86 Chapter Volume 1 9

"What—"

For a mont, she did not understand what Shinn was saying.

Everyone will die? Death row for this purpose?

"What are you, saying…"

At that mont, Lena realized.

Six years ago, she t Ray. Back then, he was an Eighty Sixer, a Processor.

The Eighty Sixers went to the battlefield of despair to regain the citizenships for themselves and their families.

So why did Shinn, as Ray's little brother, remain an Eighty Sixer when he should be a citizen of the Republic because of Ray's service, and remain as a Processor on the battlefield?

Also, this applied for the other Processors too. Every year, thousands of recruits were sent to the battlefield. What were their families and siblings doing?

"That—!"

"Yeah. That's it. Since the beginning, the white swine never thought of giving the Eighty Sixers citizenship at all."

"They bluff us into being soldiers by using that as the incentive, and use us until we die. A bunch of white swine they are. Absolutely horrible."

Lena kept shaking her head, trying to deny it. It was likely that, for her ideals, this was truly an unacceptable fact.

"How is this, how is this possible—!?"

Seo sighed. He was not trying to reproach her, he was anguished, and had similar thoughts to her.

"Look, we're not blaming you here… but think about it. Ever since the war started, have you seen a single Eighty Sixer inside the Eighty Five legislative zones?"

"…Ah—"

Eighty Sixers were required to serve for five years in the military so that they could regain their citizenship. Even if they were to die before their terms ended, the other family mbers should have been receiving citizenship.

However, the war had been going on for nine years. Logically, the families of the soldiers who died over these past nine years should have attained citizenship, but Lena had never ever seen a single one of them. Even though she was living in the first zone the entire ti, that there were few Colorata in the first zone to begin with, it made no sense for her to not see a single one—!

Her foolishness left her utterly nauseous.

She should have thought of it a long ti ago. The brothers Shinn and Ray, the children who had their parents and siblings around when they were in the Concentration Camps, that she could only spot Albas in the first zone. She had seen them all before, yet ignored them; even at this point, she had foolishly believed the Republic was in the right.

"Most of the Processors die before they retire from service, so the issue of the promised citizenship isn't much even though they never abided by it. The key though is for those with 'Codenas' like us, who lived through the hellish battlefield. We've been able to live through to today , aren’t exactly stupid, and are heroes to the other Eighty Sixers; they're probably scared that we will be the spark to a rebellion."

Raiden's voice was monotonous. He had lots of grudges against the Republic, but at this point, it was pointless to voice them.

"Thus, they would have those with 'Codenas' assigned to the areas with the most intense battles, hoping that they would then die. Most of those ‘Codenad’ do die like this. However, there are those that just won't die at all, and these people are sent to the first defense team in the first battle zone, the last death row. Once they have enough 'Codenad' to be executed, they have them sent here, and have them fight until every single one of them die. This is the objective of our squadron's existence. There will be no new soldiers. Once we all die, the next batch to be executed will be sent over — this is our final battlefield. Sooner or later, we will die here."

Lena felt dizzy, her world completely turned upside down.

Having them continue fighting was not about protecting the Republic, but for them to die.

That was no reginted conscription, but utter genocide through enemy hands.

"B-But."

Lena said, grasping at straws for the last bit of hope,

"I-If you can fight on until the very end…"

"Oh, there are so who just won't die and live until the very end… so to deal with these guys, at the end of their service, they will be sent to deal with so special recon mission, where the success and survival rate is practically zero. Nobody will be able to survive. For those white swine, the trash's cleared out. Job well done."

"…"

To protect their holand, they ventured forth into the battlefield of death, even though their efforts would not be rewarded. If they survived long enough, they were deed a calamity, and forced into a more dangerous battlefield, waiting to die. The squadron established for this execution continued to fight until this point. And at the very end — she was going to order them to die.

Rage beca tears, blurring her vision.

This country had beco so rotten, fallen.

She recalled Seo and Raiden grumbling that there was nothing to do.

She recalled Shinn having no thoughts about life after service.

For they did not, and would not, have any future to look forward to, and no ti to prepare for it.

All that awaited them would be a signed execution order, the mont it would be implented, never to be avoided.

"Y-You knew about this…?"

"Yeah… sorry. Nobody dared say this to you, not even Shinn or Raiden."

