calming chords and low string harmonics are accompanied by prominent harmonica, setting the scene for the post-cataclysmic landscape. piet and astradamors, believing they are ghosts, float away into the sky. go-go emerges and believes he is the only person left alive, but "three soldiers, risen from the grave to plunder, loot, and pillage all the good god gave" emerge. they order the "civilian" to halt, and refuse to believe go-go's claim that he is the prince and he will give them "high decorations, silver and gold, and relieve [them] of official duties." nekrotzar emerges, disgruntled, from an upturned cart, but his annoyance and confusion that some people seem to have survived is quickly replaced with terror as mescalina emerges from the tomb. rough tone clusters in woodwinds and percussion set off their slapstick chase scene, which is joined by go-go, the soldiers, and the politicians, dragged in by one of the soldiers on a rope. they proclaim their innocence, but mescalina accuses them of all kinds of atrocities, and they sling mud back at her. "but who invented the military coup?" "yes, and who invented mass graves?" there is a massive fast-paced fight, and all collapse. astradamors and piet float by, and go-go invites them for a drink of wine. "we have a thirst, so we are living!" they realize as they sink back to earth. nekrotzar is defeated; they have all survived. in a very curious "mirror canon" for strings, he shrinks until he is infinitesimally small and disappears. the finale features all tonal chords arranged in an unpredictable order. the lovers emerge from the tomb, boasting about what good they did. the entire cast encourages the audience: "fear not to die, good people all. no-one knows when his hour will fall. farewell in cheerfulness, farewell!"