Chapter Text
I'm sorry. I truly am.
Over and over, Victorious META apologizes with tears continuously streaming down her cheeks and her lips tremble, unable to properly voice out sentences. Her hand trembles, but she couldn't unhand the broken blade piercing Tirpitz's heart for the first time. Instead of the usual ice and cold wind, the two are surrounded by raging flames illuminating them in a bright orange glow.
"I'm sorry....." Victorious META sobs
"You.....Why?" Tirpitz META musters the strength to open her mouth
"I'm sorry....."
"......Why.....are you apologizing......?" Tirpitz META manages to say more
"I couldn't do anything" Victorious META holds her sobbing
"There was nothing.....that could be done...."
Tirpitz META clings to life as much as possible even when the light in her eyes had grown dim and her vision slowly being consumed by pitch black darkness.
"I don't have the right to live. That's just how it is, right?" Tirpitz META briefly closes her eyes
It's as if Tirpitz META couldn't process the feeling of a barbed coil around her chest. That unexplainable suffocation and deep sadness overwhelms her senses, briefly forgetting the fact she's supposed to be dead. It's just that she refuses the force of death to finally pull away her consciousness persisting through the power of her metamorphosis.
"No, Tirpitz. You have the right to live just like everyone else.....but you would take that right away from them if I let you be. The world is just that unfair....." Victorious META bites her lower lip
"......"
"All the fault falls on my shoulders, so don't bear a grudge against the world"
"Victorious.....you have to let go. Death is where I can finally find rest.....so don't take that away from me"
".....I promise...." Victorious META reluctantly agrees
The cold contained within Tirpitz META's body freezes those around her but strips of her own warmth. Right as her sight is growing dim, she widens her eyes at a brief gush of warmth on her chest.
"Why.....now.....?"
Tirpitz META musters enough strength to speak and to Victorious META's surprise, sees a single tear roll down Tirpitz META's right eye. She gains the freedom from life she seeks only to be mocked by her fate as warmth returns to her moments from death.
......
......
......
Tirpitz slowly opens her eyes and rather than the sunlight peaking through the curtain's gaps, she only sees the faint moonlight outside. Visible cold vapor leaks from her body, but sighs upon seeing her surroundings has yet to freeze.
"Hmm?"
As she lifts her back off the bed, she remembers the deceased META's memories making its way into her dreams again. She has no interest in the experiences of another, especially if it's another "pointless" tragedy.
"You didn't want to see what happens next even if I still persisted a minute longer"
A familiar voice prompts Tirpitz to turn to the right and look at the figure leaning by the desk with arms crossed. Cold and unfeeling in the surface but couldn't hide the unrelenting anger inside. That's how the deceased META usually speaks, but what alerts Tirpitz is seeing a disembodied META appear right before her.
"......" Tirpitz turns her legs and sits at the bedside
"You've been talking with a ghost. Seeing one isn't so different" Tirpitz META shrugs her shoulders
"Why and how are you here?" Tirpitz pushes herself up from the bed
"I'm not exactly here because I lost my body and was forced to live with yours" Tirpitz META lifts her right hand for a second
"Then-"
"You could say I'm a projection only you can see"
"So a visual hallucination?"
As Tirpitz stands at least a meter from the so-called projection, Tirpitz META slightly lifts her head, baffled and a bit annoyed at how the current Tirpitz remains cold and unfeeling unaffected by the memories.
"I am you and you are me. It's as simple as that" Tirpitz META furrows her eyebrows
"Not that nonsense again......"
Tirpitz isn't interested hearing the META repeatedly insist that they're no different from each other, so she quickly heads to change into her regular uniform.
"You're running away again. Is this the only thing you know how to do?"
Tirpitz META raises her voice when Tirpitz grabs her cap on top of the desk and completely ignores her in the process. The regular kansen doesn't truly wish to spend another second in a closed room with a hallucination, so she rushes out of the door and through the hallway.
