Chapter 62: Gulfagin: Tragedy Aboard the Abandoned Prison Ship

The Gulfagin is listed among the places the autopilot can take us. That's a relief.

No kidding. I don't think we should thank them directly, but it's a good thing we've got this ship.

Better to be discreet, eh, Amy?

Detecting inclement weather ahead. Thunderstorm warning for this area! Extreme caution is advised!

So, that's the Prison Ship... Gulfagin!

My father is in there!

Ngh! What the...?!

Attention, intruders! I am Delamair, head of the KMS Eastern Division! What business do you have on a ship under management by KMS?! This is an unmanned prison ship that has been shut down for quite some time! Leave quickly, if you value your lives!

Sorry, but we can't afford to do that. So, this is an unmanned ship, huh? In that case, you won't mind if we have a look around and see if we can find anybody, right?

You little fools! Go on and do what you like, if you insist! But I'll take no responsibility for what may happen to you! If you go wandering around this prison, you'll soon find yourselves in the grip of the shades of the departed... I hope the bloody screams of the prisoners that still echo in those dark passageways will freeze your souls!

Delamair, head of the Eastern division, huh? So, he thinks we'll go home like good little boys and girls if he says so? We've gotta find your dad, Kikyo, no matter what it takes!

Aldo... About the Hyperspeed Demon...

Galliard! Do you know something about him? Apparently, he's Kikyo's father.

No, I don't know anything for certain. But something has been bothering me. That man seems to have a connection to Professor Chronos and his wife...

Professor Chronos and Madoka? Why would their names come up now, in a place like this?

That's the trouble...I don't know. It's possible that part of my memory has been erased. I'm afraid the same may have happened to Helena.

Parts of our memories have been altered?

Yeah... If we keep going past this point, things may become clearer to us. Please, allow me to accompany you as you continue on.

Sounds good. Well, we'd better keep going, then.

All right, now we should be able to use the equipment in these facilities. Let's keep going, everyb...

I thought I'd sensed something strange happening here in the East, and here you are. I should have known.

LeA-BAK!

Did you come all the way out to a place like this for the sake of the Hyperspeed Demon... Rindo?

Wait, you know Kikyo's father?!

The situation with that man is tricky. Even the internal departments of KMS were very cautious about how to handle him. Well, they had to be, since it was Professor Chronos who did the cybernetic surgery on him after Rindo lost half his body in an accident.

What?! He lost half his body in an accident?!

Professor Chronos performed cybernetic surgery on him?!

Yeah. It happened the year before the professor's family went missing. Apparently, Rindo used to be close friends with Chronos and Madoka, back in their student days.

Kikyo's father was friends with Professor Chronos and Madoka?!

Kikyo, did you ever hear him say anything about this accident, or his former friendships?

I was still really little at the time of the accident and Father never seemed to want to mention it, even when I was older... I hardly know any real details about his past...

Naturally he wouldn't want to talk to his daughter about the accident that cost him so much of his body, or be asked about it. Let alone the possibility that it was an attempted act of deliberate murder by KMS.

A scheme enacted by KMS?

Are you all aware that there are two horns on Rindo's forehead? Yes? So then, do you know why they called him the Hyperspeed Demon?

No, we don't know... But isn't it because people wondered why a human had sprouted horns?

It seems Rindo's horns were implanted on purpose when Professor Chronos did the surgery on him.

What?! Why?! And why horns?!

Apparently that's what Rindo wanted. I don't know the details of why, but... Isn't that right, Kikyo?

Yes... There was certainly a reason for Father's horns...

Hey, Father...why did you put those pointy things on your forehead?

Hmm? Oh, you mean these horns? I asked my best friend to make them specially for me. I wanted to become an avenging demon of justice who would get rid of evildoers...

Wow... You're so cool, Father! Me, too! I wanna be a demon, too!

Cool? You think your old man is cool? I see... Well, that makes my day. Hahaha!

But, listen, Kikyo. There's no need for you to become a demon. No...in fact, you should never become a demon. I want you to stay human, and grow up good and strong. Can you do that for me, Kikyo?

Yes! I understand, Father. I'll do my best!

......

Around that time, Rindo and the professor harbored a sense of mistrust toward KMS. When he knew he would lose his organic body, since he'd always been a warrior... He turned himself into a war machine. A shield for humans that could fight even KMS's Synth Human army on an equal footing... The specifics are unknown, but there must have been some kind of special device in those horns on his forehead, right?

Yes...those were my father's Arrows of Light. They moved at Hyperspeed.

Hyperspeed Arrows of Light...

Six years ago, after Rindo was captured, the researchers at KMS were at their wits' end about what to do with him. It was impossible to predict what reaction they might see from Professor Chronos' machine if they handled it wrong.

