Last Resort
Shouldn't we stop her? That's her own little sister she's up against, after all...
Stop her? Everyone knows the Commander became stricter after losing the subordinates she valued.
She used to be fiercely protective of her sister. If she's personally training her in swordsmanship now, she must have made up her mind.
Don't stick your neck out. Just stay out of it.
...Get up.
*Sob...* *Sob...* *Sniff...*
I won't say it again. Get up, Ceres.
I... I can't move. It hurts too much... My knees are all scraped up...
...And?
...Can't we... stop...? My legs are all swollen too...
...
Eek...!!
...Stop looking to me for comfort.
You said you wanted to become a Western Liberator, didn't you?
Becoming a Liberator means enduring pain like this every single day from now on.
If holding back your tears is too hard, then let them all out.
That's far better than letting your emotions pin you in place.
...Venera...
When you take up a sword, keep your eyes on one thing only: the result waiting beyond everything you cut through.
Even if you hesitate, waver, and suffer along the way...
Once you're resolved to see it through, don't hesitate until you reach the end.
The moment you said you would become a Liberator, turning back stopped being an option.
*Hic...* *Sniffle...*
Don't forget, Ceres.
If you've made up your mind to follow in my footsteps...
You must become a blade that never breaks.
Western Liberators. Operation: Destroy the Void Core
One Day Until the Operation
Yes, whatever. Just hurry inside and wash up. You'll catch a cold if you stay soaked in sweat.
Tomorrow of all days, when everyone's gathered to destroy the Void Core...
Imagine having to say, "Everyone, I'm sorry, but the Commander caught a cold. We'll have to postpone the operation...!!"
It'd be way too pathetic.
...Ahem. Understood. I suppose I've trained enough for tonight.
Then I shall take my leave.
Journey Captain, you should go in and rest as well.
...Tomorrow, I'm counting on you.
With that, Ceres and Besta left the clearing.
...Shouldn't you head in too, Captain?
You're not planning to make me go alone, are you?
What are you talking about? The two of us standing here talking at this hour would look strange.
Let's talk in your room, Captain.
This time... right. It's the [fourth] loop.
Just as Lydia was telling me that destroying the Void Core could bring an even greater calamity...
Above the fissure, the sky started to grow white.
Looks like this is as far as we go this time.
Let's talk again [after we return].
You said it was Venera's voice, right?
Yes. I'm certain. I only heard it once, though...
It kept calling the Commander's name, [Ceres], over and over. ...It sounded desperate, as if it were searching for her.
...Why would Venera, the former commander, appear in that vision?
...Hmm.
Lydia tapped her fingers thoughtfully for a moment before speaking.
It was back when Commander Ceres and I were still young.
Former Commander Venera, who led the Liberators at the time...
She led an operation to destroy the Void Core, just like this one.
No one doubted that she was the strongest commander in the history of the Western Liberators, so expectations were high.
The ones sent on the operation were the best of the best.
And not a single one... came back.
They say that when a recovery team entered the central area, they found the remains of the fallen.
But as for Venera... there wasn't even a body left to recover.
Only one thing was found there. The sword the Commander had always carried...
[Daystar], and nothing else.
That is how Commander Ceres came to inherit her sister's sword.
As I listened to Lydia's story, I felt the scattered pieces fall into place.
Lydia's account of Daystar refusing its wielder. The nature of meteoric steel, which grants its full power only to the master it has chosen.
Then the reason Ceres's sword had no effect on Olberos might be...
...Yes, I did. It was very faint, but something was mixed in.
Something besides the power of the Voidborns.
Don't tell me...
It was mixed in so faintly that I can't identify it for certain. Still...
I'm certain there is another power inside Olberos, alongside Void Force.
What you're thinking right now, Captain...
...It's possible.
Silence fell.
...We'll find out tomorrow.
Whether former Commander Venera is inside Olberos? How? Oh, maybe you're striking up a nice conversation?
...Hmm.
You said you'd [try everything you can], didn't you?
Yeah. I mean it.
Then I do have one gamble we could take.
If you're willing to go through with it, Captain.
Lydia smiled rather ominously.
All units, assume attack formation!
Are you ready, Captain?
I-I'm ready.
Oh? You're not trembling, are you?
You're the one who said you'd [try everything you can], aren't you, Captain?
I-I did say that...
Captain... do you... really have to do that...?
Kuku was wide open in Lydia's hand, its lock released.
There were no written pages inside at all. Only black tentacles, writhing ominously.
I've been with Kuku for a long time, so we can link easily, but...
Since this is your first time, Captain, we'll have to use a method that's a tiny bit rough and just a little dangerous.
You understand, right? I'm going to put it over your head.
Kuku's tentacles will slip into every opening in your face, connect to your nerves, and make their way up to your brain. Then—
I'd rather not hear the details!
Heh, yes. After that, I'll have Kuku absorb a little of Olberos's power.
If all goes according to plan, you'll be able to see the vision I saw, Captain...
And what you can do from there will be up to you.
Western Liberators, advance!
No time to waste. Here goes!
Hyaah!
Lydia brought Kuku down over my head as if she were striking me with it.
[Something] neither cold nor warm, something that defied any sense of temperature, crept over my skin and seeped inside.
Don't resist!
Mmph...! Ghk!
Pain shot straight through the center of my skull.
It was nothing like the déjà vu-laced headaches I'd felt before. I gritted my teeth against the sickening jolt, as if my brain were being turned inside out.
Void aura crept up from my feet. Heavy. Primal. The Void aura felt bottomless.
I could feel Kuku rattling wildly, clamped over my head.
Captain, are you all right?!
Tch, I told you! This is Kuku's first time linking with anyone else!
It's a gamble. We don't know if it will work or how long it will take.
The Captain is completely defenseless, so just focus on protecting him!
If anything goes wrong, I won't let you get away with it!