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Their skills are all over the place. Hoederer's team was a lot tougher than I thought.

If Babel didn't score them first, would've been nice to get them for ourselves.

Do we keep chasing?

We don't know what's up ahead.

Understood, General.

We lost them?

Split up. You go east, I'll take the west.

Phew... phew...

These guys aren't easy marks.

Duh. Hide.

Pfah...

Knock it off. You've been at it since the beginning. You're gonna go blind. Don't your eyes hurt?

Of course they hurt, dumbass. But we have to find a way out...

Aieeeeee! I surrender!

Ooh, what a nice, clean slash. Did you see that?

They're dressed up as mercs, but these aren't mercs.

Cut the chatter!

They don't even need to ambush us. They could take us head on in the ruins and we wouldn't be able to beat them.

What are you thinking?

Huh...

Are you still spying on me? At a time like this?

No. I just haven't gone blind yet.

You've got so many... are those grenades? What are you doing?

Are you gonna blow yourself up with them?

A kill's a kill, no?

Don't throw your life away for nothing.

For what then?

What's the point of living? What should I throw my life away for?

...Sarkaz really are crazy.

That's why I never trusted you. You're not crazy.

Hey, W! Wait!

Gah, come back!

Yep. Found one. The one and only W.

The way you toss those Originium grenades around, and such big ones too. That's the kind of crazy that gets my blood pumping.

How do you do it? All my friends incinerated in a flash, and don't have a scratch on you?

What can I say? Practice makes perfect.

The General's gonna like you.

Just lay it all out for me. What's Babel got you doing? You can do a lot better somewhere else.

Why should you trust me?

Why should I trust you?

Asking the right questions in the right order.

Mercenaries are a tool of war. If we're gonna fight, we gotta have the right tools at hand.

Don't you think we're more expendable than that?

That's your call.

We got another one hiding 17 meters out, 4 o'clock. The one with the scouting arts. You can think it over too.

Put the sword down. You can't beat me. Welcome to try though.

Hmph...

What do you want?

Yeah... this fits. We got W and Ines.

You got maybe 20% of your people left. The scattered remnants can't do much.

What's that you're standing on...?

Oh? This?

It used to be a person. I guess it's hard to tell at this point.

You get it now? We're not your regular mercenaries. We're not hitmen either.

What if we do this? There's the two of you, plus your leader. Only one of you three has to die.

The other two bring back a head. I don't care whose. We pin all the losses on the head and take in the survivors.

Not that this is my call. But we have to do something for our fallen men.

Things could've gone a different way if we weren't meeting on the battlefield.

That's awful nice of you.

Just my luck. I suck at fighting. I probably can't beat this ugly bitch.

Now we're so honest all of a sudden.

Yeah, so the only other choice is for us to team up and kill Hoederer.

Yep. Hoederer.

So——

Hm...

Tell me... why do mercenaries insist on getting killed?

I'm not gonna stay on the side that's getting played. I'd much rather play with someone else's life.

Plus, I'm real sick of listening to you. You're boring. And your shitty little attempt at a death game sucks.

Oh, and my poor little lamb here steadily going blind...

She's not Sarkaz. You noticed, right? You stepped right into her minefield.

You know how this will end. You've already lost.

Oh?

I dunno about that one...

Are you really going? The landship is right here.

Yes, I didn't expect them to spot it so soon. Did intel blow this one?

At least we've got the mercenaries.

We put them in danger. They have no idea what's happening.

They're mercenaries. They live for this. And sooner or later... it will be our burden too.

I can save them. I can save some of the men who would die for our mistakes.

You're right, Theresa, but...

There isn't a single Sarkaz, not a single person, who should die for nothing.

...*Sigh*... Then I'm coming with you.

Good. Thank you——

——Kal'tsit.

Wow, reinforcements, huh...? Who are they...?

There's a lot of them...

Hey, you stay with me.

Sorry... I'm just so... sleepy...

Since when do you know the word 'sorry?'

I had to watch you pass out last time... Now it's your turn...

C'mon, be a team player... I just need a little... nap...

Tch.

Fourteen, fifteen... Still more...

They're professionals. Look how they move... they know the battlefield even better than we do...

...Kazdel... hmph...

Ine... Come in... someone...

Going... to save you...

Comms are back...?

What... what's this feeling...?

Someone's close...!