$01-00-07-02-1-1 [soundStopAll] [bgm BGM_EVENT_2 0.1] [charaSet A 8001002 1 Mash] [charaSet B 98003000 1 "Dr. Roman"] [charaSet C 98002000 1 Fou] [charaSet D 3008001 1 Enkidu] [scene 20730] [fadein black 2.0] [wait fade] [wt 0.4] [se ad13] [charaTalk B] [communicationChara 98003003 1 5 0 0] [wt 0.3] @Dr. Roman Whew. In spite of the Demonic Beast attacks along the way, it looks like you made it safely past the ruins. [k] @Dr. Roman This is...oh? It looks you're heading north? [k] @Dr. Roman Based on our mapping data, isn't Uruk to the southeast? I thought you'd go south down the Euphrates. [k] [communicationCharaClear] [wait communicationChara] [charaTalk D] [charaFace D 5] [charaFadein D 0.1 1] @Enkidu Do not be so shortsighted, Dr. Romani. We'd enter a different goddess's territory down south[line 3] [k] [bgmStop BGM_EVENT_2 1.0] [charaFace D 5] @Enkidu Oh, right. You do not know the current situation in Mesopotamia. [k] [bgm BGM_EVENT_5 0.1] @Enkidu Let me start with that. To be blunt, humanity in Mesopotamia is on the brink of extinction. [k] @Enkidu Roughly 80% of the population here has been slaughtered. [k] @Enkidu The survivors are huddled in the city of Uruk, facing the ever-looming moment of extinction. [k] [charaFadeout D 0.1] [charaTalk A] [charaFace A 7] [charaFadein A 0.1 1] @Mash ...Who is causing chaos in this era?[sr]Does that person have the Holy Grail? [k] ?1:The king? [charaFadeout A 0.1] [charaTalk B] [communicationCharaLoop 98003003 1 5 0 3] @Dr. Roman Yup, yup. We'd all think that, naturally.[sr]After all, the king of this era is the tyrant Gilgamesh. [k] @Dr. Roman It's not hard to imagine him using the Grail's power to oppress his people and lead the world to destruction! [k] [communicationCharaClear] [wait communicationChara] ?2:Is it the leader of the Demonic Beasts? [charaFace A 12] @Mash The boss of the Demonic Beasts we encountered in the ruins... That is indeed a possibility. [k] @Mash Many Demonic Beasts appear in myths, and Mesopotamian myths are no exception. [k] @Mash ...Furthermore, in those Mesopotamian myths, there's a great goddess dubbed the “Mother of Demonic Beasts.” [k] @Mash If one of them has the Holy Grail... [k] [charaFadeout A 0.1] ?! [charaTalk D] [charaFace D 5] [charaFadein D 0.1 1] @Enkidu No, nobody has hold of the Holy Grail. Something other than the Mage King's followers is destroying this world. [k] @Enkidu Mesopotamia faces destruction by something equal to, if not greater than, the King of Mages. [k] @Enkidu Yes. To be blunt, the gods are the ones destroying humanity. [k] @Enkidu It's not the God you're thinking of.[sr]The gods of this era are different... [k] [charaFace D 0] @Enkidu The Three Goddess Alliance has descended on this era and claimed roughly 60% of the lands of Mesopotamia. [k] [charaFadeout D 0.1] [charaTalk A] [charaFace C 0] [charaFadein C 0.1 0] [charaFace A 7] [charaFadein A 0.1 2] @Mash G-Goddesses, you say!? [k] @Fou Fou, foooou! [k] ?1:Like Artemis back in Okeanos!? [charaFadeout C 0.1] [charaFadeout A 0.1] [charaTalk B] [communicationCharaLoop 98003003 1 5 0 4] @Dr. Roman No, she was a goddess that was forced to tag along with Orion, so I don't think she's powerful enough to destroy the world. [k] ?2:Like those devils of the Shapeless Isle!? [charaFadeout C 0.1] [charaFadeout A 0.1] [charaTalk B] [communicationCharaLoop 98003003 1 5 0 1] @Dr. Roman Hahaha, as the one who has been victimized the most, let me tell you this! Those three[communicationCharaFace 5] are devils indeed! Especially the oldest one! [k] @Dr. Roman She lacks Authority because of her low rank among Divine Spirits, but if there are any male dictators, she can destroy the world another way! [k] ?! [communicationCharaClear] [wait communicationChara] [charaTalk D] [charaFace D 5] [charaFadein D 0.1 1] @Enkidu So there are Divine Spirit Servants in Chaldea too...? That is...slightly unexpected. [k] @Enkidu I thought such powerful summons were impossible outside of the Age of Gods... [k] [charaFadeout D 0.1] [charaTalk A] [charaFace D 5] [charaFadein D 0.1 0] [charaFace A 0] [charaFadein A 0.1 2] @Mash No, all the goddesses we've encountered so far have been diminished somewhat in order to be contained in Servant form. [k] @Mash Their Spirit Origins have been on par with Heroic Spirits, so I don't think any have the Authority of a god. [k] [charaFace D 1] @Enkidu Good. That is more understandable.