Space Tree

'Sup. Been a year since we last saw each other, huh? Still as blinding as ever down here, I see. You been good, ORT old pal?

Ah, what'm I saying? How could you be, with your reactor ripped right out!? I sympathize, man. It's gotta be rough, being on death's door for six million years!

But today's your lucky day. Break time's over. I'll have that wound of yours patched up in no time.

Ceiba, the space tree at the heart of Mayan mythology. The thirteen-layer heavens and nine-layer underworld of Aztec mythology.

The time's come to tear them all apart and destroy this planet, to rise up once again from the depths of the earth and return to outer space.

This pit... I can't even see the bottom. It's a...coffin?

And you say the weapon you need is sleeping inside, great Tezcatlipoca?

Not so much inside as below. Camazotz's the one who gouged out this hole.

Even this island we're standing on is a part of ORT. In human terms, this would be the top of its head.

The bottom of this hole is connected to ORT's heart. See that giant tree over on the opposite shore?

That's Quasar, this Lostbelt's Tree of Emptiness. Well, it was, anyway.

Six million years ago, the people of Ka'an sent ORT tumbling down here, after which the Malla put it to sleep.

But right before they could, ORT pounced on the Tree of Emptiness in the ninth stratum and devoured it.

So now, even though the Tree of Emptiness is dead, ORT took on its functions.

In Proper Human History, there's a parasitic fungus called Cordyceps that takes over its host's body. This is kind of the reverse.

The Foreign God's Tree of Emptiness may be gone now, but thanks to ORT taking over, Mictlān kept going as a Lostbelt.

In this one instance, ORT being an immortal monster turned out to be a plus.

Immortal... But, you said it's dead now, right?

Yup. It shut down after it was killed. No living creature can survive without its primary organs.

But what happened afterward was different. It's a living creature, yes, but the biological concept of death doesn't apply to it.

I told you about artificial organs, right? How they can replace organs that were lost from injury or illness?

If you lose your arm, you can get an identical arm transplanted.

If your organs rot away, you can get new ones. If your brain gets blown up, new brain for you.

Well, okay. We aren't at the point where we can create copies of brains just yet, but you get the idea.

Point is, when a human is in danger of dying from extreme damage to their body, they can be put back together.

But, once they do up and diethat is, once their bodily functions cease...

...there's no bringing that human back to life no matter how well you put them back together.

It's weird, right? Physiologically, there's no reason they can't start back up again, but they just don't.

Once organic life-forms stop functioning, even just once, that's it. They're dead forever.

Machines, on the other hand, are free from that particular bit of weirdness.

You can remove their power source or even smash them to pieces and they'll still come back to "life" if you just replace their broken parts.

You know how they say dead brain cells never come back?

The way I see it, what separates machines from living things isn't whether they're natural or artificial, or even whether or not they're intelligent.

No, I think it all comes down to whether or not you can come back from death.

Y-yes, that makes sense, great Tezcatlipoca. More than anything, it's wonderful to see you in such a good mood.

You can't be alive without eventually dying. If we consider nonfunctional machines to be dead, then they are alive too.

But that doesn't apply to immortality. Anything that can't die isn't alive. It's more of a phenomenon.

And that's what ORT is. It's a living creature that's practically a phenomenon. Death doesn't matter to it. As long as its body is restored, it'll pick right back up where it left off.

What's even scarier is that ORT restores itself automatically.

Sure, when humans get hurt, they do everything they can to heal themselves, too.

They can recover from simple injuries on their own, and as long as their society's functioning, they can pretty much get automatic assistance in recovering from major ones too.

Up to a point, obviously. If their heart or brain is destroyed, that's it for them.

But that's not the case for ORT.

For ORT, everything from the cells in its toes to the motor nerves that control its arms and legs...

...the heart that gives it energy...the brain that operates its body...everything is interchangeable.

Every cell in its body is capable of performing any of ORT's various functions. Regardless of what part you remove, it'll eventually be restored.

