"Do you have to go?"
Asuna's voice is laced with sadness as she holds your hand and looks out toward the waiting Princess of the Klaxosaurs and her escort, the enormous serpent Jörmungandr.
You kneel on one leg to look her and her sister in the eye.
"I need to do this, girls," you tell the twins with a twinge of regret, guilty that you're leaving them so soon after what happened to Ichigo.
"Terra is going to make sure we win this war, but I have to help her to make that happen. I promise that I'll come back."
With a downtrodden look, Asada says, "Ichigo promised too."
It breaks your heart to hear your daughter uttering those words, but at the same time it reminds you of a decision you'd made. The girls deserved to know the truth of what happened to her before you left.
After a deep breath to calm your nerves, you take each girl's hand in your own.
"There is something I want to tell you two, something I've been holding back because I didn't think you were ready to hear it. Something… I wasn't ready to admit."
The memory of what occurred only a week ago in VIRM's underground base still burns brightly in your mind, causing your buried feelings to resurface.
"When Ichigo… when Ichigo and I went to stop VIRM, we ran into bad people. Psi survived the fall somehow, and that boy Alpha from the Nines was there too. We fought them, but it didn't go well."
Asuna and Asada have been listening intently to everything you've said, trying to piece together the details surrounding their mother's death. The blonde twin's eyes bulge while her sister's grip is so tight your hand is beginning to go numb.
"There was an explosion and some things happened. Alpha and I were fighting over a knife, but I got it first. I tried to stop him from hurting anyone else, and then… then he stepped out of the way, and she was right there. She was right there in front of me, and I..."
Cold sweat runs down your back and your eyes brim with tears. It takes every bit of strength you have to say what comes next in a shaky and breaking voice.
"Girls, I killed your mother."
In an instant the color drains from both of their little faces.
Asada's fingers unlace from yours and her hand falls to her side. She begins to mumble incoherently to herself, "No, no, no..."
Asuna fairs only slightly better, appearing to at least process the information. She looks at you with tears in her eyes and whispers, "That's why you said, 'if anyone should blame themself' back then."
Streams of tears run down Asada's face as she looks back to you. Her little hands ball into fists as she begins to shake her head. "You're lying. I don't believe you. You're lying. You… you said you'd protect her."
"It was an accident," you continue with the morbid revelation. "I was trying to get Alpha, but he moved out of my way, and I couldn't stop myself in time."
Asuna wordlessly watches you for confirmation with a pained look on her face.
Sinking to your knees, you tightly clench the fabric of your pants. "I tried. I tried so hard to keep her safe. I didn't care about myself, even, just her." A thick teardrop runs down your face. "...But it wasn't enough."
You run your hands through your hair before they cover your face as you begin to sob. "My, my one job, my only job, was to keep her safe. And I couldn't, I couldn't even do that much."
The two of them lean against one another, Asada continuing to bawl while Asuna just stares in shock. You stare at the ground and curse yourself for being so powerless, before your emotions collapse in on you.
Once you've started, you are unable to stop. Saving face for the girls had been hard from the start, and you were always putting their feelings in front of yours. Now, however, your grief finally floods out from you, and all you can do is cry over what you've done.
For a while, the only thing you can say in a quiet and broken voice is, "I'm sorry, Ichigo."
Asuna and Asada don't seem to know how to react, and they simply sob quietly next to one another, wrapped in their own little world that's quickly fallen apart.
"Do you hate me?"
The girls sober up in an instant and lock onto your face.
Your tears don't stop. "I'm supposed to be your parent. What kind of father is responsible for the death of his kids' mother? It would've been better if Ichigo had come back instead of me."
The two of them look shocked before they take a few shaky steps towards you, wrapping you in a hug from both sides. The crying redoubles as Asuna shouts, "No, no! We don't hate you! We still want you with us!"
Asada gives you a squeeze as well and speaks in a small and sad voice. "Please don't leave us. I just want you to stay."
You shake your head. "But I–"
"I don't care!" both girls shout, Asada burying her face into your shirt while Asuna stares with a worried look.
You stay stunned for a moment before you wrap each one of them under an arm and hug them as tight to your chest as you can. The three of you sit like this for a while, a tear-filled and shaky mess.
Before long, you pull the two of them far enough away to look them in the eyes.