[sr]This must be what you call a fragment of the spirit. [k] [charaFadeout D 0.1] [charaFadeout A 0.1] [charaTalk D] [charaFace D 5] [charaFadein D 0.1 1] @Enkidu However, the goddesses that have appeared here in Mesopotamia are different. [k] @Enkidu It is true they are Divine Spirits summoned by someone, but their Spirit Origins are on the level of true gods. [k] @Enkidu The monsters we fought earlier were subordinates[line 2]no, it's better to say children[line 2]of one of the goddesses. [k] @Enkidu The Three Goddess Alliance is, as the name suggests, three female deities working together. [k] @Enkidu We know almost nothing about them, individually or as a group. Their objective, though, is crystal clear. [k] ?1:...And that is? ?! [charaFace D 5] @Enkidu ...The annihilation of the human race.[sr]Complete extinction. No survivors. [k] @Enkidu “Eradicate humanity here to cause everything rising from this era to die out.” That seems to be their objective. [k] [charaFadeout D 0.1] [charaTalk A] [charaFace D 5] [charaFadein D 0.1 0] [charaFace A 15] [charaFadein A 0.1 2] @Mash Impossible... They're not just seeking to cause chaos in this era, but to annihilate mankind itself!? [k] @Mash That's no different from the King of Mages! If they're goddesses, aren't they on humanity's side!? [k] [charaFace D 1] @Enkidu There's never been a time when gods allied with humans. Humans are nothing more than worker drones to the gods. [k] @Enkidu It is said the gods of Mesopotamia created humans to be “those who perform their jobs in their stead.” [k] [charaFadeout D 0.1] [charaFadeout A 0.1] [charaTalk D] [charaFace D 5] [charaFadein D 0.1 1] @Enkidu Whatever the truth is, for gods, humans are objects to keep, not objects to love. [k] @Enkidu Gods who love humans merely suffer from a logical error due to being multifunctional. [k] [charaFace D 3] @Enkidu Take the great goddess Inanna[line 2]known as Ishtar in Akkadian[line 2]for instance. [k] @Enkidu That goddess has a confusing nature unfit for a deity. She loves abundant harvests, man, war, and being at the top. [k] @Enkidu She claims to love humans, but favors war where humans kill each other. Isn't that contradictory? [k] ?1:Well, yeah... ?2:That's a double standard... ?! [charaFace D 1] @Enkidu Right. That's why it's helpful to think of it as a kind of logical error. [k] @Enkidu Lack of uniformity from having too many elements and functions. Put simply, she's just insane. [k] [charaFadeout D 0.1] [charaTalk B] [communicationCharaLoop 98003003 1 5 0 5] @Dr. Roman ...Interesting interpretation. Contradictions are created from having too many functions... [k] @Dr. Roman In polytheism, the roles of the gods are subdivided into small parts. In other words, they are all specialists, so nothing is wasted. [k] @Dr. Roman That's why so few gods have this error that makes them love humans. Is that what you're saying? [k] [communicationCharaClear] [wait communicationChara] [charaTalk D] [charaFace D 1] [charaFadein D 0.1 1] @Enkidu Yes. Usually the demiurge who possesses many functions and roles is the one that loves humans. [k] @Enkidu The more roles a god has, the more they make logical mistakes. Just like humans. [k] [charaFace D 4] @Enkidu ...Anyway, it's useless to preach about gods here. [k] [charaFace D 1] @Enkidu The three goddesses that appeared here each used their own methods to destroy Mesopotamia. [k] @Enkidu The greatest force of the three drifted over from Greece: The “Goddess of Demonic Beasts.” [k] [charaFace D 4] @Enkidu ...Yeah, you should see it soon. I think it's simpler if you see for yourself rather than trying to explain. [k] @Enkidu From this plateau, you have a clear view of the situation at the Northern Wall. [k] @Enkidu That is the first threat. The evil offspring of the Goddess of Demonic Beasts, who crushed the very center of this world. [k] [messageOff] [bgmStop BGM_EVENT_5 1.0] [wipeout rectangleStripRightToLeft 0.7 1] [wait wipe] [charaFadeout D 0.1] [scene 34600] [wt 0.4] [wipein rectangleStripLeftToRight 0.7 1] [wait wipe] [wt 1.0] [bgm BGM_EVENT_1 0.1 0.5] ?1:That's...a castle wall? ?2:It looks like it has no end... ?! @Enkidu Right. When Demonic Beasts filled the northern area, it was made with materials salvaged by dismantling Babylon. [k] @Enkidu Nowadays, it is called... [k] @Enkidu The largest and final