"Oppressive heart and dampness. Jungle disease and deadly insects. It may have been painted in tones of green, but this was definitely another province of hell. But to me, after dodging death and my pursuers for the three months since I left Uoodo, the war-torn Kingdom of Kummen seemed like heaven."

Rochina and Battentain continue to monitor Chirico via the homing beacon implanted in him. They watch with interest as he enters Kummen and the civil war that is raging between the mercenary forces and the Holy Kingdom. Chirico signs on at the mercenary base Assemble EX-10, and is reunited with Gotho, who has been waiting for him since the fall of Uoodo. Chirico is then approached by Kan Yu, and interrogated about the beacon they have discovered in his x-rays.

Queestioned by Gon Nu about his purpose here, Chirico answers that he has seen the Perfect Soldier, and is searching for it in Kummen. Gon Nu knows of the PS and lets Chirico off the hook, but Kan Yu remains suspicious of his motives. That night, Gotho drives Chirico into Niitan, a nearby town, where he has bought a nightclub called "The Fantom Club." Vanilla and Coconna are overjoyed to see Chirico again. Kan Yu enters the club and begins to taunt Chirico, but they are interrupted by explosions outside - the last artillery attack by the fearsome Veela Guerrillas!

Chirico joins other mercenaries as they scramble for their ATs and pluge into the jungle. The Guerrillas have deployed Turtle-series ATs against the mercenaries, and the two forces seen evenly matched except for one wild card: a deadly blue Turtle nicknamed the "Blue AT." Chirico faces off against it in his Marshydog, and is positive he knows who the enemy pilot is.

"In that instant, I knew for certain. Its reaction time was too fast to be a normal human. The one I was fighting had to be her. The woman I'd lost at Uoodo. My Fyana."

"Months have passed since Uoodo was consumed in fire. I've now wandered into civil war-torn Kummen. Mercenaries. Front lines. How appropriate for me. But now I know that she is here as well. It has to be her. But why?"

Chirico attempts to communicate with the pilot of the Blue AT, but his Marshdog is demolished and he is thrown clear. Kan Yu and his troops arrive, and the Blue At vanishes. later, Chirico reports his findings to Gon Nu - the pilot of the Blue AT is definitely a Perfect Soldier.

At the Fan tom Club, Coconna sings Chrico a love song she has written while Vanilla introduces some of the other mercenaries to him, Bully Kiderra and Pol Potaria. Quick action from Chirico saves the club from a guerrilla's attempt to plant a bomb, earning him the respect of the other men. That night, Chirico works on Gotho's personal computer to write a mission disc for his AT that will positively identify the maneuvers of a perfect Soldier.

The next morning, Chirico joins Potaria and Kiderra on a mission under Kan Yu's command; a supply boat needs an AT escort through guerrilla territory. Also joining them is the imposing Quentman, Ru Shako. They don't have to wait long for action - enemy Turtles launch an attack from the banks of the river, and Kan Yu's group quickly engages them. Chirico spots the Blue AT again and puts the mission disc to work. Their battle is short, but reveals much.

"My anti-PS program had worked. A little more work, and we'd be evenly matched. She must know it's me. But then why is she doing this?"

On the outskirts of EX-10, a small force of guerrillas knocks out the guards and ambushes the sleeping base. The mercenaries respond quickly, and Potaria arrives just in time to spot a woman fleeing into the jungle. Potaria broods about it later in the Fantom Club. The woman's name is Monica, and they were childhood friends.

The next day, Kan Yu chooses a task force to join him in an attempt to locate the guerrillas, who are believed to be hiding in Zonmu village. The task force includes Chirico, Kiderra, Potaria, and Shako. They arrive at Zonmu some time later, and Kan Yu orders all the villagers brought forward for questioning. The villagers deny any connection with the guerrillas, but Kan Yu orders the village searched. The search turns up Monica.

she refuses to reveal anything about her fellow guerrillas, even when forced by Kan Yu to play a cruel game of Russian Roulette. Chirico intervenes, and Turtles erupt for hiding! A firefight ensures which carries into the nearby mountains. Once again, the Blue At appears and Chirico attempts to communicate with the pilot. Separated from the battle, Chirico gets out of his AT and approaches his opponent on foot. The Blue AT opens its cockpit, revealing that the pilot is not Fyana after all - it is another Perfect Soldier altogether, a wiry young man who knows Chirico's name!

