Digitalis arc

The **Digitalis arc** (デジタリス編, *Dejitarisu-hen*?) is the fifth story arc of the *Edens Zero* series.

With Rebecca and Sister safely aboard the Edens Zero, the Crew of Edens happens upon the next Shining Star on their list: Hermit, the "Mind of Edens", who has locked her own heart and mind away within the super virtual planet, Digitalis. Unfortunately, when the crew finds her in the datascape, she hates humans so much that she absolutely refuses to leave! With a murderous hacker targeting people left and right, and a two-faced traitor plotting behind the crew's back, how will Shiki convince Hermit to ever trust humans again?

## Summary

### The Mind of Edens

Rebecca, Happy and Homura are bathing in the Spa of Eden. Homura is unable to take the heat of the spa but claims it is part of her training. Homura asks if Rebecca is an Ether Gear user after seeing the markings on her arms. Rebecca explains how she is hoping to unlock Ether Gear by bathing in the spa. When Rebecca is asked what ability she would like to use, Rebecca suggests auto-aim because of her affinity with guns. She then shows Homura the Happy Blasters and Homura immediately requests a duel from her, but Rebecca refuses due to their location.

Meanwhile, Witch and Sister Ivry are catching up after 10 years in the storage. They talk about Witch staying on the ship, and how it was defended by Elsie, who Sister remembers as the little girl who attached herself to Ziggy. They then talk about Pino and how she will become the Light of Edens in the future. Mosco asks Sister about his role and she calls him the Pig of Edens.

Shiki gives Rebecca her B-Cube back and she thanks him and mentions it was a gift from the Professor. Pino asks Rebecca if she was able to contact him but she couldn't. Shiki excitedly wonders if he is trying to get to mother too, which catches Weisz's attention. He then asks where Homura is, which reminds Weisz of their deal. Rebecca tells the two that Homura chose to receive Witch's mind-numbing torture and pleasure massage while screaming it was part of her training. Shiki and Weisz blush at the thought. Happy asks Weisz his condition and he explains that it's that she has to wear the clothes he picks for her from the Dress Factory. He then tells Pino that she would look great in a bunny girl suit while Shiki exclaims his desire to wear one.

Rebecca then gets a call on her B-Cube from Clarisse. Clarisse tearfully expresses her joy that Rebecca is alive. Rebecca then asks Clarisse if the Master is okay. She replies saying that the master did manage to escape and was worried about Rebecca too, which catches Sister's attention. Rebecca says they're heading for Blue Garden, but Clarisse tells them they should stay away, saying the incident was all over the news. On the news, Couchpo is shown explaining how a girl named Rebecca gave them the courage to escape. It then shows Milon and Copa both offering praise to Rebecca and reveals that the news teams are currently searching for Rebecca. Happy then informs Rebecca that their views have gone through the roof, but they're getting bad ratings. Rebecca and Happy thank the B-Cubers and Clarisse hangs up.

Rebecca and Happy decide to make a video and Pino wonders where they'll get more clues about the Shining Stars. Sister reveals she has a few leads but points out they're near Iron Hill. Shiki and the rest of the crew look out the window as the colossal monolithic structure comes into view. Sister points out the statue of Olghia, a hero who survived the Dark Ages. The crew is amazed at the size of the statue. Pino points out another one, which depicts the hero Arcelik. Sister then points out the statues of Nikolaus and Urochloa. Weisz asks how many there are. Sister replies there were 12 and explains that they are the heroes who guarded the Sakura Cosmos during the Dark Ages; the Heavenly Knights of the Dancing Sakura, the guardians of Blue Garden. Rebecca admits she had no idea about this place despite living on Blue Garden. Pino points out there is someone out there and Sister remarks that she didn't expect her first guess to pay off. She wonders if they're reading her mind and reveals the person as Hermit.

