Karakuri Circus

It has gone as planned.

You and Éléonore are tied by a tight bond now.

So this is a game of bonds.

Either I download myself into you and obtain that bond.

Or you come and take Éléonore back.

I'll be waiting. You'd better come!

Let it bloom or let it wither

The setting sun ignites the horizon

And the gears turn

When the horn blows, the flames dance

The story waits for no-one

Off they go, the gears are churning

A red past chases after you

The jester's smile

What's behind the mask?

You can't erase the scars

No matter how they burn

Let it bloom or let it wither

The setting sun ignites the horizon

Alone in the depths of the night

Let out a cry that can cut through fate

That's the cue to begin

The curtain is rising, it's time to dance

Everybody sheds tears at the end

So hold them in now and keep going

Until the day the curtain falls

The gears will keep turning

#21 Silver goddess

Master Shoji protected our village for many years.

We will pray for his soul here for eternity.

Grandpa...

Protect Éléonore for me.

Don't worry.

I'll protect Shirogane. I will.

I'm sorry.

I mistook you for Sadayoshi...

I was about to make a grave mistake.

That's okay. How badly are you hurt?

I'll be fine. Although it was a hard blow.

Masaru!

There you are! You had us worrying.

What the heck? What happened here?

Did Shirogane find you?

I'm sorry. Shirogane tried to protect me and...

And what? What happened?

But don't worry.

I will save her.

Hey, what do you mean, save?

Shouldn't we go with you?

You can't.

It's too dangerous.

It's come.

ZONAPHA syndrome.

Huh? But why?

To the dying humankind.

How do you feel?

I am Deus.

The god who brings an end to all life, known to you as Faceless.

Who the heck is that?

I love ancient Greek tragedies.

Especially those by Euripides.

The ones that end with a goddess appearing in the sky.

So I've decided to give you a goddess for your finale.

Can you see her?

What the heck?

Impossible...

She's Artemis, and her arrival heralds the conclusion to your tragedy.

As you may have guessed, I gave you that sickness.

There is no way for you to cure it.

But listen here.

You don't have to worry.

Because every human on earth is going to die.

My silver goddesses are now flying all over the world,

blowing the biblical trumpets of the apocalypse.

How do you like it?

How could this be happening?

Masaru...?

Don't.

Please don't look at me.

Faceless...

Masaru...!

Guri-pon.

The puppet we were riding on is in that truck, right?

Yes, I think so.

Masaru.

But why are we not infected with that ZONAPHA thing?

Because you spent a lot of time with Éléonore.

She was born with immunity against ZONAPHA.

It probably rubbed off on you.

Masaru.

He's flying!

Now, I mustn't let Masaru go alone.

Mr. Guy.

I have a favor to ask you.

Faceless... I'll never forgive you for this.

People aren't yours to take. And neither is the world!

Damn you!

You spread ZONAPHA syndrome!

I forgot to tell you, but the goddesses are not solid entities.

They're just clouds of the ZONAPHA pathogen.

A dust-sized automaton called Apollyon.

These are what's causing you all this suffering.

Damn it.

Let's chase after Faceless, Masaru.

Guy.

And Lise?

She implored me to take her with me.

Please, Masaru.

I won't get in your way.

I'll be of help to you!

The legendary Guy, the destroyer of 200 automata.

Amazing how you dodged my Cupid's Arrow.

But you are going to die here.

Only that boy there is allowed to chase Lord Faceless.

You go on. He only wants me.

Save Éléonore and the world for me.

Be careful.

Now then.

I've had my eyes on you as you're an outstandingly beautiful shirogane.

What an honor.

I'd rather hear that from a human woman, though.

My body... I can't move like my usual self yet.

I am ashamed of myself.

Let me tell you what I hate.

Those wrinkles you humans have.

Don't you think they're just so ugly?

But look at me.

I have a beautiful face, not one single wrinkle.

Guy, you're the second most beautiful being after me.

It's too bad.

I wanted to turn you into an automaton and make you my partner.

Thanks, but that would never happen.

Goodbye, Guy.

Narumi.

How strange.

I had a feeling you'd appear soon.

There's no time to talk now. You know why.

The world is in danger. Let's go.

-Go where? -To where I first met you.

The ZONAPHA Syndrome Research Institute.

Cupidia, your face...

It's covered in the wrinkles you abhor so much.

What? A machine that can treat ZONAPHA?

Yeah, they call it Harry. Fou developed it.

Fou, the jester.

According to him...

You are all strong. You lived through the war against the Midnight Circus.

Now, I must ask you to do something.

After years of research,

a machine to drive out the Apollyon bugs that cause ZONAPHA has been completed.

What?

Can it cure ZONAPHA?

Yes.

But I can't contact the people who developed it.

I don't know what happened to the only test machine, either.

An automata attack?

I'm afraid so.

I need you all to go and protect Harry, the completed machine.

It's at the ZONAPHA Syndrome Research Institute.

Fou decided we'd need your help, too.

You've been there before many times.

But I was against it. After that plane crash...