black torn pinning her left shoulder to the wall.
"Who are you to stop me? I take what I want, where I want, and when I want! Such is my way as Mammon the Avaricious!"
Mammon further unhinges their jaw and tears through the skin on both sides of the cheek. They further display their deadly sharp teeth coated in precious metals and a drooping elongated tongue glittering with golden dust.
"Beelzebub wouldn't mind if I take your eyes instead as long as those two are untouched"
Just imagining taking Gangut's liver, right eye, and lungs makes Mammon flood the floor with their red sticky saliva.
"Unfortunately, you're not stealing anything today"
"...!" Mammon immediately turns around
A cylindrical grenade with a handle and without a pin rolls in front of her. Gangut immediately recognizes it. She covers her eyes and uses her forearm as a shield.
"Nngh!"
Mammon widens their eyes but the grenade detonates and blinds their multiple eyes, forcing them to take a step back while rubbing their sizzling eyes.
"Greed and Gluttony are very much alike, so you can't resist following your kind here"
"Sovetsky...Soyuz. Why does it have to be you? I want to take those emotionless eyes of yours, but I don't want to ruin Beelzebub's meal"
Multiple eyes frantically stare in different directions while Mammon's voice becomes more distorted. Five kansens corner Mammon and in the latter's anger, black appendages with metallic hooks sprout at the armless left shoulder and wiggle in excitement.
"To take the life and desecrate the corpse of a comrade - Mammon, the Northern Parliament shall bury you beneath the freezing sea where you cannot lay a hand on anything and anyone ever again" Sovetsky Soyuz takes a step forward
"Your kind will learn how much the Northern Parliament does their retribution" Sovetskaya Rossiya draws her sword.
"Mammon the Avaricious. Why are you here, monster?" Bismarck draws her sword as well
"Ha...hahaha! What else? To bring back...my brethren. You took something from us, so you've earned our revenge"
Mammon's multiple eyes all glance at Tirpitz. Unlike everyone, they view the host as insignificant and only see their lethargic and unresponsive brethren.
"You and that one are exquisite indeed. It's a shame I despise you so much...and I cannot damage you as the main dish" Mammon stretches their hand to Bismarck
"Me? Main dish?" Bismarck mutters to herself
"Playtime's over! Time to wake up!"
With a flick of one of their appendages, a silver harpoon pierces through the air in blinding speed.
"Tirpitz!"
As much as Mammon wants to eliminate Sovetsky Soyuz or Bismarck, they cannot risk accidentally killing Beelzebub's meal. They target the host instead as it's only a disguise and container for the actual Leviathan.
"...!"
Tirpitz couldn't react in time and the glinting serrated blade pierced her chest. Her heart is immediately shredded that anyone should fall dead, but Tirpitz still has strength to stand and gasp for air.
"Huh...?"
Tirpitz doesn't feel anything, not even the coldness spreading around the pierced area. Her shaking hands weakly pull out the harpoon from her chest, but she would have collapsed if Bismarck didn't catch her in her arms.
"I planned to observe a bit, but you ruined it now!"
Black liquid bursts out of the mouth and hollow eye socket, piercing through the roof and leaping to the right. An enormous mass of lumpy black mud and slams at the ground, causing the nearby kansens to freeze and stare in shock.
"They used Beelzebub's sense of smell against us. I see - so these ants plan to put Beelzebub on a leash and use them to their advantage. Will you sit there and humiliate us, Satan?!"
Beelzebub reforms the upper half of their body and their sheer size alone cracks the concrete ground with a mere press of their left hand. Six bulky arms solidify first then their golden plates emerge from their liquid chest. The lumpy flesh soon begins to take the shape of their scaly hide and arranges three pairs of eyes above the stretching grin.
"Burn their land to the ground!"
Satan emerges out of the sea and their sheer heat causes the water to boil and emit thick steam from their body. Violently revealing themselves to the surface causes a small tsunami of scalding water.
"You love your motherland so much, so we're going to take it from you. We're going to make sure to scar this land forever!"
Mammon raises one of their left hands, signalling Satan to make the first move. The fiery vengeful beast opens their mouth and compresses burning energy in their throat. With a powerful push from their mouth, it transforms into a flying projectile that immediately causes a fiery explosion upon striking the ground.
"Hmm?"
From a rooftop, Chkalov opens fire with a rocket launcher while calmly chewing on a lollipop. Since conventional weapons are like crumpled paper to them, Mammon tilts their head when the projectile explodes on them. Instead of an explosion, they're sprayed with purple liquid and smoke latching to their scales.
"That smells horrible..." Mammon coughs and wipes the smoke in front of them
Mammon clutches the concrete ground and tears a portion as a rock large enough to fit their hand. When they turn to throw a rubble at Chkalov, she quickly disappears from the roof. Mammon blinks all six eyes and scratches their head, visibly puzzled.
"Hang in there, Tirpitz" Bismarck covers Tirpitz's bleeding chest
"I can't feel anything, Bismarck... Tirpitz's shaking hand grabs Bismarck's cape
"You're not dying today!"
"It's strange. I feel like I should be dead...but why don't I feel my life drifting away?" Tirpitz lifts herself from Bismarck's arms
"Huh?"
"How...how am I still alive?"
"Tirpitz is already..."
Sovetsky Soyuz approaches the two, but she refrains herself from answering truthfully.
"This is but a portion of the truth, Bismarck" Sovetsky Soyuz turns away
"What are you talking about?"
"..."
Sovetsky Soyuz pauses for a moment, but she doesn't respond and walks away instead.
"We can't stand around..."
Tirpitz takes a deep breath, anxious as to why she couldn't sense her heartbeat when she presses her hand on her bleeding chest. A part of her is aware that her heart has been directly struck and destroyed, but she pushes her fear aside for now.
