Part 80: Let's get this over with so these guys can move on!

Let's move out!
Got it!
An adequate performance.













Why here...?!

-The Black Ark-





The Blark.





Or rather, a version of it that's black instead of crimson.
W-Well, I see why they called it the 'black ark' now...
It looks like it's the same size as the original Glorious. It has the same layout, too.
We can't be sure until we actually go inside and look around, though.
This looks like it's gonna be a barrel of laughs...although we should've figured as much since it's our last area to go through and all.
It'll most likely be full of Ouroboros archaisms just like the laboratory was, too. You know the drill. Guards up, guys.
Got it.









Why couldn't I just have my regular minimap









_{IM HIDING}



















































It'll digest you!











































































don't get lost now



Oh...



Why...? Why did this have to happen to me? If I could just have unraveled the mysteries of this world and reported them to Ouroboros, my promotion would've been guaranteed...
Th-This is all their fault... Of course it is... All of this is their fault...



Seriously... He hasn't changed.
*sigh* How in Aidios' name did you end up captured here?



You came to laugh at me, didn't you?! I bet you did!
Sorry, but we totally forgot you were even here.
So, what? You got whisked here the same way you ended up in the forest?
...Hmph. As a matter of fact, yes. This appears to be another recreation of a real place just like the capital was.
As I was starting to take in my surroundings, I was surrounded by Vogels and knocked out by electric shocks... Then when I woke up, I found myself here...
W-Wow... Must've been a blast...
(He seems pretty mentally drained...)
Hold on, Gilbert. If we mess with the panel over there, we should be able to disable this barrier and get you out of here.



Even if by some miracle I manage to make it out of this world, I'll just end up as Lord Campanella's plaything again.
As if a guy like me had any real shot of being promoted in Ouroboros... Why did I ever get my hopes up? Ugh...
(Poor guy's tripped up in a spiral of negativity.)
(Oh, dear...)
(Ugh... Just watching him annoys me.)
...
Well, it looks as though staying here any longer will be a waste of our time. We should get back to work.
Huh...?
W-Wait a second! I-I thought you were a bracer now! Aren't bracers all about saving people?!
A bracer's duty is to protect civilians.
You, meanwhile, are a member of an illegal group and a wanted criminal. You can't honestly expect we would feel obliged to protect you.
B-But...
That doesn't mean I wouldn't be allowed to save you--the guild code does leave a fair amount of room for personal interpretation.
If you're specifically refusing my help, however, then I see no reason to play semantics.
I-I never said I didn't want to be helped!



Get rid of this damn barrier and get me out of here, pleeease! I'll do anything!
...As you wish.
*sigh* You really are a special thing, aren't you?
All righty, then. Let's mess with that panel over there and get him out of here.



Please! Do something about this awful barrier!

The secret passcode is:



1...





2...





3...





4...





...5.



It's open!



The Goddess has not forsaken me after all!
You wouldn't believe he was asking to be left alone a minute ago, would you?



Ordinarily, I wouldn't feel compelled to thank my enemies, no matter what they did...
...but I'll make an exception just this once and give you this. I hope you appreciate it!

Gilbert thrust a Security Card into Kevin's hands.

Hey...
This is one of those cards we got when we were in the real Glorious!
Heh. That's the very latest Glorious security card.
It's something I was given back in the real world before coming here, though, so who knows if it'll actually be of use to you?



The next time we meet, we will once again be foes! Don't expect any mercyyy!



What a peculiar young man.
He's a few crayons short of a whole box, isn't he...?
...
Despite what he said, Kevin...
...I think we may actually be able to use this security card here.
Funny. I was thinking the same thing.
If we pass anywhere it looks like we can use it, let's give it a whirl.





















































THE ETERNAL ABYSS CAN GO SUCK A BIG ONE















Don't forget, the way forward is in the other direction.





Synthesized Voice: To operate this elevator, please confirm your identity using an up-to-date security card.



*boop*

Synthesized Voice: Access granted.
There we go.
I'm amazed the card Gilbert gave us actually worked...
Which probably means...
...
We should be able to go down to the hangar now.
Let's get going.
Yeah.

















-Silence-





Oh!
Oh...?
Don?! Kyle?!



Wait. You couldn't be...
Even you guys are being used, huh?
That's how it looks.
The whole situation's too much for my dumb brain to get a handle on, to be honest... I just know we've gotta do what we've gotta do.
What he said. I don't think there's any point in thinking too hard about it, anyway. Better to just get it over with so you can move on.
Makes things easier for all parties involved, yeah?
You can't tell me you wanna fight!
I... I don't want to have to fight you! You're my family!
We're not the real Don and Kyle, though.
We're just fakes made by that creeper in the mask, the Lord of Phantasma.
If I was the real Kyle, I'd be able to hold back against you...but I can't. That's proof enough I'm not real, I think.
So, yeah. No holding back against us, either. Come at us with all you've got!
Don't make me do this, you big dummies!
...
Good to see you hangin' in there, Joshua.
How's that whole trip been working out for you?
Very well, thanks.
I hear your delivery company's been taking off, too.
Well, we can't afford to be lazy when we've got a debt to Her Majesty to repay.
All the more reason you need to get everything squared away here and get back out to the real world. We can't do it without Josette!
Yeah... She's the one who handles all our accounts, you know. If we were forced to make do without her, we'd flop within a month.
Haha. That sounds about right.
You guys are so, SO dumb...
But okay. I'll knock your blocks off!
That's what we want to hear.
All right, then! Bombs away, guys!





-Till the Night of Glory-



Thanks for being so cool about this.
Let's get this over with so these guys can move on!
Got'cha!
Former Sky Bandits: Got it!
We're not gonna be holding back against you...
...so don't you even think about holding back on us!
I wouldn't dream of it!
Let's go!





gonna cap u ass







This is another fight where ailments work well, so let 'em rip.



















Kyle's smoke bombs can be impeded.



















holy shit Don



























































-Something Precious-



Whew... You guys are beasts...
Haha... And I'm happier for that.
Guys...
...
Well...goes without saying, but we're just the warmup act here...
You've got some real monsters waitin' for you ahead...so watch your backs...
Oh, and while we'll disappear for now, it seems like we'll be able to remain in this world for a while longer...
We should be able to help you out some, too. Don't be afraid to call on us if you need us.











Josette's [Bobcat] S-Craft was strengthened.
The support of Don and Kyle lets the Bobcat fire a powerful missile in addition to its gatling guns.

If you never did Sun Door 1, Josette would gain the original Bobcat S-Craft here, and then completing the door would earn her Bobcat 2. That's a looong time for her to go with no S-Craft, though.



Ahaha... It's hard to believe they weren't the real Don and Kyle. They were just like them in every way...
Yeah... Your brothers are great.
Still, seeing them like that's actually put me at ease.
Because there being copies of them here actually points to the idea that the real Don and Kyle are safe in the real world and not in this one.
Right! Time to put my back into it and help us get back there, too!
Haha. That's the spirit.
Either way, we should be able to access the forecastle area of the ship now.
So let's get going there.
Got it.