30 30 301 α Why am I looking back on the past at a time like this...? 1
31 31 202 1 1
32 32 301 Alpha looks up, taking in the vast, yet empty subterranean city.
33 33 301 She does not feel a sense of belonging to this city at all, but as someone who has been moving in and out of the city for a long time, she feels a sense of familiarity.
34 34 301 A rusty bridge extends out into the distance, its other end enveloped by the fog. Even though she cannot see it, Alpha knows where the bridge leads.
35 35 301 She cast away her original name here...
36 36 301 ...in order to break with the past.
37 37 301 Luna only gave her a silent nod regarding it when she returned.
38 38 201 1 500100
39 39 301 1 α Luna. 1
40 40 202 1 1
41 41 301 She repeats that name silently to herself and takes in the devastation in the distance.
42 42 201 1 500100
43 43 301 AniZhuanchangBegin 1 α ...Where are you? 1
48 47 301 AniZhuanchangEnd It happened on the last day.
49 48 301 Once the Gray Ravens began their descent into the Polyphage Abyss, Roland shares the truth with her.
50 49 301 And then—
51 50 201 1 500100
52 51 301 1 α Gabriel... 1
53 52 201 1 500101
54 53 301 1 Gabriel steps out of a dark corner, still acting as courteous as ever, but he can hardly conceal the deranged sense of menace he is giving off.
55 54 201 1 500100 -450
56 55 201 2 500008 450
57 56 301 1 Roland Well, he's all yours. 2
58 57 202 2 1
59 58 203 1 0.25
60 59 301 As Roland passes Alpha with a nonchalant smile, he leans over and lowers his voice.
61 60 301 Roland I'm going to deal with Gabriel's "backup." Only then will Luna be able to leave the core.
62 61 202 1 1
63 62 301 With a quick stroke of his chain blade, he leaps into the darkness of the core.
64 63 301 By the time Gabriel moves to stop Roland, Alpha has already lunged forward with her blade out.
72 71 301 Gabriel ...Me? No, Miss Luna is the one who betrayed us, and you—you are the reason for her betrayal! You are why she was forsaken by the Ascension-Network! Why she has lost the power of an agent! 2
73 72 301 α Luna... has never betrayed anyone of us! 1
79 78 301 Alpha's blade slices across Gabriel's chest, sending sparks flying everywhere. Gabriel rips off his tattered cloak, revealing his colossal mechanical stature.
80 79 201 1 500179
81 80 301 1 Gabriel You... really are the biggest threat to the Ascension-Network... 1
82 81 301 Gabriel Are you not going to save your dear sister now that the Polyphage has devoured her? 1
83 82 201 1 500100
84 83 301 1 α I know what you're conspiring, Gabriel. You might as well have it written on your face. 1
85 84 301 α If I let you go now, you'll just become a larger threat to Luna. 1
86 85 301 α I can only hope that those Gray Ravens will last long enough for me to get to her. 1
87 86 201 1 500179
88 87 301 1 Gabriel I can't understand why you choose to believe in those inadequate Constructs. They've most likely become food for the Polyphage. 1
89 88 201 1 500100
90 89 301 1 α No. 1
91 90 301 α This time, I'm choosing to believe in "myself." And, Gabriel— 1
92 91 301 α What I'm going to do now is destroy you. 1
93 92 204 1 17
94 93 301 α I will not forgive anyone who hurts Luna. 1
95 94 202 1 1
96 95 301 Alpha raises her katana, her eyes burning with fury.
97 96 301 Alpha closes in, attempting to expose a weak spot on Gabriel with a series of continuous strikes. Gabriel is forced back, barely managing to counter her every move with his cane.
98 97 301 Although he is unaware that she was seriously injured in her M.I.N.D., Gabriel still notices that her strikes are weaker than before.
99 98 301 Seeing a rare opening, he gives it everything he has got, abandoning defense for offense.
100 99 201 1 500100
101 100 301 1 α ...Perfect! 1
102 101 202 1 1
103 102 301 Once one of the combatants gives up on defense, the battle will soon be over.
104 103 301 Gabriel has staked everything on this battle in order to achieve the lofty goal given to him by the Ascension-Network.
105 104 301 However, as the battle goes on, Alpha's M.I.N.D. also gradually starts to stabilize.
111 110 301 Sensing that something is amiss, Gabriel immediately leaps high into the air and delivers an armor-pulverizing blow in Alpha's direction.
112 111 401 2 10007502
113 112 502 1000 RImgBg1Shake
114 113 301 But when the dust settles, the only person on the cracked ground is Gabriel.
115 114 301 He is completely unable to hit the fleet-footed Alpha. His immense strength, of which he has been so proud of, is useless if he cannot land a hit.
