Childhood's End

Childhood's End (たとえ天が堕ちるとも) is the twelfth episode of ALDNOAH.ZERO and final episode of the first cour, it first aired in Japan on September 20, 2014.

Synopsis
The Deucalion has collided with Count Saazbaum's Landing Castle. Inaho, Yuki, and Inko must now escort Princess Asseylum to the Aldnoah Drive. Meanwhile, Slaine is rushing back to the Landing Castle and Count Saazbaum is still out there in the Dioscuria.

Plot
Act One

The crew of the Deucalion is barely alive as the ship is now embedded into Castle Saazbaum. Warrant Officer Kaizuka finds Princess 1 in the hull of the vessel. Lt. Marito confirms to Inko that they are okay. The Captain orders Warrant Officer Kaizuka and Princess 1 to continue their mission while Inko and Inaho cover them. Princess Asseylum wakes up in the second seat of Warrant Officer Kaizuka's KG-7.

Inaho challenges her idealistic and pacifistic views. Count Saazbaum arrives in his Dioscuria and reveals that he was the mastermind behind the assassination. Inaho promises to hold him off while his sister, Inko, and Seylum continue the mission. He dodges the Dioscuria's rocket guided missiles using his armored KG-6 and uses his missiles. Warrant Officer Yuki manages to break a hole in Castle Saazbaum.

The machines Rayet and UFE soldiers left at the base were fighting to leave the station. At the same time, Eddelrittuo gets arrested by Vers soldiers. The machines that Rayet fought combine with the Dioscuria. Count Saazbaum maximizes the potential of his Kataphrakt, activating its dimensional barrier and drawing his beam sword. As Slaine's Sky Carrier enters the battlefield, the Oldenburg Platoon shoots him down and assists Inaho. But he tells them to fall back.

The Dioscuria unleashes rocket punches on Inaho. His comrades and Slaine watches as he steps out from his crashed Sky Carrier. A KG-7 comes up behind him, prompting him to draw his pistol upon it. The pilot tells Slaine, whom they consider a Martian, to surrender. Still, a Vers soldier saves Slaine and informs him that Terran forces have entered the castle and need to shore up defenses. While they are running, a KG-7 pilot kills the Vers soldier, and Slaine runs elsewhere.

Act Two

Slaine manages to get to the Tharsis as UFE soldiers fire upon him. As it powers up, they contact the Mustang Platoon who is inside the castle. Slaine manages to activate the Tharsis's Aldnoah drive, contrary to his assumption that he had no activation factor because he was not a member of the royal family.

Inside the castle, Vers soldiers launch grenades at Warrant Officer Kaizuka's KG-7. The Princess informs Warrant Officer Kaizuka of the passage to the Aldnoah chamber, but they have to proceed on foot. Inko sees Inaho's KG-6 as it crashes through the ceiling. The Dioscuria follows it and takes their fight inside the castle. Princess Asseylum now knows that it is Count Saazbaum who led the assassination plot.

The Mustang Platoon's rounds cannot penetrate the Dioscuria's barrier. As blood runs down Inaho's face, he tells Inko to run. The Dioscuria rocket punches Inko's KG-7, Inaho shoots the socket connecting to the Dioscuria's arm, which succeeds as he deduces that the Dioscuria must lower its barrier when the rockets activate. Inko wonders if Inaho just used her as a decoy Inaho reshoots the Dioscuria to reveal the weak spots in its barrier and uses it to his advantage. He manages to knock the Dioscuria over, and the KG-6 walks on top of it. As an object is in contact, the barrier cannot be raised, allowing Inaho to injure Saazbaum by shooting at the cockpit. Slaine overhears Count Saazbaum's screen from his Tharsis and rushes past two KG-7s without sustaining damage. Inko, Warrant Officer Kaizuka, and the Princess are out of their Kataphrakts, about to proceed to the Aldnoah Chamber. Inaho stays behind in his KG-6 to destroy the Dioscuria.

