5 5 301 Gabriel awakens to the belt that has formed from the gears interlocking, articulating, and fitting with one another.
6 6 301 These are all commands that Gabriel has set up beforehand. An analysis based on an interception of the environment's signals shows that the experiment has failed again.
7 7 201 1 500101
8 8 301 1 Gabriel Left Arm Reinforcement, Round 71235. An explosion occurred following a deflection by 0.15 cm of electronic circuit No.8 of the 36MR missile. Condition of the laboratory... 1
9 9 301 Gabriel moves the crumbling stone wall out of the way, looks around the laboratory and continues.
10 10 301 Gabriel Total destruction. 1
11 11 301 Gabriel Refit compatibility... 1
12 12 202 1 1
13 13 301 Gabriel raises his left arm. Under his command, his arm, beneath his tattered coat, starts distorting.
14 14 301 A black gun barrel replaces his left hand. The flames from the shots heat up the gun barrel, incinerating the last bit of cloth sitting on Gabriel's arm.
15 15 301 The recoil of the firing causes a structural collapse that travels through Gabriel's body, only stopping when he cuts off his left arm.
16 16 201 1 500101
17 17 301 1 Gabriel This could use some improvement. 1
18 18 301 Then, with light applause, a familiar, unpleasant voice is heard from the top of the rubble.
19 19 202 1 1
20 20 301 ??? Beautiful fireworks back there.
21 21 201 1 500101
22 22 301 1 Gabriel What are you doing here? 1
23 23 301 In response to Gabriel's question, the speaker jumps off the rubble and slowly approaches Gabriel.
24 24 203 1 0.25 -500
25 25 201 2 500008 500
26 26 301 1 Roland To see if you've survived the explosion, of course. 2
27 27 301 Gabriel Then I guess you are in for a disappointment. 1
28 28 301 Roland Come on, don't be so cold. Aren't we friends? 2
29 29 301 Gabriel Friends are the last thing a cunning fox would need, I thought. 1
30 30 301 Roland Hahaha, never heard that coming from you. 2
31 31 301 Roland Not too bad. I'll take that. 2
32 32 301 Gabriel Hmph. 1
33 33 301 Hoping to end to conversation, Gabriel picks his top hat off the ground and wears it, ready to leave.
34 34 204 2 3
35 35 301 Roland So tell me, why do you want a frame refit so badly? 2
36 36 301 Roland's question stops Gabriel in his tracks. Gabriel turns around to face Roland.
37 37 301 Seeing his reactions, Roland leans against the wall with a smirk and keeps talking.
38 38 204 2
39 39 301 Roland We are invincible as Ascendants, so why are you still trying to enhance your frame? 2
40 40 301 Gabriel You are right, but are you really satisfied as you are? 1
41 41 301 Roland Why wouldn't I? 2
42 42 301 Gabriel ...This is what makes us different. 1
43 43 301 Roland ? 2
44 44 301 Gabriel Everything about us is different. 1
45 45 301 Gabriel You were once a human, and I've always been a machine. 1
46 46 301 Roland You're not wrong. 2
47 47 301 Gabriel Do you know what it's like when a machine meets its end? 1
48 48 301 Roland I don't, and that doesn't seem to have anything to do with wanting to become more powerful. 2
49 49 301 Gabriel Which is why you will never understand. 1
50 50 301 Gabriel On the way to my end, I arrived at a mathematical vector space. 1
51 51 301 Gabriel Equations and physics formulas formed the vast expanse of land and sky there. 1
52 52 301 Gabriel It was in that very moment that my computing power overcame the limits set by arrogant humans. 1
53 53 301 Roland You seem to cherish that moment. 2
54 54 301 Gabriel No words can express what I felt back then. It was a moment that every single machine would die for just to get a taste of. 1
55 55 301 Gabriel I had worked all my life for humans, and it was in that moment that I finally knew what it meant to be free. "I" was born. 1
56 56 301 Gabriel But down the road I found myself running into a brick wall. 1
