Chapter 100 - Truth Unveiled

(Sorry, I forgot to set this one up for auto release.)

Few days later, Agent returned to Adam with the results of her investigation. Naturally, she discovered who was manipulating everything behind the scenes.

"So, you are telling me there is a group of people that worship the Siren? And they are the ones stirring up all this trouble?" Adam honestly felt baffled. Humans worshiping Siren?

"Yes. However it is not that simple. On the outside, it is just a doomsday cult. But the cult is just a cover for a secret organization that aspires for a new world order. They wished to destroy the old world and create a new one with them standing on the top."

Adam massages his forehead listening to Agent's report. He felt like he shouldn't be surprised that it's always humans that try to destroy the world. Siren? Nah, no need. They human themselves will destroy the world with their own hands before the Siren could.

"So, do you think you can eliminate them all?" Adam wonders, wishing she said yes so he can focus on resolving the shits they stirred up.

The whole world is literally gearing towards World War 3 at this moment. With tension growing high between Anti KANSEN nations and Pro KANSEN nations.

Unfortunately, the Pro KANSEN nations are very little in number and mostly weak with subpar military power. They are mostly the archipelago nations in Southeast Asia along with Australia and New Zealand. These nations are under threat of Siren and they are incapable of protecting themselves so they all begged Adam to join the Azur Lane as auxiliary members and promised many things as long as he protects them. Basically like vassals.

These auxiliary members were useless and didn't have anything to contribute other than manpower which was in low demand due to Adam using mechs to fill all the manpower. But what options does he have? He must make sure humanity survives. So, he had no choice but to protect these nations even if they are dead weight.

To make these dead weights at least useful, he forced them to agree to form a federation to form a centralized government and let them work for him like managing the deep sea mining and manufacturing simple weapons and ammunitions which help stimulate back their economy and free up his production queue to focus on manufacturing more important things like TSF for example instead of missiles.

"Yes, it is possible. However, it would cause chaos and possibly even accelerate the war if we do. Majority of these secret organization members occupied high governmental positions and mainly the military. The moment we act, they will use this as an excuse and start a war. Unless we can eliminate them all in one swoop, avoiding the fallout is impossible. Even if we did, they might already have contingency plans in place that will pin all the crimes on us." Agent explained everything she knew and even added her.

Adam is stumped. The war looks impossible to avoid. If he does nothing, he is just delaying the inevitable as the tension will soon reach its tipping point and explode, starting the war. If he eliminates the organization behind the scene, they leave behind contingency plans that ensure the war will still happen with or without them. To try and reduce the tension without eliminating the instigator is futile especially with the runaway Queen of England still trying to start a war to reclaim her throne.

Naturally, Adam is going for the second option. Regardless of everything, removing the organization should be his priority so they cannot continue to stir up troubles. Even if he had to paint the image of Azur Lane as a warmonger, he still had to prioritize the survival of humanity which is to avoid the World War no matter the cost. However, he is still inadequately prepared to eliminate the organization and coerce the rest of the world to not go into war.

"For now… eliminate the Queen before anyone can use her to start a war." Adam ordered. "Also, make sure it cannot trace back to us."

"As you willed, Master." Agent nodded before she left again after just recently returning.

As for Adam, he is still nursing his head that felt like he just grinded to halt with the numerous thoughts going through his mind.

"My focus should be mass producing TSF." He mutters and he wonders how he can achieve that.

The 3D Printer can make them but it's slow which is why he rather create a manufacturing plant for the Mechs instead of manufacturing it using 3D Printer. To mass produce TSF, he first needs the production line that he has to make from scratch. Also, due to time constraints. He has to do it in a Contract World where time flows twice as fast than the Main World.

———

It had been five days since Nagato met Adam and received the familiar wooden comb. Ever since then, she has been receiving weird dreams where she meets people from another world. Her older sister Yamato, Shinano and herself.

Today, it was such an instance again.

She fell asleep and woke up under the Sacred Sakura tree that stood above a sea of still water that reflects the starry sky above.

"We will meet again." The other Nagato greeted her.

Nagato glanced at her other self that looked identical in physical appearance. However, she dressed in all black, a black kimono with ominous black and purple rigging that projected the image of death.

Nagato silently observes as she is unsure how to react. She had long realized this is not a simple dream since a dream isn't something she is supposed to remember unlike these visions.

"A silent treatment today as well? Not that I mind. My role is simply a messenger." Nagato META said while stroking the chin of her divine fox that poke its head next to her head.

"So, where were we last time… Ah, right. The beginning of the tragedy. The moment when we foolishly defeated the Siren and removed the only seal that is protecting our reality from the Evil God." Nagato META begin telling her story while inviting Nagato to sit around the table that magically appears along with a tea set filled with freshly brewed tea.

"We were too drunk in our victory to remember the warning a visitor from another reality had given us. We celebrate and forget that the enemy we had been fighting against all this time were actually our allies and the true enemy had yet to come." She said and gratefully poured tea for Nagato before herself.

"None of us could have predicted it. How weak we truly were against our true enemy. The terrible monster that destroyed the original timeline was nothing but a speck of its true strength. However, it is not our enemy that caused our eventual defeat."

Nagato widens her eyes as her interest is piqued. If it's not the said enemy that defeated the Azur Lane. Then what could possibly defeat the powerful alliance which united all the KANSEN factions?

