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What are you doing?! Are you going to stop me again?!
That's what I should be asking! Killing Cradle here won't do us any good!
Vonnegut seems to harbor a deep, primal fear of the torn space before him.
With his back to the two of you, he focuses entirely on defending against the rift. His usually composed voice now trembles with barely contained grief and anger.
...Gray Raven Commandant.
The Hetero Tower's core is destroyed. Everything is about to go completely uncontrollable...
The Red Tide is no longer under Cradle's control. While it won't become her tool to attack other eras, it will continue to breed Hetero-Creatures here endlessly.
Those mindless monsters will simply roam the Hetero Tower, advancing into other eras through the same rift where you came from.
I must concentrate all my power on upholding the force fields here. The barrier containing all of Constellia is no longer sustainable. The Red Tide and Hetero-Creatures below will inevitably enter the Golden Age.
Clutching your abdomen where Cradle's blade had pierced, you fight to sit up and utter words, only to be cut short by the searing pain.
Lucia immediately applies pressure to your wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but to little avail.
It's not a viable solution. Given the nature of most Ascendants, having them engage in repetitive tasks while being exposed to the Hetero Tower capable of altering the past will only lead to further complications.
Merge with Chaos. Becoming Agent Zero is the only way to stop all of this.
The barrier before you consumes far less energy than the one encompassing Constellia. Why are you struggling to maintain it?
Because—
Before he can finish his words, a luminous spike erupts from deep within the sealed rift.
The razor-sharp spike moves with lightning speed, tearing through barrier after barrier with unstoppable force before piercing straight through the agent's body.
...?
He neither answers nor cries out in pain from the grievous wound.
With practiced ease, as if this were all too familiar to him, he reaches out and grasps the spike impaling him with his bare hands, methodically breaking it down piece by piece.
The deep wound on his unprotected back is left to slowly heal through Punishing.
...I don't think I need to explain anymore.
This is...
Her questioning words are cut short as another spike comes thrusting toward him.
Once again, Vonnegut's body is pierced through. He repeats his earlier motion, crushing the crimson energy piece by piece into nothingness.
A new wound tears open beside the unhealed injury, as Punishing's healing capabilities continue to slow down.
...This is the price that comes with the core's destruction.
The core that Lee of your squad reversed didn't just control the Hetero Tower—it served as a defense mechanism as well.
Now... without the core, the corruption it once held back will flood here from another world.
If this world were to bear two entirely different catastrophes at once, there would be no hope of recovery.
Both your goal and mine... would be equally meaningless.
A spike pierces through once more, opening yet another wound.
I'm the only one who understands what this is. It has to be me who stops it.
Despite your foresight, witnessing the events unfold before your eyes, the looming despair it heralds weighs heavily on your soul.
Don't blame yourself. If Agent Zero had taken the core, the outcome would have been the same—and I wouldn't even have had a chance to defend against it.
While the situation is dire, we have still avoided the worst-case scenario. But now we must find a way to deal with both the Red Tide and the Hetero-Creatures leaking into the Golden Age.
Even with only one path remaining, you will never stop searching for alternatives.
Wait, the "Key"...
Looking down, she discovers that the key, after absorbing the Hetero Tower's core, has transformed into an eerie cubic crystal.
That's the "Key" with the core stored within it.
Even if you try to rewind time with it, the Hetero Tower won't be affected.
The Hetero Tower is like a long tunnel. With it, you can reach different points in time within an area through various "exits," but now...
Spikes pierce into Vonnegut's body one after another, subjecting the agent to endless torment.
...But now, the tunnel itself is damaged. You can't... cough... fix it through interference from outside the tunnel.
Even from a distance, both of you can see how these few words alone are draining what little strength he has left.
There's no turning back now. Only becoming Agent Zero can suppress the Red Tide and prevent the catastrophe you saw...
He takes a deep breath, trying to regain his usual composure through this motion.
...Gray Raven Commandant, would you stand idly by and allow the Red Tide consuming Constellia to spread across the entire world?
Once Agent Zero returns, with the sea of Red Tide... she will instantly complete... Never mind, you wouldn't understand anyway.
Where did you send her?
The Fog, right behind this rift. There are many ways to enter it... The entire Hetero Tower is a danger zone. Without proper authority or a "Key", it's nearly impossible to return.
It's a zone of temporal chaos caused by corruption. According to... No, there's no time to explain. Agent Zero has the authority to return here. What I'm doing now is only a temporary solution.
...It's time to make your choice, Gray Raven Commandant... Don't you want to protect the future you've been fighting for?!
Vonnegut's furious roar compels you to look up and survey your surroundings. Devastation continues to spread through the shadows, while the now leaderless Red Tide flows toward the exit through the rifts created by Agent Zero in the Hetero Tower.
Soon enough, it will surge towards the defenseless Constellia... slaughtering the unprepared people of the Golden Age.
Over thirty years since the Punishing Virus outbreak... countless have already fallen in the struggle. If the Red Tide joins the fray, how many will even survive?
You've been prepared for this all along, haven't you?
...Indeed. The two of you, standing here, have long understood that there would be no returning unscathed.
