Video| First Strike

[former_endboss]

[The video begins with a face none of you have ever seen before-masked with a visor that clicks and whirs and gives the very human lips and white hair that extend from beneath it a slightly robotic cast...even as a familiar voice will issue forth from those cruelly smiling lips.]

Good Morning Ducks. I do hope you will excuse my informal address, but I'm practically giddy with excitement. You see, this is Mir-and I'm speaking to you from my new body. Shurelia thought she had stopped me, but I'm afraid that it's she who has been stopped. After all, I'm wearing her like a cheap suit, and nobody will dare to touch the Administrator whose life is the only thing standing between those pathetic humans and certain doom. My doom.

Ahh, but where are my manners, I hadn't quite finished my house keeping. Ar Tonelico, tactical weapons from Standby to Arm. Standby for targeting information.

You see, I've been beating around the bush because of my position of weakness. But I'm not weak anymore. I'm more powerful than I've ever been, and I intend to continue from where I left off and complete the extermination of the pitiful species called humanity. I already began it four hundred years ago when I destroyed the nation of Neo Elmenia and more than 60% of all the humans in the world. But the existence of endless worlds presents a problem-I can't kill all of you trash, as much as that would please me. There simply is not enough time in the day. Even industrial scale megadeaths, applied to world after world, day in and day out for the next hundred years would not put a dent in Infinity. There are just too many humans to kill. So I'll leave you all alone unless you provoke me.

Still, I can't ignore your worst excesses. Consider the fate of Panem to be an example for you all-this is one Civilization that I cannot ignore and allow to pass mutely by. By the powers vested in me as the sole surviving military and civil authority of Neo-Elmenia, I do hereby declare war upon the nation of Panem, for reasons of crimes against morality. And transmitting this message to them... There, now it's legal. Ar Tonelico, uploading targeting data. Power to rift program. Dimensional rift sequence to commence on my mark... Mark.

[Overhead, the sky gapes open as magical energies rip at reality, yawning wide to invite destruction in, another world barely visible on the other side.]

I have to thank you all by the way. This wouldn't be possible without the community to motivate and direct my research-and the technical information I stole from some of you.

FINAL INTERLOCK SEQUENCE. ENTER HYMN CODE: Eolia_Ansul_Artonelico.

SAFETIES RELEASED. WEAPONS ARE FREE ADMINISTRATOR.

Goddess, Administrator. Mmmmm, it feels good to be called that. Execute.

[The network isn't finished though-it gives everyone an excruciating view of just what Mir is executing here, a flawless first strike against Panem that interrupts the Hunger games like the arrival of a steamship interrupts life on a pacific island, except in pseudo-nuclear magic fire and not with missionaries and trading posts and disease. It takes maybe a minute to utterly devastate the Capital, and other areas-District 2 and the Hunger Games arena itself, are not spared either. Communications links fry as Mir's cyberwarfare viruses wet the system and rip it to shreds-and then as a final insult, she severs rail lines and other transportation, before the now rather ragged looking rift slams shut.]

((ooc: Mir will not be playing nice today, but nor will she be entirely unreasonable. And anything in Italics is actually network-translated Hymmnos.))

Comments

[icantbelievethis]

What are you doing!?

[former_endboss]

Lancing a boil full of human filth.

And if you get any ideas about 'stopping' me I can do the same to other places as well.

[icantbelievethis]

I don't care who they are, you can't do that!

[former_endboss]

Funny. Considering that I just did that, I don't think you can tell me that I can't.

[icantbelievethis]

You're completely disgusting! I know you hate humans, and I know it's because they hurt you and tried to act like they owned you, but even if people do something bad, they don't deserve to all be wiped out. You know that, even, and you still don't listen!

[former_endboss]

Enough! Don't try to reach my heart with such hollow words! I've seen more of humanity's cruelty than you can imagine! Your entire species is rotten, screaming, murderous apes that never left the jungles! Don't presume to tell me what you deserve.

[icantbelievethis]

You don't get it. Sure, we've done bad things. We're selfish. We've all hurt people, even the good ones. You've seen the bad things. But when you see the good things, you act like they don't exist! It's not hollow or fake! It's a part of life, just like everything else!

[dealwithadeva]

[Huh. Well now, that's...

...

Actually kind of impressive.]

Damn. Y'don't mess around, huh?

[former_endboss]

There is no longer any reason to play children's games. So no, I am not messing around. As much joy as this extermination brings me, any celebration would be premature and unwarranted.

[dealwithadeva]

What, not even a little celebration? 'Least pat yourself on the back or somethin', I'd say you've deserved it.

[former_endboss]

That can wait until the job is done. There are still many loose ends to tie up.

[dealwithadeva]

Like what?

[former_endboss]

Ah-ah. No telling right now.

[x_battousai]

[It's rare when Kenshin is serious, and his diction is changing--less formal, more direct.]

There were innocent people there, none of whom tried to do anything to you. This goes beyond provocation.

[former_endboss]

In total war, there are no civilians, no innocents. All an enemy's assets are valid targets of war-destroying their homeland, their industry, their morale, all these are valid tactics. After all, only the victors hold the war crime tribunals.

[x_battousai]

What you have done is not war. Total destruction reaps nothing--it destroys vital resources, isolates one from potential allies, and prevents one from gaining anything. Only one who is not serious about winning would do such a thing.

Not everyone is your enemy. Treating everyone as though they are is wrong.

[former_endboss]

You are wrong. All humans are my enemies. They marked themselves out for destruction long ago, and I will not stop until I have planted my heel on the last human throat and crushed it.

All your species, and all who stand with them, I will burn away.

[x_battousai]

You're equating all worlds with your own. You're not giving anyone the least chance.

Everyone is capable of change. Sins may not be easily erased, but no one should have to carry the burden of sins their predecessors committed.

[former_endboss]

Those words might turn aside a weaker heart.

But I have a vision. One Will. One Sky. One People. Ar Ciel united under my rule and inhabited solely by Reyvateils. That is the world that I dream of, a world without fear or pain or bloodfued, cleansed in one final purge of it's greatest cancer.

video

[masked_god]

[Karakael looks absolutely stunned for exactly three seconds.

And then he begins to laugh]

Oh, well done "Goddess".

Finally becoming a worthy opponent, are we?

[former_endboss]

I told you that she could not contain me, did I not?

But please. The proper title is "Administrator." It is rather improper to call Eolia a goddess. She is only named for a rather minor Will.

[masked_god]

You term, not mine. "Administrator" has a rather nice ring to it. Quite like "Inquestor", really.

[former_endboss]

I would not presume too make any such comparison. The pun doesn't translate into my language.

And I do hope that you will not presume too much in my direction either.

[masked_god]

Oh no. I do try to use ones preferred titles whenever possible, no matter how shaky one's claim to the title actually is.

[former_endboss]

...Shakey? Hmph. There is no shake here. I am in complete control.

[She's not, but she won't admit that.]