An air patrol from EX-10 locates Chirico and brings him in to the EX-10 hospital. Gotho, Vanilla, and Coconna stand vigil over Chirico as a doctor explains to Gon Nu and Kan Yu that Chirico suffers from exhaustion and cannot answer their questions. It is actually a ruse, and the doctor is bribed to maintain it. Chirico tells the others that he has located Fyana, and Coconna fumes with jealousy.

At the Holy Palace, Kanjelman fights Ypsilon in a Balancing match. This time, Ypsilon is beaten, and Kanjelman cautions him against excess pride. Ypsilon confronts Fyana about her treachery in allowing Chirico to escape, and Kanjelman conducts a meeting with his advisors to plan a new assault on EX-10.

At the base, Gon Nu takes a leave of absence, and Kan Yu is left in charge. Observing this, Gotho promises to dig up more information and contact Chirico later. That night, Chirico sneakes out of the hospital to Gotho's house and receives a phone call. Gotho tells him that Gon Nu has gone to set up an alliance with the Melkian army, which can only escalate the civil war. As Chirico hangs up the phone, Kan Yu and his troops barge in to take him captive.

Learning of this, Kiderra and Potaria force their way into Kan Yu's office, where he is attempting to interrogate Chirico. No sooner have they freed him when an alert sounds; Veela Guerrillas are launching an attack! In the Fantom Club, Vanilla and Coconna also take notice of the attack - missiles are streaking right into Niitan!

Kan Yu scrambles his AT platoons to the base perimeter, but no enemy is in sight. Chirico realizes the truth of what is happening; the guerrillas are concentrating their attack on Niitan instead of the base. Defying Kan Yu's orders, he and his companions race to the aid of the town, hoping it isn't already too late.

"With a roar, everything began to move. I couldn't see what was ahead, but everything right now was connected into one thing. And then I knew this was all just a prelude to an approaching hell."

At a Melkian army base, Gon Nu prepares to return to EX-10. With him is Rochina, who is looking forward to seeing Chirico again.

Meanwhile, Chirico and his companions rush into Nitan and launch their counterattack on the invading Turtles. Chirico looks around for Ypsilon, but the PS is not participating in this fight. He is insted watching from the palace as reports roll in. He protects when Kanjelman orders a retreat, but is overruled. Ypsilon complains to Fyana, who admits that she has become afraid to fight in any further battles.

At Niitan, Chirico's group takes out a few more enemies, and Kan Yu finally appears with the rest of the mercenaries to drive the invaders back into the jungle. The next morning, Niitan lies in ruins. Vanilla broods over the loss of the Fantom Club, depressed over losing his purpose in life. Gotho approaches to announce winds of change.

Chirico reports to Gon Nu on the events of the previous evening and receives a full pardon, even though he defied Kan Yu. Bitter and humiliated, kan Yu leaves...and Chirico is introduced to Rochina. He has come to discuss the Perfect Soldier situation. Back at Kanjelman's palace, Fyana has undergone an examination to determine why she has developed a fear of fighting. To Ypsilon's outrage, Borough declares that the interference of Chirico is what has poisoned her mind.

Rochina describes how Proto-One was created, but is shocked to learn that a second PS is in action. Since Chirico has more experience than anyone,he will be sent into darkest Kummen to recover Proto-One. A short time later, a special task force under Kan Yu prepares to depart into the jungle. Once again, it includes Potaria, Kiderra, and Shako. Chirico is along as a specialist. having decided to sign up with the army, Vanilla desperately wants to join them...but arrives too late to leave with Chirico.

Coconna sits sadly on the dock as Chirico's boat disappears into the distance, and she sings her love song one last time...

"It's okay baby. I guess I'm just used to it now. you never used to say much, but we have time 'til dawn. You never really treated me that well, but I could see a little bit of the real you inside. So long, baby. I loved you once upon a time."

"So many villagers killed. caught in the midst of the war. The stench I smelled seemed full of the anguish of the dead."

Travelling by boat toward the inner reaches of Kummen, Chirico and the others try to keep a low profile; no easy task with the hot-tempered Kan Yu in charge. Against Chirico's batter judgment, Kan Yu stops another boat that passes by, insisting it must be searched for Veela weapons. The search turns up nothing...but when kan Yu fires a cannon at the boat, explosives hidden within it rip across the water. Kan Yu gloats that Veela Guerrillas cannot be underestimated.

