"Razor": According to the Foundation's assessment, this is a priority level A operation, which means it'll be as dangerous as the Walden operation. I hope you're fully aware of the risk.
"Razor" Soldier I: We don't have enough men or supplies, Captain. We don't stand a chance!
"Razor" Soldier I: They've refused to send us any support since the last mission. We can't do this without ...
"Razor": Enough, soldiers! An order is an order.
"Razor": Remember, the goal is not to fight a war. The Manus leaders are scattered all over the place. Our mission is to find them and finish them.
"Razor": The assassination of the Manus leaders is our top priority. The backup from the Foundation will not arrive until we've completed this mission.
"Razor" Soldier II: In other words, if we fail, we're on our own, right?
The hesitation lasts barely a moment, but everyone tacitly understands.
"Razor": Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
"Razor": Time to move, soldiers. We've almost arrived at Investigator Bouanich's coordinates.
"Razor": We're walking from here on out.
Helmeted Biker: Hey! Get outta the way! Quit standing in the middle of the road!
A motorcycle zooms past them.
"Razor" Soldier II: Hey, are you blind or something?!
"Razor": Focus on the operation, Todd. Let's go.
...
Madam Gloria: Heh heh, just close your eyes, and it all becomes real.
Madam Gloria: Close your eyes. Stop thinking. Then, you will be in paradise. Heh heh. Illusion is also part of reality, is it not?
The old woman rocks her "child" in the swaddling blanket, softly kissing the wooden stick.
She resembles a wounded fawn, gasping for breath.
She is once again that child huddling under the covers, waiting—hoping he would come back.
Paulina: coughs Why didn't you come for me? You should've come sooner.
J: I'm sorry. I-I'm sorry.
Matilda: Don't let the illusion confuse you, J! You must break away!
Matilda's voice is cut off from the outside.
Yet he knows better than anyone that he is on the brink of losing himself.
J: I know you're only an illusion, a thought in my mind that I just can't shake, but even so, I wanna stay.
J: There's something I've always wanted to know.
J: Tell me, Paulina, do you wanna go back to Haight Street?
The girl nods faintly.
He steps forward and reaches out his hand.
J: We'll stay in the restaurant like we used to, but there'll be no drunks looking for trouble this time.
J: We can hop on my bike and go for a ride around San Francisco. Scare the heck outta any boys who try to hit on you.
J: If the St. Pavlov Foundation invites you to join them again, I'll tell them to buzz off.
She extends her hand to him.
Paulina: Of course.
"Zing!"
The incense burner on the ground is split in two, and the illusion dissipates.
He sheathes the Bowie knife, shaking his head.
J: You're not Paulina. Tsk. Not even close. You didn't call me a jerk. You didn't have that sarcasm of hers when people looked down on her.
J: Of course, I miss my sister. More than anything. She was proud of me. And when she packed her bags and left Haight Street ...
J: She was proud of herself.
Matilda, standing behind him, sighs with relief and pats his shoulder.
Matilda: Good job, big guy. Team Matilda is proud of you!
J: What do you mean, Team Matilda?! We should obviously be Team J!
Pioneer: Oh, please, neither one of you has good taste.
???: I'll tell you one thing: you got good noses. But it'll only bring you misfortune in this game.
He steps out from the shadows, holding a gun in his hand.
Other tall figures follow closely behind, gathering around them.
Legers: Good evening, uninvited guests. The honorable Apostle and Ms. Mercuria have been expecting you.
Legers: It's best not to keep them waiting. Don't you think?
He presses the gun against J's chest, while another lackey rushes in from behind.
Gio: A punch for a punch, "Vern." Remember me?
The fist swings solidly into J's stomach, stirring him as it hits.
J: coughs
Apostle Matheus: Dear believers, we were once ignorant lambs led by false shepherds. We yearned for the so-called Truth—to satisfy our meaningless desires.
Apostle Matheus: Those who we served deceived us; those who we believed in betrayed us. That is why we gather here today to embrace the grace of the Sufferer and live a new life.
Apostle Matheus: Before the ceremony begins, I, Apostle Matheus, sincerely express my penitence for my past beliefs.
Apostle Matheus: I came from an isle ruled by a school. The people there believed everything could be interpreted through numbers. Like a coward, I followed this method of thinking and held the same false beliefs within my heart.
Apostle Matheus: We lived in a cave, thinking that we were well hidden from the outside world. We thought no one could reach us.
He paces around the bonfire as all the worshipers kneel on the ground.
Apostle Matheus: But then, the outsiders arrived. They massacred us, yet our beliefs availed us nothing!
Apostle Matheus: Bombs were detonated, and my friends were blown to pieces. The entire isle was shrouded in the darkness of death.
Holding a sharp sword, he makes a fierce black cut across his palm, leaving a deep scar.
Next, he grabs J by the hair, drawing a line with his blood-smeared fingers along his neck.
J: Urgh!
Apostle Matheus: But that will never happen again. We have found the eternal paradise. The Sufferer has granted THEIR glory to us all. As THEIR children, our strength shall be gathered, and we will no longer face injustice.
Apostle Matheus: Many, many fellow believers have joined us. We are whole. We are one step closer to reviving the Sufferer.
Beside him, the bound girl stares wide-eyed.
Matilda: These are all ... Oh dear! I've never seen so many Manus masks in one place!
The Apostle picks up a mask from the ground, surrounded by countless others.
Apostle Matheus: Brothers! Sisters! Don your masks! Join in the grace granted by the Sufferer, and repeat after me!
Apostle Matheus: We praise, we rejoice.
Matilda: No! Don't put them on! They will destroy you!
Matilda: The illusions! They're blinding you! They're not real!
The reports, acquired at the cost of countless sacrifices, scroll through her mind:
"The mask of Manus Vindictae helps its bearers endure the 'storm' at the cost of losing their sanity."
Faces of colleagues tortured and cursed in the mask's incantation experiments flash through her mind.
"A cruel but necessary sacrifice for the benefit of mankind and arcanists."
Matilda: Stop! Don't do it!
Her cries pierce the silence but do not reach their ears.
They remain expressionless.
A pebble falls.
With it, a torrent pours down.
Apostle Matheus: We praise, we rejoice.
Believers: We praise, we rejoice.
Apostle Matheus: We punish, we cleanse, we awaken—we are one.
Believers: We punish.
Believers: We cleanse.
Believers: We awaken.
Mercuria: We awaken.
Believers: We are one.
Mercuria: We are one.
