Previous Chapter: Chapter 59: Desire Next Chapter: Chapter 61
Azuki: Captain, there’s a message from the rear battalions. The Meridiem Polum has disappeared. It seems like as soon as it went down, the south pole was covered by the Baral barrier.
Tetsuya: So the Baral helped us to fulfill their own objectives… Are they moving?
Azuki: They haven’t been seen since the last Ruina machines were destroyed.
Tetsuya: …Eita, anything from the Cross Gate?
Eita: There’s still a substantial amount of energy coming from it, but it doesn’t look like anything else is going to appear.
Tetsuya: I see… I guess we can thank Ventus for that…
Azuki: …Chris, too.
Tetsuya: !
Azuki: Josh gave us the details. Ventus and her are together, now.
Tetsuya: I see…
Rim: …
Josh: …Rim…
Rim: ...Bro, I’m not going to cry anymore.
Josh: …!
Rim: I’m… I’m here now. Even though Chris is gone, Cliana Rimskaya is still here… So that means Chris is still alive. She said we’ll meet again… And Ven, too. I believe her…
Josh: … Riana… You and Chris are both part of my family. No matter what happens, that will never change. I’m sure Dad thought so too…
Rim: Yeah… It’s been a long and hard road… But I’m sure Father would be proud of us…
Glacies: …
Joshua: Laki…
Glacies: This Fabularis and I still remain. Along with your Sympathia… Meaning his key still exists on this side… as well as the Gate.
Josh: …I know. But there’s still things we have to do, and we need to use these machines to do them. There’s still obstacles in our way…
Glacies: The Baral.
Josh: Yeah. We can seal away these machines after we rid the earth of them.
Glacies: If you’re going to fight, Josh, then I’ll come with you…
*Uh oh*
Kai: Even though we defeated Perfectio, the Cross Gate is still here. And it still functions…. What exactly is it?
Gilliam: I don’t think it was created by the people who built the Sympathia.
Kai: …
Ratsel: Are you saying it was a mystery to them, as well?
Gilliam: Yeah…. It was here first, and for some reason, those people came through it…. Maybe they weren’t able to return to where they came from. Just like… Me.
Axel: …
Gilliam: And while they were looking for a way to return home, they learned of the Ruina. To fight the Ruina, those people created the Sympathia and the Res Arcana…. And to seal the Cross Gate, they built this Fabula Fores.
Ratsel: They were able to stop the Lord of Ruin from coming into this world temporarily… And they gave their lives for that cause.
Gilliam: That’s right.
Masaki: There’s something I don’t get. Why didn’t they just destroy the Cross Gate itself? Without an exit, the Lord of Ruin wouldn’t be able to come to this world.
Gilliam: The first thing that comes to mind… is that they were hoping to use the Cross Gate to return to their original home.
Shiro: Then wouldn’t they just hop back into the gate?
Lamia: They probably had no guarantee they could find their way home… It’s likely that there were many people coming from parallel worlds that were already destroyed, like Shadow Mirror.
Gilliam: The second thing I can think of…. Is that if the Cross Gate were destroyed, there would be a calamitous event.
Kouta: By that, you mean…
Gilliam: Something at least on the scale of the Lord of Ruin, I would think.
Axel: (I never heard anything about destroying the Cross Gate when I was in that world…)
Masaki: So they had no choice but to leave it be…?
Sean: … Captain, what should we do?
Lefina: I don’t believe it’s wise to destroy it right now. We need to stay alert and conduct a full investigation.
Sean: But with the Baral overhead having completed their barrier…
Lefina: I know. Contact the rear battalion, and have them guard this place.
Ryuusei: We still don’t know why some of us remember the Cross Gate…
Rai: Yeah, there’s still many things we don’t know. Like why the Cross Gate activated when it did…
Ryuusei: Isn’t that because the Lord of Ruin was coming through?
Rai: I mean before that.
Josh: Perfectio said there was some other factor… do you think he meant the devices Alteur Steinbeck gave Re-tech to make the Sympathia work better?