"Tirpitz, you can't get rid of me just as how you can't deny what happened and what will happen!" Tirpitz META drags her legs and follows her
"Be quiet. You've been forcing your memories into me and now I'm hallucinating"
If the META has a physical body, Tirpitz might have pushed her away. Unfortunately, she couldn't do anything but let the ghost relentlessly follow her closely.
"Maybe you're not real and I'm losing my mind"
As soon as Tirpitz steps outside and stops just after a few meters, she swings her right arm in the air. On the other hand, Tirpitz META stands with her arms crossed and grim glare at Tirpitz's denial.
"You let me in, remember?" Tirpitz META grunts reminding her
"So it's my fault I'm hallucinating?"
"Why don't you want to see the full truth? You know by now Victorious will betray you"
"Don't try to force your experience here. You're not me, so none of that will happen" Tirpitz continues to reject her
They may be the same person to a degree, but their perspectives and personalities are still far too different. Tirpitz keeps herself separated from the META even after the several memories she witnessed since the beginning.
"If you want to escape from that dread, then kill yourself already. It's either Victorious kills you or you kill yourself to spare the suffering" Tirpitz META grits her teeth
"And abandon Victorious? She did everything she could, so I could find meaning. Killing myself now.....would disrespect her efforts all this time"
Tirpitz stands her ground at brief images of Victorious smiling and pestering her on a daily basis. They may appear as every day nuisances, but to Tirpitz, she only pays attention to the memory.
"Once you get attached to someone, you never let them go. You will repeat the same mistake....of trusting anyone" Tirpitz META clenches both fists
"I choose how and when I die. You're just a phantom who couldn't move on" Tirpitz takes a step forward
"You can't make the hardest choices in life. That's why you're bound to suffer even after death"
The two continue to argue. In Tirpitz's perspective, the META speaks and moves as if she's real, but to everyone who would see, Tirpitz is speaking to no one in front of her.
"Why is Tirpitz.....talking to the air?"
Victorious passes by, heading back to the dormitory, when she stops upon spotting Tirpitz. She tilts her head, baffled and worried as Tirpitz is visibly talking but there isn't anyone around her.
"What's gotten to her?" Victorious tilts her head left and right
While Tirpitz focuses on the dead Tirpitz META, she couldn't hear Victorious' footsteps inching closer towards her, needlessly tiptoeing at the distracted battleship.
"Tirpitz-" Victorious taps her on the shoulders
The two versions of Tirpitz immediately stop their argument with Tirpitz META clicking her tongue and crossing her arms again. Victorious is not the same as the guilt ridden and selfish META who killed Tirpitz META, but the latter still views them in the same light.
"Aah!"
Victorious immediately pulls her hand and staggering back a few inches causes her to lose balance and her bottom hardly hits the concrete ground.
"Victorious" Tirpitz quickly turns around and bends on one knee
"You nearly froze my hand....." Victorious shows her palm with thin patches of ice
"I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to attack......"
Tirpitz reaches out her hand to hold Victorious' affected hand but slowly pulls herself away at the sudden thought of accidentally freezing her skin again. Although the sudden 'defensive mechanism' only covers the surface of Victorious' skin, Tirpitz could only think of the accident.
"Don't be scared. You didn't mean to hurt me" Victorious gently smiles
"........" Tirpitz groans in reluctance
"This is nonsense. How can you be like this knowing what will happen to you at her hands?" Tirpitz META stomps her left foot
"......" Tirpitz just ignores her
"You're rejecting everything I've shown and told you because of bond and affection? This is absolute bullshi-"
"You.....Shut up already!"
For the first time, Tirpitz raises her voice which startles even Victorious. Tirpitz suddenly turns to an empty direction and shouts at no one just like earlier. Ice slowly forms on the ground beneath Tirpitz's feet, reacting to her desire to get rid of the persistent ghost.
"Tirpitz?" Victorious softly presses her hand on her cheek
"......." Tirpitz remembers her presence
"Is something wrong? You're suddenly talking even when there's no one there"
"......."
