Fanfic / Cross Ange: The Knight of Hilda

Rio and Hilda; artwork by Raggylad98

The Knight of Hilda is a Cross Ange fanfic by Eric Michael Kline consisting of 33 chapters written from March 2018 to October 2019. It can be read here or cross-posted here. A separate bonus chapter including M-rated material was posted alongside chapter 29 in August 2019.

There are other worlds besides the ones we know. This is the story of one such alternate world.

In a world that is both familiar yet alien, mankind has evolved the ability to harness a power known as the Light of Mana. Empowered and connected by its energy, mankind longs for nothing and enjoys a peace and prosperity once thought inobtainable.

But not all are able to reap the benefits of Mana. Within this perfect society, a minority of girls are born with the power to break the Light of Mana. Referred to as "Norma," these mutations are regarded by the public with fear and revulsion, leading them to be isolated in containment facilities. One of these is the Penal colony of Arzenal where Norma are forced to pilot humanoid battle machines called Para-mail against transdimensional invaders known as the DRAGONs. One such Norma was Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi (aka Ange), a former Imperial Princess whose unknown status as a Norma was publicly unveiled during her 16th birthday, leading her to be stripped of her title and thrown to the wolves. Receiving an encoded message from her younger sister Slyvia begging for help, Ange managed to escape Arzenal alongside her longtime maid Momoka (who followed her to Arzenal to continue serving her) and another Norma named Hilda who like Ange desired to reunite with her lost family. Unfortunately, tragedy awaited both of them. The message from Sylvia turned out to be a trap by Ange's older brother to eliminate her and Hilda discovered that her mother had born a second child to replace her. One which could use Mana.

It is here that the timeline diverges. Heartbroken and despairing, Hilda is attacked by a group of human police when a mysterious figure comes to her aid. Giving his name only as "Rio", Hilda's rescuer is a member of an outlaw group called the Network who unlike the rest of humanity, have rejected the prejudice of the Norma, seeking to free them. But who exactly is Rio? And what changes will the presence of him and his allies make upon the world of Cross Ange?

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This fic provides examples of the following tropes:

• Abhorrent Admirer: Downplayed. Despite finding her "pretty cute for a bureaucrat," due to being his enemy, Rio finds Inspector Emma's growing infatuation for his Captain Algren persona as anywhere from an inconvenience to an annoyance. Especially when he and the others return to the Mana Earth and she drunkenly comes on to him.
• Abusive Parents: Rio reveals during his heart-to-heart with Hilda in chapter 19 his parents were neglectful of him growing up which is why he bonded so strongly with Sarah and her parents. Then, after Sarah's status as a Norma was revealed along with Aaron's role in hiding it, he was essentially banished to a boarding school so that his parents wouldn't have to live with the shame of what he did.
• The Ace: As an agent, Rio has been trained in a number of fields in order to fulfill whatever task the Network leadership assigns him. As a result; he's a capable combatant, an expert in covert movement, a gifted actor and master of disguise, and has even been trained in Para-mail flight and combat.
• Adaptation Distillation: Since the story was based on the aftermath of episode 9, the First chapter summarizes the setting and plot and recounts Ange's days in Arzenal. However, several events and elements from Eps 1 to 8 have either been removed or were never mentioned as the main story progresses.
• Adaptational Heroism: Jasmine and the rest of Jill's inner circle who are more likely to draw the line with Jill's more morally objectionable acts.
• Adaptational Jerkass: Rosalie is a bit more confrontational in the final arc than in canon due to Hilda vanishing alongside Rio, Ange, and Tusk into the DRAGONs' Earth and having to shoulder the burden of not only Chris's betrayal but being the sole veteran Mail-rider onboard the Aurora.
• Adaptational Nice Guy: Hilda is depicted as being more heroic and selfless than in the canon series due to her storyline following a different path following Rio's rescue of her from the Mana police (meeting humans who are genuinely sympathetic to Norma, seeing Ange incarcerated by her family, partaking in Ange's rescue, being less antagonistic towards Tusk as they're not competitors for Ange's affections, choosing to return to Arzenal of her own volition after seeing Rio getting punished by his allies for going against orders, being part of the journey to the DRAGONs' world, as well as her growing feelings for Rio).
• Adaptational Villainy: Jill is willing to cross lines she may or may not have been willing to in the canon series such as reorganizing Aurora's security into her personal gang of enforcers, being prepared to kill Momoka immediately if Ange doesn't follow her orders, and even threatening to do the same to Tusk next. Justified in that in this version, Aurora's crew is a mixture of not only Norma but members of the Network, requiring a more iron grip on her role as commander in order to fulfill her goal of revenge against Embryo.
• Age-Gap Romance: Rio is a 22-year-old young adult and a Network agent while Hilda is a 17-year-old Norma Arzenal resident.
• All-Loving Hero: Rio was able to overcome humanity's prejudice against the Norma pretty much on his own due to two incidents in his childhood: 1) seeing the reactions of disgust and hatred by a group of adults towards a Norma baby 2) meeting and befriending a Norma named Sarah who was eventually found out and shipped off to Arzenal.
• Almost Kiss: Following their heart-to-heart in chapter 19, Rio attempts to kiss Hilda until Naga and Kaname show up to ruin the mood. He tries again during the DRAGONs' celebration for Ange saving their city only to be denied once more when Hilda notices that Salamandinay is confronting Ange about her choice to return to their world.
• Amazon Chaser: Rio admits to Hilda during their heart-to-heart in chapter 19 that despite her at times temperamental nature, it's also what draws him to her. That and her Hidden Heart of Gold.
• Anguished Declaration of Love: When it becomes painfully clear Rio never saw her as anything more than a friend, Salia desperately offers to "prove" her feelings are real if he'll just return them. And when that doesn't work, she literally jumps him.
• Aren't You Going to Ravish Me?: As payback for Rio helping her save Ange as well as compensation for nearly getting him killed at the safehouse, Hilda reluctantly offers to have sex with him. To her surprise, Rio is too chivalrous to take advantage of her.
• Armor-Piercing Question: Rio asks Ange about what her plan is after her punishment is done. Ange said she wanted to tear the world apart, but Rio gave And Then What? and questioned her idea:
  Ange: What do you want from me?
  Rio: I want to know what you plan to do.
  Ange: It's like you said. This world is rotten and corrupt and I intend to tear it all down.
  Rio: And then what?
  Ange: What do you mean 'then what'?
  Rio: What comes next? What kind of life can you have in a world that's been destroyed?
  Ange: Does it even matter?
  Rio: It does, No matter how much you hate the world, no matter how much it wrongs you, in the end you still have to live in it. Will you just lash out at anyone who wronged you? Will you kill anyone who stands in your way? And if so what will you do when all your enemies are dead? Will you search for new ones and keep fighting until one day, someone gets their revenge against you?
• Artificial Human: It's revealed during a flashback in chapter 28 that Dark is a composite clone of Embryo's original followers.
• Ascended Fanboy: As a boy, Aaron Kramer's favorite show was the anime Rio Starr Space Outlaw, which is from where he later took his codename after becoming a full-fledged Network Agent.
• The Atoner
  • After the kids under her care are killed a second time and she realizes Embryo was just using her, Ersha becomes a Death Seeker and defects to Aurora with the intention of letting them execute her. Rio however, with some help from Cynthia and Vivian, convince her that she can do more by living in a way that honors the kids' memory.
