A sinking feeling.
A light blue wisdom cube pulsing and glowing with vitality. It appears to be faintly humming with each pulse until the surroundings darken. A sticky and slimy mass extends like animated veins. There's a wet squishing and squelching sound with each attempt to draw closer to the wisdom cube. Its vein-like tendrils stretch to the warm and vibrating flat surface of the wisdom cube. The red glistening mass of flesh begins to attach itself to the wisdom cube, covering some areas of it in a net of stretching red veins.
An old memory stirs.
It's the battlefield after Beelzebub is presumedly defeated. The sky remains dark from the rising thick black smoke and fires blazing everywhere illuminate the destruction all over the battlefield.
...
Bones creak, fluids squirt, and the sound of wet flesh molding echoes. Tirpitz's severed left arm slowly regenerates. The bones, veins, muscles, and skin begin to slowly stretch. The parts race each other as they simultaneously reforms, undoing the damage, until the last bit repairs the end of her fingertips.
Stillness...
Quiet...
The body is new that even a parasite who merged with the body for a few minutes is still not accustomed. Human sensations flow - sizzling, burning, stinging, prickling, and soreness. All the various sensations of a pain that humans have to endure flow into the parasite's senses. It drowns their current thoughts all at once, so the parasite succumbed to those sensations and laid dormant, leaving the body to remain presumedly dead.
Bismarck's voice...
Bismarck regained consciousness. Despite the deep cuts all over her body, broken left arm, and her nearly shattered right leg. She musters what little strength she has to drag her foot forward, and calling out to Tirpitz the moment she spots Tirpitz's abdomen has been cut open and a large gaping slash on her trapezius.
Her voice grows louder...
Bismarck sheds a tear when her hands touch Tirpitz's neck and there's only coldness in her skin and silence in her body. Her younger sister lies in her own blood, motionless...and lifeless. No pulse, no heartbeat, no breathing.
Desperation...
Again, and again...
The sound of desperate voices...
Ignoring the twisting and prickling pain on her leg, Bismarck lifts Tirpitz's motionless body on her shoulders, unaware of her true fate. She couldn't continue sitting and calling her out hoping for a response. She has always been someone who acts more than she speaks.
Several voices...
Calling out her name...
As soon as Tirpitz is rushed back to Iron Blood, Bismarck passes out from her injuries. They try to reduce the bleeding and find any pulse from Tirpitz, but the body remained unresponsive even her wounds have been treated and with their attempts to resuscitate her.
[Back then, I was inactive and decided to leave your sorry corpse. By the time they announced you are clinically dead, I restarted your wisdom cube because I latched to it]
As the memory fades, Beelzebub reverts everything to the usual mentalscape. There are only shallow bloody red waters with sunken rotten human corpses and animal carcasses.
"..."
Tirpitz is already accustomed to it, so she stares as her boots sunken by a few inches. Skulls with bits of skin and hair attached stares at her. A carcass of a freshly dead rabbit with gouged out eyes and forcibly pried open jaws floats in front of her, a method of Beelzebub taunting her as a mere prey.
"Did I really die? I remember Graf Zeppelin telling me that everyone thought I died when Bismarck dragged my body back" Tirpitz stares at her hands
"Of course you did. Do you think you'd survive with your stomach cut open and your heart shredded?" Beelzebub growls
"How can you bring me back like nothing happened"
"I latched on to your wisdom cube seconds before you actually died in battle. Well, I was the reason you died anyway" Beelzebub chuckles
"I would have been grateful if you weren't set on eating everyone you see, especially Bismarck" Tirpitz mildly scoffs
"That aside, the next opponent is Belphegor. They're bigger and more resilient than me. They're not very fast, but they can drain your strength and shut off any functions. Belphegor is a walking EMP for organic and inanimate"
"They're your kind and you're willing to betray them"
"Belphegor is the kind who will end up killing anyone even if they don't move an inch. If Bismarck dies, turn my meal will be full of molds and maggots"
"..."