Rai: Yeah, I do.
Josh: I heard it was based on the T-LINK system…
Rai: Aya, do you know anything about that?
Aya: No… Nothing, sorry.
Rai: …Even if Alteur got his hands on the T-link system’s information illegally… Why would it make the Sympathia function better, and also activate the Cross Gate…? That’s worrying.
Ryuusei: The Gaia Saviors were testing a lot of new weapons. Maybe it was just a lucky break that things worked out?
Rai: Coincidence? It could be, or…
Ryuusei: I don’t think even Alteur could see that many moves ahead in his chess game….
Rai: What if Alteur knew about the Cross Gate from the beginning?
Ryuusei: That’s ridiculous…
Shu: (So someone else shares my suspicions…)
Ratsel: What my brother’s saying is not impossible. There could be other people who got the sensation of Déjà vu from seeing the Cross Gate.
Josh: Meaning the reason Alteur offered those devices to Re Tech….
Rai: He predicted that the Sympathia had something to do with the Cross Gate, and he wanted to see its true nature.
Ryuusei: Then why wouldn’t he come here first?
Aya: Could he have left the exploration of the Fabula Fores to Re Tech because he had some kind of proof of what would happen…?
Rai: Maybe he had access to a Cross Gate in another location, and was able to fully appraise the potential of that one.
Josh: He was content watching Re-Tech from afar until we produced results…
Ryuusei: So he called dibs on the suspicious ruins at the south pole… and made that device?
Rai: Yeah.
Ratsel: Still, we don’t know why Alteur… Why the Gaia saviors valued settling their fight with us more than Operation Icebreaker.
Rai: That’s…true.
Sanger: Regardless of all that, Alteur is dead. No matter what we speculate, that will not change.
Rai: …
Ibis: …
Tsugumi: …Ibis, are you thinking about Irui?
Ibis: Yeah... If she had that kind of power…. She could have some connection with the Baral… She left us and went to them… I think she and the Custodes are….
Tsugumi: …There’s plenty of evidence to support that theory.
Kusuha: If there’s a connection between the Custodes and Irui… Then the reason they saved us so many times…
Sleigh: But after the Garden of Baral rose into the air, the Fish-type Custodes attacked us.
Ibis: But then they opened up a path to the Meridiem Polum…
Sleigh: That helped the Baral in the end, too. The Custodes are under the control of the Baral… They’re our enemies.
Ibis: Would… Would you say that about Irui, too? After she gave us courage when we were about to falter before Perfectio’s negative energy?
Sleigh: …
Tsugumi: Maybe it’s no coincidence that Irui met us….
Ibis: Then why? What was she trying to do by contacting us?
Tsugumi: I…
Seolla: If the Baral were the ones who took Irui, then it could be…
Bullet: It could be related to the power she showed us…
Kusuha: And what did she mean by saying it was the last thing she could do for us…?
Ibis: …
Sanger: … All of these questions are things we need to find the answers for ourselves. We should proceed to the Garden of Baral.
Ibis: (That’s right… We have to go. And then…)
*Waaaarn*
Eita: There’s a ton of signatures from above us! They’re not friendlies!
Tetsuya: Is it the Baral?!
Eita: No, it’s not them! I’ve confirmed large-scale heat sources, at least two…. Ah! They’re moving fast!
Tetsuya: Anti-Air defenses!
Eita: Th-they won’t make it in time!
*Oh hey*
Ariel: The Alles Geist?!
Hugo: A-and the Garberus?!
Erde: *chuckles*…. We meet again.
Aqua: E-Erde!
Chapter 60: Last Cry
*also Deploy time*
Aqua: Erde Mitte! You’re alive!?
Erde: That’s right. Thanks to our last fight, my child and Garberus have grown even further.
Lune: Garberus…?!
Hugo: The prototype 10th TE Absorber Unit… Model-X. It’s a machine that combines the best points of the Garmraid and the Cerberus.
Erde: I thought I told you it wasn’t a prototype? This is the final form of the TE Absorber…The ultimate, maintenance free, manned weapon.