"You're right" Sovetsky Soyuz nods at Sovetskaya Rossiya
"It's a good thing the incident at Iris Libre set an example"
Sovetskaya Rossiya confidently smirks as she brings out a flare gun with blue glowing outlines. It doesn't appear to be crafted with human steel and is awfully similar to steel used by Sirens.
"..."
Sovetskaya Rossiya lifts her left arm high above the air and with a simple pull of the trigger, a brightly glowing blue projectile flies straight to the air. The kansens and Leviathans stare at the glinting ball of light, especially Mammon who cross their middle arms and tilt their head.
"Mammon, this is-!" Satan stares at the black patch at the sky
The black patch turns out to be several hexagons. Black hexagonal plates quickly spread from the center, forming a large dome which covers a large area of the Northern Parliament base - effectively creating a cage and battlefield for Leviathans and kansens alike.
"You insects!" Satan turns around and roars
Their roar creates a brief earthquake which reaches not only the surrounding sea but the Northern Parliament base as well. Three Arbiters appear before Satan: The Tower, Hermit, and Lovers.
"Satan is rather troublesome. To think they need us to keep Satan from launching a nuclear strike" The Tower shakes their head in dismay
"We're going to buy time, then what? If we're not careful, they can simultaneously destroy all our servers. We don't want to follow Temperance" Lovers stretch their arms
"We're going to play hit-and-run with this raging buffoon" Hermit smirks"
Satan raises their arm and quickly smacks their palm while they're busy chatting, but they dodge a second before a large burning hand snacks the surface of the water and splashes everywhere.
"It's because of your kind that we'd resort to a truce with Azur Lane!" Hermit angrily shakes her fist above her head
"You! You and that other one helped Sovetsky Soyuz trap Beelzebub!"
Due to the Leviathans' connection, Beelzebub shared Lovers and Hermit's faces from Tirpitz's recovered memory to the rest of their kind. The mere sight of time causes the magma flowing in Satan's gaping cracks to glow brighter.
"Your kind is not invincible! Beelzebub being on a leash is solid proof!" Hermit confidently grins to taunt Satan
Much like a starving Beelzebub, Satan's accumulated rage only makes them disregard tactics and use their raw firepower to destroy everyone and everything around them. Their rampage usually leaves a scorched earth or any unfortunate island disintegrates from their literally explosive outbursts.
"Do you think we are as fragile as mortals? You're not the only one who can keep coming back!"
Satan breathes out flames, melting and exploding mass-produced Siren ships appearing out of golden portals.
"Sins will never die so long as humans crawl in all timelines. You all keep wanting and wanting - nothing is ever enough!"
Energy projectiles and shells quickly disintegrate before they can make contact with their body. There's an invisible heat covering their entire body which makes any physical contact a sure death.
"Hmm...I think we just fell into a trap?"
While Satan is forced to swat the fidgeting Arbiters, Mammon scratches their head and rubs their chin with their upper right hand and middle left hand respectively.
"A Mirror Sea, huh. Should I break it? I don't know what they will gain from luring us, but I can't leave without taking anything..."
Aircraft drops armor piercing bombs and kansens relentlessly bombards them, but Mammon cannot even feel a sting on their attacks.
"They've gotten thicker than I last saw them" Kirov whistles
"Mammon has no self-control. They will get their hands on anything that interests them and add it to their collection"
Sovetskaya Belorussiya observes the thicker armor of gold and gems while continuously firing at Mammon.
(I really can't feel my heart...)
On another side of the battlefield, Tirpitz presses her chest to hear or feel her heartbeat, but there's only silence.
(How am I still alive when my heart got destroyed?)
Questioning her survival of an obvious fatal wound, her thoughts begin to race. Tirpitz sees vague flashes of her memories back when Beelzebub bit off one of her arms and slashed her deep enough that blood rushed out of her guts.
"I lost...my left arm...but..."
Tirpitz's hands tremble again when her mind makes that one moment vivid to her. The drug injected into her cannot resurface all gaps of her memories, but it's enough to vividly recall short moments.
"I died...I know I died yet..."
Tirpitz tightly grips her left arm and squeezes her own limb. It's not a prosthetic of sorts, but a limb complete with bone, muscles, and blood.
"Tirpitz, get a grip!"
Bismarck grabs both of Tirpitz's shoulders and angrily shakes her when she's the only one not rushing to the battle and hiding under the shade of her obedient rigging.
"Bismarck, how can I stand here like nothing happened?" Tirpitz blankly stares at her sister
"What are you talking about?"
"Mammon's attack tore my heart. I don't have a beating heart, but I don't feel anything..."
"..."
When Bismarck realizes Tirpitz's concern, she shuts her mouth close and removes her grip from her shoulders.
"We can think about that later once the fighting is over. If you stand here doing nothing, you'll die!" Bismarck tries to keep her focused
"But-"
"All I see is my living younger sister. That's what matters to me"
"Bismarck..."
Bismarck is nervous after Tirpitz tells her how she can function with a destroyed heart...something only possible for someone with regenerative abilities or the body is already hollow.
[Did Bismarck already find out? She was with Soyuz for hours, so she must have learned something...]
Beelzebub growls and snaps their tail a few times in a display of infuriation since they're only limited to what her host can see and hear. They don't have Abaddon's scrying abilities or stealthiness.
"Mammon. Although, they're proactive with their stealing and hoarding habits, we don't know much about their combat abilities. They're known to take the spoils while their brethren do most of the fighting"
Bismarck remains unaware of Beelzebub's presence, so she explains to Tirpitz after Geryon tries to open fire once, but the shells only don't even scratch their armor.
"Everyone's here? Excellent!"
