03x22 - Titan of the Sword

[bunniefuu]

And now... and now, I...

My fighting spirit's been amplified!
I'm overflowing with energy!

To be more specific...

I am invincible!

System... Call!

Generate...Thermal... Element!

Titan of the Sword

I had no idea he was capable of such an art.

Unfortunately, I can't destroy
that intangible flame giant with my flowers.

If I were to focus on defense,
I couldn't hold it off for long.

Meaning we'll have to att*ck the real Chudelkin
in that time, huh?

Exactly.
I'll find a way to avert him for ten seconds.

Kirito, Eugeo, please take that opportunity
to att*ck Chudelkin.

But remember not to get too close.
Or else the pontifex will target you.

- Ten...
- ...seconds.

Spin, my flowers!

His eyes.

Got it.

System Call.

Discharge!

Your Eminence!

Please watch out!

This is...

M-My... My...

Eminence...

Kirito.

Well, that was a boring show,

but at least I was able
to gather some useful data.

What an eyesore.

How could you?

Irregular boy.

At first,
I thought I couldn't view your properties

because you're an unregistered unit
from an unofficial marriage,

but that's not why, is it?

You came from over there, didn't you?
A human from the other side...

Isn't that right?

That's right.

Even so, I've been granted the same
Authority Level as the people of this world,

so I'm nowhere near your level in that respect,
Administrator... or rather, Ms. Quinella.

So the little brat filled your head
with all her silly stories!

Well, then?

Tell me, boy, what was your reason
for stumbling into my world?

Ms. Quinella, in the near future,
you're going to destroy your own world.

I will? I'm going to destroy it?

That's right.

Your mistake was creating
the order of Integrity Knights

to counter a massive invasion
from the Dark Territory.

That's the reason.

That definitely sounds like
something that little brat would say.

So pitiful...

Both her, for being so desperate to expel me,
and you for taking the bait!

If I may, Lady Pontifex.

Those who were concerned
with the current order of Integrity Knights

having no hope of fending off
the coming invasion of the forces of darkness

were Knight Commander Bercouli
and Vice Commander Fanatio.

I share those concerns, too.

Lady Pontifex, do you have means to protect
the people if the order of the knights fall?

That is not all I want to ask you.

You've forcefully taken us from our parents,

from our wives and husbands,
from our brothers and sisters,

and sealed away our memories

to plant false memories of being summoned
from a non-existent heavenly realm!

Why couldn't you at least trust
in our loyalty and respect for you?

Why would you subject our souls to such a tainted ritual
to force us to submit to your control?

I'm offended. I trusted you very much.

The Piety Modules I gifted you
are the proof of my love.

They freed you from any trifling worries or pain,

so you could remain beautiful dolls for all time.

You think that Uncle...
His Excellency Knight Commander Bercouli,

throughout his long -year tenure
as an Integrity Knight,

never had any worries or suffered at all?

Is that what you think, Lady Pontifex?

This man,
who's shown you the deepest loyalty of us all,

and you knew nothing
of the pain he's been carrying in his heart.

Is that what you're saying?

Of course I knew.

This isn't the first time
Bercouli brooded over such worthless issues.

You see, he brought up the same things
about a century ago.

So I fixed him.

And it wasn't just him...

it's all of the knights
who've been around for over a hundred years.

I made them forget every one
of their painful memories.

Don't worry, Alice,

I'm going to erase the memories
causing you such grief.

I'm going to turn you back into a doll
that has no need to think.

I admit that, right now, I'm feeling enough pain
and sorrow to rip my heart to shreds.

But this pain...

I don't wish to erase these feelings
I've never felt before.

Because this pain is precisely what tells me
I'm not a puppet knight, but a human being.

Lady Pontifex, I don't want your love.
I don't need you to fix me.

Sadly, it doesn't matter how you feel about it.

Once I synthesize you again,
every one of your emotions will be erased.

Like how you did to yourself, Ms. Quinella?

Hey, boy, didn't I tell you not to bring up the past?

If I stop, will that erase the truth?

Even for you,
you can't alter the past as you please.

