Chapter 36: Betrayal

*Huff... huff...*

Quiet down, Heretic.

I can't help it. I'm exhausted.

Only from summoning two waves?

I'd heard how pathetic you were for a Heretic. Guess everyone was right.

You son-of-a...!

Pipe down. We can't have a civil conversation if you blow your top.

What is this...!?

...

Fine. What is it that you want to talk about?

Are you going to answer our questions?

Of course not, you idiot.

I know you don't intend to let me out of here alive. Just kill me and get it over with.

May I do that?

... What?

I'm asking if it's all right for me to kill you.

...

Hehe... yeah, go ahead. Kill me.

Anything would be better than becoming some kind of plaything.

Very well. Goodbye.

Arrrgh!

...

...?

Hmm, it seems I undershot the output. It only left a scar.

Let me try again.

...

Urgh...

Damn you...

Make it quick, will you?

Kill me!

Any last words?

I told you to make it quick!

...

I'll let you take over, Prince.

My approach doesn't seem to be working.

...

Don't sully my name by speaking it from your lips, meat sack.

Spare me the good cop act.

... Give me your blood, and then we can talk.

If I could transform, then I could take you all on mysel...

U-ugh...

You all killed her!

What are you on about?

Commander! What are you doing?!

What did you say?

I was talking to the Commander, not you.

And I'm talking to him, not you.

...

...

Why should I agree to this?

What nonsense.

... How can I trust you?

...

What's stopping me from feeding you a bunch of lies?

Then how could this "alliance" possibly work? You're trying to trick me!

Commander, this is absurd.

Haha, you see? Even your own colleagues are doubting you.

We're more than colleagues. We're lovers.

What?!

What?!

What?!

Just kidding.

...

...

...

I'm warning you.

Once I get what I want, the deal is off.

... Follow me.

I've never seen that side of Prince before. He's quite formidable.

What do you mean?

We have the upper hand in this deal.

We'll absolutely come out of this on top,

yet he made it seem as if we were getting the short end of the stick.

...

That's true.

Even if Behemoth is resurrected and teams up with Leviathan, we'll be able to defeat them easily.

Exactly. The disparity between us and them is undeniable.

Now, granted, I'm not sure how things would go if Behemoth was able to transform for an extended period...

But the... eccentric behavior of the Matis members belies an incredible strength.

I can't imagine us losing.

Right. Even in the worst-case scenario, we'll be able to overpower them.

...

And there are plenty of other quick and easy methods to extract information if we have to.

Like what?

Cutting them open.

...

But that's not how Superhuman operates.

That makes this all even more remarkable.

We're dealing with a Heretic, the sworn enemy of all humankind,

and he's still giving her a chance to redeem herself.

... You're right.

...

Cinderella.

Are you going to ask her about Siren?

Yes... but not right now.

I don't want to rock the boat.

Very well. I'll wait as well.

Thank you.

...

So, what's the story with all that liquid covering your body? Does it change shape?

Does that mean you can transform? Can I give it a spin?

...

Listen up, Heretic. There's more to being a villain than committing evil deeds willy-nilly.

A villain must have convictions! And those convictions should actually be quite similar to a hero's, just achieved through different means.

So tell me, what are your convictions?

...

Liquid metal, huh? That's fascinating. It seems like you can control it remotely. How does it work?

That device on your back doesn't seem to have any electronic components. Are you using your brain waves to control it?

It must be brain waves! Or telekinesis?

No, something like magnetic control is more of a villain's style!

...

Are these seriously the questions you're going to be asking me?

Answer Maxwell's question. Ignore the other two.

Which one is Maxwell?

Me! I'm Maxwell, so answer my question!

And I'm Maxwell too, so answer mine!

Both of you, be quiet.

I take it you're Maxwell?

That's right.

Okay then, what do you want to know?

You're actually going to answer?

I have to if I want you all to help me get what I want.

Of course, I can't guarantee whether or not I'll tell the truth.

...

I'm not particularly curious about anything. Pass.

What?

Rapi, Cutey, you two go ahead.

You probably have more questions than I do.

Thanks, Maxwell.

Rapi, was it? I'll never forgive you for what you did to Behemoth.

It's because of you that she...

You nearly smashed my head to pieces.

And I almost died because of Behemoth.

We all wanted blood. I just won, that's all.

