Grace carries Bianca on her back, fleeing through the narrow passages in a posture so strained it borders on comical.
Huff... huff... huff...
Even as she weaves through the ever-lurking Hetero-Creatures, Grace stubbornly leaves a hidden trail of divination stones in her wake.
Maybe another rescue team will show up. Maybe these markers will lead rescue to them... She naively clings to that thin hope, like a child gripping the last shred of a fraying rope.
Damn it... Lady Revelationist, I-I can't carry this Construct anymore...
We're almost at the safe zone, just hang in there...
I-I mean...
When those Purifying Force Constructs were still conscious, didn't they... didn't they say we could just leave them behind?
...
A few minutes ago.
The surging Red Tide was held back by the sealed doors, but the rumbling that's steadily getting louder clearly screams, "This place won't be safe for long."
Any bandages left?
She moved like a flash to pull Bianca out, but even so, the Red Tide still left her with severe injuries.
...
...Bandages...?
...All we have are some regular human bandages. Will those work?
...
She was the only one left in the Purifying Force who's still in the game. And apparently, the Scarlet Revelation didn't have any meds that work on Constructs.
Sylph turned away, mentally ticking off the casualties.
Out of the three seriously wounded from the last Red Tide attack, one had taken a turn for the worse. Only one was barely hanging on, and the captain... she was still out cold...
At least they didn't lose anyone else to it.
As for the Scarlet Revelation...
Are you taking a headcount, Officer?
We only have two members with minor injuries. The rest are just knackered from supply shortages, but everyone is still able to move.
...
You go on ahead.
Huh?
The Purifying Force is having a tough time moving. You're still on your feet, so get a move on.
Well...
No time to dither.
Silently, Sylph hoisted Bianca onto her back, then bundled the other two injured members together and dragged them forward.
If they ran into Ascendants, Scarlet Revelation, being short on combat power, would be completely insignificant—the enemy would just focus on wiping out the more troublesome Babylonia Constructs first.
The Scarlet Revelation members were still mobile. If they kept their wits about them and played their cards right, they might just get away.
...?
Lost in thought, Sylph's dagger whipped out the moment she spotted someone reaching for Bianca. The blade stopped dead, perilously close to Grace's cheek, as Sylph realized who it was.
Uh... s-sorry...?
I just wanted to... help you carry her, Officer.
...I told you to go on ahead.
No, we can't leave you behind...
There has to be a way to get everyone out of here, together...
Yeah, we're only alive thanks to you Purifying Force officers...
Grace resolutely hefted Bianca onto her back, while another follower scooped up another injured Construct from the ground.
...
Sylph gave up trying to rein in Grace.
The rumble behind the door became louder and louder as the Red Tide kept hammering at the thin metal structure.
...Go! Now!
With a slight mechanical click, viscous fluid suddenly gushed through the cracked gate like a bursting dam.
O-Officer!
Staggering back, Grace was shoved by Sylph into a temporarily safe corridor—
Meet me... up ahead!
Th-they said it themselves that we could leave them behind... You heard them too!
Leave them behind...
Leave them behind? You really think you can make it out of here on your own?
She asks calmly, turning to face the person who suggested it.
That's not what I meant, I just...
I just figured we'd have an easier time now, that's all...
No.
As long as we have their companions with us, that Construct that can still fight will definitely come back for us, no matter what.
Otherwise, what's just a minor threat to a Construct could kill us at any moment. Are you looking to die?
But... the Red Tide is all over the aquarium. We could just bring them with us into the Red Tide, embrace rebirth...
Hah... right, the Red Tide.
If we believe in the God of the Red Tide, He will guide us to happiness beyond...
The Red Tide is rebirth and salvation. God shall create paradise, God shall grant eternal life through the Red Tide...
Uh... Yeah.
The follower steals a glance at Grace's expression.
Isn't that what you have always told us, Lady Revelationist...
But open your eyes and look around.
The Red Tide here... all those slimy chunks of flesh, those deformed monsters!
Do you really want to embrace this kind of Red Tide? Do you want to enter this kind of "rebirth"?
The Red Tide here... it's not the same Red Tide we worship anymore.
Her face is utterly expressionless as she states this pathetic "fact."