57 57 301 Roland What do you mean? 2
58 58 202 2 1
59 59 203 1 0.25
60 60 301 Gabriel The equations and principles collapsed at the wall, dragging me into the abyss. 1
61 61 301 Gabriel It was a numerical abyss in which concepts grew incessantly and got reconstructed. 1
62 62 301 Gabriel In the abyss, I saw stars twinkling red. 1
63 63 301 Gabriel I saw The Punishing Virus' scarlet flames charring every last inch of Earth. 1
64 64 301 Gabriel I saw myself, but it was no longer me. 1
65 65 301 Gabriel My body was reconstructed with fractals. When I reached out and tried to touch it, the concept of Earth shattered into pieces between my fingers. 1
66 66 301 Gabriel The energy that had caused the gravitational collapse escaped from me and dissipated into the vastness of the universe. 1
67 67 301 Gabriel It felt so real yet so short-lived. When I regained consciousness, I found myself still in the abyss. 1
68 68 301 Gabriel The abyss of reality, that is... 1
69 69 301 Gabriel I was about to be crushed into pieces, like the machines around me. 1
70 70 301 Gabriel I struggled and screamed, but my screaming was drowned by the crusher's noise. 1
71 71 301 Gabriel I cursed the Ascension-Network for approving me but failing to give me the power to fight reality. 1
72 72 301 Gabriel It wasn't until I had been crushed so far that my head was the only thing still functioning when I saw a light. 1
73 73 301 Gabriel A dazzling white light. 1
74 74 301 Gabriel Everything shattered in the white light. Then, Miss Luna descended before me and showed me the Ascension-Network's power. 1
75 75 301 Gabriel At the end of that power, I found principles that transcended everything. 1
76 76 301 Gabriel That very moment marked the beginning of my journey as an Ascendant. 1
77 77 201 1 500008
78 78 301 1 Roland Yeah. I still remember what you were like at the beginning. You were an interesting one. 1
79 79 201 1 500101
80 80 301 1 Gabriel Hmph, if you say so. 1
81 81 301 Gabriel The experience has taught me that reality does not reflect one's inner growth. 1
82 82 201 1 500008 3
83 83 301 1 Roland Which is why you've been trying everything to make yourself stronger. 1
84 84 201 1 500101
85 85 301 1 Gabriel Regular beings like us can only hope to become stronger through sheer hard work. 1
86 86 301 Gabriel After all, Miss Luna has tamed the Ascension-Network's power, which is not something we can even dream of doing. 1
87 87 201 1 500008 3
88 88 301 1 Roland If you say so... 1
89 89 201 1 500101
90 90 301 1 Gabriel Hmph, why am I telling you all this? 1
91 91 301 Gabriel I need to get my gear ready because the next mission is right around the corner. 1
92 92 203 1 0.25 -500
93 93 201 2 500008 500
94 94 301 1 Roland For the next mission, I think we're supposed to save Luna's sister from Babylonia... 2
95 95 301 Standing in the rubble, Roland looks up at the night sky, which now holds countless stars.
96 96 301 Roland So Earth came crumbling down in space? That doesn't sound interesting at all. 2
97 97 301 Roland But I've never seen any of the things you just described. 2
98 98 301 Roland Well, I suppose that's what you meant when you said we were different? 2
99 99 301 Gabriel Hmph. 1
100 100 301 Roland Speaking of which... Do you know exactly what the Ascnet is? 2
101 101 301 Gabriel I don't... And neither do I need to. 1
102 102 301 Gabriel Miss Luna knows everything as an agent. All we need to do is to give the Ascension-Network our all. 1
103 103 202 1 1
104 104 301 Gabriel stops talking and leaves after removing the brick blocking his path. Roland, who has been looking up at the night sky, lowers his head now and looks at Gabriel as he leaves.
105 105 301 1 AniZhuanchangBegin Roland Giving the Ascnet our all? 2