The lips of the other Nagato curved up briefly as she had successfully caught the interest of the one listening to her story.

"None of us could have expected this outcome." She said with a sorrowful look. "Do you remember what is the reason the other factions are willing to bind themselves to the Azur Lane?"

Nagato is interested and thus, tries her best to answer so she can continue to listen to the story.

"The Commander?" Nagato recalled the story that her other self talked about two days ago about how the Commander had resolved numerous mirror sea incidents that popped up around the world that are fragments of space and time from other timelines.

"Yes. The Commander is the reason why other Factions are willing to ally themselves to Azur Lane. Either out of debt or out of love." Nagato META said with a wistful smile as if remembering sweet memories from the past long gone.

"We discovered later that the Commander vanished the exact time when we shattered the Siren device that is manipulating our timeline but also protected it from the Evil God."

"No matter how hard we try and no matter what we do. Reaching him is no longer possible. Many of us went mad from despair. Myself included." She whispers as the black divine fox snuggle its head on Nagato META as if trying to comfort her.

"Thank you." She said to her fox and gently caressing its head while she continued to talk.

"Many drove themselves into destruction in pursuit of searching for our Commander and we abandoned our duty." She said with regret and a hint of anger.

"The humanity were left alone to defend themselves against the minions of the Evil God. It wasn't until nearly all of humanity was killed that we realized our mistake."

"The Eagle was the first to realize that and dedicated themselves to protecting humanity. However, by then it was already too late. We squandered their trust and we only returned when it was already hopeless."

"Without a purpose left and faced with the reality that our Commander is no longer reachable. Many that were initially hopeful and optimistic also fell into madness and despair as we embraced the power of the Evil God. We blamed each other for mistakes none of us made. We fight and kill each other in that hell of ruins and ashes, to fight for the silver of hope to gain his redemption. An illusion we deluded ourselves in to make us feel a little less guilty."

Nagato was speechless. She couldn't really imagine most of what was told to her. The previous stories up until now were never that heavy even if none of them were light-hearted either. It makes her become even more curious to listen.

"To prevent the same mistake. We wanted to entrust you with our hope. My hope. So that the same mistake will not happen again." Nagato META said before she bowed her head down to Nagato. "I beg of you. Please reach that conclusion that none of us are worthy of."

Nagato was presented with a ring. A brilliantly shining platinum ring with a six-pointed star shaped diamond placed inside a weathered blue box with all the engraving and letters faded. She could see the finer detail on the ring. On the inside, engraved a name that read 'Nagato'. It's her own name.

Nagato looks hesitant to accept. But she could feel it, something deep inside her is telling her to accept it. She gave in to the desire and accepted the box.

"This carries my hope, my wish and my dream. I entrust them all to you to watch over our Commander in our stead." Nagato META said with a smile before her body suddenly started to turn transparent.

Nagato META sternal look at Nagato before she explained something important.

"There is still something you must know. The Metamorphosis or META is the only way for us to defeat the minions of the Evil God. It is the power of the Evil God and our Wisdom Cube stole that power from him. But make no mistake, even if all the shipgirls in existence mastered their META transformation. We still cannot hold a candle before the Evil God who is the source of the power we use. If what Shinano foresees is correct, the Commander should already obtain the answer to defeat the Evil God." Nagato META said before her body turned fully transparent and vanished from this space leaving Nagato alone staring at the ring.

Looking at the ring, there is only one obvious course of action next. She placed the ring onto her ring finger and then pushed it down to the base which fit her finger perfectly. Then without a warning. Memories and emotions pour into her mind like the torrential water of a waterfall.

All the memories and emotions felt by herself from another timeline appeared in her mind. From the moment she awakened and commanded the Sakura Empire to fight against the Siren to the moment she shared with the commander. All the bitter sweet moments to the day of the tragedy told by her other self and what ensued till the destruction of the world itself when the Evil God descended on Earth and gave his final verdict to destroy the world.

Her mind was overwhelmed by memories and emotions that she blacked out. The next moment she woke up, she saw a familiar ceiling. A place that she recognised, her residence the Grand Shrine. A place that unfortunately filled with memories of her other self, both sweet and bitter ones. Her grand marriage ceremony and the moment she shared with the Commander in this very room she slept on.

"Good morning, Nagato-sama!"

"Mutsu?" Nagato turned to the paper door that was slid open by a familiar person.

Then suddenly a scene played out before her eyes like an illusion. On a stormy night, she stood on the turbulence sea waves fighting against shadowy dark creature along with her people and the scene suddenly switch to herself being attacked by the creature but pushed away by Mutsu who smiled at her while saying something before she was chomped off by the creature leaving only a pair of legs wearing a white stockings that is stained red floating on the water.

"Nagato? Nagato!" Mutsu panicked when Nagato suddenly threw up everything inside her stomach.

Kawakaze stormed in with a blade drawn, looking at the deathly pale Nagato staring at Mutsu with a traumatized look. She then turned to her and then her pupils shrunken in terror before she convulsed and passed out.

—————

(Now she is gonna need MC magic injection to get better and his love touch to get over the traumatic memories. Also, for those that said I went too far or idiotic to pass on the traumatic memories to current Nagato. Remember that the main ingredient to make a META ship is intense emotions which often is trauma or anger. I choose trauma cuz anger don't fit Nagato.)