"Ichigo told me that the three of us needed to stick together and take care of each other without her. So I promise I'll come back. I will raise you two into the finest young girls anyone has ever seen, and your mother will be so proud of all of us. But to do that I have to go with Terra now."
Asada still hasn't completely recovered from the shock, but she manages to at least put her arms around you again when you hug her and plant a kiss on her head.
Likewise, Asuna struggles with her tears while you bid her goodbye.
"I love you both more than anything in the world," you tell them. "Be good for Kokoro until I get back."
The mother-to-be is standing several yards back, face covered in tears of her own, but begins to approach as you stand. She places a hand on each of the girls' backs as they embrace one another again to cry softly, before she offers you a solemn farewell.
"Please be careful. They can't lose you too."
With a short nod you turn to walk away, trying to wipe the tears from your face.
"I'll do everything I can. I'm not just fighting for their futures, either. Little Hayasaka deserves the best world we have to offer too."
As you approach the edge of Haven's perimeter Jörmungandr's four eyes follow you closely. Even if Terra is putting her faith in you, it doesn't seem that it has been extended to her companion.
Your mind is troubled.
Choosing to communicate in the same fashion she had during your previous encounter, Terra acknowledges your presence.
"You can read my mind now too?" you accuse her with a hint of annoyance.
A small grin appears on the monarch's face, flashing several of her razor-sharp teeth.
Your will may be strong for a human, but your mind is still weak. Commanding thousands of my brethren across this continent is simple. What hope does one such as you have?
"Don't read my mind, and don't converse with me unless you are going to physically speak," you grumble, now standing almost face to face with the much shorter woman.
Maybe Terra is able to read your mind and sees what happened moments ago with your daughters, causing her to back down. Perhaps she can only sense emotions and didn't realize what she was doing would upset you further. It's entirely possible she also just took into account your tone and decided to not push you any more.
Regardless, she sighs and stares at you with eyes so blue even the deep sea can't compare.
"You are prepared to depart?"
"I am," you answer her, removing the prickly tone you'd previously used. "And... thank you."
Showcasing Terra's ability to telepathically command the Klaxosaurs, Jörmungandr lowers its head until it is flat on the ground and opens its jaw.
Without speaking, Terra steps into the mouth of the Klaxosaur and seats herself in a groove between the fork of its tongue.
You eye her wearily.
"If I wished to kill you or your friends, I could have done it long before now."
The Princess of the Klaxosaurs makes a valid point. However, it doesn't give the idea of stepping into the maw of your previous mortal enemy a great amount of appeal, not to mention riding in it.
Begrudgingly, you seat yourself beside Terra and watch as the sunlight fades into black as the serpent's mouth closes.
This was either a good idea or a bad one. Truth be told, you haven't yet decided which.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It was a bad one.
The ride had been awful. From the moment the serpentine Klaxosaur Jörmungandr closed its mouth until it opened it again an undetermined amount of time later, you had been subjected to complete darkness and an unbelievable amount of turbulence. As a result, rolling out of the snake's mouth and onto the solid stone on which it rests is a feeling that is almost indescribable.
Nearby Terra snorts, wearing an amused smile.
"You will have to do better than that to operate the machine alongside me."
After a few moments, the dizziness fades and you regain your feet. The tunnel in which you find yourself is nearly as dark as Jörmungandr's maw, but a series of crystals glowing a soft blue illuminate the space just enough for you to see. Similar to Zero Two, Terra's eyes shine in the darkness, meaning she could find her way perfectly even without the dim lighting.
"Follow me," she orders, not waiting to see if you are actually doing so.
You grumble to yourself about what a fantastic host she is and follow the shorter woman further down the tunnel. More of the crystals are embedded in the walls of the passage, each brightening as you approach and dimming shortly after you pass. Terra leads you for about five minutes through what feels like a maze before she finally holds up a hand to stop you.
"In this chamber is the most powerful of the machines. Together, we will wield this weapon to bring about the downfall of our enemies. It will require much of you, more than you were ever expected of while piloting your false human imitations."
Terra looks you directly in the eye, boring a hole into your soul.
"Are you capable of doing what is necessary?"
The question doesn't stop you for more than a moment. So many others had sacrificed to get the rebellion to this point. What would it say about you to stop now when it was your turn?
"I swear on my wife and daughters that I will see this through, and APE brought down," you answer.
The monarch gives a curt nod.
"Very well. From this moment on we are partners, a bonded pair anointed to operate the machine."