"Wh-When did you…?"

Lena heard her own voice quaking. Krena answered, her voice exceptionally cold,

"Right from the beginning. My older sister, Seo's parents, Shinn's family, none of them returned after they entered the battlefield, and we never left the Concentration Camp. The white swine will never fulfill their promises… everyone already knew about it."

"Then why do you still fight!? Have you not thought about running away… taking revenge on the Republic!?"

Upon hearing Lena's anguished, furious question, Raiden closed his eyes, and gave a wry smile.

"Where can we go to? The is before us, and we have mines and intercepting cannons behind us. Rebellion is an option… but given our numbers, it's impossible."

If it had been the generation of their parents, there might have been a fighting chance. However, that generation of people fought on not to exact vengeance on the Republic, but for their families to regain lives as proper humans. If they did not fight with their utmost, the ones dead would be their families and children, locked in the Concentration Camps outside the . They could only believe in the sweet talk of the Republic, and continue the hopeless battle.

Once their parents died, the generation of the eldest children understood that they would be unable to attain citizenship, and continued to fight to prove their identities as citizens of the Republic. They tried to fulfill their duties as citizens, fighting for their country, and pick up the identities and pride that their country had trampled upon. They wanted to prove that they were real citizens of the Republic, they who had fought and given their all, and not the white swine who had abandoned their duty to defend.

And for Raiden and the others, they had nothing.

The families they wanted to protect were long gone, and they were all too young when when they were sent to Concentration Camps or locked in the cramped gardens.

Whether it was their mories strolling freely on the streets, or their experience of being treated as humans, that ti was way too distant for them. All they knew was a life boxed in by tal fences and mines, a lifestyle no different from livestock, and the oppressors who had created everything, called the Republic. They did not know of the Republic who had once hailed freedom, equality, fraternity, justice, and purity, and were reduced to livestock before they even realized they were citizens of the Republic, and proud of it.

To Raiden and the others, they did not think of themselves as citizens of the Republic.

They were Eighty Sixers, born to the battlefield, and to die on the battlefield, the holand they were most familiar with being the battlefield surrounded with enemies, and they were citizens who would et their demise in battle. Such was their identity, their pride.

The Republic of San Magnolia was simply a foreign land, only for white swine to live in, and they did not care.

"Then, why…"

Thus, they had no need to answer her doubt.

But they wanted to tell her. Even in the face of angry lashings, even after hearing the chilling groans of the ghosts, she insisted, and even desired to interact with them. Perhaps they had all been touched by the foolishness of that obstinate girl.

Raiden's squadmates remained silent, but not because they refused to say anything. Once he was sure of this, Raiden spoke up,

"Until I was twelve, I was hidden by an Alba granny in the ninth zone."

"…? What…"

"The one who raised Shinn was an Alba priest who refused to retreat, and stayed inside the Concentration Camp. Seo did ntion the story of his squad leader, right? We know the white swine are those that did those despicable acts, and of them all, Krena saw the worst of them. Angel and Shinn even saw so Eighty Sixers who were as despicable as they are."

So were so unbearably uncouth, and so remained dazzlingly pure. They were clear on what one of them, or both of them, were like.

"So we made our decisions. It's simple. How to be a despicable cad, and how to be a noble, upright person."

Inside the cramped cockpit, he straightened his body, and looked up.

He had long forgotten about the old granny's teachings about God, or the words to say for prayer. However, the image of her lying on the road, wailing away shabbily remained fresh in his mind.

"If we wanted to take revenge, it wouldn't be that difficult; just give up fighting. Let the pass through… we won’t survive, but the Republic would be dood. There are tis when we do think the white swine should all be killed."

Even though their compatriots in the Concentration Camps would be dood as well, it was a matter of years until they died… for the Processors, the choice to give up was not a difficult one.

"But, well, even amongst the Albas, there are those who chose to co here to die, and even if we want to take revenge like that, the outco remains the sa."

"…"

Lena did not seem to understand. Are you really fine with this? Such words could almost be heard from her. Raiden was completely gobsmacked. This girl's really kind, and also stupid. Perhaps she had never thought about revenge or sothing like that.

The real hatred and vengeance was not simply about killing off those they hated.

