Chapter 10 Episode 18: The Light in the Darkness 3

Things pick up with the story briefly reminding us about how Yasuyori caused a scene at the auction house and that the police are raiding the place despite Daikoku’s attempts to quash that earlier. Speaking of whom, he’s somehow disappeared in the interim even though he’s supposed to be directing the guards. It’s total chaos at the dark auction house.

 

Shirou tells Moritaka that he got a message from Tetsuya, so they should head out too. Moritaka acknowledges it and the two leave. While that’s happening, a guard in the auction house says he’s getting no response from one of the teams, so he figures they must be caught. Since there’s no break coming in sight, they decide to grab their fallen allies and fall back to the prison school for more orders.

 

Xolotl is cowering and wondering why things have turned into a gun fight. Rando guard thinks Xolotl is one of them and orders him to help pick up their members. Xolotl tries to explain he isn’t with them but is interrupted by more gunfire. A large crash is heard as the entrance barricade has fallen, so the guard tells Xolotl to help with something at least. He panics and decides to roll with them for now.

 

Scene shifts to the outside as NCO flunkies are on the radio next to the last prison transport left at the place. The mob reports that they’ll be leaving soon for the prison school. Suzuka notes that the guards are gone, and they can take the goons if they’re the only two left. She then signals to Tetsuya, and the two rush the mobs down.

 

After the mobs are down, Suzuka says they’ll be heading into enemy territory. She and Tetsuya strip down and steal the mobs’ IDs, comm units, and their uniforms before dumping them into some alleyway. The car starts up, so Moritaka and Shirou have to make a run and jump for it as Moritaka asks Suzuka to slow down for them.

 

Some time after, Shirou catches his breath as he says things managed to work out, as does Moritaka. In the transport car surrounding them is a bunch of rando Transients who were sold off at the auction, tied up and gagged and looking fearful. Moritaka tries explaining that he’s not anyone suspicious, but the randos shrink away from him.

 

Moritaka is about to try talking to them again when his orb starts acting up, and as he takes it out he says it feels like it’s pulling against something. The car shakes like it hit a rock or a bump, which causes Moritaka to drop his orb. He chases after it and asks for someone to stop the thing.

 

Breke uses his leg to stop the orb from rolling any further, then picks it up to hand it to Moritaka. Breke is noted to be the only prisoner who doesn’t look afraid, and Shirou’s interest is piqued by this. There’s something else that weighs more on his mind though, and he thinks about this sense of deja vu he has like he’s met Breke before.

 

Anyways, Moritaka thanks Breke for catching his orb and introduces himself. Shirou follows suit and decides to ask if this is their first time meeting him. Breke also seems to be having deja vu and says it’s supposed to be their first meeting, then gives his own name. He asks what Shirou and Moritaka are there for.

 

Scene shifts to a different prison transport that’s already made it to the prison school. When Yasuyori is brought before Tezcatlipoca, he bows down without him having said anything yet. Yasuyori takes responsibility for what’s happened and says he has no excuse.

 

Ashigara protests to the side asking why Yasuyori has to apologize. He calls everyone around stuck up and tries to ask what they did to Yasuyori when some mobs cut him off from trying to jump at Tezcatlipoca. He struggles, asking Yasuyori why he’s doing what he’s doing while he’s at it. As he pleads, Yasuyori snaps at him telling him to shut up and saying he knows nothing.

 

Tezcatlipoca seems to remember something as he glares at Yasuyori and Ashigara arguing. Yasuyori begs for re-education, promising he won’t waver again. In his mind he thinks about how everyone who went through the mirror to see what they did are supposed to be shared with everyone in the school, shown on through the mirrors. He despairs and shivers at the thought of an old friend coming to the same battlefield of memories he did, fearing he’ll attack Ashigara for sure again like the monster he is. It’s something he needs to make himself remember to the core.

 

Yasuyori pleads that he’s at his limit and can’t handle seeing anyone else like Daisuke. He flashes back to the day he saw his friend being changed. He feels if he saw something like that again, he wouldn’t be able to bear himself as he is anymore. He feels he needs to be an unthinking soldier who obeys his orders.

 

Tezcatlipoca eventually agrees as he pulls out the mirrors. He tells Yasuyori that if he becomes that model soldier and works as hard as two or three people, then he won’t need to add Ashigara to his army. Yasuyori tries asking Tezcatlipoca to elaborate, and all the other mobs around seem uncomfortable with what Tezcatlipoca said. Tiger Man also asks for him to clarify, so Tezcatlipoca says he’s being very straightforward.

 

If Yasuyori wants Ashigara to not see the memories of the battlefield, then Ashigara can be thrown out for all Tezcatlipoca cares. Tiger Man stops saying anything as he hangs his head, knowing what that means. Yasuyori starts thanking him, swearing to work himself to become a juggernaut on the field for this. Ashigara calls out to Yasuyori as the black smokes takes him into the mirror.