A rumbling in the floor beneath you begins and grows stronger as the illumination crystals reveal the cavernous room in which you stand. Not far from your current location is a circular hole in the floor where the tremor seems to be emanating from. Something long and blue emerges, followed by a feminine silhouette thirty-five stories tall.
For being a Klaxosaur the machine looks remarkably humanoid, almost like a FranXX.
Its stern and chiseled face is the first thing to catch your attention. Unlike its human counterparts, this mech has the contours of the face defined in physical form as opposed to having just a screen. It is as though you are looking at a person with empty eyes that stare at an unseen horizon. Even in the inactive state, the feeling of judgement it gives off is immense.
From the forehead a long blue horn sprouts, and fitting around its base is a sort of crown. Locks of what look like silver hair are tied into a braid, sitting inside the spiked crown that loops around the head and leaving two small tails to hang just above each shoulder.
The body is slender and completely without armor. Black and luminous blue, the Klaxosaur standard, make up her color scheme with markings that greatly resemble the clothing worn by Terra.
For a weapon, this Klaxosaur's is hard to find. Sure, each finger comes to a point like a claw might, but they aren't any longer than what would be expected. Something else had to be what made this the ultimate weapon.
It is only upon closer inspection that the hilts of two swords become visible over her shoulders. As you continue to look, you notice there are actually six scabbards on her back, arranged in two diagonally staggered vertical stacks of three. In the very center, a larger seventh sword is stored completely vertically.
Still amazed by what you are seeing, you utter the first thing that comes to mind.
"Is that… you?"
"Indeed," Terra replies, though her voice is higher than you've ever heard before.
Taking a moment to really inspect the Klaxosaur, you come to a conclusion that is both surprising and somewhat comforting. "It looks just like a FranXX."
"This unit has existed for millenia," Terra informs you. "Your FranXX may resemble it, but that is where the similarities end. What you see before you was created by the finest craftsmen of the Klaxo-sapiens for their monarch to lead them in battle."
What Terra is saying confirms a suspicion you'd had since your first conversation with her: she is not just royalty, but in fact a warrior-princess.
"Regrettably, it was not completed in time and thus never used. You will be the first to operate the machine with me. Feel honored."
"How do we use it?" you ask.
Terra begins to walk and talk, heading toward the exquisite creation.
"To operate the machine we will enter through the nape, where it connects to the spinal structure, and proceed to the control center within the cranium."
When Terra stops walking you have rounded the Klaxosaur and now stand behind it. The floor below you rumbles and a circular platform detaches, floating upward. It is a steady ascent, which slows as you approach the base of the figure's neck. As the platform had risen a slot opened in the machine, allowing access to the internals of the mech.
Without waiting for you Terra steps off the platform and onto the guard of the large seventh blade, which sits at the exact height of the opening. She proceeds immediately into the hole and disappears out of sight.
It takes a moment for you to decide it is truly safe to step off the platform and onto the blade's guard, but a simple test of pressure confirms it will support your weight. The height is unnerving, however, and you quickly transition from your new position to the inside of the Klaxosaur.
Moments later the panel that had slid aside fixes itself in place, once more leaving you in the soft blue glow of more illumination crystals. The crystals bathe a staircase of all things in their glow, casting shadows further up it. Judging by the lack of another path and Terra's immediate absence, you can only conclude that she has already ascended them and is waiting for you at the top.
You arrive in the control center, as she had called it, and find that the room is almost entirely barren save for a single block of dark metal in the center, appearing to be ten feet long and about three feet wide.
Terra stands beside it, waiting for you.
"What is this?" you ask as you approach.
With her hand the Princess of the Klaxosaurs motions to the table, where you can now see groves have been cut to allow a person to sit facing what you presume to be forward.
"The machine operates by means of mental connection like your bastardized copies. This is your position. Be seated."
You sit on the edge of the block and swing your feet up onto the table-like upper face before easing into the groves cut for your legs and lower body. The lack of a place to rest your back is immediately apparent.
Before you can ask why the design was so poorly made, something warm presses against your back.
"Terra, what are you...?"
Pressure is applied to your waist as something wraps around it. Similarly, you can feel something slippery move under your arms before wrapping back over them like a harness. The warm object pressed against your back becomes even tighter.
"What is...?"
You stop cold, realizing what has happened as a pair of tentacles slide out of two grooves cut for them and wrap themselves around each leg three times from the thigh down to the ankle.
