A fire crackles placidly in the hearth of Shinri Josuiji's hovel deep in the alpine forests of the Xeokunian hinterlands. From his window, he sees the twinkling lights of Xenokuni City from afar, seeming like a world away. After all, in a way, Shinri is living in his own little world - his brief respite from the fighting and the war that has dragged on for far too long.

He warms himself by the fire and minds a cauldron of soup hanging over it: a simple caldo de pollo enough for two people.

Just the way Hakka Banzoin, his hermano en esperanza, loves it.

Shinri stirs the pot with gentle, mindful motions that contrast his large physique. He chops up vegetables, opens up a package of Elysian army surplus elbow macaroni and sets them all, the caldo side of his dish, aside.

"Y ahora, el pollo." Shinri muses, searching for the chicken of his dish.

He picks up an ornate Xenokunian hunting knife and turns to a skinned chicken splayed out on a cutting board. He closes his eyes, gestures to the dead bird and mutters a Xenokunian prayer.

"Su vida es mi vida. Vuelve a las Santas Madres."

Shinri wields the knife and butchers the bird piece by piece.

CHOP! CHOP! CHOP!

Then, he goes for the neck.

THWACK!

As he does, however, Shinri feels unsettled. The blood of the bird, though chilled by the wintry winds after he slaughtered it, feels warm somehow. He shudders, but he does not know why.

Cooking, hunting and butchering have come naturally to Shinri for as long as he can remember.

And yet, as he cuts out the bird's innards and chops the bird into pieces, chills run up his spine. His skin crawls. His once-frostbitten left hand tingles uneasily. The chicken blood feels warm, but the wintry winds bite harder that night.

If Hakka were there, he would have most certainly called it an omen.

He makes a quiet note to ask Hakka when he arrives.

If he arrives.

Shinri washes his hand and checks his metallic timepiece. Hakka had promised to arrive by then.

"¿Dónde estás, hermano?" Shinri whispers, wondering where he is.

His breath fogs up.

He tries to keep himself busy and minds his pot of caldo de pollo. One by one, he salts the butchered chicken pieces by hand, almost like an embalmer preserving a corpse. Then, from largest to smallest, Shinri puts the pieces into the pot to cook.

The last pieces he puts in, along with the vegetables, are the chicken's throat - and the chicken's heart.

SPLISH! SPLASH!

Shinri proceeds to stir them all together with a ladle. The troubled frown remains on his lips the whole time.

The flame in the hearth starts to flicker and wane, so Shinri goes to fetch some more firewood. When he does so, he hears the galop and whinny of a horse.

"Hakka…?" Shinri pipes up.

He listens to the galloping and shakes his head. Hakka isn't the type to ride on horseback. He always travels in the church's buggy.

A voice then follows, calling out in the night.

"¡Señor Shinri, señor Shinri!"

It isn't Hakka's voice.

Shinri sighs. He puts away the firewood and comes out of his hovel to meet with the rider.

By the porch of the hovel, Shinri sees a haggard Xenokunian man hop off a snow white stallion. The man hurries over to Shinri, nods his head respectfully and then offers him an envelope.

It's a telegram from a relay station outside of the city.

Shinri reads the telegram under the moonlight. A shadow hangs over his face.

"?Señor. ¿Qué pasa?" The messenger asks, wondering what is going on.

Shinri crumples the telegram and tosses it to the ground. He points to the messenger's horse and growls.

"Necesito tu caballo."

Shinri's low voice reverberates through the porch.

He does not wait for an answer.

Instead, he takes the reins of the white stallion and rides off towards the lights of Xenokuni City. As he does, the flames in the hearth of his hovel dies, leaving only embers.

Just like that, midnight comes to pass.

"¡Rapido! ¡Rapido!"

Shinri rides the white stallion through the streets of Xenokuni City. He goes through the military checkpoint left unmanned and remembers the deal that the Elysians struck with Kolonel Moona Hoshinova. However, he does not find the Tempest tank or the Pavolian truck that it was supposed to be escorting.

