Asato Asato

The San Magnolia Republic has long been under attack by unmanned weapons from the neighboring Empire. Against this onslaught, the Republic has also deployed similar weapons, narrowly avoiding great loss of life and impending disaster-or at least that's how it seemed. The truth is that it has never been possible to have no casualties. Young men and women drawn from the Republic's supposedly non-existent 86th district are organized into the "86 unit" and then ordered to pilot the "unmanned weapons" before heading to battle.

A collective sigh of relief is exhaled as Lena, Shin, and the others enjoy a hard-won peace. But no true member of the Spearhead squadron can avoid battle forever, and these few survivors welcome it. They willingly walk back through the gates of hell, ready to resume the fight against the Legion, emboldened by full hearts, fresh perspectives, and...a new friend.

THE PRICE OF PEACEThe Republic’s evacuation resulted in massive casualties on both sides, and the fallout takes a toll on all survivors. As Shin ruminates on what it means to be a leader, Lena thinks of the homeland now lost to her forever. Frederica, too, is dismayed by her own powerlessness as the ill-fated final Empress of Giad. If her future is to change, she’ll have to change first. Meanwhile, unrest is brewing within the Federacy, and a few disaffected squadrons, desperate to turn the tide of the war, reach for a dangerous miracle…

They were in the midst of youth, even on the battlefield… Shin, Lena, and their friends experience brief moments of peace and happiness while facing certain death, enjoying a short break, plunging into battle once again, and setting foot for the first time in the frigid United Kingdom—sharing them with their comrades, friends, lovers, and family. Glimpse another side of 86—EIGHTY-SIX that will leave you wishing against all odds that more such moments will visit them again tomorrow. This volume contains various short stories previously uncollected or unpublished, now compiled into a single volume!

The frontlines are exhausted. Rocked by the relentless onslaught of Legion, the Eighty-Six face additional hardship with the constant influx of refugees. Rumors have begun to spread. There is a weapon hidden in Republic territory. One that could destroy the Legion. The people of the Republic are colluding with the Legion, someone whispers. The Eighty-Six are conspiring with them, says another! The people whisper and whisper. When hardship comes, accountability is always cast by the wayside...

Pride is all we have The attack Shin foresaw has finally come to pass. Wielding a weapon with destructive force hitherto unseen, the Long-Range Artillery-type Legion unit rains unmitigated chaos over the battlefield. Both the Federacy's western front and the Gran Mur of the Republic crumble under the might of the monolithic railgun, capable of dealing catastrophic damage from hundreds of kilometers away. With their backs against the wall, the Giadian military makes a controversial A special strike force will charge into the heart of Legion territory, engage the Railgun type from close range, and destroy it. Shin and the Eighty-Six will spearhead the operation. ...But Shin has not been himself lately. Having defeated his brother's ghost and freed himself from the Republic, the Reaper finds himself without purpose. What reason does he have to go on living? For whose sake does he fight...?

At long last, Shin and Lena have been reunited! While the atmosphere between the two has been nothing but pleasant, Kurena and Frederica seem less than thrilled, and Raiden struggles to take a hint. The fun comes to an end when the Eighty-Six receive their first mission as a new squadron with Lena at the helm. Their destination: an abandoned subway tunnel in the northern part of the eighty-fifth Sector of the Republic. Deep underground, the gaping maw of a subterranean Legion base awaits them...

Desperate for more information on Legion Developer Zelene Birkenbaum, the Eighty Sixth Strike Package sets its sights on the United Kingdom of Roa Gracia. Little do they know, their hunt for answers is about to yield far more information than they bargained for. Within the United Kingdom, a Legion strategy crazy enough to terrify even the Eighty-Six is already well underway...

Live to fight. Die with honor. That was all they knew, and they were proud. But as they saw themselves reflected in the Sirins-slaughtered by the thousands with nothing to show for it-a crack formed in their ironclad resolve. Shin's mind festered with doubt. Lena's heart tore at the seams as she struggled to understand him. Would they find common ground over the course of the United Kingdom operation? Or would they drift further apart...?

FOREVER…IF POSSIBLE​The Merciless Queen, a high-ranking commander unit for the Legion, has finally been taken into custody. Now the Federacy, the United Kingdom, and the Alliance of Wald can conduct a thorough analysis of this special Ameise, which houses the consciousness of Legion developer Zelene Birkenbaum. If their efforts bear fruit, they may learn the secret to stopping the Legion once and for all! In the meantime, the Federacy has decided to rest its battle-worn blades. The Eighty-Sixth Strike Package has been allowed leave for the first time in ages. As they arrive in the Alliance of Wald’s territory, they are able to step away from the iron and blood and enjoy a rare vacation! And it seems that two members of the Strike Package are getting a bit cozier than the rest…

A PATH TO PURPOSE LAID WITH IRON RAILS. An end to the endless war—the possibility of stopping the Legion once and for all. Such is humanity’s most fervent desire. But in the war-free world of tomorrow, what will become of the Eighty-Six? Many have gained renewed faith in the future. Some have found love; others, new aspirations. But what of those who have yet to dream? The warm rays of hope have bent their iron wills and distorted their realities. For those tragic few, the worst is yet to come…

The Spearhead Squadron has sustained heavy losses in the battle against the new Morpho. Among the dead is Shana, Shiden’s-Vice Captain. As Shiden swears revenge for her fallen comrade, Kurena, whose distress resulted in Shana’s death, loses her composure entirely. To make matters worse, the Morpho has fled into the Holy Theocracy of Noiryanaruse. Now, Shin and company must set foot into this mysterious nation that even the United Kingdom and the Federacy are wary of!  

The Republic of San Magnolia...Eighty-Sixth A lone child soldier, Shinei Nouzen, touches down on a hellish battlefield. As the “Reaper” of the Eighty-Six, he is saddled with the last wishes of his departed comrades, and the obligation to take them as far as he can go. This is the tale of the people who made him into the Reaper, and the cruel, abrupt incidents of death and destruction which stole them from him.

PRIDE BEFORE THE FALL It happened all too quickly. A flash, a rumble, and then… silence. In an instant, an unprecedented Legion assault wrought untold destruction upon nations across the world. As humanity’s borders are sent into swift decline, Shin and Lena are tasked with a large-scale rescue operation that brings them back to Republic soil after what seems like a lifetime. Yet even with humanity on the brink of extinction, they find a country that hasn’t changed—one that cannot change. Many survivors view rescue by the Eighty-Six as the height of indignity. Similarly, many Eighty-Six are reluctant to lend aid to those who stripped away their humanity. But behind the cavernous, silver eyes of the mechanical ghosts lays a single, gruesome directive…