"Princess, are these yours?" you ask, looking over your shoulder and seeing her silver hair as the only thing in view.
"Be silent!" she snaps, her voice higher and more frantic than normal, and her breathing noticeably harder than it had been moments before.
Several seconds pass as Terra gathers herself, breathing a small sigh as she works the hint of color off her cheeks. The voice of a ruler has returned when she speaks.
"The machine requires a mental connection. Physical contact creates the most efficient conduit. A greater area of contact is superior to a lesser one. This configuration maximizes that connection."
"You could have warned me," you reply, feeling more surprised than unsettled by her actions.
Still frozen calm, she says, "I ensured you would not be able to object."
"How nice of you," you were about to say, until a jolt of electricity shoots through your body.
The view of the cockpit disappears and is instead replaced by a white expanse. As far as the eye can see there is nothing, but an intense presence is near. It feels as though the nebulous consciousness is pulling you toward it, waiting for you.
This experience isn't unfamiliar to you, despite being alien in its current iteration. This is how it felt connecting to any pistil via the FranXX for the first time, but this power radiating from what can only be Terra is so immense you aren't sure you can handle it.
"I am waiting…" an annoyed voice echoes from the nothingness.
You search in all directions but cannot find Terra anywhere. With Ichigo she had been waiting for you and Miku had required a bit of coaxing, but it still worked out in the end. However, if you can't locate Terra then there isn't going to be a way for you two to connect.
A sigh emanates from every angle at once.
"Utterly hopeless."
From the nothing that surrounds you a figure appears, one slightly shorter and with blue skin.
"Take my hand," Terra says, extending her arm to you.
After a moment of hesitation, you reach out. The second your fingers come into contact with hers another jolt courses through you and you find yourself back in the cockpit.
The lights of the cockpit dim and an almost inaudible hum rises from below. In front of you the wall flashes to life, the walls of the cavern now displayed. You tilt your head to the left to look in the direction from which you had entered, and much to your surprise the platform rotates to place it in the center of your vision. You turn your head to the right and once again the cockpit moves to allow for perfect vision of the desired section of wall.
"Alright, it moves," you whisper to yourself. "I wonder what happens if I try to look behind me?"
You crane your neck to look behind, only to realize that in doing so you are presented with a perfect mental image of that side of the cockpit.
"Are you finished?" the voice of your companion asks.
Still in a state of bewilderment, you ask, "Am I seeing through your eyes?"
A feeling that can only be described as amusement washes over you through the connection.
"You may see through my eyes or your own, and I in turn can do the same," Terra answers. "My spirit powers the machine but it is not encapsulated within like in your imitations."
"You are in the Klaxosaur though, aren't you?" you question, trying to make sense of this new form of connection.
There is a slight pause as the Klaxosaur Princess gathers her thoughts for an explanation.
"My body is hollow for the time being. I see through the machine's eyes, and also through your mind. We are sharing our visions and consciousness as long as we remain connected via the machine."
"Okay," you say, not completely understanding but still wanting to keep the plan on schedule. "Shall we get going then? I don't see any controls so I'm not sure how to do that."
"We Klaxo-sapiens have no need for such primitive tools," a much louder voice announces, this one from outside the cockpit. It is familiar, however.
"Think, do, that is how one controls the machines."
Taking her word for it, you simply imagine walking forward.
Without hesitation the Klaxosaur begins to walk toward the entrance. It continues down the hall without your command, and when you think of slowing down it only halts for a moment before resuming its march.
"Who's really in control?" you ask.
Terra's voice echoes off the cavern walls. "It is a shared position based upon the will of the pilots. Your will is currently fragmented by shock and sorrow, and is easily overruled."
The way she had phrased that was less than comforting.
"You mean I'm along for the ride," you infer.
"If that was what I desired," she answers, her tone lightened to convey an air of trust.
Rays of sunlight pierce through the darkness as the Klaxosaur reaches the edge of the cave network.
"For this partnership to succeed and the enemy to be defeated, you will need to be capable of matching my will," Terra says as the Klaxosaur halts.
Leaving the dark cave, which you had been able to see in perfectly thanks to the vision of the Klaxosaur, brightens your mood.
"I'll do whatever it takes to make sure we win."
"I am certain you will," Terra agrees. "Now, brace yourself."