  • Chris becomes this by joining the Earth Self Defense Force in the New Earth so that in the event another extra-dimensional threat appears, she'll be on the front lines to protect everyone.
  • Sylvia manages to establish a settlement in the ruins of Misurugi and works to ensure everyone under her charge is able to stand on their own two feet like her sister told her to do.
• Babies Ever After: In the epilogue set seven years after Libertus, several of the Norma and Network have paired up and started families of their own. Ange and Tusk have a 6-month old son, Rhino and Ersha have adopted Cynthia and are expecting twins, Rosalie and Chris have adopted an orphan DRAGON girl, and Rio and Hilda are the proud parents of a newborn daughter.
• Badass in Distress: Rio has a tendency to get in over his head which nearly always requires Hilda to rescue him.
• Battle Butler: Embryo's vassal Dark is more than just his personal assassin and envoy, he also makes a delightful cup of chamomile tea.
• Battle Couple: Kamaitachi and Kat of the Wildpack. Also Hilda and Rio though to a lesser extent due to the two of them fighting on different parts of a battle.
• Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Averted. Hilda's wounds from her assault at the hands of the police are so prominent that when passing through Misurugi, Rio has to cover them with a makeup kit to avoid attracting undue attention. They do seem to heal at a rate faster than canon (possibly due to receiving actual medical care and enduring more comfortable conditions than canon) and nearly vanish by the time she returns to Arzenal.
• Because You Were Nice to Me
  • When Hilda joins Ange and Tusk's rebellion against Jill, she does so not only to protect Rio but to pay Momoka back for the food she made when Hilda and Ange were incarcerated.
  • Though he realizes Ersha plans to defect following Embryo's refusal to revive the schoolkids a second time, Dark doesn't alert his master to this as Ersha had earlier given him medical care for a slight injury despite knowing that he could heal it with his Mana, most likely the first act of genuine kindness he had ever received.
• Belligerent Sexual Tension: Maggie seems to develop this with Vulture of the Network after he joins the Aurora's crew with them frequently bickering over Vulture's insistence on smoking in the confined space of the ship. Lampshaded by Rosalie and Hilda:
  Rosalie: They've been going at it ever since they got on board.
  Hilda: Maybe they should just get a room already.
• Berserker Tears: Hilda sheds some when Rio initially refuses to let her run off to save Ange:
  Rio: Look I get it. You want to help your friend but...
  Hilda: She's not my friend! I hate that bitch! She's spoiled, arrogant, and thinks the whole world revolves around her. She hogs every kill, never thinks of anyone but herself, and it was because of her that Zola died. She didn't even say she was sorry.
  Rio: If that's the case then why are you so desperate to help her?
  Hilda: (cue tears of anger and frustration) Because we're Norma! You humans took everything from me. My home, my mother, everything! You threw me into Arzenal where I had to fight every day just to survive. And when I finally managed to get out...it was because of Ange. And now she's going to die and not even her own family cares! Just because she's a Norma...like me. (Hilda leans back against a wall and slumps to the ground) But what do you care? You're a human. You have no idea what it's like to be powerless.
  • Salia herself sheds some in chapter 16 when she explains to Rio her frustration at not being able to pilot Villkiss despite all of her training and hard work.
• Beta Couple: Subverted. Despite being the focus of the fic, Rio and Hilda's relationship is still treated in narrative as being secondary to Ange and Tusk.
• Betty and Veronica: Salia as the Betty to Hilda's Veronica and Rio's Archie.
• Big Damn Heroes: Rio and Hilda are this throughout the story:
  • Rio:
    • Saves Hilda from the cops sent to recapture her
    • Saves her from being raped by the cops recruited by Dark during the attack on their safehouse
    • Saves Hilda and Momoka from a Schooner during their attack on Arzenal
    • Saves a group of Arzenal's children from another Schooner
    • Saves Jasmine and the Armorers when Kaname attacks the main hanger with her Hekiryu
  • Hilda:
    • When Rio is overpowered by Dark, Hilda manages a sneak attack that incapacitates Dark long enough for Rio to land the final blow.
    • Both she and Rio give fire support when Tusk crashes his vehicle during Ange's rescue
    • Upon hearing Rio is fighting one of the Ryu-shin-ki without a machine of his own, Hilda races back to base, slashing her way through an entire flock of Schooners before charging into the hanger and attacking Kaname with enough ferocity to drive her away, even taking one of Hekiryugo's arms off with a freeze bullet.
    • With Rio pinned down by Julio's soldiers, Hilda flies in and fires a salvo from her Para-mail's assault rifle, giving him cover to run to the launch strip's end where he leaps off in time for her to catch him on the back of her seat.
  • The Network becomes this for the Norma when they arrive in their command ship to help fight off Julio's invasion.
  • Kat and Kamaitachi during Salamandinay's attack on the Dawn Pillar after the three Ryuu-shin-ki are trapped in a dense ball of Embryo's drones.
• Big Brother Mentor: In addition to his relationship with Hilda, Rio serves as this to Ange, attempting to help guide her to the right path.
• Big Damn Kiss: Following two failed attempts in the DRAGONs' Earth, Rio finally gives one to Hilda before the two of them engage in a little Pre-Climax Climax.
• Big Good: The DRAGONs' leader Aura has a far larger role in this story than the canon series, speaking to Rio through dreams and trying to guide him. It's later revealed that after they rejected Embryo's world, she altered his and the other Network members' genetic makeup to use the same type of energy as her people.
• Bittersweet Ending: The Norma, Dragons, and the Networks manage to stop space-time convergence, while Embryo and Dark are dead for good. However, after seven years have passed since the Last Libertus, Many Dragons, Norma, and members of the Network, including Irma and Tanya, are killed during the last battle, and Chaplain, Major, Marika, and Jill are dead. And while the victors in the True Earth are able to thrive; the Mana World becomes a wasteland left in ruins and filled with strife and conflict where the survivors who no longer have Mana either fight each other to survive or try to rebuild civilization. Still, hope remain as group of survivors in Misurugi had built a settlement called New Angelise, which had once been the Iaria stadium of Ho-o Institute, led by Sylvia and her group (Her maid Sakura, Hilda's sister and her Mother, and Constable Schwartz) while other settlements had failed or wiped out by the many bandit gangs. Sylvia managed the settlement, maintained stability, and worked to ensure everyone could stand on their own two feet like her sister told her to do without relying on Mana.
• Black Comedy Rape: Rio nearly finds himself on the receiving end of this following the DRAGONs' assault by a group of Norma who are a little TOO friendly. He also narrowly escapes the same fate as Tusk at the hands of Dr. Gecko and her lab assistants upon their arrival in the True Earth.
  • Averted in chapter 16 when Salia throws herself on Rio in a desperate bid to make him return her feelings for him.
• Bomb Throwing Anarchist: Rio admits to Hilda in chapter 19 that he nearly became this after his search for Sarah failed to turn up any leads. The reason he didn't is because Blitz recruited him into the Network and taught him to channel his anger and pain into something more positive.
• Bridal Carry: Rio carries Hilda this way four times over the course of the story:
  • After he saves her from her assault at the hands of the police.
  • In a dream Hilda has.
  • During the ambush by the Diamond Rose Knights after their return to the World of Mana and Rio's Susano'o manages to catch Hilda's crippled Glaive.
  • When he and Hilda finally consummate their relationship prior to the final battle with Embryo.
• Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: Inverted with Rio as the gentle boy to Hilda's brooding girl.
• But Not Too Bi: Despite not having any real attraction to him, Rosalie admits during Rio's period disguised as Captain Algren that she WAS curious about what sex with a man would be like. Then in chapter 24, she admits to Hilda that she tried Sex for Solace with one of the Network members following Chris's betrayal and Hilda's disappearance after the attack on Arzenal, though she claims that she prefers relationships with other Norma.
• The Cameo: While exploring the ruins of the True Earth, Hilda and Vivian see what they think is a figure in a duster and Stetson. Though they later decide it was a hallucination, a figure strongly suggested to be Roland Deschain of The Dark Tower watches them from a nearby alley.
• Char Clone: Dark, Embryo's vassal who has fair hair (white), a mysterious past, and is the arch-rival of the protagonist (Rio). It's later revealed that he's a LITERAL clone created by Embryo.
• Chick Magnet: Downplayed. After Rio's identity is revealed following the DRAGONs' assault on Arzenal, the fact that he was lying to them about who he was coupled with the long-felt persecution by humans results in most of the Norma still being hesitant to trust him. However, he does gain his fair share of female admirers including Hilda (his eventual Love Interest), Salia (the Betty to Hilda's Veronica), Ersha (after seeing how nice he is to the children of Arzenal) the three Bridge Bunnies (for helping them during the attack), Irma and Tanya (prior to their Face–Heel Turn) Inspector Bronson (a case of Loves My Alter Ego) and Maggie (though she's more of The Tease for her own amusement). He also becomes a Mr. Fanservice to the Arzenal residents during his time posing as Capt. Algren.
• Chivalrous Pervert: Spider of the Network's Wild Pack crew is a Casanova Wannabe who hits on every girl he sees but like the rest of them is dedicated to protecting Norma from being persecuted. He also becomes Salia's boyfriend after Libertus and even seems committed to their relationship.
• Clark Kenting: In addition to using makeup to cover her wounds from the police, Rio has Hilda change her hairstyle from twin tails to a single ponytail to avoid being recognized while traveling through Misurugi. When Hilda expresses doubt about it working, Rio lampshades it by saying:
  Rio: Little things can make a big difference. You'd be surprised what I've gotten away with using just a pair of glasses and my winning smile.
  • Rio's disguise as Captain Algren consists of a Rosenblum National Guard uniform, brown hair dye, green contacts, and sunglasses. Ange comments that anyone who saw him out of character wouldn't be fooled at all and Ersha even starts to suspect he's more than he seems to be due to how Sarah told her all about Aaron when they were kids.
• Clingy Jealous Girl: Hilda glues herself to Rio's side during their time in the DRAGONs' Earth due to Dr. Gecko's desire to have both him and Tusk as "research subjects". She also gets visibly annoyed whenever other Norma try to make a move on him.
  • Chris shows signs of this when she fears Rosalie is going to dump her so she could try to have sex with Rio while he was posing as Capt. Algren.
  • Kat when Salamandinay and her subordinates form an alliance with Aura and Kaname expresses interest in Kamaitachi.
• Combat Pragmatist: Rio won't hesitate to fight dirty in a life or death situation, favoring ambush tactics with shock and awe. During the assault on Arzenal, he and the Norma work together to use the architecture of the base to establish traps and kill boxes for the enemy soldiers. Later, when Jill tries to run off to fight Embryo on her own, after Tusk uses his grapnel to snag her arm, Rio throws a wrench into her leg wound to immobilize her long enough for Rosalie and Hilda to grab her.
• Co-Dragons: Salia and Dark.
• Cooldown Hug: Rio gives one to Hilda when she expresses her shame and disgust over the things she had to do to survive Arzenal.
• Cool Old Guy: In addition to being a Reasonable Authority Figure, Boss works behind the scenes to maintain the integrity of Libertus despite having his power limited by Jill. He also has several moments when he gives fatherly advice to Hilda.
• Covert Pervert:
  • As she becomes more and more infatuated with Rio's Captain Algren persona, Inspector Emma begins to have gradually more risqué fantasies, including one where she cooks him a steak wearing nothing but an apron.
  • Salia, after Rio accidentally catches her cosplaying, takes up a new method of stress relief, writing erotic fanfiction based on her favorite magical girl manga with self-inserts of herself as the heroine and Rio as a Tuxedo Kamen expy.
• Crazy Survivalist: The Network is this by the World of Mana's standards, rejecting the use of the Light of Mana for only when necessary and living as both the Norma or Ancient Folk do.
• Cruel Mercy: Cornered by Dark and Embryo during the assault on Arzenal, Embryo announces that Rio has been a thorn in his side for too long but neither can he ignore that he owes Rio for rescuing Ange. In the end, he decides that since Rio doesn't appreciate his gift of the Light of Mana, he strips it from him so that Rio can spend the rest of his life powerless. As it turns out Aura had other plans.
• Cycle of Revenge: Discussed and averted. During the celebration for Vivian's reunion with her mother, when Kaname and Naga explain that Salamandinay wants to try and build a bridge between them, Rio shares Ange's sentiment that something like that is easier said than done. That even if Embryo was manipulating them all this time, it doesn't undo any of the deaths they've suffered at each other's hands, nor does it erase the grief and anger felt by the survivors. Just like in canon, Kaname counters that humans CAN overcome pain and hatred if they're willing to acknowledge and lean from the mistakes of the past, citing that her encounter with Rio during the DRAGON's assault on Arzenal showed her that Embryo's humans were capable of nobility despite his manipulations.
• The Cynic: In the early chapters of the story, Rio's altruism comes as such a shock to the more jaded Hilda that she's left feeling confused and unsure how to respond.
• Damsel in Distress: Hilda is rescued twice in the early chapters.
  • Damsel out of Distress: After being pinned to a tree by one of Dark's restraints, Hilda manages to pry herself loose in time to distract Dark enough for Rio to land the winning blow.
• David vs. Goliath: Kaname and Naga have expanded roles in the DRAGONs' assault on Arzenal, with Naga eliminating the defensive artillery while Kaname launches an attack on the main hanger where she encounters Rio who fights her Hekiryugo using a combination of assault weapons and his Mana. Despite putting up a valiant fight, Rio's energy is soon depleted and he suffers two broken ribs before Hilda comes to his rescue.
• Dead Guy Junior: In the epilogue, Ange and Tusk have named their son Istvan (Van for short) after Tusk's deceased father. Likewise, Rio and Hilda name their newborn daughter after Rio's friend Sarah.
• Dead Man Writing: In Chapter 12, Rio watches a video message Sarah had left for him, in the event that she died before he could come for her.
• Dead Person Conversation: Following the consummation of her relationship with Rio in the bonus chapter, Hilda has a dream where Zola pays her a visit and wishes her luck in the coming battle as well as to live the life she and all the other Norma who died because of Embryo couldn't.
• Death Seeker: In her grief and shame following the deaths of the Embryo Academy kids, Ersha defects to Aurora hoping Jill will execute her in accordance with Arzenal rules regarding traitors. Rio however, with some help from Vivian and Cynthia, is able to convince her she can do more to atone by living in a way that honors the kids' memory.
• December–December Romance: Boss and Jasmine had an intimate relationship during the days of the first Libertus and they rekindle their romance after Arzenal and the Network restore their alliance.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: Part of Hilda's character growth is her eventual warming up to Rio as they move from friends to comrades to mutual romantic feelings.