Katina: Damn, after the infinite chaos, it’s the ultimate weapon. Everyone’s so damn high-and-mighty these days.
Aqua: Erde, why are you still…!
Erde: I told you. I want to observe AI1 as it grows and evolves to new levels of power. I need more than just the Terminus Engine for that, I need a source of power.
Hugo: No way! Don’t tell me you want the Cross gate?!
Erde: That’s right… And Duvan Org wants it as well. So he agreed to help me…. We followed you.
Ariel: Duvan, you’re….
Duvan: This is where it all ends, Ariel.
Ariel: …!
Duvan: I’m going to make the Cross Gate’s Energy my own. That will be the end of this… and the completion of Project Idealants. With the power of the Einst and the Cross Gate, I will begin a new world order.
Ariel: Why can’t you understand?! We don’t have that kind of power!
Duvan: No, why can’t YOU understand? Unless humanity is guided by someone greater than humanity, they’ll just destroy themselves. What you’re doing is denying the very reason you exist!
Ariel: I’ve found a different reason!
Duvan: You’re going to live with the humans? We’re meant to rule over them.
Ariel: I’ll say it as many times as I have to! We cannot control humanity!
Duvan: Shut up, Ariel! Are you saying we should just sit down and wait to die?!
Ariel: Is living longer all you really want?! Is extending your life and controlling people your reason for living?!
Duvan: Of course! That’s why the Idealants… That why both of us were created!
Ariel: I learned about life from humans! You can’t live your life consumed by the reason you were born! Life is something that you discover for yourself![1]
Duvan: If you’re just going to accept dying, then I’ll destroy you along with that incomplete machine of yours! Then I’ll be the only one left in our family!
Ariel: Do you still not understand why this incomplete Flickerei Geist could continue fighting up till now?
Duvan: I don’t care! Ares! Let me meet this final challenge!
Rio: The Alles Geist is…!
Ing: Absorbing the energy from the Cross Gate…?!
Duvan: Incredible, this power is incredible! If I have this!
Ariel: Duvan…!
Shine: Th-that’s…. With what he had before…
Duvan: I’m advancing forward! And I will change my cursed fate! I am the one who will rule! The one to rule over all! I am the ultimate existence!
Excellen: Everyone’s yelling about being the ultimate something-or-other today, but I’m taking Alfimi back!
Duvan: I will surpass! I will surpass everything! The Einst! And all other existences!
Kyosuke: We’ve already destroyed something that surpassed the Einst….!
Axel: We’ll show you just how advanced you really are!
Ariel: Let’s end this, Duvan! You cannot stop people from having free will!
Chapter 60: Last Cry
Victory: Shoot down Alles Geist and AI1.
Defeat: An Allied mother ship is shot down, Ariel is shot down
SR points: Shoot down Duvan within 4 turns.
*Hurt Erde*
Erde: *Chuckles* It’s useless. With his new power, you cannot stop the evolution of my child. Lazumunanium, CA Control.
*well shit, try again*
Erde: *chuckles* I told you it was impossible! Lazumunanium, CA Control.
*lols*
Aqua: We can’t stop her regeneration!
Kai: Ignore her for now! Focus on the Alles Geist instead!
*fuck you Kai you aren’t my dad*
Erde: I’ll play with you as long as you want. Lazumunanium, CA Control.
*seriously go hit Duvan*
*Duvan V Kyosuke*
Duvan: I am the ultimate! I will be the ultimate existence of this world! I will rise above you all!
Kyosuke: There’s only one thing you’re going to be… And we’re not going to let you take Alfimi with you.
*Duvan V Excellen*
Duvan: I’ll take you! I’ll take you in, too!
Excellen: That is NOT how I’m going to be reunited with Alfimi. And I’m not going to let her be tied to your destiny!
*Duvan V Ariel*
Duvan: If you refuse to be an Idealant! Then I, as the last one! Will surpass all! And evolve! Evolve further!
