arche x anonyneko
224 lines
The enemy?
The enemy?
Are they bad guys?
Bad guys?
They're not just "bad guys".\NThe Education Institution is a cult.
That's putting it mildly.
Supposedly those ignorant halfwits\Nare being educated,
The Education Institute is a cult.
but they just seem like\Ngenocidal maniacs to me.
Under the pretense of\Neducating the ignorant masses,
Did the Educational Institution\Nalready notice that you're back?
these madmen simply\Nmassacre them in droves.
They work damn quick.
Did the Institute catch\Nwind of Empress already?
My fight or flight is kicking in,\Nand it's telling me to fly!
That was way too fast.
That damn girl!
Fight or flight?
Hey! Wake up!
Flight, of cou—
It's the Educational Institution!\NEmpress is facing them head-on!
That little...
We have to go too!
Hey!
Ehhh!? How, exactly?
Wake up, now!
I get it's a lot to take in,\Nbut we must chase after her!
It's the Education Institute.
Goddamn reprobates...
Empress went after them.
Please, someone help me!
And we're going after her!
Yee-hah!
Why do we have to...?!
What is the situation?
We have no choice, duh!
Help m—
Follow Empress!
Night Fighter Mode!
Y-Yessir!
Through infrared lasers,\Nwe can use a terrain-following radar
Those bastards...
which helps us avoid\Nobstacles automatically!
Save me, anyone, please!
Haa-hoo!
Yee-haw!
Be quiet and focus!
What's going on?
Huh? They backed off...
Save—
We somehow pulled through...
Night Combat Mode.
It doesn't seem to be us
Activating infrared laser\Nterrain-following radar.{apparently a real military term}
that they were chasing after.
Automatically evading obstacles.
Hey, let's head back now.
Shut up and focus!
But this girl...
They're running away...
Let's send her off to a nearby town.\NI'm already looking after enough people.
And we're still in one piece.
Hold on!
Guess they weren't coming after us then.
Please, there are others out there\Nwho need to be helped!
Come on, let's hurry.
Help them out, I'm begging you!
But what about this girl?
These rails are for\NGauge Change Trains.
We'll take her to the nearest town.
The Educational Institution\Nand Artemis' unmanned troops
That's it, can't take care of everyone.
are currently using it as a route\Nfor their personal military freight trains.
Please!
Decent people wouldn't\Ncome near this place.
I beg you...
The Educational Institution's trains\Nare going to pass by here in a little bit.
Please save my friends as well!
There, my friends will...
My friends...
My friends and I, we were once\Norphans living in the slums.
Please save them!
We're now ritual maidens so we\Nreceive the Education Institution's protection.
This is a railway for variable-gauge trains.
We earn enough money and we're fed\Nwell enough to get by.
These days it's only used by military cargo trains\Nof the Education Institute and Artemis with its drone army.
But despite all that...!
Any sane person would stay well clear of it.
An Education Institute train\Nis about to pass through here.
My friends are on that train.
We were all orphans from the slums.
We were to perform rituals as priestesses.
That's why the Education\NInstitute gave us shelter.
That's all we had to do to get\Nfood and even some money.
That's what they promised us, but...
Excuse me.
Excuse me.
What's the matter?
What is it?
A Human Resource Security Unit\Nhas contacted us.
A report from the human resources squad.
One sacrificial girl has escaped.
One of the sacrifices has escaped.
Other than her, the girls will depart from\Nthe armored train as expected.
The armored train with the rest\Nof them is about to depart.
We're missing one sacrifice?
One of the sacrifices is missing?
We will find her, she will not escape.
We're chasing her. She won't get far.
Hmm... do you know what we need\Nthe sacrifices for?
Why do you think\Nthe sacrifices are necessary?
Huh?
Huh?
I am the chosen one, selected by\Nthe Moon Goddess herself.
I am the chosen one of the Moon Goddess.
But I have not found a worthy woman.
Maidens worthy of her\Nare few and far between.
Despite that, there's nothing I can do\Nexcept keep looking.
Though I'm well aware of that,\NI have to keep looking.
It's for the sake of all of humanity.
It is all for humanity's sake.