He grits his teeth and cracks the reins, spurring the stallion even harder towards the Xenokuni City Governor's Palace.

Outside the walls of the palace, he finds the Tempest tank and the Pavolian tank uncrewed. In their stead, Elysian military police are stationed at the gates. They appear to be forming a barricade.

"¡Halto! ¡Halto!" The military police cry out in rough Xenokunian.

Shinri ignores them and rides straight through.

"Heiyah!" Shinri roars.

He makes the stallion leap over the roadblocks and the Elysians manning them. The horse's hooves land on the snowy courtyard.

Shinri hops off the horse and marches up the stairs towards the entrance.

Again, Elysian military police try to stop him or block his path, but Shinri towers over them and forces his way through. Not a single military policeman can stop him. Those who try are briskly pushed aside by Shinri's muscular arms.

Those who see Shinri's shadow-shrouded face and his gritted, bared teeth, meanwhile, wisely step aside.

The Elysian cordon of military police melts away in Shinri's frightening presence. One last person stands in his way.

Baelz Hakos.

The relatively short Lieutenant Colonel looks up to the marauding man casting his shadow over her but stands her ground.

"Mr. Josuiji." Bae greets him somberly.

"Where is Hakka?" Shinri asks impatiently in heavily accented Xenokunian.

"The library." Bae answers, "The room where we talked at the peace conference."

Shinri snorts. He tries to go through the front doors, but Bae stands still before him.

"We're already investigating the matter." Bae tries to say.

"I don't trust your investigation, Elysiana." Shinri answers bluntly, "You are on Xenokunian lands. The Holy Mothers will judge the sinners. If you are not among the killers, then you would be wise to step aside."

Bae bites her lip. She feels the pistol that she wears at her hip, but she moves her hand away.

Just as Shinri demands, she steps aside. Shinri snorts and barges into the Governor's Palace. He makes a beeline for the palace library.

He bursts through the library doors and finds the Tempest crew at the scene of the crime.

Vesper Noir, the driver, shakes his head as he types up notes on a typewriter.

Magni Dezmond, the loader, makes a sketch of the library on a notepad with every detail he could make with a pencil.

Axel Syrios wanders around the room, noting the spent Elysian bullets scattered about, the ceremonial Pavolian saber and the bloodied piano wire still slick with crimson.

Altare Regis and his turncoat Pavolian commander, Ollie Kureiji, meanwhile, sit limply on couches before the corpses of Kolonel Moona Hoshinova and Arsobispo pro tempore Hakka Banzoin - a pistol shot away from each other.

Ollie and the Tempest crew all turn towards Shinri, but none of them seem surprised. One look at Shinri's face is all they need to know why he is there.

The leader of the Xenokunian Resistance movements makes a beeline towards Hakka's corpse and kneels down before it.

"No, no, no, no… Mi hermano…" Shinri's low voice trembles.

He sees the bullet holes that riddle Hakka's body. He touches them. He feels the blood that is still warm staining his hand, just like the chicken he butchered in his hovel.

Everyone else in the room watches in silence, afraid to make even a sound.

Shinri sniffles. He closes Hakka's sorrowful eyes.

Then, he raises his head - and raises his voice. He makes his ultimatum.

"I demand to know who is responsible for killing mi hermano en esperanza!"

Ollie stands up from the couch and stammers, "Lt. Colonel Hakos and I are in charge of the investi-"

"I don't CARE who's in charge." Shinri raises his voice, "I want to know who's responsible for this CRIME!"

Ollie recoils and gulps.

Shinri clenches his frostbitten hand, making the leather glove that covers it stretch, "Anyone who wasn't here when this travesty happened - leave us, or else you will rue the day you were born."

Magni, Vesper and Axel all turn to Altare and Ollie. Altare, too, rises up from the couch.

