Nightglows of the Starlit Sky Episode 4 Part 1

...bored now. Everything is so boring that the time that passes by is speeding up. It feels like I know everything that's going to happen in this world. It feels like I've done everything I can do in this world over and over again. There's this feeling that all that's happening is the same old things, but no matter how tiring it gets the world just keeps continuing. For example...somewhere in the world, someone has died. That was a shock the first time, as was the second time. By the tenth time, maybe it could still be. But by the thousandth time, the ten thousandth time, the hundred thousandth time...it loses its impact.

Just by sleeping and looking at light while in a dreamy state of mind, the experiences of some random person becomes information. The enclosed world soon falls into an unimpressive pattern and is recognized as such. At the end of what should be countless stacked loops of time, the heart gradually loses something. How can everyone else live through this unsurprising repeating world? Everything about this world has been understood, so how can they live on and head towards their gentle destruction? And then a thought comes by. If this is how it feels to someone like me...how much worse would this pain be for the All-Powerful All-Knowing God?

Title card: That is My Role

There were once ex-rulers who held the planet of fire, the planet of earth, and various other planets that existed in the dark universe. These terrifying beings could appear anywhere at all, and there is nowhere that can give you sanctuary. The thing that controls this world without salvation would be cosmic terror. This is one of the 23 worlds out there, the world of Old Ones. It is a world that began from chaos and was destined for destruction. Eventually this ending came as the Ultimate Silence. A temporary excitement will eventually cool, and desires will eventually burn out. The motions of life swing towards the silence of death. That is the fated end, the inescapable law that spares none. The promised end of the world is known as the heat death of the universe, the maximization of entropy, or the complete uniformization of space.

It is because of that the 'former' world of Old Ones was destined to lose in the Tokyo Game. The stalwart wall known as time stood in its future. In the present world of Tokyo and the future (re: new world) believed to come afterwards say that the old world of Old Ones cannot survive. It is because of the ex-rulers that equalized space that time would bring about the heat death and destruction of the universe. Old Ones is unable to proceed further than that wall and the past. They are unable to even reach the end (re: past), so all they can do is despise the destruction. The enclosed world of Tokyo was the future that Old Ones yearned for but was not allowed to have.

In Old Ones there was a leader from the planet of water known as Earth. His magnificent name was Nodens, and he was the wise king with white hair and grey facial hair. However, Nodens was driven away from his throne on Earth to the depths of the deepest valley by the other ex-rulers. He was forced to the bottom of the confined abyss, yet he remained the calm and wise king. In his lifetime of wisdom, he knew that any sadness and anger would quiet in time. He thought he would spend the rest of his days in this modest land and welcome the occasional visitor. He believed so...up until that day came, where Nodens became mad with anger, abandoning himself to wrath.
Nodens: HeehEEhyahaha...AHYAHYAHAHyahayHA

Nodens saw how the Former God of the world laughed as though he were broken. He was once the All-Powerful All-Knowing one, but now he is the All-Powerful Know-Nothing. This former god's name is Azathoth, the creator of the world and the representative of its will. But he stayed insane as the world came to an end repeatedly, as if seeking ends he hadn't seen before. He was the one who created Nodens and the one who created all life in the universe. He was also the one who drove Nodens to the Agate Castle. He was his creator he was supposed to hate, the unforgivable one who toyed with him. And here he was, utterly broken to pieces.

But when Nodens laid eyes on what remained of Azathoth's former self, a conflagration of emotions burst from within himself. This state of affairs is unacceptable, and he had to take his emotions and create a future for this world himself. But at the same time, the wise Nodens was aware of the fate of the world of Old Ones. He knew that even his rage would one day die out in the repeating loops of time, so he chose to keep it within his body under the thick curtain of night, locked within with no escape. Then he stepped forward, setting off to bring the revenge from the past to the future. In the castle 'he' awoke, having seen an old dream.
Nodens: hEEHee, hAHaHA, what, were you sleeping? AHAha, eeHEeheEHEEhee!

He laughed, he sneered, he cackled, just like his creator Azathoth. In the end, he was just imitating him. Why he would think to do so flew out of his mind and disappeared in a blink. After all, 'he' was lost to madness, and if Nodens didn't do so as well he would never reach the top of the world gone mad. He had to force his cooling heart to keep moving, and he had to force his slowing emotions to keep running.

