Sovetsky Soyuz slowly walks in the corridor of a long-abandoned building at an empty seaside city. There isn't a single living being other than her and the rats that skitter and flee around her. The cold breeze greets her with a gentle whip on her long, pure white hair.
"..."
Even in an eerie setting, Sovetsky Soyuz remains unfazed and solely focused on reaching the open area in the middle of what was once an abandoned mall. Some of the walls have cracked and crumbled, wood has splintered and rotted, and every object is clad in thick gray dust.
"Hmph. At the very least, I imagined you would be concerned, but I supposed your desires outweigh everything else" Sovetsky Soyuz speaks with her usual stoic expression
She only speaks as soon as the only light within the abandoned mall touches her skin. It's sunlight creeping and piercing through the shattered skylight. Sovetsky Soyuz tilts her head up, and her eyes gaze straight into the enormous creature sitting in the open area.
"Hahahaha! For you to come here means news has reached you"
An enormous fox, or at least based on one, is sitting with their tail made up of clustered human arms curled up to their side. They possess two pairs of eyes with two eyeballs on each socket. Instead of paws, they possess human-like hands with elongated fingers. As for their body, human bones and Siren parts are all embedded in its golden metallic hide. Their stomach are open for some reason, making their protruding rib cages twitch and creak.
"Beelzebub is gone yet I've been informed that Tirpitz survived the ordeal. What's the meaning of this...Mammon?" Sovetsky Soyuz
"Why are you asking me?" Mammon slowly tilts their fox head
"You're [Greed]. You don't just crave for mere gold riches. It's everything you wish to possess...including information and knowledge"
"That's one way to put it..." Mammon rubs their chin
"So tell me what happened to Beelzebub?"
"Their body crumbled, that much is true. However, they fell silent. Not even Lucifer could reach them. It's easy to assume that Beelzebub indeed perish, but can mere death hinder one's desires? Absolutely not. At least, not to my kind""I'm a greedy creature, not a miracle worker. Of course, if another party requests a demand..."
Mammon smiles that it stretches almost to the bottom of their eyes while exposing long and thin rows of sharp glittering teeth. Their voice is deep and somewhat distorted, but there's a subliminal purr that can easily entice people with fragile will and poor perception.
"...A payment must follow" Sovetsky Soyuz sighs
Unfortunately for Mammon, Sovetsky Soyuz is cautious and not keen on immediately giving in to their demands. The creature in front of her is neither human nor Siren, but something that preceded human history. A sufficient common sense would immediately warn anyone that a bargain isn't to be taken lightly or done hastily.
"What treasure do you require this time?"
"Knowledge. It's a highly valuable resource that will never lose value no matter what era, after all"
"Equivalent exchange again, huh. Information for information. All right, I'm willing to hear your terms, creature" Sovetsky Soyuz frowns for a brief second
"...Do you take me for a fool?"
Mammon unhinges their jaws, extending a tongue with a maw of its own. It stretches out its rubbery body covered in thick mucus with a nearly unbearable stench. The maw hisses and growls near her ear, but she doesn't flinch or break eye contact.
"Your sensory alteration is ineffective to my kind. What are you risking...Hermit?"
The tongue with a maw pulls back slightly and shifts its direction slightly to the right. It loudly hisses and acidic saliva drips from it, emitting steam as soon as it falls on the concrete ground and melts through it.
"You and Beelzebub are parallel to each other. Greed and Gluttony go hand in hand due to your nature, both being insatiable craving and overindulgence"
The Arbiter slowly steps out of a corner, several meters away from where Mammon and Sovetsky Soyuz are. Hermit greets them with a proud and confident scoff.