The fact that you were born and grew up
as a human being can't ever be erased.

Am I wrong?

And what if it can't, boy from the other side?

As long as you're a human,
you can't possibly be a perfect entity, that's what.

Humans are creatures that make mistakes.

And the mistake you've committed
is beyond repair by now.

With the partial collapse
of the order of Integrity Knights,

if the Dark Territory's invasion starts now,
it'll wipe out the Human Empire.

But it was you who annihilated my knights.
Quite awful.

If you're the sole survivor,
then you can start over with a clean slate.

That might be your intention.

But, unfortunately,
that's not what's going to happen.

Because on the other side, there are people
who truly hold absolute authority over this world.

They'll probably think,
"Well, that was a complete failure. Let's start over."

And then a button will be pressed,
and everything will vanish.

The mountains. The rivers.

The towns.

And all of the people here, including you,
will be erased in the blink of an eye.

Then what about you people
on the other side?

Are you constantly aware
that your world was created by a higher power,

and strive to do only what would please those
higher authorities, so they won't reset your world?

Of course you don't.

After all, they would create a world,
and life, for fun,

and then erase it all
when they have no more use for them.

What gives a boy from a world like that
the right to criticize my choices?

Well, I refuse.

I won't pander to those
who fancy themselves gods of creation,

or reduce myself to groveling
so they'll allow me to continue to exist.

The only proof of my existence
is the control I exert.

That desire is the one thing that motivates me
and gives me life!

These legs of mine
are meant only to trample over others.

They are not for bending at the knees!

Then...

Then does that mean
you're going to let the Human Empire be overrun,

and wait for annihilation, alone, on a nominal throne
as the ruler of a nation with no civilians?

I have no intention
of allowing them to reset the Underworld,

or of accepting the final load test.

I've already perfected a command
to counter that.

You should be happy.
I'm going to show it to you all before anyone else.

Command?

To be honest, the knights were just a stopgap.

The m*llitary might I truly seek
has no need for the ability to think,

much less memories or emotions.

They just need
to relentlessly m*ssacre the enemies before them.

In other words, it doesn't need to be human.

Now, awaken, my faithful servant!
My soulless slaughterer!

Release Recollection!

I-Is this...

It can't be!

Discharge!

Impossible. Multiple weapons at the same time?

Not only that, but using Perfect w*apon Control art
of this magnitude on thirty weapons...

It violates the fundamental rules of the arts!

This is the power I've sought.

Pure offense that will continue to fight forever.

Its name is... let's see...

Why don't I call it Sword Golem?

A sword automaton!

Each of its swords has the Priority Level
of a Divine Object.

Do you think you can defeat this Sword Golem,

the ultimate w*apon I've created by stretching
my precious memory capacity to the limit?

Now then, fight, Golem.

Annihilate your enemies!

Eu-Eugeo...

Use your dagger, Eugeo!

s*ab the floating platform in the floor!

I'll buy you some time! Hurry!

Thank goodness. He made it in time.

I'm happy...
that I got to fight with you at the... end...

Kirito.

Who is she?

Cardinal.

She fought Administrator hundred years ago
and was banished. She's another pontifex.

Don't worry, she's on our side.

She's the one who rescued Eugeo and me
and guided us here.

She loves this world with all her heart,
and also mourns for it.

Very well. Since she healed my wounds,
I shall trust in the warmth of her power.

You're so stubborn!

Didn't I release you from duty,
thank you for your hard work,

and order you to live as you pleased
in the corner of your favorite bookshelf?

Did Charlotte have a Fluctlight, too?

No. To use a phrase from your world,
she was the same as an NPC.

B-But... But then...

She saved me. She sacrificed herself for me.

How... how can that be?

This child had already lived for years.

During that time, she spoke to me constantly
and watched over numerous people.

It's already been two years
since she attached herself to you.

Even if you have no Fluctlight
if you've spent that much time with another...

Even if her intelligence was nothing more
than accumulated input and output data,

it's possible for a true heart to reside there.

Yes, even love, in some cases.

Not that you'll ever understand that
as long as you live...

Administrator, you hollow fool!

Next time: Administrator.