3 3 301 DialogEnable As the ivory fire burns, the Hetero-Creatures turn into red mist, sinking into the young girl's frame.
4 4 301 The light underneath the dark clouds is extremely gentle. Even when those eyes have stayed shut for so long, they feel no pain when they greet the dawn.
5 5 301 ??? Is that... light?
6 6 301 Without the corruption from the Punishing Virus, the infected mechanoids and Constructs slowly regain their senses.
7 7 301 ?? ...How am I here?
8 8 301 ??? Hey, you're awake too!
9 9 301 ?? ...This is a miracle.
10 10 301 No longer needing to fear the uncontrollable virus—no longer needing to kill their comrades—the crowd is bonding with joy and perseverance.
11 11 301 ??? Hey! We need someone over here!
12 12 301 ?? You got it!
13 13 301 Together, they form an impenetrable line of defense, buying time for Liv's advances.
14 14 301 The girl who marches toward hell by herself is no longer alone.
15 15 301 With their protection, the frame Empyrea becomes a monster that devours monsters, casting its ivory flame on the infected crowd, reclaiming humanity's domain from the crimson river.
16 16 301 ??? The day... has finally arrived!
17 17 301 This is just a drop of the cure on a wound the size of a planet.
18 18 301 But humankind has already paid a hefty price to find a cure that can heal this rot.
19 19 301 Every Construct who wakes up is cheering. A new morning has arrived, and a clear sky is sure to follow.
20 20 301 Liv ...It's all going well.
21 21 301 As the researchers have planned, the Punishing Virus is being funneled into Liv's M.I.N.D. by her frame.
22 22 301 But as they expected, Liv cannot channel the Punishing Virus into power as a non-agent. The effectiveness of the Omega Weapon is limited, and the unabsorbed virus is slowly accumulating.
23 23 301 ...Liv has not been controlling the rate it draws the Punishing Virus, nor has she wanted to.
24 24 301 Despite its name, Empyrea is nevertheless ephemeral. It lasts but a moment, with no time to waste—just like a Queen of the Night's blossom.
25 25 301 AniZhuanchangBegin For three hours, Liv pushes herself to her absolute limit.
30 30 301 AniZhuanchangEnd 1 Collins Aha! I can't believe the extent of its power. Not only has it cleared a large amount of Corrupted, but it even woke up a bunch of them. 1
31 31 301 Collins That's marvelous. It's nothing compared to the amount of Corrupted around the world, sure, but that's a brilliant start. 1
32 32 301 Collins I dare say I can feel the smiles of all those who sacrificed for Project Winter. 1
33 33 301 Looking at Liv on the monitor, Collins sheds a drop of passionate tears.
34 34 204 1 14
35 35 301 Collins A shame that she has to trade her life for such a brief, tiny spark. 1
36 36 201 1 500012 400
37 37 201 2 500352 -400
38 38 301 1 Nikola Have we finally gained a weapon that counters our misfortune? 1
39 39 301 Hilda It appears so from the data we're receiving. 2
40 40 301 Hilda After the Punishing Virus is cleared, the Hetero-Creatures all but vanished. Constructs who were infected have regained a certain level of control, but we'll have to wait and see what happens next. 2
41 41 301 Hilda The only ones we couldn't save... are the humans who were taken by the virus. 2
42 42 301 Nikola Human bodies are still too fragile. 1
43 43 201 1 500319 400
44 44 301 1 Collins Don't forget that we still have our serums. That came out way before the Omega Weapon. 1
45 45 301 Hilda ... 2
46 46 201 1 500011 400
47 47 201 2 500004 9 -400
48 48 301 1 Hassen How is Liv doing? 1
49 49 301 Asimov The Omega Weapon is mitigating her infection rate, but her M.I.N.D. will break down before the infection takes her. 2
50 50 202 1 2 1
51 51 201 1 500404
52 52 301 1 Hippocrates Hold on. Something's wrong. 1
53 53 301 They all look at the records the Professor is reading, unclear on what she is referring to.
54 54 201 1 500058 400
55 55 201 2 500004 7 -400
56 56 301 1 Researcher A It's probably just white noise? Just random sounds made by the Corrupted below? 1
57 57 301 Asimov No. It's different. 2
58 58 301 Asimov expands the record details, going through each account with the Professor.