"Just go." Altare urges.

His three crew members heed his call and excuse themselves. They close the door behind them. Ollie and Altare, meanwhile, stand up from the couch and face the Xenokunian seething with quiet rage.

Shinri faces them squarely.

Ollie and Altare pull out their M1911 pistols and set them aside on a table.

"Corporal Regis and I were the ones who shot Friar Hakka." Ollie says, clearing her throat, "I don't suppose you care why."

"I don't." Shinri reveals, "In my eyes, this is an execution - a conspiracy by the empires of Pavolia and Elysium against Xenokuni. Mi hermano Hakka believed in Moona Hoshinova even when I had my reservations - and this is how he gets repaid? With lead!?"

"That's not what it i-" Altare tries to argue, but Ollie holds him back.

Shinri snorts and continues.

"The Xenokunian people and I are not mere pawns to be thrown away or cannon fodder for Elysium's risky missions. We fought in your battles and died for you believing that Elysium would be the lesser of two evils - but it appears that we were mistaken. Perhaps it was foolish of us to throw our weight behind you."

This time, Ollie grits her teeth and retorts.

"In case you've forgotten, Mr. Josuiji, Moona Hoshinova's plan was our chance for an early peace treaty that would have saved many lives. Friar Hakka killed Moona and snuffed out that chance. He was in cahoots with the Pavolians, and…!"

"ENOUGH!" Shinri shouts. His voice booms throughout the library, "I have spent all day on my hands and knees begging Xenokunian elders and councils to continue supporting Elysium - as well as Moona Hoshinova's foolhardy plan. But at the end of the day, the highest cleric of our faith - and our people - is dead by YOUR hands."

Ollie and Altare shudder.

"I speak for the Xenokunian people when I say that our patience has been stretched thin. It is on the verge of breaking." He pounds his chest and winces with pain, "And as for me - my heart is aching."

"You have to see reason here, Mr. Josuiji." Altare chimes in, "We're up against Zeta Vestia, the master manipulator of Pavolia. What happened here tonight was meant to tear up our coalition from within!"

"The Xenokunian people will not care - and neither do I. Friar Hakka is a beloved man!" Shinri stomps his foot, "When news of his death breaks out at sunrise, the streets will be filled with furious people demanding blood!"

Ollie and Altare fall silent. Shinri clenches his bloodied fists.

"We stand on Xenokunian land, so I demand Xenokunian justice. I demand satisfaction. My people demand satisfaction! Wash away this dishonor with martial honor. Un todo juego."

"Todo juego…" Altare furrows his brow, "A duel."

Shinri nods.

"Quite so. To the death."

Ollie and Altare freeze where they stand.

"I will fight the both of you at once. Not in this room. Not where mi hermano sleeps eternal. We shall go to the banks of the Emerald River behind this palace of Elysian imperialism and Pavolian treachery. Defend your honor and show me your resolve there or face the wrath of the Xenokunian people. There is no other way, and I will not ask again."

Ollie takes a deep breath and lowers her head. She laments, "Moona-simpai was also dishonored… so I will avenge her…!"

This time, Altare interrupts her.

"No. Let me fight on your behalf too, ma'am."

"Sergeant Regis…?" Ollie gasps.

"I wanted to take Friar Hakka alive. I couldn't stop him in time." Altare answers, "Please let me take responsibility." He turns around to Shinri and asks, "Is that acceptable, Mr. Josuiji?"

"Do you have a death wish, Elysiano?" Shinri furrows his brow.

"No, sir. I just fight for what I believe is right." Altare answers firmly.

Ollie bites her thumb. She hisses beneath her breath.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Sergeant Regis."

Altare and Shinri march out of Governor's Palace and make their way to the gardens by the banks of the Emerald River. Neither of them say a word but they walk ten paces apart. Ollie Kureiji follows behind them with her back hunched in anxiety and frustration.