Later, the boat reaches Ramoh Temple, a religious colony that is supposed to be neutral. Again, Kan Yu insists that the platoon march in with their ATs to look for enemies. Exasperated, Chirico agrees, and reluctantly follows the others into the huge compound. Nothing turns up until Kan Yu spots a boat similar to the one he blew up earlier. he repeats his action, and gets the same result - it also carries Veela weaponry.

Their cover blown, Veela Guerrillas burst out of hiding and open fire on Kan Yu's task force. The battle is joined and quickly ends...but now the secrecy of the mission has been compromised, and they must ask for new orders from EX-10. Those orders are delivered a short time later by a helicopter pilot new to the EX-10 ranks: Vanilla! Chirico wanders the wreckage of the temple, pondering this turn of events.

"What is it that leads men to the battlefield? For some, they pull the trigger to earn their daily bread. For others, the chance to fight for their ideals. For me, I can't live without the scent of gunpowder and death. This was no longer a house of God. It was now merely a pile of rubble."

No longer able to travel the river route to Kanjelman's palace, Kan Yu's task force is airlifted to nearby Crescent Moon lake, from which they will travel by land. A Veela spy watches the airlift and reports to Kanjelman. The news quickly passes to Borough, who informs Ypsilon that Chirico is on his way...and he plans to take advantage of their next battle in a way that will end the confusion in Proto-One's mind.

The airlift of Kan Yu's task force is interrupted by Veela artillery. Vanilla plays the unwilling bait in his helicopter while the ATs drop into the jungle and eliminate their attackers. Word of this also reaches Kanjelman's palace, confirming the whereabouts of the task force. Borough and Ypsilon contact Albert Killy to propose their plan: Proto-One will be made to watch as Ypsilon kills Chirico in an ambush, thus ending her distraction.

Some time later, Kan Yu's men cross Crescent Moon lake with a gunboat escort. Abruptly, one of the gunboats is struck from beneath; Ypsilon and a platoon f Turtles launches an ambush from their hiding place under the water! Chirico and the others engage the Turtles in their own ATs, and Ypsilon singles out Chirico immediately. As they face off, a helicopter flies overhead. Inside is Borough, who forces Fyana to watch the scene below.

She tries in vain to avert her eyes as Chirico's Marshydog takes heavy damage...and when it is finally too much for her, she lunges for the helicopter's flight stick, spinning it out of control! The careening helicopter knocks Ypsilon aside and crashes headlong into the shoreline. Chirico watches the crash from his slowly sinking AT.

"In Ypsilon, I had seen an almost bottomless hatred for me. And yet, I saw something else, she'd risked her life for me. Fyana. An indescribable warmth filled my body..."

Surviving the helicopter crash, Borough crawls free in time to watch Fyana rise and flee into the jungle. Underwater, Chirico swims free of his sunken Marshdog and fires handgun rounds into the air tanks of Ypsilon's snapping Turtle. Ypsilon has no choice but to abandon the fight and loses himself on shore as the rest of Kan Yu's task force finishes off their remaining enemies.

Injured and angry, Borough is flown back to the palace, where he asks Kanjelman to order his men to hunt down the treacherous Proto-One and shoot her on sight. Both Perfect Soldiers have failed him, so Kanjelman declares that this is the last favor he will grant. Back at the lake, Chirico repairs his Marshydog and sets off to find Fyana, defying Kan Yu's orders to stop. The others die with Chirico, and their mission to find the Prototype PS gets underway again.

Not far away, Fyana picks her way across a mountainside, when suddenly she runs into the Blue AT. She tries to run, but Ypsilon stops her. She grabs his pistol and threatens to shoot, but he doesn't believe she can. They are interrupted by gunfire from another Turtle, who declares that he has orders to kill her. Ypsilon mounts up and leaps to Fyana's defense - but cannot bring himself to fire on his own allies.

Chirico notices the firing from nearby and leads his companions to Fyana's aid, just as Ypsilon's AT is disabled by the other Turtle pilots. After rescuing Fyana, Chirico frees Ypsilon from the wreckage of his AT, and Ypsilon slinks away in defeat. But when Chirico turns around, Fyana is gone - and so is Kan Yu. Kan Yu chases down and captures her, determined to take her back alone and abandon the others in the jungle.