"True revenge is only done by having the offenders thoroughly understand what they did, regret and kneel on the ground, begging for forgiveness while wailing, before killing them… but the white swine have already done all kinds of disgusting things. No way they will be reflecting on their actions just because of a rebellion or utter defeat, you know? You won’t be reflecting on your own incompetence, instead just lambasting others as trash, and act as a victim, a tragic hero… no way will anyone else want to be like those scumbags who end up being delusional."

Before he knew it, his voice was filled with rage.

For them, that was the most unforgivable act.

The soldiers who mocked the granny who resisted out of kindness.

The weak, dreaming citizens who shut their eyes and ears, running away from the reality that was war, and hid behind the .

The white swine who refused to fulfill their duties, and robbed the rights of others, unabashedly hailing that only they were noble and upright, and unable to understand the hypocrisy of their actions.

No way would anyone else want to end up like them.

"While the scum did inhumane things to us, if we do similar things to them, we'll end up as scum, just like them. If there is the option to fight the until the very end, or to give up and die, then we will choose to fight until the very end, never giving up, and never being reduced to trash. This is the reason why we fight, our raison d'etre, our pride… though it might appear that we're protecting the white swine, that doesn’t matter now."

They were the Eighty Sixers, discarded upon the battlefield, citizens of the battlefield.

They would fight until they were completely exhausted, fight and live on to the very end, with their own abilities, and that would be their pride.

The Handler girl bit her lips. Everyone sensed a sense of rustic blood not belonging to them.

"You know the outco… that you won’t be able to escape death, right?"

Her voice seed to be yearning for their vengeance, inflicted upon herself. Raiden grimaced,

"Nobody's going to hang himself just because he's going to die tomorrow. We're going to get onto the guillotine sooner or later, and we're going to choose how we do it. We made our decisions already. We're just going to keep living with our convictions."

And it was because they knew the aningless, tragic death was inevitable that they could face it head on.

The doors to the empty hangar remained open, and Raiden stopped in his tracks once he saw the shadow and "Scavenger" approaching. It was night, in the beginning of Autumn, and the air was chilly, the moon a little blue, and in the pitch black sky above, the stars exceptionally sharp. The stars and moon remained so dazzling, so hear, even though so died on that day.

This world definitely would not show bias towards humanity. Even without humanity, the Earth would continue to revolve.

"—It's fine. This isn't your fault. Thanks for today too."

"…Pi."

Shinn saw Fido leave gloomily as it lowered its shoulders (literally bending its front end forward), and returned to the hangar. Raiden asked him,

"Kino and the others?"

"Yeah. Seems like it can’t find the scraps of Chise's unit. It’s been a while since we found a replacent."

"Can't we use the plane model Chise used instead? The main wing should be fine… but we can't find the scraps. Guess nothing really remains after that shot."

On this day, Fido had scavenged about for a very long ti. Having followed the death god for a while, it learned however to seek the shrapnel of KIA units, and provided them for Shinn to write down their nas as a morial. While it was not Fido's job originally, it had beco its prioritized mission.

Raiden had heard Shinn ntion that Fido was taught to do so. In the past, Fido cut away the debris with the personal mark, and Shinn dumped that into the cockpit of the "Undertaker," together with the other tal gravestones he had.

"Look, you're probably not too bothered by it, but I just want to say that it's not your fault."

Shinn's ability could only detect the position of enemies, and was unable to determine their type. He could sowhat infer it based on the enemy's formation and numbers to so extent, but it was impossible for him to determine that there was a brand new unit type way behind the .

Shinn glanced at Raiden, and shrugged wordlessly, probably showing that he really was not bothered. Raiden, however, felt that it was fine. Those killed were ntally prepared, did their best, and died. It was their fault, not others', not Shinn's.

The clear red eyes looked up at the sky above the battlefield, and Raiden followed suit. The hyper long distance cannon was there in the day.

"…I thought the next shot would have hit the base directly. This is unexpected."

"The heavy cannon's purpose is to provide suppressing fire and destroy stationary targets. It can’t snipe armored weapons precisely, and isn't used to attack squadrons. It's likely the attack target is a city, or a base. I’m guessing they fired a few shots at us as a test."

Raiden sneered,

"A few shots, and four down, huh? No way we can fight."

"If it's actually used, the Republic, not just four people, will be wiped out. It’s one thing if it's us here… but what is the Major going to do? Let's hope they have so counterasures there."