She has been chosen as the testigo.

The witness.

A role she does not want.

Baelz Hakos, the Tempest crew and the Elysian Military Police watch the two men go to the moonlit river. Magni and Axel try to approach Altare, but Vesper holds them back.

"You… don't want to get in the way of what's about to happen." Vesper warns the younger soldiers, "A todo juego duel is no joke. It only ends when the accuser has gotten satisfaction - or if either of them die."

"Bloody hell…" Axel shudders.

At the other side of the banks, meanwhile, Xenokunian citizens gather. They have gathered quickly and outnumber the Elysians on the palace grounds twenty to one. Even from afar, their voices echo and resonate.

"¡Todo juego! ¡Todo juego!"

Shinri and Altare reach the banks of the frosty Emerald River. Shinri takes off his shoes and washes his hands and feet in the moonlit water between sheets of ice.

Altare does the same.

The frost of winter assaults Altare immediately. He shivers where he stands. The wound that Hakka's sword left on the back of his hand stings, but he weathers through the pain.

"Hah… hah…" Altare huffs and puffs.

Shinri, on the other hand, does not flinch. He looks straight into Altare's green eyes and speaks with fogging breath.

"Empezamos, señor Regis." Shinri clenches his fists and raises them, "Let us begin."

Altare follows suit.

Ollie Kureiji, the testigo, takes a deep breath. She raises up her hand and slashes it through the air with a swish.

Shinri begins his assault.

The large, musclebound Resistance leader dashes towards Altare at breakneck speed. Altare stills his heart and watches his foe approach.

Shinri lunges forward and throws his punch.

Altare ducks and dodges.

Shinri tries to strike him again, but Altare darts and weaves away.

"You're not going to strike me?" Shinri asks, snorting at Altare.

"No." Altare answers, "I'm trying to convince you."

"Your inaction does not convince me, Elysiano." Shinri growls.

Shinri dashes towards Altare again, unleashing a flurry of punches with incredible speed. Right and left hooks fly from Shinri grazing the dodging Altare's head.

"Shit…!" Altare curses.

Altare dodges Shinri's strikes as best as he can, but the Resistance leader is a well-oiled, tireless machine. Shinri does not relent. He does not give Altare time to rest - or even to breathe!

Beads of sweat form on Altare's brow. Shinri's assault intensifies further, forcing him to block the relentless blizzard.

Every strike that Altare blocks, he feels. Shinri's punches rattle Altare's body to the core, but it's the only way for Altare to get closer.

"You have to listen to me…!" Altare urges as he blocks Shinri's left hook. He pushes back against Shinri's wrist and looks into his eyes, urging, "Friar Hakka… he was talking about… a deal he struck with Zeta Vestia!"

"Again with this drivel?" Shinri tries to dismiss him.

"He was talking about a free and independent Xenokuni that Zeta promised him!"

"Less talking, more fighting!" Shinri roars, pushing back against Altare.

Shinri throws a right hook, but Altare steps out of the way. The two men glare at each other, but Altare is determined to speak.

Once again, from behind his raised, trembling fists, he tries to present his case and appeal to reason.

"Friar Hakka was a prominent clergyman. He was the arsobispo pro tempore, meaning that he replaced another archbishop. Why do you think the HaKugrenadiers steered clear of him? Wouldn't he have just been another target of Zeta's purges?"

"That's…" Shinri stumbles, pausing to think for a brief moment.

"It's because Friar Hakka collaborated with the 101st!" Altare declares, "He sold out the clergy to protect himself!"

The resistance leader shakes his head, "You're trying to get into my head, Elysiano! I will not stand for this slander!"

Shinri grits his teeth and launches towards Altare again. He throws a haymaker punch that cuts through the air.

Altare dodges the heavy strike again, but then… Shinri pulls back and follows through with a kick. His kick finds its mark - Altare's chest.

WHAM!