... Tsk.

What do you want to know?

Do you think the Commander and I look good together?

... What?

Just kidding.

Damn you, don't play with me!

What were you creating inside those eggs?

Jeez, talk about tonal whiplash.

It's not so much that I was "creating" something.

It's more like...

How familiar are you with video games?

They intrigue me, but I haven't played that many.

You know gacha games?

It's more along that concept.

You mean like a lottery?

Somewhat, yeah.

You see all these eggs around us?

If left alone, they grow larger, and begin to emit light.

Until one day, when it eventually hatches.

The only thing is that the results are completely random.

You never know what's going to come out.

You saw, and heard, it for yourselves. All that racket with the calling signals.

They seemed like an amalgamation of Raptures and Nikkes.

Really? Is that what you saw?

Usually what hatches from those eggs are Raptures through and through, albeit ones pieced together haphazardly from different materials.

There's no common thread linking any of them.

Are you the one who created these eggs?

I guess you could say that. If the environmental conditions are right, they form on their own.

If you surround a core with Dark Matter, sometimes you get yourself one of these eggs.

I conducted some experiments.

Why are you speaking in the past tense?

Because I'm not doing it anymore. I already got conclusive results.

These eggs here are merely remnants of my old experiments.

Isn't it obvious?

To see if a Heretic could be created.

Yes.

When subjected to a particular process, Dark Matter becomes something of a dissolving agent.

If you put something into that new solution, all of the data is absorbed by the Dark Matter.

So if, for example, you combine the data of aerial and subterranean Raptures,

you'll end up with a Rapture that can fly and also burrow into the ground.

Admittedly, it'll only lift about 2 centimeters off the ground and damn near shatter while attempting to burrow, but still.

I discovered that different combinations of data could result in an entirely new creation.

So if we're to take that logic one step further...

If a core were to be encased in Dark Matter that contained the combined data of Human imposters and Raptures,

and that became an egg,

what would hatch from it?

A fusion of a Nikke and a Rapture... a Heretic.

That's precisely what was running through my mind as I ran those experiments.

I should clarify that while I did take out Raptures, I didn't do the same for imposters.

For them, I only scavenged broken or discarded parts from the dead.

Is that the reason you targeted Cinderella?

... Well. For me, at least.

I thought using the first Heretic as base material might open up new possibilities.

Behemoth didn't feel the same way, however.

She kept calling me "Anachiro".

Yes. Behemoth wanted to join forces with you.

She gets lonely easily.

Anyway, it's all over now.

We know that we can't beat you, and that you'll never come over to our side.

I'm still open to the second option, if you join us and fight for humankind.

That's why I'm saying it's all over for us. We're already busy simply trying to survive. Why would we put our necks on the line for someone else?

Didn't I just tell you what the results were?

All of my experiments were a complete failure.

Heretics can't be so easily manufactured, apparently.

All I was ever able to produce were those abominations you saw earlier,

So I stopped.

Then how were you all created, and how did you end up together?

We...

...

We don't know where we came from,

but it's clear that we all share a common origin.

Otherwise, we wouldn't feel this inexorable pull toward each other.

...

Family, you said.

Maybe.

This is where Behemoth is.

I'm warning you, don't touch anything, or else we all die together.

What's her condition?

... I don't know.

How can you not know?

That's precisely why I'm forcing myself to drag you all along. Not only that, I'm also answering all these stupid questions of yours... I never thought I'd do such a thing.

Hmm...

I'll take a look.

Don't you lay a finger on her.

All right, all right, I won't. It's not like I find the idea of touching this thing all that endearing to begin with.

No apparent signs of life.

Right. The eggs from earlier looked like they were breathing.

This one's not moving at all. It's little more than an egg-shaped ornament at this point.

It seems to have halted all activity.

What's with these piles of Rapture parts?

Those are food.

Come again?

If you have nothing of value to add, I suggest staying quiet.

This sounds similar to Material H.

Material H regenerated by consuming Nikkes for nourishment.

We almost fell victim to it ourselves.

Yeah, and while it's embarrassing to admit, we ended up getting infected with Corruption.

...

Material H?

Also known as Indivilia. Have you heard of her?

I-I did.

Well, we thrashed her!

Sure, we had to team up with Absolute, but who cares?! Mwahahaha!