"Beelzebub tends to consume and absorb much like you, but they only devour what they deem as edible. You, on the other hand, are a collector and a businessman" Hermit takes several steps forward
"You require something from Beelzebub? My kin is obsessed with taste and flavor; that much is obvious. Not just food but emotions, thoughts, and memories as well" Mammon confirms
"Truthfully speaking, we were targeting either you or Beelzebub before. Asmodeus is too hedonistic and thoughtless, Satan is too impulsive and reckless, Belphegor is neglectful and unmotivated, while Abaddon is elusive and paranoid" Hermit counts each Leviathan with her fingers
"Lucifer is out of the question for obvious reasons" Sovetsky Soyuz adds the last one
"You prioritized targeting Beelzebub due to how gullible and predictable they are, but that's not your only motive, is it?" Mammon's maw on their tongue hisses
"You got that right. We were targeting whoever is easier to bait and draw in. All we needed to do was present them with an irresistible meal, and they would come running without a second thought" Hermit smirks
"We won't elaborate further for now. Let's continue discussing your terms in exchange for your cooperation"
"How about we start a simple and...harmless deal, hmm?"
Mammon slowly extends their hand, and even with distrust from both Sovetsky Soyuz and Hermit, the former gambles with the chance of making significant progress.
Everyone hungers.
There is a lot to be consumed. So long as thinking beings seek to sate their appetite, [Gluttony] will always persist. Even if the stomach can be filled with delicious meals, what can never be fulfilled is the need to fill the emotional void. Always craving and desperate to maintain the bond and warmth from other people to stave off loneliness and despair, it will never be enough.
"…."
Tirpitz couldn't breathe. She claws at her throat and desperately gasps for air, but her chest only feels tighter and heavier with each passing second. All her senses are numb and paralyzed as if she's drowning and being pulled down the more she struggles.
Don't….don't leave me….
H…ave….to watch everything….
I…..want to….know more….
Please….look…at….me…..
I….have….have….to have more…..
M….more…..it's not….enough…..
Countless voices repeatedly ring in her head. Each one pleads, shouts, whimpers, whispers, and berates her. They simultaneously fill her thoughts, overloading her senses. Tirpitz can't focus with each voice invading and tearing her senses apart.
[I'll chew and tear at you bit by bit. You'll drown….like everyone else I stuffed into my mouth…..]
The loudest voice is the culprit – Beelzebub. The moment their deep and distorted voice echoes throughout the stretching darkness, the voices of the drowned fall quiet.
"…!" Tirpitz gasps for air
Tirpitz breathes in and out desperately after what feels like an eternity of slowly drowning and suffocating beneath lightless waters. She hurls and spits out water that tastes like rotten fish. There are bits of dead fish from the water she vomited. Her blood mixes with the filthy water as fish bones tear and cut her throat from the slightest brush.
[Deep in the recesses of your mind…..even someone like you desires something. You want that loneliness to be fulfilled, so even a bit of warmth from bonding with other people. Hehehe…..you can't live without it]
A large skeletal boar looks down on her. Bright red flesh slithers and twirls inside the skeletal frame. Each cramped attempt to crawl and slither excretes thick white mucus is squeezed from the soft and squishy writhing fleshy tubes and down to the shallow red waters beneath their four hind legs.
"…" Tirpitz holds her breath out of shock
Her instincts urge her to turn away and run as soon as possible, but her legs and feet are stuck to right where she's standing. Tirpitz feels herself trembling and unable to breathe properly. Fear coils her. The fear stemmed from her past life as a battleship – to be trapped and powerless while waiting for certain death.
[You wretched leftover. My main dish slipped right before me, and you handed me something I couldn't get rid of from my stomach!]
The skeletal boar's skull is packed with what appears to be faintly glowing blood vessels. Fresh blood freely courses and flows in the stuffed and swollen blood vessels that leak out of the empty sockets as tears of blood. Smaller wriggling red veins force themselves to creep on the edges of the empty sockets, clinging to the dirty white and damaged surface
"Beel….zebub….." Tirpitz recognizes the distorted voice
Many voices are speaking in one creature. Human voices of all ages simultaneously speak even if Beelzebub lacks any lips or movement of its jaws.