"Oughhfff…!" Altare coughs. His chest feels like it was struck by a train and he falls down on one knee.

Altare raises up his head and sees Shinri towering over him. Shinri twists his body and spin-kicks Altare in the jaw.

BAM!

"Gahhh!" Altare goes flying back first into the snow.

The Xenokunians across the river cheer. Ollie and the Elysians in the palace gardens fall silent.

Altare struggles to pick himself up from the snow. Shinri's shadow looms over him.

"Fraile Hakka Banzoin, mi hermano en esperanza is an honorable man. He would never do something as vile as what you accuse him of!"

Altare raises his head. He grits his bloody teeth and rises back up to his feet.

"Friar Hakka… may have been an honorable man in the past, but this war… changes people, Mr. Josuiji." Altare groans and looks Shinri in the eye, "People are turning into monsters! Kolonel Hoshinova… saw Zeta in that way, remember?"

Shinri's stern expression falters.

His mind wanders back to the night of the peace conference when the flighty friar left the palace in a hurry, even after Shinri urged him to stay. Looking back at Hakka's expression that night, Shinri recalls seeing a haunted, hunted man.

A man who was not at peace.

Cracks of doubt start to form in Shinri's resolve.

"Hakka…" Shinri grumbles. He claws at his own face, wrestling with his memories and the many whispers swirling around in his head.

His righteous fury shifts and warps into utter anguish and grief. Denial stirs his heart like poison.

"No… no, no, no, that can't be!" Shinri lashes out, "I refuse to believe it. I refuse!"

Shinri grabs Altare by the collar of his uniform with his frostbitten hand and lifts the tanker up from the ground with just one arm. Altare's legs and his bare feet, blood red from the cold, dangle before him. Altare's eyes are bloodshot and blood drips from his lips.

Altare grunts and grabs onto Shinri's wrists, but he still does not strike Shinri back nor kick him.

Altare does not apologize either. His resolve does not waver.

As for Shinri… his heart aches.

"Tell me this is a lie." Shinri demands Altare.

"Zeta Vestia… is trying to wedge Elysium… and Xenokuni apart." Altare answers stubbornly, "What do we have to gain… from killing Friar Hakka? Think about it, Mr. Josuiji. Please! You're playing into Zeta's hand!"

Shinri pulls up Altare's collar even higher. His blue eyes turn to the frigid, frosted waters of the Emerald River. He wants to throw Altare, the blasphemer who sullies the name of his hermano en esperanza

In Altare's state, the river would claim him.

Vida por vida.

A life for a life.

But Shinri cannot.

His grip loosens. He lets go of Altare's collar. Altare falls down on all fours onto the snow.

Shinri still looms over him, but his tone changes.

"Elysiano… If what you're telling me is true, then Hakka never told me anything about this deal." Shinri reveals somberly.

Altare rubs his neck and rises back up to his feet.

"Friar Hakka probably didn't want you to get strung up by Zeta's web of manipulation." Altare gives his assessment. He looks Shinri in the eyes and says, "Before he died, Friar Hakka said this: 'Patria para ti. Muerte para mi.'"

"Patria… o muerte." Shinri croaks the old Xenokunian battle cry, "Was he… perhaps, talking about me? That idiot…!"

"Are you satisfied now?" Altare asks.

Shinri growls. Then, he takes a deep breath, turns to Ollie and raises up a fist to the air.

"That's… the sign for victory." Ollie stammers, "That… that means the duel is over. The duel is over!"

As soon as she says this, Vesper, Axel and Magni rush over to Altare's side. Shinri, meanwhile, puts on his boots and slinks back into the Governor's Palace.

With a weary and aching heart, Shinri creeps back into the library of the Governor's Palace. He kneels down by the corpse of Friar Hakka Banzoin and searches through his sackcloth habits.

Shinri finds the friar's notebook stowed away in one of the pockets.

He flips through the pages of the notebook and finds detailed minutes of the closed-door conversation with Moona during the peace conference.

