Episode 19

Stay This Way Forever (いっそこのまま,) is the eighth episode of the second cour and the nineteenth overall episode of the 86 -Eighty Six- anime adaptation, originally broadcasted on December 4, 2021.

Synopsis
In order to protect their homeland and their families, the Federacy's forces did not retreat. As they continued to fight to the death on the front lines, Shin and the others received news of their situation via radio. Believing that the Eighty-Six would find a way out, the soldiers scattered. But even in the path of the Nachzehrer, the inevitable Legion forces stand in their way. Grethe is determined to send Shin and the others to the Morpho, avoiding battle at all cost.

Plot
As the Nachzehrer nears the Morpho, it comes under anti-air attack, forcing Nordlicht to airdrop while the Nachzehrer pulls away to distract the Legion's air defenses. Nordlicht then fights its way through the Legion defenders and approaches the Morpho, only for Shin to realize at the last second that the damaged Morpho is bait to lure them into the range of a second Morpho gun controlled directly by Kiriya. Nordlicht is narrowly able to avoid the Morpho's shot and retaliate. Shin falls back into his battle lust, and is only knocked out of it when Kurena is forced to fire on him. With the element of surprise lost, Kiriya is ordered by his superior "No-Face" to withdraw. Shin and his friends decide to pursue Kiriya while the rest of Nordlicht stays behind to hold back the Legion reinforcements. Meanwhile, as the main Federacy force advances, they manage to recover Grethe and the Nordlicht survivors, but cannot provide any support to Shin. As Shin and his friends take a break, they discover that Frederica has stowed away in Fido's cargo trailer. While they are angry at her coming along with them, they have no choice but to bring her along with their pursuit of Kiriya.