Shiki and Rebecca are happy to have found Hermit so quickly and Sister remarks that Hermit loved Iron Hill. She then notices something wrong and orders Mosco to bring her on board. Once Hermit is on the ship, Witch and Homura rush to the infirmary where Sister explains that Hermit has too many system errors and her Healing won't fix this. Weisz says he can't fix her when asked by Shiki. Pino's analysis of Hermit reveals that there is nothing wrong with her system and there are no viruses. Witch concludes that Hermit's heart has been damaged. Happy and Homura wonder if Hermit went through something traumatic while Shiki asks for a way to save her. Witch and Sister admit they don't know how, then Shiki suggests they go inside Hermit and fix her heart, which baffles Rebecca and Weisz. When the crew shoots down Shiki's idea he claims he feels bad for Hermit and begins crying. Witch then suddenly commends Shiki for his idea and claims that Hermit's mind may actually be on the planet Digitalis.

Witch explains that Hermit is in "Dive Mode" which means her mentality is in a digital world. Sister then explains that Digitalis is both a virtual dimension and a real planet, which confuses Weisz, and it's a super virtual planet where the physical body has no influence. Shiki is eager to go there and save Hermit, but Witch claims they all must dive to access the world. Weisz compares it to an online game and Rebecca clarifies that it started as an MMORPG called Rogue Fantasia. Witch explains that the game was abandoned when the NPCs became self-aware and the game became impossible to manage, but the society continues as if populated by normal people. When asked why she believes Hermit is there, Witch answers that Hermit liked the game, it's possible to log into Digitalis, and she trusts Shiki's instincts, and Shiki promises that he'll save her.

### Into the Super Virtual World: Enter Digitalis

The crew, except Witch, Sister, and Mosco, make their way to the Dive Room, wearing specialized diving suits, and enter the diving pods. Witch explains that they will only be able to take in their real-world abilities, which disappoints Rebecca. She then warns them that any damage sustained in Digitalis will affect their physical bodies. Shiki claims they know the risks and are ready to go. Witch begins the dive sequence and logs the party into Digitalis.

While diving, a voice prompts Shiki to customize his avatar. He cycles through many avatar settings then says it's not the time for this, but admits that he could spend his whole life doing it. Rebecca and Happy wait in an expansive field after choosing their avatars; Happy's avatar looks identical to his real-world self and so does Rebecca's, except she has cat ears protruding out of her head. Rebecca notices something approaching and it is a dark-haired man with glasses on top of a steed, which looks weird to Rebecca.

Xiaomei greets the readers and provides an overview of the current events of the story. But before she leaves, she warns the readers of the extremely sadistic nature of the upcoming story.

Back on Digitalis, Rebecca asks the bespectacled man who he is. He answers with a backstory before revealing himself as Homura's avatar. The party wonders about Homura's strange horse before another voice provides the horse's description. The voice belonging to Weisz, whose avatar is a light-haired, tan woman. The party is soon joined by Pino, who's avatar looks like a human version of her, and Shiki, who had chosen an avatar that had his head on top of an absurdly ripped body. The party demand he changes his avatar and he returns with one that has the long hair he had on Granbell. Rebecca tells the party to avoid rewriting the planet's data, and Happy explains to Homura that doing so would get you banned. Shiki sees a town in the distance and the party head towards it.

The party arrives in the town and is greeted by an NPC, who is delighted to have more players. Rebecca asks if he knows Hermit. He doesn't but suggests the party ask around town. The party talks about the self-aware NPC they talked to, while Homura suggests that they may encounter bad players. The party split up and ask around town about Hermit. While Pino is asking around, she catches her reflection in a window and smiles at it. The party gathers in an inn and finds out they have a lead about a town to the north. Shiki announces they will head there tomorrow and quickly falls asleep.

Meanwhile, a shadowy figure enters an inn and demands a woman from the receptionist. When the NPC tries to reason with the figure, he threatens him with a scythe. The NPC tells him attacking NPCs is against the rules, but the player claims he can kill NPCs without getting banned because he is a chosen player.

On the Edens Zero, Witch asks the unconscious Hermit why she would close her heart. Sister then gets her attention to tell her that there is some foreign data hiding in the ship's circuits. Witch concludes that they were hacked, then comments that the ship's security should be perfect. Sister tells Witch they can't let the data stick around, or it may hurt the group in Digitalis.

