If there's anything that needs be said about this chapter it's this; it's a grim work of art, the way you've broken Iori.

At first, I didn't quite understand the purpose of this chapter: they seemed to just be sitting down, recapping the events of what Goenitz had put Iori through. I thought Kyo knew this stuff already. But it wasn't until I looked deeper that I realized... there were details of that horrid time Iori had kept hidden, yet to be revealed. Kyo got to learn a bit more, but the last thing... the ULTIMATE thing... I can see Iori never bringing this atrocity to the light of day. He didn't say it, and it didn't need to be said... and Kyo is probably better off never figuring this out. And even if he does, he'd better just keep his mouth shut about it.

Man. The layers just keep PILING ON Iori. Pain after pain, hope after ounce of hope lost... he's truly nothing remaining. He's an empty husk; a strong wind probably enough to blow away his weathered carcass.

I don't see how Iori can possibly survive this. His body is dead... and so is his soul.

Not the most DRAMATIC chapter, but the heroes are progressing. I want to say again, this is the most animated we've seen Mai. It seems like she's finally started to pick herself up and put one foot in front of the other, after losing a vital piece of her. And that's the cruelty of this world: in the name of survival, you have to RUSH through the stages of grief. You're not allowed to properly mourn. You've got to stand up and start moving, because other people are relying on you to stay alive. I think Mai realizes this, and now she's stepping up.

I hope for a clean, safe reunion between the South Towners.

Wow... I don't know how to feel about that conversation. It had a very... sad, inevitable feel to it. After all this, 63 chapters of blood and sweat and tears, dirt and grime, guts and ash... it looks like this is finally going to be the end of Iori. He said it himself: he's rotting inside. Death is eating away at him, and there's no way back from it. His only option is one of selflessness: to give Kyo as much of a fighting chance as possible. It's a noble way to go.

Man... Kyo really is going to be the only one surviving this. What a freaking story this has been. So much loss, so much fight and grit and determination... so much struggle. Whew. Can't wait for more.

Okay, so a new mystery introduced in this chapter... WTF HAPPEN TO OROCHI. So that white nuclear attack made them all vanish? Holy shit. Well... that could be the war right there! Naaaah... I doubt it. I don't feel like it could be that easy to win, since Goentiz and Chris are essentially the "final bosses" of this story. But, I DON'T KNOW. You could surprise me Rin. Maybe that white light vaporized OROCHI's forces right there and then.

In any case, South Town is finally mobilizing! I've been waiting for them to go out and actuallly try to intercept KKY, and it looks like it's finally happening. Rock, Mai and Joe are full of food and vigor. Something is finally going to happen. Something story-changing. I can't wait!

Ohhhhhh... my god. Did not see this coming.

First off, really cool imagery of Kyo suffering... what I can only describe as "shell shock". Whatever that white light was, it was like a nuclear explosion or something, because it's taking a while for his faculties to return to him.

Now for the real meat here... IORI! NOOOO! Oh my god. Is it really finally happening? He finally regains life, movement, speech, and now you take him away from us?! No way. No WAY. He's survived so much in this horror story... but it looks like the final nail in the coffin will be to keep Kyo moving forward. Keep Kyo alive. Just like Kyo had done for him up to this point. God, it's beautiful and morbid.

I AM FULL CLENCH RIGHT NOW IN MY LIVING ROOM!

Not much to say here, I just can feel the gap narrowing and narrowing... Southtown and KKY are right on each other, and I feel like the only way this climax can possibly end with a victory, is if these forces become one to combat the threat of Goentiz and Chris.

It's unfortunate that Southtown doesn't know some details (Chizuru's death, Iori's near-death state, Kyo's weariness), but these things will come soon.

I pray for this meeting to finally manifest.

So THIS is what went down in CH58. Oh my god, the parallel here is Awesome. Especially that final explosion of white: to see this from two perspectives just makes it that much more wondrous.

But holy crap, wins and losses here! On one hand, how, HOW is Kyo going to stand up to the might of two generals? I mean... holy shit. Goentiz and Chris are the prime rib of OROCHI. Perfect health, perfect strength. And Kyo is a broken, weary man, just barely clinging.