Nodens has what passes for a moment of clarity as he notices Cthugha isn't around and asks for someone to tell him what happened to him. A night gaunt comes in to talk to him, his face colored over in the color of night that wrapped around him like melted rubber that showed his sealed light (re: emotions). Nodens laughs upon learning that Cthugha was captured, enjoying the idea that he cried like a little baby. He refers to it as a masterpiece and excitedly wonders whether the same will happen with Nyarlathotep. He does realize that this turn of events means the Agate Castle will be discovered in a few days' time, which he figures would be about three days with prep included. Just a little bit more, and he declares that he has won. His laughter doesn't stop. His laughter can't stop. He laughs and laughs like he's having a good time, as if he's escaped the fate of a still world.

Over on your end, Kurogane notes that everyone has assembled and decides to start getting things explained. His first topic of the day is to start with his conclusion, which is to say he's finally analyzed the nature of the Shadow Buggers. Breke is astounded to hear about this since they were a mystery to you all from the beginning, and now Kurogane has made a breakthrough in a short amount of time. Bertro is impressed as he calls Kurogane the manifestation of human intellect. Kurogane tries to get everyone to stop with the praising and the teasing as he says all he did was piece the answers together. Even the army got to where it did with basic study, and you guys obtained a sample that supported his inferences. It's all due to Cthugha, and he thanks him for all he's told him.

Most everyone in the room looks surprised at this, and Cthugha is flattered as he attempts to play humble for all of five seconds before fishing for more compliments. Nomad whispers to Breke that Cthugha's behavior is way too different from before and asks if he really was one of the dangerous ass leaders of the enemy forces. Breke says Cthugha was docile during his questioning, though everyone thought that was weird. They generally think Cthugha was dispatched through having his emotions manipulated externally.

Kurogane coughs as he attempts to keep things on track as he talks about the Shadow Buggers' strange regeneration ability, which he says is more correctly invulnerability. The reason you guys were unable to do anything to them earlier is because they're actually existing on a different time axis. Cthugha is unable to understand this, and Nomad resumes whispering to Breke about his disbelief over that fact. Breke whispers back that they use powers they don't understand themselves either, so it might be the same for Cthugha. Maybe.

Kurogane explains that you guys are beings who exist in what's called the present. You guys can observe the world, take action, and your memories and experiences change. That turns into what is the past for you guys, which is something you are all unable to interact with. The Shadow Buggers differ in that they are able to take the past that is supposed to be gone and materialize it. The past should be nothing more than information, but they are able to manifest it as light (re: a virtual image), so it's possible there's someone with the power to materialize what was only information. But that's enough theory for now. The main problem is their ability to respawn infinitely. You ask if even the past can be used up since people only have one life, or you wonder if they can just repeatedly bring up the same past moment.

Kurogane asks if you've ever heard of universe of possibilities or the many worlds theory. Cthugha pipes up to say he's heard of those terms from the light novels he's read from the on board library, and he explains it by saying that life is a game with many routes, and each route has a different version of yourself there. Kurogane feels like picking the analogy apart, but he says it's a good enough understanding of the idea. Nomad thinks 'light novel' is some kind of slang and asks what it is. R-19 checks his database and answers that it's a genre of literary entertainment. Breke is surprised at the idea of using fiction to talk about real life problems, but he thinks it's a useful enough idea to look into himself.

Back to the explanation, Kurogane says the reason why the enemies continue to exist despite being defeated is because the possible situation where the enemy is still alive is in that universe of possibilities. The Shadow Buggers have been making use of that possibility to put themselves in a superior position to humanity. This would also mean that they have a way of accessing those possibilities, and it's impossible to win if they can do that. Bertro asks if that's why the Denial Fields were developed, so Kurogane confirms. The Denial Field creates an enclosed space that prevents outside interference, and that space prevents the Shadow Buggers from accessing the past.

Breke points out that that's all you guys can do, as cancelling the Denial Field means the Shadow Buggers can revive again. Nomad says that means you guys can at least beat them down, but there's just too many of them. Duo agrees, saying that's why you guys were always put on the defensive against them until you came around. Duo then asks if the mechanisms of your power has been figured out yet, but Kurogane says he doesn't know since he's an engineer. That said, he does know how it works in practice. You apparently have the ability to Cut Away Something from a target. The Shadow Buggers aren't supposed to exist in the present originally, and Kurogane figures you're probably unconsciously cutting them off from their past shadows. That means when the Denial Field goes down their connection to the world disappears too, he thinks.

 

Nomad is annoyed that Kurogane is couching his explanation in so many maybes, but Breke points out again that it would apply to them too. Breke asks if there's any chance of you guys winning, so Duo says he's already analyzed that, then asks Cthugha to repeat what he said during his questioning. Cthugha is surprised by this and asks if he means the part about the boss Nodens, and Breke and Nomad react in surprise to the name. You either comment on the Shadow Buggers actually having some sort of boss or quickly ask Cthugha what he knows.

