Battle 49

Battle 49
Volume:	9
Chapter	49
Total pages	42
Released	1994
Story Arc	Barjack Rebellion Arc
Chapter Navigation
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Ouroboros II (ウロボロス2, Uroborosu 2^?) is the forty-ninth chapter and the second issue of the ninth volume of Yukito Kishiro's Battle Angel Alita.

Cover

Alita is seen within the Ouroboros Program.

Summary

Kaos warns Alita that his father will have traps prepared for her, but the latter brushes it aside and vows that she cannot be stopped. Breaking through a door leading to one of the engine rooms of the Granite Inn, she spots Nova behind a console welcoming her. As Alita charges towards him, Nova grins and utilizes the Ouroboros Program to dodge her attack. He gloats to Kaos that he still has access to the Ouroboros program located in her TUNED channel and activates it.

Alita kills Ido in the Scrapyard

Alita suddenly finds herself in her old Berserker Body during her time as a Hunter Warrior. Slightly taken back by this, Alita prepares herself to fight any of her old foes including Makaku and Zapan. She turns around and is surprised to see Ido approaching her. Regaining her senses, Alita recognizes that the Ido in front of her is a false one and quickly kills him. As she wonders why the dream world has not disappeared, Nova looks down from a rooftop and chuckles that he is just getting started.

Alita then wakes up in her bed back at Ido's clinic back during the first few days after getting her first civilian body. Ido arrives and brings in some tea, stating that he had heard her moaning in her sleep. Alita realizes again that this is a simulacrum and tells Ido that she must go. Pinching himself, Ido claims that it feels real to him but Alita recalls that the clinic and much of the Scrapyard area was destroyed by a mindless Zapan over ten years prior. She divulges everything she meant to say to the real Ido before he wiped his memories, including how she defeated Zapan, got recruited to TUNED and managed to find Nova. Ido embraces Alita and swears that he would give up everything to prevent her from experiencing all the sadness and hurt she was forced to partake in. Alita agrees that she wishes to stay forever, but rams her arm through Ido's stomach and kills him once again. After noticing her bloodstained reflection in the mirror, Alita finally breaks down and starts crying over Ido's corpse. Looking on from a nearby rooftop, Nova grins wickedly and muses that one more push will be all that is required to break Alita's spirit.

Going back to when Alita is found within the Scrapyard, Nova is the one who discovers her remains instead of Ido. She does not recall who Nova is, but can sense that he is scary and malevolent; upon getting taken by Ido, she notices how he is warm and reassuring. Nova is curious as to Ido's appearance, but brushes the thought aside to have Alita stay here for longer and her wits be dulled. They both decide to name her 'Gally', and begin preparing to construct her a body; Nova suggests several unusual body shapes including placing her head onto a collection of tentacles similar to an octopus, much to Ido's refusal.

Kaos merges with the energy and components from Nova's system

Meanwhile, Kaos tries getting through to Alita but to no avail. Despite his fears and reservations, he decides to try and use his psychometry to release her but is struck by several thousand volts of electricity and energy, causing him to bleed out of his eyes, nose and mouth while stopping his heart. Nova mocks the action and comments how the Ouroboros program has dual layers of protection due to running through the TUNED channel. Kaos stands up and laughs at his father, smashing the monitors and merging with it to become a being of energy. Kaos teleports himself to the GIB and unleashes a blast of energy that causes an explosion in the upper shaft of Tiphares, destroying the control room. Kaos travels through the system and finds the heart of the Ouroboros program, vowing to dismantle it in a way to prevent damage to Alita.

Nova reflects with Alita about keeping a peaceful moment last forever

Several months have passed inside the Ouroboros program and Nova is delighted how Gally is much more passive. She states that she wants to become a physician like Ido and read, even though she is encouraged by Ido to exercise to prevent her joints from rusting. Nova muses that he just needs to perform an operation on her brain to eliminate her Panzer Kunst to ensure victory. Just then, Ido's cat Alita arrives through a window and Ido notices that it has been fighting again with several stray dogs. Some time later, Gally is on the roof of the clinic blowing some bubbles when Nova comes to join her. In a rare moment of self reflection, Nova takes off his glasses and talks with Gally about how he wishes there was a world where there was no tragedy or death, having a moment like that stay forever. Suddenly, Kaos appears out of nowhere in the guise of Den and heads towards the clinic. Ido takes Gally away while Nova activates the Great Martian King, which transforms the clinic into a giant mech. He applauds how Kaos was able to breach through the protection defenses, but swears that he will not win.

As the battle rages overhead, Ido sits with Gally in the bunker underneath the clinic. Upon hearing the bell on Alita's collar ringing as it walks through the bunker, Gally's heart starts beating rapidly and sits up. She tells Ido that she must fight for her own sake; this causes her body to change back to her damaged TUNED one as well as her eyeblack markings returning to her face. Alita sadly tells Ido that while it was just a dream, it was a good dream that she enjoyed getting to experience. The simulacrum of Ido bids her goodbye and to take care before fading away. As the dream world begins to disappear, Nova screams at Kaos to not destroy his dream but the request is ignored.

Alita recovers and is seen back in the engine room with Nova hunched over the control panel and crying. Picking up a machine pistol, Nova announces that he would have done anything for Alita and to stay in that moment. Alita then rushes towards him in an instant; after locking eyes for a moment, Alita replies that she would have done the same before decapitating Nova and sending his head tumbling down the shaft.