Grace once tried to believe that this Red Tide could guide them to rebirth, but...
Neither the amalgamated flesh pulp nor the bizarre Hetero-Creatures resemble the beautiful visions described in their doctrine.
It's been artificially manipulated, twisting believers' wills and leading them into an irrational hell. This kind of Red Tide can't bring us the truly blessed rebirth.
We need to harness Babylonia's power—the Constructs' power—to break free from this place. Only then can we look for the true "paradise."
She's prepared to pay any price for this, even if it means taking advantage of the Constructs' good nature, even if Babylonia comes after her for it later.
...
The follower just clams up, looking sheepish. Grace struggles to lift the unconscious Bianca, gritting her teeth as she pushes ahead.
Around the corner, Sylph waits, her face shadowed by the hood.
O-Officer!
Grace's hair practically stands on end. She's not sure how much this Construct caught, and she can't tell if, after hearing her plan, the Construct would still...
Let's go.
After confirming Bianca isn't injured, Sylph whips out her dagger and takes care of the Hetero-Creature chasing Grace and her followers.
Officer, just now, I...
The Red Tide has brought down the structure above us. This whole area could give way any second.
Let's keep moving...
Aaaaahhh!
The corridor ceiling caves in almost instantly, with metal structures snapping apart alongside explosive cracks. Seawater, previously held back by glass, surges into the passage.
—!
Sylph flings out a climbing rope, hauls back the follower who had tumbled into the water, then grabs the Purifying Force Construct the follower was carrying.
Let's go.
Seawater gushes into the passage as the Red Tide greedily devours lives through the rushing current. In their panic, the Scarlet Revelation members scatter every which way.
This way.
Sylph grabs Grace by the elbow and sprints forward—
Unfortunately, they have picked the wrong direction.
Ahead, a metal door is sealed tight, clearly not something that'll budge easily.
Behind them, tons of Hetero-Creatures ride the tide, steadily closing in—
Massive metallic cracking sounds erupt, one after another, as if something is collapsing somewhere.
It's... down there, should be on the lower third level.
If we head toward that sound's source, we can only go in from this way, but...
The map shows three or four corridors leading to the lower third level, but every single one is either choked with impassable amounts of Red Tide or looks completely caved in.
If we use controlled demolition on the collapsed part and set up some basic supports, we might be able to get to the third level, but we only have enough mini-explosives for one blast.
Wanshi should've already gotten our message to Babylonia, but until backup gets here, we need to play it safe...
This descending corridor used to be the main way to the lower third level, but the Ascendants clearly don't want rescue teams coming in this way.
The corridor is full of massive amounts of Red Tide, with sticky bubbles constantly rising from the bottom, muttering incoherently.
It would be next to impossible to get through here without fully turning into a "Hetero-Creature"—and who'd want to become one of those anyway?
This spiral corridor has caved in, and with your limited gear, it's hard to tell just how far the collapse goes.
Your mini-explosives have a limited blast range. If you set them off only to find the entire corridor has collapsed beyond that point...
This incredibly narrow corridor was more for showing off than for handling crowds back when the aquarium was still open.
Maybe this is the perfect spot for the detonation.
That thick, gooey liquid snakes up through the cracks. It's clear the area beyond this collapsed corridor is already chock-full of that deep red organic stuff.
The Red Tide... it's like it's alive.
As this thought unexpectedly surfaces, and you are about to continue with the investigation, Lucia returns from up ahead.
Commandant, a minute ago, we detected a small amount of Red Tide in the crevices of the second corridor. It's spreading.
...It's as if you're being watched; the Red Tide blocks every single path you try to take.
...We should've packed more mini-explosives.
That said, now...
How should you make the most of your last remaining supplies?
...Huh?
This is...
Lulu picks up a stone carved with mysterious runes from a narrow crevice, her eyes widening in surprise.
On closer inspection, crooked rune symbols are etched into the stone.
Rune symbols, huh? Of everyone I know, only that crazy woman messes with this stuff.
Wait... How do you know about this occult stuff?
That crazy woman's got a whole collection of these weird trinkets. I really don't know where she gets the energy—she can barely afford to eat but still finds time to tinker with this stuff.
This stone... it really looks like something of hers.
