Story Reader / Main Story / 18 Her Last Bow / Story
One of the input ports of the furnace is located behind the Church of Machina. Most of the recycled metals are compiled here, carried into the furnace by a conveyor belt where they are melted, then used to build the outer walls of the Church.
After deliberating with Haicma and Spooner, Nanami came to this place alone, paying attention to her surroundings all the way.
Just come out, will you? I don't have much time.
I know what you've done to Power, and I've picked up on all the signals. Good job fooling the heat sensors by staying around the furnace, but none of your little tricks will ever work on me.
...You knew it from the beginning...
A man rises from the pile of metallic rubbish beside the furnace. Clad in black, the man is covered in a worn-down military exo-skeleton and a thick cloak. Half of his face is covered by a mask.
He remains very calm, just putting his hands up high to show he has no hostile intentions.
Nanami feels more confused when he actually stands in front of her.
Are you... a human?
The man probably escaped the sensors because he has no pulse, and his body temperature is quite low. Still, Nanami can detect breathing and life signals in him.
You could say that.
The man puts down his arms. His cloak moves slightly with his action, showing the battery of the vital circulatory device on his waist—he seems to have had a bad wound. Now he is a half-mechanoid.
I saw you in the fortress, taking so much attack without a scratch. Nanami, the powerful leader of the machines. Is that right?
I wasn't aware of what happened back then... So...
I understand that you were scared, and I won't blame you for that. After all, as leader of the machines, you know better than anyone else... what the machines have done to humankind.
Believe it or not... but this isn't at all what I hoped to see. Since you're from the human side, could you just help me spread this message...
Nanami stops cold—she knows that a mere message will achieve nothing if they do nothing to change the situation. The machines will just keep fighting, and humans will just fight back, too.
...It was me... I failed.
Great minds think alike. The other humans might be scared of you, but I'm not. My brother told me that you were once friends with Gray Raven.
Gray Raven?! Do you know Commandant? And Lucia, Liv, and Lee?! A-are they... still alive?
The man falls silent, keeping his gaze on the girl as if contemplating how best to answer her questions.
...Well, I suppose you can say I know them. There's no point hiding who I am now.
He reaches out a hand and tells her his name.
My name is Murray, Lee's brother. I have seen [player name] a few times.
Nanami grabs his hand.
Can you tell me how they are doing?
We're all doing pretty well actually. [player name] has been promoted, and I am the Gray Raven Commandant now. Haha! So I do end up fighting alongside Lee...
Is everyone... still around?
...You really didn't know?
This happened quite a while ago... but the experiment with the new specialized frame failed. Being the first specialized frame, Liv died fighting the twins.
Liv... Empyrea...
Nanami tries to remember the key terms Murray mentioned.
The war intensified quickly after that. The Church of Machina showed up and hit humankind harder than the Punishing Virus, and our resources either "decayed" or were stolen by the machines.
We can't even leave Earth... The Church of Machina is trying to wipe out humankind.
When a captain dies on our side, one of their subordinates takes their place, and when a general dies, one of their soldiers takes their place—and so on until there is no one left.
[player name] isn't a commandant anymore because both Hassen and Nikola... have passed.
H-Hassen...
This happened a month ago when humans lost the biggest underwater fort we had along with our leaders.
Strike Hawk went down into the fort to save the soldiers who stayed behind to protect the children there. Wanshi was the only one who made it back with a dead infant in his arms.
Captain Bianca from Purifying Force became a "witch" after picking up a weapon made with the Punishing Virus. She eventually sank with the fort into the depths of a contaminated ocean.
[player name] and I are survivors of that battle.
[player name] lost both hands from an infection, but a lack of resources meant we couldn't replace them with advanced prosthetics. [player name] had no choice but to leave the frontline and take over as humanity's leader.
The remaining Gray Ravens kept the name as a symbol of resistance for humankind, with Wanshi taking over Liv's place. Most of the time, Gray Raven fights without a commandant, and I try to help where I can when I can.
Lucia and Lee need to take turns fighting now because we're short on maintenance parts, but Gray Raven is still fighting, and they're still humanity's best champions.
I must be quite a failure as a commandant. I've lost everything except for my life and Lee's.
I still remember... when Vera stood on the shore with her spear in hand, trying to stop the machines by herself. She turned around, looked at me, and said, "live."
Cerberus was cornered to a dead end, but Vera traded her life with mine.
Lowering his head, Murray looks at his fingers, half of which are now robotic. He laughs, apparently at himself.
But was it worth it? I may have survived, but I couldn't even keep the heart Lee gave me.
The beating heart in Murray's chest now is but a fine metallic substitute.
How... could it be...
Feeling defeated from learning about this future, Nanami crouches down and buries her face into her lap.
You asked about everyone, right? Let's see.
WGAA wasn't able to evacuate in time, trying to rescue all the Golden Age relics when the machines invaded Babylonia. Their landing went wrong, and they all burned to death with the very relics they were trying to save.
Murray speaks with a flat tone.
We lost contact with ARU, Akdilek, and Kowloong as soon as the war began. While we did manage to join up with some of their lost soldiers later, they had nothing but bad news to share.
Forsaken became nothing more than a bunch of severely infected souls. Rumor was Watanabe had to put an end to their suffering by...
...Enough.
But you were the one who asked, no? What are you feeling now? Disdain? Guilt? This is the world we live in, and I can go on and on telling you about our suffering if you want.
