()||9<黑屏1>0,10黑屏1>BGM_Empty:
()||<黑屏2>356GF_21summer_intro_DemonVariation:Neo-Soviet Military Safe House, Berlin.
()||AVG_tele_connect:Click... +Incoming transmission.
NPC-Havel(0)Havier<通讯框>||:I hope you have good news.
M16A1BOSS(4)M16A1;NPC-Havel(0)||:Then sorry to disappoint—we lost her in the end. +She's more slippery than any of the targets we've tracked before.
M16A1BOSS(4);NPC-Havel(0)Havier||:Hm... I've read your report. +Is this the area where you lost track of her?
M16A1BOSS(2)M16A1;NPC-Havel(0)||:Yes.
M16A1BOSS(2);NPC-Havel(0)Havier||:I'll wait for your follow-up report.
M16A1BOSS(5)M16A1;NPC-Havel(0)||:Ha. +There is a region known as the "Dead Sea" nearby. +During WWIII, it was a dumping ground for wartime waste. It is now a land of death and decay that even birds cannot fly across.
M16A1BOSS(5);NPC-Havel(1)Havier||:A Black Zone?
M16A1BOSS(4)M16A1;NPC-Havel(1)||:Without a doubt. +It goes without saying that the region is deadly to humans, but even Dolls and mechs cannot stay in there for long.
M16A1BOSS(4);NPC-Havel(1)Havier||:... +That checks out.
M16A1BOSS(2)M16A1;NPC-Havel(1)||:Hm?
M16A1BOSS(2);NPC-Havel(1)Havier||:We got a name from the internal purge that just happened—"Avernus". +Very apt, don't you think? The entrance to the underworld. A perfect name for this "Dead Sea".
M16A1BOSS(4)M16A1;NPC-Havel(1)||:...I see. +Then one must wonder why she'd vanish here.
NPC-Havel(0)Havier||:I await your good news.
()||9AVG_tele_disconnect:Click. +Transmission disconnected.
()||BGM_Empty:...
()||<黑屏1>:
NPC-AngeDamage(0)Angelia||ClothingUp<黑屏2>:...
()||GF_22W_BGM_3:Ange scowls. Having one's hands and feet bound is especially uncomfortable for someone who has the habit of chewing their nails.
()||AVG_21Winter_Open_Light:Snap.
()||AVG_21Winter_Open_Light:Snap.
()||AVG_21Winter_Open_Light:Snap.
()||:The bright lights suddenly start going out one after the other in the distance. +The ominous snaps seem to be heralding the approach of some unknown being. They echo incessantly around the spacious room, drumming against her heart.
NPC-AngeDamage(0)Angelia||:...Pointless theatrics.
()||:...Once Ange gets over the initial shock, she is completely unfazed. +To be fair, even if she were fazed, there's nothing she could do about it.
NPC-AngeDamage(0)Angelia||:(Exhales)
()||:Everything falls silent around her.
()||AVG_21Winter_Open_Light510<白屏2>:Snap. +A beam of dazzling light shines upon Ange, illuminating the inside of her eyelids to a soft pink even through her blindfold. +She senses an unfamiliar presence not too far away, but she is completely immobilized. Other than her mouth, she can't move a single muscle.
NPC-William(0)???0,-50||BGM_Empty:...
NPC-AngeDamage(0)Angelia||:Who's there?
()||:Ange asks tentatively but receives no answer—which only cements her speculation. +Still... even though she expected the meeting to take place, she did not anticipate the fact that he would appear before her in the flesh.
NPC-William(0)???0,-50||:Nice to meet you, Angelia.
NPC-William(0)William?0,-50||GF_22W_BGM_1:I am the one you've been searching for. You may call me William.
NPC-AngeDamage(0)Angelia||:...
()||:...It is the voice of an adolescent with telltale signs of breaking. +Ange can't help but furrow her brow. +He didn't even bother to distort his own voice—is he too self-confident... or does he have no intention of letting her go? +Or perhaps... +No, the most astonishing thing is his youth. He is so young—he's practically a child.
NPC-AngeDamage(0)Angelia||:That's not your real name.
NPC-William(0)William?0,-50||:Why does it matter? +It's just a form of address, a pseudonym. You can call me by something else if you like, I don't mind. +After all, that's not the point... The point is the reason why I've invited you here, Angelia. +I wish to have a simple conversation with you.
NPC-AngeDamage(0)Angelia||:...Is this your so-called "simple conversation"?
()||ClothingUp:Ange strains against her binds forcefully but cannot achieve so much as a twitch.
NPC-William(0)William?0,-50||:Indeed. I'm afraid this is a necessary precaution to ensure that we can converse in a fair manner.
