The article describes a queen, neck bent, awaiting death by the guillotine. Gripped by inescapable terror, she awaits the blade that will end her life...
You flip through the pages of the final issue of Executions Weekly.
"We regret to inform you that this will be the final issue of Executions Weekly. A limited run of the exclusive photobook is available via the included postcard. We would like to express our profound gratitude for the indulgence of our readers."
"We regret to inform you that this will be the final issue of Executions Weekly. A limited run of the exclusive photobook is available via the included postcard. We would like to express our profound gratitude for the indulgence of our readers."
You flip through the pages of the second issue of Executions Weekly.
You see the shining image of a golden calf. Condemned criminals are baked inside it. Their dying screams are converted to the lowing of a steer by its mechanisms...
You see the shining image of a golden calf. Condemned criminals are baked inside it. Their dying screams are converted to the lowing of a steer by its mechanisms...
--------------------------
Mad Scientist: Mwehehehehe. You find this kind of diversion childish for a researcher of my stature, I'm sure. Allow me to reintroduce myself—I am the Mad Scientist! My colleagues call me mad, hence the moniker.
Mad Scientist: Preeminent hackers known the world over, intrepid sailors of the digital sea, we discovered something unfathomable. Something that could grant us not merely this whole country, but the entire world... A magic keycode! Truly universal!
Mad Scientist: As it happens, an associate of mine once told me that if I were to give this to any who might still work in our field, it should be a man named Richter Esslinger—and the fruits of my humble hacking seem as though they might be happy in your arms.
Mad Scientist: He said he wished to assist you in these trying times, as well, and that if you were to take this code, he might have found a way to assist you more directly in combat, as well. But I must test your knowledge, first, before allowing you this power.
Mad Scientist: In that case... it's quiz time!
Mad Scientist: Well, naturally a man of your caliber would know that. Next question.
Mad Scientist: Assume that the password is compoesd of numerals and 26 letters, case-insensitive.
Mad Scientist: So calculations are no problem for you... Fine, here's the last question.
Mad Scientist: You've amassed deep knowledge hithertofore. You will no doubt be able to use this keycode. Very well, I'll transfer this to your database. A door to a whole new world opens for you. Use it wisely.
"To Richter,
It's been some time since we had the chance to speak. Somehow, I've managed to remain alive through all this. To think my old friend would be a hero who saved the world, hm?
I can no longer use a Gauntlet, but I am still a programmer myself. The program which nearly devoured me—I sealed it within this derelict satellite, but upon hearing you were once again in battle, I thought it would be a good idea to attempt to put it into a more usable form.
This is the controlled form of my old program, 'Stratos'. I've dubbed it 'Heavenjack'. With this, you should be able to use it, though I'd recommend doing so sparingly.
This might be a bit forward of me, but I've also included my e-mail address. Once you've finished with this world-saving business, hiding from these Dragons is tedious as hell, so do me a favor and let me know how you're doing. We can chat like the old days.
Your bothersome friend,
Heinrich Scuttler
It's been some time since we had the chance to speak. Somehow, I've managed to remain alive through all this. To think my old friend would be a hero who saved the world, hm?
I can no longer use a Gauntlet, but I am still a programmer myself. The program which nearly devoured me—I sealed it within this derelict satellite, but upon hearing you were once again in battle, I thought it would be a good idea to attempt to put it into a more usable form.
This is the controlled form of my old program, 'Stratos'. I've dubbed it 'Heavenjack'. With this, you should be able to use it, though I'd recommend doing so sparingly.
This might be a bit forward of me, but I've also included my e-mail address. Once you've finished with this world-saving business, hiding from these Dragons is tedious as hell, so do me a favor and let me know how you're doing. We can chat like the old days.
Your bothersome friend,
Heinrich Scuttler
----------------------------
I'm not sure what got me to finally stir out of bed and start walking around.
I guess I just needed to move, or else I was gonna keep spiraling down. So I got up and started walking. I headed to the elevator, hoping nobody would notice me.
