Rentaro... Do you think the JASDF will win?
I'm not sure.
The fighting stopped.
Did we win?
Th-Th-That's... impossible...
#11 The Heart of Taurus, The Spear of Light
All hands prepare for battle!
Onii-san!
Look!
A detachment...
No one else saw it...
If they flank us, we're doomed!
However, leaving the camp would be a clear violation of our orders.
What do you want to do, Satomi?
You decide!
We'll listen to our leader.
Let's go!
Leader Satomi?
Where are you going? Return to your position!
This isn't good!
Leave it to me.
Tendo Martial Arts Sword Drawing First Style, Number 8:
Muei Muso!
Kisara-san...
Leader Satomi,
we've finished.
We're strong...
At this rate...
All right! Let's hurry back.
Damn it...
At this rate, we're all done for.
That's...
All of you, stay here and back me up!
Hey!
Hurry and tell everyone to fall back!
Well,
if it isn't Leader Satomi.
Have you seen the Spear of Light?
Spear of Light?
With that thing on their side,
we never stood a chance from the start.
Oh...
This is Kokone.
We were holding hands the whole time,
saying we'd be together until the end.
And then the Spear of Light attacked.
The Spear of Light...
Alde... baran...
Hey, look!
The Gastrea are falling back!
Man, this is awful.
Just how many people died?
Probably about half...
The enemy forces have also dwindled, haven't they?
But whatever they lost, they gained back.
What?
Including both civil officers and JASDF,
over a thousand have turned into Gastrea.
Meaning... there's only 500 of us against 2,000 of them?!
It's a despairing number...
Rentaro!
Where'd you get that?
Isn't it cute?
They gave it to me because I was helping!
Huh...
You sure you weren't in the way?
Not at all.
She holds the hands of the wounded...
They all say she's wonderful.
Huh...
I am being useful!
Yeah, you're amazing, all right.
Good evening, Rentaro-kun.
It's a beautiful night, isn't it?
Sensei, what are you doing here?
I was asked to supervise things here.
You won a spot in the shelter, didn't you?
I didn't win it; they gave it to me.
They said they couldn't allow the greatest brain in Japan to die...
Though, I ripped it up on the spot.
You could've given it to someone if you were just going to throw it away.
To who?
If there were only a cup of water in the desert,
they'd just kill each other to get it.
I can't imagine we'd find
an oasis in the Tokyo Area that could quench everyone's thirst.
The reason I'm here is
because I wanted to cheer on the idiots who are trying to
get out of the desert.
I thought you were a much more logical person, Sensei.
Humans tend to think logically,
but their actions are driven by emotions.
Take action, Rentaro-kun.
If you stop, death will catch up to you.
Yeah, you're right...
Thanks, Sensei.
Also, about Enju...
If it's about her losing her classmates, I've heard.
That was quite the tragedy.
Sensei, from a doctor's perspective, how's Enju doing?
Don't worry. I think she's all right.
Enju-chan's mental stability is far stronger than we imagine.
Really?
You're a very skeptical man, aren't you?
Well, I'd avoid bringing up anything that would remind her
of the incident, just in case.
You two should go back and rest now.
Ugh, this place is sort of creepy...
Is this the place, Rentaro?
According to what Shoma-nii said, it should be...
Oh, welcome, Onii-san.
I've cleaned up this hotel, so it'd be suitable for living.
Er, but we're only going to be staying here for a few days...
Still, would it not make you happier if the place were clean?
Who knew
we'd be lighting the fireplace in the middle of summer?
Because of the ashes from the Monolith rising up and hiding the sun,
they say it'll be cold for the next three days.
Food's ready.
It's good.
See? Impressed, aren't you?
Bro's the chef in our house.
A pervert like you could never compare.
I guess you really can't judge a book by its cover.
Rentaro.
Why did Aldebaran run away?
There are a lot of rumors going around, but nobody knows for sure.
I wonder if the Gastrea will attack again...
Not to mention, there are three more days until the
substitute Monolith is complete.
Satomi-kun, do you have a sec?
I observed some patients
who had their arms or legs cut off by the Spear of Light...
All of them are experiencing deafness or loss of sight,
which are symptoms of mercury poisoning.
Mercury?
Onii-san, there's something I'd like to report
about that matter, as well.
During the battle, using Shenfield, I located a Gastrea,
five kilometers away, that I believe was shooting out mercury.
What did it look like?
I'm sorry...
Shenfield doesn't have the ability to send images.
However, it was rather large.
I would say it was a Stage Four.
Excuse me.
Leader Satomi.
Commander Gado sent out a summons for you.
Please report to the temporary headquarters at once.
Gado?
Have a seat.
That's...
Indeed.
I got it when I fought with it.
You mean Aldebaran?
That's right.
However, it didn't take my leg;
I let 'im have it.
How was my son, Hidehiko, in his final moments?
He fought very bravely.
I'm the one who had him become a civil officer.