NPC-AngeDamage(0)Angelia||:Fair my fucking ass... Are you that afraid I'll bash your skull in?
NPC-William(0)William?0,-50||:You're mistaken, Angelia... I'm not doing this to protect myself, but to protect you. +You want to kill me, and that's no secret. +But I must ask you—what exactly is your motive? Are you doing this for vengeance? Or for your meager sense of justice?
NPC-AngeDamage(0)Angelia||:You think I'm after you for some petty revenge? +How many people have died because of you? If my sense of justice is meager, then nothing in the world is substantial.
NPC-William(0)William?0,-50||:Alright, alright, Champion of Justice. +But has it ever occurred to you that I'm simply an arms dealer? +Even if I hadn't created these weapons, people would still slaughter each other—even with stones and clubs.
NPC-AngeDamage(0)Angelia||:You sure make it sound as if you're not to blame. +But the fact remains—so long as you're alive, the world will take a turn for the worse.
NPC-William(0)William?0,-50||:No, the fact is even if you succeed—even if William is dead and Paradeus disbands... how will that change anything? +Am I really the culprit who plunged the world into misery in the first place?
NPC-AngeDamage(0)Angelia||:So this is what you "invited" me for? To listen to your pathetic justification?
NPC-William(0)William?0,-50||:Wonderful... You're hurling insults now, which means we can begin our discussion in earnest. +Because you have run out of arguments to make, isn't that right?
NPC-AngeDamage(0)Angelia||:...
NPC-William(0)William?0,-50||:You know full well, don't you, Angelia? +You know that I am not the cause of the sickness that plagues the world. +It is the power structure of the world... those who are at the steering wheel right now. +They are the true source of the poison.
NPC-AngeDamage(0)Angelia||:...
NPC-William(0)William?0,-50||:Someone comes to mind, right? +Those people, those politicians, they have the world in the palm of their hand, but all they care about is their self-interests. +If you are so righteous, why do you cry foul at a scientist like me, yet choose to overlook those people? +Is that what you call "justice"?
NPC-AngeDamage(0)Angelia||:I don't see you filled with such righteous indignation as you flirt with those politicians and hand them the butcher's knife.
NPC-William(0)William?0,-50||:Now that's how we are different from each other, Angelia. +Our aim is actually one and the same. We're just using different methods—you resort to guns, while I go with research. +We have both taken many lives along the way... Yes, I do admit that was wrong. +But this wrongness is the very proof that this world requires change.
NPC-William(0)William?0,-50||:I am a creator. I am creating a power that is capable of changing the status quo. +That's on a whole different level from putting bullets in the heads of a few inconsequential goons. +Only when we possess this power will we have what it takes to do what is right. +When that time comes, Angelia, think about it... +Who has the right to wield such power?
NPC-AngeDamage(0)Angelia||:Not you for sure.
NPC-William(0)William?0,-50||:But who else can create this power? +...I can bring this power into existence, then bestow it upon someone who deserves it. +What do you think, Ange? +Do you wish to possess this power?
NPC-AngeDamage(0)Angelia||:...
()||:This isn't an invitation, but a screening. A test to find those with enough greed and ambition to make a worthy candidate.
NPC-AngeDamage(0)Angelia||:... +Ha, absolute power, eh?
NPC-William(0)William?0,-50||:Absolute power, indeed...
()||<黑屏1>:
()||9<黑屏2>BGM_Empty:... +......
()||<白屏1>:
()||<白屏2>GF_22W_SFX_chant460%%code=CJ_WC_piaofu%%:Avernus.
()||:The ritual begins as the first ray of sunlight shines upon Avernus.
Nyto(2)Black Nyto0,50||:Two suns, each illuminating a path.
NytoWhite(1)White Nyto0,50;Nyto(2)0,50||:The path of the mundane world, and the path of the merciful Father.
NytoWhite(1)Black/White Nyto0,50<同时点亮>;Nyto(2)0,50||:Sanctum turned into the Devil's pit, the scales into an alter, drenched in sinners' blood. +Each Fury with her nails was tearing at her breast; they smote them with their hands, and cried so loud.
NPC-Nemhran(3)||:...
NPC-Nemhran(3)Nemhran0,100||:When half way through the journey of our life, +Through this Heaven and Hell art we led, +Thou wast made before I unmade. +The anguish thou art in perchance withdraws thee from my memory. +We shall be together, in neither Heaven nor Hell, neither cursed nor redeemed. I did not die, nor yet remained alive.
()||:...
NPC-Nemhran(3)Nemhran0,100||:...
Nyto(1)Black Nyto||:Big Sister Nemhran, Father is looking for you.