You're telling me you defeated Indivilia?

Indeed we did.

...

That means that Behemoth's core is what's inside this egg, yes?

Does it require any kind of external stimulation?

Huh? What do you mean by that?

Not that kind of stimulation. Get your mind out of the gutter.

You're the one with the dirty mind!

I told you before, don't you dare touch it.

The moment you do, it's over, and we'll all die together.

Drake, would you do the honors?

Gladly.

Wh-what are you doing?!

Whatever you're doing, stop!

Hmm... If I increase the output a bit, that should do it.

Villain CPR!

!!

Noooo! You bastards! You utter fools!

Huh?

It's working.

I-it's eating! It's eating!

Behemoth, are you coming back?!

It would seem so. It's good that it's at least ingesting nutrients.

How in the world did you do that?

It looked like it had gone dormant, so I figured some electrical stimulus would help.

Similar to a defibrillator.

... A what?

That's right! A villain can't go around allowing innocent citizens to be harmed, after all.

That is why I developed my trademark Villain CPR! It's perfect for emergencies.

...

Is that how you normally react when people help you out? Go quiet?

Oh... uh...

...

Thanks.

You idiot! A villain never says thank you!

What the... What do you want me to do?!

Let me get this straight.

In order for you to focus entirely on surface operations,

er...

you want to formally retire from being a... pop star.

And in order for Mustang to allow that, you have to do a farewell concert as T.T. STAR.

... That's pretty much it, yeah.

This is all absolutely ridiculous... in other words, quintessential Mustang.

All right, I understand your situation now,

but why did you come to me?

Oh, well...

Here's the thing, Boss.

Anis used to be in a three-woman band.

Unfortunately, they split up a while back, and the other two members are busy doing their own thing now.

Anyway, if we want to get this performance off the ground,

Anis has to talk it over with them, wouldn't you say?

Right.

Well, fortunately for us, those two are under the same company now, and so we went down to meet with them.

Right.

But we didn't have authorization to enter, and we got turned away.

Right.

So, we were hoping you could help.

How?

By using some of your backdoor connections...

Hmm...

...

Fine. I'll see what I can do.

I knew we could count on you!

Thank you, really.

The things I do for you all...

Hmm? One second.

...

He said no.

What?

Mustang just reached out to me.

He says I'm not to help you two in any way.

What the... Why is he being so intense about this?

But it's not like you're Mustang's subordinate. You don't have to listen to him, do you?

Technically no, but he asked me as a personal favor, so I should honor his request. Consider it professional courtesy between fellow CEOs.

So these are the politics of upper management... dirty deals!

Think of it however you want.

What should I do?

The old contact information I have is obviously outdated.

I can't even reach them over BlaBla.

How about reaching out to them via social media?

It'd almost certainly get filtered out by their manager or someone else in the company.

There's no chance it'd end up making its way to them.

Why not? Wouldn't they be happy to hear from an old friend?

They'd probably think I was someone impersonating me.

What if you're persistent? Maybe that could pique their interest and make them think you're real.

The chances of that happening are slim to none.

And besides, there's another wrinkle running through this.

When I left the group, I...

...

You made a big scene when you left.

Not a big scene!

... Just a few issues. Small ones.

That means it was a huge mess.

So then, what should we do now?

Shouldn't you be the one with the ideas? You're supposed to be my manager.

Jeez, this is classic Anis-level shamelessness.

You've got some nerve saying that to my face.

Okay, let's see...

...

I can't think of a single thing.

Argh, this is so frustrating! Why would the Boss make such a weird demand like this?

...

Then again, maybe I do deserve it.

How about using a stand-in?

You don't actually think that would work, do you?

How about posting something online?

They'll think it's fake and ignore it.

Isn't there any way to go back to the surface without doing a farewell performance?

Even if we were able to get up there, we wouldn't be of any help. At least not right now.

I fail to see what a farewell performance has to do with getting stronger.

Yeah, I've been wondering about that too.

...

It will make me stronger. I know it.

...

All right, I trust you.

I'll help you however I can.

Thanks, Neon.

...

I'll assign two capable Nikkes who know their way around administration to help you.

The audit regarding the latest incident in the Ark just wrapped up, so they should be available.

??

I admire your gusto, but enthusiasm will only get you so far.

Especially in the Ark.