• Despair Event Horizon: Rio crosses this when Jasmine takes him to meet with his long lost friend Sarah and he finds out that she had been killed in a DRAGON incursion years earlier.
• Does Not Like Men: In the early chapters, Hilda retains her distrust and revulsion towards men. However, as the story progresses, Rio's kindness and chivalry helps her see not all men are untrustworthy and is a major contribution to her character growth.
• Downer Beginning: The story begins right at the end of ep 9 following Hilda's attempt to reunite with her mother and the heartbreaking rejection she endured along with her assault at the hands of the Mana police.
• Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male: Played for laughs. Following his fight with Akame and her Hekiryugo, Hilda stays by Rio's side until he wakes up...just so she can clobber him with a bedpan.
• Double Standard Rape: Female on Male: Averted with Salia and Rio. When Salia jumps him, Rio is not turned on and is understandably angry with her. The story does however paint her in a sympathetic light due to Salia being under emotional distress from the realization Jill had lied to her about her potential to pilot Villkiss.
• The Dragon: Dark, an OC created to be Embryo's vassal. In addition to his hand-to-hand skill he also pilots a custom Para-mail called Bareta (named after Italian firearms company Beretta) whose output rivals that of a Ragna-mail thanks to being augmented by Dark's own Mana.
• Driven to Suicide:
  • In Chapter 19, Rio reveals to Hilda that Sarah's parents committed suicide by drinking poison, unable to bear the pain of getting their daughter taken away from them.
  • Boss later reveals that his wife hung herself after their daughter was euthanised.
• Dude, he's like, in a coma: Averted. While Rio is under anesthetic during the DRAGONs' treatment of his broken arm, Hilda watches over him and, thinking back to their Almost Kiss the night before, leans down to him but hesitates at the last moment. Ultimately, she decides not to as it would be meaningless if Rio wasn't awake to share the moment with her.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: After emerging victorious, the True Earth becomes a paradise where Normas, Dragon, and Humans of the Network live and work togethe in freedom and peace after all the pain misery, and suffering they have all been through. The island, which was once an Embryo's research facility, has transformed into a sprawling city called Neo-Arzenal and several of the survivors have even paired up and started families.
• Everyone Has Standards: Inspector Schwartz, the Token Good Teammate of the police recruited by Dark to track down Rio and Hilda, stops his fellow officers from raping Hilda, citing that even a Norma doesn't deserve that.
  • Flashbacks used to build character depth with Zola showed that she wouldn't make a pass at anyone younger than fifteen. Nor did she ever make a move on Ersha due to the two of them being childhood friends.
• Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: During the siege in Chapter 14, when Ange realizes her royal ring was stolen, Rio begins to think about who could have taken it, reasoning that in this situation no one in their right mind would steal a piece of jewelry unless they knew of its connection to Vilkiss. He then realizes that Salia knows it and quickly deduces it was her who stole it.
• Expository Hairstyle Change: In chapter 23 when the group leaves the True Earth, Hilda changes her usual twin tails into a single ponytail to signify her beginning to let go of her past and take the first real steps towards her future.
• Expy:
  • According to the author, Boss, the leader of the Network, was modelled after old Joseph Joestar from Stardust Crusaders (in chapter 26 he uses his Mana to manipulate strands of wires similar to Joseph's Hermit Purple). He even says that his pick to voice him would be Richard Epcar.
  • Gila, the caretaker of Susano'o was modelled after Yomiko Readman of Read or Die.
  • Two original mechas created for the story, the Bareta and the Susano'o, had their designs based on the Master and Unicorn Gundams respectfully.
• Fix Fic: The fic is a response to the lack of Mana users who are either likable or capable. The Network also serves as a group of Mana users who are not only both but additionally break the absolutist stance that nearly all Mana users hate Norma. It has taken inspiration from many different homegrown states that fought their own oppressive regimes.
• Foil: Dark to Momoka. While Momoka is loyal to Ange out of genuine love and admiration for her mistress, Dark serves Embryo solely because that was what Embryo created him for and feels his existence isn't justified otherwise. It was also suggested towards the end that deep down, he actually despises Embryo.
• Freudian Trio: The governing tribunal of the Network:
  • The Kirk / The Ego: Boss, leader of the Network.
  • The Spock, a.k.a Superego: Major, a Norma, head of the militia.
  • The McCoy / The Id: Chaplain, head of Intelligence.
• Friend to All Children: Following the DRAGONs' assault and the reveal of his true identity, Rio helps repair one of the schoolchildren's plush and later entertains another group with some Mana based card tricks. As he tells Ersha, he had to become this as more often then not, Human parents who do want to protect their Norma children aren't willing to make the sacrifices necessary to go with them so Network agents have to be able to convince any child they conduct that they can be trusted.
• The Gadfly: Maggie's potential to troll people is expanded upon in this fic, with Inspector Bronson being a favorite target of hers. She also seems to enjoy getting Rio flustered by flirting with him.
• Godzilla Threshold: Jill has a bad relationship with the Network, all because they refused to participate in the first Libertus due to their main base destroy and losing most of their militia. Until Ange and Hilda escape from Arzenal and cause problems with NMB as they are suspicious of their plans force Jill to reestablish with the Networks.
• Groin Attack: After learning of Ange's imprisonment and imminent execution in chapter 3, Hilda attempts to run off and save her only for Rio to hold her back. When an attempt at seducing him doesn't work, Hilda drives her knee into his crotch before knocking him out with a fireplace poker.
  • Later, on Tusk's island following Ange's rescue, when Spider makes a pass at her, Hilda grabs Spider by the crotch and threatens to neuter him if he doesn't knock it off.
• Ham and Cheese: Invoked in-universe. Rio has a tendency to spout over the top dialogue to relieve tension in moments of stress.
• A Handful for an Eye: In Chapter 16, while held at gunpoint by Salia at the infirmary, Rio discreetly uses the Light of Mana to grab a bottle of disinfectant powder, which he chucks at her face to make her sneeze. He then seizes the chance to disarm her and pin her down before running away.
• Handicapped Badass: The entire Network. In order to prevent Embryo from hacking their minds the human members of the Network implant themselves with devices call M-jammers at the base of their spinal cord which blocks the Light of Mana from their central nervous system but not from their peripheral. As a result, they have greatly reduced Mana reserves than normal humans as well being limited to Mana's physical applications (physical enhancement, shield generation, healing) requiring them to conserve it by supplementing their energy with weaponry, tactics, and combat training.
  • Double invoked with Rio during Julio's attack on Arzenal when he finds himself cornered by both Dark and Embryo, the latter of whom in an act of Cruel Mercy strips him of Mana entirely (downgrading him to Badass Normal) before Dark breaks his right arm. Fortunately, after arriving in the True Earth, the =DRAGONs are able to use their medical technology to heal his limb.
• Happily Adopted: After Libertus, Cynthia is taken in by Ersha and Rhino while Chris and Rosalie adopt a little DRAGON orphan.
• Heartfelt Apology: While imprisoned, Ange genuinely apologized to Momoka for getting her involved in her action and wished she was never a norma, but Momoka was glad to serve her even though they were going to die together.
• Her Heart Will Go On: Upon seeing that his friend Sarah had died years earlier, Rio falls into despair until two things pull him back 1) a message left to him by Sarah that she entrusted to Jasmine 2) Hearing Hilda sing the lullaby her mother used to sing for her (Hilda had been egged on by Ange until her pride couldn't take it anymore).