"You look like you've seen a ghost"
"A rather angry and talkative one. That's why I can't tell she's not me" Tirpitz stands up and turns away
Since the beginning, Tirpitz has acted calm and rational, so seeing her act strangely makes Victorious squeeze Tirpitz's hand between her palms. It's what usually assures Tirpitz of comfort and security because the current Tirpitz is like a beast eyeing a threat and preparing to strike at any given moment.
"Y-you're not losing your mind, are you?" Victorious' voice shakes
"......" Tirpitz faces her again
"I'm really worried that something's going on that you're not telling me"
".....I'm haunted by the possibility of you being my downfall. That you're the one to betray and kill me"
".......?!"
Victorious takes a step back because the memory of their META versions remain fresh within the corners of her mind. Her META version is burdening herself with guilt and could no longer experience joy while Tirpitz only seems revenge against her, driven purely by rage beyond death.
You trust she wouldn't hurt you just she would trust you wouldn't betray her. How tragic could that be?
The moment also reminds Victorious of Tirpitz META's spiteful words directed to both the normal and META version. The META has less grudge on the regular Victorious, but she still views them as betrayers who deserve death.
"All I've been seeing and hearing is the inevitable end I would meet by your hands......because of your selfishness"
"I can be selfish....but I wouldn't do anything to make you hate me. I don't want you to hate me.....so don't look at me with those distrustful eyes"
More than anything, Victorious is afraid of seeing the same conflict between them. The fear and anxiety swells up in her chest that she's on the brink of tears. To her, Tirpitz is her dearest friend so she keeps her close out of worry she might recklessly get herself killed.
"I don't want to do anything that would put the two of us against each other......" Victorious bites her lower lip
"......Forget what I said"
Tirpitz gently wipes the tears forming at the corner of Victorious' eyes. Her gloved index finger sweeps the tears away even if it stains a bit of her white gloves.
"I may have lost my heart but my mind remained intact, so it's like I'm losing my mind recently. It's like there's a voice in my head trying to control me" Tirpitz still couldn't reveal it
"Who are you calling-" Tirpitz META grits her teeth
"I don't want to hurt you. If that day comes, then I wouldn't bear any grudge against you. I would gladly give my life if it means protecting you from me"
Tirpitz may appear to declare all of that without hesitation, but she couldn't get rid of the META's memories eating away at her mind. Deep inside her, Tirpitz doesn't remove the possibility of Victorious being possibly killing her even if she remains stubborn enough to deny her META version.
"I want to soothe your problems because if you lose your mind, then I'd lose you forever" Victorious furrows her eyebrows
"Everything that comes out of her mouth is like what the Victorious I know would always say. Where did that end up? Getting shanked twice by Victorious" Tirpitz META scoffs
"....." Tirpitz just frowns at her
"This is what you people call a red flag, Tirpitz. You're signing a death warrant and heading closer to your grave. That's why it's either you kill her.....or you kill yourself. Either way, it would save both of us the trouble"
"You once told me if I die, you'd replace me. I'm not sure if that's true, but you're not getting what you want either way" Tirpitz remembers their recent conversation
"......" Tirpitz META growls at her
"Tirpitz, you're talking to thin air again"
Victorious gently presses her hand on Tirpitz's face and forces her to look back at her after being ignored for a minute.
"I just need some sleep. Thinking about my own life has mee seeing imaginary....parasite"
"......!" Tirpitz META frowns at the insult
"I'll escort you back. You might argue with a door on the way back" Victorious jokingly comments
"Choosing not to do anything is a fatal mistake!" Tirpitz META shakes her head in anger
"......" Tirpitz ignores her yet again
Unknown to Victorious, while she cheerfully drags Tirpitz by her wrist, she walks past Tirpitz META whose arms remain crossed.