She examines the small stone carefully.
Golden paint... Marvin's the one who found this paint back then. There's also a scratch mark here...
This definitely belongs to Grace.
Hey! Crazy woman!! Are you in there?!
She presses against the narrow gap, shouting inside.
Echoes...
Beyond this gap, there's a passageway.
Position confirmed. There's a narrow passage behind that can fit one to two people at a time.
Scout drone reports minimal Red Tide presence in the passage. We're clear to proceed.
Your group scouts the surrounding area, but no other suitable demolition points turn up.
The narrow gap is far from ideal, barely a passageway, but it's your last shot for using the explosives.
BOOM—!
The mini-explosives barely manage to blast open a path. Past the rubble, a narrow passage, just wide enough for two to squeeze through side-by-side, stretches ahead.
...It looks like a staff passage, leading down to the performance area.
After confirming everything's clear, your group heads into the passage, one after another.
Intelligence points to the Copperfield Aquarium harboring at least one Ascendant, plus a massive amount of abnormal Red Tide enough to pose a real threat to the surrounding waters.
Wanshi is returning to Babylonia with the Red Tide samples. Next, we will proceed to the lower third level, attempt to find the rescue teams that were previously lost to the aquarium, and prevent the Red Tide from entering the sea.
And the above concludes this aquarium mission log of Gray Raven and Strike Hawk.
The hours-long debate over whether to roll out the Omega Weapons has finally quieted down. The Parliament chamber goes silent, with only the white noise from lingering projections still humming.
The samples Wanshi brought back... is the analysis report ready yet?
Yeah, it's done. Asimov says the samples are riddled with human gene fragments and vital fluid, along with hints of abnormal Punishing Virus. But they can't quite figure out its specific evolutionary path.
Asimov can only speculate that the Ascendants might be attempting to use humans, Constructs, Hetero-Creatures, and the Red Tide to breed some new... "organisms."
Based on its current rate of evolution—even using the most conservative estimates of Red Tide concentration in the aquarium—if it ever reaches the open sea...
Our surface bases would face a surge in Hetero-Creatures before the sea becomes completely contaminated, with projections estimating at least 127 times the current numbers. And that's the low-end forecast.
...Can we still reach the Gray Raven Commandant?
We've been continuously attempting to make contact, but the Punishing Virus concentration underground in the aquarium is too high, severely interfering with communication signals. We haven't been able to reestablish contact yet.
Even so, that doesn't justify deploying Omega Weapons.
They're just Hetero-Creatures. Once we get the Omega Weapons back into mass production—
...
Nikola, with a grim look, motions for silence.
Furthermore, I've just received new intelligence.
The Ascendants are in possession of the Hetero-Humanoid twins' remains. When we combine this with the Red Tide sample analysis, their intentions become clear.
...
The Hetero-Humanoid twins... Then we have to throw everything we've got at this threat to wipe it out! Otherwise, otherwise...
But that's just another one of the Punishing Virus' creations. Who knows how many more monsters like that are out there on the surface!
Once the lunar base is back up and running, and as long as we've got enough Omega Weapons, why would we sweat defeating just one of the Punishing Virus' creations?
But what about the body count? What you're just brushing off as a statistic, "just one of the Punishing Virus' creations," will cost how many soldiers their lives?
Sacrifice is a soldier's duty! They're born to protect humanity's future!
Producing Omega Weapons doesn't happen overnight! And while we wait—how many conservation areas will be wiped out? How many lives lost just to buy time until those weapons are ready?!
For humanity's future, all of that is fair game!
The opposing councilor is practically spitting fire, passionately pounding the table. Just as he's about to launch into another tirade, Hassen, from the center of the assembly hall, starts to speak slowly.
Once the Red Tide from the Copperfield Aquarium spreads out, it will enter the sea.
Even if it hits the sea, that's still...
Once the Red Tide reaches the sea, in just one day, it'll impact a total of 13 conservation areas and the plantations under Babylonia's control.
With the aquarium as the center, several ports and coastal conservation areas are marked one after another.
If we don't get the Red Tide under control soon, within a week, Hetero-Creatures spawned by it will start hitting shore across much wider areas.
By then...