59 59 202 1 2 1
60 60 201 1 500404
61 61 301 1 Hippocrates ...Those are not their voices. They're memories. 1
62 62 301 Hippocrates I have a theory. 1
63 63 203 1 0.25 400
64 64 201 2 500004 9 -400
65 65 301 1 Asimov Memories of the Corrupted and the dead? 2
66 66 301 Hippocrates Exactly. From what we know, the Red Tide stores a huge quantity of memory data from the dead. 1
67 67 301 Hippocrates This information is recorded inside the Punishing Virus, providing data for the Red Tide projections and the Hetero-Sapiens, allowing them to mimic the departed. 1
68 68 301 Hippocrates Now that Liv is absorbing the Punishing Virus, all these memories are getting pulled inside her M.I.N.D. as well. 1
69 69 301 Hippocrates We never noticed this in the Corrupted. Have we only managed to decipher this data because Liv's M.I.N.D. is more stable? 1
70 70 301 Asimov We can only confirm that after we retrieve the frame for analysis. 2
71 71 301 Hippocrates ... 1
72 72 301 Hippocrates That is not good news. 1
73 73 201 2 500011 -400
74 74 301 1 Hassen Why? 2
75 75 301 Hippocrates There's a story in Kowloong called "The Butterfly Dream". Have you heard of it, Mr. President? 1
76 76 301 Hassen I don't know enough about Kowloong's culture. All I know is that it's about a dream where you believe you're a butterfly. 2
77 77 301 Hippocrates "Am I dreaming I am a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming I'm a man?" 1
78 78 301 Hippocrates Unlike the Ascendants, Liv cannot control these "memories of the dead." Those data will be mixed with her own memory, corrupting her sense of self. 1
79 79 301 Hippocrates She will consider these memories her own. 1
80 80 301 Hippocrates How would you feel if you had to experience tens of thousands of lifetimes all at once? All those deaths? 1
81 81 202 1 2 1
82 82 201 1 500011 400
83 83 201 2 500012 -400
84 84 301 1 Hassen & Nikola ... 1 2
85 85 201 1 500352 400
86 86 201 2 500319 -400
87 87 301 1 Hilda & Collins ... 1 2
88 88 202 1 1
89 89 203 2 0.25
90 90 301 1 Collins Will the test result be affected? 2
91 91 201 2 500004 9
92 92 301 1 Asimov If you're talking about how compatible specialized frames and the Omega Weapon is, it's already a success. 2
93 93 201 2 500319
94 94 301 1 Collins But we still have to destroy the twins, don't we? 2
95 95 201 1 500011 400
96 96 201 2 500012 -400
97 97 301 1 Nikola We've got what we wanted. Even if Liv destroys the twins now, the Red Tide will just grow new ones sooner or later. 2
98 98 301 Nikola What we should do now is retrieve our assets and work on improvements. The only way to avoid repeating our failures is to develop more stable frames. 2
99 99 301 Hassen Can we still stop the memory invasion? 1
100 100 202 1 2 1
101 101 201 1 500004 9
102 102 301 1 Asimov ...It's too late. 1
103 103 201 1 500404 14
104 104 301 1 Hippocrates ... 1
105 105 301 Hippocrates This is going to damage her M.I.N.D. substantially. Even if Liv survives this, she will spend the rest of her life not only with an intense migraine, but the shadows of all those memories and deaths. 1
106 106 301 Hippocrates ...Liv... 1
107 107 301 Hippocrates ...I was hoping you would live through this. 1
108 108 301 AniZhuanchangBegin Hippocrates But now... I should be glad that death will set you free. 1
113 113 301 AniZhuanchangEnd Liv has awakened her trapped companions in the church, as well as the Corrupted Constructs whose M.I.N.D.s are still fairly intact.
114 114 301 Flying through the church and the streets around it, she soars freely, seeking those who can still wake from the vile curse, trading every last second of her life for someone else's.
115 115 301 However—just as what those researchers have discovered...
116 116 301 When the large amount of Punishing Virus enters her M.I.N.D., Liv begins to hear muted cries.
117 117 301 Those voices become more and more apparent. Then the memories hit her.
118 118 301 Just like how those consciousnesses merge with the Red Tide, Liv is slowly fusing with them.
119 119 301 Their cries pierce through her M.I.N.D. like spikes nailed to her heart.
120 120 301 The volume gets louder, and louder, almost as if she were there experiencing what they felt.
121 121 301 Then she begins to feel the torment the victims felt before they died.
184 184 301 Her dying consciousness takes over her body, and her eyes shut involuntarily from the sense of suffocation. But in the darkness, she sees a city in ruins.
222 222 301 1 She crawls near the garden, where the summer flowers are dyed red with human blood.