The only reason it's shut down right now is because the Malla pulled a great fast one on it.

Whether we help it or not, ORT will eventually start back up again. It's only a matter of time.

Daybit just had the idea of giving it a little present before that happens.

We're gonna give this monster, who only knows how to destroy and leave for another planet when it either gets bored or receives a new directive, an Order.

That's where you come in. You understand, right, Izcalli?

...Yes. My body is a one-year Tezcatlipoca.

You made me to grow into a god, so you could sacrifice my divine body.

Exactly. Nice job. Anyway, no need to wait for Daybit. Let's get started.

...

Is that...Tlāloc's arm!? But, why would only her arm fall from the cei

No. Impossible. This can't be right!!!

Ha! How the hell did this happen?

What'd you have to replace to pull this off? Come on, Master of Chaldea, tell me.

？！

That was a helluva thing.

Some giant arm came in out of nowhere and grabbed us in midair, then we fell for another hundred meters.

That arm... Did you save us, Tenochtitlan?

...I was protecting myself. I just happened to see you guys, too. Although...

...I guess that might've made things more awkward.

Well even so, thank you, Tenochtitlan. Thanks for keeping us safe during the fall.

But your body's at its limit. Whether you're still our enemy or becoming our ally, I wouldn't try to move if I were you.

(And then there's)

So that's this Lostbelt's Tree of Emptiness, the one that ORT consumed. And that giant pit over there must be

？！

Surprised to see you saving our enemies from a deadly fall, Hummingbird.

You feel some kind of kinship with them after the battle? That's fine, as long as it works to our benefit.

But I'm not really seeing the benefit here. C'mon, Hummingbird. Give me the kind of rational answer I'd expect from an Aztec god.

...

I see. Well, then I'll have to set our relationship aside for now.

Better if I finish you off here so you don't get in the way later.

？！

Wait, Tezcatlipoca! There must be some kind of mistake!

Tlāloc is the guardian deity of México City! Our god! The god of the ocelomeh!

She would never save invaders from Proper Human History!

Think so? Pretty clear to me she did exactly that. Besides, she's only ever protected herself.

She's never defended you people. She's not your god, either.

Has she ever so much as given the ocelomeh the time of day? She hasn't, right?

She's a Heroic Spirit of Proper Human History through and through. She'd never throw her lot in with Mictlān's ape people.

Tha... That's not...true. Tlāloc may be a god of few words, but she's always been there for

You've got it wrong, Izcalli. I'm sorry, It's partly my fault. I'd forgotten what it was like to be young and look up to the gods.

But Tlāloc isn't even her True Name.

Do you honestly think someone who's been keeping her real name a secret all this time was really opening up to you?

...

Oh, so you realized she was hiding her name. You have always been a quick study, haven't you?

All right, now that that's all cleared up, it's time for a battle!

Since you caught up to us, the only thing to do is fight it out.

...No, Tezcatlipoca. Taking care of these invaders is my responsibility.

A king's job is to kill would-be interlopers. I won't make you sully your divine hands over this.

"A king's job," huh? Pretty sure we should already be past that point...

Eh, okay. I'll let you have your way one last time. Go ahead, knock yourself out. It's not like you're going to die anyway.

Master, almost no time has passed since our last battle. You need to keep your magical energy flow to your Servants to a minimum.

If he's the only one we're fighting, Habetrot and I should be able to handle this.

？！

This will be our first battle since México City, Chaldea.

It's a shame I didn't get the chance to kill you all at Chichén Itzá.

At least I get one more chance. I WILL kill you and become Tezcatlipoca.

The filth of Proper Human History has no place in this world. You're going to die here, never knowing how foolish you were.

？！

Well, well. You're showing a lot more nerve than you did the last time we fought. Is this this real you, then?

The first two times we fought, you were desperate to save your allies' lives.

Looks like you're entirely focused on your life and your enemy's life. All so you can protect your world and your place in it.

...I recognize that expression. That's the look of a man bent on destroying would-be invaders.

