04x09 - Countdown to Extinction

[bunniefuu]

Now, civilities aside,

what is it that brings

you here today?

Well, just recently,

we were transporting

some relief supplies

through your kingdom.

They were stolen

by a certain noble.

As ruler of this nation,

I would like to apologize

for the inexcusable

actions of my subject.

Furthermore...

[gasps]

If I were to offer

my head to you,

would that be enough

to settle this matter?

[gasps]

[ALBEDO chuckles]

Interesting.

Seems I've misjudged you,

Ramposa the rd.

Not that it matters much.

Though I do wonder

what caused this change.

Is it because you recognized

the talents of your child?

Or because you lost

your greatest warrior?

Perhaps you don't

realize it yourself,

but something inside

you has shifted.

Never mind that,

just a bit of idle musing.

My purpose here

remains the same.

In response to the

aforementioned att*ck,

we're declaring w*r on you.

[gasps]

We will deploy our troops,

at precisely noon,

one month from now.

However, if you inv*de

E-Rantel, we may be forced

to alter the timeline

and defend our territory.

Now, I have a message

from His Majesty.

You planned this treachery

from the start, didn't you?

I was about to grace you with

the words of the Sorcerer King,

and you have the audacity

to interrupt me?

Human.

Are you so eager to die,

you can't even wait a month?

[gasps]

[ALBEDO sighs]

This is His Majesty's message.

"I do not intend to cast any

spells on the same scale

as the previous w*r.

Let's enjoy ourselves

this time."

That is all.

And now to answer your question.

This w*r was not one

that we had planned,

nor one we tried to instigate.

Rather, we were shocked that

anyone would be foolish enough

to provoke our kingdom's wrath.

[CHILDREN]

Hup! Hup! Hup! Hup! Hup!

Hup! Hup!

[DISCIPLE A] The Sorcerer

Kingdom gave us one month

to prepare for their invasion.

Their declaration of w*r

seemed sincere enough,

but they haven't shown

any sign of mobilizing

their troops whatsoever.

Maybe they were just

trying to scare us.

Trust me, that's not the sort of

thing the Sorcerer King does.

Is that assumption based on

something you learned

when you saw him?

I did more than just

see the bastard.

I had a front row seat

to his duel against Gazef.

That said, I still have no idea

what happened in the fight.

Gazef sure lost, but I

couldn't tell you how.

Wait, that sword...

[sighs] I'm just taking care

of it for the time being.

The princess pushed it on me.

[DISCIPLE A] Still,

it must be amazing to hold

one of the kingdom's legendary

treasures in your hand.

But you're telling me

even Razer's Edge

couldn't leave a scratch

on the Sorcerer King?

[BRAIN]

It didn't, but maybe it could.

Thing is, the blade

never reached him.

Anyway, the Sorcerer King's

planning something.

Call it a gut feeling, but I'm

not taking any risks here.

That's why I'm getting these

kids out of the kingdom.

You found a way?

[BRAIN] Finally, yeah.

I'll have them catch a ride

on a caravan heading towards

a city near the Council State.

I might not survive this w*r,

but my teachings will.

Maybe my sword techniques

aren't worth much,

but that's the only

legacy I have to leave.

Master Vesture said the same,

that he lives as long

as our swordcraft lives.

Maybe we should be

thinking of the future.

Would you mind if one of our

disciples went along, too?

That's... what you want?

I'm just happy

you trust my plan.

I'll make it happen.

[AINS]

So, it's been a month

since we declared

w*r on Re-Estize.

The invasion has begun, but they

seem to think that we've been

holed up in E-Rantel, twiddling

our thumbs all this time.

I'm certain I owe

that to you, Demiurge.

Thank you for

monitoring the enemy

and keeping our actions covert.

You flatter me, Lord.

[AINS] On a related note, thanks

to some well-placed threats,

we've turned quite a few

nobles to our side.

Fine work, Albedo.

Always ready to serve.

It's my honor.

[AINS] Mm. Now, moving on. The

purpose of our current operation

is to prevent other countries

from sending support troops

or otherwise intervening

in the w*r.

We've accomplished this

thus far by shutting down

Re-Estize's borders unnoticed.

Since we annihilate

both the villages

and their inhabitants,

there's no chance of

information leaking.

Uh... [clears throat]

Although this has been a

particularly savage approach,

it's an effective one, born from

your reliable contributions.