"That little - I forgot how difficult I used to be....." Tirpitz META exhales deeply
Since she would be wasting her breath and words, even as a bodiless ghost, she just storms away and begrudgingly follows right behind Tirpitz.
"Do you want me to stay?"
After guiding Tirpitz back to her room, Victorious leans to the right and peaks inside Tirpitz's room.
"It's fine. I need some peace and quiet to clear my mind. Beside, I'm not your personal air conditioner, remember" Tirpitz quickly rejects her
"Tch!" Victorious snaps her fingers in dismay
"Go to sleep already. We have a mission tomorrow, you know"
".....Alright, but if you need anything, just come into my room or you could sleep there-"
"The air freshener smells too strong, so I have to refuse. Also, do you always spray perfume there?" Tirpitz rejects her offer again
"Fine! I'm going to sleep" Victorious cheeks flashes red in embarrassment and pouts her cheeks
The aircraft carrier marches off from the scene with her shoulders drop in defeat because of Tirpitz's tendency to be more picky than doting.
"......"
Just as Victorious reaches the end and turns to a corner, completely disappearing from her line of sight, Tirpitz heads inside her own room. Right after slowly closing it, she proceeds to double lock the door and staggers forward until she can feel herself losing balance. However, she presses her hand on the desk to force herself to stand upright rather than collapse and faint while the ghost is still right behind her.
"You know she's hiding something, right?" Tirpitz META raises an eyebrow
"......" Tirpitz keeps ignoring her"
"Victorious saw me possess you before, but she didn't tell you. She knows what happened between the other Victorious and I"
"Stop lying to make me vulnerable....." Tirpitz breathes heavily
"When you woke up after I took over, you saw her act strange - afraid of you and for you" Tirpitz META walks right to Tirpitz
"You're not stupid, Tirpitz. You knew something wasn't right ever since then, so you repeatedly tried to reassess your trust to her"
Tirpitz META grabs Tirpitz's cape and pulls her close until they're just a few inches from each other. Since Tirpitz has been ignoring her warnings and threads, the META one starts applying pressure on and preys on her denial this time.
As soon as Tirpitz META grabs Tirpitz's collar with a tight grip from both hands, the latter relieves the moment.
".....I just got scared when you got hurt.....because of me. Sometimes I wonder if what I'm doing is more harm than good....."
"......"
"I don't want to do something selfish believing it's for your sake because you'd hate me......"
"So you did see something....."
"I had a nightmare......where you hated me so bad you wouldn't forgive me. That hate was unbearable that no apology would suffice"
At first, Tirpitz pays no attention to it and brushes it off shortly after. Those words loom over her, a product of the deceased Tirpitz META's fragment being integrated in her wisdom cube.
"Even if she knows, Victorious isn't the same as yours"
"You confidently told her you'd die to protect her, but you couldn't give me a proper answer when her selfishness is taken into account" Tirpitz META removes her grip and raises both hands for a few seconds
"......" Tirpitz straightens herself
"That's because you don't know what to do. You lose your common sense when you're around her. It's the same reason I died twice"
"....."
"You're blind when it comes to Victorious, but none of that would matter once I get my hands on that traitor. Then, you would understand why I am the way I am"
Since Tirpitz would either reject or ignore her, Tirpitz falls tired of arguing with someone who's harder and colder than the ice she wields. She has confidence in the right moment that she narrows her eyes right before she turns away from Tirpitz.
I'll give you a reason for revenge. Perhaps the first emotion that would return to you.....would be unpleasant.....
......
No, perhaps it's already there.....
Tirpitz META disappears from Tirpitz's sight by dispersing into a mist of freezing air. She has no reason to speak it out loud to bid her time long enough for her warnings to be a hard slap of reality to Tirpitz.
The next day......
The fleet with Tirpitz and Victorious a part of it sails out in the open sea. Ever since last night, Victorious has been staring at Tirpitz's back ever since leaving port, and Alabama is quick to notice.