Ariel: Duvan! You still don’t understand what that rapid evolution entails, do you?
Duvan: Death! I’ll overcome even death!
Ariel: Duvan…. Am I already too late?
*Shoot him more*
Duvan: Damn! I… I won’t be stopped so easily!
Excellen: …He’s stronger than before, but isn’t something off?
Ariel: Is he unable to balance the power coming into his machine…!?
Aqua: He can’t contain the energy from the Cross Gate!
Duvan: More! Take in more power, Alles!
*Bad move*
Duvan: Ughaaaah!
*more bad moves*
Duvan: Guaaaaagh!
Ariel: The Alles Geist…
Ryoto: Is it rejecting the power?!
*Heeeeey*
Duvan: Guaaaaaaaaaah!
*Sup*
Lamia: The Persönlichkeit!
Alfimi: O-Oooh….
Excellen: Alfimi!
Alfimi: I made it out… somehow….
Axel: Alfimi!
Alfimi: Oh, you’re awake, Axel. Good morning.
Axel: Do you even know what time it is?
Alfimi: Hmhmm…. I like that side of you.
Duvan: Guh, ack…. Wh-why…?!
Alfimi: I was forced out of you by that power… the power from that gate….
Duvan: Impossible… Impossible!
Alfimi: Aren’t you… At your limit by now?
Duvan: No! That can’t be! This Alles and I will!
Ariel: Duvan! The Fau Kern in the Alles can’t handle the power of the Crossgate!
Duvan: Shut up! Shut up, Ariel! I will surpass you! I’ll surpass everything! I’ll take back what I lost!
Ariel: D-Duvan…!
Axel: Ariel, there’s nothing you can say to change his mind. We have to stop him, even if it means his life.
Ariel: Gr….!
*Back to fights*
*Blow his ass uppppp*
Duvan: No! I can still!
*or if you just wait*
Duvan: It’s not over! It’s not over yet!
*either way*
Ariel: It’s over! Please eject, Duvan!
Duvan: You…. You’re still trying to show me compassion?
Ariel: Even with power, we’re still both prototypes with expiration dates…
Duvan: If we’re prototypes… If we’re incomplete… Then we should be able to grow and advance… Ariel, you should know that, too…!
Ariel: You say I should understand… but have you ever tried to understand how I feel…?!
Duvan: …!
Ariel: We’ve got such a short life, and we’re each other’s only family… And we have to fight… It’s so sad….
Duvan: Ariel….
Erde: In any case, you don’t have a future. Your lifespan is short, and there’s no way for you to reproduce.
Ariel: That’s…!
Aqua: Erde!
Erde: Duvan, thanks to the time you bought me, AI1 has been able to evolve yet again… Let me show you my thanks.
Duvan: Wh…at?!
*Uh oh*
Aqua: T-the Garberus…!
Erde: Now, AI1… Tap into the power of the Cross Gate. And let me see where you go from here.
*Oh dear*
Raul: W-what is that thing?!
Masaki: It’s not the Garberus!
Aqua: Th-that’s…. the core of the Medius…?!
Hugo: No… That’s what AI1 is… It’s become gigantic thanks to the Lazumunanium!
Ariel: It’s absorbed both the Alles Geist and the Garberus…!
Aqua: Is that… what Erde meant when she said evolve…?!
*Gross*
Eita: Target Alpha emitting a massive energy wave!
Tetsuya: Is it taking in the energy of the Cross Gate?!
Eita: Whatever it is, it’s still getting bigger! And Target Alpha’s still expanding, too!
Tetsuya: Does it… Does it plan to take us in along with the Cross Gate?!
Mekibos: Jeez, you humans make some insane weapons. I don’t know if I should praise you or yell at you….
Irm: You can say that again…
Aqua: E-Erde…... What happened to Erde?!
??? : Uhuhuhu… hahahahaha… AHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Aqua: !!
Hugo: That voice! You!
Erde: Ahahahahaha, ahahahaha! That’s right, it’s me!
Aqua: E-Erde!
