Previous Chapter: Chapter 31: The Army of Shadows Next Chapter: Chapter 33
*In the Hiryuu Custom*
Hugo: (At this rate… I’ve gone on the defensive, and I’m not making progress. In order to know Mitarl’s true intentions… to see the reality of the Tsentr Project, I…)
Aqua: What’s wrong, Hugo? You’re looking way more contemplative than usual.
Hugo: It’s nothing.
Aqua: You’re still just saying that? If you have a problem, talk with me. We’re partners, after all.
Hugo: …All you need to worry about is operating the TE absorber.
*Hugo’s a dick*
Aqua: (Haaah… There’s no way we can become a good team like Kyosuke and Excellen if this keeps up…)
*Elsewhere*
Ruslan: A girl about 10 years old? Huh…
Carla: Her name is Irui.
Ruslan: Touma, do you have the list of guests at the Hotel?
Touma: It doesn’t look like there were any guests with children…
Kusuha: Um… It looks like Irui’s clothes were wet, then they dried…
Yuuki: So there could have been an accident at sea, and she washed ashore?
Ruslan: There was a storm the day before the Hiryuu Custom arrived. It’s not impossible. Touma arrived that way, after all.
Kusha: Huh?
Yuuki: Seriously?
Touma: Yeah. I was on a fishing boat, and there was an accident…
Ruslan: In any case, wouldn’t it be better to ask Irui directly about this?
Carla: We would, but it seems like she’s lost her memories.[1] She can’t remember anything from before she came to the island.
Ruslan: What? Really?
Carla: Yes, and she didn’t have anything on her that would help identify where she was from. That being said… when you leave the ship, I’d like you to take her with you. If you can, find her family…
Ruslan: I can’t turn down a favor from you, Carla. Okay, I’ll see what I can do.
*Elsewhere*
Irui: I’m sorry… I really can’t remember.
Ibis: No, you don’t need to apologize.
Bullet: There’s no rush. You may find something that brings back your memories at some point. And it’s fine if you want to stay on this ship. Everyone will protect you. So please don’t worry.
Irui: Okay…
Tsugumi: It’ll be time for the briefing soon. Let’s go.
Ibis: Okay. See you later, Irui.
*Briefing room*
Gilliam: We’ve received new information from Lt. General Jacob Moore. They were unable to attack Antarctica due to another dimensional barrier covering it… Currently, the federation and Gaia Sabers are focusing on Patagonia, trying to open a path through the Ruina’s defenses. Further, there’s many squadrons of enemy units in the area near the North Pole’s Green Elizabeth archipelago, so their forces can’t advance that way, either.
Josh: (The North Pole… when they said northern position…)
Kyosuke: Why are the Ruina at the North Pole?
Gilliam: Before I answer that, I need to address the more pressing matter, the latest reports from Intelligence. Basically, it seems that the dimensional barrier that has covered the earth has cut us out of space and dropped us into a different dimension. To make it simpler… If you drew a picture of the earth on a sheet of paper, then cut around it except for one spot, it’d fall from the paper. In doing so, you couldn’t see the earth from the surface of the paper. And the earth can’t see the paper. From the surface of the paper, that is, space, it appears like the earth has vanished.
Tasuku: I sorta get it, and I sorta don’t…
Kouta: I don’t get it at all.
Raji: It might be stretching the metaphor, but… Would you be able to see the hole where Earth was cut out from space?
Gilliam: That’s possible. Or it’s possible that the Ruina have somehow shut the hole.
Excellen: Whatever the case, considering we can’t leave the earth, we don’t really need to care about that, right? [2].
Raji: Well… I guess you’re right.
Raul: Wait, in that paper example… you said it was connected by just one part?
Tsugumi: So the earth hasn’t completely fallen into another dimension?
Gilliam: Judging by what we have observed, that’s our best guess. And if the Ruina want to completely wipe out the humans, they need a way to target the humans currently living in space. Basically, it’s possible they have a method of getting to space… a way of breaking through the dimensional barrier.
Ratsel: So you’re saying that’s what’s at the north and south pole?
Gilliam: Yes. Further, there’s a theory that to create such a large dimensional barrier, they need to maintain generators at the north and south poles.
Katina: So if we destroy one of them, the barrier could disappear.
Yuuki: It’s not going to be that easy. It’s possible we’ll need to destroy both of them.
Sanger: Is it possible that the North Pole is covered by a separate barrier like the south pole?
Gilliam: There could be, but we haven’t received reports of any of the same phenomenon yet.
Lefina: Has the Federation taken any measures?
Gilliam: Yes, they are preparing a joint force with the Gaia Sabers to break through to the Arctic sea. And they’ve announced that to the civilians, as the way to return the earth to its original state.
Yuuki: They haven’t actually confirmed that it’ll work, so isn’t that a little premature?
Gilliam: If they didn’t say it, they wouldn’t be able to calm the confused civilians. It seems martial law has been declared in some capitals around the world.
Kusuha: So, if their actions do nothing…
Gilliam: There’ll be even more chaos than now.
