Alter her perception?
That seems to be the effect of the Mirror of Truth.
He says that a psychological back door must have been rigged
at some point during the education process for the Elites.
So then, what's rampaging out there really is the Princess herself?!
Damn it! A back door...
Hold on a second.
"He says"? Who says?
Me, Qwenthur Barbotage.
You were so good to me in Amazon City.
Don't tell me...
Sladder Honeysuckle?
What is the meaning of this, Miss Charlotte?!
Why is he...?!
That's...
Damn it!
Requiem for the Flowers Blooming in the Field
The Battle to Destroy the Baby Magnum II
What is up with this situation?!
What are the people of the Legitimate Kingdom thinking?!
Could they be looking for all-out war or something?
I swear!
We get roped into a normal mission for once and it turns into this big mess!
There's something up ahead.
That's...!
Master?!
Someone! Get a medic!
Quick!
Four additional units of O-negative.
Preparing to intubate.
Heart rate is growing erratic.
Blood pressure dropping!
EKG is showing arrhythmia!
BP plummeting!
He's in v-fib!
Prepare to apply electric countershock.
Charging!
Ten seconds without a pulse now.
Charging complete.
Get clear.
Still no pulse.
Push it up to 300.
Charging!
Hey, what happened to my partner?
Where is he right now?
He's in surgery.
It seems he was critical for a while due to shock, but I'm told things are looking good now.
I guess we've both got the devil's own luck.
Damn it, you better not pick now to croak, Qwenthur.
It seems that you are awake.
Ohoho?
Man, it makes me sad.
The big boobs really are an illusion...
Wait...
What are you doing here?!
Is the battle already—
You are as reckless as ever.
I hear that your heart stopped at one point, you know.
If you're here, then...
Is the battle over?
No.
The unit out there this time is an unmanned unit operated by an AI.
The unit you people used to call the Indigo Plasma...
The AI it used doesn't compare to how advanced this AI is.
And that's how it's being controlled remotely.
Remotely?
That's why you're here?
I-I would ask that you not get the wrong idea, but...
I cannot have you dying before I repay you for Alaska, so I merely came to see how you were doing.
Havia...
What about my partner?
He's fine.
His injuries were minor and he's been treated already.
You are?
Lendy Farolito.
I'm the one in operational charge of what you people refer to as the Rush.
I believe there was a religious figure
being held hostage and our battalion commander smack dab in the middle of the battlefield.
What about those two?
They're alive.
So far.
Disengage and get away from us.
It'll be okay.
I'll rescue you for sure.
You're the only one who's fighting!
We're all right!
Frolaytia, you don't have to lie like that for me.
I'll protect you for sure.
However, I'm told they're all injured and unable to move.
What about rescue?
If one of the Objects should accidentally run over them...
The Capital Enterprise and the Faith Organization, who are still watching from the sidelines,
will rush to step in and an ugly, uncompromising fight will begin.
I know this.
But we're talking about getting underfoot of battling Objects.
It is not realistic.
If you withdraw the Rush...
That girl will likely continue on to attack this base zone.
That is not something we can do.
If you're satisfied, I'm going to ask you some questions now.
What in the world is this situation about?
Does the Baby Magnum's Elite mean to destroy the world?
No!
The Princess is just fighting for all she's worth, like always.
Doing everything in her power to protect everyone.
She...
Our Elite, Milinda Brantini...
...is under the influence of perceptual interference due to outside forces.
Perceptual interference?
What is the nature of this interference?
That's...
So, why can't I go inside?!
I'm his partner!
Damn it!
"The Mirror of Truth."
You are certain that's what it was called?
This is something I'd like to hear about in detail...
...from this source of yours.
Please return my radio.
Miss Charlotte, it's Qwenthur.
You, you're all right!
Your comm cut out abruptly, so I was afraid...
I've managed to stay alive somehow.
Won't you please let me talk to him?
To that stinking bastard.
To Sladder Honeysuckle.
Sladder? As in the...
So?
What is it that you want to ask me, Qwenthur?
What's this "Mirror of Truth"?
I told you, didn't I?
It's a perceptual interference program developed for Elites.
I think the underpinning theory
was probably pieced together from AI research coming out of the Intelligence Union or thereabouts.
How can it be stopped?
Well, let's see...
Defend against or flee from the interference vector, the command.
Indeed, if you could switch it to "stop", I'm sure it could be halted.
But as things stand the command is fixed on "attack" and the key to change it was lost along with Flide.
In order to stop the fighting, you have no choice but to destroy her, Object and all.