Shinn flatly spoke, but Raiden was a little bemused. It seed Shinn had not realized it at all.

"…What?"

"Nothing."

Never before had Shinn been worried about a Handler.

"…Anyway, it's the sa as a Scorpion, there's an observation unit at the target area. Right now, they aren't firing."

"You know that too?"

"I rembered the voice. No matter which one it is, I can tell once it starts moving the next mont… it's unlikely they’ll fire again though."

"…?"

Raiden looked at Shinn in shock. The latter kept staring at the distant battlefield, narrowing his eyes.

"I've been found. More or less, he's sharing the optical sensor with an Aise."

"…! Your brother…!?"

Raiden gasped audibly. He knew. They had never t, but they had fought against the led by him a few tis. That "Shepherd's" tactics were devious, cruel, and terrifyingly delicate.

Shinn looked over at where the enemy was most likely at, and smiled.

It was the smile of a war devil, mixed with an equal portion of fear and guts, a challenge against Death itself. His slender body was shaking, and he subconsciously cupped his body with his arms.

"I already knew he's in this battle zone, but he finally found . Next ti, he's coming for my life. He's not going to take the easy option and finish off with that cannon."

Raiden felt a shiver as he saw his usually blasé comrade give off a maniacal presence like never before, and had to narrow his eyes.

Shinn was looking for his brother, the one who had once killed him, the one who had died in a certain ruin on the Eastern battlefront, his head taken away by the enemy, and who was taken by the .

The Death God was smiling. It was an icy blade, sharp and cold, a twisted, dented smile. The cold leer was akin to an ancient blade that been deford and honed due to the many battlefields, aiming at its prey, aiming to end its existence.

"For , it's a perfect opportunity not to be missed, but it doesn't look like you guys are lucky… what now? Go hang ourselves before we die tomorrow?"

Raiden too was leering heinously. It was born out the stubbornness of a hungry wolf following its survival instincts, leaping madly at its prey, an intense will to live.

"129 days till Run Out Date!! Fucking Glory to Spearhead Squadron!!"

The Run Out Date, or their deaths. That show of stupid optimism was a countdown to their execution.

The countdown had been stopped for the mont, and the actual number of days left was thirty two. Even if that number reached zero, they would continue to fight, until the day they died.

"You kidding … we're going along with you, our Death God."

†

"Eh, how do I put it though… this is really sothing our country would do."

After hearing Lena's explanation, Arnett looked utterly speechless.

Both of them had co to Arnett's research lab so as to avoid any eavesdropping. The tabletop had a pair of matching white and black bunny mugs, along with so strange cookies that were half purple, half pink.

"Please, Arnett, help. We have to… stop this."

Arnett maintained a disinterested look as she picked up a cookie.

Her silver eyes turned towards Lena.

"And the details?"

Those eyes were dry and cold, like those of a witch who had lived thousands of years, and was aloof to everything else.

"Are you going to present a speech on TV? Negotiate directly with the superiors? You know that's pointless, right? If people could have a change in heart just by hearing an idealized, riveting speech, things wouldn't have ended up like this. You know this logic well."

"That is…"

"I said that's enough already. It's pointless. You can't do anything here. So…"

"Stop, Arnett."

Lena finally had enough of listening, and interrupted. Arnett was an important friend. Even so, she could not let her friend say such a thing.

"This is an important matter of life and death. You know that, no… you are remaining as the villain by inaction. Enough fooling around."

"You are the one fooling around!"

Arnett suddenly stood up. Faced with her sudden outburst, Lena was speechless.

"Haven't you had enough already!? How many tis must I say that we can't do anything!? We can't do anything to help those people!"

"Arnett…!?"

"I had a friend."

Arnett's voice suddenly quieted, as though the shout was an illusion.

It was the feeble voice of a hapless girl, who was lost as a result.

"It's the neighbor's child. My father, and that child's father were both researchers at the sa university, friends even. I used to play with that child often. That child's mother, the whole family, had so strange ability. That aunt, that child, and his brother who's older by a few years, they could sense each other even though they weren't together."

Her father was a neurologist, a researcher analyzing brain functions as humans interacted with each other.

That child's family was an expert in Artificial Intelligence, and yearned to produce an Artificial Intelligence which could be friends with humans.