Y-Yes, sir!
Y-Yes!
Our institution educates the unenlightened\Nand the ignorant.
We shall educate the ignorant masses.
That's what makes us\Nthe Educational Institution.
That is why we are the Education Institute.
We are the only group who sincerely\Ncares about the evolution of mankind!
The only collective committed to\Nenvisaging the evolution of humanity.
If something obstructs education,\Nwe will eliminate it through force.
All that impedes education\Nis to be eliminated by force.
We'll do whatever it takes!
Accomplish your objective.
Get all the troops to mobilize near the\Nrailroad track and recapture the girl.
Mobilize all forces around the track\Nand retrieve the missing girl.
If getting her back becomes impossible...\Ndo you know what will happen?
If retrieval becomes impossible...
300 kilometers east of here,
I don't have to explain, do I?
there is a facility where girls\N are being confined.
It's 300 kilometers to the east.{black rock thrower}
You ran from such a faraway place?
The Education Institute keeps\Nthe captive girls in a facility over there.
Your feet can really do that?
That's where you escaped from?
I used a car about halfway through.
Don't tell me you walked this far.
I'm not really a good driver though,\Nso the car kind of got messed up.
I had a car at first.
300 kilometers away,
But I'm no good at driving.
there are girls being put on a train to be\Ntaken to a different facility,
So I ended up wrecking it...
how in the hell are we supposed to help?
So you're saying they're transporting girls from\N300 kilometers away to another facility of theirs,
This is ridiculous.
and you want us to save them?
But, I...
That's just bonkers.
Everyone, duck!
Even so...
We're being sniped!
I want—
I won't let go of you anymore.
Get down, now!
This is my form of love, Empress.
Wh-wh-wha...
Black Rock Shooter.
Snipers!
When the bullet hit you,\NI counted up to 3 in my head.
You're never getting away from me again.
They're probably coming from a\Na distance of about one kilometer.
This is my love for you, Empress.
What are you trying to say?
Black Rock Shooter...
Large caliber bullets can surpass\N the speed of sound.
Three seconds from impact...
So there's a gap between the impact and—
I'd say they're shooting from\Nabout a kilometer away.
Your calculations are off.
How can you tell?
How?!
Large-caliber rifle rounds\Nare faster than sound.
At the time of impact,
So there's a gap between the impact—
the bullet that was just flying surpassed\Nthe speed of sound over five times!
Your calculations are incorrect.
Due to insufficient data, the exact\Nlocation of the enemy is unknown.
How so?!
At the very least,\Nthey are 5 kilometers away.
The projectile that just landed was five times\Nthe speed of sound at the moment of impact.
5 kilometers? Just our luck, it's not\Nsome basic gunpowder weapon...
I cannot determine the exact location\Nof the enemy due to insufficient data.
But I believe they're\Nat least 5 kilometers away.
Five?!
That's not a conventional firearm...
Monica!
Monica!
Y-Yeah?!
Y-Yes?
Try to stand up.
Stand up for a second.
Eh? Any particular reason?
Why do you want me to...
I want them to shoot at us again\Nso I can count how many snipers there are.
I want them to shoot again so\NI can tell how many of them there are.
Hell no! No way I'm standing,\N I'm not trying to die!
No way!
Guess it can't be helped...
I'm staying down. I don't wanna die!
Hey, heeeey!
Ugh, fine.
For the time being, it looks like we're safe.
Seems that we shook them off for now.
There are many places to take cover here.\NA tough place for a sniper.
There's a lot of cover here.
A long range sniper wouldn't be\Naffiliated with the unmanned troops.
We won't be easy targets now.
So the next best bet is the\NEducational Institution, no?
Long-range sniping isn't how\Nthe drone army does things.
Wrong.
Education Institute snipers then?
If the snipers were from the cult,\Nthey would send a team of at least four.
No, can't be.
Two snipers, two spotters.
The Institute snipers work\Nin teams of four or more.
They would fire at the same time,\Nand aim for two targets at the same time.
At least two snipers and two spotters.
Then...
They fire together to strike\Nboth targets at once.
There should be another party.
Then who...