Tirpitz lightly shakes her head, not surprised at Beelzebub's selfish desire. She remains nervous and wary of Beelzebub.
...
...
...
Tirpitz groans in pain and she regains her senses. As she shakes her head and opens her eyes a bit, the sudden sunlight almost makes her reel.
"Tirpitz...?" Bismarck taps her shoulders
"Bismarck? Where...what's..." Tirpitz realized she's sailing in open waters
"Beelzebub returned control. The filthy parasite retreated for a while" Bismarck scoffs
"..."
"Tirpitz?"
"I just learned Beelzebub is actually parasitizing in me and I'm not going crazy. It's a lot to take in. There's not even time to stop and process all of it since we need to deal with Belphegor..."
Tirpitz stares at her trembling hands. The thought that every part of her body from her skin to her blood, Beelzebub latched into her and made her body as their own. She couldn't say that she's afraid as she imagines her dread as a centipede constantly crawling inside her.
"I'm sorry we're throwing you into battle before you can figure everything out..." Bismarck taps her shoulders again
"Bismarck, if I can't regain control, don't hesitate to end me"
"I'm not going to let it happen" Bismarck frowns
"Just promise me"
"...Alright. You have my word. I will end you if the parasite permanently takes control"
"Thank you..."
As relieved as Tirpitz wants to feel, she shudders when she could hear Beelzebub's echoing laugh at the back of her mind. The parasite is grinning, mocking their supposedly pleasant moment.
"Bismarck, will getting Belphegor's power help me remain in control or at least cure me"
"Truth to be told, the chance of a cure is low. That's why our only option is to buy time" Bismarck reluctantly admits
"What if there's not enough time?" Tirpitz lowers her gaze
"In the worst-case scenario, you'll be overtaken by the parasite"
"What was my old self thinking?"
Tirpitz remembers more of the past. She remembers turning back and fishing, knowing she will have to face Beelzebub. What she doesn't remember is why she talked Beelzebub into consuming her instead.
"I remember a bit when Lucifer showed up. There as gaps and some are vague, but I thought it was a dream when Beelzebub says they want to eat you" Tirpitz faintly grunts
"Unfortunately, it's reality. That wretched parasite is eager to make a meal out of me" Bismarck sighs
"If that's the case, shouldn't I be contained? I don't know when I will lose control or if what Beelzebub said is true, I'm a prisoner of my own body, left at their mercy"
"I know you hate being imprisoned and alone again. I won't subject you to living hell while we still have a choice. Don't you give up on yourself first, because I won't give up on you" Bismarck faintly smiles
"I'm sorry for sounding like I resigned to my fate. You're right. I can't give up the rest of my life"
Still, Tirpitz feels Beelzebub at the back of her mind. The creature is patiently observing everything through their shared senses. She hears the echo of their deep and monstrous laughter, mocking every moment of her faintest peace and assurance.
"Let me get this straight. We're going to fight someone who kills people without even moving or making an effort?" Admiral Hipper swallows her breath
"Correct" Prinz Eugen nods
"Please tell me we have a plan..."
"That's easy. We will have the Leviathans fight each other instead while we wait until one of them drops dead" Prinz Eugen giggles
"That's not a plan!" Admiral Hipper shakes both of her fists in the air
"Only a Leviathan is strong enough to harm another. We saw it we Lucifer possessed Odin" Prinz Eugen becomes serious for a moment
"It's not a foolproof plan. Beelzebub is volatile compared to Mammon. They will behave so long as you feed them, but when a better meal is presented, they'll bare their fangs"
Friedrich der Grosse taps their shoulders from behind which made the two heavy cruisers jolt at her touch.
