Hearing that deflating greeting, Osian felt like a fool for having been so tense.
At first, he thought it might be some kind of trick to lower their guard. But he realized there was no need for that.
Considering a Giant's output, they could simply step on humans like ants without bothering with such troublesome acts. Especially not after taking down two other Giants.
Above all, Osian's intuition was telling him that the Giant with the yellow eyes was definitely Neo.
[My friend has gotten smaller than before!]
"You're the one who got bigger. Both in size and voice."
One might wonder what kind of vocal apparatus such a war machine would have, but when such creatures stood at the front lines urging enemies to surrender, that alone was enough to break morale.
It was ironic that Neo was now using this voice projection device, installed for that purpose, to speak as he normally would.
"More importantly, how are you intact? I thought you were dead for sure."
[Hmm. I'm not sure about that either. When I regained consciousness, I was like this.]What Neo saw when he briefly lost consciousness and woke up was the sight of Giants who had awakened before him trying to attack Osian and Don Quixote.
Therefore, Neo took action before trying to figure out what was going on. He didn't need to worry about how to handle weapons even though he never fought before.
Upon inhabiting the Giant's body, he already knew how to use all the weapons it possessed.
He blew off a head with the Giant's fist and pierced a hole through the abdomen with the barrel on his left hand.
[I feel somewhat greater now! Though it's also more uncomfortable than before!]
It was particularly inconvenient that, unlike before, his entire left arm was just a gun barrel, making it impossible to wiggle fingers like before.
"H-how in the world...?"
Don Quixote was equally surprised. For him, who had fallen into a pit of despair thinking Neo was dead, a ray of salvation had descended.
It was truly what one would call a miracle. Neo had died. The parts that made up his body were still hanging on a crane like a cross, and the flame of his core had been extinguished for quite some time.
If there was such a thing as death for automatons, that's exactly what had happened to him. But now, Neo was resurrected, borrowing the body of a Giant.
No, rather than resurrection...
'It's more like his consciousness transferred to the Giant.'
It was unbelievable even when seen with one's own eyes. It was impossible to define through science. The result would probably be similar even with magical knowledge or academic studies.
"I thought you were dead..."
[I thought so too. I had even vaguely accepted it. But suddenly, I felt that I shouldn't.]
Neo slowly extended his right hand, as large as a human, toward Don Quixote. As if trying to touch something precious, that gesture was very careful and gentle.
[I became greedy.]
Neo was grateful to have met the child who had left him. And the past few days spent with him were truly happy. He had encountered scenery he hadn't even seen in books and was able to observe all sorts of fascinating things.
He thought that was enough to be satisfied with. That it was time for him to disappear.
Neo recalled what he had read in a book. It was about animals in the natural ecosystem. Among them, there was a story about birds that left a deep impression on him.
Birds spread their own wings and fly freely in the sky. Neo thought that was wonderful. And he also thought it would be nice if he, merely a tin can, could fly in the sky someday.
But what remained most memorable was that birds that leave the nest never return.
Baby birds, after growing up, soar toward the vast sky. They head toward a wider world. A world called the future.
Birds that leave never return to the nest. The nest represents the past, stagnation. Although it might be comfortable, one shouldn't stay there forever.
Neo knew this fact.
Alonso had also moved toward a wider world. Just as a bird breaking out of its egg aims to soar. He too had embarked on a journey toward his dream.
Those who move toward their dreams do not return. They should not return. Their journey is solely directed forward. All flying creatures have a duty to move toward the future. Like the knight in the story.
Even if the end is a cliff at the highest point in the sky, one must run to the very end because it is both a duty and a privilege. To love. To fight enemies. To endure pain. To ultimately grasp the stars.
That's why Neo didn't make himself known even when he met him again. The child who had left had become the excellent knight he had so desired and had become a wealthy man in the city, second to none.
He no longer needed Neo because Neo wasn't a real parent after all. He was just a 50-year-old piece of junk automaton.
So he thought there was no need for him to be with Don Quixote, who had grown up properly. Rather, his mere presence could be disadvantageous to Don Quixote.
So, wishing only good things for Don Quixote's future, he accepted Battle Trench's proposal and volunteered to become an experimental subject.
He wasn't unaware that this would end in his death. Nevertheless, he made this choice, perhaps because he himself wanted to end this life.
