"Still no sign of enemy?" The communicator buzzed, it was Noir's voice.

"Negative, Volga's recon plane didn't detected any signal from the enemy." I replied using the communicator. 

A huge sigh was heard from the communicator, it was Helena. "I hope nothing bad happened on our way, Commander Noir, i will increase the area of our detection signal, but it will also increase the chance we could be found out, will that be okay?" 

"You have my approval, please increase the area of detection, Greynar?" Noir waiting for Greynar approval. "You may increase it, we will have a crossfire sooner or later anyway." Greynar nodded.

"Affirmative, increasing signal frequency detection."

Before Helena could increase our signal range, our fleets found something.

"Noir! I found something the enemy is heading toward us!" Greynar who is on the frontline got a signal in his 12 o'clock, it was the Iron Blood ship.

"Then prepare to intercept them." Noir commanded.

"Aye aye captain." 

I commanded the fleet to aim their weapon to the enemy, Aurora and Volga was standby and take precaution around my area.

"Commander! A torpedo by the torpedo bomber is spotted on our 2 o'clock!" Aurora warned me. 

"Shit... Take evasive maneuver!" Greynar commanded the fleets to dodge the torpedoes.

"Commander! several fighter plane has been spotted on my radar, my recon plane has been destroyed." Volga interject.

"Intercept them, prepare the Anti-Air weapons, fire!" 

Greynar's fleet encountered the enemy while waiting for the time to prepare their counterattack, Aurora swiftly dodged the incoming torpedo and destroyed one of the torpedo near the command fleet, Volga who was behind the command started sending out several fighter planes. The mass produced ship started gunning down the dive bomber plane and send out several volley to enemy's mass produced ship. 

Greynar looked at his watch. "It's time to prepare an attack! Lead them to the fixed position!" 

I commanded the mass produced to be my shield and move forward to the enemy location, it was a basically suicide attempt to break off their formation but its currently the best tactics against the enemy. Not once i have thoughts about dying in here so i braced myself for the incoming volley by the enemy. Thankfully it didn't hit the command fleets and only grazed it.

"Noir, we will breakthrough the enemy formation, get ready to fire off the volleys." Greynar turned on the communicating device

"...Noir? Noir? Fuck, we have been jammed." Greynar throw the communicator.

The communicator was filled with noises that i couldn't hear or comprehend, but it managed to not disconnected from our radio frequency, a swirling noises was heard and a faint sound was heard.

"...Are you the new recruitment of Azur Lane." A static voice come from the communicating device, a female voice could be heard.

"Yes, i am the recruitment you have been hearing about, and you are the Bismarck i assume?" I speak with a dignified voice.

"Indeed, I am the Iron Blood battleship entrusted with the name Bismarck, it seems this will be not the last time we will cross path." Bismarck replied to me.

"I assure you that i will survive this ordeal, you will meet me once again in the future."

"Very well, then we will let you bear as the witness to the birth of a new Iron Blood."

Bismarck cut off our connection and forcefully connected it to the Iron Blood's.

"Attention, all Iron Blood personnel! We have let many fine opportunities slip by us, and we have been subjugated to bitter experience after bitter experience. But now our rigorous trials have ended, and it is time to show the world the strength of our resolve! The unyielding soldier shall never know true failure! And the truth lies only within the range of our cannons! From this point onwards, we will pay no heed to deception, debate, and other such cheap parlor tricks! We shall expand our lands with the might of our black iron and the courage of our crimson blood! This is the principle on which the Iron Blood fleet and the Crimson Axis will survive! Victory to us! Long live Iron Blood!"

""Victory to us!"" 

""Long live Iron Blood!""

This is indeed one of Bismarck's charm, the charm as a leader, and the dignify to command, i was taken aback by her speech, but before long, the enemy opened fire faster than we could react, several of the mass produced ship has sunken, the command fleet took a graze but it didn't got hit. We are still speeding into the enemy formation while counterattacking the mass produced ships. I could see Bismarck's figure in front, she didn't open fire but im still being cautious while maintaining eye contact to her, she didn't seem to be fazed by our attack. 

'If she open fire, we're done for, her bullet is powerful enough to one hit some of our ship into oblivion'

"Commander, Prinz Eugen is spotted with Admiral Hipper." Aurora warned me. 

"Let's stall for the time, we'll take countermeasure for them." I commanded several ship to attack Prinz Eugen and Admiral Hipper. 

We managed to get closer to the enemy formation around 400-metres distance. Close enough for the enemy to scattered their ship left and right and break off their formation. Bismarck standing still and decided to aim her weapon at us. 

"Oh fuck, Volga! Distract Bismarck with your dive bomber!" Greynar shouted.

"On it!" 

A dive bomber appeared above Bismarck and dropped a few cluster bomb around Bismarck, just to explode in the middle of air, the smoke was covering Bismarck, she was found unharmed after the smoke disappeared.

'They got a barrier!? No it wasn't a barrier, what was that, Iron Blood recent technology?'

"Open fire to Bismarck!" Greynar commanded.

The mass produced ship fired their weapon to Bismarck, but its also exploded mid way and Bismarck is unharmed. 

'There is something that prevent our bullets to pierce through, we need to find the source of it'

"Commander, i detected some kind of device under the sea, it might be the reason why Bismarck is unharmed, there might be a submarine underwater too." Aurora speaking directly to the communicator.

"It must be a new device made by the Iron Blood, Aurora get ready for your anti submarine warfare." Greynar commanded.

"Yes! Preparing the ASW"

Thanks to Akashi, we got anti submarine weapon on time to take precaution against Iron Blood's underwater wolfpack formation.

Aurora launched the ASW mine underwater and it exploded, creating a sudden eruption and a hint of voice which mean that we destroyed the device and injured their submarine. Bismarck noticed that the device has been destroyed from underwater and starting to move to the mass produced fleets. Several shipgirls also moved according Bismarck command left and right in a way we couldn't guess, they surrounded us left and right, we stopped our movement and begin to make The Orb¹ The orb is a defensive postition in the shape of a circle taken by a unit in desperate straits. It allows for a reasonably effective defence even if parts of an army have been divided in battle and would have required a very high level discipline by the individual soldiers using mass produced ship as the shield. They begin to aim our fleet as they scattered around and fired their weapon.

"Everyone! Take cover!" I warned everyone throughout the area, a barrage of firepower rained upon us.