These conservation areas and reclaimed ports are all, to some extent, tied up with the councilors' financial interests.
...
I'm sure we all remember the absolute havoc the Hetero-Humanoid twins wreaked on Babylonia. We can't afford to see Babylonia's assets get trashed again, which is why we need to deploy those Omega Weapons without a moment's hesitation.
Otherwise, if these Hetero-Creatures keep evolving and we end up with huge flying ones and the Hetero-Humanoid twins like before, Babylonia will be left high and dry, completely defenseless.
Don't forget, we've only ever had one goal...
Taking back Earth.
What about... humanity's future?
Without Earth, humanity has no future.
...Everyone, we've just received an update from the Engineering Force members stationed at the lunar base.
Amidst a whirlwind of data, a communication request suddenly pops up.
This is the lunar base scout team. We've surveyed 90.5% of the lunar base. The rest will be done in the next few hours—
After that, everything falls into place.
Under Nikola's command, the fully prepped Engineering Force quickly touches down and starts clearing out the nearly ruined aquarium to set up the Omega Weapons.
Move it, move it, faster—!
Even if you could haul two more supply crates by yourself, everyone else is still moving at the same snail's pace—
Hey! What are you doing?! You're going to crush someone!
Don't just stand there twiddling your thumbs.
After you get this batch of supplies moved, grab Bianca's frame transport pod and figure something out. You're coming down with me to deliver the frame.
Are you kidding me? The aquarium's lower first level is practically gone. There's barely enough room for a person to squeeze through, let alone that huge frame transport pod.
You always pull something out of the hat. I'll leave it to you.
She gives Teddy a quick pat on the shoulder before she's off.
...Hey! Don't dump such a weird job on me!
Just as Teddy's about to toss off the box pressing down on her head in defiance, a muffled explosion rumbles from the distant horizon—
That direction...
Complex lines shoot out from the terminal as Teddy quickly sketches a rough layout of the aquarium, using data she's already gathered.
That's... where the aquarium's drainage outlets are?
Wow! This is the legendary Cerberus style in action! I finally get to see it!
...Will that even work?
...You're asking me?
Trust Captain.
...Bunch of lunatics.
Shut up and get to work.
After firmly securing the Omega Weapons to the boat, Vera glares harshly at the others scattered around her.
Before you question my plan, do me a favor and come up with a better solution.
Does anyone have a better way to immediately solve our little "problem" here, besides attaching the Omega Weapons to the boat and sinking it to block that damn drainage outlet at the source?
Uh... haha, no, no, I wasn't questioning you at all...
Kamui quickens his pace.
Don't just stand there gawking, Noctis! Finish up and get No. 21 back to shore!
Vera's eyes narrow as she quickly tallies the Omega Weapons she has on hand.
Even with what Cerberus brought and the supplies Kamui and Camu just delivered as the Gray Raven Commandant promised, they still don't have enough Omega Weapons to secure the entire coastline around the drainage outlet.
But if they can take this boat apart...
If they secure the Omega Weapons to the boat and then scatter the dismantled pieces strategically around the outlet, they could really make their limited weapons count and temporarily seal off this Red Tide Influx point...
Vera! I'm all done over here!
Get to shore.
Once she's sure everyone else is safe on land, Vera plants herself at the bow, a chilling smirk playing on her lips.
Ascendants... did you honestly think something like this would stop Cerberus?
I never... go back on my word.
A wicked grin stretches across the red-haired Construct's face as she curls up the corner of her mouth.
She raises her banner spear high overhead, its flag snapping in the wind.
Go to hell, you damn Red Tide and all your Hetero-Creatures with you!
The Omega Weapons are going full throttle as her banner spear slices through the air, ripping right into the ship's power system.
BOOM—
The banner spear punches through the vessel, and then the metal hull starts groaning with dull rumbles, sounding like popcorn popping.
With the key structural points they prepped beforehand now weakened, the ship slowly breaks apart and sinks into the shallow, Red Tide-infested waters.
Hooray! We did it!
The surging Red Tide visibly loses steam.
Not bad. It's working.
Noctis, mark this spot. We're meeting up with the Gray Raven Commandant—
If they're still kicking.
Try not to look too pathetic when we meet, Gray Raven Commandant.