The next day on Digitalis, the party is traveling down a road, to the town in the north. Weisz and Happy, who is riding Homura's steed the same way she is, comments on the scenery and how it makes you feel like you're in a fantasy world. Homura comments on how she can taste and smell in the virtual world and Pino points out the effort into realism in the virtual world. Shiki comments that they just need a monster to block their path. Immediately after saying that, a large monster blocks Shiki's path.

Rebecca and Weisz look in shock, while Shiki looks excited. He tells Rebecca they had robots like the monster on Granbell and prepares to attack it. But the monster tells him to stop and that he is not a bad monster, despite being an event boss. He then explains the quest he is a part of and the story that comes with it. Pino then asks him what he is doing on the road. He tells the group that the mass murderer Jamilov has appeared in Crysta, the town in the north. He explains he is a player who kills anyone, regardless of if they're a player or NPC. Shiki asks if he knows a girl named Hermit. He says that she is a player who never completes any events and just stares into space. He tells them he sees her on the hill outside of town. The crew starts walking to the town and the monster asks, shocked if they're going to Crysta. Shiki tells him that it doesn't matter where she is, they're going to get their crew member.

### The Murderer Attacks: Shiki vs. Jamilov

The crew arrive in Crysta and see the town destroyed and desolate. Weisz spots someone stagger out of the building. The NPC spots them, turns to them, and welcomes them to Crysta, with half of her head missing. The crew looks on in shock as a scythe emerges from the building and impales the NPC. The murderer remarks that he could tell that it was an NPC and it's only worth hunting players as the NPC disperses into a cloud of pixels. He then turns to address Shiki and the rest, telling them he heard there were some new players. But he came to the wrong town and ended up meeting a party of veteran player gorillas. He then points to the spire of a building, telling the group to look closer. The crew is horrified when they spot the same veteran players impaled on the pole of the spire, still alive. Shiki immediately flies up to help them, but by the time he got to them, they had died.

The murderer finally introduces himself as Jamilov and claims he works for Drakken Joe. Homura explains who Drakken Joe is and Rebecca looks at Jamilov in fear, which delights him, while Shiki says he doesn't care who he works with and furiously tells him he won't get away with this.

Meanwhile, on the hill outside Crysta, Hermit sits alone, calling Ziggy a liar, and saying that maybe machine have hearts, but humans don't.

Back in Crysta, the bodies of the dead players disappear. Weisz wonders if they managed to log out, but Rebecca and Pino confirm they had already died in the real world. Jamilov complains about not being able to see their faces as they died, and a furious Shiki charges right at him to attack. Jamilov warns against fighting him as he turns his scythe, named Maria, into a monster and swings it at Shiki. It manages to catch Shiki by his long hair and chomp it off, cutting it short. Jamilov claims Maria will eat anything as it eats the hair and grows in size. Jamilov claims it's snack time and sets Maria loose on the rest of the party. Then a piece of building starts floating, due to Shiki, and he aims it down towards Jamilov and throws it directly at him, crushing him. There is a moment of silence before Jamilov cuts through the building piece, seemingly unscathed. He claims he has to go to a meeting held by Drakken Joe and promises to finish this another time, then he disappears after logging out.

Shortly after, the townspeople of Crysta emerge from their hiding places and thank the group for driving Jamilov away. Weisz asks if they know a girl named Hermit, and they tell them that she is on a hill to the west of Crysta. The crew thank them and head in that direction.

### Hermit's Hatred

The crew climbs the hill and spot hermit sitting there, looking over the edge. Hermit notices their chatter and turns towards them, asking who they are. Shiki eagerly tells her who he is and that he is taking the Edens Zero to find Mother. Pino tells him he left out many details, while Hermit is surprised to hear mention of the Edens Zero. Sometime later, Rebecca finished her explanation of what they've been up to before finding her. Hermit comments on them finding Witch and Sister, then asks the group if they have found Valkyrie. Shiki says they're looking for her too and asks Homura for confirmation, who isn't present right now. Weisz tells Shiki that she went to check out the city, while Rebecca is exasperated about Homura running off on her own.

