Chapter 105: Twilight of a Lost Age

I'm sorry to break it to you, but you're not going to lay a scratch on this unit. Stop wasting everyone's time and accept your loss. If you get on your knees and beg, maybe I won't kill all of you.

Guilty Hades?!

It's time you simpletons learned what happens to those that defy the Empire.

Grr!

Put a cork in it!

Velette?

I don't mind bettin' on underdogs. Everybody eats a loss every now an' then.

As long as ya can dust yerself off and take another crack at it yer good in my book.

Ya wanna know what a real loser looks like? Someone who sits and does nothing while her mates are down and out!

I've had about enough of your incessant babbling!

Ya ready, Gunce?!

On it, Miss!

That creepy little bear is resonating with Guilty Hades! How?! Now that I think about it, didn't Velette say she discovered that thing during an excavation? Wait! Could she have discovered one of the Hollow God's long-lost terraforming units?! Gunce... Gun.. The Gun Cache?!

Grr... Damn you! Grand Hades will never fall to your pathetic attacks!

Wai, ! Wh-What are you doing?! Stop! Ahhh?!

Grand Hades II system connection lost! Professor Sebastia captured.

What about Guilty Hades?!

Move! ...Move! Please just MOVE!

Hey! Isn't that the goddess's beast?!

Stop this, Chronos!

Stay out of my way, Madoka! That creature must be eliminated if we are to ever break the seal on this world. I will not stand down. Not even for you.

Listen to me, Kamlanage... You were Madoka's hope. She believed in you just like the outer layer's Madoka believed in Eden and Cecile. She entrusted you with the future itself.

......

You have to get up... Please... Stand up, Kamlanage! This is your life, and you can make your own choices. I know you can do it. You're Madoka's son! You're my family!!!

Argh...RAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!

Guilty Hades?!

Kamlanage?!

It's awakened! That's...the winged beast!!!

What?!

Stop this, Kamlanage. You disappoint me.

RAAAAAAAAAGH!!!

KAMLANAAAGE!!!

Did ya see that, Miss?! Wasn't I amazin'?!

Yep, I'd ya've earned yerself a compliment for once, Gunce. Ya really saved our butts back there.

...Yay!

Heh... I might owe you two lunatics an apology.

You've got guts aiming one of the Hollow God's own relics at Grand Hades.

Hah! Well, ya've gotta have at least a few screws loose in my line of work. But don't go treatin' Gunce like some kinda tool, ya hear? That's my job.

...Hmph. Whatever.

Heh... I might owe you two lunatics an apology.

Where were you hiding all that power?

Hah! Well, ya've gotta have at least a few screws loose in my line of work. And for the record, I wasn't hidin' anything. Didn't I tell ya before that I found Gunce on a dig?

...Wait, so you didn't even know it had that function? I take back what I said. You're an idiot.

...But dang, who would've ever expected that old Nullgear I dug up to be the Winged Beast?

Hmph. Doesn't look like the wings are doing it much good, now.

Speaking of which, we should probably go check on the kid. That was a hell of a fall.

...Can you sense him using your psychic resonance, Feinne?

...No. I'm not sure if it's because we're too far apart or because he's lost consciousness, but I can't sense him anywhere.

Blast it... Please be safe, Kam! Come on, guys! We need to get back down as soon as possible!

Agreed. I'm worried about that red light emanating from where Guilty Hades fell. What in the world could be causing that...

Don't tell me... The roks?!

...Rocks?

What the, ?!

I can't move! What's happening?!

Teleportation magic?! No! At this rate they're going to capture Grand Hades!

....Where are we? What just happened?

I can't remember anything after what happened in the Blood Ring...

For reasons unknown, everyone lost consciousness temporarily. Even my own systems were forced into sleep mode.

...And now we find ourselves in zis magnificent hall. Ze only question is who brought us here.

...Hey.

Kamlanage!

Thank goodness you're safe!

You really scared us... Luckily you were transported here alongside Guilty Hades.

Yeah... I was sinking into the sea thinking I was done for when I got caught up in some kind of red light...

