The Ring of the Nibelung 13

Nibelung #13


p129
Ring 13: The departure


p130
Ihrem Ende eilen sie zu... Die so stark im Bestehen sich wähnen...
Gods are on the road of ruin... With no doubt about their survival... (Loge, Scene 4)


p131
We're arriving at the core of the fortress. It's absolutly impregnable.


p132
It looks like we're inside the barrel of an old rifle with those spiral grooves along the walls.

The giant brothers are down there! I have some strange feelings being back in this place...
I can't tell if they're really that tall from here!

Hey!


p133
The fortress has put on motion!
What? But that's absolutely impossible!!!

There's no doubt about it. It's moving and it seems to be trying to extract itself from the attraction of our Mother planet!!
If the Giant Brothers try something funny, I will never forgive them!! How crazy to move it while we haven't taken possession of it yet!!

It's gaining speed!! We're losing sight of it!!
What does that mean? Do they dare going against the will of Walhalla?!


p134
The Giant Brothers stronghold is getting farther and farther!
There isn't any ship in this area! We have to go after Alberich's fleet and the fortress!!

Alas! No one here would have enough courage to do that.
No one, you say?

We always have praised the peace that rules over the city built at the heart of Walhalla...
As a space heaven prospering for eternity... But now, no one here would suspect what trouble is shaking the universe.
Even now, they all don't know anything...!


p135
That's right! Walhalla is only a old dying planet floating at the center of the universe...
Even our enemies have deserted our homeland...


p136
Mimay and her guardians, and the Giant Brothers are leaving without giving an explanation. What does it all mean?
Alberich is also with them, Wotan!


p137
But he's hiding!
You mean all his fleet?

He already used some invisibility system...
That's how Mimay and he managed to flee in exile...

They used some coat to hide themselves...!
But here, this is about a whole fleet...!

Remember how much time has passed since then, Wotan...! Alberich had the opportunity to improve his creation.


p138
You can't to control the dragon?
But you're the one who created it!!

Not exactly! The dragon is a living being! We only brought him here... This isn't a machine we would've created.

You brought it here for an offensive and defensive role...
But in the end, you can't control it at all!

You're like our ancestors with the atomic weapon!!
What a sad story!


p139
Tochirou! You're alive?
Is there any time I haven't managed to come back in one piece?

Mimay!!
Freia!!

They look like twins!

Freia is a goddess. She is part of the race who rules and lives in Walhalla.
Mimay belongs to the clan of the Nibelungen... These poor people always has been bullied...

But when they're side by side, there's no difference.

Freia has the ability to slow the flow of time...


p140
And Mimay can fix the organ needed to do so!

This music instrument was on planet Rhine...
and if this planet hadn't exploded, it would still be there!!

Protecting Walhalla won't bring peace back to the universe.
The Walhalla is only a very small part of the universe... Its rulers live there, but that's it.

All the knowledge is born in Walhalla...
Without it, no civilization could have ever existed...!

That's why we owe this place boundless gratitude...

And that's for this reason, and for the sake of our beloved Freia, that we built this fortress.


p141
However, our love couldn't reach Freia!
We are from two completely different worlds...
Our origins are totally stranger too each other...
Mutual love is just impossible!!

We could've discard the truth and kill Freia for her cruelty...
But with her death, the time would've disappeared from the universe...

In just a few seconds, the whole space would have "grown old", then would have died... A phenomenon similar to the original big bang would have shattered the entire universe...!


p142
Who is this young man?
He's Tadashi Daiba! The one who forged the ring!

...

I'm Freia... So you're the blacksmith?
Yes...

Could you give the gold its original appearance?
Well...
I can with the machines created by my father on Earth...
But first, we need to get the ring back!

He's at Alberich's finger!
And we can't get out of here!

The Arcadia either?
The barrier created by the dragon is so tough it's impossible to get through with the fortress.


p143
No one can get out?
But why didn't you tell us before we get in?!

Shoot!! Guess we just have to get rid of that dragon.
You can't do anything, it's totally invincible!

But you're the ones who brought it here, right?
You must have found some lead or bait to do it, right?

But he grew up since then...

...
There's nothing to do then...!

Show me where is the dragon on that screen!
It's hard to locate. Ah! It's hidding in the lift pipes!!


p144
How big is it?
We don't know because he has grown up a lot!

What is this signal?

Mimay, help me!
This is Alberich!! He's stuck in the dragon and can't move!!

What a fool, he walked himself in the lion's den by entering the fortress.
Is this Alberich?

Big brother?!
Sister, listen to me...

... Help me! This dragon is scary! Help me!


p145
If you promise to give the ring back, we'll free you!
Exactly!

But... I can't!

...