fort that protects human hope and the four corners of the earth: Absolute Demonic Front Babylonia. [k] @Mash Amazing... Not as impressive as the Holy City's outer wall, but it's a tough wall that stretches out over the horizon. [k] @Mash Something is moving outside the wall... Are those the Demonic Beasts from earlier? [k] @Mash N-no, that's not possible! I see thousands of them! [k] @Dr. Roman No, that's not all. To the north, I'm getting magical energy readings orders of magnitude greater! [k] @Dr. Roman ...Unbelievable. My goodness. There's no way humanity can possibly survive something like this! [k] @Dr. Roman The Demonic Beasts earlier had power equal to a small autonomous tank! Now there're thousands of them! You can't possibly hold that off with a single wall! [k] @Mash Uh... Doctor... I can hardly believe what I'm seeing either, but... that's exactly what they're doing. [k] @Mash There appear to be soldiers outside the wall, and they seem to be holding against the rushing Demonic Beasts... [k] @Dr. Roman I-is that possible!? Just how powerful are these Sumerians!? [k] @Enkidu Do not be surprised by that.[sr]They have been holding that wall for six months already. [k] @Dr. Roman S-Six months!? No human could do that! [k] @Mash Yes... But, it's amazing...[sr]They must be extremely proficient soldiers... [k] [messageOff] [wipeout rectangleStripLeftToRight 0.7 1] [wait wipe] [scene 20730] [charaTalk D] [charaFace D 3] [charaFadein D 0.1 1] [wt 0.4] [wipein rectangleStripRightToLeft 0.7 1] [wait wipe] @Enkidu It is exactly as Mash has surmised. [k] @Enkidu The fortress city that fights Demonic Beasts day and night. An endless onslaught of Demonic Beasts driven back by its soldiers. [k] @Enkidu But the humans suffer fewer casualties... Precise army utilization. Seamless shift changes. [k] @Enkidu Training new soldiers even during combat, putting them on the front line, and having the wounded rest and concentrate on healing. [k] [charaFace D 1] @Enkidu This is the ultimate form of point defense. At that rate, they should be able to hold the front line for another month. [k] [charaFadeout D 0.1] [charaTalk A] [charaFace A 6] [charaFadein A 0.1 1] @Mash Yes... They're clearly losing, but, in the grand scheme of things, somehow winning... [k] @Mash I wonder what kind of person is in command of that fortress... [k] ?1:Probably someone very patient. ?2:Probably someone very muscular. ?! [charaFadeout A 0.1] [charaTalk D] [charaFace D 5] [charaFadein D 0.1 1] @Enkidu ...Yes, truly. They shed needless blood as well. [k] @Enkidu There is no need to annihilate everything.[sr]They will die off on their own, so this is useless. [k] [charaFadeout D 0.1] [charaTalk C] [charaFace C 0] [charaFadein C 0.1 1] @Fou Fou...? [k] ?1:Enkidu...? ?! [bgmStop BGM_EVENT_1 1.0] [charaFadeout C 0.1] [bgm BGM_EVENT_2 0.1] [charaTalk D] [charaFace D 1] [charaFadein D 0.1 1] @Enkidu My apologies. That was a bit much. Even Demonic Beasts are living beings. I was too emotional. [k] [charaFace D 3] @Enkidu If you are interested, you can join the front line anytime.[sr]I hear the recruitment test for Uruk is very lax nowadays. [k] [charaFadeout D 0.1] [charaTalk B] [communicationCharaLoop 98003003 1 5 0 4] @Dr. Roman Y-yeah, it's definitely a situation we'd like to help out with, but [%1] alone won't change much. [k] [communicationCharaFace 5] @Dr. Roman For now, let's hurry to Uruk. The fact that military operations are in full force means that their commander[line 2]their king[line 2]stands strong. [k] @Dr. Roman If the threat upon Uruk isn't a king gone mad with the Grail, but this “Three Goddess Alliance,” negotiations will be simple. [k] @Dr. Roman Request an audience with the king, explain our objective, find the Holy Grail within this era, and recover it. [k] @Dr. Roman We'll think about dealing with that Northern Wall afterwards. Got that, [%1]? [k] ?1:...Understood, Doctor. ?2:...Yes. Let's hurry to Uruk in the meantime. ?! [communicationCharaClear] [wait communicationChara] [charaTalk D] [charaFace D 3] [charaFadein D 0.1 1] @Enkidu Are you done chatting?[sr]Then let's hurry on ahead. [k] @Enkidu As we were assaulted by Demonic Beasts earlier, this area is likely still dangerous. For now, let's get under cover of the forest. [k] [wt 0.4] [messageOff] [fadeout black 1.5] [bgmStop BGM_EVENT_2 1.4] [wait fade] [soundStopAll] [end]