Chirico tracks Kan Yu down and fights him hand to hand for Fyana's life. They wrestle each other into a raging river and Kan Yu is swept away. Fyana pulls Chirico free of the raging water and saves his life. the next morning, the two finally share a quiet moment together in the sun. But their peace cannot last while their enemies still live...and Chirico is determined to bring this fight to an end.

"I'd finally found Fyana again. Why did I still need to fight? Was there any point to my trying to stop Borough and his group?"

Chirico and Fyana travel the jungle together in his Marshydog, and when the two are ambushed by Veela ATs, three unexpected allies come to the rescue: Kiderra, Potaria, and Shako. Afterward, Chirico tells them what happened to Kan Yu and introduces Fyana, the PS they have been tracking all this time. Potaria and Kiderra agree to accompany them on their mission to assault Kanjelman's palace, but Shako dissents; he is bound by his contract with EX-10 and cannot bring himself to violate orders.

A short while later, an EX-10 helicopter passes overhead and spots the rogue mercenaries. Gon Nu relays the news to Rochina, who orders him to keep Chirico under observation. His actions could give them the opportunity they need to launch an all-out attack on the palace.

with Fyana's help, Chirico and the others destroy another platoon of Turtles and make their way closer to their objective. At the palace, Albert Killy informs Borough and Ypsilon that he is sending a new AT for Ypsilon to fight in now that his Snapping Turtle is gone.

Chirico's group reaches one of Kanjelman's arsenals. Fyana makes her way up to it alone and finds herself a Brutishdog. The others make short work of the installation. Fyana informs them of something she has overheard on the radio; that Kanjelman has ordered all Veela Guerrilla units back to the palace. Potaria is confused by this news, unable to figure out why the prince is abandoning his tactics after all this time.

Heading back into the jungle, Chrico and the others are spotted by another helicopter from EX-10, which is piloted by Vanilla. He reports that he has found Chirico, but is ordered to return to base. Chirico watches him leave and realizes that many eyes are now on him. His next move must be a decisive one.

"Go Nu wasn't going to let me go. As the enemy closed in from both sides, my excitement built. But in the palace beneath the gathering storm clouds, a deep whirlpool of suspicions was also building..."

Lost and exhausted, Kan Yu stumbles through the Kummen jungle from one pitfall to another. He runs right into a Veela platoon and very nearly loses his life...until Shako appears out of nowhere and saves him. Later, he wakes up in the EX-10 hospital to seek Gon Nu standing over him. He will soon be back in action; the Melkian army is nearly ready to launch their attack on the prince's palace.

With Potaria's knowledge of the area, Chirico's group hijacks a Veela AT truck bound for the palace and takes it over, sacrificing Kiderra's and Potaria's mercenary ATs in favor of Veela Turtles. On the Palace ground, Monica wanders aimlessly, confused by Kanjelman's orders to abandon guerrilla warfare. Others speculate that he is giving up the fight, so she decides to find out for himself. She arrives just in time to overhear a conversation between Boorough and the prince, who states his belief that his kingdom is doomed, and that he has called all the guerrillas back to die with him. Shocked, Monica can only run.

Chirico's group smashes their way into the place grounds. Potaria leaps out of his AT and dashes into the palace on a mission of his own. Ypsilon is anxious to go and fight Chirico, but Borough orders him to wait until his new AT arrives. Tearing through palace corridors in search of Kanjelman, Potaria runs into Monica, who gets caught in a crossfire. Potaria drags her to safety, and she tells him of the prince's treachery...just before she dies in his arms.

In the skies above the palace, countless enemies appear; the entire fleet of mercenary ATs from EX-10 is preparing to attack. The battle begins in earnest, and Chirico looks up to see yet another object approaching from on high.

"There was no way of my knowing at the time...that the light I saw was a new custom AT made for Ypsilon..."

Far away at his home near EX-10, Gotho receives a radio message for Vanilla, who is about to join the attack on the palace. Gotho and Coconna can do little more that wish him luck as all hell breaks loose.

