(Remaster) The Abyss Calls Out

Dread Riddled Omen

Omen Illusion
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Staring her down, they all slowly backed away with their guns aimed on her, Kirishima carrying Seattle's corpse as the Abyss Queen ever so slowly stalked towards them. Her Swordspear dragged along the ground, leaving a trail of darkened and destroyed concrete, the lightning itself arcing and frying anything nearby to a charcoal black color.

Everyone swallowed down their fear, all but Bismarck, who remained steadfast and strong. "Kirishima, take Seattle to the oceanfront. We'll hold her off, and hopefully take her down."

"B-But Bismarck, do you really think you can...you can take her out?" Kirishima was shaken up at the events that transpired, same as the rest.

Yes, Shipgirls have fallen in battle before, but their cubes have been retrieved and thus they've been resurrected good as new. Never have they had a target focus solely on killing them as efficiently as this...as deliberately as this.

The Abyss Queen looked Kirishima in the eyes, who flinched at her sudden interest. "Run along girl, you've learned your lesson today. Take your friend's corpse and go, I will not follow when one of you still needs to learn the truth."

Looking between all of them, she noticed every twitch of their muscles, every shaky breath, every minute detail to show fear or hesitation. Every girl present had the same anxiety, the same fear of death that Kirishima shared.

They all have seen false death come to them before, but none have experienced a true death of a comrade. Seattle, the first Shipgirl to truly die...it's horrific.

All...except her.

Locking eyes with the battleship still remaining, she narrowed her golden eyes and pointed her Swordspear at her. "Matter of fact, you can all leave free of pain and suffering...so long as Bismarck here stays."

"You wish to kill me, do you?" The woman huffed and readied her guns, holding her flagpole tight, it doubling as a Spear.

Then a dreadful sound rolled over them, as the Abyss Queen quietly chuckled. Her small smile and relaxed posture despite the current events didn't help the matter for the rest of them.

"You misunderstand Bismarck, your death isn't what I seek, not unless you don't wisen up to reality."

"To reality?"

"Yes." The Swordspear dropped to the floor again, resting there as the two continued their standoff. "You are a ferocious and powerful woman, having gone toe to toe against many threats and coming out victorious, much like a dear friend of yours did so many years ago."

"...You can not speak her name..."

The Queen's smile grew somewhat, a flash of teeth showing her growing enthusiasm. "Oh? Why is that? Are you ashamed of what you've done? What you caused? Who you ruined?"

"Shut up..."

"You always looked up to that girl, and then, once your ambitions and power grew to their height, you believed yourself above even her. Sure, you could say you were in the proper form there, you may even be in the right, but does that really justify the result?"

"You have no clue what happened that day!" Her grip on the spear tightened, and for once, they all began to see Bismarck grow angry.

Yet the Queen was unbothered by it. "I have all the information I need about that event, everything from your assaulting, to your accusations against her...and even now, you hold your shame at face value, I can see it."

Pulling the Swordspear up once again, she tapped the pole end into the floor, the fires and noises of the crumbling city ceasing for them all. Another echoing tap, one that rung on for seemingly ages that sent even more primal fear through the girls...and Bismarck stays undeterred.