• Heroic BSoD: After seeing Rio getting beaten by the Wild Pack for going off script to help her save Ange, Hilda tries to intervene until Tusk stops her, saying that Rio knew this would happen and that they have to let him make it up to his comrades. The realization that he knowingly helped her despite knowing the consequences without demanding anything from her in return leaves Hilda completely shocked and shames her into returning to Arzenal before he can get into any further trouble on her behalf.
  • Rio later experiences one of his own when Jasmine shows him Sarah's grave and he realizes everything he did to find her was for nothing.
• Honor Before Reason: Seeing how desperate Hilda is to save Ange from her execution reminds Rio how powerless he felt when he couldn't save his friend Sarah from being taken. And so against his better judgement, he takes her up to Misurugi and intervenes in Tusk and the Wild Pack's operation to rescue Ange, knowing full well the consequences he'll face for doing so.
  • Later, after learning that the Network plans to return the girls to Arzenal rather than escorting them to safety like he originally promised, Rio refuses to comply, even after learning that Ange can pilot Villkiss since it would mean breaking his word. It's only after Ange and Hilda both agree to return of their own choice that Rio finally relents.
  • Deconstructed in chapter 28 when Rio and Momoka track Tusk down to a local hospital where he was admitted following his attempt to cover Ange's escape from Embryo. Having promised Hilda he wouldn't take any more of the Dracunium pills than advised, Rio is forced to make a Sadistic Choice between saving Tusk and breaking his word. Subverted in that his hesitance isn't so much from pride but out of fear of causing her pain.
• Hidden Depths: Hilda is shown to have a talent for cooking, a reference to the PS Vita game where one of the potential storylines involves the player character Naomi developing a relationship with Hilda, the end of which shows Hilda happily cooking a meal for the two of them.
  • Zola in flashbacks is shown to be a Cool Big Sis figure in her youth to the younger kids as well as a close friend of Sarah, the Norma befriended by Rio as a boy. Her death became the Freudian Excuse for Zola's hedonism as she came to the realization her life as a Norma had no value in the eyes of the world so she might as well enjoy herself as much as she could before the inevitable.
• Humans Are Warriors: Downplayed. When Rio tells Hilda about the true history of the world and how Embryo replaced humanity with his version, he admits that human history can be defined by chaos and conflict. However, that same innate chaos was what enabled Rio and the rest of the renegade Mana users to question and ultimately reject Embryo's control and side with the oppressed Norma subrace. Humans may have an innate propensity for violence, but they also can choose why they fight and what they're fighting for.
• If It's You, It's Okay: Hilda is more open to relationships with men in this story than in canon where she was only slightly bi. She still has an attraction to women but her growing feelings for Rio are a result of both emotional bonding and sexual attraction.
• I Was Just Passing Through: After rescuing Ange from the gallows, Hilda claims this as her reason for helping her:
  Ange: Hey Hilda?
  Hilda: What?
  Ange: Thanks.
  Hilda: Well you looked so pathetic I couldn't help feeling sorry for you. And I guess I did owe you anyway for helping me escape Arzenal.
• The Infiltration: To keep the human authorities from stumbling upon Libertus, following Ange's rescue and the return of both her and Hilda to Arzenal, the Network kidnaps the officer sent to investigate Arzenal while Rio posses as his replacement; Captain Joseph Algren, under the pretense of keeping Bronson occupied.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Faced with the fact that his friend Sarah had been killed years earlier and confronted with Jill's less than sympathetic attitude, Rio snaps and tries to deck her only for Jill to dodge and knock the wind out of him first before giving him a piece of her mind:
  Jill: What did you think was going to happen? Did you really think you could just fly in here like some hero and carry her off? You and your friends, you say you want to protect the Norma but you don't know a damn thing. Take a good look around. This is what it means to be a Norma. Why aren't you getting furious over their deaths? And what about Lisa? Have you already forgotten about her? Or do Norma only matter if you know them? All that talk and you don't give a damn about any of them. And now, because of your selfishness, you've endangered Libertus itself. The Inspector may be naïve but she isn't stupid. The minute she lays eyes on you she will know that something is wrong. I should have known better than to trust the Network. You failed us just like you did before.
  • Although, as stated, Jill comes across as cold and uncaring over Rio's mixture of rage and grief over Sarah's death, Jill's not wrong about it either. The Network had likely informed Rio about the DRAGO Ns and probably should have figured that Sarah had met an early death like Norma usually do. Plus his emotional state would put him at risk of discovery.
• La Résistance: The Network, a group of Mana users who have learned the truth about both Norma and the world and seek to protect them from being exploited. According to notes by the author, he based them on the real life Bialski Partisans, a Jewish resistance group that fought the Nazis in what is now western Belarus.
• Locked Out of the Loop: After Ange activates Villkiss's Uriel mode, Jill orders her inner circle to not reveal this to Rio, not wanting to involve the Network anymore than they already are. She fails to include Hilda however who reveals it to him in a private conversation.
  • Averted with Ange and Rio. Despite his frustration with Ange not wanting anything to do with Libertus, Rio realizes that Embryo will come for her sooner or later and tells her about Villkiss's true potential.
• Loophole Abuse: During Chapter 24, after learning how Jill forced Boss and the rest of the Network operatives to hand over their weapons and puts the whole security staff on her side to make sure they will kill them without hesitation, Rio decides to resign in order to pledge himself full time as Hilda's knight. That way, no matter what he does, Jill won't be able to use it against Boss and the others.
• Love at First Sight: After Tusk and the others teleport way to rescue Ange during the finale, a temporal tremor shakes the Aurora and nearly knocks Ersha off her feet. She's caught by Rhino whose hands she recognizes as the ones that pulled her from her wrecked Para-mail, falling for him the moment she sets eyes on him.
• Loves My Alter Ego: Rio's identity of Capt. Joseph Algren was tailor made by Network Intelligence to appeal to Bronson's ideal of the perfect soldier and gentleman. It works a little too well as Bronson quickly becomes infatuated with him.
• Maybe Ever After: After Libertus, Maggie and Vulture have an on-again/off-again romance due to Vulture continuously falling back into his smoking habit.
• Male Gaze: During Boss's attempt to overthrow Jill, while he still finds her nagging about his smoking annoying, Vulture can't help noticing Maggie's sexy walk.
  • Rio finds himself gazing down Maggie's cleavage on more then one occasion
• Manly Tears: Rio sheds these twice in the chapter where he learns that his friend Sarah died in battle years earlier. First after watching a video message she left for him, and second after hearing Hilda sing and he finds the resolve to continue fighting.
• Marshmallow Hell: Kat jokingly does it to Rio in Chapter 7. His thoughts imply it's not the first time she's done it.
• Mid-Season Upgrade: During Embryo's testing of the dimensional merger, Rio discovers that Aura had given him the ability to draw on the same energy as the DRAGONs when he helps Hilda and Vivian free Vivian's mother from under an Iaria mount. He also receives from Salamandinay a mecha of his own, the Susano'o, which was the original prototype for the Ragna-mail.
  • Hilda's Glaive is also upgraded by the DRAGONs with a more powerful and efficient power core and a beam gun to replace her old assault rifle.
• Mr. Fanservice: During his time posing as Capt. Algren, Rio becomes this for the Arzenal residents with photos of him replacing Perolina memorabilia as the hot new collectors' item.