I see now. I guess me working to revive a monster makes me the invader trying to destroy the world.

...But so what? I don't want or need anything from Proper Human History anyway.

？！

... ...What makes you say that?

Is it because I look like you people? Because I'm the only ocelotl who speaks your language?

Or...is it because I think the same way you do?

Even if that's true, it's not a problem. Humans of Proper Human History are defined by their willingness to kill their own.

I'll prove it right now. Let's see once and for all which of us hates our enemy more!

......

What's the matter, Izcalli? Your heart doesn't seem to be in it anymore.

Where's all that fury and bloodlust? Did Tlāloc's defection really get to you that much?

...No, Tezcatlipoca. They're simply stronger than I am.

Even with only a few Servants at his command, that Master's forces are as formidable as ever.

So you've recognized him as a fellow warrior? Eh, fine. I knew this would happen. No human can compete with a Servant.

Still, that doesn't mean this was a waste of time. It's important to give things an earnest shot.

？！

You've had your fun, Izcalli. Now it's time to fulfill your duty.

Over the last year, we've been restoring ORT's parts with deinos hearts, but they still need a jump start.

Light that engine up. It's time to offer your divine body to the coffin and bring an end to Mictlān.

...

What's wrong? You just gotta let yourself fall into the hole. Sure sounds easier than fighting to the death to me.

...I can't do it.

I'm not entirely sure why myself, but...I don't want to revive ORT.

Something tells me that it would be wrong to let that happen.

Please reconsider, Tezcatlipoca. I have no problem with destroying Proper Human History.

But surely there's no need to destroy Mictlānto destroy this very planet!

Izcalli.

Almighty Tezcatlipoca, I understand that your goal isn't for us to achieve victory.

As a god, your domain is destroying and rebuilding the world we live in.

So then, once Proper Human History is gone, and the ocelomeh's time truly begins, won't that qualify as destruction and rebuilding!?

You're right. I never expected to get a lecture here, of all places.

Izcalli. No... Moctezuma. The last Aztec king of Proper Human History.

When you died back then, I couldn't help but wonder if you'd made the right choice in service of creating a new era.

I figured the only way to find out was to give you another chance.

I guess I felt sorry for you. I wanted to know what a betrayed soul would choose if given another chance.

For the past year, you've done a fantastic job.

Even as just a soul, you still passed the trials of Tezcatlipoca with flying colors.

If you feel now that you can't go through with this, I have no objections.

I've spent a lot of time and energy raising you into a heart fit for a god, but if you don't want to offer it to ORT now, I won't.

A human sacrifice that doesn't really want to destroy the world would never bring about the end of the world anyway.

Then, does that mean...!?

Yup. Bye.

But...why...?

If you're going to tell a god what to do, you'd better be ready to put your life on the line. Those are the rules.

Now then. I know it's kind of sudden, but I have a request for you, mage.

As you can see, I'm kind of in a pickle right now, since I can't use the product I was counting on anymore.

But then I had a thought: What if I sacrificed the heart of the human who erased six Lostbelts instead?

You're plenty used to destroying worlds. Your heart's too sweet for my tastes, but I'm sure ORT won't mind.

I see. Then I guess I'll just have to win you in battle instead.

Can't afford to waste time on unnecessary baggage. I've been using my right lung to keep him alive all this time.

Like I told you, I'm in a human body right now. I need to give up parts of myself to do my tricks.

Besides, it's been a year to the day since I lost my right lung. Izcalli wasn't going to live more than a few more hours, anyway.

？！

Okay, enough talk. Since you went easy on Izcalli, you should be plenty rested now, yeah?

Come on. Hit me with everything you've got. I'll crush you in my jaws.

It's no use! We can't hit him or charge up energy, and there's no end to his attacks! He's not crazy strong or anything, but I just can't see a way to beat him!

Ugh! I am so sick of everything we try failing! This is looking really bad, Fujimaru!

This smoke isn't just blinding us! It's a manifestation of his Authority over probability fluctuations!