[It seems much of your brain is still intact]
"Why are you still haunting me? You already lost against Iron Blood" Tirpitz clenches her fists
[You can't get rid of me just as you can never get rid of hunger and waste]
"What….are you trying to say?"
[I'm going to carve you out, eat you piece by piece….until there's only….me…]
Tirpitz hasn't even blinked yet when she looks down, a hand effortlessly punches through her abdomen. Fresh blood stains her white uniform and continues to spread around her punched gut.
"W-what…..!"
For the first few seconds, there's only numbness and a slight chill around her abdomen. It's only when she notices an arm piercing through her abdomen and shredding her intestines that she realizes what just happened.
[Bland as you are, a meal is still a meal. I will make sure to savor you down to your bone marrow]
The animal skeleton containing living flesh drastically changes to her exact copy, except the one in front of her is eerily smiling and glaring at her with their sharp red eyes.
"Nngh….!"
Blood spills on the side of Tirpitz's lips as she feels Beelzebub squishing her small intestines, squishy inflated tubes.
[Now then….]
Before she can even react, Beelzebub roughly pulls them straight out of her punched abdomen.
"Y-you…..!"
Tirpitz's world spins right before her eyes. Right as she collapses on the shallow waters, mutilated wolves held together by poorly sewn stitches, all gather to take a bite out of her punctured abdomen, savagely tearing pieces of her organs. They sink their teeth and peel off her kidneys, liver, and intestines.
"…."
Anyone would instantly die, but she's fully conscious as her senses are all intact. Tirpitz can sense every fang sinking into her flesh and how they pick off her organs piece by piece.
"B….Beel…..zebub!" Tirpitz coughs up blood
[Don't worry, you wretched morsel. One way or another, you will be the one to spice up my main dish for me. I'll be sure to savor every ounce of your emotions]
Beelzebub still appears using a cruel parody of her appearance. Tirpitz grits her teeth, seeing Beelzebub grin and cheerfully observing nearby. The voracious beast that's still haunting her after death licks their lips and mockingly laughs at her, using her voice to taunt her further.
…
….
Tirpitz immediately gasps for air, and her shaking hands clutch her abdomen in a panic. She blinks a few times and attempts to retain focus while scanning her surroundings. Her rapidly beating heart keeps her thoughts in a panic. It feels as if her vision is shaky and her body numb from the thought that she's torn apart while Beelzebub taunts her using her voice and appearance.
"The infirmary…?"
Tirpitz takes deep breaths, and even when her focus is still shaky, she can at least recognize the inside of the room. It's a peaceful sight with the soft hum of the air conditioner and the rhythmic ticking of the wall clock filling the silence.
"My body feels heavy…."
Tirpitz presses both hands on the soft infirmary bed and musters her little strength to push her upper body up. Her body feels stiff and sore even if she doesn't remember doing much physical activity.
"Ugh. It hurts like hell" Tirpitz clenches her teeth
This time, she sits at the side of the bed and lifts the rest of her body off the bed. Her legs are numb and trembling while the rest of her body is sore and rigid.
"Oh my~ You're finally up" Friedrich der Grosse enters the room a minute later
The tall battleship with an unflinching expression and gentle tone peaks from the partially open door before entering with a cheerful smile.
"H-how did I get here?" Tirpitz tries to keep her voice steady
"You don't remember?"
"….." Tirpitz slightly shakes her head
"Hmm. If I recall, you were walking in the corridor earlier this morning. You were acting strange since you seemed to be in a trance. When Eugen asked what's wrong…" Friedrich der Grosse trails off
"What did I do….?"
"You grabbed her face and smashed her against the wall. Everyone tried to stop you, but you won't budge. Bismarck happened to be passing by, so she managed to incapacitate you"
"…."
Tirpitz winces when she attempts to organize her recent memories. It gives her an annoying headache and nearly makes her want to hurl for some reason. It's vague, but she can recall walking while feeling dizzy. The view in front of her loses color and focus. Even voices around her become muffled until they gradually cease to reach her ears.
