Please, don't glare at me like that.
I just want to celebrate a reunion...
with an old friend.
You cretin!
You have no right to call me a friend after you betrayed our king!
When Veltol was resurrected, I did some digging into those around him,
but I never expected that you managed to survive.
Where are we?!
At the heart of Shinjuku City.
Directly below the aether reactor.
This ritual magic facility for aether refinement is known as the Immortal Furnace.
Immortal Furnace?
That's what we call the program that uses immortals' souls as fuel to generate aether.
The aether produced by this Immortal Furnace is then drawn into the aether reactor
where it gets converted into the electricity and magic energy that supplies Shinjuku City.
It uses immortals' souls as fuel?
Then are you telling me that Ornared and Palmlock—?!
Those two served as excellent firewood.
The concern they showed for each other until the very end
was a beautiful display of friendship—
no, love.
You!
You bastard!
That hatred is so satisfying.
Do you have any idea what you're doing?!
Of course I do.
Physical death doesn't exist for immortals.
However, once they're tossed into the Immortal Furnace, immortals' souls will burn
until they meet their demise.
In short, they face a spiritual death.
Allow me to tell you something else while I'm at it.
You remember Zenol, Duke of the Karmic Sword?
He was the first one we used as firewood.
I've burned through many of our brethren with this furnace.
The agony Duke Zenol faced
as his body was wreathed in fire, his very soul aflame until it finally gave out,
must be impossible to imagine!
I'll kill you!
You will burn you until even your ashes no longer remain!
Oh, how scary, how scary.
Please don't be so mad.
It's thanks to those virtuous immortals
that we enjoy the affluent lives we all live now.
You should be showing them more gratitude.
Are you planning to use me as firewood, too?
Yes.
It's time you became a cornerstone of this city.
Even at IHMI, only a select few know about the existence of the Immortal Furnace.
It's become difficult to motivate the citizens
now that they've grown tepid after post-war reconstruction,
and if this were to become public,
then we'd be plagued with troublemakers yapping about "immortal rights" or whatever,
so in the interest of preserving confidentiality,
I came to collect you myself.
Our current firewood is just about to burn out, so this was perfect timing.
This Immortal Furnace is the heart of Shinjuku City.
We can't afford to let it stop, now can we?
Fortunately, you're also one of the Six Dark Peers,
so you should last long enough to buy us the time needed
to find an alternative source of energy.
Lord Marcus said the Demon Lord would pass through here, so he assigned me to delay you,
but I didn't think you would actually come.
Let alone with another associate.
Quite irregular.
Would you perhaps be the Hero Gram?
Yeah. You know about me?
I'm honored.
There were records of you in the database.
The ageless Hero who did great work during the second war.
I see.
So the Hero and the Demon Lord are now working together.
How interesting.
I'll handle her.
I might have grown despondent, but my skills haven't grown rusty.
Don't worry about me.
You fool. As if I'd ever worry about you.
Though be wary.
That woman's swordsmanship might be on par with Zenol's.
Then it'll be an easy victory, huh?
What was that?
I won a total victory against Zenol, Duke of the Karmic Sword,
in a duel of pure swordsmanship.
With that under my belt, there's no way I can lose.
True.
You were the strongest in all of Arneath when it came to the sword.
Damn specters of the past!
Do you think I'll just let you go?!
You're in the way!
Listen to me as you fight, Gram.
Don't die!
Understood!
Vestum!
Damn specter!
Your era has long since passed!
That's true.
Though there's still someone who needs a Hero.
Very well.
This simply means I need to delete you quickly
and loop back to Lord Marcus' side.
Then I'll commit the results.
Zerobase, activate.
Armor?
A Magino Gear?
Precisely.
This is the prototype of the next generation Magino Gear
currently in development by our company, Zerobase.
By adapting armament summoning,
we've made it possible for the user to summon it from a catalyst and equip it instantly.
A fifth-generation model.
The Magino Gear currently in production is the fourth generation.
However, we've successfully made this fifth-generation model, the Zerobase,
smaller and more lightweight than its predecessor,
while also vastly improving its output
and realizing better energy efficiency.
It's a true innovation of the industry!
This machine is the birth of a new generation!
Though unlike the fourth-generation model,
its one defect is that its operational time
is greatly dependent on the pilot's magic reserves.
However, that too will surely be resolved in the future.
You'll be providing us with valuable test data for the Zerobase.
You should be honored.
You ramble on a lot, just like your boss.
I never asked for your product pitch.
Both your weapon and its wielder
are relics of the past.
Even your Familia is an old model.
Everything about you is outdated!
In contrast, I possess the newest machinery and the newest training!