223 223 401 2 937
224 224 301 "No. 3079... you [BUZZ—] like this place [BUZZ—] protect it..." 1
225 225 401 2 937
226 226 301 The incomplete data has not recorded the full conversation, but she really should focus on stopping the bleeding from the wounded before her instead of what has been said.
394 394 301 She is the one who lit the charcoal in a sealed room with her family. She is the one who fought to her death with 78 other Constructs.
395 395 301 She is the one who holds a baby above the water during the flood. She is the Corrupted held up by a human, delaying her<//CORRUPTED> from slaughtering others.
396 396 301 She<//WE> is forced into the eternal night of death. Inside her bright, burning flame, she<//WE> might speak a different language, and she<//WE> might have a different body, but she<//WE> cries with the same fury.
434 434 301 AniZhuanchangEnd All those emotions and deaths converge in her body, turning into an elegy composed of lives.
435 435 301 Liv This is our choice...
436 436 301 AniZhuanchangBegin If it is possible to protect that small spark from the darkness... she<//WE> is willing to give everything for the world that brought us to life.
444 444 301 AniZhuanchangEnd It feels like an endless dream that is drowned in tears. Trapped in a cell of vines and thorns, you have no idea how long you have lingered there.
445 445 301 Suddenly, you feel your right hand burning, and you look to find the scorching trail of tears on the back of your hand.
446 446 302 ... 447
447 447 301 Who left those tears?
448 448 301 The companions by your side are long gone. All that is left is a splatter of blood leading to the distance.
449 449 302 ...Don't go! 450
450 450 301 Following the trail, you are once again lost in the boundless mist.
451 451 301 How many times has it been?
452 452 301 No matter how you wrestle and look, you cannot find a way out of here.
453 453 301 How long do you have to stay here still?
454 454 301 Will you never wake up?
455 455 302 Lucia! 456 Lee! 456 Liv! 456
456 456 301 You cry out your companions' names, but you only hear your echo in return.
457 457 301 ...They are not here anymore.
458 458 302 ... 459
459 459 302 What should I do... 460
460 460 301 Losing a direction to walk forward, you kneel inside the endless cage, weary and exhausted.
461 461 301 ...
462 462 301 ...
463 463 301 ...
464 464 201 1 500410
465 465 301 1 ??? Huh... So you're the one who's been crying out... 1
466 466 301 Out of nowhere, you hear an unfamiliar but gentle voice.
467 467 302 ...Who's there? 468
468 468 301 ??? Do you want to get out of here? 1
469 469 301 ??? A few more days and their efforts will finally break this cage. 1
470 470 301 ??? Except... I'm afraid it'll be too late if we wait for them. 1
471 471 301 ??? ... 1
472 472 301 ??? Do you want my help? 1
473 473 301 ??? To wake you up when your decisions still matter, so that you can forge your own path and make your own choices. 1
474 474 301 ??? ...Until the day of the "Eternal Winter". 1
475 475 302 Please help me. 476 Please wake me up. 476
476 476 301 ??? ... 1
477 477 301 AniZhuanchangBegin ??? In that case... 【kuroname】, I wish you... a journey with no regrets. 1
481 481 301 AniZhuanchangEnd Waking from your delirious nightmare, you find yourself lying on a bed in Star of Life.
482 482 302 ... 483
483 483 301 An origami Queen of the Night sits by your pillow, its paper emitting a subtle hint of dirt and blood.
484 484 301 You struggle to shut off the alarm on the nightstand, trying to get up, only to find your body incredibly heavy, where every simple action requires a tremendous amount of strength.
485 485 301 You look up at the clock projection, and you discover that it has been almost three months since the mission to the Pulia Forest Park Ruins.
486 486 302 Almost three months already... 487
487 487 301 With great difficulties, you try to adjust to your bedridden body and stand up, moving out of the room one step at a time.
488 488 301 You are almost at the door when a young doctor suddenly pushes it open and enters.
495 495 301 AniZhuanchangEnd After she tells you about what has happened to Liv and the others, you look back at the paper flower by the bed, finally understanding what it means.
496 496 302 Please let me return to the field. 497
497 497 301 Hippocrates In this state? 1
498 498 302 Yes. 499
499 499 301 Even when your body is now a burden, you will lose your only shot if you stay here in defeat.
500 500 301 But regrets are not a good reason to be reckless. You have to plan accordingly.
501 501 302 I will establish a remote connection first. 502
502 502 301 According to the Professor, Lucia, Lee, and Chrome are all back on their feet and able to communicate and connect with you remotely.
503 503 302 I'll put on an exoskeleton before heading to the surface. 504
504 504 301 Hippocrates ... 1
505 505 301 She still looks doubtful. Is she uncertain about your plan?