Head back to the Outpost. I'll have them meet you there.

I'm certain that you'll find them helpful.

Plus, since I won't technically be lending assistance to you directly, I shouldn't run afoul of Mustang.

Thank you, but...

why are you doing this?

Because if I didn't, you'd only come back and pester me further.

...

...

Syuen contacted me and said she had something urgent to discuss.

I have to get going.

Syuen?

Oh, right! Syuen works under us now! A subordinate CEO!

Couldn't we boss her around and have her help us?

Do you really want to do that?

Nah. I was just kidding.

Don't even joke about stuff like that.

Sorry.

... When do you two plan on leaving?

Behemoth is quite the voracious eater. Even when she was feeling fine, she could really put it away. We need to gather Rapture fragments to feed her.

It seems Behemoth is able to regenerate from Rapture parts alone.

What's that?

It was the same with Material H... or Indivilia, rather.

She only absorbed Nikkes, and only a part of them at that.

378 grams, to be specific.

Not the most effective yield. Raptures make much better use of whatever they con...

Hold on, 378 grams?

Correct.

That's how much a NIMPH weighs.

... What?

That's the weight of a NIMPH, on the dot.

Are you saying that Indivilia only absorbed the NIMPH of Nikkes?

Could be.

Why would she do that?

Maybe she's a picky eater.

She could only be interested in consuming nanomachines.

Do you really think so?

I wouldn't put it past them. The Offspring are all bonkers.

Every last one of them has a screw loose.

Being a picky eater would be far from the weirdest things they've done.

But Behemoth and I aren't picky.

We eat just about everything, and happily so.

Even Nikkes?

We've never tried, but I'm sure we could.

The idea of eating something that looks like us is repugnant.

...

So let's stick to gathering Rapture fragments.

She's sleeping and can't exactly be discerning with her diet. She'll eat anything we give her.

If we end up feeding her something that disagrees with her, she'll be peeved when she wakes up.

You're very devoted to her.

This is nothing compared to what Behemoth has done for me.

She's risked her own life to save mine.

I could never betray that trust.

I've experienced enough betrayal in my life as is.

??

Any other questions?

Your attitude has softened quite a bit.

Are you going to ask me a question or not?!

That's the same question you asked me before.

No.

We don't want to replace humans.

We don't have any desire to live alongside them either.

Our goal is clear.

That's it.

We're following the ritual.

To us, the Ark is like a protective womb that produces human imposters.

Of course, I realize your kind existed before the Ark was created,

but once the Ark went online, you all began pouring out,

and basically became a new species.

That's why we view the Ark as the origin of your evolution.

Correct.

Neither Rapture, nor Nikke.

A new species, capable of crushing the Offspring as well as other Raptures.

As for what comes after that...

We haven't thought that far ahead.

Why? If I tell you, are you gonna head over there and smash it up?

I could tell you, but even if I did, it's not like you'd be able to do anything about it.

All we've done is create a rudimentary copy.

We were considering

how to take it a step further with the eggs.

You were planning on delving deeper into seeing what these eggs could produce.

Yeah. It's a bit of a random draw with what you get either way, but over there, the results could be special.

It was a shot in the dark, but there's a chance the eggs could produce something far superior in that environment than they could here.

Sounds to me like you're not giving us much choice; we have to put a stop to this plan of yours.

I told you. Even if you all went over to the Ark, there's nothing you could do.

Nothing is prepared yet. Not a thing.

If we had an extra 100 years, then maybe we'd be able to get somewhere.

But you'd be dead by then, you poor, ordinary human.

No. The Commander will live forever.

I hope so.

Naturally.

Striking back at the Offspring isn't something that will happen overnight.

We've got to take it slow and steady.

That's what we're best at.

I must admit, it's remarkable that not a single shred of information about you has ever shown up in any of our reports.

I'll give you that much.

The Ark is a dangerous place, and so we've been extremely careful.

We remain in the shadows and work quietly. It may seem cowardly and unseemly to you,

but in the end, we'll be the ones with smiles on our faces.

Once Behemoth is revived, we'll go into hiding again.

You'll never be able to find us.

No. You won't be able to hide from us again.

Wh-what?

You of all people should know that conversation is the cornerstone of evolution.

...

Hmph. Whatever.

The heavier the pieces we can find, the better.