Josh: (It’s all my old man’s fault that things have gotten this bad… If there’s some kind of clue at the North Pole, then I’ll…)
*Warnings*
Kusuha: !!!
Sean: Captain, there’s a Federation PT squadron engaged in battle with the Ruina along our course. What should we do?
Lefina: How are their forces faring?
Sean: The Federation forces are outnumbered… At this rate, they’ll be wiped out.
Lefina: Then we will aid them. All hand, level one battle stations!
Chapter 32: Ice Doll
Federation Soldier: Abeha 2 and 3! There’s more enemies coming!
*A lot of them*
Fed Soldier: C-can we take on that many by ourselves?
Fed sold: Pssh, remember the battle at L5? Back then, there were as many bugs as there are flies on shit.[3]
Fed Soldier: A-at this rate…!
Fed Sold: Don’t worry, rookie. Our squad is blessed by the goddess of luck. You’ll return home alive.
*WARNINGS*
Federation soldier: This reading is!
*Sup*
Federation Soldier: That ship is…
Lefina: This is the commander of the Steel Dragon Squadron, Captain Lefina Enfield. We’ll draw their fire. Please retreat and help protect the urban districts.
Federation Soldier: This is Lt. Daniel Romello of the 112th PT division, affiliated with Almirante. We weren’t given any information about this from above.
Lefina: I know. Isn’t that reason enough for you to return to your base?
Federation Soldier: …Roger. Abeha 1 to Abeha 2 and 3. We’re retreating.
Fed Sold: You sure that’s okay, Captain?
Federation soldier: It’s easier for them if we’re not here. Let’s go.
Fed Sold: Roger!
Fed Soldier: …So that’s what you meant by goddess of luck.
Fed sold: I’m telling you, we get all the breaks. But this is the first time I’ve seen the real thing.
Federation Soldier: …Abeha 1 to Dragon 2. Good luck.
Sean: It seems like not everyone in the federation sees us as enemies.
Lefina: I sure hope so.
Eun: All units, cleared for launch!
*Deploy screen*
Lefina: We will stop the Ruina machines here! Do not let them past our ship!
*That line*
Josh: Ruina… I won’t let you destroy anything else here!
Chapter 32: Ice Doll
Victory: All enemies are defeated
Defeat: Josh is shot down, the Hiryuu Custom is shot down
SR point: Clear the map without any enemy units reaching the defensive line.
*Kill a lot*
Eun: There are new Ruina machines coming to the shore!
*pooom*
Aqua: That’s one we haven’t seen before!
Leona: Judging by the pattern so far, It’s most likely the machine of a Melior Esse.
Katina: Let’s ask it! Hey! You! What’s your name?!
Glacies: I am a Melior Esse, Glacies of Ice. Humans… You should wallow in fear.
Josh: (Glacies… Could that be the one Ignis called Laki?)
Glacies: …What? Who said my name?
Josh: (! I didn’t say anything!)
*whiiiiine*
Josh: Uuugh!
*whgiiiine*
Glacies: Ugh!
Josh: The Sympathia is… but this is!
Glacies: What… who… It’s you!
Josh: Guh… What is this… She’s… doing this?!
Rim: B-Bro?!
Kyosuke: What’s going on, Josh?
Josh: This… this isn’t like the ones before!
Kyosuke: What are you saying?!
Excellen: Could Josh be able to hear something that we can’t?!
Ratsel: Then it’s because of that Melior Esse?
Glacies: (What is happening… Joshua… Radcliff? Who is that? I’m… resonating with his consciousness?!
Josh: (Uggh… This…)
Glacies: (You… At the south pole?!)
Josh: (You… Your consciousness is… Aaaahhh!))
Josh: Aaaaaaaaahhhh!!
Kusuha: J-josh?!
Aqua: The Aile Chevalier is…
Josh: D-dammit, what was that? The Sympathia… overloaded…
Rim: Hey, Bro! What’s going on?!
Josh: Rim… what about you?
Rim: What? (Is he talking about the Sympathia on Blanche?) There’s noise, but at the same level that Aquila or Ignis had when they talked to us…
Josh: That’s all?
Rim: Huh? (What’s wrong?)
Josh: (So only I and her linked consciousnesses… and in her mind was!)
Glacies: U-ugh… That’s… something I need to destroy right away.
Hugo: Josh, is there some connection between you and that Melior Esse?
Josh: That… That emptiness…
Hugo: Josh!
Josh: What is she… I need to find out for myself!
Hugo: Hey…
Gilliam: Are you okay, Josh?
Josh: I’ve never had anything like this happen before…
Gilliam: Understood. We want information about the Ruina, too. You need to contact Glacies directly.
Josh: That’s what I was planning on doing!
Gilliam: All other units, protect Josh.
Kyosuke: Roger.
Excellen: Since it’s come to this, we can’t just be super careful. We have to be super-duper careful.
Rim: (Josh…)
Victory: Bring the Fabularis below 25,000 HP.
*Glacies Attacks Josh*
Josh: Glacies… What are you?!