Mammon glances at a distance and spots the sisters, but they're more focused on Tirpitz gripping her bloodstained chest.
"Let's get this show started"
Mammon stretches out all of their six arms and a simple snap from all of their fingers loudly echoes that it even reaches Bismarck as a muffled boom.
"...!"
Skeletons and scraps either emerge or fall off from Mammon's chest. They form barely recognizable vestiges of fallen kansens either killed by them or their brethren. The rigging is recognizable, but their bodies are no different from faceless metallic puppets.
"Greed will take everything. It is which enslaves the soul of sentient beings"
The puppets stiffly move their arms and legs with a trembling creak as those who have their skeletons preserved are clad in black steel.
"This monster!"
Kronshtadt furiously swings her arm as she recognizes the puppet remains of a fallen Northern Parliament kansen. She stares for a few seconds, shocked and furious that one of her comrades has been brought back from the grave as a horrible monster - an enslaved corpse.
"May you find peace..."
The small and petite figure of a destroyer belongs to Grozmy who's still clutching her axe wrapped with a large chain. When she rushes to Kronshtadt while wildly swinging her weapon, Kronshtadt closes her eyes for a second and looks at the puppet upon open firing, effectively obliterating the skeletal remains into unrecognizable bits.
[Are you really content with what you have? With what limit you can reach?]
A voice whispers in Kronshtadt's heart that it makes her body freeze right where she stands. It's not only her, but the other Northern Parliament ships all hear the same voice.
"I still stink with that slime shot at me, but at least those pests are occupied ..."
Mammon sighs in relief and primarily turns their attention to who has just decapitated an Eagle Union light cruiser with a clean swing of her sword.
"...!"
Bismarck blasts another destroyer to bits flying in all directions and has Geryon bite off the head of another destroyer. When she turns to Tirpitz, she spots Tirpitz pressing her hand on her slashed bleeding throat and an unknown heavy cruiser stabbing right at the solar plexus with a saber.
"Geryon!"
With a single word, Bismarck's rigging rams the corpse puppet and two of the heads grab both ends and tear the body apart like paper.
"...Aauh...aah..."
Tirpitz tries to speak, but blood keeps spilling out of her throat and opening her mouth also spills blood on the side of her mouth.
"B...Bis...ma...rck" Tirpitz grabs Bismarck's shoulder
"Don't speak too much! You're losing too much blood"
"Your worries are...misplaced, Bismarck"
Sovetsky Soyuz approaches her and doesn't flinch even after seeing Tirpitz's hands are leaking blood while pressing her sliced throat.
"My sister had been stabbed twice and her throat had been sliced. I'm worried for the right reason!" Bismarck raises her voice
"She won't die even if you were to destroy her head" Sovetsky Soyuz shakes her head
"You knew what was wrong with her, but you won't tell me anything"
"You will understand better if you witness it for yourself"
"Even if you say that, I don't even know what-"
Tirpitz falls silent as her eyes lose brightness and blankly stare at nothing. She pushes Bismarck away as she has a sudden feverish heat in her body and her limbs trembling again.
"Tirpitz, what's-" Bismarck grabs her shoulders
Bismarck is cut off when Tirpitz angrily grunts and swings her hand towards Bismarck, sending her away with a smack from the back of her hand. Thankfully, Geryon wraps itself around Bismarck to cushion her. It catches Bismarck by surprise since she feels a metallic beam swings right to her face.
"You don't want to damage your food..." Sovetsky Soyuz calmly guesses
Red strings of flesh and bubbling black liquid covers Tirpitz as a maw of long jagged teeth and two pairs of eyes forms. The red and black flesh expands to shape Beelzebub's head, torso, and arms for the first five seconds.
"Haa..." Beelzebub unhinges their jaw and exhales
Their skeleton connects each other first with the ribs curving and the lower jaw connecting to the skull. Then muscles extend and wrap around them as a first layer of protection. Slimy black liquid covers them next which mildly solidifies to pulsating flesh followed by flayed skin covering half of their exposed body.
"You've been waiting for me, Soyuz. Here I am"
A large and stocky beast of flesh stares down at her not as a worthless insect but a nuisance worse than anyone they have ever faced.
"If it's an answer to your situation, then I can make it clear for you" Sovetsky Soyuz gazes up
"..."
Beelzebub hunches and lowers their head to lean closer to Sovetsky Soyuz since compared to someone enormous like Beelzebub, she's as big as a mouse to them. Humans are much smaller to Beelzebub in their prime form, but that's when they're constantly feeding.
"I'm responsible for your situation. I'm the mastermind for tricking you into eating poisoned food"
"...!"
"You're not as cautious as your brethren that's why it's easy to lure you to a mouse trap. All we needed to do was perfume the poisoned cheese"
Sovetsky Soyuz doesn't show the slightest fear of death when confessing her "crimes" towards someone who can squash her like a cockroach.
"It's because of you that I'm trapped within the host I'm eating!" Beelzebub unhinges their jaw above Sovetsky Soyuz
Even when Beelzebub is threatening to eat her, Sovetsky Soyuz doesn't flinch and continues to stare at their salivating jaw.
"Did Tirpitz just turn into..."
Not from the two is Bismarck who has just seen her sister's body warp and twist to become an enormous monstrosity formed from bones, muscles, and skin.
"Eat me if you want. We have the means to suppress you to a helpless mutt. It won't take a year for my comrades to discover how to nullify your regeneration speed"
To further provoke Beelzebub, Sovetsky Soyuz spreads out her arms and taunts them with their looming death.
"Hmm?"
Beelzebub growls, frustrated that they've become cautious with eating Sovetsky Soyuz after Tirpitz used the same trick before...which led to their current situation. They take a sniff and don't catch any worthy scent. In fact, Beelzebub feels they've sniffed a block of frozen steel.