NPC-Nemhran(3)Nemhran0,100||:Alright. +Olga...
NPC-Nemhran(3)Nemhran0,100||ClothingUp:Give me this file when I'm back.
NytoWhite(0)Olga0,50||:Yes, Sister.
()||:...
()||<黑屏1>:
()||<关闭蒙版>9<黑屏2>:......
()||<黑屏1>:
()||BGM_EmptyAVG_door_elecport<黑点2>447:After a soft "ding", Nemhran strolls out of the elevator.
()||AVG_Walk:She walks up to the room ahead with her head lowered, then pushes open the door reverently as she utters a cheerful greeting.
()||<黑点1>:
NPC-Nemhran(3)Nemhran0,100||AVG_20Winter_Door_Open<黑点2>507GF_EV9_Intermission:...Felicitations, Father.
NPC-Nemhran(3)Nemhran0,100||Stop_AVG_loop:Everything is according to plan. +Now the whole world shall hear your voice.
NPC-William(0)William?0,-50||:...
()||:After a long silence, the figure in the shadow finally responds.
NPC-William(0)William?0,-50||:...Have the old men finally taken notice?
NPC-Nemhran(3)Nemhran0,100||:Yes, Father. They can no longer overlook your power.
NPC-William(0)William?0,-50||:...They live like a pack of hyenas, yet they claim superiority over others. +They plot and scheme for the sake of pointless influence, but haven't the faintest concern for the future of the world.
NPC-Nemhran(3)Nemhran0,100||:You will soon possess influence.
NPC-William(0)William?0,-50||:No, Nemhran, all I need is power. +Between power and political intrigue, they will only submit to power in the end.
NPC-William(0)William?0,-50||:Whoever holds more power than anyone else can make the whole world listen to anything they say.
NPC-Nemhran(3)Nemhran0,100||:Your power will become the key to changing the world.
NPC-William(0)William?0,-50||:With power comes struggle, strife, as well as check-and-balance.
NPC-Nemhran(3)Nemhran0,100||:Then in the new world, both destruction and rebirth are for you to decide.
NPC-William(0)William?0,-50||:...Haha, I can't wait to see the face he'll make.
NPC-Nemhran(3)Nemhran0,100||:...
()||:Nemhran closes her eyes. +Her report has come to an end, but she can't leave just yet.
()||ClothingUp:After a brief pause, she slowly lifts her face and takes off her mask.
NPC-William(0)William?0,-50||:...Come here.
()||<黑屏1>:
()||<黑屏2>9BGM_Empty:As if some switch has been flipped, the voice in the shadow suddenly grows a lot more tender.
()||<黑屏1>:
()||GF_22W_SFX_chant<黑屏2>488:She calmly sits down at the dining table and looks down at an extravagant meal served on exquisite silverware. +All the dishes are unfamiliar to her, but she knows that she will enjoy them very much.
()Nemhran||:Time for a prayer.
()||<黑屏1>:
()William?||<黑屏2>489:...Through me you pass into the city of woe, +Through me you pass into eternal pain, +Through me among the people lost for aye.
()Nemhran||:...Luci.
()||:Her gaze is soft and affectionate. +It is directed at a holographic specter in the corner of the room.
()||<黑屏1>:
()Lunasia||490<黑屏2>:...
()William?||:...
()Nemhran||:...Justice the founder of my fabric mov'd, +To rear me was the task of power divine, +Supremest wisdom, and primeval love.
()||:Nemhran and the figure both close their eyes and clasp their hands together in a gesture of prayer at the same time.
()William?||:Before me things create were none, save things eternal, +And eternal I endure.
()Lunasia||:...
()||:The prayer resounds throughout the dining room. +Like all other families, they are gathered at the dining table, reciting verses of praise.
()Nemhran||:...We shall be together, in neither Heaven nor Hell, neither cursed nor redeemed. I did not die, nor yet remained alive.
()Lunasia||:...Love led us to one life. +Love led us to one death.
()||:Some indistinct murmurs can be heard coming from the direction of that figure. After the prayer, Nemhran opens her eyes and finds herself meeting the gentle gaze of the person sitting before her.
()Nemhran||:...You are very close to victory.
()William?||:I will have victory for sure... Mother.
()||:The figure picks up their cutlery in unconcealable joy and starts slicing up their beef impatiently the moment they finish the prayer. The silver knife scrapes the plate periodically.
()Nemhran||:You are about to change the world.
()William?||:Only I and I alone can save you. +You, and you... My dear sister.
()Nemhran||:Yes... Luci agrees.
()Lunasia||:...
()William?||:Just a little longer... Sister. +Soon... I will make those madmen pay.