Attacks not hitting him is the least of our worries! At worst, we could BEAT him and it wouldn't even count!

There's literally no end! We'll never be able to finish this battle unless we can clear up this smoke!

But what can we do!? Firing the Black Barrel in here will bring the whole cavern down on top of us!

？！

I can't hold the enemy's reinforcements back! The way things are going

What the...!? That lightning... You again!? What's the meaning of this, Foreign God!?

Mwahahaha! My hands must've slipped, sweaty as I'm getting in here! But, hey, what are you going to do when it's so hot!?

It's a bird!

It's a plane!

It's the president.

？！

Director Olga Marie!

Mwahahaha! My hands must've slipped, sweaty as I'm getting in here! But, hey, what are you going to do when it's so hot!?

I simply do not believe this environment is hot enough to make you uncomfortable. Nor do I believe you are capable of sweating.

Hey, I have sweat glands just like anyone else! I always get a little sweaty when I'm in a bind!

...

Senpai! Da Vinci! That lightning strike came from Olga Marie!

Yeah! That's Earth's president for you! She must've been watching things play out and just couldn't take it sitting down anymore!

I can see Father Kotomine up near the ceiling wall, too. As I would expect from a staunch pacifist, he's completely outside combat range.

What's Kukulcan doing? You're her greatest enemy. Shouldn't you two be off somewhere fighting each other?

Anyway, stay out of this, Beast. Can't you tell I'm testing these people to see if they're true warriors?

Besides, I thought you were done pretending to be human. Didn't you already ditch Chaldea?

Hmph. I was just out on a little jaunt and happened by. Certainly didn't expect to see you here.

It seems you hideous Earthlings just can't get enough of killing each other!

And for the record, that was just my way of saying hello! I wasn't trying to save anyone or anything like that!

Huh?

...

...

？！

I see. Well, I'm glad to hear you two are still good friends, chirp.

That said, the heart can be fickle.

Even the smallest thing can grow into an impassable rift.

So if you need to ask something, then ask it. If you need to apologize, then do it! Once you've grown distant, nothing you say will ever bridge that gap.

Every encounter in this life is precious. When you get an opportunity to talk, you can't be afraid to take it, chirp.

？！

It's fine! Water under the bridgewell, lava under my cloak, in this case! That's why I'm blushing, you know, because it's so hot in here!

More importantly, do you know why I helped you!?

？！

？！

...

Then let's go, Master of Chaldea! You too, Servants!

You're probably not going to make any difference, but that's fine! Just give it all you've got anyway!

...Right! Mash Kyrielight of Chaldea, glad to fight by your side!

Ghh...!

？！

Now that was a great victory! Not that it was any surprise, since you had me on your side!

？！

Huh? Is that true!?

It is, Young Miss. This is why I told you that helping them would only be to your detriment.

Now the six months you spent carefully biding your time here in the South American Lostbelt were all for nothing. Hahaha.

Ghh...! Gh-ghh, gh-gh-ghh...

Good, Rasputin! This is fine! More than fine! In fact, it was my plan all along!

At any rate, there's no way to reboot ORT now.

Neither Izcalli nor Tezcatlipoca can be used as sacrifices anymore.

Mesoamerican sacrificial rituals call for a still-beating heart. Their plan to use a divine heart to jump start it is

Yup. ORT can't be woken up with either a reluctant soul or a damaged heart.

If we tried, we wouldn't be able to give it an Order. It'd just gnaw on Earth for a while and leave.

I'm not about to sacrifice for nothing. I'm just going to admit defeat and bow out.

Well, that's all I've got. It's up to you now, Daybit.

Knock yourself out. I'll see you again in the paradise for the dead.

？！

So, you defeated Tezcatlipoca. I figured you would...

...but actually seeing it is still a shock.

Now I feel bad for bragging about being more experienced than him when it came to underworld pilgrimages.

？！

I have no reason to stop. If you want me to stop, you'll have to stop me.

I only just got to this island. ORT's coffin is behind you.