Every one of those tragic divergent <color=#ff4e4eff>futures</color> stems from your <color=#ff4e4eff>present</color> reality.
If you run away now, everything you hold dear will fade into nothingness.
You don't even know if your other self outside the Hetero Tower has already perished in these 30 years. What consequences await if you leave the tower now?
Pressing against the bloody wound in your abdomen, you force yourself to sit up from Lucia's arms.
If sacrifice is inevitable, then at least let it be yours to bear.
Before you can finish speaking, a pair of hands grabs you firmly, nearly causing you to collapse to the ground.
Lucia can no longer contain her grief and fury, her entire body trembling as she clutches at your coat.
Her eyes dart between your eyes and the wound in your abdomen, her mouth opening and closing, yet unable to form a single word.
...
She remains silent, and you ask no questions.
As if the two of you are having a conversation through this shared silence.
And now comes the time to voice the conclusion.
...All this time, I've failed to protect you...
She eventually brings herself to say it.
...At least let me... take your place.
Though the dreams didn't fully reveal how Lucia came to this decision, you've long sensed it coming.
Since you woke up, Lucia has been focused solely on evacuating everyone from Constellia and returning to the Hetero Tower.
Neither of you has broached the final, most crucial question—how exactly will you deal with the Hetero Tower?
It's as if this part has been deliberately cut out from the meticulous plan, leaving behind a telling void that speaks volumes in its silence.
I know.
But I'm not choosing to die... Commandant.
There's a backup force field device at the rift exit, powerful enough to cover the entire hidden underground floor.
The hidden floor is already hard enough to find, and given what's coming, no one will venture there anymore. As long as I keep watch over the device, the Red Tide won't appear ahead of time.
This plan is worse than death itself, nothing but pure torture.
Your thoughts spiral back into that endless May 3rd once again.
Once the Hetero Tower appears again, the rifts will multiply, bringing forth the Red Tide that will destroy everything.
At least this buys us time... Take the core and return to our era...
That's not what matters!!
Her voice grows more agitated as she stares at the wound still seeping blood beneath your clothes.
As long as you can escape with the core, I'll stand guard until that very moment!
The Omega Core gives my frame infinite endurance—I can do this!
It's better than watching you leave.
You don't have a choice. This isn't up for discussion.
Her grip on your coat slowly loosens, allowing you to lean back against the floor.
Just as she once checked for a pulse, Lucia now takes your hands in hers, gently pressing them against her cheeks—a final farewell filled with warmth and an attachment she cannot bear to break.
I can't watch you die again.
I'll do this even if it means defying your orders, and you won't be able to stop me—not in your injured state.
Go back, Commandant. Return to our time, return to those you love.
You should be surrounded by them, living a long and happy life...
This is the future I've always longed for—a peaceful world, and a world where you're there.
Wait for me there. I won't keep you waiting long. I'll catch up to your time soon enough.
If it means keeping you alive, 30 years is nothing. I hold no fear for whatever lies ahead.
It sounds like a white lie told to comfort a child.
Whatever happens to me, your safe escape is all that matters.
Then you're doing the same thing right now...
We've always been alike, haven't we?
Our thoughts, our decisions, the things we'd do for each other—they've always been alike.
I won't compromise on this, and I won't even plea for your permission...!
Her grip tightens, her resolve set—if met with another refusal, she is prepared to knock you unconscious, if necessary, to accomplish this task.
...Go ahead.
No.
...
...
Lucia lowers her eyes, remembering the nine endings she has seen, and the final path she has chosen.
Just as the visions have shown, the Hetero Tower's core now lies destroyed, and she will stand guard by the rift for years to come.
Yet none of those visions have shown what would happen if Lucia were to hold the "Key".
Do you really think the "Key" can save me?
Are you sure?
...
When confronted with issues you refuse to compromise on, even your resolute voices sound strikingly alike.
After a long moment of contemplation in the face of your unwavering resolve, Lucia eventually concedes with a nod of agreement.
...I get it now.
She gently puts you down from her arms, burying her bitterness deep inside as she composes herself once more.
Lucia rises to her feet and puts away the "Key" containing the core.
Chaos promised to send us back to the right era. You can do that too, right?
...
I can only guarantee that the "bridge" will assist you in going back to the moment you returned to the Hetero Tower.
As for your commandant, that'll take some luck... Are you certain that this plan of yours will work?
Of course. And with Commandant's severe injuries, it's simply impossible to complete the fusion preparations you need, even if Commandant stays in the tower.
Even with my approval, any M.I.N.D. fusion under these circumstances would be unstable. Do you really want to risk failing again?
...
Alright, I'll do my best to help you both.
There's an invisible stairway near the exit on the core level. I'll make it visible for you.
Commandant...
She bends down and takes out the Froggie voice recorder, the gift from Yuko.
Hold onto this for me, and return it when we meet again.
Of course...
For you, it won't take too long—I'll come find you soon... Let me help send you out of the Hetero Tower.
With a forced bitter smile, she covers your eyes and speaks words that sound all too familiar.
...See you soon, Commandant.
