Astragius, September 7213: a strange man ambushes a military transport, knocks it out, and tells a helpless survivor "Tell Captain Dogman... I've come to see him from hell". He leaves a set of dogtags and disappears.

Through threats, coercion and bribery, a man named Stablos has become extremely wealthy and powerful in Kummen. The only challenge to his authority comes from the Vera Guerillas, but Stablos sees them as little more than prey to hunt down and kill, as if they were animals.

While travelling across an old, wreckage-strewn battlefield, Mellowlink's vehicle breaks down. As he builds a campfire he is pricked by a thorn from the Tree of Chekoku, which is supposed to cause "bad illusions".

In the exciting mini-series finale, all bets are off.