Battles aren't decided by the age or quality of equipment.
You either win or you lose.
That's all.
Well then...
I see. You have good instincts.
I can't find an opening to go on the attack.
The progress of technology is terrifying.
I'm so glad I didn't have to fight this thing
during the City Wars.
It's tough.
Your normal attacks aren't that fast, are they?
Are you sure about that?
Your magic will only activate when you draw a fully sheathed sword.
I suppose I should have expected that from the battle-hardened Hero.
Excellent.
That is indeed my magic, Lightning Draw.
However,
figuring that out doesn't mean you have a chance at winning.
My victory is already penciled in.
With the fifth-generation Magino Gear and my lightning-fast drawing spell,
the difference in combat potential is obvious.
Now, I've grown tired of talking.
Let's put an end to this.
Here I come.
I'm unable to hack you?
You must be familiar with that as well.
Makes this very hard.
Even so—!
I am the chosen one,
and there is no way an outdated Luddite
can beat me!
Earth Glaive!
Not enough!
Frost Nova!
That won't stop the Zerobase!
Of course I never expected it to.
Wha?!
Fireball!
You annoying little—!
Still won't get through, huh?
But it looks like this tactic is working.
Huh?
That combo was an imitation
of what a darkling used against me five hundred years ago.
It looks like the tactic is still effective against someone with your cutting-edge training.
Don't underestimate me!
Why?!
Why can't I defeat you?!
You don't know?
If this was enough to defeat me, then I never would have cut it as the Hero.
You Luddite!
There's no way I'll lose
to you and
that rusty sword!
Is that how my sword looks to you?
So long as there are those who seek the Hero,
this sword will always regain its light.
Heed my call and shine, Ixasorde!
Dinoah Luz. (Verifying Hero.)
A Stra Rops Aran. (Releasing Holy Sword of Salvation.)
Lez Ixasorde. (Unsheathing approved.)
Try to weather this,
White Lightning.
This is my greatest strike that destroyed the Demon Lord!
Now burn it into your eyes!
Behold the light of this unsetting sun!
Don't underestimate me!
Alwing!
Ixa sure is temperamental.
Even though it let me unleash it for the first time in a while,
it still only fired one strike.
That armor of yours, the latest Magino Gear, is certainly incredible.
Even if my strike wasn't as powerful as it was when I defeated the Demon Lord,
I'm surprised Ixa's blow wasn't able to kill you.
Why have I lost?
I think you're better off asking why I won,
rather than why you lost.
They're the same thing.
Why were you able to win?
My years of experience, probably.
Such a preposterous reason.
No, no, you really can't ignore it.
Especially not when I have five hundred years of experience.
I guess I managed to do something heroic after all this time.
I thought you were going to head toward Lord Marcus.
He'll be just fine without me.
Your Demon Lord can't win.
Lord Marcus is strong.
Far stronger than me.
No, before that, anyone without a Familia
could never hope to stand against him.
Your Demon Lord couldn't even beat me in the bare flesh.
What's so funny?
I thought you were a clever woman, but you say some silly things.
Did you really think that man went to challenge your boss without a plan?
If so, then you're severely underestimating him.
That's not the case! That's why I'm still here!
Oh, right.
I'm the only one who knows about his trump card.
Trump card? What do you mean by that?
I'm betting even Marcus doesn't know.
Anyone who saw that would be cast into despair.
That man is strong.
I guarantee that as the man who beat you.
So...
aren't you going to kill me?
Kill you?
Yes, me.
I don't have any real reason to take your life.
You no longer have the strength to fight me,
so I don't need to kill you, either.
You fought me and survived thanks to your own skill.
My role is to prevent people like you from getting close to Veltol and interfering.
He'll handle the rest all by himself.
Is that so?
Sanctuary!
Seems like that strike was going to hit us both.
Oh, well.
I guess it's time to do another job as the Hero
and help someone in trouble.
Now then,
that's enough of our long chat.
I just need to toss you into the Immortal Furnace,
and then it will automatically start burning your soul
to provide for this city.
Perhaps your soul will burn even brighter than the rest, since you're an ignia.
Soon all the immortals shall be gone,
and I will become this world's true Demon Lord!
This is where we bid farewell.
Lord Veltol...
Udon alone won't provide balanced nutrition, so please cook for yourself on occasion.
Be sure to do the laundry regularly.
Don't let it pile up on you.
Since your work is sedentary,
please don't forget to stand and do stretches every hour.
Also...
What else...
I loved you.
You have the unfortunate habit of giving up too quickly.
Sorry I'm late.
I'm here to save you, Machina.
"The Demon Lord's Resurrection."