Before you have time to ask why, the Klaxosaur kneels into a sprinter's pose. Like a bullet from a gun she launches from the position low to the ground, taking one, two, three strides and then… nothing. You are unable to feel the pounding of her heels against the cracked earth any longer.
Looking at your surroundings it's almost impossible to tell what anything is as it whizzes by. The only thing you can make out is a tiny dot that is growing closer and closer on the horizon. The HUD for the Klaxosaur's cockpit has a map, but even at what seems to be the fullest view the blip representing you is moving faster than it can keep up. This Klaxosaur is covering miles in seconds at speeds greater than Mach 4.
Anticipation flows through the connection. You can feel Terra's smile. "Prepare for impact."
"Impact?"
The Klaxosaur shudders and dust muddies your vision. Something outside shatters into a million pieces, sending debris in a cone from the impact point. An explosion of sound assaults your ears, but it is quickly deafened by the systems of the Klaxosaur.
Despite hitting whatever it was you just obliterated at Mach 4 there had been surprisingly little feedback. You hadn't felt it at all and there were no alarms going off in the system.
"What did we run into?" you cough, still coming to grips with the experience of running through a solid object at the speed of sound.
The dust begins to clear, and a familiar black spire situated by a cluster of circular buildings comes into view. Sirens wail from every direction. A crowd of bewildered FranXX stare at you, while mounted emplacements swivel on the battlements to either side of the enormous hole punched in the wall.
"We're at… a Garden?" you ask in disbelief.
Terra doesn't answer you, instead making her excitement known to all.
"Take heed, humans, your death has arrived! Let the hunt begin!"
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Seconds tick by in silence as not a soul moves. The APE defenders are still either in shock or too terrified by the FranXX-like Klaxosaur that just obliterated the entire northern rampart with her entrance. Terra is drinking in the fear and confusion of so many minds, and her pleasure is apparent.
When she has had enough, the Princess of the Klaxosaurs sends you a message telepathically.
I shall take the lead. Learn what the machine is capable of. Become capable of wielding it.
As the entire Garden watches the Klaxosaur lifts her clawed hand to the sky. Six of the swords on her back, those aligned in the rows of three, slide from their sheathes with no visible contact for explanation. The blades form a rotating circle above the Klaxosaur's head, a swirl of black and blue against the bright sunlight.
From across the Garden on the southern wall a cannon fires, its crew having shaken off their shackles of fear and come to their senses. The round whistles through the air before smashing into the stationary target. An explosion of dust and earth results as the shell ricochets off the smooth skin of the Klaxosaur and into the ground, despite hitting it head on.
Slowly her head turns toward the emplacement.
The remaining cannons fire, unleashing a barrage of over thirty shells at the unit. The resulting dust cloud obscures her position. When it clears, the Klaxosaur is revealed to be standing on a pillar of soil amidst a crater. Miraculously, the figure hasn't moved an inch despite being hit by every shot in the bombardment.
"Hmph."
A finger of the Klaxosaur's raised hand twitches. One blade detaches from the formation and whizzes across the airspace of the Garden before implanting itself in the cannon, which promptly explodes. It then returns to its position in the ring as though it had never left, and without a blemish to show for it.
Gracefully, the feminine Klaxosaur leaps from her position on the pillar and lands at the edge of the crater. The halo of steel follows her, still glistening in the daylight. She surveys the mass of FranXX before her. The shock has worn off, but those who haven't succumbed to terror are now foolishly emboldened by their fight-or-flight response.
The first of those stupid enough to charge meet a quick end. All it takes is for the Klaxosaur to absentmindedly flick her hand and the swords fly through the air and impale her attackers.
A smile crosses the Klaxosaur's face.
Roars of cannon fire return as the emplacements on the battlements resume their cannonade and the remaining defenders charge.
Large and lumbering, a Dauntless heavy mech is the first to actually make it through the whirling cyclone of death that Terra has made from her psionically-controlled swords. With shield and sword at the ready the FranXX launches its strike. Terra finds it utterly effortless to dodge the telegraphed blow with the beyond superhuman reflexes of the Klaxosaur. In fact, she is so precise in her movements that the blade passes less than an inch from her as its wielder rushes past.
One of the swords circles back and makes quick work of the exposed unit as Terra continues her march forward.
Her next opponent is none other than a second Dauntless-class FranXX. This one meets an even quicker end than the last. Planting her feet, the Klaxosaur draws back her right arm and drives her claws through the hardened shield and the armor plating behind it and into the chest of the unit. Both pilots are killed instantly.