Shiki moves on and says he's glad he found Hermit. He beckons Hermit to come with them, but she immediately shoots down his offer to join them. Shiki and the rest are shocked to hear her refusal and Happy asks her why she won't go with them. Hermit tells them that she likes it here and that it's where she wants to be. Rebecca tries to reason that this place is only a virtual world, but Hermit claims to not see a problem with that. Pino tells Hermit that they already brought her body onto the Edens Zero, but Hermit complains about doing that without asking her and demands that she be put back on Iron Hill. Shiki dismisses everything Hermit said and cheerfully tells her to just come with them while pulling on her arm. Hermit forcefully pulls her arm away from Shiki, shouting at him to let go. Hermit asks him if he's the human boy Ziggy adopted. She then looks at Shiki with an expression of pure disgust and claims that she despises humans, leaving everyone in the group speechless.

Meanwhile, back in Crysta, Homura is looking around the town when someone in an alleyway grabs her attention. The guy, who is revealed to be called Jesse, complains about Homura's choice of avatar, calling it a waste of natural beauty, while Homura comments on his silver tongue. He then asks Homura how the undercover job is going, to which Homura replies that it is going flawlessly and that Shiki trusts her.

Night falls in the city of Crysta and the party return to the Benjamin's Inn to reflect on what happened with Hermit. Shiki admits that he is stumped while the rest of them wonder what happened in Hermit's past. Shiki tells Rebecca that he's never met a bot that hates humans before, to which Rebecca points out that such bots aren't unusual. In response to this Shiki points towards Happy, Pino, then he points out Witch, Sister, and Michael. But then he remembers how the robots on Granbell were infected by a virus which makes them hate humans, and starts bawling, much to Weisz's annoyance, then Rebecca tells Weisz that Shiki went through a lot on his home planet. Then Weisz tells Rebecca he didn't realize breasts were heavy, much to her annoyance. But at that moment, the party hears a bell ringing outside.

### The Magical Beast Army Advances

The party notices a commotion outside the inn so they go outside to see what the commotion is about. Then, they notice, just outside of Crysta, a large horde of monsters slowly approaching the city. Both the party and the townspeople are left wondering what's going on when one of the goblin creatures starts blowing through a war horn, before swiftly being crushed by a fearsome avian monster. The monster introduces himself as Guiron, commander of the Magical Beast Army, and claims that they will be taking the town of Crysta by the order of Jamilov. The townspeople protest against what's happening, then Guiron repeats what Jamilov said, that the monsters can kill the NPCs, but they must take the players alive as he wants to execute them personally, then they can turn Crysta into a city of monsters.

Shiki demands to know what will be gained from this, and Guiron continues saying that when the city of monsters is complete, Jamilov will slaughter them all, to which the monsters believe there is no greater honor. Guiron orders the monsters to advance on the town and kill all the NPCs. The NPCs run away, but Shiki charges directly at one of the large monsters and throws it at the other monsters. Shiki then notices a horde of flying monsters heading for the hill Hermit is sat on. Shiki tells the group to take care of things here and flies off to the hill, much to Weisz's chagrin. Rebecca and Happy, in his Happy Blasters form, prepare to fight the monsters, confident in winning due to having Homura on their side. However, when Rebecca turns to face her, she finds she has disappeared again, much to everyone's shock.

Homura contacts Jesse to make sure he is alright and tells him she wants to finish the job quickly. She asks for Jamilov's location and Jesse tells her he is in the forest. He asks if she's really going to just abandon Shiki and his friends, and Homura claims that they're not bad people, but they've served their purpose.

Hermit, who is still sat on the hill, notices the monsters approaching. She dejectedly claims that she'd rather it end this way than being killed by humans. The monsters surround her and she closes her eyes and says good night, accepting her fate. However, Shiki arrives in the nick of time and picks her up.

Meanwhile, in the forest, Jamilov is eating a piece of meat and Homura approaches him. Jamilov asks her if she should be out here when the town is being attacked and says she has a lot of nerve facing him alone. Homura then asks if he works with Drakken Joe, which he confirms. Then Homura asks if she can join his ranks, claiming she'll do anything.