Just twenty meters as the crow flies until this planet breathes its last.

I have everything I need to activate ORT.

Are you really trying to destroy Earth!? You're from Proper Human History too!

What possible reason could you have to want to destroy your own world!?

...A good one. It's why I infiltrated Chaldea in the first place.

All that aside, you say I'm from Proper Human History? Do you agree with that, Fujimaru?

Do I look like a human from Earth to you?

？！

I see. That's the same boring answer I've been hearing for a while now.

Sorry, but I really don't have time to waste. I barely have a minute left today.

I cut Kadoc's team to mincemeat. Time to do the same to you.

Are those Servants!? But I thought he couldn't summon Heroic Spirits!

He didn't. Those aren't Heroic Spirits. They're not even life-forms from this universe.

They're terminals from a dark star that was blasted fourteen billion light-years away during the big bang...a place outside the whole universe.

But, how? Those radio sources are from fourteen billion light-years away!

That's way too far for even light to reach this planet! How in the world is he connected to them!?

Still the Foreign God in spite of everything, huh? I'm impressed you understood what these things behind me are.

Then again, you were always smart, Olga Marie. You only paled in comparison to your predecessor because he was so absurdly talented.

But an incompetent could never run Chaldea.

That you managed to do so at such a young age is proof of your talent.

But you were unable or unwilling to trust your own abilities, which led to discord with those around you.

On top of that, you had Lev Lainur manipulating you. He made you dependent on him, and pushed you to put up walls to keep everyone else out.

By that point, Goetia's trickery, and the Demon God Pillars' plan, was completely airtight.

But what was arguably even more miraculous is the emotions Lev Lainur directed at you.

If it hadn't been for those, we would have had no way of turning things around.

Back then, when King Solomonno, when Goetia, the King of Demon Gods, incinerated humanity, he also created humanity's greatest line of defense.

...You talk as if you know me too, huh...

Well, who cares!? It doesn't matter! Let's do this, Fujimaru and Mash!

If we let him get any further, it's over for us! Come on, this is the last battle! Don't hold anything back!

...Right! We may not know who or what Daybit really is, but we still can't let him revive ORT!

We'll neutralize him here and now!

Day■it ■■ an infinity ■■■■■■. The ■■■■ fighters you throw at him, the ■ore shadows he'll call upon in response.

？！

...

Dad?

...Huh?

I'm glad you decided to come. Welcome to Chaldea, Daybit.

I heard Chaldea was studying something fascinating. Something that concerns my career as well.

So you need a way to precisely observe the universe? One that doesn't currently exist in modern technology?

That's right. Or at least, the appearance of one. Ideally, I'd like it to be as elaborate as possible.

I don't need it to be able to observe anything outside the universe. A 13.8 billion light-year range will do.

Your opinions here will be incredibly informative. I hope you'll agree to help us in preserving humanity.

Preserving humanity... So verifying, or determining, the future. That's definitely a good Order. But what exactly does it involve?

Oh, so you can already see that much. All right then, I guess I can tell you.

But please don't tell your other teammates, okay?

So, that's my objective. If you have any concerns, please, speak your mind.

None for the moment. But it does seem like the odds of this succeeding are extremely slim.

The chances of the mages at the heart of this plan surviving are especially low. Too low.

Any who learn the truth are bound to try to kill them. That includes the world's own Counter Force. None aside from Wodime and I would survive.

That's why I'm keeping it a secret from everyone. The Mage's Association, your teammates at Chaldea...the whole world.

When it comes time to restore humanity in the inevitable Singularities...

...the mages of Team A will not be Masters, but Crypters. I hope you'll keep that in mind.

There, finally! That's the last of them! Where's Daybit!?

In front of the coffin. You were two seconds too late, Da Vinci.

One second's all I need! Nothing and no one can avoid my plasma!

What!?

？！

There's a reason the Foreign God's attacks won't work on me.

As you can see, I have her heart.

...Ah. Ah... Ah...

