Part 36: Mission 14 (Japan Route) - The Black Executor - Part 2
The game tells you to kill Riku, but you can also wait 4 turns and the plot will carry on regardless. That said, if you want his Skill Part, you’ll have to beat him before then; it’s not too difficult, though, because Emi and Saya both have decent morale and can support one another.
Linebarrel Override (Emi Kizaki)
Pilot Skills:
Factor
Prevail L2
Support Attack L1
Support Defense L1
Spirit Commands:
Alert
Focus
Mech Features:
Sword
10% HP regen
Override – activates at 130 morale, granting a chance to outright dodge any incoming attack (calculated by the difference between pilot and target’s skill stat – max of 40%). Also allows unit to teleport instead of moving on the map, negating any EN cost or rough terrain.
Squad Bonus: Melee weapons’ power +100, Mobility +5 (Melee weapons +200, Mobility +20, S in Air, Range +1)
Emi’s voice actress: Mamiko Noto (other roles: Suzuka in Endless Frontier, Lunar in Zero Escape, Oichi in Sengoku Basara and a billion more)
Emi’s a pretty good pilot overall, having stats pretty much around Kouichi’s level – her evasion is WAY higher and her melee is somewhat lower, though. The Linebarrel Override loses the Executor shots meaning its range has gone down some (best now is 1-4, her weakest move), but, in exchange, lets Emi use the powerful Override attack and skill.
Emi’s D-S.O.I.L. rate also has a lower baseline than Kouichi’s, but getting a clean hit on her isn’t easy – especially with that S in air.
Seeing how our morale’s already good-ish and we have a limit of two turns, we’ll immediately set our sights on Riku and just let the mooks crash against our girls.
SRW UX - Linebarrel
: “Reality exceeds my imagination”?! What a load of bull! My imagination always, always—!
: Your imagination is a delusion, nothing more… and you have no hope of defeating us!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDBk4FMh-PI
SRW UX - Shadows that Rend Darkness
: To fight is to etch the death… the pain you cause on others into your heart.: Someone who cannot even imagine that pain doesn’t deserve to be in any battlefield!: Hmph, what a windbag! And how’s anyone supposed to fight if they start fussing over stuff like that?! No, thanks!: Then it falls on me to etch the pain of those whose lives you stole into your heart… Actually, no – I’ll etch your own pain there!
So fast forward a couple of turns and he’s gone.
SRW UX - Linebarrel
Downing Riku gets you a Kyushu Castella Cake.
: Waaaaaagh!: You’ve lost. Now lay down your weapons and surrender!: H-Hmph! You actually think you beat me?!
: Energy coefficient’s spiking! His…His unit’s powered up?!: Eeeheeeheee…! Take a look at the Yaoyorozu’s full power! My imagination’ll always get the better of you!
: More reinforcements…?!: Now let’s hear you scream! I’ll enjoy watching you two plummet into despair!
: Wh-Whaat?!
: It’s… the Elshank?!
: All troops, deploy!
: We got here in the nick of time…! But what is that black Linebarrel…?!
: Well, I don’t think it has a Phase Shift to lose, so… maybe it’s a Mk. II?
: Is it you in there, Hayase?!: No… Emi Kizaki is piloting that Linebarrel.
: Come again?! It’s Emi?!
: I’ll explain things later, everyone, but we must first stop the Katou Organization…!
: Yeah, we’re on it! They got a lot to answer for after pulling a stunt as cheap as kidnapping you two!
: Your mission parameters have shifted from rescuing the hostages to eliminating the enemy units… Can you do this, Kazuki, Koyo?
: Enemy units… but aren’t there people aboard those things?!
: If you’re not up for it, then back off. I’m going in!: (Koyo…): Your target is the enemy command unit! Eliminate them with haste, troops!
Riku’s, indeed, gained a slight boost to his mech’s stats but nothing major. Taking him down’ll end the mission so, if you’re keeping this path, you’ll want to take out all other mooks before going for him.
I won’t, though, so I’ll just kill enough to build morale and then get rid of Piggles there.
SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend
SRW UX - Future-Bound Fighting Spirit: I chose to be here precisely to put down monsters like you…: And, right now, I think I absolutely made the right decision!: Unfortunately, no, it was the wrong one. And why was that? Because you couldn’t imagine the future where you die at my hands!
SRW UX - Shangri-La: There’s a person piloting that unit! He’ll die if I shoot it down!: Calm down, Kazuki! Just make sure you don’t hit the cockpit directly and the pilot’ll be fine!: Whether they keep their lives or not depends entirely on your ability!: That’s easier said than done… I’m not that good a pilot!
SRW UX - Love Survivor
SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend
SRW UX - Linebarrel: The Yaoyorozu’s way more agile than it looks… I’m not letting you tag me!
: You got a real big mouth, guy! But you better not sell the Deceive short!
: That’s right. Underestimate us and it won’t end well for you!