"Did you two fight or something?" Alabama whispers to her
"Tirpitz is going through something but the dummy won't tell me anything" Victorious puffs her cheeks
"That's Tirpitz for you. She never says anything or complains even when she's beaten badly" Alabama awkwardly laughs
"I saw her last night talking to no one, so I got worried that she might lose her mind"
"How about looking at you like she wants to kill you?" Alabama snaps her fingers
"What?"
"Ah, forget I said that. There's no way Tirpitz would try to end you" Alabama lightly smacks both of her cheeks
While their conversation continues, Tirpitz sneaks a glance at the two of them. She doesn't say anything, just observes them while focusing on the mission ahead.
"We might meet with Iron Blood at the target area. A fleet of theirs is also going to investigate the sea around the island" King George V reminds Tirpitz
"Clue for whoever attacked Bismarck?" Tirpitz focuses on the knight
"Yes. They're hellbent and relentless when Friedrich der Grosse pressured me into sharing more information" King George V twitches the side of her lips
"They haven't changed. Once they set their eyes on a target, they don't stop until it's dead or in their hands. It's difficult to shake them loose"
Tirpitz makes it sound like their determination is both a positive and negative trait with how "hardworking" she describes them.
"Hopefully this gets resolved before Bismarck wakes up"
"Huh? Why?" King George V tilts her head
"I just don't want her to try pursuing the culprit and get herself an unusual injury. There might not be s second chance"
"For her?"
".....for me"
Tirpitz briefly thinks about the actively listening ghost who's patiently sitting in one corner, but Tirpitz could feel her long and keen gaze from the corner of her mind. It's an unwelcoming sensation because the locked gaze is mildly distracting her from what's ahead.
"Victorious looked worried. She said something about you talking to yourself" King George V changes the topic
"She told you that? It's nothing worth noting" Tirpitz doesn't want to discuss it
"Just the other day, you were having an existential dread"
"......"
"Tirpitz, you either need a long vacation somewhere else or a therapy - maybe both!"
King George V's suggestion may appear to be out on a whim, but she's genuinely concerned about other kansens' wellbeing. As a knight, she makes keeping the fleet morally stable and abiding laws as an additional part of her duty too as a kansen.
"I could give you a counseling session after this mission-" King George V cheerfully suggests
"I'd rather take the vacation" Tirpitz doesn't waste time to refuse
"Too late! We're having that counseling session later"
"I don't have a say on this, do I?"
"Not at all!" King George V chuckles
"......"
King George V curves a confident smile across her face while Tirpitz makes no effort to protest or further complain knowing King George V would likely drag her to a room and chain her to a chair.
About twenty minutes later.....
The sun earlier loses its light with the thick clouds occupying the afternoon sky. More than the weather, King George V is more concerned at the Iron Blood fleet they supposedly encounter or at least contact. There's no communication at both ends and there's only a faint static noise.
"Something isn't right. The Iron Blood fleet couldn't be detected or even contacted"
King George V looks both left and right as she raises her guard at the slight instance or possibility of a foul play. She moves a bit further from the fleet, but cold meets prickles her skin and hinders their visibility.
"It's no good. I can't pick up anything with this weather. The windows are freezing, so it makes it near impossible to spot anything"
Indomitable approaches King George V and shakes her head in dismay. Her aircraft lowers their altitude and forms a straight line since she's making them land back to her flight deck.
"Same here. I can't find anything and my aircraft blades are getting jammed because it's suddenly freezing" Victorious approaches as well
Victorious does the same. Other than the freezing blades, the cold temperature is forming moisture on the aircraft windows and dressing the tip of the wings.
"This unusual weather hindering us is most certainly a trap and we just walked right into it" King George V immediately deduces
"By Iron Blood?" Indomitable frowns
"I don't think so. There's no motive to trap us here.....unless they got caught in the trap as well" King George V frowns
"The freezing air is restricting aircraft, so that's minus air superiority" Indomitable grunts
"Four battleships and two cruisers. The commander should have deducted one battleship and inserted a submarine instead" King George V massages her temples
"Commander has their reasons.....probably" Victorious nervously laughs
They continue to sail within the freezing trap slowly enclosing them where they could not get out or allow anyone to enter. A watchful eye has been tracking their movements, allowing for the predator to stalk its prey - reversing the role before they could notice.
