Lost at Sea and in Another World

Cornered Chess piece

Bismarck is playing a dangerous game.......

Several screens floating midair display locations of different factions. The one Arbiter VIII: Strength focuses is a view of Iron Blood's port where several kansens are oblivious to being spied on without difficulty. The source of the unhindered view is currently playing a slow and steady game of chess with the Siren Purifier. The latter may be a battle maniac and unhinged most of the time, but she's still a Siren more intelligent than a regular human.

"You're playing the long game, aren't you? I mean you're not someone who would wait for six months just like that" Purifier grabs the tip of the white pawn
"I have six months to officially test Bismarck. This is but a prologue or warm-up" Welt gently presses her index finger on top of her black king
"Hahaha! That's right. You don't particularly care about anyone's lives because this is just another timeline to you"
"Correct. Even if this timeline flourishes, it would get pruned like the rest. You wouldn't let what you planted grow past than intended, would you?" Welt chuckles

The Siren controls the white chess pieces while the Leviathan controls the black side. She lightly tips the the black king left and right, toying with a somewhat sadistic smile on her lips. It's her view on Bismarck as nothing but a piece as well despite holding a crucial role because it's just a game after all. Welt would move the pieces as she please and think nothing of the result. At the end of the day, she would gather the chess pieces and stuff them back inside the board.

"So that's why you have your eyes on the lonely queen of the north. You need someone who could bait Bismarck like a carrot on a stick" The Siren Purifier grabs the white queen piece
"The Bismarck here is still young and arrogant. She hasn't become solemn and accepting like that other version of her"
"Eh? Didn't that one become a coward? She discarded her pride and stopped struggling" The Siren Purifier pouts her mouth

In the Siren's eyes, the alternate version of Iron Blood's Bismarck is apparently boring and disappointing. Welt neither agrees nor disagrees with the Purifier's perspective. She has no grudge or any for animosity towards Bismarck - just curiosity towards her.

"What's the point of toying with Iron Blood? I know you have other motives" Strength turns to face the two
"Have you ever met a teenage Enterprise going through a phase?" Welt moves away her finger from the chess piece
"No"
"Good" Welt cheerfully smirks
"......" The two Sirens look at each other in genuine confusion
"That's a topic for another day. My focus right now is towards Tirpitz - both the dead end one and the current one"

Welt, the girl wearing a loose lab coat hanging by her shoulders, turns her focused gaze on two screens beside each other. The left one displays a live feed of Tyrant observing mass-produced Sirens with her usual uninterested stare while the right one is Tirpitz appearing be with the Akatsuki class destroyers.

"Some of the Royal navy are planning to corner Tyrant since she's focused on Iron Blood" Strength informs Welt
"Can they though? Victorious is the only one she wouldn't even scratch, right?" Purifier sways her head left and right
"Exactly"
"Ah.....hahaha! They're going to use Victorious as bait again to prevent her from fighting back?"

The Siren Purifier bursts out laughing that she smashes the chessboard and sends the pieces tumbling down and flying out of the table.

"Tyrant is still emotional, so she's easy to read. Take Victorious out of the picture and she wouldn't still go all out" Welt rests her head on her left hand
"She wasn't supposed to first attack Iron Blood early. That was out of her impatience to vent her frustrations on Bismarck" Strength points out
"Is it really the right decision to lend Tyrant a bit of power. When she first attacked Iron. Blood, half of her body got nearly covered by black crystals. If Tyrant didn't have her borrowed META, she would have lost limbs and crystallized like those Abyssals"