506 506 301 DialogDisable There is no time to waste. You have to convince her.
507 507 302 Maybe it's too late. 508
508 508 302 But that doesn't mean it's hopeless. 509
509 509 302 The only way to find out is if we try. 510
510 510 301 DialogEnable Hippocrates ... 1
511 511 301 She suddenly smacks you on your shoulder and your back, almost causing to you fall.
512 512 302 H-hold on... 513 ??? 513
513 513 204 1 1
514 514 301 Hippocrates I thought something was wrong with you up there with how confident and eager you are, having just woken up. 1
515 515 301 Hippocrates Your mind isn't jumbled, and your body isn't a complete mess from a three-month coma. I guess I wouldn't be able to stop you. 1
516 516 302 It hasn't been three months yet... 517 So you smacked me to confirm that? 518
517 517 519 301 Hippocrates More or less. 1
518 518 301 Hippocrates Do you think we have time for a detailed inspection? Being able to stand will suffice. Not that there is any other way. 1
519 519 301 Hippocrates As for your plan, I'll need to find someone else to see if it's feasible. Get changed when I look for them... Can you do that? 1
520 520 302 Of course. 521
521 521 301 Hippocrates Good, you look lively. Woke up a bit later than I like, but for someone who suffered a head injury and stayed bedridden for three months, you're looking just fine. How should I phrase it... 1
522 522 301 She ponders a bit.
523 523 302 I'm lucky. 524 Thanks to modern science and technology. 526 Thanks to the doctors and nurses. 527
524 524 301 Hippocrates You can be the luckiest dead person in the world if not for the doctors and nurses who treated you and the medical technology used to fix you up! Be appreciative! 1
525 525 528 301 Then she whacks you on your back hard.
526 526 528 301 Hippocrates That's right, but don't forget the doctors and nurses who took care of you as well. 1
527 527 301 Hippocrates And the modern technology they used! You wouldn't be standing if not for the advancements in medical science. 1
528 528 302 AniZhuanchangBegin Right. 529
529 529 202 1 1
530 530 301 AniZhuanchangEnd Having finished changing, you part the cubicle curtain to find two familiar faces standing by the door.
531 531 302 Asimov, President Hassen...
532 532 201 1 500011 -400
533 533 201 2 500004 9 400
534 534 301 1 Hassen We were together monitoring Liv's situation. 1
535 535 301 Hassen We saw the signal alert to your cubicle light up, so we had Professor Hippocrates check on you first. 1
536 536 301 Asimov ...You look good, all things considered. 2
537 537 302 It's been a while. 538 Sorry, I overslept. 538
538 538 301 Asimov Liv is in grave danger right now. Her M.I.N.D. is being infected repeatedly. 2
539 539 302 I see. 540
540 540 201 1 500404 -400
541 541 301 1 Hippocrates What do you see? You haven't the slightest clue. 1
542 542 201 1 500011 -400
543 543 301 1 Hassen The Professor has told us about your plan. It's a shot in the dark, a glimmer of hope with absolutely no guarantees. 1
544 544 301 Asimov Liv's M.I.N.D. has been through the wringer. It's impossible to connect to her right now, let alone treat it through the connection. 2
545 545 301 Asimov If you were to attempt it, you'd have to first connect remotely with another Gray Raven member, using them as a medium to force your way inside Liv's M.I.N.D. when they are in close proximity. 2
546 546 301 Asimov You can only have a chance to connect with Liv by keeping a piece of her M.I.N.D. shard safe and stopping the data and the Punishing Virus from conglomerating. 2
547 547 302 That couldn't be all of it. 548 Would that do it? 548
548 548 301 Asimov Forcing your way into an infected M.I.N.D. will result in your consciousness flushing into the data stream. You will be at risk of infection from the Punishing Virus and disruption from an information overload. 2
549 549 301 Asimov It could result in both you and your "medium" getting infected. 2
550 550 201 1 500404 -400
551 551 301 1 Hippocrates You'll have to get close if you want a connection to her Deep M.I.N.D. 1
552 552 301 Hippocrates There is still a large amount of Hetero-Creatures gathered down there. You just woke up, and your mobility will be limited even with your exoskeleton. 1
553 553 302 Please allow me to bring some companions with me. 554
554 554 201 1 500011 -400
555 555 301 1 Hassen I'm planning to send in a huge fleet of transport crafts to bring the recovered Constructs back. Of course I'll send people to guard your way to Liv. 1
556 556 201 1 500404 -400