But the fact that we've been

so successful troubles me.

Cocytus, you tasted defeat

at the hands of the Lizard Men,

but I believe that

helped you grow.

[COCYTUS]

Indeed.

The lessons I learned stay

with me to this very day.

[AINS] Meaning, there is wisdom

that can only be found

in the face of defeat.

Priceless wisdom.

Destroying cities and

massacring their citizens

is a simple matter for us,

but "simple" does not

always mean "best."

We have precious little

experience with failure,

a weakness that may

lead to our demise

in more challenging times.

One challenge

we're already facing

is the rapid expansion

of our territory.

To manage our new resources,

I'll need to assign a wider

variety of tasks to you all.

And not all of us have

experience in every job.

So, you're trying to build

those skills up now, correct?

[AINS] Well put, Demiurge!

That's exactly right!

So, let us prepare for the day

when we might face a guild

that is stronger than our own!

[GUARDIANS]

Yes, sir!

[ALBEDO] Lord Ains.

I'm sure we're all aware,

but our next battle

is approaching soon.

[SHALLTEAR]

Is that so?

And who shall be

organizing the charge?

Our lord himself.

Then I'll watch closely in hopes

that I can learn a trick or two.

[AINS] I didn't prepare

anything extravagant.

[COCYTUS] It seems

our forces for this battle

are rather limited.

Are they needed elsewhere?

[AURA]

You're right. That reminds me.

When we destroyed

that town nearby,

Lord Ains let

some people escape.

I didn't think to question it

at the time, but...

Was there a reason

why you did that?

[AINS]

These are reasonable questions.

All of you should

watch this next battle.

If you still don't understand,

I'll explain things

to you afterwards.

[SHALLTEAR] Hm, so our next

target is a city named E-Naeul.

[MARE]

Looks like it's by the sea.

It's got a big port and

a bunch of fishermen,

but not many soldiers.

[COCYTUS]

Their defenses are weak.

Even a small force could break

down those ramparts in no time.

[MOMONGA]

I can't play cool forever!

Well, that's a problem for

Future Ains to deal with.

[SEBAS] Forgive me for summoning

you here under these pretenses.

The truth is, Lady Nigredo

and Pestonya wished

to meet with you, and

they were quite insistent.

[AINS]

There's no need to apologize.

I was the one who forbid

Nigredo from leaving Nazarick.

It's only natural that I should

be the one to visit her.

That's very generous

of you. I am grateful.

[MOMONGA] Wonder if I

should've brought Albedo.

She's Nigredo's

little sister after all,

and I think they get

along well enough?

Oh, wait, last time I

talked to Albedo about her,

she said Nigredo

should be ex*cuted.

Never mind!

[SEBAS]

This is the room.

They have been awaiting

your arrival, so please enter.

[AINS]

All right.

[NIGREDO] Thank you for coming

all this way, Lord Ains.

What an honor.

[AINS]

Think nothing of it.

You may raise your head.

[AINS]

What did you want to talk about?

[NIGREDO]

Well...

In my humble opinion, the

m*ssacre that we're carrying out

in Re-Estize seems excessive.

Can we not resolve

this matter peacefully?

[AINS]

We cannot.

Furthermore, you have to

go through the proper channels

to make a request like this.

You should have discussed it

with your direct superior,

Cocytus, first.

So even if I did

accept your proposal,

it would undermine

Cocytus' authority.

[MOMONGA] I'll pass on

the office politics!

[PESTONYA] As usual, your

judgement is correct, Lord Ains.

Which is why I would

like to propose

the same matter,

myself, arr-ruff.

[AINS] Which would follow

the rules I suppose,

since your superior is Sebas.

Correct.

[AINS]

I understand your feelings,

but let me ask you

a question in return.

An essential part of

this operation involves

the strengthening of Nazarick

through experimentation.

Is it more important

to show mercy

than to increase our potential?

I'd argue that babies have

limitless potential, My Lord!

Let's not hyperfocus

on the babies, woof.

Humans have potential, I mean.

They are unrelenting innovators.

I believe they hold the power

to advance our

civilization in new ways.

Take these biscuits for example.

They are popular

in E-Rantel now,

but they used to be

hard and flavorless.

Thanks to the declining

cost of fresh ingredients

and emerging culinary arts,

they have become

a desirable product.