Same goes for the bigger fragments.

A core would be ideal, but those are harder to find.

So basically, we want to gather up as many parts as we possibly can.

Yep. Nice and easy.

Behemoth really isn't particular about what she eats.

She can't afford to be picky right now.

... She is a big fan of fruit, though.

Fruit?

Yeah.

It wouldn't help with her resurrection or anything,

but she just likes them is all.

Me?

... That's a secret.

Do you have any idea how old I actually am?

Don't judge me by appearances alone, human. There's nothing I hate more.

Don't press too hard, Commander.

She's just a kid. She might end up crying.

How dare you?!

...

Out of everything I've eaten...

I suppose I like grilled fish the best.

But aren't fish your friends?

Absolutely not.

But you work with water. And you swim exceedingly well.

Dark Matter isn't water. It's liquid metal.

Cinderella! Cinderella!

...

CINDERELLA!

What?

Look at this!

... I'm busy.

It doesn't matter! You've gotta see this!

...

Cinderella!!!

CINDERELLA!

Okay, okay, I'm coming. You can stop shouting.

What is it?

Check this out!

What about i...

...!

Huh?

Another one?

Touch it!

...

...

Cinderella. Let's go.

... All right.

It reacted to her touch...

...

Commander, let's follow Cinderella.

...

It's not just Cinderella.

One, two... There are five of them.

One of them is clearly Cinderella, but I don't recognize the others.

There's one with long hair sitting on an exercise ball.

And those two over there, are they twins? They look identical to each other.

That one over there looks like a mass-produced Nikke.

But she's wearing a researcher's outfit.

!!

...

Cinderella.

Are these your comrades?

Yes.

They're all my comrades...

It's been so long...

...

I don't remember.

Come here, Grave.

This is Little Mermaid, but we called her Siren.

She didn't talk much, but you couldn't find anyone more kind.

Siren...

...

This is Hansel, and that's Gretel.

They were twins, and they cared for one another more than anything in the world.

We cared about them as well. Deeply.

Hansel and Gretel...

And then...

... Abe.

My most beautiful mirror.

This... this is me from the past.

Yes.

I look smart.

You still do. You haven't changed at all.

It's been so long...

... I miss you.

...

All right,

I have to ask.

Leviathan.

How do you and Siren know each other?

...

Did you take Siren's water bubble?

If you did, then I'll...

I learned how to use Dark Matter from Siren.

Dark Matter and water bubbles are very similar.

How?

I read her mind, against her will.

I wanted to know how to wield Dark Matter, and master it.

Then what happened?

What you see now.

I can manipulate Dark Matter like it's a part of me.

No, I mean what happened to Siren after you read her mind.

She was strangely unaffected,

but that makes more sense now that I know she was in the same squad as you.

You bunch of freaks.

Call us that one more time, and it will be the last time.

...

Where did you meet her?

I don't know. It's impossible to say where, exactly.

Is she alive?

Most likely.

How did you part ways?

I abandoned her.

Were you and Siren friends?

Hardly. She was gullible, and I exploited her.

!

... Why didn't you aim for my core?

You...

You're lying.

What?

You're too calm.

You weren't like this when we had you cornered.

...

Now tell me who Siren was to you.

...

Answer me.

... Please.

...

I'm begging you. She means everything to me.

I want to find her.

...

She was...

No, that's not it. She couldn't even speak properly. How could I consider her my friend?

She was nothing but a fool! I took her for a ride and she was none the wiser!

... Damn.

So, she was your friend.

...

Very well. I won't press.

What? Why not?

She'd never tell me, anyway.

I know that Siren's alive, and that's enough.

Now, tell me what these bubbles are.

I don't know, either. I came across them once I returned to this place.

They never reacted when I attempted to interact with them, so I left them alone.

You didn't attempt to destroy them?

I wasn't sure what would happen if I tried that, especially since one of them looked like you.

It didn't have anything to do with thinking it was related to Siren somehow?

...

...

!!

Oh my g...

Yes, me too! I miss you too, Siren!

...

...

Superhuman.

I'm sorry, but I have a favor to ask of you.

... Yes.

...

No, we'll go on our own.

You all stay here and take care of your own matters.

...

Because there's still so much uncertainty surrounding our mission.

It took me 100 years to wake Cinderella up.