Though he had met wonderful friends and experienced various things. This was enough.
He had lived too long as an outdated automaton. He had even formed excessive bonds beyond his station.
But when he was about to die, Neo had such a thought.
[I wanted to stay together a bit longer. Isn't that strange? I'm just an old tin can. I, who was made rather than born, have no value to exist once my usefulness is over. Yet, I became greedy against my station.]
Don Quixote removed his helmet with trembling hands and tossed it aside. His snow-white beard, grown to imitate the knight in the story, flowed down.
He looked up at Neo with tear-soaked eyes.
"No. You are not just a tin can."
His voice was choked with emotion, devoid of his usual solemnity and cheerfulness.
"Nor are you without value. Nor are you being greedy."
[Why is that?]
"Because you are my...my precious parent in this world, whom I wouldn't trade for anything."
Neo thought Don Quixote had succeeded, but that wasn't the case at all. On the surface, he was indeed a successful investor. Certainly, he had acquired the wealth to become what he wanted and had actually done so.
But Don Quixote never forgot why he wanted to become a knight, why he had committed such acts while being pointed at for so many years.
"It's all because of you. The reason I've lived this way was solely to be with you more proudly."
Don Quixote shed tears as he grasped Neo's giant extended finger.
Seeing this, Neo saw an overlap between this old man and the image of the child he had once cared for.
"I'm sorry. For leaving without a word."
[...]
"That stupid child committed a rash act. I wanted to tell you the truth and apologize many times. But I was too...I had grown too unsightly with age...So I never had the courage to face you."
Don Quixote confessed his weakness while shedding tears. The words and emotions he had wanted to express when he met him. At this moment, he revealed them sincerely without hiding anything.
"So I want to say this now. I wish you would live longer. It's okay to be greedy."
[...Why?]
"Because no child wishes for their parent to die. That's what family is."
No matter how much time had passed. He was still the child raised in Neo's embrace. He never forgot that fact, even after decades.
[Family...]
Neo murmured that word softly. With a gravity that showed no trace of his usual frivolity. At the word "family," Neo suddenly recalled the time he had spent with Don Quixote in the past.
-Hey. What is family?
A very young boy who knew nothing asked, looking at the content of an old fairy tale book that Neo was reading to him. It was a story that contained the typical moral lesson found in fairy tales, ending with "and the family lived happily ever after."
The boy asked curiously while reading that book because he had no family.
It wasn't because all his family had died due to the Return of Fire. The boy had been an orphan without family even before the Return of Fire.
The reason why such a boy was in District 49, which had achieved the highest prosperity at the time, was the same as those who had flocked there after hearing that District 49 was a land of opportunity.
He vaguely wanted to live well and get opportunities. So he had managed to get in by secretly hiding in a freight train headed for District 49.
That's why the concept of family was simply unfamiliar to the boy. And it was equally difficult for Neo, who received that question, to answer.
The concept of family was unfamiliar to him as well. He was a manufactured automaton. Neo knew that fact better than anyone. The boy might have a family. After all, he must have biological parents.
But automatons were different. They are not living beings, and they are manufactured rather than born. Parents? Could they call the conveyor belt of the factory that made them mom and dad?
That's why Neo couldn't easily answer. However, it wouldn't be right to arbitrarily explain the cruel reality to this young boy. Although Neo was also in the learning stage, he was at least more mature than the boy.
So Neo answered.
-Family refers to those whose presence brings joy.
-Those whose presence brings joy?
-Yes. Just like us.
Neo said to the boy who opened his eyes wide in surprise.
-Because we are family.
Neo recalled those words he had spoken then and simultaneously realized that the boy who didn't know the concept of family had remembered and not forgotten that time even after so many years.
Why had he, on the contrary, forgotten such an important fact?
Born and manufactured. Human made of flesh and automaton made of steel.
They are too different from each other, nevertheless, they were family.
[That's right. We were family.]
Even without blood ties or without giving birth and raising directly it was still okay because being together brought happiness. That was enough. That's what family is.
"I hate to interrupt a heartfelt reunion."
Osian, who had been watching the scene, spoke up.
"But it's time to move."
No sooner had he finished speaking than some of the Giants stored in the hangar began to open their eyes. Some had already gone to the surface. Yet, many still remained inside. The moment those creatures reached the surface, chaos would ensue.