"Grr..."
Their snout is close to Sovetsky Soyuz face and even when they sprout several blood-soaked hands from their mouth, she remains unfazed. Pale and twitching fingers surround Sovetsky Soyuz yet the latter's only reaction is an uninterested blink and raising her left eyebrow.
"You choose your main dish based on their characteristics and emotions, correct? I heard you pushed Bismarck away back at Iris Libre...and now. You're saving her up - refining her until she's worthy enough to eat"
Sovetsky Soyuz points directly at Beelzebub's snout and stares at the two pairs of bright red compound eyes.
"I was wondering why you took the effort of parasitizing someone you find boring. You hid within that corpse and retained most of her memories in order to blend in. Unfortunately, our plan still took effect and you're left feeble and starving"
"You don't know how much I want to bite your face off and pick off your organs..."
Beelzebub points their index finger at Sovetsky Soyuz's neck, just an inch close to her skin. They comb a section of her hair, but Sovetsky Soyuz still doesn't flinch and never breaks eye contact with the abomination that can swallow her like candy.
"Then do it. You've been threatening me without doing anything"
"Eugh! You're like raw tofu left in the fridge for too long" Beelzebub reels back after another whiff
Sovetsky Soyuz turns to the left where Mammon is slowly approaching them. The Leviathan waves their upper hands, longing to personally meet their brethren again.
"Your food is growing cold, Beelzebub. We both know meals are best served fresh and piping hot"
Mammon ignores Bismarck and excitedly greets their brethren who haven't manifested their normal form in a while.
"What's the matter, Beelzebub? You're sniffing me?"
Rather than greet back, Beelzebub slightly opens their jaw and salivates when Mammon is right in front of them.
"Blood, blood, blood! Sweet, steaming, and spiced!"
The strong aroma Mammon emits is similar to deep tender meat being boiled in a pot of blood with crushed pepper, minced herbs, and a bit of sugar.
"Hey!"
Before Mammon can even defend themselves, Beelzebub grabs their face and upper left arm. They unhinge their jaw filled with rows of shark-like teeth.
"...!" Bismarck shakes her head in disbelief
Beelzebub snaps their jaw at one of Mammon's arm and tears through both ends. They toss Mammon aside to fully sever the arm from the rest of the body, nibbling on it like a peace of meat.
"They turned against their own kind...?" Bismarck presses her aching shoulder
"Ah, that's because we used experimental pheromones on Mammon. We guessed Beelzebub's kin will follow them to the Northern Parliament, and we lack the strength to even fend off two Leviathans"
Sovetsky Soyuz is quick to leave the scene while Beelzebub is tearing through the skin of Mammon's severed arm.
"I don't get it..." Bismarck massages her arm
"Bismarck, I told you to witness the truth yourself, didn't I?"
"You mean how my sister just turned into Beelzebub?!"
"Beelzebub stays through to their nature as a cancer and a parasite, so they corrupt and transform their host little by little"
"..."
Bismarck stares at Beelzebub tearing through the remaining skin and flesh of Mammon's severed arm and licks the exposed bone-like structure.
"What was that for? Has your hunger drove you mad, Beelzebub?!" Mammon covers the stump on their left shoulder
"It's still not enough!"
Beelzebub pounces on Mammon. Their sheer thickness and size easily pins their kin on the surface water. The impact shakes the surface water and sends a small tidal wave around them.
"Satan!" Mammon roars
They still have five functioning arms, but Beelzebub is much more durable and heavier than them. Mammon's punches doesn't faze Beelzebub the slightest who unhinges their jaw, aiming to rip their head off by tearing the neck.
"...!"
A concentrated beam of heat flies through a distance, easily vaporizing Beelzebub's head. The smell of sizzling blood and roasted fats emits thick white steam from the hollow neck.
"Why did Beelzebub think I'm food when that Soyuz was already in front-" Mammon pushes Beelzebub's motionless body away from them
They drop their jaw when they suddenly recall Chkalov firing a rocket which drenched them in an unknown liquid. The liquid quickly drives off and seeps into their body while the smoke's stench remains on them. It's odd and seemingly pointless at first.
"Unbelievable! They put us in this situation!" Mammon clenches all of their fists
Mammon furiously thrashes their multiple arms around and incoherently screams at the air.
"What just happened? Why did Beelzebub try to kill their kind?"
"It's the pheromones. I asked King George V to perfect the aroma of a banquet enough to lure a hungry beast"
"You knew they would come"
"More or less..." Sovetsky Soyuz vaguely answers
"What else are you hiding?"
"Many secrets, I suppose"
Sovetsky Soyuz shrugs her shoulders and continues to watch Mammon throw a tantrum after realizing they've been tricked as well.
"..."
Normally, Beelzebub can regenerate within a second even after losing half of their body, but Leviathans can significantly harm each other. Satan's intense heat drastically slows down Beelzebub from repairing themselves, but this also proves to also internally damage Beelzebub and shakes them from the inside.
"...W...what?!"
Tirpitz gasps for air as soon as she wakes up with her body submerged in shallow water. The water tastes of rotten blood, so she immediately gags and spits some that she accidentally inhales.
"Huh? This feeling..."
As Tirpitz slowly pushes herself up, she's left confused as to why she feels the heaviness and stiffness of Beelzebub's enormous form.
"What's going on? My body feels..." Tirpitz rubs her throat
She feels as if her head has been disintegrated by intense heat. The heat spreads to Beelzebub's insides, so they couldn't move their body.
Asmodeus says I should try to approach my food differently...
That I should try to focus on quality before quantity...
Flesh alone is redundant, but human emotions have variety...