(What's the matter, Tirpitz? You don't look so well)
The more Tirpitz tries to make sense of her memories, the more painful her headache becomes, and it becomes nauseating. She does remember seeing Prinz Eugen in front of her and slowly stretching out her hand.
(Hey! What's the matter with you?!)
(Stop that, Tirpitz!)
Admiral Hipper grabs her arm and desperately tries to hold her while Blucher is doing her best to do the same.
"Kkh….!"
Tirpitz grunts in pain and grits her teeth when she tries to probe her memories further. She endures the dizziness, headache, and nausea while remembering sending both Admiral Hipper and Prinz Eugen flying with a swing of her arm. Just as Friedrich der Grosse said, Tirpitz barely remembers her hand on Prinz Eugen's head.
"…!"
The coppery and tangy taste of blood flowed around her tongue. Tirpitz is certain that she must have bitten Bismarck's arm when the latter pins her down on the ground.
(….!)
Bismarck's lips moved, and Tirpitz presumes her older sister is calling her out desperately. What happens next is a blur.
"Agh….I hate this feeling…."
Even with a vague and gaping memory, Tirpitz sees Bismarck pulling back one arm with the hand curled into a fist before driving it straight to her face.
"What's gotten into you, my child?" Friedrich der Grosse sits at the side of the bed
"I don't know. I thought I was in bed and a nightmare….."
"A nightmare?"
"I saw something…..Beelzebub. They were saying things I didn't understand, then they punched my gut and had wolves tear me apart. That damn monster was laughing at me using my face" Tirpitz rubs her templesFriedrich der Grosse is listening intently or at least she appears to be. She drops her calm and gentle expression in a split second at the mere mention of Beelzebub. Her expression is grim, serious, and mostly unreadable.
"Beelzebub is gone. Perhaps being mutilated by that abomination caused a long-lasting trauma" Friedrich der Grosse cheerfully guesses
"It felt too real" Tirpitz bites her lower lip
"I assure you that monster is long gone. Their body is destroyed"
"Still….."
"Are you thinking about Bismarck?" Friedrich der Grosse tilts her head slightly
"I lost control of my body, attacked my allies, and Bismarck had to knock me out cold to stop me. It's not something I can easily explain"
"I suggest you undergo extensive checkups and tests on your wisdom cube"
"My wisdom cube?"
"I worry that your wisdom cube may not be as intact as we thought"
Friedrich der Grosse's gaze remains calm and collected, but there's underlying tension and seriousness behind her words. Her attempt to conceal her already enigmatic intentions only makes Tirpitz worry and suspect at the same time.
"Is there something I should know about?" Tirpitz furrows her eyebrows
"Right now, I can't say for certain, but it's better to be safe than sorry" Friedrich der Grosse warmly smiles
"…." Tirpitz looks at her shaking hands
"I only pray that the worst-case scenario is not the reality you're facing" Friedrich der Grosse turns away from her
"…"
Tirpitz jolts and silently gasps at the sudden chill running down her spine. Her chest feels tight and prickly. It's not just her heart, but the sudden thorn coiling around her is right to her core, to her wisdom cube.
Somewhere in the Arctic Region...
Kursk exhales lightly, her breath visibly white from the drastically low temperature brought by the endless ice and snow everywhere. A trail of blood has frozen solid on the snowy surface, leading to an abandoned research facility supposedly supervised by Northern Parliament personnel. Crushed vehicles, shattered windows, and the absence of any living beings are a clear sign of an incident or an assault.
"Kiev, stay on your guard. If I don't update you in thirty minutes, don't hesitate and make a run for it" Kursk presses the ear piece on her right ear
[Is it that bad?] Kiev responds through the other side of the earpiece
Alongside Kiev is Kirov, patiently waiting at the nearest shore and surveying as far as their eyes can reach.