SRW UX - Shangri-La: Hmm, I’ve never seen this mech before… Oh, well! It doesn’t really matter since it, and your future, will be in pieces very soon!: How… How can you take other people’s lives so easily?!
SRW UX - Love Survivor: Kidnapping girls is about one of the lowest things you can do!: There’s no such thing when it comes to fighting! All you got are different options with which to get what you want!: Hah, works for me! Then I reckon you won’t mind if I don’t worry about how much this’ll hurt you!
Koyo also has a line against the generics and one against Riku himself:
SRW UX - Shangri-La: (Fighting people in order to save people… I need to take someone’s life in order to save another’s…?!): Your thoughts are in disarray, Koyo. Don’t think about unessential matters.: “Unessential”…?! That’s what you call worrying about people’s lives, Soushi?!--
: Taking hostages, wrecking a city… but I’m putting an end to your rampage right now!: Ooh, look at how much he huffs and puffs. I’ve got a future filled with despair with your name on it!
SRW UX - Linebarrel: You fancy yourself some knight in shining armor, coming in to rescue the captive princess?
: Not at all. I’m here simply to rain on your parade.
SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend
: There is no imagination at work here! All I see in your actions is the base destruction you’re causing!: I’m just opening the eyes of the foolish masses! Can’t you wrap your head around that?!
: How can you destroy so many lives without even batting an eye…?!: Oh, and how am I any different from you? How many lives did you take during that war, hm?: I never killed anyone just for the hell of it, though! Someone like you could never wrap his rotten head around the pain that comes from battle!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syzFm4qln-I
And, finally, here’s Emi’s best trick.
: A-A-Aaaiiieee…! S-Someone help me please…!: Haah, haah… R-Relax…: The life of a man like you… is not… worth taking…: Rrgh…!
: Huh? What happened? The Linebarrel’s just turned white again…
: It’s… stopped?: (Haah, haah… I knew it… continuous teleportation is just too straining…): Yee?! It’s shut down?! Then… there’s my chance!: Yeeheeheeeheeee! Now! Come on out!
: What?!*Riku backs away.*
: How’d you like that? I bet none of you imagined this, eh?! You always have to keep one last ace up your sleeve for—
: …?!: Wh-What the?! Weren’t they on the same side…?!
: They may be up to something! Do not approach them carelessly!: Hrgh… Th-This can’t be…! Wh-Why did you…?!*Beep.*
: Hey, there, Riku!: Sawatari… why…?: Kid, whoever told you to kidnap those girls, hm?: You got your imagination all wrong. Worse, that’s becoming a problem for our Organization’s goals.: B-But…!: So Hisataka told me if you went and stepped over the line... then I’d have to kill you.: N-No way…! The commander… Mr. Katou said…?!: And I got a message from him…: “You’re not the one with the most insight into imagination. And the reason for that is simple: you do not imagine yourself dying.” : Gch… Ggghh...!: KATOOOOOUUUUUU!!
: …
: They retreated…?: W-Wait, hold on…! There was someone inside that robot, wasn’t there?!: How could they kill him that easily…? Weren’t they allies, even?!: Those were our enemies, and that’s how they operate; they’ll do anything if it suits their purposes…: B-But that’s…!: Horrible? Unacceptable? If you feel that way, then fight them with everything you’ve got. Fight and keep the lives of those you care about safe from them…!: …: Those I care about…
: Looks like it’s all over, Hayase!
: Sure, but… what’s going on? What’s the Linebarrel doing here?!: …!: Hayase, hold on! That’s…!: I called and I called and you didn’t show up, and now I find you here?! Why?! Answer me, Linebarrel!: Hey, look, the hatch is open!: …?!: …: N-No way…! What… How’s Kizaki piloting the Linebarrel?!*Flash!*
: Kch…!: What is it?!: …: That’s it… I remember now…! I remember where I met her before…!: …?!: That day… three years ago… The last thing I saw before I died…!: It was you, Kizaki… you were inside the Linebarrel’s cockpit!: …
: …
: Something wrong, Kazuki?: Mr. Asuka… No, it’s just that… so much has happened so fast…: I can’t help but wonder that I might’ve been better off not knowing anything if things were going to get like this…: I see… but tell me something. Had you never found out about anything, what do you think you’d be doing?: Well… I’m pretty sure I’d still be at the island, working on graduating. And, then…: And then the people of ALVIS would’ve told you about the island’s secrets anyway. : …?!: One way or another, you would’ve wound up in the same place. The only difference would be whether you got there sooner or later. And, in that case, I think the better option is the one where you learned the truth of your own volition.: My own volition…?: Now, I really don’t like the word “Destiny”, but… if anything, we should at least try to choose what our destiny’ll be, right? : No matter how much hardship said destiny might have in store, what lets people keep on living despite everything is the fact that they chose their path in life…: Mr. Asuka…
Cut to JUDA, Kouichi isn’t going to give Emi grief for keeping tabs on him, but her keeping quiet about being the Linebarrel’s Factor is a wholly different matter.
