______________

Berlin's POV
______________

following Schwester Tirpitz back to base with Z46 right by my side,we quickly returned and was quickly greeted by everyone on the base as I was quickly picked up by Ms.Friedrich and smothered in chest while Ms.Zeppelin checked up on Z46

Schwester Bismarck,having been worried the entire time,came out of her office and rushed to us as she came to check on Me,briefly explaining to her what happened and and giving her a vague hint as to where I and Z46 went when we left,we proceeded to head towards more important matters once everything was sorted

going to the bases meeting room,I was introduced to some Iron Blood ships I had never met before,named Agir,Odin,Mainz and August Von Parseval,their reaction to Me was typical and expected with curiosity and surprise evident on their face when I was introduced 

Ms.Agir seemed to take it much better than the others as she was much more direct in showing her feeling towards Me as she had picked Me up without warning and coddled Me,seemingly to Ms.Friedrichs annoyance and jealousy,which I assumed from her expression at the time

along with them,the meeting room was filled with Iron Blood's officers as we were to discuss what to do now,now that we know that the Sakura Empire has turned to the Sirens for help,having left prior to this discussion,it was clear to everyone that I do not approve of any coalition with the Sakura Empire while they have the Orochi as it spelled doom for humanity

we had many options in front of us,each were viable,some more so than others while some we're less appealing then the rest,naturally everyone had their opinions but Me and Z46 had a shared opinion as we had already discussed this same situation with each other while we were gone 

between all our options,only one really made sense and was the most beneficial to all sides,after seeing the Orochi,I was somewhat doubtful that I would be able to take it on alone,I didn't how much firepower it was carrying and it had a flight on the back,which meant it had aircraft and it was doubtful that they would send it out alone it would definitely be sent out with a escort group,a sizeable to large one in order to ensure it's safety

our best option was to rejoin Azur Lane and work together to destroy the Orochi,our best chances are found when we're together,the only problem was that Iron blood is prideful,for battle it's great as it keep morale high but situations like this would severely hinder us because of this pride,it blinds us and causes us to fail to see the dangers and right choices we need

I've seen this flaw for a long time now and I managed to help only a few others realize it,so as much as possible,I tried to control this problem and make sure that it never caused any kind of problems for Me or for anyone

despite having my mind made up,I kept quiet for the time being as I wanted to hear what the other had to say as I may find other possible alternatives that could work just better or as well as my idea

Bismarck:is everyone here

Eugen:everyone's accounted for Lord Bismarck

Bismarck:good then,let's get straight to the point,I assume everyone knows what this meeting is about

Zeppelin:we need to decide what to do moving forward

Friedrich:yes,Sakura Empire has showed weakness and turned to our enemy for help,using their strength in place of their own,as Berlin has shown prior,further association with them is non negotiable for them,thus we need a new approach for the war

Tirpitz:our first priority is to take down the Orochi,it'll take the Sakura Empire a while to break it out of the ice prison that Berlin put it in thus we have some time to make some moves

Roon:if their ultimate weapon is trapped and unusable then we should strike now

Odin:I disagree,the Sakura Empire,though turning traitor could still be useful in the long run,with some persuasion,I believe we can get them to work with us on our own terms

Roon:coward

Eugen:what do you think about that,Sir Berlin

Berlin:as long as they are not collaborating with the Sirens,then they can be a useful ally but as long as they are with the Sirens,then they are nothing but traitors

Mainz:what about the others in the Crimson Axis,what would their stand in this be

Bismarck:I've already sent word to the Sardegna Empire and Vichya Dominion but we haven't heard back from them yet

Zeppelin:it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Sardegna follow our lead but the Vichya Dominion may stay on the Empire's side

Odin:I doubt it,a Vichya fleet was sent to the Empire's base to assist you all in a battle,they know what kind of firepower we have at our disposal and naturally they'll relay that info to the rest of their faction,if their smart they'll do the same as us and distance themselves from the Empire

August:there is also Azur Lane,they know of the Orochi but they don't know what's happening

Tirpitz:true,if they learn that the Orochi is incapacitated they may make their move to force the Empire to surrender

Eugen:certainly a good position to come save our allies but do we want that

Bismarck:as long as the Orochi is afloat the Sakura Empire is an enemy,we have to destroy the Orochi before the Sirens inevitably activate it and turn it on all of us

Mainz:what's stopping the Sirens from doing that now,why haven't they just activated it if they could