"Nngh....." Tirpitz has difficulty breathing
"What's the matter?" Baltimore approaches her
"Something's not right. We shouldn't have waltzed here like nothing" Tirpitz clutches her chest
"What's wrong?"
"We're being watched"
Tirpitz begins to lose her speed with the air from her lungs gradually being restricted. As much as she forces her body to move or for any air to come out, her breathing grows unstable and her legs become numb. She falls on one knee, and Alabama supports her weight to stand back up.
"Is everything alright?" Littorio notices Tirpitz's current state
"Tirpitz feels suffocated all of a sudden" Alabama doesn't know what to do
"This is.....bad. We.....have to leave now....." Tirpitz forces herself to speak
"Huh? Why?" Littorio furrows her eyebrows
".......A......snow storm.....is coming...."
Tirpitz's consciousness is growing dim with the fragment inside her erratically reacting with the snowy wind forming a large dome around them.
"Aaaugh! It's her......that bitch.....is here!" Tirpitz META falls on her knees
The META immediately senses her other piece and Victorious META who wields it. Inexplicable pain becomes thorns coiling around her and causes her to let out incoherent grunts.
"Tirpitz!" Victorious rushes to her
"S-stay.....away....." Tirpitz stretches out her hand
Since the META is growing erratic from sensing Victorious META, Tirpitz knows the ghost would become violent and aggressive to the point she would get overwhelmed as well.
"Enemy fire!" San Diego shouts and points at the sky
The fleet quickly moves on their feet and moves away from where the rain of shells are about to land. Each hit causes large splashes in the water and briefly disturbs the waves around them.
"Tch! Victorious" Indomitable takes risks and launches her squadron
"Right!" Victorious follows her lead
There's little visibility even if the aircraft could still thread the faint snowy wind. Judging from the trajectory alone, the salvos are from a distance similar to a battleship's range.
"Enemy aircraft at three o clock! Anti-aircraft maneuvers!" King George V immediately relays the orders
"Another side as well!" Baltimore sees the other squadron
Two squadrons of aircraft from opposing sides try to corner them and force them to further scatter from each other.
"Kyaa!" San Diego covers her right side from the near miss of a dive bomber
San Diego may be a specialized anti aircraft cruiser, but it's difficult for her to defend from two squadrons of aircraft launched from a META. The aircraft themselves are faster and more durable that a single direct hit on the wing isn't enough to pierce it. Not just because of the armor but with the growing blizzard making her machine gun bullets more fragile and slower.
"I'll kill her. I have to kill her.....myself.....!" Tirpitz META is forcing control
In the inner world where there's nothing but snow, Tirpitz META is losing her composure from merely detecting Victorious META. She's being driven like a furious beast out for blood, something she could not control as a vengeful ghost.
"I won't let you stop me, Tirpitz!"
Tirpitz META targets Tirpitz first and lunges at her faster than she could blink. The latter couldn't defend herself from being grabbed by the neck and helplessly lifted a few inches off the ground.
"You.....you......" Tirpitz grabs the META's arm gripping her neck
In order to gain control by force out of impatience and madness, Tirpitz META squeezes Tirpitz's neck with her left hand. She doesn't even begin gently and immediately thinks of strangling her or breaking her neck.
"The enemy....isn't even here yet" Tirpitz keeps on struggling
"I had enough waiting. That traitor will die today!"
"Ggh...."
"It's pointless. By the time you wake up, both of those Victorious will die. That is if you wake up ever again"
"......" Tirpitz's hands fall on both sides
Those words alone are enough for Tirpitz to realize how the META lied at the beginning and crossed her the moment opportunity reveals itself. By the time, she notices her mistake, she's already moments from closing her eyes and stops breathing.