Cthugha says that in the universe he came from, Nodens is a super smart guy. The mention of intelligence distracts Cthugha as he tries to insist that it's not like he's dumb, and he cites being able to count with his fingers as proof of this. He loses track after three. Duo stops him from trying again and asks him to tell you guys more about specific stuff on Nodens and his home turf, and Bertro laughs about Duo having a hard time dealing with people like Cthugha. It's not a side of him he sees much, but he comments that it makes Duo more human.

Cthugha continues with what he was saying by telling you guys that Nodens lives in a place called the Agate Castle in the Dream Lands, which is huge. It's located 'on the other side,' and you'll be able to get there by thinking you want to go there. You find this ridiculous and look to Duo for backup, but Duo says it's right as he asks R-19 to put some data on display.

R-19 complies, and a giant castle is displayed on the screen. Nomad reacts with shock at it and asks what it is. Breke is also taken aback at how big the castle is since something that size couldn't be something you guys could overlook. Duo informs everyone that that is a real thing they are looking at and not a photoshop or a fantasy of Cthugha's. Cthugha protests that he's been telling the truth, and R-19 says it's a picture taken by the latest optical observation tools. It is 99.98% sure to be there.

Duo says the only way to express this is that a building that didn't exist up to this point has suddenly appeared. It's just a question of whether the enemy has deliberately revealed themselves, or if it appeared because you guys are cognizant of it now. Kurogane pipes up to tell you guys that material analysis of the castle has estimated it to be 99.98% similar to the Shadow Buggers. Nomad asks if this means that all of the enemy forces has been turned into that thing, and Breke thinks there may be tens of thousands of them before suggesting that's a lowball estimate. You express disbelief and say you guys don't have the strength to take on that many of them.

Kurogane is slightly more casual about his concern about Nodens being able to do something like this, but Cthugha starts questioning if Nodens was ever that strong. He does remember at least that all the dark minions are Nodens' familiars and servants at least, but he doubts they had that much power. Duo finds it interesting that there's a discrepancy between what Cthugha remembers of the night gaunts' abilities and what they've demonstrated already, then files it away in his mind.

R-19 talks about how the group has been looking into what sort of powers the castle can pull out based on everything they know. There's nothing about their nature, but they do believe that Nodens is likely to be the wielder. Nomad gets the underlying point and says that you guys just need to deal with Nodens somehow. Breke agrees, saying everything points out to Nodens as being the clear center of everything, so capturing or defeating him should stop the Shadow Buggers. Bertro laughs and reminds you guys that's only a possibility and says you guys are throwing up a death flag. Kurogane says you guys have hope now, so it's still a good thing.

Duo has an unreadable expression on his face for a moment before taking a breath and speaking as the commander again. He talks about how there was no clear end goal up until now, and now some important facts have come to light. Now that you have those, Duo sets up a new goal, the pacification of Nodens. That can be done through either destroying him, capturing him, or talking him out of his nonsense. Getting rid of the central figure for the Shadow Buggers should make them unable to mount an attack again, and Duo says he's moving Operation Remembrance of Things Past to its final phase to the shock of everyone present.

Duo says that the ship will be on cruise speeds towards the Agate Castle, and he estimates it'll take about 100 hours to get there. In the meantime he wants everyone to keep up with their work. It's the final mission, and he says that he'll get everyone assembled again another time. Everyone bows as a hopeful mood hangs in the air, and Bertro laughs quietly as he suddenly remembers to ask Duo how they'll be handling Cthugha. Duo is quiet for a moment before he comments that Bertro is good at annoying him. Bertro laughs some more saying he's a machine for stoking war, and prolonging a war involves annoying your opponent. Duo clicks his tongue at this, and you either point this out in shock, comment that Duo must have wanted to ignore Cthugha, or note he really seems irritated.

Cthugha insists that he wants to join the party like he said during his questioning. He doesn't remember what he did, but he feels he needs to make up for it. It's how things go in light novels anyway. Also he wants to ride in a sweet spaceship too. Bertro points out that Cthugha is already here and that they do need whatever help they can get. He specifically refers to Cthugha as a lab animal, and Cthugha does notice and thinks it's weird. Nomad also prods Duo into taking Cthugha in since the army works by using whatever it can, whether it be a deserter or a former enemy leader.

Cthugha is impressed by Nomad's argument and wonders if he's the rival of the story. Nomad however says Cthugha's more the comic relief who dies before the climax, leading him to protest. Duo gives in and says the spare ship 003 can be assigned to Cthugha, then asks if he's fine to be informally appointed as a warrant officer. Cthugha is surprised at how quickly that went since he figured there'd be more steps to go through. R-19 says Cthugha will be given his badge and pilot suit later, then asks everyone to resume their work. You welcome Cthugha aboard, say you'll be counting on him, or clap for him. C gets an extra line where he's touched and cries a little about someone being nice to him, saying he's looking forward to working with you.