We have no way of knowing how long it will take to find Siren.

I realize that what you're doing here is important,

and I want to help,

but...

Cinderella is sad. She's longing for Siren.

I can't stand seeing her like this.

So, we need to do this on our own.

I appreciate you wanting to make it work.

... Leviathan.

... What?

Look over there.

What the...

What is that thing?

I never saw that one before.

Let's go.

Is it crying?

That's what it looks like.

...

I'll touch it.

It's not responding.

...

...!

I can't believe it...

They formed some kind of line.

Is it guiding us somewhere?

Siren...

Neon, use your glasses to see where it...

...

It's gone into the sea of Dark Matter, but it's still moving.

I think it's guiding us somewhere beyond the sea.

But where?

... Probably to where Siren is.

...!

...

I'm sorry,

Prince.

We'll be back.

All three of us.

We'll come back to help.

We will find you.

Prince. Rapi. Matis.

We'll be back.

Bring back a gift.

We'll be waiting for you!

We can talk again about the essence of a hero then.

I don't think we ever had that discussion to begin with... but okay.

GraGre, don't forget to inhabit the mindset of a villain!

That's not my name, and I know nothing about being a villain.

Then let me remind you! The villain mindset is about helping the weak and standing up against the strong.

That doesn't sound particularly villainous to me, but okay.

Hurry up and go, or else these two will prattle on endlessly.

Let's go, Cinderella.

Okay.

...

What? No.

Why would I venture into such freaky territory?

Anyway, doesn't this put you all in a tight spot?

With those two gone, your offensive capabilities have been slashed in half, if not more.

What are you going to do if Behemoth wakes up?

I told you, our deal ends when Behemoth comes to. After that, there's no saying what could happen.

...

You shouldn't be too hard on her, Commander. She's just a kid.

Who are you calling a kid?!

Leviathan.

Do you want to be betrayed?

What?

Based on what you're saying and how you're acting, it certainly seems like it.

What are you babbling about?

I don't need any lectures from you.

Hurry up and gather the parts. Behemoth must be starving by now.

Phew... I'm pooped.

What are you so tired for? You didn't even do anything.

What do you mean? Do you realize how much I've been walking around?

If that's true, how come you're in Master's room, making yourself at home?

The facilities here are better than in the dorm.

The Commander isn't here anyway, so who cares if I'm here?

And this bed is out of this world. It's as soft as a cloud.

If Master were here, he would freak out at seeing you climb into bed without showering first.

It's fiiiine. This way, I'm infusing the bed with the fragrance of a beautiful girl.

...

Mmm, it smells like the Commander.

Stop being such a creepo.

I-I'm saying that it smells bad!

Nice try. Your face gives it all away. You're loving it.

Wh-wha what nonsense!

I'm sorry, but could you keep it down?

You're making it difficult for me to concentrate.

...

...

Much better.

I think we can stop gathering data, Eyeri.

Mmm, I was planning on calling it, anyway. There's nothing to find.

Yeah, I don't think any further investigation will turn up anything.

Thieves!

If you want to take out a thief, nothing beats firepower!

Good, then fire away!

You got it!

Excuse me, I just asked if you could keep it dow...

... Why are you pointing that gun at me?

From what I caught earlier, I believe they've mistaken us for burglars of some kind.

What? Come now, in what world would a bespectacled beauty like me be a thief?

Who are you two? What you are doing here?

I'm Eyeri, from the Overseer Squad.

And I'm Avistar, from the same squad.

Overseer? What's an inspection unit doing here? The Commander hasn't stolen anything.

That's right! Master is the most upstanding person you'll ever meet.

We aren't here to conduct an inspection.

Our boss told us to lend you two a hand, so here we are.

While we were waiting, we decided to leaf through some of the Commander's documents.

Your boss?

Hold up, are you the two "capable Nikkes" President Ingrid mentioned?

She called us capable?

Hehe... Er, I mean, yes, that's us.

We've been sent to assist you.

I'm looking forward to working with you.

As am I.

Uh... yeah, same here. But you never explained why you were rummaging through Master's things.

We're an inspection unit.

Yeah, we're an inspection unit.

... How many times are you going to keep saying that?

As an inspection unit, our duty is to ensure that there has been no misappropriation of funds or personnel.