Ghh... What in the world was that thing that attacked me? It looked like a human, but it definitely wasn't human or a Heroic Spirit.

It seemed more like it was made up of pure condensed energy...

I got so annoyed I wound up defending Chaldea's ship this time. Next time I see that thing, I'll pay it back in spades.

...Anyway, I'd better rest up for a while. I wasn't expecting to use up so much ener

I bet. I knew this was gonna happen, President.

Gh...! You... You're...the Crypter's...Servant...

Sorry about the ambush, but I'm taking this back with me.

See, my partner insists he needs to transplant your heart into his own body.

Even I don't want to touch this thing, but once he makes up his mind, there's no stopping him.

Still, it'd be a real pain if you tried to get it back, so I think I'll just kill you now and be done with it.

(Gasp)... I see... No wonder...I'm so weak now...

One of Tezcatlipoca's best tricks is pulling out living hearts.

Of course, I figured the Foreign God would be able to regenerate a destroyed heart...

...so I disguised its absence by keeping it in working condition and having it continue to send out bio-signals, making your body think it was still there.

I thought that would only fool you for a couple days, but amazingly, you never did figure it out.

But now I see why that is, Director Olga Marie. You decided you would rather stay weak.

You thought, that way, you would be able to stay with Fujimaru and Kyrielight forever.

What a foolish dream.

？！

You're too late. You lost the moment you decided to fight me.

One last thing: I'm ready to answer your first question now, Kyrielight.

My goal is to maintain order. I've determined that would be a good thing for humankind.

When all seven Lostbelts are excised, Marisbury's goal of preserving humanity will be achieved.

Once that happens, Earth's humankind will be despised across the surrounding 13.8 billion light-years as the worst, lowest form of intelligent life in all the universe.

So I'm going to destroy Earth before that happens. That's the only way to stop Chaldea

Or rather, the only way to destroy the thing behind all of this: Chaldeas, the foreign planet.

... Daybit, did you just say "Chaldeas"?

But, Chaldeas is just a miniature model of the Earth. It's not a foreign pla

The two may look identical, but the original Earth is right here. So Chaldeas must be a different planet.

The Foreign God was born inside it. And the plot to bleach Earth clean was hatched in Chaldea.

Those of us on Team A are pawns gathered solely for the Animusphere Grand Order.

Maybe. You can't know the truth of a secret unless you verify it for yourself.

B-but... But Chaldeas was already destroyed!

？！

No. Anastasia didn't destroy it. She protected it. Why do you think she was chosen for the attack on Chaldea?

It was to make sure Chaldeas would be safely preserved in ice.

Renowned genius that she was, there was a chance Da Vinci would realize the truth during the attack.

If she had, she still wouldn't have been able to destroy Chaldeas.

But she could have caused it to malfunction, which would have delayed the plan.

At the time, it was still possible to Rayshift to Chaldeas itself.

But Chaldeas thought of that, which is why it let itself be encased in ice and pretended to stop functioning.

And it worked. You gave up on Chaldeas and escaped Antarctica in the Shadow Border.

You decided to flee the location of the true culprit.

Of course, you were right to make that choice. If you had stayed at Chaldea Base, you would have all been killed.

So far, every action you've taken has been correct.

...At least, in terms of the test questions Marisbury prepared.

Then...you're saying Chaldea's to blame for all this?

That the evil which must be defeated is...us?

No. You actually did save humankind when you took back its future from the Incineration of Humanity. That much, you can and should be proud of.

Chaldea may have caused all this, but that doesn't make you culpable.

As far as human justice up to the year 2019 is concerned, you were the best possible crew anyone could have hoped for.

Neither I nor Wodime would ever deny that. Which is why I'll end with this:

If you still want to stop what I've set in motion, and you manage to stop ORT, head to Antarctica.

That is where your journey will endwhere you'll finally part ways with your Grand Order.

Okay, that's about everything I have to say.

This has all stemmed from a pact I made with Kirschtaria. We never spoke of it, but we both knew we were thinking the same thing.