The KG-6 throws away its gun. Inaho challenges Count Saazbaum, who unleashes his rage upon Inaho, complaining about the suffering Martians had faced and lost his fiancé. The Dioscuria uses its thrusters to push the KG-6 down the hallways and pins the KG-6 up against the wall while decapitating it. The KG-6 punches the Dioscuria in the abdomen/cockpit, which causes massive injuries to Count Saazbaum. Suddenly, the Tharsis comes from behind the corner, and Slaine sees that "Orange" has brought yet another Martian Kataphrakt to its knees.

Princess Asseylum finally deactivates Castle Saazbaum's Aldnoah Drive, which shuts down the gun turrets and lights around the Landing Castle. At the same time, the Tharsis barges into the Dioscuria and KG-6 and pushes it through the walls of the Aldnoah Chamber.

Slaine climbs out of the Tharsis while Princess Asseylum opens up the KG-6 cockpit to find Inaho unconscious. Slaine hears his friend's voice as she tells Inaho of the success. The Princess helps Inaho out of the cockpit but a gunshot from afar hits her back ood (some of her blood splatters on Inaho too). A second gunshot makes her fall over while the airbags in her pilot suit activate, she also drops the necklace.

After witnessing much horror, Slaine turns around to find Count Saazbaum with his smoking gun, who mockingly congratulates Slaine for saving him, allowing him to shoot the Princess. Heavily outraged, Slaine pulls out his gun and shoots Count Saazbaum repeatedly until his pistol jams. As he tears up, Count Saazbaum is still alive and taps his head.

Slaine turns around to find an injured Inaho climbing out of the cockpit. He falls over and crawls to the Princess's bleeding body, flashing images of the times he had spent with her, including the time he performed CPR. But Slaine clears his gun and raises it against Inaho, ordering "Orange" not to approach the body. Inaho remembers the voice. It is "Bat," and he draws his gun on him too, but Slaine quickly shoots him in the head, and the necklace falls.

Sometime later, Warrant Officer Yuki gives her a report on the battle at Novosibirsk, which occurred in December 2014. She highlights a victory for the UFE despite heaving casualties on both sides. She mentions the status of Princess Asseylum Vers Allusia.

Characters

 * 1) Inko Amifumi


 * 1) Inaho Kaizuka


 * 1) Yuki Kaizuka


 * 1) Nina Klein


 * 1) Kaoru Mizusaki


 * 1) Darzana Magbaredge


 * 1) Shigo Kakei

Mecha

 * 1) Landing Castle


 * 1) UFE Deucalion


 * 1) KG-6 Sleipnir

Quotes
"Inaho Kaizuka and Princess Asseylum Vers Allusia"

- Seylum. What does it take to end a war? Do you know?

Well, if both sides wish for peace and set aside their hatred…

No. Warfare is nothing but a means of negotiation between states. War breaks out even when there is no hatred. Territory, resources, or interests that you are determined to own. Ideology, religion, pride. Wars are fought over those objectives all the time. Meaning that when those objectives are met, the war will end. That, or… … the war will end when the human cost outweighs the gains. Anger and hatred, those are nothing more than tools to tilt a war in your favor. I’m not interested in those emotions.

Inaho…

So I wouldn't hate anyone just because they’re Martian.

"Count Saazbaum"

- Your kind could never understand… The envy and hatred towards the Terrans that had been planted into us constantly tarnished our souls and robbed us of our ability to live as human beings! You, with your lives of indolence in a land of plenty, could never understand how we feel! The resentment at having that hatred ingrained in you! The sense of futility when you realize what was done! The regret of failing to protect the one you love…You could never understand!

"Warrant Officer Yuki Kaizuka’s report"

- December, 2014. Count Saazbaum’s Landing Castle, which had attacked United Earth’s headquarters, had fallen. The battle had ended in victory for the United Earth Forces. There were many casualties on both sides. The whereabouts of Princess Royal Asseylum Vers Allusia of Vers are still unknown.

Songs

 * heavenly blue (OP)