Fire Force (炎炎ノ消防隊)

Protect the forest.

Shinra-kun, are you okay?

Judging by your behavior, has it happened again?

Yes. There was a voice.

Protect the forest.

It said, "Protect the forest."

A voice? So it really is an Adolla Link?

Does the voice belong to the leader of the bandits?

Well, I don't know exactly what it is.

I heard it coming from the direction of the Tabernacle, though.

Don't tell me...

...it was coming from in there...

Everything I've had, I've lost,

but I won't let go of this remaining spark

No, I won't let it go, not ever

Though there may be no right answers in my ill-defined tale,

once I'm able to step forward...

They say something's wrong with me, but I'll do something with them

I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to be

But if my dreams have resolved themselves to be by your side

then there's nothing left for me to doubt anymore

Sparks fly as things kick off

until "black and white" turns to ashen gray

If there's a choice crown to be had

I want it, I want it

I'll whizz my way toward you

until "double or nothing" gets zeroed out

If the clowns are melancholy

then nothing will get anywhere

I'll show you a love that burns hot enough to scorch ashes

I just spark again

"Episode 8: Smoldering Malevolence"

If you heard it coming from the Tabernacle,

does that mean that it uses an Adolla Burst, too?

Then again, the Tabernacle is an inorganic object.

Can it even perform a Link?

There, you see?

Those guys attack us unprovoked. There's no talking to them!

Scop...

...tell me more about the Tabernacle. How long has it been there?

The Tabernacle is something that was here before us,

which our benefactor fixed.

Benefactor?

It was shortly after the Great Cataclysm devastated the world 250 years ago.

One day, a lone traveler appeared.

It was a human woman, wrapped in a robe of pitch black.

This woman preached to us animals,

who were just waiting for death in this wasteland, and taught us how to speak.

Why have you come here, lady?

I came from beyond the spatial rift to once again recreate this world.

Now,

you must be hungry, right?

Warm yourselves with this flame.

The flame that she produced was very warm,

and we soon noticed that our hunger was gone,

and our lives had been extended.

But then, one day...

...she repaired the abandoned Tabernacle,

and then disappeared.

It is because of the Tabernacle that this Oasis came about,

and we are still alive.

Yeah.

She is our benefactor. She may come back here someday.

Until that time, we will keep the Tabernacle safe.

Where did this woman go?

No one has seen her since that day.

Still, we cannot turn over to them the place where she will return!

Protect the forest.

The voice probably belongs to her.

Yeah, it is possible.

It's safe to say that the spot we singled out to investigate is the Tabernacle.

What on earth is the story there?

It's them!

A person?

A former person.

There are Infernals here, too?!

--Licht-san! --Help me! --It's a trap!

Shinra, go help Inspector Licht!

Yes, sir!

Licht-san!

He's dead!

Licht-san!

Oof...

Are you all right?

Huh? I thought I was dead.

Thank goodness! Lieutenant Pan's defensive buff was in time.

I don't even have a scratch.

That's incredible.

--He has friends. --This time we're dead for sure!

Shinra, take Licht-san and get him back!

R-Right.

--The prayer! --Yeah!

The flame is the soul's breath.

The black smoke is the soul's release.

Yoruba Spears!

Excalibur!

Látom.

Stay away! I don't taste good!

Damn, there are quite a few of them, huh?

Grr... How dare you defile our friends and the Oasis!

Give us back our Oasis!

Give us back the Tabernacle!

You guys okay?

Hu... mans...

Who... are you...?

They can talk?!

Well, if moles can talk, why not?

Don't you even see us animals here?

Hey! You can hear me, right?!

We've seen an Infernal that can talk once before...

Why won't you look at me?

Stop... ignoring us animals!

Get them.

You guys need the creative energy of the Tabernacle?

If so, won't you consider living in harmony with the animals?

You say...

...that has the power of creation? Don't be ridiculous.

That was built... in order to destroy the world.

It is there... to destroy.

-Destroy... Destroy... Destroy...

--The Tabernacle is a weapon built to destroy the world? --Destroy... Destroy... Destroy...

But Amaterasu in Tokyo isn't, right?

No, it actually does make some sense.

Dr. Giovani went to Vulcan's workshop to find the key to Amaterasu.

The objective of Dr. Giovani and the rest of the Evangelist's men

is to once again trigger a Great Cataclysm.

I'm not sure what it is they're after,

but they're out to destroy the world again.

And in order to achieve that goal, they'll need Amaterasu, right?

Then it's true that it really is a weapon of destruction?

No!

The Tabernacle that that woman created is no such thing!

Just look at this forest! This is all because of the Tabernacle!

Sure, she may have had a creepy face.

She would smile this eerie, devilish smile.

But when we were doomed to perish, she gave us language and life.

She gave us the Oasis.

Yeah, the voice I heard over the Adolla Link didn't sound like an evil one.

I believe what Scop is telling us.

Shinra...!

We are not going to let these guys...

...use the Tabernacle as a weapon of destruction!

The remaining tablets.

You have gathered them all?

Now we can initialize the weapon of destruction.

Good! The day of our souls' release draws near!

Let us face the time of our end together!

At last, we will be freed from the suffering of these flames.

Ah, Tempe-sama!

Tempe-sama!

We have human intruders!

What did you say? Humans, all the way out here?

All of you, the time has come for you to do one last labor for me!

We will not allow anyone to interfere.

I will only grant unto those who served me in this life

repose and glory in the world after death!

Labor, labor, labor, labor, kill those who stand in our way,

and demonstrate your devotion to me.

Labor for me, kneel down before me, and bow down your heads to me!

That is the path to salvation!

The only means of being released from these burning bodies!

--For thee! --For thee!

...return to the great flame of fire.

Látom.

Let's take a moment to sort out our situation.

According to our investigation so far,

they appear to want to use the Tabernacle to destroy the world.

But, since they haven't actually executed their plan,

it's possible that there is something else that they require.

Scop, is there anything else you can tell us? Anything might help.

Hmm... Let's see...

Come to think of it, I saw them collecting those stone tablets.

Oh, I saw that, too.

Stone tablets?

They have gathered a number of them, huh?

They probably have quite a few of them by now.

Are these tablets some sort of key that will activate the Tabernacle's power?

Who knows? But I can tell you for sure

that the Infernals' leader instructed them to collect the tablets.

The guy has terrifying horns growing out of his head like this.

Huh?!

--He has horns? --There's a demon Infernal here?

Demon?

If there's a demon here, that changes things an awful lot.

"Translation: Hmm..."

What, are they that bad?

I read the reports.

It takes a ridiculous amount of firepower to put one to rest, right?

It's impossible for us to put one to rest with our numbers.