557 557 301 1 Hippocrates ... 1
558 558 302 Are there still other concerns? 559
559 559 301 Hippocrates A lot. 1
560 560 301 Hippocrates For example, Liv's EMP discharge collar is counting down while her infection rate is climbing. 1
561 561 301 Hippocrates Even if it all goes smoothly... Her M.I.N.D. is a jumbled mess already. You can't fix it with a connection. 1
562 562 302 Is there a way to treat it? 563
563 563 204 1 14
564 564 301 Hippocrates Yes, but there will be lasting aftereffects. 1
565 565 302 ... 566
566 566 301 Hippocrates Look, I'm glad the patient I've been looking after has woken up. But please consider again whether or not to save Liv. 1
567 567 301 Hippocrates The effects she will suffer are worse than what we anticipated. Surviving could be a worse torment for her. 1
568 568 302 We'll let her decide when she lives and returns. 569
569 569 301 Hippocrates ... 1
570 570 201 2 500011 400
571 571 301 1 Hassen 【kuroname】, as the President, I am inclined to keep Babylonia's elites alive. I hope you'll reconsider your decision. 2
572 572 301 Hassen This is an extremely dangerous battle with a very low chance of success. Failure could spell your doom. 2
573 573 301 Hassen You will be risking your life for a chance, just a chance, to save her. 2
574 574 301 Hassen You're a commandant with a bright future. Now is not the time for you to fall. 2
575 575 302 There won't even be a chance if I stay. 576
576 576 301 Hassen Do you still insist on going after knowing the threats you will face? 2
577 577 302 I do. 578
578 578 301 Hassen Can you tell me why? 2
579 579 302 Because Liv chose the same. 580 Because Liv is my companion. 580
580 580 301 DialogDisable Hassen ... 2
581 581 302 You feel the same, don't you, Mr. President? 582
582 582 302 Despite what you've been saying... 583
583 583 302 You haven't stopped me with a direct order. 584
584 584 302 You even promised to send people to protect me. 585
585 585 301 DialogEnable Hassen ... 2
586 586 301 Hassen Perhaps I'm also waiting for a miracle. 2
587 587 204 1 5
588 588 301 Hippocrates Mr. President...! 1
589 589 301 Hassen It's not like you to give up without a fight, Professor Hippocrates. The younger you would be kicking and screaming. 2
590 590 204 1
591 591 301 Hippocrates ... 1
592 592 301 Hassen Prepare to depart, 【kuroname】. We'll continue when you're on the transport craft. Otherwise, you'll be too late. 2
593 593 301 Hippocrates Come back in one piece, or I'll cut you up myself. 1
594 594 302 I'll try my best to avoid that. 595 I'll come back with all of them. 595
595 595 301 AniZhuanchangBegin She nods, frowning.
603 603 301 AniZhuanchangEnd Traversing through the countless deaths, the girl finds her body and mind broken beyond recognition.
604 604 301 How long has it been? She no longer has any concept of time.
605 605 301 It feels like it has only been a moment or maybe hundreds of years.
606 606 301 Have they recovered from the infection?
607 607 301 Is her duty almost fulfilled?
608 608 301 The girl, walking alone, cannot see the countdown of her life. She can only use her muddled M.I.N.D. to absorb the Punishing Virus instinctively.
609 609 301 She just wants to hold on for a bit longer.
610 610 301 If she can help one more person than she expected, she will feel a little less regret in the end.
611 611 301 With that thought in mind, she walks to the finish line, one step at a time.
612 612 301 ...Difficult as it may be, it's time to go.
639 639 301 1 Asimov Now, this is just a hypothesis, yet to be confirmed— 1
640 640 301 Asimov But when the Punishing Virus "drawn" by the specialized frame outpaces the rate the Omega Weapon can "absorb" it, and the infection passes your threshold... 1
641 641 301 Asimov ...You might be able to enter the Ascension-Network while conscious with the help of this frame. 1
648 648 301 1 Liv Is this... what the Ascension-Network looks like? 1
649 649 202 1 1
650 650 301 ??? "Metaphorically speaking—when presented with something beyond comprehension, humans won't be able to perceive its true form, like how three-dimensional beings cannot understand four-or-more-dimension spaces."
651 651 301 ??? "Now, all you can do is interpret what you can from what you cannot."
652 652 201 1 500401 14
653 653 301 1 Whose voice is this? Or is this the memory of someone once here?
668 668 301 ??? "Constructs who connect with the Ascension-Network for the first time will usually find data that belongs to them. Consider it a visit to the fortune teller."