We saw that light too, around the area where Grand Hades and the riftbreaker went down.

It must be related to whatever force teleported us here...

Another one of the Empire's schemes?

Definitely not. We don't have any facilities like this under our control.

Plus, look over there...

Yeah... I can't see the Empire treating Grand Hades so carelessly, to say nothing of the riftbreaker.

I will try and analyze the situation further.

Scanning coordinates... Scanning... Unfortunately there are no records of this area in my database. I did, however, pick up a strong gravitational field similar to Elzion's coming from all directions. There is a high probability it is man-made.

A man-made gravity field? But they would need incredibly advanced technology to do that...

Well, sittin' around here makin' blind guesses is a waste of brain power if ya ask me. Doesn't matter where we are. We've got one job here, to protect Guilty Hades.

You tell 'em, Miss! Nobody's gettin' their grubby hands on our relic!

You DO understand that Guilty Hades doesn't belong to you, right?

I'm still just trying to grasp how Guilty Hades was the Winged Beast in the first place...

The Tree of Time, the Winged Beast... Both of them seem to be integral parts of Emperor Chronos's plan to liberate the Hollow Time Layer.

Hey, do you think you can get Guilty Hades moving, Kam?

...Doesn't look like it. The interdimensional storage capsule isn't working and my mental connection has been completely cut off. It's like there's something we can't see blocking it.

Something we can't see? Like that same force Ashtear was talking about? This is turning into a huge mess. We don't even know where...

, The Crystal Age.

Looks like you made it out okay, too, Professor Sebastia. Do you know what's going on?

Yes. We seem to have been summoned to the era of the roks.

...You have, indeed.

Our people welcome you, Imperial and otherworldly guests.

...Who the, ?!

The Runeveil Republic's Council of Geer, I presume?

Ah good, so you know of us already. My name is Amelie Blume, Speaker of the Council.

I'm here because you have been deemed a threat to the law and order of the Hollow Time Layer. This is not something to which we can turn a blind eye.

On what grounds are you making this accusation?

Your very existence here is grounds enough. You are irregulars in this time layer, and everything you do pushes our world closer to calamity.

Even if it was not your intention, there is no question that your actions awakened the Tree of Time and the Winged Beast.

We cannot allow this to continue.

...Then what are you planning to do with us?

F-F-Freeze us?!

Nope! No way! I'm out! I wanna dig up relics, not become one!

...Go ahead and try if you think you have what it takes.

What the, ?! Ogre Rancorem?!

Guilty Hades!

What are you doing, Ogre Rancorem?

Hmph. You think I'd allow myself to be frozen for your failures? I'm going to have to show these prideful fools exactly where they stand.

......

You just made the situation 100 times worse!

Please! Wait a second! We just got here! We don't even know anything about this world yet!

Yeah! Don't just assume we're here to cause trouble!

This is not up for debate.

On my authority as Speaker of the Council of Geer and as a member of the Flower Guard, I sentence you to cryogenic disposal!

Hold on!

I'd like to request custody of both them and the Winged Beast.

I'm afraid it's a matter of grave importance to the Sword Guard.

...The Empire is at our doorsteps. We will not be able to avoid conflict with them forever.

......

We must ascertain the secret of the Golden Sword as soon as possible, and I believe these people might just hold the key!

The Golden Sword?

I'm afraid I can only ask that you trust me. But there is a real possibility that these people caused both the reawakening of the Tree of Time and the Winged Beast.

I assure you I will take full responsibility should anything happen.

Commonsarg...

Alright, if they're that important to you I'm willing to grant you custody.

It's a risk I'm willing to take. He's right in saying that we can't avoid conflict with the Empire forever. They will come for the Golden Sword, but as long as we can decipher its true nature before them, we will hold the advantage.

On my authority as descendent of the Flower Guard, I've decided to entrust the prisoners to Commonsarg of the Sword Guard. Do you intend to challenge my decision?

Just know that if anything happens, it will be your head on the chopping block, Commonsarg.

Understood.