Apparently, when they actually anesthetized Rindo to examine his body, the systems aboard the facility abruptly shut down. In the end, KMS had to keep him here on the Prison Ship Gulfagin indefinitely. They broadcast some faked footage of the execution of the rebel demon, and spun the media to make everyone forget his name.

You must have believed your father was dead, as well, and spent the rest of your life nursing a grudge against KMS. Am I wrong, Kikyo?

Urgh...

Well, what is your aim now, LeA-BAK?

I have a genuine interest in the one known as the Hyperspeed Demon... And I wished to know the reasons behind your current actions, so I came to ascertain them for myself.

......

That Delamair of the Eastern Branch seems like a truly bothersome opponent. Hmph... I wish you success.

LeA-BAK, wait!

Maybe he's going ahead to clear the way for us, so we can get somewhere really good.

Oh, whatever. Either way, let's get going! Come on, Kikyo!

Yeah!

According to my database, the section ahead is D Block, where particularly vicious criminals were housed.

Your father should be somewhere in there, Kikyo. We're gonna break him out, no matter what it takes!

Listen to me, Kikyo.

What is it, Father?

Kikyo, remember, if I don't come back... If that day should come, then you must forget all about me. Abandon your past as my daughter, make a fresh start with a clean slate, and move on with your life...

What? But...why?!

You understand, don't you? I know you're strong enough to do it. You're my child, and your mother Tsutsuji's daughter, after all. Promise me, Kikyo.

Father!

I have to go now.

Father...!

Huh?! No...no, it can't be!

Well, let's go, everyone! C'mon, Kikyo!

The most isolated cell in solitary? That's got to be the place we're looking for...

My father is in there...

All right! Let's go, everybody! Kikyo, you'll finally get to see your father again.

F-Father?!

So this is Kikyo's father... The Hyperspeed Demon! But he doesn't look so good...

There must be a switch for the light grid... There!

Father?! No, this can't be happening... He's...he's not breathing...

Huh?! Is he...dead?!

What?! No!

So, this is the sad fate of the Hyperspeed Demon...

It seems you're too late. From the look of him, it's been quite some time since he stopped functioning. Who knows what you might set off if you touch him? Better to leave him there, undisturbed forever.

Have you no pity?!

It can't be... Father! It's me! It's Kikyo! Please, open your eyes! Father?! Father!

Oh, Kikyo...

If only I'd known the truth sooner! I could have done something to save you from this place, Father... I wanted you to see how much I've grown! There was so much I wanted to talk about... So many things I wanted to say to you!

You little fools... Why do you think I told you to turn back?

Nrgh! What are those things?!

You again, Delamair?! You monster! How could you do something so horrible?!

I only did what he asked. He already completely ceased functioning, several years ago... But...you did make it this far, after all. The least I can do to reward your persistence is tell you what really happened, 6 years ago.

The rebel called the Hyperspeed Demon... You've been a thorn in our side for a long time now. We couldn't identify you, even after using facial recognition to compare footage of your attacks with all of our citizen data to date. You were effectively a man who didn't exist... No. Considering that special body of yours, you're more like a cyborg...a former man.

We were on the verge of giving up, when we thought of asking our boss' genius of a granddaughter to investigate you.

She promptly went over all our data again. But the results were still the same. She couldn't pick the needle that was you out of that haystack of data...

And that's when she brought up her theory. It didn't seem possible to completely erase the fact that a particular man existed in this world.

Plus, there were no records of where your cybernetic body was manufactured...and its Synth Human systems were unknown. There is only one person in the world who could pull off something like that...

That's right... Professor Chronos.

Hmph...

We immediately detained some old friends of Professor Chronos, and identified an image of you. Even if the Professor managed to alter the records, he couldn't erase the memories of all those people. They all remembered you immediately. The man who was best friends with the Professor... A lone samurai named Rindo. They also remembered that he lost his wife and was badly injured in an accident... And that he had a young daughter.

And so, in one fell swoop, we found both your secret identity and your weak point.

Well done.

The boss' granddaughter also gave us one more piece of advice. "If you can't find him anywhere in the city, then could he be on the surface?"

Checkmate!

Oho...it's rare to see a human here. Is this what they call an uninvited guest?

Who are you, anyway?

I am Delamair, head of the Eastern Branch of KMS. That's all that really needs to be said, don't you think? I've found you at last, Hyperspeed Demon! Your name, your identity... Anything and everything!

Hmm... You've gone to a lot of trouble on my account, haven't you? It's a pity, since you just got here, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave.. If you value your life.

That's quite enough bluffing, Rindo. Surely you don't want me to burn this nice little beast settlement to ashes? And your daughter with it.

What?! You monster... You filthy coward! Those beasts, and Kikyo... They've got nothing to do with me! Don't you dare drag innocent bystanders into this!