Roon:they probably want the Sakura Empire to-

Tirpitz:if I had to guess,it's would most likely be because of Azur Lane,I suspect that they want the Empire to activate it to force Azur Lane to make their decisive move

August:you're saying that the Sirens want Azur Lane to completely destroy the Sakura Empire

Tirpitz:with one less navy in the sea,their chances of survival and ability to operate are greatly increased,it also breaks the reality of Azur Lane's goal which would be a major morale loss and it also means one less ally for everyone,so realistically,it's the safest assumption

Bismarck:to make things worse,I doubt Azur Lane even knows what happening,I suspect that their still reeling back from the fight in the Mirror Sea,which means their eyes haven't been on the Sakura Empire the entire time

Zeppelin:which also means,that they don't know what's going on

Mainz:what's our move then,Lord Bismarck

Bismarck:as much as it pains all of our pride,we have to accept that we were wrong,continuing to use Siren technology without proper testing and examination is far too dangerous so in short,we have to reunite with Azur Lane,that's what you want from Iron Blood,right Brother

I had suspected that Schwester Bismarck was onto Me due to my silence as I nodded my head and stepped forwards

Berlin:mmm,I saw the Orochi and I have my doubts that I could take it on alone,especially with it most likely having Sakura Empire and Siren escorts,our best bet is to link up with Azur Lane and strike it together with them

Roon:there was no way we need the,we have what it takes to handle this on our own

Berlin:if you were to see the Orochi for yourself,you would think otherwise

Bismarck:we'll discuss about the details of the Orochi at a further date for now,let's get things settled with Azur Lane,Zeppelin,get contact with one of their fleet and arrange a meeting immediately 

Zeppelin:of course,Lord Bismarck

Bismarck:until further noticed,your all dismissed

without a word of rebuttal or disagreement,everyone but Me,Schwester Bismarck and Schwester Tirpitz left as we remained standing at the meeting room table before I went over to Schwester Bismarck and hugged her waist as I was glad that she understood what my decision was and decided to do set aside her pride for the better good while she patted my head

Timeskip brought to you by Berlin,Royal,Nagaro and Freedom at a pajama sleepover

__________________

Bismarck's POV
__________________

after a few hours since the meeting,everything was set for a talk and meeting with Azur Lane,the same people from the meeting were present and we had specifically asked of the same from Azur Lane during the meeting

the meeting place was a remote island,faraway from both the Iron Blood and Azur Lane base in the Pacific,this gave both sides little options for retreat as there were no close by bases to dock to if there was someone who was heavily injured,which forced a much more friendly and peaceful approach for the meeting

the conversation will be held by leaders of the faction while the escorts remained at the ready in case things go sour,which I assumed neither side wanted as both we're quite far from any allied base 

in addition to the people we had at the meeting prior to this one,Z46 and Z23 had joined us in the meeting as we needed some Destroyers to complete the fleet,a bonus with their presence at this meeting,Berlin wasn't as bored as he thought he would be as he now had Z46 to talk to 

on Azur Lane's side,there was no doubt that Enterprise and Q.E would be present as they we're the leaders of their faction with Enterprise only stepping in place of the actual leader which was her Older Sister,as for who they might bring as their escorts,members of their own hierarchy would no doubt be present,along with some of their best fighters is the best I could assume

the 2 would arrive with 1 fleet of escorts each,a Battlegroup ready for a full frontal battle,we would be severely outnumbered but Berlin would be more than enough to handle their frontal fighter while we assisted with fire support and air support

as for how this talk would go down,I could only really hope for the best outcome,Berlin wasn't sure if he could take on the Orochi alone and if Iron Blood was left to handle it on it's own it may not turn out okay,we could only hope for the talk to go well and if it doesn't then,we'd have to have Berlin employ simple persuasion for things to go well

we waited for them to arrive as another hour passed,we were beginning to think that they wouldn't arrive until the outline of their fleet came into view from the horizon,moving at full speed,it didn't take them long to finally reach the island as Azur Lane set foot onto the same sands we were on

Enterprise and Q.E took the front and approached Me,while their escorts stayed back at a similar distance as my own,we had our weapons in hand in case things went south but it seemed like none of us had any intentions of starting a fight

Bismarck:it took both some to arrive

Q.E:some of us had to make ample preparations for a sudden departure at the call of unexpected Carrier

Enterprise:this place wasn't the closest either

Bismarck:it doesn't matter,what matters is the discussion we have here now

Q.E:you called for a meeting,so tell us why you wanted to see us

Bismarck:ever since the battle in the Mirror Sea,we doubted your ability to continue to spy on the Sakura Empire and our guess was right,which means you don't what's going on