Uhm, about that train I was talking about...
A different lot, perhaps.
Are you actually in the mood to talk\Nabout that right now?
Um, about the train...
Thinking about it doesn't change the\Ngrim reality of the situation.
Are you seriously\Nbringing that up now?{it's amazing that you can mention this, considering the mood/air/situation}
I want to help.
We've got bigger problems,\Nif you haven't noticed.{no matter how you think about it, that wasn't where this (conversation/situation) was headed}
Shut your mouth!
I want to help her.
There's no point in thinking.
You be quiet.
That's where you're wrong, Colonel.
It's damn obvious that we can't.
You've been overlooking something crucial.
About that, Colonel...
It might be a good idea,\Nsurprisingly enough.
What?
What?
I was checking the opening of\NEmpress' wound.
I've taken a look at her wound.
It's amazing! I wanna, like,\Nlick it all around, it's so awesome!
This is astonishing.
What's this about licking?\NGet to the point.
It's so wonderful that\NI want to lick it all up!
Empress absorbs scrap and drone parts,
Lick something else.
which are then highly compressed and\Naccumulate inside of her,
Get to the point already.
and then they get converted\Ninto parts of her body.
Empress absorbs metal\Nscrap and drone parts.
So it's basically regeneration?
She compresses them and\Nstores them inside her body.
Yep, it has already started.
So that she can construct\Nher own parts out of them.
It's an automatic healing process.
She can regenerate herself?
At the moment, it happens to be quite slow.
Yes, and the process has already begun.
Empress and the rest of the\NHemitheos Units
It's going to heal by itself.
are equipped with computer DNA.
However, it's going\Nto take a lot of time.
Not only that, they have\Nbiological material too.
Empress and other Hemitheos Units\Nare equipped with DNA computers.
In other words, so as long as they\Nhave biological material,
They work best with\Ncompatible biomaterial.
their wounds heal at a faster rate?
So you're saying the wound would\Nregenerate faster if we had those?
Without it, this arm would\Ntake days to heal.
It will take days for her arm\Nto heal without them.
If I had to guess, I think it might even\Ntake as long as a week.
Maybe even more than a week.
But because that's not the case, our\Nfights from here on out will be easier.
Besides, stocking up on biomaterial\Nwill help us in the coming battles.
Roughly how many guards\Nare at the train?
How well is the train guarded?
I ran away in a hurry so\NI'm not really sure.
I was scrambling to get away,\Nso I can't say for sure.
I think there were about five or six\NEducational Institution soldiers.
But I think there were\Nfive or six Institute soldiers.
And a couple of robots too.
And a couple of robots.
With this info in mind,
If that's it, with Empress\Nthat should be no problem.
if we bring Empress,\Nshe'll have a surplus of robo bits!
Five or six robots worth of biomaterial,\Nand that's an arm regenerated in no time.
If we scrape together\Nparts from five or six robots,
We can even stock up for the future.
the arm will regenerate\Nbefore you even know it!
All right. But keep in mind.
If we want, we can even stock up on scrap!
We'll save your friends while we're at it,\Nbut our goal is to collect biomaterial.
Understood.
He agreed to save them.
In addition to collecting the\Nbiological material,
I will save you and your friends.
The Colonel is going to rescue you.
Thank goodness...
Thank goodness...
Where are the maidens?
Where are the girls?
At the backmost part of the train!
At the very back of the train.
So first of all, we'll have to get close.{First, remember to be non-threatening.}
First of all, we need to get close.
Empress, can your coil gun fire?
Empress.
It fires.
Can you fire the coilgun?
However, my balance will be worse\Nbecause my arm is broken.
I can.
If it works, that's good enough.
But it will be hard to maintain\Nbalance with only one arm.
After all, we're striking first.
If you can fire it, that's good enough.
Man, what the hell?
We'll use it to strike them first.{anyway, with that will be the preemptive strike}
I didn't anticipate this many guards!\NOur strategy has blown up in our faces!
The hell's all that?!
Time to fire...
That's way more than we expected.
Wait a mi—
Our plan's screwed!
Shit, we have to take action!
I'm firing.
Black Trike, let me drive.