116 115 201 1 500179
117 116 301 RImgBg1Shake 1000 1 Gabriel Alpha—! 1
118 117 301 Gabriel's attack has left him completely open to Alpha's space-tearing strike.
128 127 301 Clang! Her katana bounces violently against an unseen wall.
129 128 201 1 500100
130 129 301 1 ??? Alpha. 1
131 130 301 An irreverent call comes from behind her and with it, walls start to appear around them, getting thicker and thicker. Alpha pivots, turning around and slicing with her katana, but she is not able to cut through them.
138 137 301 1 ??? You've become weak, probably because of that agent, because of Luna. 2
139 138 301 Gabriel ...You are...
140 139 301 Vonnegut Call me Vonnegut. I'm an agent. 2
141 140 301 α So, you are... Vonnegut. 1
142 141 301 Alpha sheathes her katana, calmly appraising the black figure before her.
143 142 301 Vonnegut Looks like you've heard of me. 2
144 143 301 α Of course. If it wasn't for your Ascendant underling, that incident wouldn't have happened. 1
145 144 301 Vonnegut I only had him bring about what the humans had been hoping for all along. That commandant—Ravenge, I believe? He wasn't the first to hold those beliefs and won't be the last to die for them. 2
146 145 301 Vonnegut I believe you've seen quite a lot of this. 2
147 146 301 α I don't pity that scoundrel, but that incident caused the deaths of others, not just his. 1
148 147 301 Vonnegut It's all for Ascnet and the filtering, Alpha. 2
149 148 301 Vonnegut It's not my intention to kill humans or Constructs. I'm simply running an experiment to increase the efficiency of the filtering process. 2
150 149 301 Vonnegut Back then in Babylonia, you were furious that your comrades had to be sacrificed, but now that you've become an Ascendant, are you really planning to oppose the filtering? 2
151 150 301 α ... 1
152 151 301 Vonnegut That's what I thought. 2
153 152 301 α Why are you here? 1
154 153 301 Vonnegut For the "glad tidings," of course. 2
155 154 301 Vonnegut The Punishing Virus has exhibited the ability to become organic and these new lifeforms are truly the peak of perfection! 2
156 155 301 Vonnegut This planet is undergoing a rebirth and as an agent, I, of course, would like to bear witness to it. 2
157 156 301 Gabriel ...!
158 157 301 Vonnegut You're the one who hatched the Polyphage in the Red Tide, aren't you? 2
159 158 301 Vonnegut You saved the reborn Punishing Virus and opened up new possibilities to Ascnet. Good job. 2
160 159 301 Gabriel You... approve of this?
161 160 301 Vonnegut Of course. 2
162 161 301 Vonnegut This is a step in the evolution of Ascnet. 2
163 162 301 Vonnegut's eyes are riveted on the gushing Red Tide below with appreciation.
164 163 301 Vonnegut Unfortunately, I came a little too late and Luna's destroyed the Polyphage. The Babylonians have also arrived and will soon clear out this area. 2
165 164 301 Vonnegut As much as I'd love to prevent this catastrophe, as long as we're unable to make a move on Babylonia, that thorn in our side, wiping out individual Babylonians won't make a difference. 2
166 165 301 He shifts his gaze from the Red Tide to Gabriel, who lies behind him, struggling to crawl out from under the boulder, his hand reaching out.
167 166 301 Vonnegut Don't worry, as long as the breeder's knowledge remains, there's still hope. 2
168 167 301 He claps his hands and the boulder pressing down on Gabriel is blown to smithereens.
169 168 204 1 5
170 169 301 α Vonnegut! 1
171 170 301 Vonnegut Alpha, I'll undo the force field between you, but I have something to tell you before that. 2
172 171 301 Vonnegut Luna's been rescued from the Polyphage and is highly likely to have been taken by the Babylonians. 2
173 172 301 Vonnegut You know what this means, don't you? 2
174 173 301 Vonnegut Can you bear the thought of her having to go through what you went through? 2
176 175 301 He smiles and with a snap of his fingers, the force field in Alpha's way dissipated. She tightens her grip on her weapon, glaring at the person standing between her and Gabriel's broken body.
177 176 401 2 1513
178 177 202 1 2
179 178 301 But ultimately, she chooses to hurry toward the Abyss, where the Polyphage was.
180 179 201 1 500305
181 180 301 1 Vonnegut Get up, breeder. 1
182 181 301 Vonnegut I know you're loyal to Ascnet. You yearn for greater power to augment your body. 1
183 182 301 Vonnegut So I'll bestow upon you new life and a power that is befitting of the name Gabriel. 1
184 183 301 AniZhuanchangBegin Vonnegut In exchange... 1