()Nemhran||:...
()||:Nemhran silently beholds the curious scene. +This is her special duty, as well as her very purpose.
()||3:... +......
()||<黑屏1>:
()||BGM_EmptyAVG_door_elecport<黑屏2>447:...
NytoWhite(0)Olga0,50||GF_21summer_avg_Demon:...Big Sister Nemhran.
()||AVG_Walk:The elevator door opens and Nemhran strolls out from within.
()||Stop_AVG_loop:Her mask is now dangling on her fingers, her face dazed. +Upon hearing Olga, she turns her head robotically and locks her eyes sharply on the Nyto.
NPC-Nemhran(0)Nemhran0,100||:What is your name?
NytoWhite(0)Olga0,50;NPC-Nemhran(0)0,100||:Pardon?
NytoWhite(0)0,50;NPC-Nemhran(0)Nemhran0,100||:I asked you your name.
NytoWhite(0)Olga0,50||:Olga... You bestowed this name on me yourself.
NPC-Nemhran(0)Nemhran0,100||:Olga...
()||:Nemhran nods thoughtfully.
NPC-Nemhran(0)Nemhran0,100||:Did I ask you to stand guard here?
NytoWhite(0)Olga0,50||:Yes.
()||:Nemhran nods again and walks up to her.
NPC-Nemhran(0)Nemhran0,100||:Then you must have something to give me.
NytoWhite(0)Olga0,50||:...I do.
()||ClothingUp:Despite feeling a little confused about Nemhran's strange behavior, Olga still hands over the file in her hands deferentially.
()||AVG_20Winter_Book:Nemhran takes it and starts flipping through it without a word.
()||:Sync data...
()||AVG_keyboardtype_sci:Syncing... +Synchronization complete...
NPC-Nemhran(0)Nemhran0,100||:Hm...
()||:Half a second later, Nemhran closes the file with a nod.
NytoWhite(0)Olga0,50||:Big Sister Nemhran...
NPC-Nemhran(0)Nemhran0,100||ClothingUp:...Olga.
NytoWhite(0)Olga0,500.1||AVG_Bullet_Hit_Body:Huh...?!
NPC-Nemhran(0)Nemhran0,100||:You've done well.
()||:Olga's eyes widen as Nemhran's cold face becomes the last thing they see.
()||AVG_XXS_kick%%type_id=2%%duration=1%%delay=0.1%%range=5:Thud. +Her corpse falls heavily on the floorboards. She never knew what she'd done wrong until the very end. +...Which is only natural, since she had not actually done anything wrong.
NPC-Nemhran(0)Nemhran0,100||:...Time to get to work.
()||AVG_File_Put:Nemhran tosses the torn up file onto Olga's body, then strides towards the exit.
()||:The dazed expression has vanished from her face. +Her memories of everything up until the moment when she met Father have returned. +As they have countless times before.
()||<黑屏1>:
()||9<黑屏2><关闭蒙版>BGM_Empty:Loading...
()||AVG_keyboardtype_sci:■FILE■ NUSSR/DDR, decompressing...
()||AVG_keyboardtype_sci:■FILE■ AS, importing...
()||<黑屏1>:
()||229<黑屏2>GF_22W_BGM_1:Inside Paradeus' temporary base.
()||AVG_21Winter_FT_Heel:A tall and slender Nyto walks slowly up to a T-Doll, who seems to be asleep. She utters a greeting.
NPC-MrsGray(0)Gray||Stop_AVG_loop:Hello, Pandora.
RPK16(3)RPK-16||:...
()||:The next second, RPK-16's eyes snap open.
RPK16(4)RPK-16||:Hello, Mrs. Gray. +What an unexpected visitor. I didn't think you'd remember me.
NPC-MrsGray(0)Gray;RPK16(4)||:I have no time for such nonsense.
NPC-MrsGray(0);RPK16(4)RPK-16||:That's understandable. +So, do you have a new job for me?
NPC-MrsGray(4)Gray;RPK16(4)||:Count yourself lucky. We are ready to keep our end of the bargain.
RPK16(5)RPK-16||:Oh?
()||:RPK-16 smiles faintly with narrowed eyes.
NPC-MrsGray(0)Gray||:We're leaving Berlin for the time being. +Someone will escort you to our base.
NPC-MrsGray(0);RPK16(2)RPK-16||:Your base...
NPC-MrsGray(4)Gray;RPK16(2)||:That's right, our actual base. +From now on, you are officially one of us, Pandora. +Rejoice.
RPK16(6)RPK-16||:You've kept me waiting long enough.
()||:RPK-16 blinks and promptly gets to her feet.
()||<黑点1>: