Approaching the battleship Jean Bart, Massachusetts scattered the fleets around the area to deal with other enemies. Cleveland decided to follow Massachusetts—she was worried about the planes that could disrupt her fight, but her anti-aircraft capabilities were strong enough to repel any plane in the sky.
Jean Bart silently surveyed the battlefield, noting the balance of power between allies and enemies. However, her fleet clearly outnumbered the enemy. Suddenly, Jean Bart deftly dodged an attack aimed at her, only to find Massachusetts approaching. As the battleship drew near, they exchanged a silent, intense stare.
Jean Bart was the one who broke the silence. "So, you've finally returned... Invaders!"
"Don't be ridiculous, Jean Bart! We're just here to recover what was taken by the Crimson Axis! We don't have to fight anymore!" Cleveland appeared, rejecting the notion.
"Recover? Haha... Are you saying that because you believe it yourself, or are you saying it for us? We won't be deceived again by your hypocritical little alliance. We shall be the ones to protect our homeland!" Jean Bart declared defiantly, she aimed her rigging at them.
Cleveland's expression shifted to one of bewilderment as she struggled to find the right words. "Look," she began, her voice tinged with frustration, "I'm telling you, nobody here has any intention of occupying your land. We're here to help, not to conque-."
"Shush," Massachusetts silenced Cleveland with a stern look, then turned her gaze to Jean Bart. "There's no point in trying to reason with these brainwashed zealots."
Jean Bart fixed her gaze on Massachusetts. "You, the battleship over there... South Dakota-class, huh? I've heard you're the strongest battleship on that side of the ocean."
"Indeed," Massachusetts replied with a hint of pride. "As the flagship of Task Force 34 and the illustrious third vessel of the South Dakota-class, Massachusetts, I'm not one to be taken lightly. Though your acknowledgment flatters me, it won't sway the outcome of this battle. Prepare yourself, Jean Bart, for I must fulfill my duty."
"Hmph." Jean Bart grunted, her gaze dropping momentarily. " This is but an opportunity from God. If I defeat "the world's strongest," then perhaps Richelieu..." Her voice trailed off, a hint of longing in her tone.
"Enough with the banter," Massachusetts interjected sharply. "I have a message for you from the Commander." With a swift motion, she tossed a small cubic device to Jean Bart, its design reminiscent of Royal Navy's communication devices.
Jean Bart caught the device, examining it curiously. "What is this?" With a touch to the button on the top of the cubic device, it activated, projecting someone's face in front of her.
The figure displayed before her was indeed Greynar, the current Commander of Azur Lane. His voice echoed through the device. [Greetings, battleship of Vichya Dominion, Jean Bart.]
"So this soft-looking guy is the Commander?" Jean Bart mused, studying the image projected before her as she listened to the message in silence.
[Apologies for the abrupt message. We urgently request a ceasefire for the time being. The global situation with the Crimson Axis and the Sirens has reached a critical point, and we cannot afford to provoke further conflict. Additionally, concerning the recent altercation involving the Royal Navy, I can arrange a meeting between you and Queen Elizabeth. Richelieu will also present, i can arrange a meeting between you three.] Greynar's voice echoed from the device, his tone carrying a sense of urgency and concern.
"Sister..." Jean Bart murmured softly, her voice barely audible amidst the tension of the moment.
[If I may be candid, this conflict between allies serves no purpose but to breed more pain and suffering. I implore you to consider my words earnestly. We hope for cooperation, but if that is not forthcoming, we will be left with no choice but to compel it.] Greynar's voice echoed solemnly through the communication device.
The holographic recording ended, and Jean Bart silently crushed the cubic device in her hand. "The Commander is no different... Just as naive," she muttered, her tone tinged with disdain. She turned to Massachusetts with a steely gaze. "I have no obligation to heed his whims. I won't be swayed by anyone's orders!"
Massachusetts sighed, "There you have it, Commander," she muttered quietly.
Cleveland promptly moved to the backline of the fleet as both battleships prepared to engage each other. The silent standoff ended when Jean Bart began to advance.
"Come at me! Jean Bart, second ship of the Richelieu-class battleships, shall face you!" She began firing her turret.
Dodging the salvo, Massachusetts surged towards Jean Bart at full throttle. She attempted to strike her with her rigging, but Jean Bart skillfully deflected the attack with her flag. In response, Jean Bart thrust the tip of her flag at Massachusetts, who retaliated by opening fire on her.
Taking a step back, Massachusetts swiftly deployed her anchor, aiming to ensnare Jean Bart's leg and pull her from her rigging. However, Jean Bart reacted quickly, delivering a powerful swing to the chain of the anchor, shattering it and freeing herself from its grasp. However, it wasn't without a scratch that Jean Bart slightly bruished her leg.
The Eagle Union battleship withdrew her anchor and unleashed another barrage of salvo toward Jean Bart. Reacting swiftly, Jean Bart deployed her rigging in front of her to shield herself from the onslaught. Using her trusty shield turret, she defended against Massachusetts' salvo and retaliated with a barrage of her own.
Both girl was locked in an intense battle as no one could interupt their action. Meanwhile, Renown was still stuck at fighting against several battleship against her own. It was strange for her that the mass-produced battleships she was dealing right now is a tough one in defense and offense wise. She was curious how did they manage to develop them in short amount of time. Her salvo, aimed at the mass-produced battleships, was swiftly nullified by a force field surrounding the enemy vessels.
All of Renown's attacks were deflected by the enemy ships, and to her dismay, their counterattacks overwhelmed her effortlessly.
"This is a tough one." Renown said, wiping a blood on her mouth. "Are there any possible reason that the ships are tough?" Looking at the distance, she could see that two girl was locked in a fierce battle. "Jean Bart... Her flag is not an ordinary one."
As Jean Bart pursued Massachusetts, relentlessly attacking her, a splash of water obscured her vision momentarily. In that moment, she managed to target one of Massachusetts' turrets, causing it to explode. However, when she attempted to fire her other turret, it only managed to move and couldn't unleash its weapon.
With a slight opportunity granted, Massachusetts utilized her other rigging turret and launched an attack at Jean Bart. However, in that crucial moment, a fighter plane began firing at her as it swiftly approached the Eagle Union girl. Another plane was also seen flying above her, but she identified it as one of their ally planes. Ranger was controlling the plane from a distance, assisting her. Cleveland apologized for her mistake, admitting that a plane had slipped past her detection range.
Massachusetts thanked Ranger and quickly used her anchor to try to pull Jean Bart towards her. However, Jean Bart managed to evade the attack just in time. Despite her efforts, another anchor swiftly latched onto her rigging, preventing her from escaping.
"Ugghh... This anchor..." Jean Bart grunted, struggling to break free from its grip.
"Please just cooperate with us." Massachusetts slowly walking to her.
"Never! Air support! Attack the battleship!" Jean Bart commanded.
As she issued a command, hundreds of fighter planes appeared on the horizon, forming a formidable swarm. Massachusetts widened her eyes in disbelief as the entire fleet aimed their attacks towards her. Ranger attempted to intercept the enemy planes, but the combined attack overwhelmed her own, leaving Massachusetts vulnerable to the onslaught.
"Tch... You're desperate," Massachusetts grunted.
She released Jean Bart and backed away from the location as Jean Bart recovered from the damage she had sustained. Massachusetts then joined Cleveland as they defended each other from the swarm of planes. Both shipgirls found themselves in a tight spot.
"Massachusetts! Cleveland! Follow my lead!" A figure sped past them, using her high-speed movement to blitz through the swarm of planes.
"Renown!?" Cleveland exclaimed, surprised by the Royal Navy battlecruiser's bold move into the swarm. "What are you doing!?"
"Let's just go Cleveland, she knows something we don't." Massachusetts immediately followed the Royal Navy girl behind.
"Ah jeez... We gotta make this quick, then. Anti-air weapons, attack!" Cleveland commanded as she aimed her anti-aircraft guns at the enemy planes and opened fire.
The three shipgirls deftly avoided the dive bomber planes as Renown charged ahead as a vanguard, skillfully parrying a torpedo with her sword. With determination in her eyes, she surged forward at Jean Bart with full speed, simultaneously unleashing a barrage of fire from her rigging turret. Despite Jean Bart's attempt to thrust her flag at Renown, it was too late as Renown closed the distance between them.
Renown turned back and shouted. "Now! Fire your weapon to her flag!"
"You will never destroy our symbol!!!" Jean Bart retorted defiantly, attempting another thrust with her flag, only to be skillfully parried once more by Renown. "Guugghhh... NOOoooo...!" Her cry echoed in defeat as her last desperate effort was thwarted.
With determination, Massachusetts aimed her rigging precisely at the pole and fired her gun towards it. The flag shattered into pieces immediately, rendering the mass-produced ship vulnerable as the forcefield disabled. The ember that was burning fiercely, slowly fading away from Jean Bart's eyes.
"Why... Why are you hypocritical bastards trampling our home once more... Don't you feel ashamed of what you did?!" Tears began to flow from her eyes. "Why?! Why was my construction never finished?! Why only Richelieu... The only one..." She slowly turned her head down, consumed by a wave of despair and confusion.
Massachusetts glanced at the turret she never deploy in the fight. "That second battery... Did you hold back this whole time?"
In the midst of the roaring chaos of battle, she stood in stoic silence, a figure of unwavering determination amidst the tempest of destruction. The sea of flames swirling around them lent an otherworldly aura to the scene, as if they stood at the precipice of a realm between heaven and hell, where every moment hung in a delicate balance between triumph and tragedy.
