00:59
This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Everything had been going so well, so why…
Why did this happen?
You still remember your first day at the Academy, when Yukari asked you to protect them all – long enough for them to become strong. At first, you wanted to refuse. You had already tried to protect others, and failed. But you accepted, naively thinking that this time would be different.
You should have refused.
No, that was wrong. No matter what the results, you could confidently say that you did the right thing. The Academy hadn't seen such a strong Flight graduate since…well, never.
It started slow. You were torn between protecting them all on your own, and letting them experience hardship to grow. And in the end, their determination to fight and become strong won out – you trained them. You taught them everything you knew, and gave them the weapons to win. To kill all the antagonists.
Some of them grew faster than others. But all excelled.
In your first year, you successfully defended the arcology from an unexpected assault of antagonists headed by a two Type 0's. In your heart, you thought someone would die. Even if you fought off the Type C, there were too many Antagonists. Casualties were only natural.
But they didn't. Everyone survived, and Koujirou, that fool, had delivered the final blow to the Class D. You couldn't be more proud and more terrified at the same time.
Because now the UN knew, and they would make them fight even more. If it wasn't here, it would be later, and you would be too damn slow.
00:46
And yet, that day didn't come. The training camp in second year had gone straight to hell, with a Class B of all things. Half of your classmates had died, MIA, or quit the next day. But not your flight.
The Flight of Miracles, they called you. Together, even a Class B was no match. And the world cheered, for saviors had come at last.
Somewhere along the way, with their antics and dare-devil attitude, you started to believe it. That you weren't alone. That they would all survive, and bring victory to humanity. The trauma of losing your village so long ago faded into just another painful memory.
And from the bottom of your heart, you smiled.
The defeat of a Class A, something that ordinarily took hundreds of Valkyries, and was accomplished with just 6, cinched it. You didn't have to protect them anymore. You protected each other.
00:34
So why? Why did this have to happen. It was supposed to be an easy mission, to ease your flight into functioning as a true combat unit outside of a school setting. To think you all laughed, long having experienced the terror of the battlefield and thought yourselves invincible.
You flawlessly defended the settlement under attack, helping the villagers evacuate to somewhere further from the breach. It filled you with joy, succeeding where you had once failed. And you finally felt at peace with your friends.
Then it appeared. In a flash of Higgs and from absolutely nowhere. An Antagonist that was no bigger than a Valkyrie.
Before you could do anything, Shuri was dead, cut in half to protect Sandra from its scythe-like claws. Sandra died moments later, in a suicidal attack of rage and hurt. Her corpse flew through the air, landing onto of Shuri's in a tangled mess of hair, flesh, and metal.
The four of you desperately regrouped, fighting through the shock of losing two comrades who had been there since the first week of your Flight's existence.
Koujirou had come a long way, quite cobbling together a plan. The three of you would distract it, while he prepared his special attack. A feat even you could not replicate, a single absolute swing that could cut through space and destroy anything.
You tried to think of a different way. It was risky. Koujirou would be in danger, and Yukari would never forgive you if you let him die. You would never forgive yourself if you let Koujirou die.
00:22
But you weren't a tactician, and your strongest attack might catch everyone else in its blast. So you agreed.
But even that superhuman was just a fly to that strange Antagonist. It was too fast, too strong. It manipulated Higgs as naturally as breathing, and attacked with the ferocity of a hurricane. She died minutes after engaging, but not in vain. It was just long enough for Setsuna to unleash her ace - a long-range cannon type wave-force. You yourself took the chance to unleash your perfected Transcendental Offense.
The perfect opening, that Koujirou took with gusto. His blade cut through the Antagonist, and it was over.
It should have been over.
But when the scythe sent Koujirou's head flying, Setsuna lost whatever composure she had left. She flew into a rage, and was killed.
00:12
Leaving you. Just like before. The last one standing. Alone.
Like it always should have been.
Your composure? It was probably gone when Shuri died. After all, if you were thinking properly, you would never have let them die. Never.
00:07
Koujirou's final attack had left a gaping hole in the Antagonist. But you had no impeller left, and all your missiles were gone, your cannons burnt out or destroyed. All you had left was your shattered halberd.
That and your core. Durga. That which represented the potential of something to grow, evolve. To come back stronger. A primal, infinite power.
00:03
The perfect bomb.
00:02
You don't dare close your eyes. You'll face this monster until it's all over. It's the least you can do. From the very depths of your heart, you apologize. Because you couldn't keep your promise. Because you were weak.
00:01
You smile. Goodbye.
00:00
