Bøker av Asato Asato

Young men and women drawn from the San Magnolia Republic's supposedly non-existent 86th district are organized into the "86 Unit" and ordered to pilot unmanned weapons in defense of attacks from the neighboring Empire.

The Republic's evacuation resulted in massive casualties on both sides, and the fallout takes a toll on everyone. As Shin muses on what it means to be a leader, Lena thinks of her homeland, now lost to her forever. Frederica, too, is dismayed by her own powerlessness as the ill-fated Empire's last Empress¿she'll have to change if she wants to survive. Meanwhile, discontent is brewing within the Empire, and a few disaffected squadrons, desperate to reverse the state of the war, reach for a dangerous miracle...¿

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...

"What makes a Reaper? What hardships must an innocent child endure to become the vaunted champion of the Eighty-Six? A peek into the past will shed light on his truth. The path he walks is paved with bonds forged in love and broken by tragedy--the shattered fragments of stories untold, committed to memory through the iron will of the one who would shoulder their legacy."--Back cover.

LIKE LOOKING IN A MIRROR...​For better or worse, the battle with the Noctiluca has drawn to a close…for now. The Eighty-Six’s minds are heavy with thoughts of close friends and bitter enemies swallowed by the cold, dark abyss. Among the casualties are Shana, Shiden’s vice captain, joining the fallen in their watery grave, and Theo, whose loss of his left hand had all but sealed his fate as a Processor. As Shiden swears revenge, Kurena, who blames herself for Shana’s death, cracks beneath the weight of her guilt. While the Eighty-Six struggle to pick up the pieces, though, the Legion inexorably pursue their bloodless objective, and the Noctiluca has reportedly taken refuge in the surviving Holy Theocracy of Noiryanaruse. Now Shin and company must set foot in the mysterious western nation of which even the United Kingdom and the Federacy are wary…

Overwhelmed by the screams of the dead echoing from the distant battlefield, Lena is confronted with the dark truth of the Legion—as well as the impending doom approaching the Republic of San Magnolia. One by one, the members of Spearhead squadron fall, leaving behind nothing but memories and scrap metal. Is there anything Lena can do for Shin and the others from deep within the walls of the Republic? Or does she have no choice but to simply watch as they’re sent to their deaths?

Reads from right to left in the traditional Japanese manga format.

WE ARE NOT THE SAME.Live to fight. Die with honor. That was all the Eighty-Six knew, and they were proud. However, seeing themselves reflected in the Sirins-slaughtered by the thousands, with nothing to show for it-a crack has formed in their ironclad resolve. Shin's mind festers with doubt. At the same time, Lena's heart tears at the seams as she struggles to understand him. Will the two find common ground over the course of the United Kingdom operation? Or will they only drift further apart...?