Kurogane asks if the discussion is over now, then tells Duo he's borrowing the three of you who are pilots. Duo says that's fine and he'll be working on his own preparations. Kurogane prompts you guys to come with him to do some ship checks. Cthugha is excited to go see his new ship, so Breke tells him to not flail around too much and to listen to him since he's his superior. Cthugha obeys and asks if he's supposed to salute him, but Breke tells him that's ground force protocol and the space army is following marine protocol. You sense someone looking at you at this point, and you turn to see Duo sitting in the commander's seat holding a finger up to his mouth as he gives you a quiet order to come see him later. You acknowledge this and can comment on this being a private meeting, but either way you salute him and follow everyone else out of the bridge.

Once you guys get to the hangar, Kurogane says it's time to talk about some ship upgrades before the final battle happens. He stops for a second to excitedly say he's always wanted to say that, then picks back up to say the plan is to update the weapons to be effective against the Shadow Buggers. Cthugha quickly asks which ship is his, so Kurogane says it's the one further in. When he mentions he plans on customizing it to work with Cthugha's power, Cthugha's mind is blown at the thought.

Kurogane laughs, saying that Cthugha getting so excited is getting him motivated. He talks about how the ship would probably be blown to pieces if Cthugha used his explosion power normally, so he plans on adding special alloy bullets that can be imbued with his power to act as missiles. Cthugha gets pumped at the thought, but Kurogane says that it comes with the trade-off of being short ranged, so he'll have to bump up his ship's armor. Cthugha says he wants to try flying it as soon as possible so he can go blast Nodens.

You ask if Cthugha has any issues with fighting Nodens, note that he's rather excited to fight even against a former friend, or wonder if they got on badly. Cthugha explains that he doesn't actually know Nodens all that well, but he was a little curious about him when he heard Nodens didn't like Nyarlathotep since he doesn't like him either. Also, since Nodens is smart Cthugha has trouble understanding what he's thinking. But anyways Nodens made him do some crap he doesn't know what, so he plans on blowing him up along with his dark minions.

Kurogane attempts to move things along and tells Breke he can't do much with his ship. He's upgraded the engine output by 20% and equipped the ship with flares to help with his disruptive decoy role. Cthugha comments saying that seems pretty plain for the captain since he expected him to have laser beams or something. Breke however says that's good enough and is glad Kurogane understands things. You ask if he's focusing on being backup, comment that he's watching your back, or say you'll handle the attacking part of the fighting.

Breke laughs and says you're a full fledged fighter if you can bring yourself to say that now. Cthugha panics and wonders if he's the only one not following along. Breke explains that his power is comparatively weaker when compared to your two abilities, so it makes more sense for him to set up attack opportunities for you guys. It's work only he can do with his greater battle experience. Cthugha mumbles a bit as he reluctantly admits that's a cool line, saying that protagonists these days have a more subdued and refined characterization.

Kurogane then turns to you and says he had to put in a lot of effort for your ship. The cannon it was using up until now was the standard gun or cannon model, but he had to rethink it from scratch when he realized it wouldn't work. But he eventually figured it out! Kurogane then taps on a computer, and a crane then brings out a giant sword. You react in shock upon seeing it, are taken aback at the idea of adding a sword to a ship, or ask if he's really telling you to use a sword in a spaceship fight.

Kurogane admits he was surprised when it turned out like this too, but he says it makes sense given your power to cut things. Despite it looking like a sword it can still fire off ranged attacks, so he says you can relax about that. The sword will be mounted to the bottom of the ship, but he does admit that it would be unreasonable to actually sword fight with it.

Cthugha starts complaining about how cool it is to have a sword attached to your ship and says he wants one for his ship too. Kurogane attempts to get him to calm down and says if he did start working on that it won't be ready in time for the last battle. Breke also points out that having the same weapon as someone else means Cthugha won't stand out as much. Cthugha concedes the point, then says he'll stick with his blow up missiles. Breke suggests going to the simulation room since he wants to see how well Cthugha fights now. Cthugha is excited by the idea and figures Breke is expecting a lot of him, and Kurogane thinks to himself that Breke is pretty good at getting new recruits to go along with him. Breke orders you to come along too for a 2 on 1 with him by himself. You either ask Breke to go easy on you, say you won't lose, or tell Cthugha to get ready, and Cthugha excitedly says he'll fight with you as the episode battle begins.