• The Multiverse: Upon arriving in the True Earth, Rio is the first to suggest that they're actually in a parallel universe rather than the future, citing the lack of Mana-tech as proof.
  • The author also uses it to lampshade how the story itself is a non-canon AU:
  Hilda: So what you're saying is that because there was a chance you could have taken the wrong road, it automatically creates another universe where you and I never met?
  Rio: Exactly. Or maybe in the original universe we never met and this one is the splinter timeline.
• My Greatest Failure: Rio has never forgiven himself for not being able to keep his Norma friend Sarah from being taken by the authorities.
  • For the majority of the Network, being unable to participate in the first Libertus is this for them.
• Never Mess with Granny: During the DRAGONs' assault, Jasmine picks off Schooners with a sniper rifle then backs up Rio against Kaname's Hekiryugo with a pump action grenade launcher. She later pulls a gun on Jill and threatens to shoot her when Jill takes Momoka hostage.
• Noble Bigot: Inspector Schwartz whom Dark recruits to help him track down Hilda and Rio. Although he shares society's views on Norma, he doesn't hesitate to try and stop his fellow officers from trying to rape Hilda. He also shows disgust at the lengths Julio goes to humiliate and torture Ange during her execution. It's later revealed he himself has a daughter and as a parent, he sympathizes with how the King and Queen of Misurugi tried to protect Ange.
• Noble Demon: Despite his obedience to Embryo, Dark in later chapters is shown to be more than just a lackey. After Ersha shows him kindness, he helps her bury the children who died during Salamandinay's attack on the Dawn Pillar and even allows her to escape without reporting her intentions to Embryo. It's also suggested during the final battle that he actually despises Embryo but due to being one of his creations, feels he has no choice but to play the role intended for him.
• No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Against orders, Rio's sympathy for Hilda overrides his sense of duty and takes her up to Misurugi where the two of them intervene in Tusk and the Wild Pack's rescue of Ange. Though it ends well, once safely away, the Wild Pack proceeds to beat the crap out of him for going off script. Boss himself later contacts Rio and says that if he didn't have another mission lined up he'd have Rio dragged back to HQ and locked in the stockade for a month.
  • Averted with Inspector Schwarz who, after letting Rio and Hilda escape in gratitude for Rio sparing his life, is able to keep his superiors from finding out what he did.
• "Not So Different" Remark: Shortly after being rescued by Rio, Hilda learns that Ange had been captured. Seeing Ange in a prison cell, having been betrayed by her family as Hilda had been drives home how similar they are and motivates Hilda to try and rescue her.
• Off to Boarding School: This was how Aaron's parents got rid of him following Sarah being taken away, sending him to Durandal Academy on the other end of the country in order to preserve their reputations. They had never been particularly close, but this was the final straw that broke their relationship for good.
• Once Done, Never Forgotten:
  • Prior to the first Libertus, the Network's primary base of Zion was attacked by the authorities and their militia nearly wiped out. After relocating, the leadership was faced with a choice of either sending what was left to fight alongside Arzenal and the Ancient Folk or not participating in order to protect their noncombatants. Rather than leave the ones taken under their care without protection, the Network opted not to participate, a fact Jill has never forgiven them for.
  • Rio invokes this after realizing that the others heard his Shut Up, Hannibal! speech to Dark during the final battle, especially the part about him and Hilda having 100 kids just to spite Embryo.
• One-Winged Angel: As a side effect of the Dracunium pills given to him by Embryo to maintain his powers, Dark begins to mutate into a DRAGON until he swallows the entire bottle and transforms into a black scaled Brig.
• Only Sane Person: Jasmine who like in canon is not afraid to call out Jill on her more jerkass moments but realizes that Libertus can't succeed without the Network's help.
  • Rio when he and the others (Ange, Tusk, and Hilda) cross over into the true earth; assuming a leadership position among their group and doing his best to keep Ange's more impulsive tendencies under control.
• Papa Wolf: While fighting his way through Julio's death squads, Rhino rescues one of the Arzenal schoolkids and escorts her to the Aurora. He later becomes her pseudo-guardian in place of Ersha and the two work together in the ship's launch bay since Rhino is too big to fit in a Para-mail cockpit and her smaller hands help him fit in places he can't. Later becomes a full on Papa Wolf when he and Ersha marry sometime after Libertus and they adopt Cythia as their daughter.
  • Boss reveals to Hilda that when his daughter had been born a Norma and was euthanized by her doctor who only received a mild citation from the authorities, Boss murdered him in retaliation. Boss was then recruited by the Network so he could ensure that other fathers wouldn't get to hold their little girls only once.
• Pedestrian Crushes Car: In Chapter 6, during Ange's rescue, Rhino uses his Mana to reinforce his body when a police car comes at him, and then slams down his fist to crush its hood and stop it dead in its tracks.
• Pet the Dog: After Julio's attack, Jill picked up the survivors from the Network ship that was sunk by Dark's Baretta and allowed them to serve alongside the Norma since the number of wounded left them shorthanded. She does however demand that they turn over all their weaponry while on board along with the condition that they leave if she ever told them to.
  • Dark allowing Ersha to escape as payback for the kindness she had shown him earlier.
• Point of Divergence: While explaining his belief that the world they suddenly find themselves in is actually a parallel Earth and not the future, Rio reveals that when he was sent to find Hilda, he got lost and at a fork in the road tossed a stick to randomly decide which route to take:
  Hilda: So what you're saying is because there was a chance you could have taken the wrong road it automatically creates another universe where you and I never met?
  Rio: Exactly. Or maybe in the original universe we never met and this is the splinter timeline. The point is, each new juncture leads to additional splits in the timeline. For all we know, changing just one choice could lead to a chain reaction that alters the course of the entire world.
• Posthumous Character: Zola has an expanded role in the story via flashbacks and a Dead Person Conversation with Hilda.
• Quantity Versus Quality: The Network is badly outnumbered compared to the more fanatical majority of the Mana populace. But their training, practice with Mana as a military tool, and ability to function without it more than makes up for it. A handful can easily take down hordes of Mana soldiers and weapons, with even their Imperial Guards being barely better than a band of mercenaries with zero combat experience.
• Real Men Wear Pink: Using his Mana and a loose string from his shirt, Rio performs some makeshift stitchwork on one of the schoolchildren's plush after it was damaged in the DRAGONs' attack.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Boss, who joins the leadership of Libertus after the exodus from Arzenal. Unfortunately, Jill takes efforts to limit his and the Network's influence, confiscating their weapons and reorganizing the Aurora's security division into her personal enforcers, forcing Boss to work behind the scenes to try and maintain the integrity of Libertus as any misstep could tip the balance in Jill's favor.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: In Chapter 15, Jill demands Salia to know why she took Villkiss and nearly destroyed it, Salia claims that wants to prove her worthiness to her, but Jill accuses Salia of using the Villkiss to make Rio fall in love with her and lashes out at her for choosing to follow her idea fantasy rather responsibility as captain. Thus, Jill has decided to demote Saila.
  Salia: Jill,
  Jill: On your feet! What were you thinking? Do you have any idea of what you've done? Villkiss was nearly destroyed because of YOUR actions! What do you have to say for yourself?
  Salia: I...just wanted to prove that I could do it, I wanted to prove that I could be of use to you.
