After what Shura has done to his own people, there is little left for him in way of redemption once his fall from superiority brings him back to ground. The spoiled life he has lived prevented him from appreciating the value of life. And in addition, the mindset of his father contributed to his current psyche, one wrapped in violence and heartlessness. What should be seen as people are instead viewed as tools by Shura when looking at the subordinates he commands. The power he wields is but a mechanism to control both those he sees beneath him and his desires. This is why is great to see Eraser wipe clean the gleeful expression on Shura’s face as he took enjoyment spectating life ending within the space around Nero 66.
Eraser moving on Nero 66 without the other Oracion Seis Interstellar was quite curious. What did he have to gain by moving on Shura’s army with only his own fleet? I understand there is some urgency in the events unraveling within the Aoi Cosmos but there would have been sufficient time to wait for Justice and Jaguar. Together, the combined forces of the three Oracion Seis Interstellar could have challenged the Nero fleet more and potentially reduced the causalities that arose. Eraser is remorseful over the life lost but couldn’t he have reduced the death by attacking alongside Justice and Jaguar’s fleets? One reason for why I think it may not have been as advantageous for Eraser is because of how his Ether abilities work. If there are too many allies around or allies he not familiar with, his Eraser powers may indirectly effect them. By keeping his forces to a manageable size, Eraser is able to exercise his abilities without the fear of friendly fire affecting them. Contrary to Shura, I do like Eraser’s epithet – White Flash.
Concerning the functionality of Eraser’s abilities, I do wonder if what he is doing is destroying those caught in his White Flash attack or whether they are teleported elsewhere. Either to a different place in space, far enough that the Nero navigational systems can’t detect their signals or to a different dimension altogether. Eraser doesn’t seem to be a character taking enjoyment in death which could mean he tailored his abilities to fit his desires. The way he mentions how he will “Erase” everything that stands in his way seems different from saying “I will destroy everything that stands in my way”. Eraser could just be removing those he erases from the canvas of the battlefield to a different location. On an aside, I am intrigued by Eraser’s comment on Nero not being ‘the scariest member of the Galactica he knows’. Which member is he referring to? And will this Oracion Seis Galactica member be an antagonist or a potentially ally to the Edens Zero? If this Galactica member is a future antagonist, it could mean a temporary team up between Eraser and the Edens Zero.
Turning back to Shura, the way he treated the soldier as he expressed concerns with Ijuna’s presence in the Command Center signifies exactly how rotten Shura is. There may be mitigating factors in the history Ijuna and Shura share but there was really no reason for Shura to explode and kill the soldier. The scene did provide further mystery on Ijuna’s character beyond her melancholy expression. Is Ijuna a prison of war that Shura made into his secretary or is there a more inspiring story waiting to be told that cast Shura in a more humane light. Did Shura save Ijuna or is she just a glorified slave? Considering the lack of action and dialogue by Ijuna, she is aware of Shura’s personality and behaves in a manner not to anger him. If the two shared a special moment in the past, wouldn’t the relation they have with one another be a more intimate one? If Ijuna knows of a side Shura has that isn’t so demonic, I would expect her to be more friendly with Shura. But Ijuna appears to be distancing herself emotionally from Shura and is only around him because of her role as his “secretary”. When you strip the titles away, Ijuna looks to be nothing more than a slave with Shura as her master.
I expect Ijuna to turn on Shura as a later point when the Edens Zero challenges the forces of Nero. Ijuna may ultimately end up siding with the Edens Zero team to take down Shura and to prevent Shura from harming anymore people. Ijuna may appear composed externally but I am sure internally that fear, dread and hopelessness are running rampant. I would be curious to see an interaction between Rebecca and Ijuna. Could Ijuna be what Rebecca was in World No. 29. Despite Rebecca’s feelings towards Draken, she had no choice but to remain within his crew until her Cat Leaper power subconsciously activated. If there is one person that can understand Ijuna, if she is within the Nero army not by choice, it would be Rebecca. Ijuna could provide Rebecca and Shiki with the information need to stop both Shura and the All Link system.
While Shura’s forces are engaged in battle with Eraser’s fleet and distracted, the Oasis Rebellion and the Edens Zero are using that to their advantage to land on the surface of Nero 66. Poseidon Nero is not present on Nero 66, so I wonder about Goodwin’s role. If Shiki will be fighting Shura, who would Goodwin fight? One of the Oceans? Or would Goodwin be the force that destroys the All Link system? Assuming Ziggy doesn’t appear to steal the system, Goodwin alongside Weisz could be the ones to destroy the All Link system. I am also curious to learn if Goodwin has some past relation with Shura and/or Ijuna. Considering Goodwin’s connection to Nero, he may have had encounters with Shura before. I expect Justice and Jaguar to show up eventually but this could be the moment when Elsie also appears. During such a moment, Justice would become tunnel visioned and target Elsie over saving the Aoi Cosmos from Shura. This may allow Ziggy to get through to Nero 66. As like Xiaomei, I am very much looking forward to the next chapter and the upcoming battles!
12Dimension 