In order to enjoy my meals, I need to carefully spice them up first...
It takes time and effort, but Asmodeus assured it will be worth the wait...
Once I taste the beauty of gourmet, I will never get enough of it...
Tirpitz frantically turns around and scans her surroundings, but Beelzebub is nowhere to be present. Rather, Beelzebub is there, but they remain headless and smoke still rises from their neck. It's only their thoughts echoing within a shared consciousness.
She's still not ready to be my main dish...
Just a little more...
I'm starving and I feel weak...
What did they do to me...?
Still, I need to be patient...
Let the spices sink in for a while...
Once they're ready, I will feast on her...
The voice echoes from the headless Beelzebub who remains lying down and doesn't even react when Tirpitz approaches them.
Lucifer says humans are worthless and they should all die...
They can end everyone quickly, but they want to play for a while...
Humans are my food, so what will happen if they all die...?
Who...and what am I supposed to eat if humanity goes extinct...?
I'm scared to think that I might run out of humans to eat one day...
Beelzebub's voice echoes again and Tirpitz blinks when she doesn't expect Beelzebub to express fear and worry over humanity. She always thinks someone like Beelzebub doesn't stop to think while eating just like how her hunger is indiscriminate and relentless.
"Why can I always hear you? Are you haunting me...or have you always been there?"
"..." Beelzebub remains silent
Somehow, Tirpitz finds herself instinctively taking slow steps forward towards a headless Beelzebub. Their body faces her with the arms crossed and their tail curled by their side. Blood continued to drip from the open neck. A combination of pus and mucus drips from the exposed throbbing lumps of flesh on their neck and chest.
...
In the actual world, Beelzebub squeezes their hands shortly before pushing their back off the surface water. Red veins sprout from the sizzling neck and excitedly wriggles. Dripping fluids from their body retreats inside the neck, dousing the lingering heat from Satan's intense flames.
"We found another answer. Satan's flames can delay Beelzebub's regeneration. They would usually grow back any lost limbs faster than we can react"
Sovetsky Soyuz is more interested in analyzing and noting Beelzebub's limits and capabilities while Bismarck doesn't have the proper words to react.
" Not enough, not enough! Still...hungry...!"
Beelzebub successfully reconstructs their head and wipes their sticky red droll from their freshly regenerated mouth.
"...!"
Mammon turned around only to catch a split second glimpse of Beelzebub pouncing on them again. They grab two of Mammon's arm, locking them within their unbreakable grip.
"You're supposed to be eating humans, not your own kind!"
Beelzebub sinks their teeth in Mammon's throat and peels off their skin and a portion of their metal-infused flesh. Due to Beelzebub being superior in physique and physical strength, Mammon's attack can only scratch the surface of the few metallic plates protecting Beelzebub.
"That's it! You forced my hand!" Mammon regenerated their exposed throat
The remaining free hands touch and cling to Beelzebub's forearms. They dig their claws in the gaps of Beelzebub's metallic plates and pierces through the wet and squishy fats.
"Aa...Rrggh!"
The flesh on Beelzebub's arms turn to mold and rot from their fingertips up to their elbow. With their arms severed, Mammon grabs Beelzebub's mouth and jaw, forcing it open.
"...!"
Mammon uses all of their arms to stretch Beelzebub's mouth apart until they hear increasing cracking and squelching.
"No eating!"
With a single forceful grab, Mammon somehow breaks some of Beelzebub's teeth and severed much of their lower jaw.
"Egh...llllgghh...!"
Beelzebub staggers back, grabbing nothing at their missing jaw. Their tongue helplessly droops and wiggles while their foul spilling blood taints the water around them. The inside of their mouth lacks fat, but slightly melted human faces are fused to it while their tongue is forcibly fused humans. Their tongue sways with each move while arm and legs protruding from the to the frantically sways and waves. Human face gasps in a collective hoarse and incoherent mumbles.
"Mlllgh...gllaa...fff...hhlllon..."
The human heads on their tongue collectively curse at Mammon with a distorted and echoing Mammon.
"Stand down for now!"
Mammon intertwines the fingers of their two hands and transforms the fists up to the forearms into diamonds. They raise their combined hands above their head and with the full force of their swing, they strike the left side of Beelzebub's skull.
"..."
The Voracious motionlessly keeps their arms on both sides and falls on their knees without resistance. The impact quickly breaks apart a portion of the skull and severs the optic nerves of their two eyes, sending it flying and falling beneath the surface water.
"..."
Their exposed skull reveals red and tender curly flesh that seems to slightly move and adjust itself. It's filled with strings and strips of membrane and thick red veins protecting expanding and compressing tube-like organs.
It hurts...everything hurts. What's going on?
Tirpitz cannot move, but she groans upon sensing an excruciating headache and soreness on both her hands and throat. Her sight is still mostly pitch black, but she can still sense the rest of Beelzebub's body as if she's the one injured.
I feel big and heavy, but my hunger is at its worst. My throat is burning and my stomach is like being stabbed...
The hunger that always pestered her is now amplified to the limit of her human comprehension. It's as if a storm is raging in her brain as the headache pounds and twists her focus. Tirpitz feels her head throbbing and herself being restless.
Bismarck? I see...Bismarck...and the Northern Parliament's leader. They're so far away, but why are they looking at me like that? I've never seen Bismarck...shocked
Tirpitz's vision wavers and keeps doubling the objects and figures in front of her. Despite the throbbing headache, she musters what little focus she has left and recognizes two opposite colored kansens at a safe distance.
"You're not one to think first before eating, Beelzebub. You've been tricked again because you always rely on your sense of smell" Mammon shakes their head in dismay
"Mammon...she won't shut up. The brat doesn't want to be pushed back..." Beelzebub growls
The small pair of arms curled on Beelzebub's abdomen stretches and grabs the tightly closed jagged teeth on their stomach. They creak it open, revealing a second pair of mouth on their stomach and rather than a tongue, it's rotting hands covered in clear and red mucus.