Minutes that were not supposed to see the light of day.

He also finds Hakka's plans for the assassination of Moona Hoshinova: a strike before midnight with piano wire.

Shinri cranes his head and finds the piano wire strewn out on the floor beside the dead Kolonel.

Every page of the notebook contains overwhelming evidence of Hakka's guilt.

Then, on the last pages of the notebook, Shinri finds Hakka's last thoughts: his laments and anguish written in Xenokunian.

"The Holy Mothers have abandoned me, but I must see this through to the end. I will do the bidding of la demonia rubia. Gran Xenokuni will rise - if not for me, then for mi hermano en esperanza, Shinri Josuiji."

He has fought hard - too hard - for our people. They deserve to have the land and the country that we have dreamed of. But until then. I will do what I must.

Holy Mothers, if you can hear me. Forgive me. And goodbye.

-H. Banzoin

Shinri's frostbitten hand feels the page and the ink that spells out Hakka's name.

Tears stream down his cheeks.

"Hakka…" he whispers his hermano's name.

Then, he weeps.

The sun rises over Xenokuni City when Shinri finally emerges from the grounds of the Governor's Palace. Once his tears have dried, he surrenders Friar Hakka's notebook to Baelz Hakos and excuses himself.

He takes the white stallion and rides along the banks of the Emerald River. That path inevitably takes him to the yard of the Tri-Spirit cathedral, the place that once was the seat of power of the church.

Hakka's seat.

Outside of the cathedral's yard, he sees throngs of people - Xenokunians, Elysians and even some Pavolians - lining up for the morning soup kitchen. One sniff tells Shinri the menu that morning.

Caldo de pollo.

Hakka's favorite.

Shinri's frown deepens. He considers turning around and heading back to his hovel.

But then, he finds the fiery haired right hand woman of Hakka - Kiara Takanashi - organizing the cathedral staff to serve the soup kitchen goers. Kiara turns his way and notices him.

"¡Señor Shinri!" she calls him.

Shinri clears his throat and rides towards Kiara. He gets off his horse and asks her how things are going in Xenokunian.

"We've got a lot of hungry people coming to us, señor." Kiara answers in Xenokunian too, gesturing to the crowds, "The cathedral can only serve so many people with what little supplies we have, but we're doing our part."

"Is that so?" Shinri hums with concern, "Will there be enough?"

"We were in a pinch for a little while." Kiara reveals, "But the Elysian Army has been sharing their surplus food and medicine with us. Some soldiers have been helping out! They're from this unit called 'Compania de Charon' or something."

"Charon Company, you mean?" Shinri notes, saying the unit's Elysian name.

"Ah, yes, yes!" Kiara nods, "Their commanding officer, la capitana Mori is very nice and helpful. She came by herself to deliver the supplies!" She grins, "Not to mention good-looking with her ten gallon hat."

Shinri's lips twist between a smile and a frown, "Even you fancy the Elysians, huh?"

"They're not as bad as some of the elders say they are." Kiara nods firmly. She puts her hands on her hip and looks around the yard, "But that aside, we still do need some hands on deck to help out. El Fraile said that he would help out with the soup kitchen today… but nobody's seen him."

'Hakka made a promise to you too, huh, Fenix?' Shinri grimaces.

"... señor?" Kiara tilts her head.

Shinri places his gloved, frostbitten hand on Kiara's shoulders and whispers to her, "Please, come with me for a moment. There's something I have to tell you."

Kiara blinks. Then, she nods.

Shinri takes Kiara aside to a hidden nook before the statues of the three Holy Mothers, away from the crowds, and tells her everything that happened at the Governor's Palace.

Kiara's face grows pale. She covers her mouth and wipes away tears forming at the sides of her eyes as she listens.

"That todo juego I heard about… so that's why it happened." Kiara shakes her head somberly.