The Counters is currently one of the most influential squads in the Ark.

It would be reasonable to expect that some questionable transactions would be taking place.

... She's nothing if not candid. Or, in other words, she's rude as hell!

My apologies. Force of habit.

At any rate, we didn't turn up anything.

Indeed. Everything seems to be above board.

If we had found anything disreputable, we would have immediately withdrawn our support, but it appears we have no reason to do that.

Also, we have this for you.

What's this?

Some of the merchants you're doing business with have been steadily inflating their prices over a long period of time.

Initially, we suspected some illicit inside trading between you and them was taking place, but there doesn't appear to be any evidence of that.

What? So are you saying...

Yes. You've overpaid.

Are you kidding me?!

It happens to every group once they're in the limelight. Simply threaten that you'll stop dealing with them, and the prices should revert back to normal.

Oh... well, thanks.

You're really good at this.

Thank you... er, I mean... like Ingrid said, we're capable.

Now then, we've been told you two are in a bit of a pickle.

You want to contact some specific members of an entertainment agency, but don't know how to go about it. Is that correct?

Well... Yeah, that's right.

Give me their name and contact information.

Give me a little time, and I'll find a way for you to get inside.

How are you gonna do that?

I told you, we're an inspection unit.

How many times are you going to repeat that same thing?

Also, call me biased, but I feel the entertainment industry is a veritable breeding ground for corruption.

Well, aren't you oh-so-impressive...

We won't have to do much digging before we unearth all sorts of dirt.

We'll then be able to use that as a pretext to gain entry to the agency and conduct an investigation.

When we do that, you two can come along as our assistants, and meet up with the people you want.

Nice!

Now then, let's get started.

Pfooo...

... Are you okay? Why are you breathing all weird?

Because this is my favorite part.

The thrill of uncovering someone's dirty secrets.

That's why I'll never quit this job!

... I'm happy for you.

Hmm? It's completely clean.

Not a single credit unaccounted for.

I've never seen anything kept in such immaculate order. It's quite admirable.

The company's cash flow is impeccable, as are all its other operations.

We even conducted interviews with some of the staff, but there was nothing suspicious at all.

See? I knew it.

Why are you acting so smug, Anis?

Because I knew that the Boss was clean.

But it also means the operation was a complete waste.

Dang it, you're right. Why does the Boss have to be so squeaky clean?

He could have at least been courteous and done one dishonest thing for us.

This operation is a bust.

We were planning on barging in and airing out their dirty laundry, but there's nothing we can use against them.

Don't be too disappointed, though.

Oh. Is there another method?

No. There isn't.

Then why wouldn't we be disappointed?!

We should all be happy that one of the largest corporations in the Ark is such an honest enterprise.

Yeah yeah, I'm happy. You've got a point.

We'll have to come up with another way to approach them.

We might need to look into suppliers for Tetra Line.

If we're going to go down that route, though, we'll need some more assistance.

We'd be essentially auditing one of the Big Three.

So what should we do?

Let's see...

Hmm...

I'm not sure.

... With how hard you two were thinking, I thought you'd come up with something.

Hmm...

I've been doing some thinking of my own.

Right now, we don't have any way to get in touch with Anis's old colleagues or connections, right?

Right.

Then we need to make them contact us.

How do we do that?

By using that.

!!

A news story about events being held in the Ark this month... yes, you're right. I should be attending that... and that one...

I don't think that's what she meant, Eyeri.

You're saying you want to use the TV to deliver a message, right?

Yes. It's not the most dignified way of going about it, but we're in no position to get hung up on such things.

Anis can go on and ask them to contact her.

That's... a really good idea, actually.

But in order to do that, we'll have to apply for some airtime.

And it's not just about the money. We'll have to consider when we want it to air.

TV may have lost some of its influence, but it's still a prominent medium, so ad slots remain in high demand.

Most of them are booked a year or more in advance.

I doubt there's any room for them to squeeze us in.

Even the minor channels are booked solid.

Darn, even the smaller channels?

Hmm...

Hold on, Anis. Over there.

Where? There?

...

...

Oh!

Oh!

Oh oh oh!

Oh oh oh!

... Why are they making those sounds?

... I'm not sure.

Let's go!

Yeah! Straight away!

*Huff... huff...*

Gasp...

*Huff...* Hey.