"The Northern Parliament's biggest pest...tricked you again" Mammon crosses their arms
"All...your fault. You...tricked me...with this bland meal. Trapped...me...starved me..."
Beelzebub pushes back Tirpitz's senses and forces their trembling legs to lift themselves up. Their lower jaw, half of their skull, and arms have yet to regenerate not only because they're damaged by their kin but their starvation makes them lethargic.
"How dare you...rob me...of...my food...!"
Bones, fats, muscles, and lastly the skin sprout on the stump of their arms. Their intense desire for revenge and built up frustration overwhelmed the intoxicating aroma sticking to Mammon.
"No one starves me! No one takes my food from me!"
Beelzebub regrows their jaw in a split second to scream at the top of their lungs. Their roar reverberates to their body, creating countless ripples around them and sending a mild quake that wobbles both Sirens and kansens.
"...!"
Beelzebub and Mammon turn around when armor piercing shells pickle him like ants biting their skin.
"Hello there, you minging cur. I heard you're notorious for your gluttony
King George V cheerfully waves their hand with their unsheathed saber on the other hand.
"I know you. I wanted to eat you instead of this brat, but another glutton is just as bland as this block of ice" Beelzebub focuses on her
"I prefer to be referred to as a gourmet. Hunger is worthless without class and flavor after all!"
King George V proudly puffs her chest and points her sword with an enthusiastic smile curved on her lips.
"Perhaps I'll eat you first before the brat!"
Beelzebub's two mouths salivate and licks the side of their lips. The fingers of the hands sprouting on their stomach twitch in anticipation as another victim will be dismembered for easier digestion.
"...!"
Blood leaks out of Beelzebub's eyes, nose, and two mouths. The human faces on their tongue violently cough up blood, forcing Beelzebub to vomit a large amount of steaming and boiling blood with lumps of flesh.
"Beelzebub!" Mammon calls out to them
Beel...zebub? Who's calling...the monster? Ugh...my stomach hurts too much to think...
(The brat is surfacing again!)
Beelzebub can only speak in their thoughts after their tongue becomes scalded and peels off. The eyes on the left side pops in a small shower of red muddy substance.
(I can feel that brat wriggling like a headless cockroach)
Beelzebub's left fingers frantically twitch and when they only slightly touch their left upper arm, the skin and muscles tear away. The bone cracks and quickly shatters, severing it with only a harmless touch.
"Your arm just fell off!" Mammon waves their arms in a panic
"I'm starving, not blind!"
"It's all fine! I can put it back. Just hold still-"
Mammon reaches out for the severed arm motionlessly floating near Beelzebub, but the two Leviathans are interrupted by circling aircrafts above them. Beelzebub lifts their head while clutching their left shoulder and their keen eyes only catches a glimpse of a bomb being let go from the bottom of an aircraft.
...
In the depths of Beelzebub's consciousness, Beelzebub's wounds are somewhat reflected to her. Blood flows out of her closed left eye while her left arm is missing, leaving only a bloodied stump.
"This is a dream...right? Why am I sharing this feeling with Beelzebub?"
Tirpitz falls on her knees and her remaining hand pressing against the red surface water illuminated by an ominous full moon. Rather than her human shape being reflected at the surface, it's Beelzebub's enormous form instead.
"I feel different. What happened to my body?"
Blank ink flows at the surface water, tainting the purity of the still red water. Beelzebub's shadow becomes distorted and the ink removes their reflection.
"Huh?"
Tirpitz hears a muffled squelching and munching followed by incoherent grunts and growls.
"What the..."
When she slowly turns to the left, a smaller version of Beelzebub is chewing on the left forearm of a corpse resembling them. They bite through a translucent membrane and struggle to peel it off from the bright red flesh.
"I must be going crazy..."
Tirpitz shakes her head and massages her eyes, but the same scene is still in front of her. Beelzebub swings around the torn of membrane tightly snapped between their jaws. They slurp with a loud and enthusiastic sound.
"Why the hell are you eating yourself?" Tirpitz doesn't hesitate to ask
"I am hunger" Beelzebub tears the muscle strips of the corpse's left arm
"That...doesn't answer my question"
"When you get hungry, have you ever thought of what you taste like? I once tried biting myself out of curiosity, but Lucifer smacked me and told me to use my head before my mouth"
Beelzebub scoffs in displeasure while nibbling on the left fingers, sucking on the exposed bone for any juices and leftover flavors.
"Why are you trying to drive me mad? What will you gain from it" Tirpitz reluctantly takes a few steps forward
"Schemes and tricks - I'm not very good at it. I only want to bite, taste, and swallow. That's the nature of a glutton" Beelzebub licks their blood stains on their chin
"It's impossible to understand you. You're never satisfied and you have no self-control"
"Are you content with what you have?"
"I only want to live without being chained down again and spending time with my loved ones. I'm happy to be free enough to see the world for myself"
"You're boring as hell!"
Beelzebub lets out a long groan that echoes at the neverending empty space around them.
"You don't hate the world for your tragic fate or feel jealous towards your sister and everyone else. You're fucking boring, you know that!"
Beelzebub violently snaps their jaws at the four fingers of the left hand or at least what's left of the fingers other than bones and bits of tender flesh.
"If we're talking about cooking, you're satisfied as long as it's edible and doesn't make you puke"
"I'm surprised gluttony has any patience at all considering you represent uncontrollable hunger. You're actually a meticulous and picky eater"
"When you eat the same food over and over again, even I will grow tired and bored. I never thought much about it until..."