...But then Iori woke up, and you had to fill us with hope again, Rin. Wow. The chaos just never ends. I am so stoked!

Now THIS is interesting... it took me a minute to pick up on it, but I see it now: we're finally getting a bona fide parallel of the goings-on of this story! This is so neat! The two factions finally feel closer than ever. Just think, all those chapters of their two separate adventures, happening in two far away places... and now they're close enough to actually SEE. It's awesome. This is real progression.

I also wanted to mention, I'm glad to see Mai showing some signs of life. I think this is the most lively she's been since Andy's death. Even a SMILE from her. : D

This is getting awesome!

This was a necessary chapter. I can tell what it was: a promo, introducing the newest threat... in Chris. We've dealt with Yashiro, Shermie, and we've seen the threat of Goenitz this whole time... but Chris is the newest face. The next step.

You've already done a good job painting a menacing picture, and making the threat of him very real. I can tell it's only going to get worse from here, as he starts to get actual screentime... and I shudder to think what horrors he'll produce with his violet flames.

Boy, we need chapters like this. Sometimes I need a refresher of just how much better off South Towners are right now: clean, healthy, full of food, and... well they lost Andy... but KKY is in much, much worse shape. If they had even half the commodities SouthTowners had, they'd be much better off.

Anyways, we need to cherish these little victories. Hearing your dad on the radio, okay. Hearing Mary okay. Knowing that a loving couple hasn't been separated. These things are precious in a bleak, hopeless world.

Let's hope it continues.

HO...LY. Wow. You are a connoisseur of these tense moments, Rin. The claustrophobia, the nerves... I think you're more qualified than most to do a chase scene in a horror game. Resident Evil should be scouting you.

You know how to make a situation look incredibly delicate, and also paint an incredible picture of the strength of the human spirit. Kyo has near IMPOSSIBLE odds here: a knife, limited ammo, Iori on his back, and he's not so healthy himself... yet he still manages to unleash his flames and kill when necessary.

And that was going to be my other point; the flames. You make it far too real. You made sure to emphasize the fatality of indiscriminate combustion, and the collateral damage, and deaths it caused. Kyo doesn't have time to even think about the people dying, suffering horrific fates. Survival is the only thing flooding his brain.

It looks like not only Goenitz, but Chris has entered the scene. This is NOT. GOOD.

Hmmm... looks like the gap between KKY and Southtown is getting shorter and shorter... perhaps they're finally in a position, after all this time, to go extract KKY and the two groups at long last have their rendezvous.

Only problem is, they're barely holding together. Iori is on ragged breaths, and Kyo is close to losing hope. By the time they get there... could be too late...

Damn... this chapter has such an inevitable feel to it. 53 chapters in, I'm not sure I've seen Kyo just so... ACCEPTING... of their deaths, until now. He seemed almost like he wanted Iori to pass on, to be spared from any further torment. And I feel like that would break him as well. Without Iori, Chizuru... Kyo couldn't go on. No way. He'd take a one way trip and take down as many OROCHI as he could, but he would certainly welcome death.

Iori has survived some insane things thus far, but each chapter just paints him in a more and more gruesome light... I don't know how he's going to come back from this one.

This chapter introduced a very interesting element to the universe: the presence of foreign mercenaries. Lowest form of scum, if you ask me. BUT... this raises a very interesting thought process. You have to look at these people as who they are... people. Trying to survive an apocalypse. Survival is what matters most, right? basic instinct. So why would they not sell themselves to the winning side? They're betraying humanity, yes, and going against nature itself by aiding the side that's going to bring destruction upon mankind... but what would anyone do in that situation? They'd wanna live.

But, this also brings another interesting question into perspective: does OROCHI even respect their loyalty? OROCHI, to me, seems almost like Aryans, desiring a perfect utopia where only they reside. That leads me to believe that any "foreign" mercenaries that sign up don't exactly know what they're getting into. OROCHI is just as likely to use them up, and then shoot them in the back. They only care about "their" people.

Anyways, very interesting element you brought in. I like it.

Omg.

... Are you be seriously gonna kill him? I mean he's like Uber fked. :0. They need to hurry up and meet with ST. Poor baby