Glacies: Joshua Radcliff… If I defeat you, will this discord go away?
*Josh talks to Glacies*
Josh: What are the Ruina… What are you? Why do you wish to massacre humans?
Glacies: That is what we are. That is why were brought into this word.
Josh: But you…
Glacies: We lead all life to death, despair and fear… The resonance of their negative emotions will feed the Lord of Ruin… Your existence thrives on creation, and ours on death. We are mutually exclusive in this universe.
Josh: Then what the hell just happened between us?!
Glacies: I’m done talking. You’re interfering with my functions. I need to purge you.
Josh: Wait! Why isn’t it like the other Melior Esse!?
Glacies: You’re a nuisance! You’ll die suffering like everyone else!
*get her down*
Glacies: Ugh!
Sanger: It’s stopped moving!
Josh: Glacies!
Glacies: (…That willpower and power… If it was switched to negativity, it would become substantial nourishment… But those we touch could have a bad influence on the northern barrier at Septen Polum…)
Josh: ! A northern barrier?!
Glacies: Are you reading my thoughts?!
Josh: I can hear it through the Sympathia! Answer me! What is the Northern Barrier? What is Septen Polum?!
Glacies: Uggh, I was careless!
*if you don’t talk to her, this happens*
Josh: What are you, Glacies!
Glacies: We Ruina are irreconcilable with you humans!
Josh: Then why is this happening?!
Glacies: What the Lord of Ruin wants is the death and destruction of all existence… Despair and terror… The waves of any and all negative emotions… There’s no end to the amount of nourishment you humans can give us!
*Bye creepy lady*
Eun: The Melior Esse unit is retreating at high speed!
Sean: Shall we pursue, captain?
Lefina: No… We couldn’t catch up to her. And the Federation squads looking for us should be well on their way by now.
Sean: True… It doesn’t look like we have time to let the civilians off our ship just yet.
Lefina: Get all units to return to the ship, and we’ll escape from this area.
Sean: Roger.
*Hangar*
Josh: What the hell was that? That phenomenon, those feelings…
Clifford: I don’t know the details. I guess it’s true that the Sympathia can link human minds to machines… Rim, what about you?
Rim: It seemed like the exact same reaction that I got from Aquila and Ignis…
Josh: Then why was it just me and that Melior Esse, Glacies?
Clifford: Since we loaded the Sympathia onto your ship, we’ve never encountered that kind of phenomenon. Of course, we never had a chance to test it with a Melior Esse, either.
Josh: …
Clifford: It’s just like Captain Aya said… There’s now no question that the Melior Esse are using some kind of system like the Sympathia in their own machines.
Josh: That alone doesn’t explain what happened.
Clifford: Or maybe…
Josh: Or maybe… what? Tell me.
Clifford: There’s some kind of mutual connection between your spirit and Glacies’s. Of course, this means that the Melior Esse have something resembling human souls.
Josh: (Mutual connection… Between me and her?!)
Gilliam: Josh, I have something to ask you.
Josh: What is it?
Gilliam: Earlier, you said “Septen Polum”.
Josh: It’s related to the northern barrier… It’s something to do with the Ruina at the North Pole. And Glacies said that the Sympathia could have a negative effect on it.
Gilliam: !
Ratsel: Is that true?
Josh: I don’t think it was a lie… But I don’t know what kind of effect it’ll have.
Ratsel: Gilliam, this is…
Gilliam: Yeah, we need to report to Lefina. Josh, you should come too.
Josh: Please… could I please have 5 minutes to rest first?
Gilliam: …Understood. After that, please come to the captain’s room.
Josh: Roger.
Rim: Josh… are you okay?
Josh: I’m just a bit tired. You don’t need to worry.
Rim: …
Josh: (Glacies… Who was that? In her mind, in her heart, there was some kind of hole…That’s what it felt like… And the Septen Polum… If the Sympathia is really the key to it, then I’m…)
Excellen: Joshy, do you have a moment?
Josh: Lt. Excellen…
Excellen: Are you thinking about going to the North Pole by yourself?
Josh: !!
Excellen: Oh, Bingo, eh?
Josh: …
Excellen: Well, whatever the case, don’t shoulder it yourself. …I guess recently Hugo’s been acting like that, too.
Josh: That guy… His situation is different. I don’t know how, but those Melior Esse…
Excellen: If you bottle it up too much, when it explodes, it’ll be a problem not just for you, but for the people around you. Kyosuke knows that all too well.
Josh: …Why are you telling me this?
Excellen: Well… I had a connection with the Einst, and a lot of things happened. But thanks to everyone’s efforts, I made it through.
Josh: …
Previous Chapter: Chapter 31: The Army of Shadows Next Chapter: Chapter 33: Revenge of the Traitor
[1] Take a drink everytime someone says this! It’s fuuuuun
[2] Excellen likes teasing people using manzai terms. She’s saying Raji’s being a tsukkomi by picking apart Gilliam’s general explaination. It’s hard to translate.
[3] He says flies on cheese. We don’t have this metaphor.