Causes of death are many and varied. Old age, suicide, illness...
But the cause of death that scares the most people in this day and age...
Pardon the intrusion!
This is a great chance to see how far I can go up against a company captain.
But I don't see any chance of winning unless I can deal with that ability.
You're not getting through.
--5th Angels Three! --5th Angels Three!
--Three on three! --Three on three!
The darkness is illuminated
The days we've grown accustomed to walking are weeded out
My dream might be to make a stable living
but I'll moan over the lack of stimulation
The end is illuminated
Where are the streets we're accustomed to walking?
Time can sometimes be irksome,
but we're enveloped in warmth
Flames rise to show us the way
reminding us of a gentle melody
There is no eternity, none at all, they say
I just smile, thinking that's fine with me
If we shine, someday, our light will go out
We'll keep on walking until the day
the fire of our lives gets doused
Playthings that make sounds
and magic that chases pain away
are all precious treasures to me
There is no eternity, none at all, they say
We'll keep on walking until the day
the fire of our lives gets doused
"Episode 6: The Spark of Promise"
Iris, sit there and watch your allies from the 8th get burned up.
Why, nee-san?!
Go ahead and pray to the God of salvation you favor so much.
In this world, you either burn or get burned.
I'm someone in the "burn" camp.
You saw the other nuns engulfed in flames and disintegrating in misery.
Luckily for me, my third-generation abilities manifested.
I took up with those who burn.
I will burn gravel lesser than myself to cinders until they are consumed,
and stand on their ashes to rise even higher.
That is what mankind's happiness is.
Whatever you gain from doing that can never be called happiness--
You're just spouting your platitudes, waiting to be burned up!
You leave the sister alone!
The hero has arrived.
I'll start by burning him up. Stay there and watch.
Shinra-san, run! As strong as you are, you can't beat the captain!
It's all right, Sister.
Things aren't gonna go like last time.
Gravel,
you haven't forgotten, have you? You can't lay a finger on me.
We'll never know unless I try.
Shinra-san!
Once again, you're on the ground. You really are gravel!
Damn, I'm so lightheaded...
Wh-What is this...?
Heat syncope.
Heat syncope...?
Your body is currently enveloped in heat of my making.
What?
That heat is making your blood vessels dilate and your pressure drop.
The blood flowing to your brain has fallen sharply.
That's making you lightheaded.
For someone who showed up so enthusiastic about being a hero
to stumble and fall over a little heat wave is laughable.
Lightheaded?
Oh...
Then I've got this whole situation wrong, don't I?
What do you have wrong?
You really are unsteady on your feet, right?
The palpitations, shortness of breath, and dizziness are all in my head!
Looks to me like you're just grinning and bearing it.
Besides, the biggest illusion you're under is believing that you're a hero, isn't it?
Right now, I'm lightheaded in reality, and in my mind.
So misguided or not, I can be a hero, too.
Ridiculous. There's no way you should be able to stand.
Compared to the drills Lieutenant Hinawa put me through, this is nothing.
Fine, then. It's no fun burning up an opponent who can't fight back.
Clematis!
You can be immolated by my red-hot flowers.
Nee-san, you can't still be--
Keep quiet and watch.
Princess Hibana, aren't you the one laboring under the wrong assumption?
What?
Yeah. Tonight...
...I'm Deluded-Lady-Wakeup-Call Man!
You're saying I'm mistaken?
Could be. That's just the way it looks from here.
Screw you!
So your dizziness is all in your head, is it?
You still haven't recovered your sense of balance, and you're staggering around!
Damn it!
How can you call yourself a hero like this?
Let me open your eyes and show you how pathetic you are.
Sakura!
Writhe! Dance!
Stop this already, nee-san!
If you want me to stop, go ahead and pray to God!
You do know, don't you, that there is no God, let alone heroes, in this world?
That's not true.
If you pray with all your heart, you can find comfort,
and people have been saved by it!
That's not real salvation!
Then are you saying there is no salvation in life?
Yeah, there is.
Exploiting and outsmarting others for your own success,
and looking down on the foolish slugs from above.
What you see from up there is impotent gravel, gravel, gravel!
It's fantastic knowing that you weren't scum, and were saved.
The standing and money you get from being there is a person's salvation.
How so?! You prayed with us every day at the convent, remember?
Sure I did. And what salvation came as a result?
The convent took in all of us orphans.
Every day, we devoted ourselves to God.
Amid all of it, I was the only one who didn't take it seriously.
And then, that day...
...the other sisters suddenly burned up.
All of them, except you and me.
They were all devout nuns, who served God better than I did.
You realize, don't you, that nothing ever comes of our lives.
The fact that I'm still alive like this is proof above all else!
People can only grow stronger for their own ends.
Seeking salvation without growing stronger?
You might as well ask for the moon, too!
The fact that lowly gravel seeks salvation with everyone else
is misplaced in its own right.
Princess Hibana, you're a victim of the flames, too, aren't you?
Are you still here, you would-be hero?
I have a little bit of an idea of how you feel.
I'm someone whose life was messed up by flames, too.
What can you hope to know?
Sakura Blizzard!
This time, bow down on the ground like the gravel you are!
I can't let myself collapse here.
The heat syncope...