  Jill: To me? Or to him? I see the way you look at him, did you think that if you proved you could pilot Villkiss then he would fall in love with you? It's time you woke up. This is no fairy tale. Your role is to be the Captain of the First Squad. Ange's role is to pilot Villkiss. But because you chose to ignore that for the sake of a fantasy, you nearly cost Libertus everything. I told you once that you can't do what you can't do. And if you still can't understand that then you have no place here! If it weren't for the fact that we've sustained such heavy losses, I would throw you into the brig. But right now I need every pilot I can get. So for now I'll settle for demoting you. As of right now, you're no longer captain of the First Squad.
• Rebellious Spirit: Renegade Mana Users like Rio can question the Mana world's way of life at first, then reject Embryo's control and choose to side with the Norma for what they're fighting for.
• Replacement Goldfish: Defied and averted by Rio. After finding out Sarah died, he makes a point of not trying to pursue Hilda because he doesn't want to see her as this trope. Later on, when they have their Relationship Upgrade proper, he notes how the two are completely different from each other, making it clear that he loves Hilda for who she is and not as a replacement for Sarah.
• The Resenter: It's suggested during his conversation with Ersha in chapter 28 that the reason Dark despises Rio so much is that he's envious of how Rio and the rest of the Network broke free of the mold Embryo created for them and made their own fate.
• Sadistic Choice: When Rio and Momoka save Tusk from the hospital where he was taken following his attempt to cover Ange's escape from Embryo, the Light of Mana suddenly fails and forces Rio to chose either to break the promise he made to Hilda not to take more of the Dracunium pills which power his Light of Aura than advised or allow Tusk to die. Luckily, Momoka proposes a Third Option.
• Secret-Keeper: His first day posing as Captain Algren, Rio stumbles upon Salia during one of her cosplay sessions while touring Arzenal with the Inspector. Not wanting to attract undue attention, Rio promises not to tell her secret if Salia keeps his.
• Sex for Solace: In chapter 24, Rosalie tries to seduce Hilda (in contrast to the canon series where Hilda tries to seduce Ange). She also admits she tried it with one of their Network allies while Hilda was in the True Earth but ultimately prefers Norma.
• Sexual Karma: Rio and Hilda in chapter 29, shown in detail in the separate bonus chapter. Despite it not being her first time, Hilda finds she's never felt so good after having sex before and realizes it's because she's in love with Rio and she took joy out of giving him pleasure and vice versa, as opposed to the manipulative sex she used to have with Zola, Chris, and Rosalie which was all about selfishness, power, and control.
• Shipper on Deck: Quick to pick up on Hilda's feelings for Rio, Vivian becomes their biggest supporter. As does both Rio's ex-girlfriend and comrade Kat and Vivian's mother.
• Ship Sinking: Ersha and Dark. After the Arzenal children are killed again, Embryo refuses to revive them a second time. While helping her bury the bodies, Dark tells Ersha that the lives of the Norma children had no real worth, and that all life belongs to Embryo, which is why he feels rebels like Rio and the Network must be destroyed. Ersha no longer trusts Embryo, while Dark's loyalty to Embryo is absolute. The next day Ersha escapes back to the Aurora, killing any relationship between her and Dark.
• Ship Tease: Vulture and Maggie. Also Dark and Ersha. The former is on again, off again. The latter has been sunk.
• Shoot the Dog: Rio admits to Hilda that he's done things he's not proud of (like killing fellow humans) yet did so in order to protect innocent Norma from being victimized.
• Shout-Out: During Ange's first encounter with Salamandinay, images of their past lives/alternate universe versions are described as rotating around a "Dark Tower" that serves as the axis of the vision.
  • Several characters, locations, and vessels are named after characters from the various Gundam series.
  • Chaplain, the head of Network intelligence, is a possible reference to Deacon from Fallout 4 as both are members of a covert organization dedicated to helping an oppressed minority and have codenames derived from clerical titles.
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: During their rescue of Ange from Embryo, Vivian offers to double team with Rio against Dark. When Dark accuses Rio of being too much of a coward to fight him alone, Rio counters that he doesn't fight alongside the Norma of Arzenal because of cowardice, rather they fight alongside him because they're friends.
• Shut Up, Kirk!: When Rio accuses him of being a coward for not breaking free of Embryo despite Aura having altered his genetic structure to use the Light of Aura, Dark counters that if he is a puppet of Embryo like Rio says then Rio is a puppet of Aura.
• Smoking Is Cool: Vulture of the Network is rarely seen without a cigarette in his mouth.
• Sneeze Cut: A brief one happens to Rio in Chapter 12, when Salia is revealed to be writing a fanfic about them.
• Spared by the Adaptation: One of the children killed during Julio's assault on Arzenal (whom the author gives the name of Cynthia), revived by Embryo, and then killed again during the dogfight over Misurugi palace; is spared her first death when she's rescued by Rhino and evacuated aboard the Aurora. Moved by Rio's words from earlier, she decides to stay on board the Aurora and is assigned to help the Armorers.
• Super Prototype: To hopefully develop an alliance with the Network, Salamandinay in chapter 22 gives Rio a mecha the DRAGONs have named Susano'o; the original prototype for the Ragna-mail that Embryo left behind when he originally emigrated from the True Earth and which the DRAGONs used to reverse engineer the Ryu-shinn-ki. Subverted in that while it's powerful, it's also bulkier and less agile than a true Ragna-mail while its main weapon was originally deemed impractical for extended combat.
• Team Mom: Vivian's mother Lamia imagines herself as this when Vivian promises to return and introduce her to the rest of her friends, having learned from Hilda of the abuse and persecution Norma endure even from their own families.
• That Came Out Wrong: In Chapter 7, when Momoka mistakenly assume that both Rio and Tusk are competing for Ange's hand, Hilda steps up to say that "Rio is with [her]". She blushes furiously as she tries to backpedal and explain that Rio came to Ange's rescue because she (Hilda) forced him to.
• There Is Only One Bed: Zigzagged between Hilda and Rio. On their way to save Ange from execution, Hilda reluctantly offers to let him sleep with her as compensation, but instead Rio crashes on the couch. Then by the time they arrive in the DRAGO Ns Earth, Hilda is comfortable enough to sleep in the same bed with Rio, knowing he won't try anything without her consent. (Along with protecting him from becoming Dr. Gecko's next "test subject.")
• To Be Lawful or Good: Because he tried to stop his fellow officers from raping Hilda, Schwartz was spared by Rio. As a result, when he sees them drive off, even though it goes against everything he stands for as a police officer, he allows them to escape since Rio's mercy allowed him to return home to his family.
• Token Good Teammate: Although Inspector Schwartz has no problem pursuing an escaped Norma, he draws the line at rape regardless of who it is. Later, while watching Ange's attempted execution, he finds himself disgusted with the way Julio tries to humiliate and torture Ange and expresses relief when she is rescued. It's revealed he himself has a daughter and the realization that she would have been exiled if she were born a Norma leads him to begin questioning the morality of the world he's been living in.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: Flashbacks show that Zola and Rio's friend Sarah developed this dynamic during their youth in Arzenal.
• True Companions: During their time at the True Earth, Ange, Tusk, Rio, and Hilda form their bonds with each other after their harsh argument. Momoka, Vivian, and Sala joined in later as the story progressed. Over time, Ange and Tusk develop a relationship, while the same goes for Rio and Hilda. They watch each other back like facing Diamond Rose Knight as they return home and rebel against Jill's plans.