"I'm certain Beelzebub is careful as well. Tirpitz is the type who would gladly kill herself before she fully lose control. Since Beelzebub is a parasite, they know they will die if Tirpitz decides to take them down with her" Friedrich der Grosse furrows her eyebrows
"Since Beelzebub only wants to keep eating, they will prioritize their self-preservation" Prinz Eugen scoffs
"Ugh. How did a dumb hungry beast go to being capable of thinking about their own survival" Admiral Hipper grits her teeth
"Beelzebub can grow depending on what they consume. That's why it took eating thousands of humans for them to even learn how to understand words and speak"
Friedrich der Grosse focuses her gaze on Tirpitz who's just right up ahead beside Bismarck. Although her gaze is soft towards Tirpitz, the image of Beelzebub in her mind makes her frown and her glare sharp.
Solomon Islands...
Belphegor has taken residence in what was once an inhabited island. Their enormous and heavy body crushed houses, cars, and trees alike. Their large and clawed gorilla-like arms are wrapped and used as pillow for their head with long imposing horns.
[Wake the hell up, Belphegor. Those insects from Iron Blood are coming and Beelzebub is among them]
Lucifer's telepathic communication rings at every corner of Belphegor's mind, but the latter doesn't jolt awake. They only lazily open their four maroon eyes with two black pupils on each eye. They yawn and stretch their arms as Lucifer repeatedly scolds them.
"I can feel Beelzebub approaching. They cut themselves off from our network. Does that mean, they're not here to play around?" Belphegor yawns again
[If Beelzebub refuses to return, then kill them. I have no time for them]
"I don't feel like putting effort. Besides, you're putting the hard work on me because you slipped last time"
[They tricked me into slipping up and I won't forgive them for that]
"Ugh...I don't want to put any effort. Just have someone like Satan do the fighting"
Belphegor curls with their wrapped arms used as a bed and their long thick tail used a makeshift cover for their leathery body with thick metallic plating.
"Beelzebub is very active. They will put effort in their food, but it's still strange to find them being obsessed over one food" Belphegor groans in their sleep
[It's the Iron Blood leader. They see that insignificant human as an exquisite meal that they boldly tried to fight me]
"Then that human isn't so insignificant if Beelzebub wants to protect their meal that badly. Beelzebub likes the taste of their food, you know. Maybe blame Asmodeus for giving them the idea of a food palate"
[...]
On the other side, Lucifer slams their fist and grits their teeth as Belphegor continues to snooze and even flicks their tail as if they're in deep sleep already.
"Hmm?"
Belphegor's sleep is interrupted with the sound of countless aircraft swarming in the sky.
"Oh..."
Belphegor yawns and slowly lifts their upper body sight their large and bulky arms. Before they can even balance themselves properly, armor piercing bombs drop from the squad of dive bombers. It explodes upon contact with their metallic armor. With a single and faint clank, an erupts into a powerful explosion of heat and shockwave.
"Nngh..." Tirpitz groans
Outside Belphegor's range, the kansens watch as the bombs explode one after another. What could be ear deafening at close range only echoes as barely audible muffled explosions in their distance.
"Tirpitz?" Bismarck notices Tirpitz holding her temples
"That's not going to take out Belphegor. You need to pry their armor open"
Deep red sharp eyes and pointed canine teeth signify that Beelzebub is in control again. They couldn't remain silent that they're facing Belphegor now.
[Sorry to interrupt, my dear associates, but it seems we have a problem]
Mammon telepathically reaches out to them by adjusting the network they use to communicate with the others, to be adjusted for human brains.
"What the hell?! Someone is on my head" Admiral Hipper presses her temples
"Show yourself!" Room growls
"Oh, it's Mammon" Beelzebub chuckles
"So you made a deal with the Sirens, huh. Assuming you're cooperating because of the arranged alliance..." Bismarck scoffs
[Satan is on their way, and I doubt I can hold them down myself. I suggest you assist if you want to get out of here alive. The Empress and The Tower aren't enough of assistance]
"Hmph. An opportunistic businessman is asking for help" Odin shakes her head
"Unfortunately, we don't have much of a choice. Beelzebub needs to deal with Belphegor" Friedrich der Grosse sighs
"..."