Thus, the research never caused harm to others. They put on the toy-like sensor, and spoke to soone else in another room, enacting an experint that was like a ga. It was boring from ti to ti, but Arnett insisted to play along too, and even participated in the experint. The trial testers for the actual experints were students from her father’s lab, basically all of them, hoping to gain credits, and also to get the sweets made by her mother.

There was not much progress in the research, but Arnett was really happy.

"But everything ended when the war began."

She entered elentary school, but that child never ca along. Back then, the discrimination against Colorata had beco really dire.

In school, Arnett was bullied, berated for having a dirty Colorata friend, and was really peeved about it.

Once she got ho, she found the boy waiting at her ho, hoping to play with her, and she vented all her frustrations upon him.

They had a squabble. She got increasingly infuriated, You Colorata are filthy, and finally blurted it out.

That boy never looked really sad, but instead, confused, as he did not understand what she was saying. There was a divide between them that could no longer be nded, and caused by none other than herself. Faced with this fact, Arnett shivered.

She was terrified. Utterly terrified.

Her parents discussed the matter of hiding her friend's family, and weighed the friendship with her friend with their own safeties; when her father inquired her, she answered.

Her father was probably hoping for soone to prompt him, and help him make the decision. However, she pointed in the opposite direction.

I don't care about that child. I'm not going to be in danger just because of him.

The following day, that child and his family were brought to a Concentration Camp.

All she could say to herself was that she had no choice, that she could only do this right from the beginning.

However.

Arnett gave a crooked smile. That should have been the case, so why is this friend before so trusting of ?

"Hey, Lena. You kept acting like so pure Saintess, but you're an accomplice too… think about it. How many Eighty Sixers were killed for that RAID device you're wearing?"

"Wait."

Human experint…

"Voices needed to be conveyed, so animals can't be used for the experints. We say that Eighty Sixers are not humans, but we used them as humans for this instance… we had to get results as soon as possible, and never thought about the safety of the testers in the design of the experint. My father was assigned to be the head of this research."

While Arnett's father had never said anything to her, she did read through his records.

Most of them had their brains burned out due to the excessive burden, and lost their personalities, before dying off in endless pain.

The adults were taken to be laborers and soldiers, and the ones used for experinting were all children.

The Eighty Sixers had no nas left behind, and were managed as numbers.

Thus, did the children of the sa age as that boy, who died tragically in the experintal lab in a certain Concentration Camp, include that boy himself? Neither her father nor anyone else could affirm.

"Father's death was not an accident. He killed himself."

He, who left his friend for dead, and personally caused the deaths and suffering of many more, would certainly die off in more anguish than any single one of them.

Yes, that was what her father kept repeating. There was no way he could have implented a wrong value by mistake.

So I, who left that child for dead, share the sa sin. So Arnett thought as she took over her father's research.

A Handler killed himself. The military had her investigate the dead's RAID device. Once she heard that the cause might be related to a single Processor, she suddenly had a thought.

If I have the military bring that Processor over for investigation, what will happen?

If that person is an important experintal sample, I can hide him until the war ends. It's no different from detention, but he can live. I can save soone, even if it's just one.

So she thought, and she was shocked by that thought.

Because back then, she refused to help that child.

When she heard the trash in the logistical departnt refuse to carry out their jobs, she heaved a sigh of relief. See, I can't do anything after all. I can't save a single one.

"But you are the sa too."

It was laughable. This friend before her was too kind, too foolish, and never thought of these things, not knowing how low humanity's malice would stoop too.

"You can't do anything too — it's because you continue to insist that they remain alive that you have to order them to 'die,' right? You could have just played along with them, let them die sooner, and now you've dragged your feet for so long that you have to personally order them to. It's all your fault!"

Lena gasped. Arnett was utterly relieved, and yet guilt-ridden as she saw that pearly face gradually turn pale.

Again, I made the sa mistake.

Again.

She grabbed the mug, and threw it hard into the trashbin. It was the matching mug they had both picked out and packaged together. The first cup of coffee was brewed in this room.

The porcelain shattered, like a shriek in her feeble heart.

"I really hate you, Lena… don't let see your face again."

†

From then on, Spearhead Squadron undertook another two interception mission, and again, three people died.

During the two missions, the