[That's right. We have other important matters to attend to now.]
Neo extended his hand while Don Quixote naturally climbed onto it with Rocinante.
Neo placed Don Quixote on his shoulder, then moved his massive body and looked back at the awakening Giants.
[Now, let's go. It's my turn to protect you all.]
The ground was a scene from hell. The surrounding area was devastated as if a bombing had occurred. Factory facilities collapsed, and flames and debris emitting black smoke were all that remained.
And the steel giant standing tall under the crimson light was overwhelming in itself.
Even Battle Trench personnel watching from a distance felt a chill down their spines.
Naturally, for those who had to look up at it from directly below, it would be a scene as if the sky was falling.
"Damn it."
Judge, one of the knights, forcibly raised his body, which wasn't moving well.
"Is everyone alright?"
One by one, answers came to his question.
"My arm is broken."
"My leg."
"Damn. My head is dizzy. I think I have a concussion."
Everyone complained of some pain but was alive. However, the most serious condition was Jonathan's.
"Jonathan!"
Everyone got up and approached him to check his condition. Jonathan's sturdy armor was completely shattered. And his exposed body was covered in blood.
"Damn it! Jonathan! Open your eyes!"
Burkan, who was usually silent, desperately called out to Jonathan. Perhaps his cry reached him. Jonathan opened his eyes hazily. He's still alive. Before they could feel joy at that fact, they saw figures moving beyond the flames.
Battle Trench guards, who had retreated temporarily to avoid the Giant's attack, began to approach. The only fortunate thing was that the Giant that had swept through the area once was now just standing still.
Even so, problems remained. The knights had already reached their limit. Normally, they would have endured somehow, but with the appearance of that creature, their suits were destroyed, and they had suffered serious injuries.
Tat-tat-tang!
Bullets rain down. They huddled together, using the remaining parts of their suits as shields to protect Jonathan's body.
"What are you... doing? Get away. You'll all... die if you stay."
Jonathan coughed up blood as he spoke. His internal organs were severely damaged, just like his serious external appearance.
"Leave me behind...and go. That's how you'll survive."
"Shut up, you bastard! You got hurt like that trying to protect us! How could we leave you behind?!"
Perse, the youngest and most innocent among them, shouted. As he said, Jonathan's serious condition was because he had thrown himself to protect his comrades from the Giant's violence.
"You want us to abandon a comrade who fell trying to protect us? Don't be ridiculous! Do you think we became knights with such a half-hearted mindset?!"
Certainly, they had become knights partly with the intention to succeed. But such reward psychology alone couldn't have helped them endure the hellish training.
The reason they could endure such hellish training was partly due to their admiration for knighthood, but also because they had reliable comrades by their side.
Comrades. Thinking about it now, it was laughable. During their days as fixers, did they ever truly believe in comrades? Either they were betrayed, or they betrayed others. It was always one of the two.
Living from the bottom, not knowing when or where they might die – that was the life of fixers. But in such a sewage-like existence, they saw light, starlight shining brilliantly in this terrible city.
Following that light, they gained comrades like brothers. Now, a life without being knights is unimaginable to them. And knights never abandon their comrades.
"Now it's our turn to save you!"
Anthony, who was often told that he lacked seriousness, grabbed a half-broken shield and a sword. Despite the pain from his broken arm, he managed to hold the shield.
Bullets flew from beyond the flames. Everyone raised their shields to block the bullets. But they didn't have the strength to fully withstand the force transmitted through the shields.
It felt like their strength would give out at any moment and their minds were filled with thoughts of wanting to sit down and rest because they were out of breath.
"Aaaaah!"
Nevertheless, they endured. The moment they collapsed, it would be their comrade who would die. So they put strength into their legs. They maintained their posture even if they coughed up blood. No, they ignited their fighting spirit to battle the enemies beyond that.
It's fine even if their bodies burn completely. It's fine even if they disappear entirely, leaving only ashes.
But in this moment, they want to burn brilliantly like stars that exist and shine in the sky, even if they cannot be seen.
A change occurred in those who stood in a line to protect Jonathan. Pure white light rose and filled the empty parts of the broken shields.
White energy formed on the cracked and broken swords and began to burn fiercely in the color of starlight that they so desired.