Under the cover of air-to-ground fire, Kan Yu leads an AT platoon as they drop to the ground. Vanilla's helicopter is hit, and he bails out, intent on finding Chirico somewhere in this madness. Inside the palace, Ypsilon's new AT has finally arrived: the Strikedog. He jumps in immediately and peels out. He runs right into Kan Yu's platoon, and demolishes even Shako's AT with ease...but Chirico is nowhere to be found.

Elsewhere, Chirico, Fyana and Kiderra stand waiting for Potaria to return. Instead, Vanilla emerges from the palace with the news that Potaria has gone after Kangelman himslef. Chirico decides he must now go after Borough. Deep within the palace, Kanjelman retires to his quarters, content to wait for the inevitable conclusion of the battle raging outside. But Potaria appears and threatens to kill him for all he had done to their nation. Kanjelman faces him down - but then agrees to a Balancing duel.

Ypsilon is alerted that the prince is in danger, but there is little he can do now that mercenary ATs are beginning to overrun the palace. Kanjelman fights Potaria with grace and skill, but Potaria is a Balancing expert as well, having practiced against kanjelman many times in their younger days - and it is Potaria that finally gets the upper hand, piercing kanjelman through the chest in one quick motion!

Elsewhere inside the palace, Chirico finally locates Borough and bears down on him with full fury. Again, the call goes out for Ypsilon, who charges back into the palace, leaving the grounds undefended.

Kanjelman lies dying in Potaria's arms, finally admitting his reasons for doing all of this; he decided long ago that the only way for Kummen to be born into a new age was to test fate itself. If the old ways were destined to survive, Kanjelman's guerrilla war would have succeeded. Now that it has failed, he will allow himself and his followers to be swept away as symbols of the old order. Before he dies, he hands Potaria a small metal key.

Chirico finally corners Borough and holds him at gunpoint above a deep mineshaft. The time has come for questions to be answered.

"Of course I knew he wasn't the man responsible for all this...but he'd used Kummen's war and manipulated the two Perfect Soldiers all for some purpose. And that purpose...was what?"

High above planet Melkia, Albert Killy listens to Arron and Gurran, two scientists studying the PS, speculating on what must be happening in the civil war below.

Holding Borough at gunpoint, Chirico questions him. Ypsilon arrives, but cannot intervene. Borough explains that the Secret Society brought the PSs here to try and perfect them; their emotions have proven too erratic, and have constantly interfered with their efficiency as killing machines. What's more, they can never be remade into normal human beings. Kiderra attempts to attack Ypsilon from behind, but fails at the cost of his own life. His move disrupts the scene, giving Ypsilon the chance to attack Chirico. Fyana can only watch from her AT as the two grapple and fall from level to level down into the bottomless mineshaft.

Outside the palace, Gon Nu gives the order to move in. Behind them, a third party prepares to enter the fray: the Melkian army. Lead by Rochina, their orders are to overwhelm the palace and destroy everyone in their way. Only the PS Prototype is need alive. Unaware of this new development, Vanilla finds Potaria, who passes along the key given to him by Kanjelman.

Chirico and Ypsilon land at the bottom of the mineshaft, which is full of oil and priceless jijirium. Both their ATs have been damaged, so Ypsilon leaps out and challenges Chirico to a hand-to-hand fight. Fyana appears in her Brutishdog, and when Ypsilon refuses to stop, she fires on him. He is furious at her final betrayal, but the scene is broken by the laughter of Gon Nu. Peering down from above, he proclaims victory. Now that Chirico is of no further use. Gon Nu will destroy him along with everything else.

Rochina, however, has already begun bombing the palace from outside. Suddenly, Gon Nu himself has become expendable! Chirico and Fyana escape as the palace begins to crumble, and Ypsilon is left standing alone as Borough dies in the fire.

Chirico and Fyana find Vanilla, who gives them Potaria's key. It will activate an escape shuttle, and Vanilla wants them to flee in it. At the last moment, however, the insufferable Kan Yu appears and prepares to finish Chirico off once and for all. Shako intervenes, having finally decided his commanding officer isn't worth following any more.

Their enemies now dealt with, Chirico and Fyana launch in the shuttle, just in time to evade Melkian Scopedogs. They burst out of the palace and into the open air, their future opening up before them.

"My journey through Kummen was at an end. For my own sake, I had chosen to enter hell. For Fyana's sake, I was now leaving it behind. Love? could it be even I was capable of fighting for love?"