Beelzebub crosses their arms, unconcerned at the issue with Satan's unexpected arrival. They sense Mammon left shoulder is scalded from a mere scratch of Satan's claws glowing like heated steel.
"We're splitting the forces. Half will distract Satan alongside Mammon and the Arbiters" Bismarck furrows her eyebrows
"Mainz, Graf Zeppelin, Graf Spee, Leipzig, and Ulrich von Hutten will assist Mammon and the Arbiters. Peter Strasser, Odin, Roon, Prinz Eugen, Admiral Hipper, and I will be Bismarck's backup" Friedrich der Grosse looks at Bismarck
"There's no time to waste. Everyone, to your positions and prepare for battle" Bismarck draws her sword and raises it above her head
As half of the Iron Blood ships split, the remaining ones feel ripples in the sea. They almost lose their balance while Beelzebub stares at the island where the smoke has cleared.
"Don't come any closer. Belphegor has activated their field. It will shut down your biological processes or slowly drain your vitality" Beelzebub squints their eyes
At Belphegor's location. The aircraft that annoyed them begin to slow down. Their propellers gradually stop and their engines fall silent as Belphegor emits a nearly invisible pulse. Belphegor stands up and step out the island, seemingly annoyed at being disturbed in their sleep.
"Beelzebub-"
As Belphegor stretched out multiple solid arms from their back, they briefly see bright yellow flash. The left side of their head is immediately disintegrated from the sheer concentrated heat in the form a long-range beam.
"I missed, huh. I don't know how Satan does this..."
Beelzebub has already emerged in their enormous Leviathan form. They cough and gag as they have yet to be accustomed to the sheer heat. Smoke evaporates from the inside of their mouth as it's been scalded and charred since their body has yet to adapt to the level of heat that Satan produces.
"Since when did you learn to shoot beams from your mouth?" Prinz Eugen wryly smiles
"You learn from what you absorb. Interesting" Friedrich der Grosse slyly smiles
"So, what are we supposed to do now? Wait here until Beelzebub beats them to pull that Belphegor can't use their abilities?" Admiral Hipper puffs their chest
"Yes" Odin calmly answers
By the time they turn around, Beelzebub has charger straight to Belphegor who keeps tossing rocks and other debris at them, but Beelzebub is much more resilient than the other Leviathans.
"...!"
Spikes erupt from Beelzebub's cracked armored body and swiftly shoots out towards Belphegor. Acid is injected right through their pierced metallic armor. Some parts fall apart from the intensity of the acid.
"That's Abaddon's-"
Belphegor takes a few steps back as half of their face is stilled charred and blown off. Pus, mucus, and sticky red blood leaks out of the gaping hole in their face. Lumpy peach-colored flesh with visible purple veins throbs and wriggles as if the flesh is writhing in pain from the being sizzled.
"...!"
Beelzebub don't allow them enough time to react, so they coat their hands up to their forearms with tungsten and steel. Their knuckles protrude spikes, so each punch dents or slightly cracks Belphegor's armor.
"Ggh!"
A flurry of heavy and spiked punches couldn't let Belphegor recover as their face is being brutally shredded. Bits of brain matter and lumps of flesh with veins fly in all directions. Even their eyes pop off from the optic nerve after Beelzebub delivers a heavy left hook.
"Lucifer, you, and everyone else...can't leave me alone and let me sleep!" Belphegor regenerates their mutilated face.
Belphegor pulls their right arm as they form a tightly clenched fist. With one abnormally swift swing, even someone like Beelzebub has their jaw broken and send flying turn rolling to the surface that it created a small tidal wave.
"...!"
Just as Beelzebub stands up and tries to realign their slowly healing jaw, Belphegor dashes in a straight line and rams Beelzebub's stomach with their head. The blunt force and shockwave are enough to shatter the mouth on their stomach and crush their organs to mush.
"Let me sleep for once!"