Beelzebub pokes their index finger at the doppelganger's abdomen and effortlessly slices the metallic skin and thick layer of flesh. They grin as they dig through the curled intestines and other areas of the digestive system.
"Hahahaha! Asmodeus is right. I just needed a blank slate to get a new view. As boring as you are, I learned how even someone so insignificant has their uses"
"What the hell are you spouting?"
"You're only alive, if that's how you see it, because I felt like it. I'm already halfway through my goal. The fear, anxiety, confusion - they're still not enough. Just like wine, they taste better the longer you wait"
"..."
Tirpitz clenches her fists when the voracious abomination chuckles victoriously and excitedly. Their stretched me displays the rows of sharp teeth with bits of grounded fats and skin stuck within the small gaps.
"You should learn to desire and indulge your curiosity. For example..."
"...!" Tirpitz gasps
"...What does your thawed out heart taste like?"
Not even a second has passed, Beelzebub pounces and tightly gripped Tirpitz's neck and swiftly pins her at the surface. Their unhinged jaw looms above her face. Beelzebub takes a smaller form, but they're large enough to swallow a grown human whole.
"Ah, look at it. Your heart is lively with fear. This is the frozen heart thawed out and warmed by learning how to care for someone"
Blood drips from the gaps in Beelzebub's fingers while the heart of their palm races and retains their warmth. It's fresh and filled with vitality. The thought of shoving it in their mouth makes them wiggle their tingling tongue and salivate.
"..."
They couldn't ignore the sizzling acid in their stomach and the continuous flow of saliva drenching their tongue.
...
Beelzebub repeatedly claws through Mammon's golden chest and peels bits of the metallic armor like cooked sugar. They're thin and brittle for Beelzebub's claws and frenzied thrashing. Mammon attempts to rip their lower jaw again, but Beelzebub quickly reacts by snapping their jaws tight at Mammon's forearm.
"Rrrr!"
Beelzebub twists their head and stretches their neck, snapping the limb through sheer physical strength.
"Beel-"
Mammon is cut off when Beelzebub punches through their chest and snaps off their heart connected by red glittering silk.
"..."
In Beelzebub's mind, they perceive it as the heart of their doppelganger's corpse. They stretch out their tongue, gently wrapping their tongue around the warm decorated heart. It emits a faint glow at the center, but Beelzebub is relishing the faint warmth around their tongue while they slowly pull it inside their unhinged jaws.
"...!"
Mammon weakly stretches out their only arm left, only got Beelzebub to intertwines the fingers of both hands together. They curl it into a fist raised above their head.
"Beelzebub, no-"
"Rraaagh!"
With a furious roar, Beelzebub swings down their large curled balled fists. The sheer force bent Mammon's snout and squashed both their eyes and skull. The impact shakes the waters around them, sending small tidal waves after tidal waves.
"...!"
Beelzebub repeatedly smashes their fists on the broken apart skull, not caring about sending bits of Mammon's metallic parts and minced flesh flying in all directions.
"What did you do?" Bismarck looks at Chkalov
"Hmm? I've been experimenting on drugs that can affect Beelzebub. This is the strongest hallucinogen I can come up with. Chemical weapons work on Beelzebub, but we needed a dose of Asmodeus' sap and a certain Arbiter's illusion"
Chkalov taps the side of their rigging's runway and gives Bismarck a proud thumbs up.
"I'd be free lunch if I showed up earlier, so I needed them to be completely focused at themselves and at you" Chkalov further explains
"How are you so prepared?"
"I have other drugs prepared just in case plan B fails. Oh, pheromones to make Beelzebub eat Mammon was plan A, by the way" Chkalov snaps their fingers
"The main goal was to fend off the others and completely exhaust Beelzebub. Sovetsky Soyuz also explains
"The poison loaded in King George V's shells only slowed their regeneration, but it bought us enough time for me to get in range and make the hallucinogens work before they can adapt" Chkalov wiggles their index finger
While Chkalov is continuing explaining the other parts of the plan, Beelzebub forces their clawed off leg to step forward even when blood splurts with every movement.
"What's happening? What's going on? Why does my chest feel shallow?"
Beelzebub mildly groans and takes several slow breaths. They examine their surroundings and spot a twitching Mammon on the left side and familiar kansens on the right side.
"This is your fault!"
Everyone turns their attention to Satan's deafening and shaking roar. The heat coursing through their veins turns purple. The cracks on their body widen and their mane becomes waving flames. Their horns harden and its tips are a bright kindle.
"..."
Beelzebub looks back and forth between the kansens and Satan, speechless and confused at the two sides.
...
In Beelzebub's mind, they have just finished licking the blood on their claws and mouth while Tirpitz spots another figure.
"Ggrr...raar...rghh!"
Tirpitz couldn't understand anything beyond the mindless growling and stomping of their feet. She unknowingly perceives Satan as a bipedal Leviathan drooling lava and spitting purple flames.
"..."
Beelzebub doesn't appear to notice, let alone bother to look at the rabid animal. They're too occupied sucking on a snapped rib and nibbling the sharp edge.
"Huh?"
In front of Satan's mental representation is a small white fox not bothered by their presence. The animal rubs their paws on their heads and lazily yawns, still unfazed and laid-back even with a towering beast in front of them.
"Grr!"
The rabid beast raises their right arm with the tips of their claw storing intense heat that can disintegrate concrete with a touch.
"Hey!"
Tirpitz's heartbeat stops for a moment, anxious at the thought of an animal that popped out of nowhere to be helplessly slaughtered. She drags her feet forward while Beelzebub shrugs their shoulders and continues snapping the remaining ribs.
...
What happened is Beelzebub pouncing on Satan before they can swipe their claws at the four kansens.