I will get back up as often as it takes, and each time, I won't be beaten.
For your sake.
Wh-What are you talking about? Are you losing your mind?!
Listen to me.
I'm about to lay you out. That, along with all the rest of this...
...is for your own good!
If you want what's good for me, then burn up, already!
You piece of know-nothing gravel, you're spewing nonsense!
There are flames that burn the body...
...but there are also flames that light the way, and flames that warm you up!
There's no such things as heroes in this world!
Well, it's because there are no heroes in this world...
...that I'm telling you I'm gonna be a hero!
I am... Deluded-Lady...
...Wakeup-Call Man!
Wow, how pretty!
That's amazing, Sister Hibana.
Watch this, Sister Clematis.
When I add a little sodium solution, the flames react to it.
It turned yellow!
This one is copper.
Watch this, Sister Sakura.
Calcium.
I also have potassium, and strontium, and some others.
How pretty!
They all look so great!
What do you think? Flames are incredibly pretty, aren't they?
Yes!
Sister Hibana, I want to be like you.
You can control flames, and you're good at science.
Iris! Don't hide behind there,
come here and have a closer look.
Careful. They may be in the shape of flowers, but they're still flames.
You'll get burned.
See here!
Sister Hibana, are you playing with your pyrokinesis again?
Come now, everyone, into the chapel.
Yes, Sister Sumire.
You, too, Sister Hibana.
That ability was bestowed upon you by the great Sol.
Moreover, if you mishandle those flames, it can be very dangerous.
I'm being careful with them, so it's all right.
There you go, saying that again.
Head inside, now.
Okay.
Um, Sister Hibana...
I, uh...
What?
I, uh... I, uh...
I want you to show me the flowers again sometime.
I'll show them to you once you get over your shyness.
Do you mean it?
The sound of someone's body burning; that person's cries;
the pain of the flames; the suffering, as their life burns away...
What do you think? Flames are incredibly pretty, aren't they?
As if...
flames could be pretty...
Let's go. We have to get away, or we'll burn up, too.
As if this ability were bestowed by the great Sol.
Flames are the devil himself, aren't they?
And since I'm able to use that power...
A devil should act like a devil.
Nee-san...
...where are you going?
Iris...
Don't get yourself burned up by flames.
I'll exploit them--people, flames, and whatever else.
"Haijima Industries"
That's just a little slice. I'll turn it all over, on certain conditions.
I want the rank of captain. And you'll provide me
with the platform and funding to carry on my experiments.
Why?
When everyone at the convent had no one else to turn to,
you were the one we looked up to.
You were beautiful, and smart, and you could control flames.
When we were lonely and anxious, you were our hero.
I didn't have anyone. The only thing that propped me up were my flames.
But then, even they turned on me.
I don't have anything now.
You've got a hero, right here.
Look up to the skies and cry out my name! I'll come save you anytime!
Don't be absurd. What makes you obliged to help me?
I don't need to be obliged.
When someone is in trouble, I go help them. That's what a hero does, right?
Whatever the case, you beat me. I don't intend to fight you anymore.
"Ping ping"
You think I've overcome my shyness a little?
For crying out loud, Iris.
After you come waltzing into this place all on your own?
I just wanted you to show me your pretty flowers again.
I did promise you, didn't I?
Are those...?
Yeah. Irises.
Nee-san, I love you!
"To be continued"
You can toil your way through humorless days
and curse the unwavering present,
but words that simply hang in the air
are not enough to save you
We've been walking shoulder-to-shoulder
between sights we never reach
and pain that brings no warmth
to make it to a faraway place
Given the hope that you speak of
or the ideals that you dream of
I'll find a way to show you love, however cold you may be
You can toil your way through humorless days
and curse the unwavering present,
but words that simply hang in the air
are not enough to save you
You can cry out timidly
but that changes when the nights grow fevered
Even if we let go of each other's hands,
I hope we can still walk together again
I'll refrain from saying goodbye
to ensure that we can meet again somewhere
The guy in glasses... The guy in glasses...
Looks like you've gone around doing a real number on us, 8th.
--Lieutenant Hinawa. --Lieutenant Hinawa.
How am I going to explain this whole mess to the higher-ups,
or to the gravel still sprawled out all over?
Captain Obi was apparently going to make it look
like it was a joint nighttime training exercise.
But you charged in before that could happen, right?
If you keep that up all the time, you're going to mess up sooner or later.
I just had a great idea!
What if the 5th and the 8th all had a dinner party together?
Th-That might be a bit much.
Indeed. That sounds pretty good.
Huh?
Sometimes, when you're trying to game someone,
the more ridiculous the method, the easier it is to succeed.
I'll say that in order to test the 5th's fighting strength,
I asked the 8th to play the bad guys and stage a surprise attack drill.
Shinra, I'd like to set this up, so round up the 8th's people for me.
You sure are being cooperative, huh?
Well... I've taken a liking to you...
Huh?
Chief, we're ahead of schedule, but we've begun our investigation of the 5th.
Things may get a little aggressive, so please lay the groundwork elsewhere.
Come in. Hinawa?
Yeah, I've been bogged down getting this off the ground.
I'm on my way to you now.
Huh?
It's over?
"Next time"
"Episode 7: The Investigation of the 1st Commences"