I wound up wandering around Res Ward A. I guess I hoped that someone around there, one of the civilians I'd been working so hard for all this time, would do something to break me out of my funk.
Momo-chan: ...Hey, you.
Momo-chan: You, the idol girl. With the purple and the bats.
Momo-chan: Yeah, you. Aren't you supposed to be in combat now?
Momo-chan: Oh yeah? Then make yourself useful. Go fetch my accessories from my room. It's on the room on the right.
Momo-chan: How long did you expect to keep me waiting?! And what's with these plain earrings? They don't suit my style nowadays at all!
Momo-chan: Next!
Reading didn't sound very interesting to me, but there wasn't exactly anything exciting here for adults, so I picked out something trashy.
Momo-chan: A gossip rag, huh? Sure, it's fun to read. Frank sometimes. Maybe even salacious.
Momo-chan: Bring something more edifying! Poetry volumes, or great literature!
Momo-chan: Next! Bring me an idol's most prized possession. I'm sure if you're such a great idol, you've already got one.
Momo-chan: What, you're saying you don't even know what I'm talking about?
Way back when, Miss Botan had given me a shiny little hand mirror. It was tacky, and I had to work pretty hard to see myself in it. Vampiric enchantments upon mirrors to reflect our image are a lot harder on such small surfaces, you see, so it was mostly just for looks—not that she knew that. I kept it around even though it was hard to use because it was a gift, but at that point I picked it up to show her how useless it was.
Momo-chan: So, this is what you think an idol's most prized possession is?
Momo-chan: ...
Momo-chan: So you are still in there.
Momo-chan: You were wandering around like a zombie. I was worried maybe you were dead on your feet.
Momo-chan: You used to be satisfied doing menial stuff like that, though, didn't you? They tell me you were the 'Angel of City Hall'. You did stuff like that, day in and day out. So what's the problem?
Momo-chan: That's what having bosses was like for me. But it's different for you. You have the chance to really, really express yourself.
Momo-chan: What do you mean?
Momo-chan: ...
Momo-chan: But you still got mad at me, didn't you?
Momo-chan: Of course you're a real person. You just... Well, you're going through loss. Anyone would have a hard time like that.
Momo-chan: You're going through a lot. But... you're tougher than you give yourself credit for, huh? Hey. Take me along.
Momo-chan: I heard through the grapevine there's a place you'd like to keep as a stage. Take me there. Show me what you've got.
Momo-chan: New era, new idols. Come on.
Momo-chan: Won't this do you some good? You're angry, right? Listen up! I wanna see you fight!
The Dragonfly S is a funny little fight. Obviously, we're solo with Mio. With 2720 HP and frail defenses, our enemy here isn't very sturdy, but it has a rough 70% evasion rate—this is a battle of the dodgetanks.
Tsukiakari, yurameku kage
(Moonlight, flickering shadows—)
sagashiteta hikari no tsubu
(I've been looking for a grain of light.)
Todoku yona ki ga shite ita
(I felt like I could reach it)
nobashita chiisana tenohira
(if I reached out my hand.)
Mitsuketa seiza no namae
(The name of that constellation I found—)
nandatta ka na omoidasenai
(I can't seem to remember it.)
Itsumo yoko de kotaete kureta
(You were always there to answer me.)
Koe ga atama no naka ni hibiku
(Your voice still resounds in my head.)
Kimi no inai yoru wa zuibun nagakute
(Without you, the night feels so long...)
Kono mama mo asa ga konai n janai katte omou
(...I wonder if the morning will ever come.)
Nani o mitete mo, nani o kitte mo
(No matter what I see or hear,)
kimi wa tookute todokanakute
(you're too far away for me to reach)
Modoranai toki oikakeru
(I'm chasing a time that will never come back.)
Kore ga subete yumenara ii noni
(I wish this was all just a dream.)
Sora no ao, nagareru kumo
(The blue of the sky, the flowing clouds...)
kon'nani kireidatta kana
(Have they ever been this beautiful?)
Chirabatta kioku no kakera
(These scattered fragments of memory,)
sukoshizutsu tsumuide iku
(I'm reconnecting them, bit by bit.)