"She followed me....as soon as I went out......but this is fine.....because you invited her death!" Tirpitz META forces control
The synchronization amplifies the fragment holding Tirpitz META's consciousness, thus discarding the owner of the body and becomes the dominant ego. Her overwhelming thirst for revenge removes Tirpitz from being in control in mere moments even if there's a struggle earlier.
"I'll kill you this time. You won't escape me or force me back to sleep!"
Since Tirpitz META becomes the dominant ego, the blizzard around them is overwritten by her own ability as she's the entirety of consciousness. Tirpitz META's icy blue eyes glow brighter and freezing cracks form from her hands up to her neck.
Meanwhile......
Victorious META is quick to sense Tirpitz META's being active again. Although she faintly smiles, her face immediately displays a deep sorrow with grim on her eyes. Behind her is not only Hunter META but another META pointing a blade at the back of her neck.
"I just went away for a couple of weeks and you're screwing your best friend already" Ark Royal META clicks her tongue
"Calm down" Hunter META points her rifle at Ark Royal META
"I'm not calming down! You killed her twice and now she's a mad ghost possessing her past version" Ark Royal META shouts at the top of her lungs
"I can still save her" Victorious META turns around
"There's no fixing this. You risk one of them dying. If the normal Tirpitz gets overwhelmed, her mind will die and the META will own the body"
Ark Royal META doesn't like to meddle in the affairs of others, but she rushes wothit hesitation after learning the severity and impact. The level of desperation is more harmful than beneficial that she couldn't ignore.
"There is a way to save them both. You just have to trust me!" Victorious META defends herself
"Why are you taking her side, Hunter?"
".....It's stupid but possibly the only way to save both of them. Besides, she wouldn't mind dropping dead after she gets what she wants"
Hunter META shrugs her shoulders and turns her gaze on Victorious META on her second statement. If anything, Hunter META will go along with the whims as long as it doesn't escalate or involve her taking the hit again.
"All of this because of her first death? You couldn't accept it...." Ark Royal META grits her teeth
"How could I? Tirpitz wasn't supposed to die.....and I had no choice but to stop her myself"
"What makes you think you can save them? Tirpitz META is revived with revenge. She's a vicious monster that will self-destruct" Ark Royal META pities her desperation
"The hatred filling the gap I left her had clouded her memories. I don't know if she would forgive even if she could remember, but I want that Tirpitz back" Victorious META refuses to give up
"There's only one way to pacify a savage ghost, but it means bearing all those sins" Hunter META lowers her gun
"Tch!"
It takes a few seconds, but Ark Royal META couldn't cut open the throat of someone who would gladly give up her life just to accomplish her goal. The root of all of it is the haunting and stinging guilt born out of a single wish for a beloved friend.
"To go this far for Tirpitz....." Ark Royal META frowns in dismay
"If I didn't interfere, my past self would have made the same mistake as I did....and everything would repeat. I don't want to see that again" Victorious META shows her the fragment
"Victorious....."
"That's why please bear with me for a while"
Victorious META moves forward with the rapidly blinking fragment still floating centimeters from her palm.
"I will face Tirpitz myself. You don't need to interfere" Victorious META softly tells her
"........" Ark Royal isn't sure how to react
"Stopping her is impossible. Trust me. I tried.....more than once" Hunter META rests her rifle on her shoulder
"Even so, a wish this foolish.....will require a hefty price. There's only one way this will end" Ark Royal META twitches her lips
"Well, she wants to be put out of her misery once and for all" Hunter META shrugs her shoulders
"I'm not talking about her" Ark Royal META glances at the destroyer
"Oh....."
Hunter META widens her eyes with both eyebrows raised but immediately returns to her default serious expression with sharp killing intent. It's not for her to decide whether she should interfere or not considering Victorious META is adamant on taking the responsibility when dealing with Tirpitz META.