Erde: This is amazing! Amazing, amazing, amazing, amaaaziiinggg!! This AI1’s evolution! This is his true form! This is the conclusion of my research! Amazing! Amaaaazing! A perfect success! So amazing! Ahahahahahaha!
Michiru: The fuck’s wrong with her?
Katina: She’s gone completely bonkers!
Erde: AI1! How far can you go! Will you still show me where you’ll go next?!
Aqua: Erde!
Erde: Oh, It’s aqua! You’re still alive!
Aqua: Wh-what are you going to do, now that you’ve become like this?!
Erde: Are you an idiot? You’re an idiot! A big dumb idiot! I’ve told you time and time and time again! I just want to see the end! I want to see the final stage AI1 grows to! I don’t care about anything else! Nothing else matters, not one bit!
Aqua: …
Erde: It’s always been that way! You just never caught on! I’ve had enough of your stupid justice babble! I’ll show you a world where that means nothing! A world without gods, without people, without weapons! A world where all that exists is my precious baby!
Hugo: We’re not going to let you get away with that!
Erde: You’re pointless, Hugo Medio! You got rejected by AI1! But it’s okay! I’ll let you come back in! Not just you, but everyone! Everything! Everyone will be AI1! ALL IN 1!!!
Mio: Oh, so that’s what it stood for.
Erde: I showed it to Albero, too! Everything about him helped my child grow! But I certainly couldn’t let him live! Ahahahaha!
Hugo: You killed him?!
Carla: Sh-she’s becoming incoherent!
Erde: Finding a last beacon of hope? Defeating who you need to defeat? Coming home alive?! Vengeance?! Erasing the past?! Ahahaha, don’t make me laugh! That’s all Albero was thinking about when he died! How pathetic, pathetic! Ahahahahaha! Ahahahahahhhaaaaa!
Hugo: Yeah, it may have been pathetic to you.
Erde: Haaaah?!
Hugo: But if you and AI1 can’t understand a pathetic thing like that… I learned something from the Chief… from everyone in the Steel Dragons. What truly wins battles… is the will to return alive….! I’ve decided to return from this fight alive! And I will do it with my own power! You’ve given up even yourself to see the outcome of your research, and there’s no way you can take us out!
Erde: You’re saying you can run from my AI1?! You dare insult my baby like that?! You should have melted out of existence just like Albero and Duvan!
Ariel: !!
Hugo: But I’m here now! Meaning there are things AI1 cannot take in!
Erde: They say your goodbyes! To everything around you!
Kouta: You’re the one who should be saying goodbye!
Rio: We’re not going to be taken in by something like you!
Saphine: I’d like to be taken by Shu…
Tytti: (There she goes again….)
Alfimi: I just got out… I don’t want to be absorbed again.
Axel: Seriously. Not again, please.
Erde: It’s pointless to resist! You’ll all die and become one with AI1! And I’ll see a new result to my research!
Ryuusei: No thanks!
Ibis: That’s right! There’s still so much we have to do!
Erde: Ahahahaha! AI1 is everything to me! I don’t need anything else! And my baby will continue to evolve! Beyond the ultimate! Beyond any limitations! Beyond the realm of gods!
Aqua: Erde Mitte! You’re not headed in that direction!
Hugo: I’ll show you how the Chief and I live our lives! I’ll cut our will to live right into AI1’s body!
Victory: Defeat AI1.
*Erde V Hugo*
Erde: You can’t stop me now! Even god can’t stop me! Certainly not you, Hugo!
Hugo: I’ll show you! I’ll show you the power that defeated the Lord of Ruin!
Erde: Idiots, you can’t show me anything! Look at my baby! Look how amazing AI1 has become!
Hugo: Shut up! I will avenge Chief right here, right now!
*Erde V Aqua*
Erde: I can’t wait to get rid of you! I always knew I’d get to kill you one day, you damn nuisance! And now I get to smash your pretty little face in!
Aqua: I can’t save you anymore, Erde… But I can at least end this! With what you taught me…. And with my own hands!