Surrender peacefully, Rindo. If you do, we won't lay a hand on anyone else. We don't want to turn this into a major incident any more than you do. It all depends on your next move.

Ugh... How typical of KMS, to do it this way.

Fine... All right, Delamair. I'll do as you say.

Hmph. A wise decision. Now then, they're waiting for us up there. Don't even think about trying to escape. We've already laid down a secure surveillance network.

......

According to our scientists, it's too dangerous to meddle with you.

Hah... That must have been Chronos' work. He always anticipated everything. Even the day when I would be captured. You'd better not fiddle around with my body or my horns any more, for your own good. Even I don't know what might happen. Hah...

Hmph! What an aggravating fellow...

Let's make a deal, shall we, Delamair? I'll let you throw me in prison without a fight. I just have two conditions. First, you mustn't lay a finger on Kikyo... My daughter. Second, I want you to broadcast to the world that I bungled an attack and was captured and executed. My daughter will be suspicious if she hears I surrendered willingly. She'll think it might have been her fault. And if she knows I'm still alive, she might throw her own life away trying to rescue me.

And if she did, I wouldn't be able to silently watch it happen. I would fight you tooth and nail to the bitter end, with my final breath. ... I think we'd both rather avoid that. Don't you agree, Delamair?

Hmph...

If you'll just accept those conditions... I'll remain quietly here in Gulfagin, alone, to rot in obscurity forever.

Very well... I promise. We won't lay a finger on your daughter. And we'll spin the official story, just as you say. It'll be worth it to us if it clears away the last stumbling-block that Chronos left behind for us... You.

Then it's decided... But I want you to remember one thing, Delamair. You mustn't touch a single hair on my daughter's...on Kikyo's head... No matter what happens!

Rindo was not taken prisoner during a failed attack. He was imprisoned after surrendering of his own free will. To protect you... Kikyo.

My father did that, for me?! It...it can't be...!

But now you've gone and poked your nose into our business on your own. I see no problem with declaring my former agreement with him null and void... So, are your affairs in order, little girl? I'm about to send you to see your father again after all! Along with all those friends of yours!

These are the Elite Special Forces, the pride of the Eastern branch. They're far more advanced than ordinary Synth Soldiers!

Ngh! Delamair, you monster! You can't do this!

You won't get away with this, Delamair! We'll all fight you with everything we've got!

Now then, let's see how good those combat skills of yours really are! I look forward to seeing how far you can get against our troops. Heh...

Urgh...

Wait... Delamair...

Huh?! Wh-What was that?! That voice...

Argh! R-Rindo?!

F-Father?!

What the...?!

Impossible! It can't be... You were supposed to have completely stopped functioning! How are you still moving?! You were thoroughly checked for signs of life, and there were none! Your life ended a long time ago!

Yes... It is as you say...the light of my life was snuffed out completely, long ago. But...did I not tell you, Delamair? Not to touch a single hair on my daughter's...on Kikyo's head?

Father...

Wha, ? Huh?

Hyperspeed Arrows of Light, raining from heaven... Oh, Father!

Grh... This is bad! If I get in his way, he could take me out in a single shot! I'd better retreat for now!

Those voices... Kikyo... and Rindo...

Galliard... Our memories...!

Urgh! S-So, these are the Demon's Hyperspeed Arrows of Light?!

That's right! A hyper-electromagnetic cascade phenomenon! The special electromagnetic field generated by these horns can paralyze the nervous systems of Synth Humans.

Father!

Father?!

Tsk! If I can't use my synth ninjas, I'll just have to try another tactic.

Get out here, Gail Carrigo!

Huh? What's with the giant goldfish monsters?!

I'll tell you what! These are my beloved pet fish and personal bodyguards, the adorable Gail Carrigo 1 and 2! They're not synthetic weapons, so Rindo's anti-Synth armaments won't work on them!

Urgh...

Get them! Crush them! Fly, my pretty engines of destruction! Smash these fools to pieces, Gail Carrigos!

No, no, no! What have you done to my poor, sweet little Gail Carrigo 1 and 2?!

How dare you?! I won't forget this, you fiends! I, Delamair, shall have my revenge! But for the time being, I shall retreat to fight another day! Farewell! For now...

He was a hologram all along!

Darn it, Delamair! Someday we'll fight you for real!

Father!

Kikyo... I'm sorry... I never wanted...to get you involved... in my battles... Not if I could help it...

Don't worry, Father... I can handle it... I'm the daughter of the Hyperspeed Demon, after all!

Yes... I see that now... Kikyo... the Future... You must... ......

Father?! Father!

......

Kikyo?

Kikyo... We should go soon. Let's go back to Eeza.

Yes... You're right. Let's go.