If I had known this was going to happen, I'd have let him do what he wanted.
Gado, don't you think that the enemy has too much of a lead on us?
What are you trying to say?
After the JASDF won the earlier battle,
why did they lose so quickly this time?
And when Aldebaran was hurt,
why did the surrounding Gastrea form a wall?
The answer is... pheromones.
Are you saying it's releasing pheromones?
The thing that gathered the Gastrea around Aldebaran was
the aggregation pheromone.
It seems Aldebaran is using pheromones for various purposes
to keep total control over the pack.
That being the case,
if we defeat Aldebaran, the pack will be destroyed.
We can win!
That was a very helpful insight.
But I will let you in on some information that you're not aware of...
There is no way to defeat Aldebaran.
Aldebaran is immortal.
My Varanium blade split its head open
and pierced through upon reversal.
I am sure I dealt damage to its brain and heart...
However, it didn't fall...
In the next instant, although slowly, it began to regenerate itself.
No...
And that's not the only trump card they have.
The Gastrea with the Spear of Light...
It's been identified to be as great a threat as Aldebaran.
Codename: Pleiades.
Pleiades...
We cannot win simply by defeating Aldebaran.
Even if we try to defeat the king, the queen will stand in the way.
In order to win this game, eliminating the queen is essential.
Because of that, we must make a very difficult decision today.
Leader Satomi.
In the midst of maneuvers, you and your adjuvant
strayed from Hidehiko's camp
and acted on your own.
Wait a minute.
That was to eliminate the enemy's detachment—
That doesn't change the fact that you disobeyed orders!
Your actions were equal to fleeing in the presence of the enemy,
causing a potentially lethal disturbance in the civil officer ranks.
You must pay for that.
Leader Satomi, I hereby disband your adjuvant
and sentence you to capital punishment.
You can't be serious!
Leader Satomi, are you prepared to die once again?
I believe that if we can defeat Pleiades,
we can find a hole in the wall we are currently up against.
And so...
I want you to infiltrate enemy territory and destroy Pleiades.
You've shown your true colors...
You cannot decline.
In return, I promise your adjuvant will not be punished.
You conniving old man...
I'm sorry, Enju.
Where are you going, Satomi-kun?
To the bathroom. Are you going to follow me there?
With all that luggage?
I can bring whatever I want!
So the punishment wasn't just the disbanding of the adjuvant, was it?
But by yourself...
That's the same as going off to die!
Someone has to take responsibility.
Let's run away.
To where?
W-Well...
There's nowhere left to run in the Tokyo Area.
If we don't stop it here, we'll die, no matter where we run.
That's the one thing we have to avoid.
Thanks, Kisara-san.
You really are
an idiot.
I guess this is it...
Well, fancy meeting you here...
Satomi-kun.
So you were alive...
Hiruko Kagetane!
Would you kindly put your gun down already?
No.
Have you already forgotten who it was that gave you bandages and antibiotics?
And you guys haven't forgotten what you've done, have you?
What are you doing here?
Are you involved in that geezer's schemes again?
I have no comment.
Where's Enju?
Did she die?
She's alive. We're moving separately for now.
Oh, good! Enju...
I want to see her...
I want to cut her...
I want to see her... I want to cut her...
Satomi-kun, one could ask what it is you're doing here.
I'm here to defeat Pleiades.
Pleiades?
It's a Gastrea that shoots out mercury.
Oh, right. I did see something like that.
I was watching the battle yesterday.
You were watching?
Why didn't you participate?
What, exactly, waits for me after this battle?
Peace.
I've never wished for such a thing.
You truly are broken.
Have you ever even considered me normal?
Why do you wear a mask?
Would you like to see my face?
No.
That is the correct answer.
You would assuredly regret seeing it.
Are you scarred or something?
The thing under this mask...
is your own face.
Don't mess with me.
We possess powers that are beyond humans.
When faced with senseless violence, you must have thought,
"I have enough power inside me to turn you all into ground meat!"
I've been carrying that out.
That's why you hate me.
You envy me.
Shut up!
However, Satomi-kun...
Just as you feel about me, I, too, envy you.
Living so comfortably in your world of light...
I can't help but despise you!
Come with me, my friend.
I shall teach you pleasure.
I will never mistake how I use my powers!
I shall make a prediction, Satomi-kun.
You will definitely come to this side...
Without fail.
Did they already leave?
A river...
Oh, there you are.
There's something I forgot to tell you.
We happened to bump into this Gastrea named Pleiades yesterday.
Where?!
Follow the river upstream.
Why are you telling me this?
Well, if I must give a reason,
it might be because I happen to like you.
What are you doing?
You just happen to be going the same way we are.
Do whatever you want.
And that's precisely what we shall do.
#12 Crisis Point
This is the world that you wished for.
You must make amends with it.
Please, Satomi-kun. Lead us.
The final battle will be at the Flames of Revolution.