The last few days of humanity were spent with everyone together. People talked about their dreams after the final battle would be over, even though there wasn't supposed to be any chance of surviving it. Most everyone smiled in the face of an unchangeable ending. Even if humanity were to make the long shot and survive this war, most everyone knew this would be the end for them. This is the one final battle this world is having coming up, so perhaps no one had anything else to do. Someone came up with a silly suggestion: what if we all knew each other from long ago? Everyone laughed at the question...and there was someone who didn't.
Cthugha sobs as he asks why humans have to die. He finally met you guys and became friends, and yet... You express concern for Cthugha or stay quiet, and Cthugha cries some more saying he's done with being alone, that he can't bear it anymore. Over in the hallway, Bertro asks Breke if he hates him. Breke finds it odd that Bertro isn't laughing like he usually is and comments on him being weirdly sentimental. Bertro admits that this time he doesn't know what to do with himself. But even so, he's sure that Breke will survive this because that's how he made him to be. Breke was designed to be living proof that humanity had lived, able to adapt to any harsh environment like heat, airlessness, or radiation. No one else is like that though, so he's likely to outlive all of you.
Breke has nothing to say to that, so Bertro argues that Breke has the right to hate him for being made without his input. Breke however brings up a parallel between him and Bertro and Duo, saying neither of them asked to be born as geniuses either. Bertro is surprised at this comparison, so Breke talks about them being designer babies. They can hate, or not hate. They can use that right, or they can leave it. But either way, Breke says they can't be lonely anymore because they aren't isolated anymore. There were meetings and partings in this dark night. It's been a long, long journey, and they just stopped in the middle to comfort each other when their paths crossed for a moment. But that meeting still exists now. Even if someone forgets, the fact that it happened won't disappear.
Over at the deck of the Wall of Time, three window screens are up. The starry sea streams past, a scenic view from a dream from the distant past. Duo says the ship is going at top speed, then sighs and wonders if they'll make it in time before humanity is destroyed. It's noted that without Kurogane's power to grasp light, which the engine uses, then it'd be impossible to do so. Duo notes that you guys are going at the theoretical fastest speed you can achieve. Any faster is the realm of the eternal future, which no one can get, even if you guys have reached the furthest into space than anyone from humanity has accomplished.
While Duo looks surprised, Kurogane shrugs, his eyes shining. Duo comments on him always looking forward at the one thing faster than light in this world. Duo also comments that some poet must have said something similar, something along the lines of people or humanity calling it hope. Kurogane has not been paying any attention as he excitedly looks at a planet he'd only ever have seen through a telescope coming close by, only to be disappointed when the ship zooms by it in a second. He tries with the other planets the ship passes by, though he doesn't do any better given the speed. Duo smiles as he tells him he'll remember them for him. He's got a good head on his shoulders after all.
Back to you and Cthugha, Cthugha is crying some more so you smile at him, pat his head, and/or hug him. He's surprised by this gesture, and you tell him that since you've met him, he's not alone anymore and that you're glad you've met him. This prompts more tears as he attempts to deny that he's crying. You cuddle him and send him to his room, or you go lie down with him, and either way you eventually drift to sleep.
You awaken middream wondering where you are when you see the Agate Castle since you're sure you were sleeping in your room beforehand. Nuada and Nodens greets you, saying you've done well to reach him as he calls you the one who will be inheriting his dream (re: throne). You demand to know who he is, more politely ask him where you are, or think to yourself that you can't tell if you're talking to one person or two. Nuada explains that you are in his dominion, the innermost part of the Dream Land, and describes himself as the king who once held the throne before being chased away from it, his former glory sealed within dreams.
You ask Nuada some more about you guys being inside a dream, then wonder how you can see someone you've never met before here. Nuada explains that you are the one who entered his abyss of a dream since he can't leave that place. He didn't actually expect you to come here, nor did he expect you to make direct contact with him. You express confusion about his being unable to leave and ask about him being stuck inside a dream. Nuada asks if you pity him or came to laugh at how wretched he is. But either way, he says the same goes for you the way you've been sealed in a tiny city with high walls. He's not that lonely about his circumstances though, since he has his servants here.
Night gaunts appear, and you are alarmed at Shadow Buggers turning up and suspect who he is from him saying they serve him. Nuada says he's been waiting so long for you calling you the inheritor of his territory, [REDACTED]. At this point the dual layered voice Nuada has been speaking in starts breaking up, and Nuada reacts like he's suddenly in pain to your somewhere-from-not-to-great level of concern.