Try one yourself

and you'll understand.

[AINS]

Very well.

They're nearly as good

as the fine foods

we enjoy here, ah-woof.

[AINS] But is that

not cause for concern?

If civilization

progresses too far,

it could become a thr*at to us.

We are strong, but we

cannot grow stronger.

Humans are weak,

but always evolving.

My loyalty is to Nazarick,

I cannot allow anyone

to overtake us.

I trust you understand.

I'm grateful that

you have granted us

even a moment of your time.

You have heard their concerns,

and that's all that we

could ask for, My Lord.

As always, I am confident

that you will steer

The Great Tomb of Nazarick

in the right direction.

[AINS] Well, if that's all,

then I'll take my leave.

[PESTONYA] Not just yet!

Please, forgive my outburst!

[AINS]

It's fine.

If you have something

to say, say it.

Thank you. I do

understand your plan.

We must be purposefully

cruel to Re-Estize

to demonstrate how we

treat a rebellious kingdom

compared to a vassal

state, arr-ruff?

[AINS]

Correct.

In that case, isn't it better

to have more survivors?

They can tell tales of

their harrowing experience

to the world. Oh, uh... woof!

[AINS] Allow people

to survive as witnesses?

[MOMONGA] My feelings aside,

I doubt that would pass

with Albedo and Demiurge.

But you know,

a lot of different races

with different ways of thinking

will be joining our

kingdom eventually.

This merciful approach

might be in the minority

among my inner circle,

but in a way,

that makes it all

the more valuable.

[AINS]

I understand, I will consider

allowing a small number

of humans to survive.

[MOMONGA] But they might

get mad if I tell them that!

[MOMONGA] Well, like I said,

let's leave it to Future Ains.

Wow! Look at that army!

[SCAMA] I wouldn't give

them too much credit.

It's just a horde of

zombies, Count Naeura.

Judging by their clothes,

they're likely a bunch

of villagers that were

raised from the dead.

Seems like the Sorcerer Kingdom

has been wiping out settlements

and weaponizing their corpses.

A truly revolting tactic.

Whoa. They can really

do something like that?

There are certainly spells

that can give rise to the undead

and the situation we have here

matches what the

survivors described.

But that's hardly

our primary concern.

Look, do you see those two?

[NAEURA]

Definitely not villagers, huh?

They're special undead sent

by the Sorcerer King himself.

He had the power to k*ll

, soldiers in an instant.

So, I'm thinking they're strong.

And I'm thinking you're right!

Still, not counting the zombies,

he believes he can conquer

our whole city with

just two of his soldiers.

Doesn't that piss you off?

Not really, I suppose!

After all, I got you folks from

the Four Armaments on my side,

and you're mithril-rank

adventurers! I'm pretty lucky!

This is a bit out

of character for us.

We adventurers don't usually

pick a side during a w*r,

but I'll make an exception

for the undead.

[NAEURA] Wouldn't it be nice

if I could just surrender?

Don't think they go

for that, though.

[SCAMA]

Couldn't you hop on a ship?

Take your family

and flee by sea?

Probably. But when I look

at the number of survivors

left in other towns,

it paints a picture.

A real ugly one.

You mean he kills them all,

down to the very last citizen.

[NAEURA]

That's what it looks like.

It's not conquest.

They're plannin' on eradicating

everyone in the whole kingdom.

Make us all into zombies, maybe.

It's just a theory,

but if that is the case,

there's nowhere to run.

[NAEURA]

Thank you, all who came here!

Our city is facing

an unprecedented thr*at,

let us work together

to brave the storm!

We're mithril adventurers:

the Four Armaments!

We will be leading all of you

in the battle today.

[NAEURA] Don't worry!

I've prepared plenty of rewards

for you daring adventurers!

Of course, my soldiers will be

generously compensated as well!

We're a team!

That said, be careful,

or you'll be taking those riches

straight to the grave!

[ADVENTURERS laugh]

I'm looking for a different

kind of reward, if that's okay.

Count, you have some magic

items that you've passed down

in the family, right?

Yep! Sure do!

There's the Five-Colored

Holy Sword!

Not something I'd give up easy!

It's a w*apon that commands

the power of five

different elements!

Could you give it to me?

Lilynette, no!

That's a valuable

heirloom, you know!