Murray's tone reveals no emotion as though everything he just talked about was something that happened in another world.
...That's enough.
Raising her head, Nanami is on the verge of tears, yet her tone is not relenting.
You told me all that because you were afraid Nanami wouldn't "betray" the Church of Machina, taking away humanity's chance to survive, right?
...
You came to me because you wanted to save someone. Am I right?
...
You've mentioned Lee a few times, and that's how Nanami got the feeling that you're trying to save your family. Am I right?
...
With Nanami—founder of the Church of Machina—standing right before him, Murray cannot keep his cool completely. What he has said, however, has gotten into Nanami. Murray contemplates his next move.
Nanami pauses for a moment, then speaks again.
...Nanami hasn't exactly figured out what "Gear" is planning, but...
If "Niflheim" is humanity's last base, then you'd all better run now.
Zero plans on dealing humankind one last blow tomorrow, but I'll do my best to stall "Gear" and buy you time.
Nanami gives Murray the transmitter that belongs to the Church of Machina she got from Haicma.
I'll keep you updated on "Gear" with this transmitter. Don't bring it back to your base, though, because the Church of Machina can trace you through it.
Hope it can help.
To her surprise, Murray takes it without a word. His metal fingertips feel cold when they touch her palm.
He puts it in his pocket. The light from the furnace shines upon his face.
I need to go.
If I fail... Nanami can still do it again.
Do it again...
Murray chuckles, his narrowed eyes seemingly flickering under the hood with the furnace's fire as he casts a doubtful look at Nanami.
Trust me! I'll find a future without war for humanity!
The girl wipes her tears away. She sounds firm once again.
Nanami won't let her friends suffer the kind of fate you just spoke of.
...If you say so.
If there is another world, please keep Lee safe for me.
As for this world, guess I have to do it myself.
Before Nanami can say anything else, Murray treads off into the night.
—Sagemachina has asked everyone from "Gear" to join a military parade as a welcoming ceremony for herself.
—Be it the palace or its beautiful decorations, Sage does not think they showed her enough "love."
—She hopes to have the leaders from "Gear" be by her side at all times for her to personally witness their loyalty and love.
These orders circulate among the machines. As sudden as the orders are, they are chalked up as Sage's eccentricity.
Unable to think up an effective plan, Nanami resorts to organizing a gathering as a way to minimize the number of machines heading onto the battlefield. There is, however, no telling if this is going to hold the army back for real.
But that is something she can figure out on a different day, as long as this plan buys the remaining humans enough time to evacuate.
On the other hand, Haicma and Spooner are doing what Nanami has told them to.
Carrying the crowned Sage, a giant robot slowly makes its way down the central aisle of the plaza, flanked by an orderly line of loyal "Gear" soldiers on both sides.
The machines kneel to the ground and press their chest against the cold snow, extending their arms toward Nanami. The sun is descending into the horizon behind her.
This is not unlike a human pilgrimage.
Nanami notices that she is the only one still standing in the enormous plaza.
Trembling, the sun over the horizon descends no more. The sky grows darker still, eventually erasing the last trace of light from sight with what seems to be all of the world's clouds.
With the pitch-black sky hanging over them and maintaining their prostrating posture, the mechanoids begin chanting away in a low hum. Saturating the air, the rhythmic chant repeats one phrase over and over:
Sagemachina.
Nanami is engrossed by the solemn yet odd scene.
Staring at her surrounding, she hears her own voice speaking.
Is this all?
It is, but if you find it lacking, we shall double this number in one night.
...That is... very impressive.
So long as you're pleased, Sage!
The red mechanoid girl's eyes are glowing with excitement.
I didn't have much time to prepare for the ceremony you asked. But I got you a "surprise" gift!
With a snap of Zero's fingers, a gigantic projection screen materializes in the air, showing a live stream from the ruins of Niflheim.
The screen shows a few Attacker mechanoids bombing their way into the fort through an underground tunnel and crashing kamikaze-style into the defensive walls and weapons. Moments later, the mechanoids are all infected.
Then, the Corrupted lured around the fort beforehand storm in, crushing humanity's line of defense.
Following bursts of fireworks, the plaza is drowned in exhilarated cheers.
A flying mechanoid hands a lucid red diamond over to Zero. Accepting the diamond, Zero observes it with an intense gaze.
I don't remember who said this... but apparently, this is a "romantic" way to show one's "love." A day as "memorable" as this calls for nothing short of a ceremony like this, wouldn't you say?
And I just want to say a few things about this red diamond. You brought up some names when you spoke to that human last night, and they seem quite "meaningful" to you.
Zero sounds almost as if she is reciting a poem as she offers the diamond to Nanami.
Well, I shall let them stay with you forever, Sage.
Nanami suddenly sobs a little when her hand touches the still warm gem.
She raises her running chainsaw over the executioner's head. Feeling defeated, however, she eventually stops the blade.
I'm sorry...
A-are you okay? Is this what they call... "happiness"? Or is it "sadness"? How do you like the gifts? Or... did I do something wrong?
I only wanted to do more for you. The more, the better. Isn't this... "love"?
Having been captivated by "love" and other feelings, Zero is confounded seeing Nanami's tears, which throws her programming logic into disarray for a second.
"I only wanted to do more for you"—this carries the distinct ring of "I only wanted to make more paper."
Nanami is no longer furious. She only gently touches Zero's cheek with her fingers.
...Sorry, I am late...
Humans, machines... there is no way for me to save either of you anymore.