Shiki, carrying Hermit, remarks how close their encounter was. He then notices the monsters chasing after them. He launches a barrage of Gravity Cannons at the horde and performs a Gravity Tackle on one of the monsters. Hermit recognizes this as Ziggy's power. Shiki claims Ziggy taught him, but Hermit still asks how he took it from Ziggy, saying she doesn't trust humans and to put her down. Shiki tries telling her not all humans are bad, to which she claims that humans don't have hearts. Shiki agrees that maybe some don't, but he still claims that she is his friend because she was friends with Ziggy, to which Hermit doesn't respond to.

Back in Crysta, the crew is fighting off the monsters to the best of their ability, with Weisz and Pino armed only with sticks and complaining at being unable to use their abilities. The monsters chase down the NPCs, but a kid trips over and is about to be killed, but she is saved by the same monster the crew met on the road, now named the Trollburglar. He claims that as the city's guardian spirit, he will protect the town. Guiron argues that he is just a local sub-boss, and questions that he would dare defy Jamilov. The Trollburglar shoots back, claiming that Guiron is a Sub-Boss himself with no backstory. Guiron complains about that, then he is quickly knocked out by Shiki. He leaves Hermit with the crew and runs up to the army of monsters, claiming he will kick all their butts at once. The Trollburglar tells the girl he saved to get all the townspeople and go. The girl thanks him and calls him "Burgle", but their path is blocked by Jamilov, who has a horde of monsters with crossbows behind him. Jamilov orders all of them to fire on the NPCs, but the Trollburglar steps in front of them and takes every arrow shot. He claims he is the town's guardian spirit and falls on his back, seemingly dead and the little girl starts crying.

Jamilov berates a monster, telling it to hit the human NPCs. Then someone takes the monster's crossbow and aims it at the crying girl. They fire an arrow at the girl, but Shiki saves the girl in the nick of time, but he takes the arrow in the shoulder, much to everyone's shock. Hermit claims that the girl is just computer data while Shiki grunts in pain at the arrow stuck in his shoulder. Jamilov turns to the individual and claims that he didn't think they would go as far as killing their ally to meet Drakken Joe. The crew look at the person who fired the arrow and sees it is none other than Homura, who claims that Shiki is not her ally, much to his shock.

## Story Impact

* The Crew of Edens dive into the virtual planet Digitalis to find Hermit.
* Hermit rejoins the crew after Shiki and the others help her trust and love humans again.
* The Galactic Intelligence Agency is introduced.

## Characters Introduced

* Hermit Mio
* Amira
* Spider
* Trollburglar
* Guiron
* Müller
* Noah Glenfield
* Maria Slime
* Seth Anderson
* Diego Reyes
* Murray Morrison

## Battles & Events

* Shiki Granbell vs. Jamilov
* Rebecca Bluegarden, Weisz Steiner (X442), Happy & E.M. Pino vs. Magical Beast Army
* Shiki Granbell vs. Jamilov: Rematch
* Homura Kōgetsu vs. Amira

## References

1. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 44, Page 2
2. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 29, Pages 2 - 6
3. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 29, Pages 6 - 8
4. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 29, Pages 8 - 11
5. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 29, Pages 12 - 15
6. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 29, Pages 15 - 20
7. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 30, Pages 2 - 9
8. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 30, Pages 9 - 13
9. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 30, Pages 13 - 15
10. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 30, Pages 15 - 20
11. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 31, Pages 2 - 3
12. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 31, Pages 4 - 11
13. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 31, Pages 12 - 18
14. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 31, Pages 19 - 20
15. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 32, Pages 4 - 5
16. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 32, Pages 6 - 7
17. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 32, Pages 8 - 13
18. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 32, Pages 14 - 20
19. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 32, Pages 21 - 22
20. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 32, Page 23
21. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 33, Pages 2 - 11
22. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 33, Pages 12 - 13
23. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 33, Pages 14 - 16
24. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 33, Pages 16 - 18
25. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 33, Pages 19 - 20
26. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 34, Pages 2 - 5
27. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 34, Pages 5 - 11
28. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 34, Pages 12 - 17
29. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 34, Pages 17 - 18
30. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 34, Pages 19 - 20
31. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 35, Pages 2 - 3
32. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 35, Pages 4 - 7
33. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 35, Pages 8 - 17
34. ↑ Edens Zero Manga: Chapter 35, Pages 18 - 20