The story flashes back a bit to before the announcement broadcasted through the ship alerted you guys of your arrival. The first to physically confirm this was Duo, sensing a dreadful sense of realism from the projected picture of the Agate Castle on the ship's screens. Duo tells Bertro he's entrusting him with command during the operation, any thoughts and opinions about this be damned since Duo will be focusing everything on operating the ship. He'll be counting on him. Bertro comments on how decisive that decision was and says Duo's different from how he used to be. Duo jokes that an evil spirit may have left him, then starts being personal with Bertro as he tells him how he always stood up carrying heavy baggage, never having been able to take a step away from his Given Reason for Being. He just stood there and watched his three different siblings continue to hurt each other. But after getting out of that world and looking at outer space, a thought came to him: wow that's such a tiny place he was standing in before. Duo says he'll fight now and do as he pleases. His brother is still waiting for him back at that city, so he'll worry about him if he stays out too long. Ah, the burdens of being a younger brother.
Title card: Thank You, Everyone
Over where Nodens is, he laughs about you getting away after you finally came to see him. He shrugs it off though since you'll be jumping back in sooner or later, and he then commands his subordinates to come welcome you guys. Nyarlathotep and Tsathoggua appear silently, their hearts locked, giving him a short bow before teleporting out. Nodens cackles about this being the last party and welcomes everyone to Dream Land, eyes filled with mad determination as he laughs into the void.
Silence hangs in the room again for a moment until Nomad angrily speaks again. He talks about how he's the only one able to say what he's saying, so he'll say it: is Duo really planning on sending all of you into a meat grinder for nothing? Nomad argues that a person's life should be used as they see fit, not something to be wasted on grand causes or duties. Duo says you guys are the only ones left in humanity able to fight for it, which is reason enough for him to not send you guys out with a mission plan that ends with you all dead. It is going to be harsh enough to kill you though.
Everyone is surprised at Duo's declaration again, and Nomad is impressed as he tells Duo he can only act uppity for so long before agreeing to go with his plan and asking him to explain. Duo says it's really just avoiding the mobs and heading straight for the leader, that's it. Nomad says this isn't a game you guys are in and doubts you guys can avoid 20 times as many enemy attacks as you guys have, but Duo says it's possible to avoid and defend against it all with your guys' powers. His artifact shines and floats above his hands, sending out lines of light to connect to the ship again to control all its functions.
Duo asks R-19 to handle observing the enemy. The ship's guns can be set to auto-fire with friend/foe identification turned on. R-19 says he'll devote all he has to it and accepts the task. Duo orders Kurogane to stay on top of the Wall of Time's main critical functions. Kurogane accepts, but he warns him that even with his own power the battle can only last for up to thirty minutes before the ship blows up. Duo is about to assign Nomad to his task when Nomad figures out it's going to be the same thing he did last time. He pleads for Duo to not spam evasive maneuvers since it'll drain Nomad to the point he might die.
You ask if this mission has any chance of success, ask if Duo plans on using the main ship for battle, and/or point out that you can't win just by running way. Duo says he understands your reservations, but he says he's not doing this out of desperation. He pulls up a closeup screen of some of the special element Shadow Buggers, and Cthugha recognizes them as direct servants to Nodens. Duo says they give off a threatening force unlike anything else before and have not been seen before now. He suggests that these ones act as relay antennas for Nodens' power. If they were going to attack like normal, they could just overwhelm with sheer numbers. Duo however points out that your guys' power means you can evade simple attacks. Nodens will need something to relay his will when it comes to point defense.
R-19 makes a point of saying the Shadow Buggers will be called night gaunts from now on, then says it seems their army is made up of about ten million enemies organized into 20:1 ratio'd units. Breke points out that's a lot of them and asks if he and Cthugha are supposed to thin them out. Duo confirms this, then orders them to escort the main ship to clear the path forward. They acknowledge the order, and Duo says it looks like the enemies have set up 100 defensive lines centering on the Agate Castle. The quickest way Duo can see into it still takes you guys through 30 of them, and Breke and Cthugha are to cut through 25 of them. Your task...is cut off by a scene transition.
