Episode 48

SKYSCRAPER OPERA

At the Metropolitan Opera House, Saya and Hagi have arrived ahead of Diva. Saya starts to get dizzy again in the lobby, but Hagi manages to catch her before she falls. She thanks Hagi, and then David calls them away. Across the world, everyone is tuning in for Diva’s performance, including Kaori in Okinawa. However, many of these people are also consuming Cinq Flèches food and drinks. Back at the Opera House, Amshel tells Nathan that this night will open their new act in history. Nathan thinks that filling the world with Chiropterans is nonsense. To Nathan, it’s not as like this world exists for Amshel’s foolish experiment, but rather all the world exists as a stage for Diva. He’s already seen all this – a repetition of what happened before Diva was born with the mummified mother of Diva and Saya. Nathan offhandedly wonders what would happen if there were also one of her Chevalier still around. In any case, he’ll be watching with the cocoons from the audience to see how the plot Amshel wrote develops.

Across the opera house in another balcony box, Kai and Okamura are talking about the first performance at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1883, Gounod’s “Faust.” Joel finds that interesting since 1883 was the same year the tragedy at the zoo occurred. Kai believes that that has nothing to do with it, and thinks that Saya will defeat Diva and return to Okinawa. As for Diva, David reports that there’s been no confirmation of her arrival yet. Joel wonders if Diva will really come, but Saya is positive that Diva will because she can hear Diva’s singing voice. Kai then asks Hagi outside for a moment to talk with him. He wants to know what Hagi is hiding, though Hagi isn’t quite sure what Kai is talking about. It seems that Kai is worried about Saya being able to fight since her sleep period is nearing, causing her self-healing to slow and causing her to weaken. Hagi simply answers that Saya wants to fight. Kai refuses to believe this since he thinks that Saya is only fighting because there’s no one else that can defeat Diva. He admits that he wants to protect Saya, but he also knows that a human such as himself is powerless against Diva and her Chevaliers. For that reason, he entrusts Saya to Hagi. To make sure, Kai tries to confirm that Hagi doesn’t want Saya to fight or die. Hagi answers that Kai doesn’t understand anything about him and then excuses himself. Back on the balcony, Saya puts the pink key that Kai had made for her into Kai’s coat pocket, thanking him and saying good-bye.

Outside the opera house, Lewis and Lulu see Diva arriving in her car and report it to David. Joel sends Saya go confront Diva before she gets on stage, though David stops her first because he has something to say. He tells her that she is the sole, indispensable weapon for this fight, but even more than that, she is their important friend. He then urges her to go end everything tonight. Saya runs into Hagi and Kai in the hallway, but they don’t say anything to each other. David comes out and calls Kai to go since Diva has arrived. As Kai is passing by Saya, she grabs his arm, but then lets go again. She eventually turns around and leaves with Hagi, all without having said a word to Kai. The two of them make their way backstage and find Diva waiting for them. However, Saya get dizzy right then, so Hagi takes the initiative and rushes at Diva. She is able to dodge all of Hagi’s swings and makes a beeline for Saya, commenting on how Saya seems sleepy. However, Diva thinks that it’s ok because (referring to herself in the third person), Diva’s song will open Saya’s eyes. Actually, the real Diva is presently on stage already. Saya doesn’t understand what’s happening, so the person who looks like Diva in front of her says that the children of the world are going to be awakened. That person turns out to be really Amshel in disguise.

As Diva’s song begins, Hagi and Amshel continue the fight backstage. Amshel hits Hagi with an energy blast, effectively taking Hagi out of the battle. Amshel thanks Saya for setting Diva free, which Saya herself admits was a mistake. He actually agrees that it was a mistake because if Diva hadn’t been set free, then she would have remained only Amshel’s thing for all of eternity. However, the doors of fate opened and she began to walk freely in this world. Amshel now wants to know everything about Diva, which is what he considers supreme love. During all this, David had realized that something was wrong since Diva was able to take the stage, so he orders Lewis to blow up the satellite relay stations. Also watching Diva are her US government backers, who really like Diva’s singing. Accompanying them, Van reiterates how Delta 07 will create the Chiropterans in problem regions so that they can then dispatch the Corpse Corps to take care of them. However, the female government official looks like she isn’t feeling very well. Meanwhile, watching from Okinawa through the TV, Kaori recognizes Diva as Riku. Okamura and Joel suddenly notice that there are people in the audience who are suffering from Diva’s song. Around this time, Lewis finally blows up the satellite relays stations, taking out all the transmissions. But this victory is short-lived, as the broadcast soon continues. Lewis reports to David that the enemy is directly transmitting to the military’s satellites, so it’s useless if they don’t take out where the transmission is coming from. Unfortunately, there are Chiropterans springing forth from humans across the world, including many inside the opera house. The government backers are confused at why there are Chiropterans appearing here too, and bad turns to worse for Van when the female official transforms into a Chiropteran herself. It kills Van’s assistant, but then gets knocked off the balcony by the gunfire of the government agents. Nathan, meanwhile, remains seated with the cocoons as he watches Diva sing, commenting on how Amshel’s writing has a more stimulating stage than he imagined. Outside the opera house, David, Kai, Lulu, and Lewis find and destroy the transmission trailers. The problem is, it’s too late because there’s now tons of Chiropterans running around. One of them attacks David and hits him in the arm. Although Lewis and Lulu are able to kill that one, the group soon becomes surrounded by many more.

Back inside, seeing the carnage that the monsters are wreaking, Saya yells for Amshel to stop it. Amshel eagerly awaits Diva’s children being born and raised in a Chiropteran world. When that time comes, he wonders what Diva is going to do – that’s what he wants to see. Saya is in disbelief that Amshel would transform humans into Chiropterans and create tools of war like the Shifu just for that. Amshel replies that it is because man wanted it. He asks Saya if she knows what things flow on the battlefield. The answers are blood, sweat, tears, and money. Man still continues his foolish wars for these things and Amshel feels like he’s just giving them what they want. Mankind is causing these wars themselves, and so they are the ones walking the path of ruin. Amshel is only using war as a tool, with man dancing on his hands. Saya declares that Amshel used to be a human and so he should know that that’s not what people really want. Amshel didn’t quite expect such words from a pure queen like Saya. He thinks that Chiropterans are mysterious things – without a particular appearance that they should be, they get close and live with humans. Saya says that they shouldn’t have appeared in this world, and that’s why they should return to the place where they should be. Amshel asks if that would be the world of death and Saya confirms it.

The enemy Chevalier isn’t about to let that happen tonight, but has to get out of the way after Hagi gets back up and takes a swing. Hagi wants Saya to leave Amshel to him so that she can go fight Diva, though Amshel makes a comment about how the Chevalier is the same as the master. Hagi tells Saya to fight, and then the two Chevalier charge each other. On the stage, Diva finally ends her song when Saya appears before her. The two face off with swords drawn and with Nathan still watching from the audience. As Nathan is thinking that it’s finally started, Diva is welcoming her sister, whose eyes are now blood red.