Fortunately, destroying the Baby Magnum isn't that hard.
Though, I'm sure you know that as well.
First, there's its suspension.
Because it uses an electrostatic propulsion system...
It doesn't even need to be a flood.
If there's water of a certain depth, you can bring it to a standstill.
Once you do that, she's a sitting duck.
Another option would probably be to attack the joint in the back.
That's the Achilles' heel of all seven main guns in one spot.
Hitting it there would surely cause a huge explosion.
Besides that, I guess there's the main guns with the revolving chambers.
If you stick explosives onto the exposed part in advance,
you should be able to get them inside automatically when it chambers the next round.
And when it explodes later, that'll destroy the unit as well.
There are many other ways, but—
That's not what I want to know.
But you want to stop it, right?
With an Object that's been infected with the Mirror of Truth, you have no choice but to eliminate it.
I think the Intelligence Union might have a better grasp of this.
It's true that we know about this program.
It was something that was leaked illegally, though.
It works in tandem with continual interference delivered by the program installed on the Object side.
For instances when the Elite might refuse a mission
or when the Elite might be in a standalone environment due to a cessation in communications caused by jamming,
the Elite can continue to be controlled through the commands.
It was developed for experimental purposes.
Damn it!
Lendy.
We ran Perfect Browsing based on what was just discussed...
...but the optimal solution that Romeo produced was still to destroy the Baby Magnum.
There were no other solutions.
That was all.
In order to overcome this situation, there's no other choice but to destroy the Baby Magnum.
That...
...appears to be the conclusion.
What are you going to do?
Fighting in the flesh and destroying Objects is your specialty,
Qwenthur Barbotage.
Shut up.
Another peep out of you and I'll kill you by blowing up the prison with you in it.
How scary!
Then I'll look forward to what choice you make.
You do your best, hero.
Don't let him goad you into acting without authorization!
The Legitimate Kingdom's Council is currently in deliberations to acknowledge
that the Baby Magnum going out of control is an accident due to confusion on the part of the Elite,
and to call on the Intelligence Union, the Capital Enterprise, and the Faith Organization to destroy it.
The directive is to do absolutely nothing until then.
If you act, you all will be court-martialed.
Got that? I can't stress enough that prudence—
We can't count on the higher-ups anymore.
You said there's continual interference from the Object, right?
Then, if we can just drag her out of the Object, will that undo the perceptual interference?
It will, but...
Don't tell me...
You...
Do not tell me you mean to go?!
Inflict enough damage to force the Object to eject the Elite, but not enough to kill the Elite?
And to purposefully aim to do so?
That would be impossible, even for me!
Do you have some plan?
Nothing yet.
But I have faith.
Anything that was made by man's hands...
...can always be dealt with somehow by man's hands.
You have my gratitude for treating my wounds.
Thank you very much.
Do you think you can leave so easily?
You are forgetting that you are a prisoner of war.
Then, put it down in the report that I hit you from behind or something.
I have a proposal for you.
I hear that you are aspiring to become a licensed Object designer?
Y-Yeah.
Then, stay and defect to the Intelligence Union.
If you become a maintenance engineer working exclusively for me,
I shall arrange matters to ensure that, in due time, you land in your chosen profession.
You will design my Object.
That's an incredibly attractive offer.
In that case—
But I can't.
You care that much about that girl?!
You wish to save that girl?
If Objects represent modern war, then Elites represent how warped it is.
They're burdened with the outcome of wars.
All alone.
Building walls between themselves and others to be as thick as the outer shells of Objects.
The Princess was always alone.
And even now, she's there all by herself inside those thick walls.
All by herself, she's continuing to fight to protect everyone.
Like hell I can let her die like that.
A mirror!
I'm begging you! Lend me your aid!
What?
I'm saving the Princess.
To do that, I absolutely need the cooperation of an Object!
You told me to repay you for Alaska earlier, right?
Then, once it's over, you can do whatever you want with me!
So, please!
So you are putting your life on the line?
Yeah.
Might I ask you to get on your knees?
I swear it.
By the rapier of certain victory and deadliness that glimmers over the heads of the Kingdom's soldiers.
You are a truly foolish gentleman.
If you are a man, you should not bend the knee to your enemy so easily.
I've contacted our base zone.
And Ohoho will work with us, too.
That just leaves...
You're late, Prince!
I've been brought up to speed.
Let's get going already to go save the Princess!
Do you understand what'll happen if you go?
If you get court-martialed, you can kiss your future goodbye.
But you're still going, right?
Yeah.
Then I've got no choice.
