For all the many wonders humanity has produced, I would wager that nothing it has ever created can match what natured has birthed. Of this much I am confident; we have not yet manufactured anything that can compare with the merciful bliss of...

Death.

".....Unit-06, respond! We have—— our way! Regroup at coord— We've sustained heav—"

More than anything, I'd like to close my eyes and drift off into peaceful slumber...

"Unit-06, fucking— If I don't hear you respond—— I swear to god, I'll—"

[Priority Alert: Unit-01 has sustained critical damage. Protocol-444 authorized. Internal dampeners activated. Anchors have been placed. Shield integrity at ninety-seven percent.]

But I can't do that anymore. I've been denied that comfort. And believe me when I tell you that I've tried my hardest to make it happen. There's nothing you can come up with that I haven't tried.

God probably did this to me. Perhaps it's punishment for something I did.

The Devil is a more reasonable suspect if you think about it though.

But then again, it might not be anyone's fault. This could all be nothing more a stroke of tremendously bad luck.

"OH FUUUCCK!!! GET CLEAR OF THE BLAS——"

I no longer feel fear, for Death has forsaken me. He has abandoned me in my hour of need and left me in this wretched world as something less than human — a living phantom.

[Priority Alert: Unit-05 has been destroyed. Unit-04 has sustained severe damage. Pilot, squad integrity has diminished below operational standards. Protocol-58 is now in effect.]

"——, can you hear me?! D-Don't worry about me... I'm done for— come for me. I'll clear a way out for you, so please tell——that I...!"

[Priority Alert: Unit-04 has initiated override mode. Protocol-444 has been self-authorized by Unit-04. Internal dampeners activated. Anchors have been placed. Shield integrity at forty-six percent.]

I cannot die. Death will not take me, no matter how much I plead. Nothing will be able to change my fate, I suspect. And I will forever be damned to wander purgatory.

"Hey, kid— there?!! Make a break for— We'll be— behind you! Dump the package an—"

[Priority Alert: Unit-03 has sustained severe damage. Shield integrity at nine percent. Warning, Unit-03's A-Core has been exposed. Immediate withdrawal advis—]

Even so, these days I feel as if a great weight has been off my shoulders. As long as you exist in this terrible world, I think I'll be able to keep on living. After all, you were the one who taught me that death and love are inextricably linked.

[Priority——: Unit-03 and Unit-02——. Pilot, you are now in command of ——Squad effective immediately. Be advised, your projected survival rate has been estimated at—— operational standards. —— with caution.]

So, I'll keep fighting. I'll never stop struggling, not until I reach Paradiso with you and escape this wretched nightmare.

[—— Alert: ——Integrity at zero percent. Warning, A-Core meltdown in prog— Protocol-444 is now in effect. Time until fusion detonation has been set to ——seconds. May God bless—]

I'll never stop trying. Never. Until then, I'll be right here, fighting for that promised future.

[End of message.]