Today I watched episodes 16 to 18 of Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam, and the story is clearly moving toward its final stage. The inevitable showdown between Luscinia’s forces, strengthened by the newly obtained Exile, and literally everyone else is about to begin. I still struggle to see how any of this will lead to lasting peace afterward.

Several members of Luscinia’s army finally defected, specifically within the third fleet, while others remain unshakably loyal to his ideals. Sorush died (or at least appears to have died), and although Fam is doing everything she can to stop the fighting, breaking the massive chain of hatred Luscinia ignited is not something she can achieve through goodwill alone.

Augusta also tries to push for peace, but her influence is limited and she only manages to arrange a temporary ceasefire. It delays the inevitable but solves absolutely nothing. Realistically, even if Luscinia falls, this will only be a pause in the conflict. Once the dust settles, the various nations will simply begin rearming again.

Liliana is finally dead, and honestly, thank goodness. Dyan kills her while attempting to assassinate Luscinia in revenge for Glacies. Liliana remains completely unrepentant until the end, convinced that annihilating entire countries with Exile was the correct course of action. Good riddance, honestly.

Her logic of “there are not enough resources so let us murder everyone else” is utterly deranged. Come back with a solution that does not revolve around mass slaughter and I might consider your perspective. Until then, no.

One very interesting detail revealed during the truce banquet is that Fam’s parents appear to be connected to someone the elderly Ades general once knew. We do not receive more information than that, but I suspect this will become important in the final stretch of the story.

Now the question becomes: what role will Anatoray play? They are the only major country that has not appeared directly, only being mentioned by various characters. Will we get to see adult Lavie and Claus? What about Queen Sophia? Their side of the story has been absent for so long that I imagine they will show up just before the end.

Oh, and of course Millia has now inherited the Exile power after Liliana’s death. This could help balance the forces in the upcoming conflict, although I worry it may only increase the casualties further. Millia already carries so much emotional weight, and placing such overwhelming power in her hands risks damaging her already fragile heart even more.

I am looking forward to watching the final three episodes and seeing how everything concludes. So far, this has been an extremely enjoyable experience.