“But even worse than that is the fact that you were aboard the Linebarrel when I died! You might as well have killed me with your own hands!” Kouichi yells and Emi’s taken aback. “Kizaki, you… you’re despicable…!”
Ishigami speaks up and says he’s entitled to be angry, and asks that Emi give them the room. As she leaves, Ishigami promises to tell him everything he knows.
By the hangar, Shizuna’s a bit miffed that Domyoji got brought over to JUDA; from what Lu Xun was told, it was his due to exigent circumstances and his “duty as part of the Hayase Corps”? But more important than that is how we now have a Machina with two pilots. Mike and Damian don’t see the big deal, pointing out that the Deceive has both twins aboard, right?
Sure, but the Deceive is only a two-seater due to a unique system JUDA had to put together for it. Furthermore, a Machina comporting two people and outright have two FACTORS are completely different matters. Curious and curiouser.
Maki reports that tests have confirmed that Emi is, without a doubt, a Factor of the Linebarrel… but it seems the bot itself is rejecting her. “Or perhaps a better way to put it would be that the Linebarrel is trying to keep her from fighting. That’s the impression I got,” Maki corrects himself.
Zhou Yu asks if he means the Linebarrel has a mind of its own, but, unfortunately, this is all speculation. They still don’t understand the cause, but it’s for that reason that she wasn’t able to pilot the Linebarrel for long.
Rennie figures that’s why she, albeit clearly reluctantly, had to let Kouichi take over as the Machina’s pilot. Maybe but, as Joe points out, her killing Kouichi back then is a wholly different issue here. But Moritsugu steps in: “No, Emi Kizaki was not the one responsible for killing Kouichi Hayase. It’s true that she was aboard the Linebarrel at the time of his death, but that had absolutely nothing to do with her.”
: “Nothing to do with her”…?! But she—!
: She was asleep, inside the Linebarrel, throughout the whole incident. : When she came to, she’d lost practically all her memories… 
: Her memories…?: She didn’t understand what was going on at the time – she couldn’t. But when she saw you dying, she, in tears, begged the Linebarrel to save you. And, so, you were reborn as a Factor…: …: What the hell… all the secrets you’ve been keeping, and you still figured you’d keep quiet about the most important thing?: But, from what you guys said, if your life is connected to the Linebarrel…: Then so is Kizaki’s life, since she’s also the thing’s Factor, yeah?: Huh…?: Meaning, if you keep on fighting with the Linebarrel, you’d also be keeping her life safe, ain’t that right?: …?!: It’s just as he said, Hayase. Emi Kizaki’s life has been in your hands from the moment you became a Factor.: Her… Her life is in my hands…?
: (I’m despicable…? I suppose I am…): Kizaki…: Hayase…: Mr. Ishigami told me pretty much everything, so… Listen, I’m sorry for what I said back there… I shouldn’t have called you that…: I’d no idea I was responsible for your life… I risked the Linebarrel so many times… : You don’t owe me any apologies. I’m the one who kept quiet about everything – it was easier for me that way.: But…: I… I was afraid that you’d walk out on me if I told you…: I can’t pilot the Linebarrel for long periods of time, so I wouldn’t be able to survive this battle by myself…: …: And, yet, all this time I just looked at you with cold, uncaring eyes. I’d been judging whether you were “suitable” to be entrusted with my life... : But I’m not in any position to judge you, not after what happened… Still, I… I can’t ask this of anyone but you…: Kizaki…: Hayase…: Please… Please protect me!
: …?!: …: I won’t put you in a position where you have to pilot the Linebarrel again…: Rather, I promise I’ll learn to handle the Linebarrel even better than you…! I…: I will protect you!: …!: …: Okay…!
And back to ALVIS, Yumiko’s a bit surprised at how quickly the UX and JUDA fielded the kids. From what Kariya sees, the Siegfried System terminal is doing just fine – this just greatly expanded the Fafners’ range of operations. Regardless, they left the Fafners in our care, so we can deploy the bots at our discretion.
A more urgent matter, Makabe reminds them, is relocating Tatsumiya immediately, while the Federation isn’t trying anything. Hazama reports that while there aren’t any issues with the system itself, Kariya did find something a bit worrying in the path they were going to take.
She puts it up on screen: they found an island three hundred and fifty kilometers due north of their current location. It seems to be uninhabited but it looks just like Tatsumiya. As Makabe knows, their island wasn’t the only one made for the Arcadian Project, though none of the participants were allowed access to information regarding the other islands.
But why is it uninhabited? Maybe it was abandoned halfway through the project, or maybe something happened that killed all its people. We need to figure out what’s what, which means getting a team sent in to investigate. Makabe orders Soushi contacted and an urgent recall order sent to the Fafners. Whatever could be up with this other Tatsumiya?