spoiler
Kayo stays behind at the ruined city’s edge to fight the monsters as Enju and Rentaro move ahead to find Shogen and Hiruko. But all the ruined city has to show them are bloodied body parts. They do find Shogen, although he’s acting oddly, and saying that he can still fight. He falls in front of them and they can see his own sword stuck through in his back. Hiruko and Kohina are on the roof of the nearby church, and are ready to fight Rentaro and Enju.
Meanwhile, Seitenshi and the others are observing from the command center in Tokyo, and Seitenshi has summoned Kisara to ask her about Rentaro and Enju. Kisara is confident that the Satomi pair will win and tells how Rentaro once saved her at the loss of his own right hand, right leg, and left eye. The others seemed surprised that Dr. Sumire Muroto was in charge of his surgery.
Back at the ruined city, Hiruko refuses to relinquish the case without a fight, and Rentaro is more than ready to take this guy out! Hiruko puts up his barrier, but Rentaro goes right through it, punching Hiruko in the face. The skin on Rentaro’s artificial limbs melts off and Hiruko can see that they are made of Varanium. Rentaro introduces himself as being from the “Ground Self-Defense Force’s Eastern Force, 787th Mechanization Special Unit of the New Humanity Creation Plan”.
The men in the command center are surprised that there is “another one”, but Hiruko just laughs. Kohina attacks and Enju pushes her back. Enju takes on Hiruko and Rentaro faces Kohina. Hiruko does give Rentaro another chance to join him, telling him that they are the chosen ones, but Rentaro rejects the offer once again. Enju attacks Hiruko again and Rentaro protects her, but Hiruko strikes him instead.
Gushing blood, Rentaro wonders if he will die, even as Hiruko tells him that he’s lost. However, with thoughts of Enju to keep him going, Rentaro pulls out the experimental drug the doctor gave him. It may regenerate him or it may turn him into a Gastrea. Rentaro was warned not to use it if he didn’t have to, but he now stabs himself with all of the syringes. He screams in pain as he stops bleeding, and his eye turns red, but quickly goes back to normal. He seems fine and is ready to fight again.
Rentaro throws Kohina back and attacks Hiruko again. He gets past the barrier again and strikes Hiruko, sending him flying. Rentaro hits him again and Hiruko falls into the water, sinking. His signal is lost, but is he dead? Kohina cries for her Papa, and Rentaro tells Enju that she is no longer an enemy. But where is the case he’s supposed to retrieve?
Rentaro gets a call from Kisara, telling him that a Stage Five Gastrea has already appeared, and the defense forces are no match for it. But Kisara has a plan and Seitenshi has approved it. Kisara tells him about “Heaven’s Ladder”. It’s a railgun and if they can use it, they might have a chance. It’s all beat up from the outside, but I’m surprised the inside is in such good shape. And luckily, it uses Varanium projectiles. Rentaro connects the railgun to the command center and all he has to do now is sit back and watch, but you know something will have to go wrong.
And it does! There’s a problem in the firing chamber. Rentaro and Enju go to investigate and find that there aren’t any rounds! The chamber is empty, and now there’s a coolant leak as well. So, what’s a guy with Varanium limbs to do? Well, Rentaro pulls off his arm of course! I knew this was coming – a bit too predictable. He loads his arm into a chamber, but command has lost the ability to fire the gun. Once again, it’s Rentaro to the rescue. The fate of the world lies in Rentaro’s human hand, but he isn’t sure he can do this.
Sweating profusely, Rentaro targets the Gastrea and decides that he can’t do it. Enju tells him that he can, but he has too many fears that things will go wrong. Enju assures him that he can do it. Putting her arm around him, Enju tells Rentaro that he’s the only one that can save the world. She places her hand over his on the trigger. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Rentaro is ready. He targets and fires! The Gastrea is blown to pieces and Tokyo is saved.
At dawn, Rentaro leaves the facility to find the surrounding grounds covered in dead Gastrea. He finds Kayo’s gun and then Kayo herself. She’s so badly injured that it’s obvious she doesn’t have long to live. Rentaro gently berates her for not keeping her promise to run away. She asks about Shogen and Rentaro lies, telling her that he’s safe. Kayo begins to turn into a Gastrea, begging Rentaro to let her die as a human, and telling him why she didn’t run away. Kayo thanks him as the shaking Rentaro points his gun at her.
Kayo promises to be Rentaro’s friend and he thanks her. As the sun rises higher, Kayo tells Rentaro to follow the light and save the world. Both are crying as Rentaro pulls the trigger. And then the helicopters arrive to pick Rentaro and Enju up. Rentaro reports to his foster father, who is also Kisara’s grandfather and Seitenshi’s advisor. Rentaro doesn’t like Kikunojo much, and knows he’s against the new law that would raise the status of the Cursed Children. Rentaro also suspects that Kikunojo was behind this recent incident in order to prevent the law from passing.
Rentaro draws his gun, but Kikunojo reminds him that the Gastrea destroyed his family and killed many others. He just can’t allow the children who carry Gastrea blood to have the same rights as humans. Kikunojo is very unforgiving, telling Rentaro that the children are demons that will destroy the world. However, Rentaro believes in the children and Kikunojo calls him a fool. Rentaro also reminds Kikunojo that he once saved his life and gave him the will to live. Saying this, Rentaro lowers the gun, and walks away.
Rentaro met with Seitenshi and tells her that he opened the case to find it contained a child’s broken tricycle. People died for this? He wonders how it would possibly summon a Stage Five and asks Seitenshi what the Gastrea are. She says that she cannot tell him that at this point, but does tell him how he can find out. Unless I’m way off, I think it’s obvious that the Gastrea have human origins. Why else would a tricycle be so important?
Rentaro later meets Enju in the park and she notes his new arm, asking if he’s better now. She also asks about the results of her corrosion exam and is a bit disappointed that her percentage has barely changed. Rentaro certainly has much to think about now. Will he learn all the secrets? At the very end, Enju’s corrosion rate is shown and it’s much higher than what Rentaro said. Another seven percent and it looks like Rentaro will lose Enju as well. I can see why he lied to her.