Wait a min—
Roger that! Let's go!
Shit.
Take this!
We can't back out now.{there is no choice but to do it}
Don't be like that, Empress!
Black Trike, I'll leave the driving to you.{please drive (yourself, i.e. take care of the driving)}
You're my precious little object, you know.
Roger that.
So I have to be the one to break you!
Let's go!
Is that... Dead Master?
Take that!
I get it, she was the sniper that was\Ntargetting Empress.
No, Empress.
Who the hell is she?
Because you belong to me,
Her deal is the same as with Strength.
I'll be the one to destroy you!
She was an ally of Empress.
Wait, that's...
An ex-ally, it would seem.
Dead Master?
So annoying!
I see. She was the sniper who shot Empress.
Empress, I'm in love with you!
What in the world is that?
But also, I hate you!
Same as Strength, a comrade of Empress.
I wanna kill you and defile your body,\NI wanna defile your body and kill you.
Well, former.
Stop getting in my way!
Out of my way.
Colonel.\NLet's regroup!
Empress.
Come back later.
I love you!
We're really standing on a train.
And I also hate you!
This is the first time I've had\Nsuch fun during an operation.
I'll kill you and then defile you.
This was supposed to be fun?
I'll defile you and then I'll kill you.
Not really, it's sort of weird.
I said out of my way!
It seems like you don't really\Nget sarcasm all that well.
Colonel.
Too close for comfort...
This is our chance.
Easy win...
We'll catch up with you.
Hurry up and regenerate!
Jumping onto a moving train...
This is just great,\Nthey brought the whole gang!
I've never had an operation this fun.
Ah, that was sarcasm just now.
You find this fun?
Damn right, it was!
It always struck me as odd,
This is the final stretch!
but you really don't\Nunderstand sarcasm, do you?
Don't be scared, we came to help.
I'm too close.
We would like to provide\Nour support.
Now I've got you!
Everyone!
Hurry and repair yourself!
We're gonna get you out!
Perfect, now it's getting exciting!{lit. perfect, now it's getting exciting}{Now there's some boys we can play with!}
Momiji, thank you!
That was sarcasm, wasn't it?
Damn right it was!{Now you get it!}
That was the last one.
Don't be afraid.
We came to save you.
But only since we were here anyway.{lit. kind of: but only as a side thing}
Girls!
I'll open it!
Momiji!
Thank you!
Thank goodness...
Thank goodness...
You came to help?
You really came to save us?
Just wait a little!
Give me a second.
Oh dear...!
Do it.
Wait, wha—
Empress!
Empress!
I'm...
I...
I...
I... I...
I'm...
Sorry, I...
I'm sorry...
There's a Peacebuilding Corps base\Ntowards the West.
I...
Rest assured, it's only a few hours away.
Straight to the Peacebuilding\NArmy base on the west then?
Fighting against the troops\Nof Artemis is hell incarnate.
Don't worry. At this rate,\Nwe'll be there in a few hours.
I've carried out plenty of\Nhorrible military operations.
Good.
I don't even bat an eye\Nwhen people die anymore.
This war against Artemis and\Nits drone army is an unspeakable hell.{i wanna find something more empathetic than just "literal/unspeakable hell"...}
But she... she might not be like me.
I lived through countless\Ndreadful operations.{i've done many terrible operations}{carried out}
She's been sleeping this entire time.
I don't give a damn about\Npeople dying anymore.
Maybe she's in an\Nunstable state?
But...
I think she's fine.
I doubt she feels the same.
After all, isn't fighting\Nwhat she was born to do?
She's been asleep this entire time.
For humanity's sake, she's been enhanced\Nthrough and through to be its trump card.
I didn't expect her to be\Nthis emotionally fragile.{fragile? }
I don't think you need to worry.
She was born to fight, wasn't she?
The trump card of humanity, thoroughly enhanced for that sole purpose.{too literal but i'm tired; well "reinforced" might be more literal but eh}
Black Rock Shooter.
Black Rock Shooter.
I'm sure she's fine.
She'll be all right.
Yeah, I guess you're right.
I sure hope so.
Empress...
Empress...