"Please, do not tell anyone what I've told you yet." Shinri urges, "I will be working with the Elysians to resolve this… tragedy… in a satisfactory manner. We will also have to search for a new arsobispo soon."

Kiara nods and lays her hand over her heart, "I promise, I won't tell a soul."

"You are one of Hakka's most trusted people. I know I can trust you." Shinri affirms. He looks at Kiara and muses, "But you do not seem as surprised as I thought you would be."

Kiara lowers her head.

"El Fraile was like a father to me and to many in our church… but… how do I say this…" Kiara starts, her voice trailing off, "I've had suspicions that something was going on with him for a while now."

"You did?" Shinri asks.

"Yeah." Kiara nods, "I didn't have much evidence back then, but now… it all just makes so much sense."

"Tell me about it, Fenix. Please." Shinri begs.

Kiara's lips twist. Then, she gives her account.

"Something changed about El Fraile when the Elysians started approaching Xenokuni City earnestly. It's almost like he wasn't acting on his own accord - like he was possessed. He became withdrawn. He left as soon as he had celebrated the Mothers' sacraments, even though he usually stayed to meet the congregation."

"Hakka did act flighty at the peace conference too…" Shinri recalls, "What else, hija?"

"When the Elysian Army was knocking at the gates, El Fraile didn't want to mobilize the Resistance. I had to take matters into my own hands and mobilize everyone I could."

Shinri furrows his brow and falls silent. That is Kiara's cue to continue.

"And then, señor, just the other night, I saw El Fraile in this very same nook. He seemed to be praying intensely - but also, I thought I saw him meeting with someone too. By the time I got here, though, that other person had disappeared."

"Other person…?" Shinri's eyes widen, "What other person? What did they look like?"

"It was a woman, probably." Kiara answers, "I didn't get a good look at her. It was pretty dark and she was pretty far away… but I can say that she was blonde. Rubia."

"La demonia rubia…" Shinri clenches his fist. The person's name escapes his lips, "Kaela Kovalskia. Zeta Vestia's right hand."

Shinri's shoulder slumps. He covers his face with shame, "I see why señor Regis was so persisted. I've been playing into Zeta's hand all along, huh?"

"Zeta Vestia…" Kiara's expression tenses, "Amelia Watson mentioned her name to me. She says she's a dangerous woman."

"More dangerous than we think." Shinri admits. He shakes his head and lays his hand on Kiara's shoulders once more, "That is why we have a lot of work ahead of us, hija. In Hakka's stead, I want you to become the caretaker of the Resistance cell he once lead."

"…me?" Kiara's jaw drops, "But I'm not a santa guerrera."

"By the authority vested in me, as the hermano en esperanza of El Fraile Hakka Banzoin, I declare that you are a santa guerrera now, Kiara Takanashi. Please serve me as faithfully as you have served El Fraile all these years." Shinri counters, "Your first order of business is to convene mourning services for El Fraile. Do it in a way that the people will accept."

Kiara takes a deep breath and lays her hand over her heart. She accepts the responsibility, "I will do as you ask, señor. How else can I be of service?"

"Keep track of others in the church who may have been compromised. Find those who would seek to divide our people in this most trying time and bring them to me. I will deal with them myself."

"Of course, señor." Kiara nods. She then turns to Shinri, "But what about you? Will you be alright? El Fraile was like a brother to you."

"I'll be fine." Shinri reassures her, "I will have to convene with the elders to choose a new arsobispo. We will need a leader to guide us through the dark times ahead."

"I understand… but are you sure that you don't need anything at all?" Kiara insists.

The fragrance of the caldo de pollo soup wafts to the nook. Shinri's stomach grumbles.

The Resistance leader looks up to the cloudless Winter sky and watches his foggy breath rise up to the heavens.

"Perhaps I'll have a bowl of caldo, please. I haven't eaten anything all day."

That very same evening in Xenokuni City, just after sunset, two bodies are prepared for burial in vastly different ways.