"Hands...off!"
Beelzebub swipes their claw at Satan's face, but the intense heat melts the tip of their fingers.
"Have you lost your mind, Beelzebub?!"
Satan grabs Beelzebub's shallow chest and tosses them aside. As puzzled and furious as they are, as much as possible, they want to avoid seriously injuring their brethren.
"If you won't kill them, then I will!"
Satan puffs their chest and unleashes condensed heat from their mouth in a form of a beam.
"...!"
The sheer destructive power swiftly pieces through Beelzebub like lava flying at high speed. Their left arm is disintegrated and the stump on their left shoulder is left charred and sizzling. The smoke from their severed arm reeks of burning rotting flesh.
"I said hands off!"
Beelzebub ignores the wound and charges at Satan even if it's clear how they have yet to develop strong heat resistance.
"...!"
Satan stares for a second and faintly growls. They hesitate for a moment, but they grab Beelzebub by the throat, immediately stopping the ravenous abomination in their tracks. Not only does Satan's current state increase their size and physical strength, their rage is reflected on their heat.
"Sleep for a while, Beelzebub"
Satan growls as they pull their right arm curled into fist. They swing with full force and punch through their abdomen, adding another hole in Beelzebub's body.
"...!"
Rather than pulling out their fist, Satan swings their arm to the right and tears through Beelzebub's abdomen.
"Nngh!"
Beelzebub immediately collapses on the surface water with their wounds left with a burning glow, an effect of physical contact with Satan in their berserk form.
"Satan's purple flames stop Beelzebub's regeneration. Just like the tale of the immortal hydra and the mighty Heracles" Sovetsky Soyuz is more focused on the collapsed Beelzebub
"I've had enough of you! Not only you trapped Beelzebub, you used them against us!" Satan spreads out their arms and displays all of their glowing claws
"If we can't kill Beelzebub, we might as well make use of them. We can't control Beelzebub, but they're easy to trick while on a leash"
"You wretched-"
Satan is about to unleash a fiery breath that will spread across the battlefield and swallow everyone whole, but they straighten their back all of a sudden and shut their mouth.
[That's enough for the day, Satan] Lucifer communicates telepathically
"Lucifer...!"
[Don't be too impatient. There's no point in getting rid of two leaders at once]
"They're right here! If they all die, we can free Beelzebub and get rid of two pests!"
[I know, but there's no point in ending things just yet!]
"Stop playing around, Lucifer! We should all kill them!]
[It seems I have to remind YOU who's in charge]
"Lucifer, don't you dare-!"
A black sphere with a golden outline resembling a small black hole suddenly appears in Satan and an unconscious Mammon's chest. Their enormous bodies are forcibly wrapped and twisted as the pseudo black hole pulls every part of them faster than anyone can blink.
"Did I hear that right? Lucifer intervened" King George V massages their eyes in disbelief
"Lucifer the Arrogant. They like to play with their food while Satan always goes for the kill. Still, I didn't expect Lucifer to end the battle" Sovetsky Soyuz sighs in relief
"..." Bismarck slowly approaches the motionless Beelzebub
Although it halted Beelzebub's regeneration, they're unconscious at best. Their bodies function differently from humans, so they can stand back up even if their head is destroyed or even only a piece of their flesh remains. No one has discovered a permanent way to stop them from reemerging, making everyone believe they're immortals.
"My sister. Is this kind of monster tmny sister have become? Am I...already too late?"
Bismarck presses the side of Beelzebub's index finger. When standing next to Beelzebub, Bismarck somewhat imagines how she can be torn in half with a swipe had Beelzebub decided to attack them instead.
"Not yet. Right now, Beelzebub is trying to regrow. The drug only halted their spread" Sovetsky Soyuz stands beside her
"So we're only buying time" Bismarck faintly grunts
"We're delaying as much possible. If you wish to save her, then we need to destroy Beelzebub"
"Wouldn't that eliminate Tirpitz as well?" Bismarck clenches her fists
"Beelzebub is an infection and not a part of her" Sovetsky Soyuz clarifies to her
"..."
A part of Bismarck wishes to believe it, but her mind is in a disorganized state as of the moment. She had just witnessed her own sister transform into a towering abomination.
"I'm sorry, Tirpitz. You'll have to endure for a little longer. We'll find a way to separate Beelzebub and return you to normal" Bismarck whispers while rubbing Beelzebub's finger
"..."
Sovetsky Soyuz quietly observes Bismarck from behind, but she lowers her gaze to hide her sympathy and guilt. She couldn't reveal the critical details due to a promise even if it means letting Bismarck cling to a flickering hope.
"Well, that trick won't work twice. Next time, we won't be so lucky" Chkalov sighs in dismay
"Huh? What makes you say that?" King George V raises an eyebrow
"Beelzebub will likely adapt to it. Even I'm not certain how many doses of Sloth's drug will it take for them to grow immune"
"So we can't suppress Beelzebub?"
"I can neither confirm nor deny anything for now. Beelzebub is volatile...but predictable"
The steam on Beelzebub's open wound dissipates, but their flesh and hide slowly peels off or shrinks. The body has survived against severe damage from Satan, but they're left in a weakened state once again. This is beneficial for the kansens as Beelzebub will be quiet and dormant while they recover, but their methods will be less effective next time...and the other Leviathans have learned from the recent battle.
"Fortunately, I'm needed for this battle. Well, it might not have ended well if I showed up"
Far from the battlefield is Friedrich der Grosse who rests her chest on her crossed arms. She sighs in relief, but frowns at Beelzebub's collapsed body still visible even from her location. Friendrich der Grosse's eyes softens when reminding herself is beyond the monster despised by all kansens, including her, is someone unknowingly burdened by being a part of it.