Wait! I accept! I'll give the ring back...!
Please come get it and free me at the same time!!

Mimay!!!
Send me to the dragon!!!

It's our turn to shine!
Yup!!!

But the opponent isn't human!!!
We know right, but we have already met so many kinds of creatures and monsters accross the universe!


p146
This one is different!!!
Then I look forward to meeting with it!!
Open the door!!

I really have a hard time understanding humans. They're so reckless...

The Walhalla is telling us to go back.
Did they notice that we have abandonned them?

Their end will come when all the people working for them will have left...
The people of Walhalla are hungry for wealth, but alone, they can't do anything...

They can't make their own planet move.


p147
Sensors will be useless.
We'll have to trust our eyes!
Mine might play some tricks to me.

This place reeks!!!
This is truly the smell of an animal.

Look up there!!!
Ah...?!
So this is the dragon?!


p148
This isn't either an animal or a machine, Tochirou!!
It's a monster from the third universe with a mind...
The embodiment of all human hatred!!!
Tochirou, weapons are useless against it!!


p149
Mimay!!!
Give the ring back, Alberich!

If you don't want to be melted by the dragon and to turn back into elementary particles, give back the gold of Rhine...!

...


p150
Here's the ring!! Please help me now!

I have the ring...!

Wait, Mimay, you have to keep your promise, don't abandon me!!
Don't you worry, I'll keep it!!

Forget that, Mimay!!!
There's no time for that.
Thanks to this ring...

Thanks to this ring...


p151
Fasolt and Fafner...
Please give me the key of the room you built for Freia.
No way...!

And if she's the one asking?
...

In exchange, will she love us?

Want her to love you?
!
We want her to tell us that she loves us from the bottom of her heart...

But you aren't even from the same species... That's impossible!!!
We know right.

We're so ugly no one would ever want us...!
Before we die, we want at least once experience a true mutual love...


p152
... Even if it's a lie...!
We just want to hear it, to believe it!

...

I understood well...
that despite your appearance, your heart is good...

If our people weren't so different, I would have liked to bear the child of one of you two...

But this marriage is impossible...!
This is truly making me sad...!

Your tears worth more than any word...!
As promised, here's the key!

...


p153
Mimay, help me!
I wonder if he'll manage to get away, Harlock!

Don't say that, Tochirou!
It'll be hard, but not impossible!
I'm also getting sucked by the dragon gaseous body, and I can't move well!!

Waaah!!!
Hm?
???

What happened?
The dragon is disappearing!!!


p154
...

Ah!

Here's the organ...
Since we knew that she would live here, we've copied her wind instrument.


p155
It's a replica, but it's way beyond the orginal one!!!

All hatred has disappeared...
along with the dragon!!!

...
Tadashi...!

So, here's your true face, Alberich!!

You thought you had killed me back at my father's factory...
with a collection pistol.

Wait! Don't tell me that you...
There, there! Calm down, boy!


p156
I'm going to go back on Earth and give this ring its original appearance back...
and you'll never get your hands on it anymore!

So, get out of my sight, now!
The universe is huge, go hide, you and your fleet, somewhere I can never see you again!!

Mimay, come with me!!
I refuse!!!

The Arcadia is my home...

And Freia's one is her organ...!

Let's send both of them back on Walhalla!


p157
As long as she'd play organ...
as long as we can hear her sweet melody deep in the space, we'll know that this is Freia's "voice".
We'll recognize her wherever we are...!
And we're fully satisfied by that!!


p158
The flow of time is back to normal, Wotan!
We can hear Freia playing organ, somewhere...

It's coming from the fortress of Giants!
No! It's getting close!

Open the door and welcome her!


p159
The Giant Brothers have left Walhalla! They will probably never work for us again!
Now, it's up to the people of Walhalla to protect themselves!
It will be difficult...

Alberich's fleet has left too...
And peace has finally returned!

You're wrong...
Goddess of knowledge...!

Since time has stopped...
numerous enemies have awaken up here and there in the universe!

All the sleeping demons have caught their breath...
They've started to wander in the universe...
and no one knows about the danger we have avoided!


p160
I see...! All those monsters and all those awful creatures of the universe have revived.
Even the Arcadia might not be enough against them!

I'll go back to my secret lab and turn the Arcadia into something more powerful.

Then, we'll go on adventure!!
To explore space... That will be fun, right?

On my side, I'll give this gold its original appearance...
so that Mimay can entrust it again to the three daughters of planet Rhine.

We don't know if it has been completly destroyed, but if so, we'll find its remains.
This is only the beginning of another adventure...
The whole universe is going to get shaken!


p161
In the middle of Walhalla, lives some people we call "Gods".

To be continued in next issue: The Walkyrie (1st part)