For Friar Hakka Banzoin, an announcement is made on Xenokuni City's PA system speakers about his passing.

A tall tale of Hakka's demise in a riding accident in the Xenokunian hinterlands is spun in a eulogy read by Shinri Josuiji. Three days of mourning are declared as well to honor the life and service of the arsobispo pro tempore to the Tri-Spirit church.

A delegation of Elysian military attends the impromptu burial ceremony held at the grounds of the Governor's Palace. His body is dressed and cured in full Tri-Spirit church rites and his coffin is adorned with Xenokunian regalia.

Baelz Hakos and Shinri Josuiji, despite knowing the truth of what happened, stick to their script and take turns lauding Hakka as a unifier of Xenokuni who died too soon. Together, they urge the Elysian and Xenokunian people for unity in Hakka's honor.

Bettel Gavis and the ECN news crew capture every moment of it and take the lie at face value.

Meanwhile, the body of Moona Hoshinova is buried along with hundreds of other Pavolian casualties of war in a mass grave. Ollie, Altare and the Tempest crew attend the unceremonious burial under the cover of darkness whatsoever.

No cameras.

No fanfare.

Just silence.

The only sliver of luxury comes from Moona's ceremonial Pavolian saber that Ollie now wears at her hip. When Moona's body is lowered along with the other Garrison soldiers, Ollie draws the saber and raises it up high.

She then whispers.

"Moona-simpai. Berusalang."

Ollie returns the saber to its scabbard and turns away, wiping her tears.

While Moona and Hakka are buried by their loved ones, Lieutenants Amelia H. Watson and Gawr Gura huddle over maps of the Pavolian continent in the Elysian Army headquarters in the Xenokuni City baseball stadium.

Under a tabletop magnifying lens, Amelia looks through the contents of the Pavolian microfilm intel with her one good eye. She reads aloud what she finds and Gura marks out the details on the Pavolian map.

Together, the two of them chart out the grand Pavolian war strategy.

"They're planning to concentrate how many tanks at the border!?" Gura gasps.

"Hundreds. Maybe a thousand. Everything they've got, basically." Ame confirms grimly, "They want to kick us out of the continent."

Ame proceeds to list down the Pavolian armored units and their inventories of tanks and war machines.

Gura lists those numbers down on the map along with the planned Pavolian positions. However, they make a number of adjustments to the intel. After all, just a week ago, Pavolia still controlled Xenokuni City and the rest of the occupied territories.

Nonetheless, a thick blue line of Pavolian tank formations faces down the thin green line of Elysian units.

"This still… doesn't look good." Gura shudders.

"I know, but at least we know where things stand. We know where they are." Ame explains, "We can put this to our advantage."

"How the hell are we gonna do that!?" Gura frowns, "We barely have enough tanks to draw a frontline!"

"War isn't always a numbers game, sharkie." Ame smiles, "We just have to know where to use what we have. And besides - we'll be the ones on the offensive here."

Gura looks over the map and the battle lines once more. Ame's enthusiasm bewilders her.

"There's a Side-B, so to speak, in the microfilm." Ame reveals, "I'll read out what I've found. Trace lines through these coordinates, please."

"Alright then…" Gura sighs.

With that, Ame starts to read out coordinates for Gura to draw. Then, Ame ends with a phrase.

"Pavolia Raya."

"Pavolia Raya?" Gura raises her brow, "Like the Pavie anthem?"

"No. This one's a military codename." Ame winks, "It's the Imperial Pavolian Armored train and it's en route to the front lines. The Empress of Pavolia will be on board."

Gura falls silent.

"Hold on…" Gura's jaw drops, "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Ame nods. She stands up from her seat, pulls out a bayonet and stabs it through the path of the armored train.

THWACK!

She turns to Gura and urges, "Please call Lt. Colonel Hakos. We have an Empress to kill."

TEMPEST