A faint chuckle escaped Jean Bart's lips. "Perhaps... they never intended to complete my construction from the start," she mused quietly, a hint of resignation mingling with the glint of determination in her eyes. "Perhaps the Crimson Axis thought that having yet another battleship would be like having a puppet. Perhaps that was what they were thinking all along." She recalled everything back before the split of Iris Orthodoxy.
Renown looked at her with pity. "Jean Bart..."
"I had hoped that the power of the Sirens would allow me to assume a completed form, but in that end, that too was futile." She keeps continuing. "Heh, how ironic. The country split apart because I was trying to protect it." She closed her eyes with a faint smile. "I tried so hard to catch up to the person most dear to me that I ended up betraying her... How laughable..."
She had striven so diligently, placing her love for her country and her sister above all else. Firm in her convictions, she stood resolute, only to find herself betrayed by her own actions, a bitter irony that weighed heavily upon her. Jean Bart, the Richelieu-class battleship could only let out a hollow laugh. Everything she does, never worked in her direction. Her own ally used her country as a puppet, her own people died fighting an impossible war. It was the time where the sole battleship realized, the only thing she need to do was to put faith on what she believe was right.
As minutes has passed, a sudden communication connection was made.
[Attention, all members of the Vichya fleet. This is an important message from the Holy See. The Iron Blood has launched an attack on the Holy See. The headquarters has fallen. I repeat, the headquarters has fallen. As of now, the Vichya Dominion has been dissolved. All former Vichya ships are to join the Azur Lane Alliance Fleet, effective immediately. May the gifts of the Father be with you, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.] With that announcement, the communcation channel was cut.
"So this is it." Jean Bart snorted. "Dying on this battlefield. This is what i choose to do." She raised her head and looked at Renown. "Honestly, I envy you. You have such a strong country, capable of producing such strong cannons and hulls... If I could also... be like that... one day..." She looked up into the sky with a smile. "Maybe i can catch up to her."
"Jean Bart..." Renown reached out as if to touch her shoulder, but Jean Bart pulled away.
"Don't," she shook her head, with a firm voice. "I don't need your comfort."
Renown stepped back, "Let's retreat everybody..." She ordered everyone in the area using her comms channel.
Leaving only both battleship who just had a fierce fight, Massachusetts spoke to her. "When the war is over, you'll surely be completed. We'll settle our score then."
Jean Bart glanced at Massachussets and smiled. "Even a rotten Eagle like you can speak with some chivalry, eh..."
The dark skinned woman took a slight chuckled. "Is that so? We call that talkin' like a cowboy."
'Unexpectedly... there's one more person who I want to overcome... We're surprisingly similar...' Jean Bart thought to herself.
"So... Please survive until the end, i will await that day, when we fight. Farewell, Jean Bart of Vichya Dominion. May we see each other again." Massachusetts retreated back as the battle between them ended at her victory.
"Sure. I'm also looking forward to that day..." Jean Bart silently muttered.
As she raised her head to the horizon, she sees the Siren ships that they borrow from Iron Blood. With a shot of hatred she commanded every ship to change their target and to destroy the mass-produced Siren fleets. Standing tall, Jean Bart hereby announce to every Vichya ships.
{Jean Bart, flagship of the rightful Vichya Dominion, decrees to all ships in the Méditerranée... Casablanca has fallen! The pagans now bare their fangs at the heart of our motherland! The Iron Blood seeks to violate our lands, and the so-called Allies seek to drink our blood. Even the traitors at the Holy See seek to sell out Vichya Dominion for cheap trinkets! While I draw breath, I will never permit this to pass! Remember what happened at Kébir! The Azur Lane already made their intentions clear to us with what they did to Dunkerque and the others. While I draw breath, I will never allow us to bow before such hypocrites! The Vichya Dominion is about to draw its last breath, surrounded by vultures ready to devour us. But what of it? The proud Templar Knights shall never bow their heads! So that we may never become puppets, I hereby order all of you to sink! All things mortal must come to an end, but there is no need for sorrow. This is the cycle of life, and we shall become one without lies or hypocrisy. Perhaps in a distant dawn, I shall wake up once more in a different form. Despite that, blessed be God's name. Thank you for granting me a life in service of this splendid country. Thank you for granting me a life of happiness. And thank you for welcoming me into the seas of Heaven. Blessed be the successors of the true Iris Orthodoxy. The Vichya Dominion represents the justice, passion, and love of the Iris Orthodoxy. May you all be blessed by Heavenly Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Second flagship of the Vichya... no, of Iris... Jean Bart...}
"...And with this we're even... I was able to honor the pact that we made with the Royal Navy in the past... to not be used by the Iron Blood, to not become a hue in the Crimson Axis..." Jean Bart falls down her rigging.
The girl slowly descending from the surface of water as she closed her eyes.
'Maybe she was right... I betrayed myself and the people who put trust in my name. I already tarnished my noble name, Jean Bart... If i can get a second chance... Maybe i will do better than this.'
Slowly but surely, the ship that had fought tirelessly for the sake of her faith and beliefs began to sink deeper into the ocean's embrace.
