Karakuri Circus

Francine is behind one of these doors.

In that case, let's go Minghai!

-Hey! -Mingxia!

Her wounds must be deeper than we thought.

She drank some of my blood, but it seems it wasn't enough.

I can help her out.

Ta-da! The "Egg" medical capsule.

You brought this with you?

Amazing, huh? It's small, but it can treat pretty much anything.

-Fatima. -Yes?

Look after her for me. And you get fixed up, too.

Yes.

What's taking you so long, shiroganes?

Have you chickened out?

-Let us go then. -All right!

Remember the mission.

If any of us get to Francine, we destroy her.

The fate of mankind rests upon us.

Before dawn, when the stars paint the sky

I am searching for the thing I lost

With a restless heart Under the sun yet in the dark

I patch together little prayers to light my path

I don't need anything, as my hands are full

My hands are full of emptiness

Please, just once, nod for me

Just once, reach out to me like the mirror

I will live for that single moment, that single second

All the rest can just burn away

What's right for me is for me alone

Whatever the path, I'll follow it to you

This feeling grows and grows, deep inside my heart

For one single reason

I continue to climb up on the stage

#12 The faceless commander

It's pitch black.

Yeah, but I feel a draft from below.

You can't see in this bit of darkness?

You poor plain shiroganes.

We don't have light-correcting eyes, if that's what you're implying.

Not like you shirogane-Os.

The name is Malina. Call me "Lina."

And yes, I can see. I see sinister steps leading down to hell.

I haven't introduced myself.

I'm Steve Rockenfield.

I'm a medical professor at a British university.

I'm Schwarzes Tor from Germany.

Whatever.

It seems you have a rather low opinion of us shiroganes.

Yep.

I can't forgive people who throw away their lives like nothing.

My precious family.

I came here to protect them

by destroying the puppets spreading ZONAPHA syndrome.

Please understand, Narumi.

We're all here for a reason, but nobody plans on dying.

I have a fiancée waiting at home. I'm going to marry her when I return.

We're not like the shirogane-Os.

That's so stupid. Family? Marriage?

Unnecessary feelings will just make you scared of fighting.

That's why we had Commander Faceless turn us into machines.

If you don't cherish life or know how to cooperate, you can't win.

Yeah, well we're not made that way.

Congratulations. You chose the right door.

Now, you may begin fighting.

Fighting?

That's right.

Lady Francine is behind that door.

But only half of you are allowed to go through.

Only the two who survive a fight among the four of you can proceed.

Go to hell! We won't.

You have no choice.

If you try anything funny...

You'll die. You have 18 minutes.

Part of the floor will crumble every 3 minutes.

Okay, begin.

I suppose we have no choice.

I wish we didn't have to fight each other.

I feel you.

To the Sahara via Japan, eh?

This is quite a journey, George.

Your curiosity brought you here.

You could've left after taking me to your village to pick that load up.

I wanted to see that world I've never seen before.

It'll keep me from getting bored.

Okay, let's do this.

No way.

What?

Only two of us can go ahead.

We have to do as they say.

You too? Oh, come on.

I'll never fight just because somebody told me to.

-But... -You guys go ahead.

I will not allow that.

You'll all die right here, right now. 10 seconds till launch.

Just go, you two.

Why? You said so yourself. Not to throw away our lives so easily.

3, 2...

Why choose death?

Narumi...

Mr. Rockenfield, Mr. Tor.

Not everything needs a reason.

But why?

I said this to somebody before.

That if something happens, think with your heart.

And here's what my heart said.

The children with ZONAPHA syndrome... Your families...

I just don't want them to cry.

Go now, and destroy Francine.

I've never felt so much pain before in being a shirogane.

Don't worry, I'll catch up to you.

He still hasn't given up.

I was careless.

I can't believe I'm going to die.

It's not over yet.

When the floor crumbles, jump onto the wall. I'll support you.

Dig through the wall.

What do you...

Jump!

Oh, Narumi and Lina. You're alive.

-Glad to see you are too. -Yeah, somehow.

Did you do this?

No, it was them.

Because we refused to fight each other.

Some latecomers to the party?

Now you can all kill each other.

I don't understand this man, Faceless.

He doesn't even blink when his people die.

Narumi.

Your face has your thoughts written all over it.

I see you don't like me much.

But let me set things straight.

I have feelings, too.

Do you know why I became a shirogane?

Because an automaton took my wife away from me.

-Hey! -Seems like he wants to die now.

Dirt to dirt, ashes to ashes.

Detestable automata to piles of gears.

-Wow. -Of course.

He's Faceless of the 3 solutions.

3 solutions?

The first is dismantle, the second is dissolve.

And the third?

Let's just say it's a secret trick that can shut up any automaton.

Come, Timbavati.

We need your puppet to get across.

Not so fast.

-No breaking the rules. -That's right.

Rule breakers will be blown to bits.