 

The story turns time back for a bit to shift the camera over to the wards that border both Nerima and Suginami Wards, just a little bit before nightfall that stops guild battles for the day. Avarga gets off whatever car he was riding and tells Daisuke they’re there, so he should get out too. Taurus Mask is shaded out as he answers back, calling Avarga coach before switching to instructor.

 

A bunch of death row inmate mobs start getting out of the cars and lining up and strutting around. No one is around to take issue with this because the big three guilds have already taken control of the police and local government. Avarga attends to Balor while bringing the re-educated students with him, and all of them are here to stop the Invaders’ invasions.

 

Avarga is concerned for Taurus Mask, and narration says that all the higher and lower Warmongers officers including Tezcatlipoca have had experience with taking life in their home worlds. Because of that, their view on life doesn’t change much even with the shock of the memories. Daisuke however doesn’t fit that description, and the effects are still huge on him. Avarga feels the war memories are bit much for the people who were raised in Tokyo.

 

Even then, Avarga says it was good that Taurus Mask barely made it, giving him a kind look for a second before putting his war game face back on. Eventually the forces from both sides reach the Portals that separate Warmongers and Invaders territory. When they cross the borders, Balor orders everyone to stop.

 

The army obeys his command, and at that moment the environment around them starts changing as if being invaded by something. When they realize it, the Warmongers are in a place that seems like another world, which is only natural because they have stepped into Invaders territory. No one seems taken off guard by this though.

 

Perun and Temujin appear, though Balor shows no hesitation. The game questions whether it’s because of him being calm or used to this, or something else. Avarga breathes in the scent of the battlefield as he thinks of something. He thinks of what’s going to happen here, and he thinks of what’s going to happen at the prison school. He thought about how dangerous each situation would be, then decided to take Daisuke with him. If something happened, he could try to protect him at least.

 

Narration talks about how no one can foresee what is about to happen, the worst battleground that will affect everyone. Avarga also thinks about how he’s participating in it because of the reason he has to do so. Even with that in mind, he thought of his former student as cute, so he wanted to protect him at least. And so his eyes look up to his superior, a look of an accomplice to starting the worst of the worst. He sees Balor’s mouth curl into a smile.

 

Back to your side, Jacob expresses happiness that you’re alright as The Analyst plays for exposition time again. R-19 robospeaks about meeting up with you again and asks if you’re hurt anywhere. You all exchange information and check on each other, then Jacob talks about how Shennong protected you and thanks him. He then asks if Shennong is okay with this since this would be rebellion on his part.

 

Shennong says he has his personal opinions and says Jacob needn’t worry about it. You say you’re glad R-19 and Jacob are physically fine, but ask if they were okay with having to deal with endless battles. Jacob tells you that R-19 led him by the hand and the two of them were able to make it here without major errors. R-19 adds that he was able to get into the network and find the coordinates of hostile information life forms.

 

R-19 starts telling you about his hypothesis about how Tezcatlipoca recreates things from memories. He has concluded occurring battle areas are set a priori, or in other words have their locations preset. R-19 managed to map his way around them to get back to you. Shennong is shocked and asks if R-19 is saying he can hack into Tezcatlipoca’s network.

 

R-19 confirms this, saying the protocol Plan D programmed into him is compatible with System El Dorado. You try to ask about this, so R-19 elaborates by saying he can access the information that passes through Tezcatlipoca’s network. He also mentions that it’s possible that to transmit information through any terminal connected to the network.

 

Shennong is surprised and says that the success rate of his idea is going up. You ask him to explain his plan since he mentioned fight fire with fire and all. Shennong asks if you remember that light your sword gave off, the one that could cut the world. He also brings up the pillar of light Jacob had that could reach into the cracks it made.

 

Shennong turns to Jacob and says that if that pillar is actually what he thinks it is, he thinks it has the power to bring back lost memories in the people who see it. He asks if that’s true. Jacob confirms it but suggests it might be a bit different than what Shennong is thinking of. But yes it can make people remember a part of the memories they lost. Shennong says that’s good enough before getting interrupted by a crash. A voice yells out for help in the distance.

 

You wonder who yelled and say the voice seems familiar, then see something. Yasuyori is here slaughtering the memory mobs he’s fighting, slowly darkening as it goes on. The battle continues over and over, reminding him of the bloody beast he is beneath himself. He tries to carve into himself that he isn’t worthy of being next to his friend Ashigara, that he can’t be allowed freedom.

 

Spider threads tangle around Yasuyori as if to eat away at his mind. That one Shadow giant from before recognizes him and is terrified, not a memory being like everything else that appeared in front of him. The Shadow giant is beat all over, probably from running the entire time. Yasuyori however doesn’t see a difference as he moves to attack. You jump in between to stop Yasuyori, and he says something about more before he attacks, starting the episode battle.