Time passes as the three of you board your ships and are put on alert. You can't sense any sounds of battle, as the vacuum of space cannot carry sounds. Even so, the ships take on unimaginable evasive actions. Cthugha is on the radio attempting to take deep breaths, but he eventually yells that it's not helping him calm down. He's freaking out at the idea of having to jump deep into enemy territory and says he might blow up soon. Breke sympathizes since it's a natural reaction to suddenly heading into a harsh battle, so he offers to teach Cthugha a way to calm himself.
Cthugha is surprised there's a way and asks to learn how. Breke tells Cthugha to repeat to himself that he is nervous, but Cthugha reacts with baffled disbelief thinking it won't help. Breke persists and tells him to breathe deep while repeating the words to himself, so Cthugha relents and does so. After two rounds of this, he comments on feeling ridiculous and asks if the method really works. You point out that it does to some extent since he stopped sounding so shaky and is able to say it relatively smoothly.
Cthugha is surprised as he realizes the method worked. Breke explains that getting nervous is the natural response to being faced with danger, and that suppressing it doesn't work. In that case, you'd do better acting like a third person observer to your own behavior. Doing so makes you aware of how stupid you might look, which should ease up the tension. Cthugha thanks Breke and says he's never met anyone who'd tell him that before. He's never had anyone be this nice to him, nor has he ever felt like not wanting someone else to die, so he swears to do his best in the upcoming battle.
R-19 radios in to tell Breke and Cthugha it;s almost time to move onto the next phase of the mission. Both respond back that they can go at any time, so R-19 says he'll open the hatch and directs Breke to head to the launch catapult. The hangar door slowly opens as bright red lights light up in a line, and Breke flies over to the catapult, causing blue flames to burst from the nozzle. R-19 counts off, and at zero Breke announces his takeoff as he blasts out. R-19 instructs Cthugha to get on next, and Cthugha psyches himself up before zooming out next.
Sparks fly in the distance, and the battle has begin. Bertro radios in to ask you to answer if you can hear him. If you can't, answer him anyway. You reply that you hear him and comment that it's new for him to be operating. Bertro says Duo is busy with operating the main ship, so he'll take over going through the last checks with you. You guys have currently broken through the 25th defense line, and Breke and Cthugha are currently escorting the main ship. Your job is to be the surgical strike against Nodens, which he phrases as a needle injection to wake him up.
Once the ship hits the 30th line, you are to fly out to the Agate Castle. The main ship will beeline for the Agate Castle's outer wall and create a defensive line of its own there to hold out until the end of the mission. You have to end things within 20 minutes, and Bertro says that all ships have been modded to share all information gained on Nodens. You either ask Bertro what the victory conditions or loss conditions of the mission are. In A, Bertro says it's the pacification, capture, or defeat of Nodens, whichever way it goes. Once that's done you're to return to base so that you can all blast out of there. In B, Bertro comments on that being something people wouldn't want to think about, but you have to here. When the time comes, he tells you to destroy as much of the castle as you can before coming back to ship with no detours. A war isn't over until you actually lose, so come back safely.
R-19 messages you that the main ship has hit the 29th layer, so it's time to get ready to go. Solomon answers and takes the ship over to the catapult. You think about how many times you've seen the launch area from the hangar now, and the ship starts slightly shaking as the engine turns on. You either tell Solomon you're counting on him, take Breke's advice for yourself to tell yourself you're nervous, or smile silently. In A, Solomon says after a moment to say he'll assist you with every function on board, then suggests use both of your abilities to the fullest to make the mission a success. In B, Solomon notes that you're concentrating by doing self-objectification, then observes that your pulse and brain wave activity are calming down. Since he doesn't feel the need to provide mental support now, he focuses on controlling the ship systems. In C, Solomon notes that your breathing, pulse, and brain waves are all okay. He talks about maintaining your current condition and says he estimates success has risen by 11%.
R-19 radios in that the ship has hit the 30th layer and that launch preparations are done. You respond back by announcing your departure, and the ship suddenly accelerates making everything outside look like streams of green light. When things clear up, you see a castle out there as big as you imagined at a minimum. Night gaunts swarm you, but Breke and Cthugha shoot them down as they tell you to get going and that they'll cover you. They fly to your sides, and the castle up ahead looks like it's half covered by something transparent. Bertro comments that you should think of it as having the same regenerative ability as the night gaunts, but you have your power, so he asks you to use it to break through. The silver blade on your ship glows, cutting a way forward as the episode section battle begins.
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