Belphegor intertwines his fingers as they raise them above their head. With a downwards swing, their smash delivers a powerful implosion upon contact with anyone they hit. This caused Beelzebub to hurl a fountain of blood as their stomach has caved in.
"D-did I see that right? Belphegor just moved in a flash!" Admiral Hipper rubbed her eyes
"Belphegor the Indolent. The sin embodying laziness can move so fast. How ironic is that?"
"Hmm. It seems Belphegor absorbs the vitality and strength of those who gets near them. In that case, they can absorb the vitality of those who try to fight them up close" Friedrich der Grosse rubs her chin
"Beelzebub delivered hit after hit at first, but Mammon delivered a sudden critical blow then Beelzebub got weaker" Odin nods
"Mammon doesn't have their own strength. They leech it off from others..." Bismarck stares at Beelzebub regenerating
"That makes sense. They don't make the effort themselves. That's the embodiment of laziness, alright" Prinz Eugen shrugs her shoulders
Bismarck grits her teeth. As much as she despises Beelzebub, she worries since if Beelzebub dies so will Tirpitz.
"Hmm?"
Belphegor steps back as they see three of their fingers and a chunk of their right hand has been bitten off. This only leaves them with their thumb and index finger while half of their palm is missing.
"...!"
Beelzebub licks their lips after swallowing them. They immediately rise on their feet and grabs Belphegor's head from both sides. They deliver unhinge their gaping maw with rows of sharp teeth. They pierce their thick skull and dig past their flesh. Beelzebub peels off the skin and tears a chunk of their head.
"Ggglllhhggh...!" Belphegor screams incoherently
They try to pry Beelzebub away, but the latter crushed through their skull and their teeth dig into their brain. Beelzebub's teeth rip off a chunk of Belphegor's frontal lobe before the latter's multiple arms tear open Beelzebub's jaw and send them flying with multiple punches in the abdomen.
"Ahahaha! You taste so tough and chewy, Belphegor! You're so hard to chew, but I like your taste"
Beelzebub chews with a squelch as they savor the juices squished out of the frontal lobe they managed to fully rip off. Grounded brain matter spills out of their mouth, and some are stuck between their teeth.
"I don't even care about your food or anyone else. All I want is not to be disturbed" Belphegor's hands on the back cover their exposed brain
"You don't care about anything. Hell, you're the only one who hasn't done anything because you're anything but diligent" Beelzebub licks their teeth
"I don't want to put effort, but if getting rid of you means I'll have my peace and quiet back, then so be it!" Belphegor regenerates their brain and skull
"Ggh..."
Beelzebub feels a pressure crushing their body. They feel their inside rearranging from the increasing force that's coiling around their body and their insides.
"What the-!"
As Beelzebub's body feels too heavy to even swing for a punch, Belphegor lifts them above their head. Belphegor's main bulky arms and multiple arms on their back grab Beelzebub's torso and legs. With a tug from both sides, Beelzebub feels their waist separating both their legs and torso.
"..."
Warm and sticky blood sprays and splashes above Belphegor's head. Beelzebub's intestines loosely hang from their severed torso and slides form Belphegor's head to their back and shoulders. Beelzebub chokes on their own blood as they twitch and spasm.
"Tirpitz!"
Bismarck witnessed in disbelief how Belphegor easily rips Beelzebub's severed torso and legs are tossed aside like they're nothing. Belphegor exhales steamy white breath as they walk past Beelzebub choking and barely breathing. Blood continues to gush out Beelzebub's exposed torso and legs, dyeing the sea around them red with their putrid blood and fluids.
"No...one...touches...my food...!" Beelzebub presses their elbows and weakly lifts their back
Beelzebub weakly turns their head to the side and notices Belphegor aiming for Bismarck next while Belphegor's field is still active. Even if Belphegor doesn't move, Bismarck will die within minutes just by being in Belphegor's range. As Beelzebub lies on their back, their spine suddenly cracks and fleshly cleanly split open...revealing a beating and faintly glowing lump of glistening red flesh.