Let us make a broadcast.

Is that everything you were able to gather?

Yeah.

Put it all here in front.

From the looks of it, Behemoth must be famished right about now.

If you get too close, you might get eaten too,

so keep your distance.

That's very considerate of you.

Wha... What are you talking about...

I, the hero, have moved all my parts!

Ha, please. I already finished 10 seconds ago.

Drats! As expected, the villain is always one step ahead of the hero.

That's why you always arrive late to the crime scene, mwahaha!

*Sigh*...

Anyway, we're all done.

Good. Now step back.

Good. She's still eating.

Go on then, hurry up and eat.

Get nice and strong,

so we can be together again.

...

...

...

...

She's healing.

...

I'm sorry, but could you all help me with one more...

Wha...?!

No, Behemoth! Don't eat that!

Let go! This is a weapon meant to be used by a hero only!

Hold onto it tight! If that weapon gets swallowed, we'll get more than just a lecture from Syuen!

Syuen is one scary lady. I'll help!

Such incredible strength! It must be famished.

Behemoth, I told you, not that! I'll bring you more food!

You're right.

Pff...

Hahaha! That's hilarious!

It really is a tug-of-war! Ahahahaha!

Pull! Let's show them just how strong a hero is!

Urgh, what in the world is this thing?!

Don't give me that weak talk! We're strong!

I've gotta get some photos. Behemoth is gonna love this when she sees it later.

Haha, this is really priceless...!

!!

!!

What the...

Gah!

No!

Laplace, don't move!

My weapon... I can't control it!

Commander!

Laplace!

Behemoth!

Commander!

Roger!

Nooo! Damn you all!

Laplace! Laplace!

You shot her! You shot Behemoth!

She... she's back to square one... she's not moving...

Leviathan, wait! I think something went wrong...

You betrayed me!

No, we didn't! We were under attack! Something went horribly wrong!

I knew I shouldn't have trusted you!

You're nothing but heartless traitors, who'd sell out your friends without thinking twice!

Behemoth...

I'm sorry... I'll revive you again.

Wait, you have to listen to me...!

Maxwell! Enemy incoming!

Damn!

All clear! Laplace, how are you holding up?

I'm fine. Both my arms got destroyed, is all.

That's all? That's a big deal!

I've disconnected the power supply to her arms.

I stashed her weapon elsewhere, too.

We've removed all the crystals we could see on the outside, but the inside's still a mess. As long as she doesn't move too much, the crystals shouldn't spread any further, but these are only temporary measures.

Do we have any spare parts?

Not here. We need to go back.

Hehe...

Sorry, Birdie, it seems all I ever do on operations is drop the ball.

Where do we need to go to do these repairs?

We'll head back to the Reclamation Site first, but I'm not sure we'll be able to conduct the repairs there either.

You're different from other Nikkes, so it's going to be a special procedure.

If I can't get fixed at the Reclamation Site, then where?

We'll have to go back to the Ark.

...

Hyah!

What are you doing?

I can still move my legs.

That's good enough.

Your weapon is broken. What are you going to do, fight barehanded?

That's right.

Don't be foolish. Let's go back.

Now is not the time to be stubborn.

Maxwell.

I'm doing this for Syuen.

...

If we retreat now, Syuen's reputation will take another nosedive.

She'll then push herself even harder,

and the damage could be irreversible.

Evildoers must be punished, and evil itself must be rooted out.

That's why I can't allow Syuen to become evil.

If the creator goes to the dark side, the creation can bring them back.

A hero is someone that opposes evil in all forms.

If that can be done without resorting to force, you're all the greater a hero for it.

I am a great hero, so I can do that.

I must do that.

I...

I don't want to have to put an end to Syuen with my own hands.

...

...

We're going back to the Reclamation Site.

If we can't fix you there,

we'll make sure that all power's cut off to your arms

and transfer that energy to me.

I'll use you as my own personal battery, and work you to the bone.

Okay. I'll leave it to you.

Awaiting your orders, Commander.

Are you planning on helping Syuen?

Why would you want to get involved...

...

Then again, that's what makes you who you are, Commander.

You always get yourself involved in others' affairs.

Come to think of it, you remind me of someone.

Hehe, yeah.

It seems that I'm still drawn to the same type of people.

Let's go. I'll join you in not minding our own business.