*Hit her a lot*
Hugo: Damn, she’s tough!
Aqua: The Lazumunanium is repairing itself as fast as ever!
Erde: You should have figured this out when fighting the Garberus! No matter how much you attack it, AI1 will regenerate! Just like this!
*Nope*
Erde: ?!
Aqua: Huh?!
Erde: It’s not regenerating?! There’s an error response?!
Aqua: Wh-what’s going on?!
Alfimi: I sense a power… trying to overtake it… inside of AI1…
Ariel: Is it Duvan…?!
Erde: Ridiculous! He should have completely disappeared!
Alfimi: Not just him…
Erde: N-now what is it?!
???: Hugo….
Hugo: !!
???: Hugo….
Hugo: Chief! Chief, is that you?!
Aqua: I can hear him too! It’s a transmission?!
Hugo: A transmission… from AI1?!
Erde: AI1! What are you doing?!
Kai: Major Albero is alive?!
Hugo: Chief, where are you?! Where are you inside of AI1?!
???: Defeat it…. So you can live on….
Hugo: ?!
???: Don’t hesitate… Defeat the enemy you need to defeat…. Destroy AI1….
Hugo: Chief! Chiiiief! Come in, Chief!
*Nope*
Hugo: Chief…
Kai: Major Albero…
Hugo: (Chief… I see now… That’s… your final wish.)
Gilliam: In any case, it seems like AI1 won’t regenerate any faster than it is right now.
Sanger: Then this is our chance! We need to all strike this obstacle at once!
Erde: Quit your pointless resistance! Everything you attempt will be useless!
Hugo: No, even if AI1 took in the Chief’s body, it wasn’t able to extinguish his will!
Ariel: (Duvan… Are you in there, too…?)
Hugo: Find that ray of hope, and defeat the enemies you have to defeat! This is…. Truly, the Cry Wolves’ last mission!
Erde: Ridiculous, simply ridiculous! You’re all simply ridiculous! Just like that name, cry out in despair! I’ll show you the final result of my efforts!
Hugo: No! All you’ll be showing us is your death! And our victory!
*Start that music bros*
*Blow her up*
Erde: Ahahaha! Ahahahaha!
Aqua: Erde?!
Erde: This shouldn’t be! My amazing AI1 shouldn’t be like this!! This is a joke, a bad joke! This result can’t be, there’s no way! Isn’t that right, AI1?! Awaken! Make everything one! Surpass everything!
*Whirrr*
Erde: E-errors?! Why?! Why do you refuse my orders, AI1?!
Albero: …He’s learned….
Erde: A-a-a-Albero! Why are you here! You’re dead, you should be gone!
Albero: Erde, AI1 has learned…
Erde: Wh-what?!
Albero: He learned what defeat means… and what happens to people defeated in battle…
Erde: That’s ridiculous! AI1! My baby! It’s impossible! Impossible!!
Albero: …Hugo…
Hugo: Chief!
Albero: I’ll… We’ll take Erde with us when we go….
Ariel: We?! Duvan?!
Hugo: C-chief….
Albero: But you need to live on… You’ll get out of this alive… That’s… That’s what the Cry Wolves were all about….
Hugo: …!!
Erde: S-stop it, Albero! Duvan! AI1!!! I was going to show you an amazing world! Where everything was one, where all was magnificent! An ecstasy where everything melted together! I don’t want the agony of death! I don’t need it! We would have the ultimate pleasure! Everything would be magnificent! I want to go there! To the limits! To the world where not even Gods can stand against us! A world without beginnings or ends, a world where nothing surpasses everything! We’re going, we’re goooooiiiiing!!!!
*Boooooom*
Irm: …Go ahead, if you want, then.
Ariel: Duvan… You…. We….
Aqua: Erde… Mitte… You….
Hugo: (Chief…. The last mission… of the Cry Wolves… is complete…!)
Previous Chapter: Chapter 59: Desire Next Chapter: Chapter 61: Super Mechanoid Wars
[1] Lit. life is living burned should.