"Just a hunch. A lowly and savage beast wouldn't leave the scene intact"
Kursk crouches and inspects the fading footsteps heading in her direction. Each drop of blood is mere inches or centimeters from the traces of human footsteps. She turns her head to where the footsteps are facing and it's towards the shore where she and her comrades have arrived from.
"This can't be Satan's handiwork. Nothing is on fire, and the facility hasn't been demolished" Kursk carefully heads towards the research facility
The cold northern wind howls, and the pried open door of the facility creaks from the slightest sway.
"..."
She slowly draws out a combat knife, tightly keeping it in a reverse grip as she carefully enters through the door that's about to collapse from its partially torn hinges. The cold air flows inside, inviting the bits of snow to litter the floor.
"...!"
A single drop of viscous liquid from her right jolts her into an offensive stance, but it's only blood leaking out of a severed arm mysteriously left on top of a shelf.
"Y...you...can't...keep me...from my meal for long"
A corpse slouching at the corner of the room speaks to Kursk with a distorted and raspy voice. The dead man's right arm is dangling by his stretched skin, and the right side of his jaw is already torn. His abdomen has also been clawed up, both of his small nd large intestines spilling on his crotch. His liver and what remains of his kidneys have shriveled and frozen between his feet. His left eye is completely missing, while his right eye popped off and is dangling by his cheek.
"You truly are a parasite...Beelzebub" Kursk scoffs and slowly approaches the corpse
"I'm...still hungry. I want more...and it will never be...enough" Beelzebub speaks through the corpse
"Of course you do. That's why you and Mammon go hand in hand" Kursk lowers her knife slightly
"T...this isn't over. You can't quell me...extinguish me...because the world is full of waste...excess. My stomach rumbles...and all of you...will be served on my plate"
"You prey on others as your meal because you're a predator, but you seem to forget...we are the hunters"
"Hah...arrogance. It's that trait...why Lucifer is..." Beelzebub roughly exhales
"The fact that you were outsmarted and beaten proved your kind is not at the top of the food chain"
"Humans progressed...creating weapons...against each other. It's nature...why I came to be..."
"Yet you're afraid. Do you fear the slightest possibility that your plate won't be refilled. Once humanity dies off from your reckless feeding, you will starve. Your stomach will be hollowed until you're nothing but a raving beast"
"..."
"I'm sure you have already realized. Your instinct doesn't align with your desire, but I doubt you're capable of thinking that far ahead. If you were, you wouldn't have eaten the obvious poison presented before you" Kursk raises the hand gripping the knife
"So it was Soyuz...and that Iron Blood. Ha...haha. You tricked me once...but that poison won't work again on me"
"We do not fear you, creature. When you return, the Northern Parliament will ensure you can never feed on this world ever again"
Kursk swiftly swings down her combat knife, cleanly slitting most of the dead man's neck while the dangling eyeball's optic nerve snaps, which causes it to fall with a plop and slightly roll to the side. A dark red and gelatin-like leech wriggles out of the slit throat and spits out bits of blood clot from its hole. It squeaks as it jumps down, desperately crawling away like a slug only for Kursk to stomp it beneath her heel with a loud thud. It splatters beneath her feet, blood spreading in a miniature pool of blood while what remains of its leech-like body scatters and slowly evaporates into the air.
"That thing managed to extend its voice even after losing its body. Just like Soyuz said, the plan didn't go smoothly..." Kirsk swings her knife to splatter some of the blood from the blade's edge]
As Kursk steps away from the silent corpse, she turns her attention to the center of the facility and squints her eyes at the shattered transparent capsule meant to hold organic specimens or samples. There's only dark red blood clot hanging at the sharp edges from where the container is shattered. The blood leaves a trail leading to where the dead man is slouching.
"No matter. The predator has been reduced to mere prey now...and I never let go of my prey"
Kursk scoffs and turns away from the scene after gaining sufficient information from the brief conversation with one of Beelzebub's senses linked to the remains of their parasitic flesh. One worm is enough to speak through a mutilated corpse...but it's not the main body.