Azur Lane: Konvergenz

Chapter 19: Exposition

Similar to how the Azur Lane went along with their preparations, so too did the Crimson Axis. After the cascade of recent events came to a climax, the Iron Blood specifically came into hot water.

Bismarck, the very flagship of the formidable Iron Blood, found herself facing many predicaments – many of which caused her headaches.

The Crimson Axis, as a whole, needs to maintain stability among the factions it consists of. The entire purpose of this alliance was to strengthen bonds, to be able to protect each other – with the Iron Blood at the very center of it. And yet, Bismarck noticed the Iron Blood's reputation slightly dropping among Crimson Axis allies – especially thanks to a certain frigate proving to be a thorn in her side.

How could you let this happen?
The Sardegna Empire asked.
Taranto has suddenly gone up in flames one night – and you mean to tell us that this was at the hands of a single frigate?

Why have you neglected your allies in favor of striking the Azur Lane?
The Vichya Dominion complained.
How do you plan to wage war if you are unable to even defend your own home?

Bismarck, a feared kansen at the very top of her nation, was highly bothered by these accusations. If she took the coward's path, she would just tell them that they themselves failed at defending their ports. They failed to catch a single small Azur Lane fleet, underestimating their threat – especially with Hessen present – and thus paid the price by two of their ports being rendered unusable and many of their kansen being sunk.

Bismarck, however, was no coward. These incidents were a 'wake-up call' for the battleship – realizing that she had blinded herself with the threat the Azur Lane posed, resulting in her neglecting of her allies. To be precise, not the threat of the Azur Lane had blinded her – but the threat which Hessen posed, specifically.

Every time the name of that damn frigate came up, Bismarck got visibly annoyed. Since the moment that frigate arrived out of nowhere and began participating in the war, the situation began heading downhill for the Crimson Axis.

It was Hessen who helped defend the base of the Azur Lane, preventing a swift victory. It was Hessen who helped inflict defeat after defeat onto the Crimson Axis. Helped infiltrating the Sakura Empire. Helped causing massive amounts of damage for all factions of the Crimson Axis, with the newest action being the destruction of Taranto and Brest.

Out of everything named, nothing angered Bismarck more than seeing her own home destroyed – as the Iron Blood received their fair share of Hessen-inflicted destruction as well.

It was Hessen who attacked her home and caused massive amounts of damage to the Iron Blood's biggest Port – Hamburg.

And every time she suffered damage – every time Bismarck had hoped that Hessen had been finally taken out or put out of action for a long while – she returned like a cockroach, proceeding to inflict even more destruction. It appeared that any damage inflicted on that enemy frigate came at the price of multiple allied kansen losses.

Thanks to this, the Iron Blood's submarine fleet was now a shadow of its former self, having lost over half of its kansen submarines – including U-556.

Oh, how Bismarck mourned the loss of the Parzival of the Seas. That little submarine promised to always be at her side... and yet, Bismarck failed to do the same.

"Are you lost in your thoughts again?"
The familiar voice of Prinz Eugen rang out next to her.
"Tell me, what has the fearsome leader of the Iron Blood cooked up this time?"

Bismarck did not even raise an eyebrow to that teasing tone Prinz Eugen usually displayed.
"Oh. Greetings, Eugen. I suppose your appearance here means you have news to share?"