• Two Scenes, One Dialogue: Chapter 16 alternates between Jill and Ange at the onsen, and Rio and Hilda at the beach, while discussing the full story behind Embryo and Vilkiss.
• Violently Protective Girlfriend:
  • Hilda quickly becomes this as she and Rio grow closer:
    • During the DRAGONs' attack on Arzenal, after hearing he was fighting Kaname's unit without a machine of his own, Hilda races back to Arzenal, slashing her way through an entire flock of Schooners and tackling into Kaname's Hekiryugo; even managing to take its arm off with a freeze bullet before chasing it out of the hanger.
    • After arriving at the DRAGONs' village and learning the truth about why they've been fighting, Hilda throws a glass jar at Naga, barely missing her head, when Naga labels Rio as being no different from the other Mana using humans.
    • During the ambush by the Diamond Rose Knights following their return to the World of Mana, Hilda takes aim at Irma when the latter threatens Rio for insulting Embryo.
    • Pulls a gun on members of Aurora's security when they try to arrest Rio on falsified charges from Jill.
  • Kat when she and Kamaitachi arrive to aide Salamandinay in Chapter 27. Irma tries to attack him from above and Kat throws her Razor's hatchet into her Ragna-mail's shoulder, immobilizing it.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Rio is one of the few people who will consistently call out Ange on her more selfish behavior such as her refusal to join Libertus.
  • Ange calls Rio out for never understanding Hilda's emotions, and why she returned to Arzenal and never told her about the consequences.
  • Ange is also a lot more direct towards Sala in this when they first meet, calling out her side for being responsible for everything she has been put through starting with being outed as a Norma.
  • After he finds her following her attempted suicide run against Embryo, Momoka gives one to Rio when she sees he killed the four cops that found her though she retracts it when Rio points out that they had identified her which would compromise their ability to rescue Tusk.
• We ARE Struggling Together: Despite having the common goal of bringing down Embryo, Jill refuses to work with the Network, feeling that they betrayed her when they refused to join Libertus ten years ago. When she picks up the survivors after Misurugi's attack on Arzenal, she forces them to hand over their weapons and does her darnest to keep them under their thumb aboard the Aurora, while others like Jasmine and Maggie feel she's making things harder than necessary for everyone by going to these extremes.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: In the Final Chapter set after seven years during the Last Libertus:
  • The mana world is left in ruins and filled with strife and conflict while survivors either fight each other to survive or tried to rebuild civilization. Yet despite the turmoil and struggle, they carry on with hope
    • A group of survivors in Misurugi build a settlement called New Angelise, which had once been the Iaria stadium of Ho-o Institute, led by Sylvia and her group (her maid Sakura, Hilda's mother and sister, and Constable Schwartz) and had managed to thrive while other settlements had failed or were wiped out by the many bandit gangs that roamed the wasteland.
    • Like Ange, Sylvia has discarded her old life and doesn't want to be called ''Lady Sylvia'' anymore, becoming a capable leader. She managed the settlement, maintained stability, and worked to ensure everyone could stand on their own two feet like her sister told her to do.
    • Like Momoka, Sakura becomes Sylvia's loyal maid and still calls her lady Sylvia.
    • Constable Schwartz, a member of the police Dark recruited to help track down Rio and Hilda, led a group of survivors north to Misurugi, settling with Sylvia's group and becoming head of security, in charge not only of law and order but also of defense against bandit raids.
    • Hilda's sister, a girl Sylvia's age who had come up with Schwarz alongside her mother, had settled in New Angelise and became Sylvia's closest friend after Sakura.
    • Misty is shown to have survived as well and had managed to establish her own colony in the remnants of the Rosenblum Imperial castle.
  • The True Earth becomes a paradise where Normas, Dragon, and Humans of the Network live a peaceful life working side by side.
    • The island was once an Embryo research facility, which now hosts the Normas, Dragon, and Humans populace, transformed into a sprawling city across its surface and now called Neo-Arzenal. Some of the more military-designed ships of the Network fleet served in the ESDF, while the rest had been refurbished into floating residences to help conserve space on the island.
    • Ange and Tusk marry and with Momoka open Café Ange. They have a son named Van and Ange lives a peaceful and fulfilling life with a level of happiness she considers worth the pain and suffering she experienced.
    • Rio and Hilda are married and explore the world, later having a newborn daughter named Sarah. Rio becomes an archaeologist and gains a teaching position at the university, while Hilda enjoys a new life free from pain and misery, establishes an orchard, and occasionally helps out at Café Ange where her apple pie is one of their best sellers.
    • Ersha became a school teacher, married Rhino, adopted Cynthia as their daughter and are expecting twins.
    • Kat and Kamaitchi get married and have a son of their own.
    • Boss (now Blitz) and Jasmine are enjoying their golden years living together with a puppy named Vulcan Jr (Vulcan had died a few years ago and the puppy was cloned from him using a genetics facility Rioa and Hilda discovered in the ruins).
    • Salia has matured a bit and let go of her overly simplistic views on love, becomes Commander-in-Chief of the ESDF (Earth Self Defense Force, a joint military force comprised of DRAGONS, Norma, and Humans if another threat emerges), works alongside Emma and develops a relationship with Spider as he builds a radio network with himself as the chief RJ.
    • Vivian is as tall and well-endowed as Ersha, has become captain of the EDF's first squad, and lives with her mother Lamia.
    • Chris and Rosalie live together and adopted an orphaned dragon girl named Fafni while Chris had joined the ESDF and was now captain of Second Squad so she can protect her family and friends and atone for what she did under Embryo control.
    • Maggie and Vulture had an on-again/off-again relationship due to Vulture's falling back into his cigarette habit. Maggie worked at the hospital and served as its chief doctor with aides from Dr. Gecko and Gila.
• Would Hit a Girl: Although generally a nice guy, Rio does have limits as to what he's willing to put up with. After rescuing Hilda from the police, she mistakes him for an enemy and attacks him, forcing him to put her in a choke hold until she calms down. He also threatens to knock her out when she won't allow him to treat her wounds from the police. Later, he nearly punches Jill twice although both times he was under emotional distress which Jill was far from sympathetic towards (first when confronted with the fact his friend Sarah had died years before he arrived to save her, and then again after witnessing the pit of burning DRAGON carcasses.)
• Would Hurt a Child: Upon arriving at Ange's execution, Hilda nearly shoots Sylvia after watching her whip Ange. Rio however, manages to hold her back, saying that giving away their position this early would only work against them.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Aura gives such a speech to Rio the morning prior to the DRAGONs' attack on Arzenal:
  Aura: I have been watching you and those like you for a long time. Despite being his creation, you have broken free of his logic and embraced your own. You reject the empty prosperity and false peace he offers in exchange for a life of suffering and conflict. Because of that, you were able to hear me when others could not.
  Rio: So then, you're his enemy too? But if so then why don't you help us? Why aren't you fighting him?
  Aura: He has bound me and left me unable to do so. Even appearing to you in this form strains the limits of my power. And now, my children are coming. And when they do, they will slaughter all who stand in their way. You must show them the truth. That your kind have the potential to be more than his dolls. That you are greater than even you know.
• Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters: As to be expected, the rest of humanity views the Network as a gang of degenerate terrorists. To their credit, the Network doesn't try to overly justify their actions and does take steps to minimize collateral damage, only using lethal force against armed combatants.