Hey! Don't just go deciding things without hearing our side of the story!

I think it would be best to do as they say for now, Aldo. We can save our questions for later. Getting out of here is our top priority.

...Alright. If that's what you think is best.

And what do you plan to do with me?

You will be staying with us, Professor Sebastia. My men have even prepared you your own private room.

...Hmph. Planning an interrogation, are we?

I didn't think you'd be dumb enough to detain a high-ranking imperial official.

Interrogation? Surely you jest! Our intentions are purely diplomatic. We just want to have a nice, friendly chat.

...Call it whatever you want. It's my own fault for getting caught.

But believe me, I'm going to make you pay for what you did to Grand Hades.

Professor Sebastia...

...That concludes today's business. Everyone is dismissed.

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Commonsarg Engold. May I have your name?

Aldo. Thanks for helping us out earlier. I was worried we might've lost Guilty Hades.

It didn't seem like you were with that group from earlier, so who are you exactly?

I'm just a local tracker. A hunter basically. I have no connection to the council.

No connection? Zen why was Madame Speaker so quick to do as you asked?

You mean Amelie? We've just known each other for a long time, that's all. She trusts my judgement.

Okay... But why side with us?

Because I'm trying to find out the truth behind the legend of the Golden Sword, and I think you can help me. I want you to accompany me to the Glass Mausoleum.

That name just keeps coming up... What exactly is the Golden Sword?

Hmm...

It's probably better to save the explanations for later. You must be exhausted.

Hah! Never underestimate an archaeologist! I only need sleep about once every three days!

Well, WE do. Especially Kamlanage.

That's right. He was piloting Guilty Hades the entire time we were fighting.

Haha... Ever since I became a pilot all you guys do is worry about me.

But it's true, I could use some time to catch my breath.

That settles it, then! Let's stretch our legs a little and try to learn more about this era.

Sounds like a plan.

This will take us to the seat of the Runeveil Republic, Crystal Capital Jasmond.

I'll fill everyone in on the situation, so just relax and take some time to learn about our world.

We appreciate it.

Come on, guys.

Huh? Is the elevator broken?

Just a second.

It should work now. Let's go.

That person just now... Common...sarg?

Crystal Capital Jasmond, huh? It's even bigger than I was expecting.

Yeah, the skyline is almost as impressive as Elzion's.

Look at all those flowers dancing through the air...

They're beautiful! The way they ride the wind reminds me of the lightspark.

Haha! You're actually not too far off.

What do you mean?

We call them "ferry blossoms".

Oh? What an elegant name.

We call them that because of the way they ferry themselves across vast distances. There's an old story that the lifeforce of our people resides within them. Our smiles and tears become the flowers that soar the skies of our transient world.

That description almost makes them sound sacred...

Well, it's just an old story. No one can say for sure if there's any truth to it, but I've always found the idea romantic.

...They just look creepy to me.

Can we get on with this little tour?

This is the midlayer of the city, known as the Alba District. The council building and residential areas are located here. If it's information you're after, you might be better off heading down a level to the Sulata District. That's where most businesses are located.

Alright, we'll head down to Sulata...

Just look at this place! It's so pretty!

Indeed. It has a completely different charm from Elzion.

Altena, look! You can see the clouds right below us!

Heheh, just don't get too close to the edge, Feinne.

Hmph, just imagine the view we could get if we took Guilty Hades out on that sea of clouds.

...Heeey! You guys coming?

Hrmmm... Just what kinda mineral is this, anyhow?

If even YOU haven't heard of it then it must be worth a fortune back home!

I'm going on ahead. I need to check the city for structural weak points in case I ever need to blow it up.

I've been thinking this for a while now, Aldo, but your allies are kind of intense.

Yeah, this reminds me of when we first visited Garulea...

At this rate we're never going to find an inn...

Haha, if you're worrying about me then don't. Seeing everyone enjoying themselves like this is refreshing enough.

If you say so...

Sorry Commonsarg, do you mind waiting a little longer?

Haha, not at all. We can head to the Sulata District after everyone's ready.