The Klaxosaur withdraws the magma fuel reactor, the beating heart of the FranXX, and gazes at it in the palm of her hand. Orange liquid seeps from the severed fuel lines as she brings it to her lips and licks up a portion of the leakage.
The taste is sweet, which surprises you. Did Klaxo-sapiens consume magma fuel just like Klaxosaurs? Or is it because this Klaxosaur is a representation of Terra that it possesses a sense of taste at all?
Whatever it is, this sends Terra into a completely different state than she had been in moments before. The calm and cool demeanor with which she had conducted this battle until now disappears and is replaced with a lust for wanton destruction.
You are along for the ride, albeit willingly, as Terra starts to decimate the remainder of the Garden's forces. She is too fast for them to even have a prayer of keeping up with, and she is much stronger than even Strelitzia.
Her swords are lighting, her steps blurry. Her dodges are beautiful and fluid, and there are no wasted movements. Every motion is precise and calculated, and executed with such speed that it is totally impossible to keep up with.
Your thoughts cloud as Terra's mind melds more with yours, and you really begin to see through not just your eyes but those of the machine as well. You feel yourself moving, but you can also feel Terra's presence too in the back of your mind, driving the action.
You see your hands sever limbs. You feel your swords impale chests. You taste the orange lifeblood on your lips. You watch as buildings are destroyed, crushed under your heel, bowled over with wreckage, or set ablaze in explosions.
After no more than a few minutes the Garden is no more, replaced by a smoking and burning ruin.
Only two structures had been spared from the onslaught, the Nursery and the Maternal Ward. Both were full of innocents, and the rebellion force that would be coming to mop up would take care of those inside.
The six swords return to their sheathes, the largest one unneeded, as Terra surveys the destruction with satisfaction.
"Your will is indeed strong enough," Terra says, granting you her approval.
Feeling like every muscle in your body has been pushed to its absolute limit and then some you slump back against her physical form, her mind still within the machine.
"You still live, do you not?"
With a groan and through heavy breathing, you reply. "I'm here."
"Good," her momentary fear abates. "It would have been unfortunate to have pushed you too far on our first ride."
"Did I stop you... from destroying them?" you ask, alluding to the only buildings left standing.
With the mission complete, she turns to go.
"You did, proof that your will can match my own. Though your body is less than ideal. It will take time for you to acclimate to the stress of operating the machine alongside me."
After overcoming a coughing fit you chuckle to yourself as Terra prepares to launch into what you'd call the "travel mode" of this Klaxosaur.
"You can say that again."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Everyone saw that, right?" Zorome asks. The disbelief in his voice is mirrored by the expressions of everyone gathered around the holotable in the war room.
"She took down that entire Garden without breaking a sweat," Miku says with a hint of admiration.
Ikuno pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I'm not entirely sure they need us to win against APE."
"They can't be everywhere at once," Hachi states.
From beside him Nana whispers, "That might just be the only thing she can't do."
"Hey, Zero Two," Hiro looks at his wife standing beside him and squeezes her hand to get her attention. "Can you do things with your mind like that?"
Her expression is equal parts conflicted and saddened.
"I don't know, Darling, I never tried. But she's much stronger than me…"
"Wait, I didn't mean..."
As Hiro tries to comfort Zero Two, the others return to the footage of the Klaxosaur smashing through the northern wall of the Garden. It then proceeds to show her shrugging off cannon shells as if they hadn't even hit in the first place.
"I've never seen anything so powerful in my entire life," Kana laments. "If only Valkyra were as strong. Kyo wouldn't be in the state he's in right now."
Naomi places her arm over the taller girl's shoulder. "You aren't to blame for what happened. It took courage from both of you to help us win that fight."
Kana nods and accepts the embrace with silent thanks.
"One thing's for sure," Zorome says, "she's the strongest Klaxosaur in the world. She could probably end it if she wanted to. A walking apocalypse."
The others nod in agreement.
"...That's it," Miku says.
Several heads turn to her, each bidding her to continue.
"Her name," Miku explains. "Every FranXX needs a name."
In her literal way, Ikuno feels the need to point out, "That isn't a FranXX."
Her enthusiasm unable to be curbed, Miku shrugs.
"You know what I meant, and it's close enough anyway. So, from now on we'll call her Apocolysta, a walking apocalypse."
