Later on, inside a certain safe house.

AK-12 I can't believe your neural cloud is in such a mess from just a simple disconnection...
It's too fragile, even for an older Doll model...

M4A1 I'm sorry, but will fixing it take a long time?

AK-12 It'll be fine once I run a few repair programs on the equipment.
Since we have time, I should probably perform an upgrade on you with the gear we have on hand.

M4A1 An upgrade? Is that necessary?
A repair will be enough. If you randomly poke around with an upgrade...

AK-12 This is an order, so be obedient.
Lie down and be still. You have a lot of unused ports, so it won't take long.

M4A1 Alright...thank you, Miss AK-12.

Letting someone other than Miss Persica open up my body is somewhat worrying. But given the present circumstances, I need to get rid of my weak-mindedness of the past.
It'll be alright, even if she just slaps a bunch of parts together for an upgrade...
I need to be able to fight.
I'm going to find my friends and my objective again.
I need strength for that.
I will find my enemies...and then I will destroy them!

...AK-12 begins the upgrading work with clicks and clacks.

M4A1 ...
...AR-15.

AR-15 ...

M4A1 Apart from us...and RO and SOP-II...
...How are...the Commander...and the other Dolls doing now?

...AR-15 hesitates for a moment.

AR-15 It's none of our business...
They should have withdrawn, according to what AK-12 said the last time she mentioned them.

M4A1 Have they withdrawn safely?

AK-12 How shall I say this... Given the situation, they probably would have taken heavy losses.
Even from an optimistic guess...

M4A1 As I thought...
Those Sangvis scum!
It's all the Mastermind's fault... She tricked me...and because of her, everyone's...
I won't forgive them for this! I will never forgive them!!

AK-12 ...

...AK-12 glances over to AR-15, who sighs.

AR-15 M4A1...
I'm going to tell you the truth, but you have to stay calm.

M4A1 What?

AR-15 The culprit behind Griffin's defeat in this operation is not Sangvis Ferri, but the military.
From the start...it has always been a military conspiracy.

M4A1 What...are you saying?
But we were clearly...

AR-15 I know you're very confused, M4A1, but this is the truth.
SOP-II...and RO... It was the work of the military.

M4A1 The military...
No, I don't get it... Why...
Wasn't the military behind the entire operation... Shouldn't they be...against Sangvis Ferri...
Why...did they...to RO... Just who exactly did it? Was it really someone from the military!?

AK-12 A squad of humans from the military killed them. That much is obvious from the bullet holes and the debris they left behind.
Of course, they'll cover it up by saying they were "getting rid of out-of-control Dolls".

AR-15 M4A1, do you know a Captain Yegor?

M4A1 ...

AR-15

AR-15 He's the mastermind and culprit behind the attack on all of you.
I believe he personally shot RO635.

M4A1 Yegor? No, how could this be... Isn't he...

AR-15 M4A1, Yegor is the one who set up the AR Team. That much is certain.

M4A1 ...
Yegor's the murderer...

AK-12 Are you afraid? The target of your revenge is an enemy that's much, much scarier than Sangvis Ferri.

M4A1 ...
If that's really true...
Then it doesn't matter who they are, whether they're Dolls...or humans...
I will kill them with my own two hands. I swear it.

AK-12 Oh my, this isn't a declaration that an average Doll would make.
Anyway, the upgrade's almost complete. Don't go running off after it's done. Listen to AR-15's orders, okay?

AR-15 M4A1, our mission is to determine the motive behind this military operation.
Join us once everything is ready. You'll get your answers.

M4A1 Join your team?

AK-12 We're called DEFY. Do you like the name?

Treachery and defiance...they go together very well.
It doesn't take much thinking for me to reach my conclusion.
If I can't bring back my comrades, then there's only one thing I must do—

M4A1 I'm in, as long as I can avenge RO635 and SOP-II.
I will obey orders from you and Ange until I achieve my objective.