Enterprise:I assume you're going to tell us

Bismarck:if this talk is to work out,I have no choice,so firstly,you need to know a few key details

Q.E:do tell

Bismarck:first off,are you aware of how Iron Blood came into this war

Enterprise:the details are exactly public

Bismarck:to be short,the Sakura Empire called for an alliance with promise of power with little details and good promises,we were skeptical of the deal but accepted anyway

Q.E:a foolish choice

Bismarck:it was not all bad,the alliance had it's perks but we looked into things,Eugen was in charge of learning more about how the Sakura Empire came into possession of Siren technology but progress wasn't fast enough unfortunately

Enterprise:wait,I thought Iron Blood knew how they got the tech,your nation was doing research on the Sirens long before the Sakura Empire

Bismarck:our research focused on hot imitate and surpass the humanoid Siren rigging,nothing like the Orochi

Q.E:get to the point,you know something and your here to tell us,so get on with it

Bismarck:the Sakura Empire is ready to launch the Orochi and it won't be long until they do

the sudden info hit them like a AP shell,which meant that we were right,Azur Lane had been in the complete dark about recent happenings,they had no clue about the Orochi and if we hadn't come to them,they never would've

Enterprise:they're ready to launch it?!?!?,damn,it's way earlier than we had thought

Q.E:impossible,I thought we had more time

Bismarck:the mirror sea battle was meant to give the Orochi the last bit of data it needed but that doesn't matter anymore,we're on a clock and we don't have much time left

Enterprise;how much time do we have

Bismarck:not very long,unless we can stall the Empire,they'll have it online and out at sea by tomorrow morning

Q.E:you say that as if you want to stop them,why?

Bismarck:I have a little Brother,little queen and he doesn't like the idea of siding with the Siren,we were faced with a choice,a weapon of our ally or my Brother and we made our choice

Q.E:a not so foolish choice

Enterprise:so you called us here to warn us about the Orochi,because you need our help with dealing with it

Bismarck:Azur Lane's goal is the reunite the factions to defeat the Sirens,Berlin wants nothing to do a faction that associates with the Sirens,our goals align and it would be beneficial for us to handle this threat as a group

Q.E:hmmm,convincing,you would be familiar with the orochi more than us,do you have the information we need to destroy it

Bismarck:Berlin has ample information,as for how he got it,he couldn't perfectly explain but it more than enough

Q.E:what do you think about this Enterprise

Enterprise:it's a hard opportunity to pass up however,can we trust them not to stab us in the back afterwards 

Bismarck:if we wanted you out of the picture then I wouldn't have called you here,we more than enough firepower to finish you off but we're not here for that,we're here to see what your stance is on this proposal

Enterprise:do you have a plan of attack ready?

Bismarck:Berlin with a small group will go after the Orochi while everyone else keeps the escorts away from them,it's simple but it'll be the most effective strategy

Q.E:hmmm,give us a few minutes,Bismarck,we're going to deliberate on this

Bismarck:do not take long,time is precious and we're on a clock

leaving to reconvene and deliberate,Enterprise and Q.E rejoined their fleet to discuss the offer as Schwester and Friedrich approached Me from behind,most likely wanting to know how things were going

Tirpitz:Schwester

Friedrich:how are negotiations going,my child

Bismarck:their deliberating,whether that be good or bad,we'll find out, 

Friedrich:they should have no reason to decline,if they do not accept our help then the Orochi will no doubt strike them with no problems

Bismarck:true,on another note,where is Berlin

Tirpitz:patrolling the surroundings with Z46,he thinks he might have seen Sirens in the area a while ago

Friedrich:you can never be too cautious,at least that's what he thinks

Bismarck:as long as he's alright then it doesn't matter,where are the rest of the fleet

Friedrich:still at the ready,keeping their eyes out for any possible threats

Bismarck:alert Me immediately if anything comes up

Friedrich:of course,although,what we do once they do accept

Bismarck:we'll get to that part when we do get to it,our priority is securing a truce and destroying the Orochi,we'll deal with the details lates

Friedrich:very well then

coming back over to Me,this time with their best fighter at their side,Enterprise and Q.E returned to where they were standing while they were talking to Me as I waited for their answer to my proposal of a truce

Q.E:well Bismarck we've talked things over with the fleet

Bismarck:yes,we saw

Enterprise:can we really trust you not to dig your claws in our backs once this is over