But I might consider it, if you

become my child's concubine.

She's mine!

Don't you dare!

Lilynette belongs to me!

I believe you have four

children in your family?

Your wife gave birth to your

eldest son and third son.

Your concubine gave birth

to your second son

and eldest daughter.

I assume you're not talking

about your daughter,

so which one is it?

Uh, my third son.

Oh, my gosh.

Ahem. If I recall,

he's only years old.

And I'd be his concubine?

Yeah, I mean. That was the idea.

But I'm not a very

influential noble,

so why would you know

the age of my third son?

Is that the kind of research

you adventurers do?

No, this is...

This is something else.

Well, I 'spose that's that!

Yep, that's the deal!

I have to have that holy sword!

Guess I'll be that

little boy's concubine.

Can't really complain,

since I suggested it,

but I thought she'd

try to laugh it off,

instead of acting like this.

Was she planning all

this from the start?

And does she want my son

or the magic sword more?

It's not the sword.

There's no fruit

more tantalizing

than an unripened

one, you fools!

[NAEURA]

Now I don't know what to think.

This has gone in

a really weird direction.

We need to move on, sir.

Don't get me wrong,

I do appreciate you easing

the tension with a bit of humor,

but those undead will be

on us in no time at all.

Good point.

Prepare for battle!

I'm depending on you!

[SCAMA] One of the

big guys has a shield

and the other is a dual-wielder.

Anyone know how strong they are?

I was being serious, damn it.

[SCAMA]

Lilynette!

I've never seen the things.

Same here.

[SCAMA] Then we'll keep testing

different types of att*cks

on them and see which ones

are the most effective.

Archers! Draw!

Release!

[SCAMA]

Second wave! Draw!

Release!

[SCAMA]

Here they come.

It's so fast!

[SCAMA] You're next, magic

casters! Begin your att*ck!

[FOUR ARMAMENTS CASTER]

Fire Ball!

[FOUR ARMAMENTS THIEF]

Don't panic!

Remember, our foes are undead!

They might not flinch

when you hit them,

but that doesn't mean

the spells aren't working!

Keep casting until

it falls! Fire Ball!

[SCAMA] Maybe they're

the strongest undead

the Sorcerer Kingdom

has to offer,

and that's why there's

only two of them.

Let's hope.

Should we run?

[SCAMA]

Unless you wanna swim,

we'll have to go straight

through that thing.

[FOUR ARMAMENTS THIEF]

Captain!

[SCAMA] Everyone, keep your

eyes on the dual-wielder!

We'll distract the one

with the shield!

Once the undead make it

to the city walls,

hit them with all

the magic you've got!

We'll leave the

high ground to you!

Strike, Lightning!

[DEATH KNIGHT A growls]

[SCAMA] I think that's enough

offensive magic for now.

Can you strengthen me instead?

Okay.

Anti-Evil Protection.

Lesser Dexterity.

And Lesser Strength!

Protection Energy Negative.

[FOUR ARMAMENTS CASTER]

Haste.

[SCAMA] Hard to tell,

but it doesn't seem like

we've put a scratch on it.

[SCAMA]

Doppel!

[SCAMA grunts]

[SCAMA]

Heavy Fortress.

[SCAMA grunts]

Shine, Sunlight!

Fly, Magic Arrow!

[SCAMA grunts]

[FOUR ARMAMENTS THIEF]

And one more!

[SCAMA] All right!

Hit him, magic casters!

[FOUR ARMAMENTS THIEF]

It's too late.

The other one--

it's coming!

We need them here!

[SCAMA]

Damn it.

[FOUR ARMAMENTS THIEF]

Get ready!

[SCAMA]

Fly away and escape.

[BOTH gasp]

[SCAMA]

We can try to buy you some time.

Huh? "We?" Why me?

Fine. Let's do this.

[SCAMA]

Huh?

[BOTH gasp]

[DEATH KNIGHT A growls]

[SCAMA gasps]

Whoa, was that magic?

[SCAMA]

What the hell?

[FOUR ARMAMENTS THIEF]

Hey, see that?

They've got an adamantite

plate around their neck!

An adventurer in red.

From Vermilion Drop, maybe?

[SHALLTEAR] I can't believe the

Death Knight and Death Warrior

were eliminated so easily.

[AINS] Mm. All according

to my plan, of course.

[ALL gasp]