Kimi no inai kyou wa mata hajimatte ku
(Today is beginning without you again.)
Kono mama mou toki ga tomatte kurenai ka
(I wish time would just stop.)
Nani o shittete mo, dareka no ite mo
(No matter what I do, or who I'm with)
kimi o sagashite mitsuketakute
(I'm looking for you. I want to find you.)
Nagareru toki no aragatteru
(I'm fighting against the flow of time.)
Kore ga subete yumenara ii
(I wish this was all just a dream.)
Nani o mitete mo, nani o kitte mo
(No matter what I see or hear,)
kimi wa tookute todokanakute
(you're too far away for me to reach)
Modoranai toki oikakeru
(I'm chasing a time that will never come back.)
Kore ga subete yumenara ii noni
(I wish this was all just a dream.)
Momo-chan: That was it! You did it! You turned it around—pulled off a dramatic move! That was a fantastic performance!
Momo-chan: They called me for encores again and again. What I want to do is bring everyone that same joy, that happiness we knew before, and new happiness we didn't.
Momo-chan: ...I know. I remember. And I couldn't bear to see one of my fans so sad. ...I've... been through a lot. I can't meet my fans' expectations anymore. I've outgrown being an idol. But you—even through all of this, all of this war, all of this fighting, you're sparkling. I don't want that to go. I want you to perform for yourself, Mio.
Momo-chan: You're the one who can show the world what being an idol means. Don't let that die. Leave your mark!
Momo-chan: Then right here, right now, I'll show you—I'll take the stage one last time!
Without thinking, I raised my fists and hollered.
Momo-chan: Maybe you should be writing for review magazines, too, haha.
------------------------
As the rest of them were getting ready to head back out, I ran after them. I hollered at them through Saingreed.
They stopped.
Frisky Soldier: If you guys are handling it, we'll be A-OK!
Bobby: Hey, hey, hey! All you monsters and Dragons, go home before you get hurt! The strongest people in Japan are coming for you!
Natalie: Take care of Shouji's killers for us. Glad I could talk to you before the end!
Manabe: Jeez, I give already. Thought I'd come here to train a rookie, then we got trapped in this crazy place...
The only skill restricted in its use is Richter's, since he uses a version of noiztank which still requires the target be hacked. Tokyo Arena Plus is a skill that changes in power depending on your party, but in parties that contain Samurai, Psychic, and Destroyer, it's an absolutely beastly option sometimes.
We came up on SECT11.
Will: Phew. Think we left the Empire State Building somewhere down there in the clouds.
Fred: Yeah, but we made it up.
Will: We all really admire you guys. I'm sure Shouji did too, in his own way. That's why he was willing to sign up for the suicide mission back then.
Fred: It's up to you, Unit 13!
Five people left City Hall that day, heading toward their final battle.
That is when I entered City Hall. There was someone I needed very much to see.
To have a conversation in a public place would be quite awkward, so I called her body—transported it in a blink—to Unit 13's dorm room. Her body was cold, unmoving, and yet it had not decayed in the slightest—her form still remained whole.
I shut the door, and removed my mask. It would mark the first time we had spoken without it on in untold millennia, and yet I felt it necessary. She deserved that much.
My hand reached out to my old friend, as our physical proximity was replaced by an informational one—
one last time into the realm of reminiscence, but not simply to reminisce. No—I desired now only to speak to the true heart of this woman.
That is when I entered City Hall. There was someone I needed very much to see.
To have a conversation in a public place would be quite awkward, so I called her body—transported it in a blink—to Unit 13's dorm room. Her body was cold, unmoving, and yet it had not decayed in the slightest—her form still remained whole.
I shut the door, and removed my mask. It would mark the first time we had spoken without it on in untold millennia, and yet I felt it necessary. She deserved that much.
My hand reached out to my old friend, as our physical proximity was replaced by an informational one—
one last time into the realm of reminiscence, but not simply to reminisce. No—I desired now only to speak to the true heart of this woman.
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