We've come too far not to be in the same boat now, partner!
Here we go!
The Legitimate Kingdom's Council has reached a decision to abandon the Baby Magnum,
and the Faith Organization and the Capital Enterprise have begun preparing to mobilize.
They should be about 15 minutes out.
Will we make it in time?
Knowing Granny, she'll make it.
Send it over here!
We could pour all of the base's power into this thing and the output wouldn't even amount to ten percent!
This modification is going to be tougher than usual!
Do accurate, unerring work faster than fast!
I know you guys can do it!
We'll have just one chance.
Miss Frolaytia, you have my gratitude for authorizing this mission.
We should have ignored the stupid Council's decision and shot Flide to death.
But the guru and I are both still alive and kicking.
Our 37th Mechanized Maintenance Battalion will not give up on the Princess to the very end.
Yes, ma'am.
All I need to do is fire my guns at her from the point that you designated, correct?
Yes, please.
I shall be going now.
Princess, it's me.
Qwenthur!
You've done good. Are you all right?
Yeah.
It's dragged on quite a bit, but I'm all right.
I can still keep fighting.
It would be simple if I only had to score a direct hit, but to be told not to...
I have accepted a difficult task, if I do say so myself.
Don't worry, Qwenthur.
I'll rescue Frolaytia and them for sure, too.
Just watch, I'll protect everyone.
No good!
And we were so close to luring the Baby Magnum to the prearranged point.
Go, Havia!
Are you serious?!
There's no time to argue.
We have to act as the decoy and guide the Princess.
Decoy?!
We're dead the second we go out there!
That new Rush is equipped with an advanced jamming system to throw off targeting.
And she'll have to split her attention to deal with the two Rushes, so we should be able to get pretty close.
"Pretty"?! "Should"?!
Don't give me that crap now!
Son-of-a-bitch!
I thought fields of flowers are something you see after you're dead!
Princess, do you see the car approaching you?
The jamming is bad, but...
There it is!
Listen to me. That car is us. Don't shoot it, no matter what.
I got it.
I just have to fire all my guns at once, right?
That's right.
Don't shoot it, no matter what, Milinda Brantini.
Listen to me. On the count of three, make a sharp turn to the left.
Hey, Qwenthur, when this is over, I want to go have fun somewhere.
Let's do that.
Let's get this bothersome battle over with already and go have all the fun we can manage!
Now!
You're not getting away!
I love you, baby.
It's okay. No dangerous substances detected.
How dare you do that to the gentleman!
She is going to fire!
Did the plan fail?!
No, it's fine the way it is.
The main event is up next!
Now, come on!
You pulled it off, hero!
Come on, let's go get her!
And a heave-ho.
How?
You know that we use a vapor deposition process called CVD, right?
The Object's sensors don't deem it a dangerous substance, so it operated normally.
After firing, the main guns vent and take in air to cool down, so we made them suck in the CVD powder then.
With the energy of the next firing,
the powder in the gun barrels underwent the same process as electrochemical vapor deposition
and turned the interior of the barrels into mirrors.
Once that happened, the guns couldn't operate normally anymore.
With things like thermal reflection and turbulence, they went boom the next time they were fired.
I know that.
But I am amazed that you did not die in the first barrage.
That's a mystery to me, too.
Maybe it was just pure chance that saved us, but...
At any rate, we're alive.
And so is the Princess.
You were a really big help.
Thank you.
You do understand, I trust?
I shall consider this a favor owed.
Next time, I will make you surrender in earnest and make you mine, you just wait and see!
Qwenthur!
Why are you laughing?
I'm surprised.
I never imagined that he'd hit the jackpot, which I'd estimated to be a less than one percent chance of saving her.
He's going to turn into one hell of a monster.
The bigwigs whose names make up the List will likely end up panicking even more than before.
Destroy the Object and save the Elite.
They can do it when they put their minds to it.
They sure had me sweating bullets.
A sign, I'd say.
Those young folk are a sign of change.
Though, whether it's for the better or not...
But i don't want to lie to myself, 'Cause there's more than just one form of happiness.
There's no knowing that.
Rather than a flexible strength, I want a strength that never changes.
kawaru tsuyosa yori kawaranai tsuyosa kokoro ni te o atete jibunjishin o ima aishi tea geyou
Placing my hand upon my heart, I'll make an effort to love myself.
Rather than a flexible strength, I want a strength that never changes.
kawaru tsuyosa yori kawaranai tsuyosa
Not for anyone else's sake, Right now, as i head for the future.
dareka no tame janaku ima, mirai eto