...That if either of us wound up being the last Crypter to try to defeat Chaldea...

...then we should tell all this to the people of Chaldea who stood against us.

？！

Guys, we can think about what this all means later. Right now, let's set what Daybit told us aside.

We need to get out of here. Come on. Wak Chan's still waiting for us up above.

I see none of this has surprised you, Da Vinci.

No, I'm as shocked as any of you. But I did get where he was coming from.

Now stand up, Mash! You too, Fujimaru! ORT's on its way here!

It doesn't matter what Chaldeas is right now! Or who Marisbury really was.

What matters now is a battle to keep the whole planet safe! You can't do that if you're standing around in a daze!

Remember what Daybit said!?

"Chaldea may have caused all this, but that doesn't make you culpable. If you still want to stop what I've set in motion, head to Antarctica."

He said that'll be the end of our journey! And I'm sure Kirschtaria felt the same way!

Even as they've been working toward their goals, they never said ours were wrong!

This isn't about good or evil, or even about obligations!

It's about doing everything you can to fulfill the duties you feel you must!

That's what it means to liveto fight! Now, do you WANT to stand around here hanging your heads!?

？！

...Right! It's dangerous down here, so we should head back to the safety of the ninth stratum!

Senpai, you help Director Olga Marie. I'll help Tenochtitlan

？！

Khh...! Dammit, I can't regenerate my heart in time!

G■■AA■■HH!

？！

Oh crap. Now that it has her heart, ORT recognizes her as its own part!

If we don't do something, it's gonna absorb her!

Sheba's warning us to stay back! It's detecting an enormous amount of radiation!

That branch is emitting a massive amount of cosmic rays! Just getting close would give you a fatal dosage!

So not even a Servant can get near it, let alone a living creature. Then what can we possiblyWak Chan!?

Raaaaaaaaah! A branch is nothing! I eat branches for breakfaaast!

(Huff... Huff... Gasp...)

Man, that...was a lot worse...than I thought...

Uh-oh. I'm really dizzy...and everything's suddenly gone dark... Did I lose too much blood?

Ah well, it doesn't matter. Are you okay, Olga?

I heard a nasty sound, so I hurried down here as fast as I could, and sure enough, things looked real bad, right?

Well, that's what that branch gets for messing with my bride. Even if she is out of my league!

, ? , . , ? , ?

Heeey. What is it? Say something. Are you asleep? I guess you are. That's okay!

I'm kind of sleepy myself. Also, it's weirdly quiet around here.

Wuh...weird... I can't really talk good. Must've got something stuck in my throat...

Nothing to worry about. I'll be right as rain once I've coughed it up.

Before I do, I may as well say what I wanna say.

I came along with Fujimaru's group 'cause I thought I'd get to see you again.

I've been worried about you ever since you left. I couldn't say what I really wanted to.

Kind of makes me wish I'd become a priest like Tepeu instead of a warrior now.

Still, I meant everything I said at the time.

I can't see anything, but your color still signs bright and beautiful as a star.

...I'm glad I met you, Olga. I couldn't've asked for a more fulfilling life.

...I can't believe it. I know Earthlings are evil. For years...decades, they dissected me.

I kept screaming "I'm a person!" "I'm on your side!" over and over...but nobody ever listened.

So...why? Why would anyone be so kind to me...?

？！

...!

No more talk. Surely you must have learned by now, Foreign God.

Now that ORT has your heart, it has the upper hand. If you merge now, you'll end up subordinate to it.

The time for "what-if's" is over. You need to recognize that they have always been your enemies. There can be no reconciliation.

I urge you to withdraw from this Lostbelt at once. It's time to go back to your home in Antarctica.

...

？！

...Stop it. Don't come near me. Not with that frail human body of yours.

You're right, Rasputin. It's not just my heart. That damn ORT made off with thirty percent of my body.

I need time to regenerate. I'm not about to spend it here watching the Earthlings breathe their last.

I'm heading up to the surface. Come with me.

...