Bismarck:Berlin doesn't like the Sirens and he personally doesn't like a few of you but he considers you a better option than the Sirens,I have no reason to not pick the better option and neither do you

Enterprise:then our decision final,we'll accept you back into the alliance but repercussion for the war of the Crimson Axis that Iron Blood and the Sakura Empire started will not be forgotten

Q.E:we'll discuss more on that once the Orochi has been defeated

Bismarck:noted then,be ready to strike at a moments notice,we'll need a solid plan and a lot of luck if we're going to penetrate the Sakura Empire's defenses

Q.E:it seems you have a plan in mind

Bismarck:I'll tell you the details when our fleets link up,I'll give you the pleasure of picking which base we operate from,our or yours

Enterprise:it'll be easier at the Azur Lane Pacific Base,it's made to accomodate all the factions so we'll have more than enough room for everyone

Bismarck:then we'll return to base and rally everyone to move out,then I'll tell you the plan there

Q.E:so be it,we'll-

as the queen spoke,she halted her words as the ground shook alongside a loud sounds over to the distance,looking over to the source of the sound,we saw a giant curving glacier of ice on the surface of the water as body parts fell from the sky while multiple figures flew away from the ice only to be chased by two small figures

knowing all to well as to what was happening,we watched as Berlin and Z46 gave chase to the multiple remaining Sirens,firing their cannons at them as shells flew by the Sirens who were quickly avoiding 

opening portals to escape through,the Sirens flew towards their exit from the fight,only to be stopped as Berlin quickly created another sharp and spike glaciers from the surface of the ocean,blocking the portals in and keeping the Sirens away from their only real means of escape

backing away from the ice,knowing that Berlin could manipulate ice from the glacier to spike out towards them and impale them,the Sirens looked to make some more distance and escape but we're once again cut off as Z46 scaled the glacier and jumped off of it and towards the Sirens as large and sharp icicles formed from thin air around her

seemingly at Z46's command,the icicles sped towards the Sirens and impaled them at the stomach before branching out with more spikes from the base as the Sirens fell to the water,before they could hit the surface,Berlin created a basin of ice which the Sirens fell into before it closed and compressed 

the basin,now a ball of ice with Sirens inside continued to compress at Berlin's command as it tried to compress more in order to crush the Sirens inside but failed to do so,failing to compress further,spikes of ice grew from the ball with tips dripping of Siren blood,indicating that the enemies inside we're hit by the spike

at the end of it all,the ball of ice increased in temperature,to the point that incredibly cold winds would towards us if it hit the ball,causing the ball of ice to completely freeze over before Berlin fired one of his turret at it and destroying the ball completely,alongside the enemies inside it

with the enemy now defeated,Berlin and Z46,continued their patrol around the island,most likely looking for more Sirens that could be nearby as Berlin always liked to be thorough when dealing with the Sirens,refusing to let even a single one get away if possible 

Enterprise:he sure is brutal when dealing with his opponents

Friedrich:the display is exclusively for the Sirens,he wouldn't waste energy being so thorough with fellow ships,we do hope your frightened

Q.E:as long as you keep to the truce there won't be a need to be

Bismarck:Schwester,call the two back,we're returning to base to regroup with the rest of Iron Blood

Tirpitz:of course,Schwester

Bismarck:we'll meet you both at your base as soon as we can to discuss further strategy

Enterprise:we'll expect you to arrive and be ready,good luck and godspeed

splitting up,our two fleets went separate ways as Schwester contacted Berlin and Z46 to regroup with us before we returned to Iron Blood to gather everyone and move to Azur Lane's base to make preparations to fight the Orochi

________________

Berlin's POV
________________

Z46:are you sure of what you're saying,Berlin

Berlin:I am,Sub Zero's made his last contact with Me

Z46:I'm still not fully sure of how this Calamity rank works and their association to the Sirens but I trusts you on this

Berlin:don't worry,unlike the Sirens,he's not a deceiver,he'll follow through with his words

Z46:what did he tell you

Berlin:he wants a fair fight,so I'll give him one

Author:ok guys,I had to cut this chapter short cuz it's taking too long to upload this,I crammed as much as I could into this ending part to shorten thing,cuz believe Me,the fight with the Sirens was meant to be a lot longer but because my Sis is hogging the laptop,where I write my stories I need to make do,hope you all enjoyed and I hope you all look forward to the next one,until next time

Shadowgamer254 out