Explosion Route

**Explosion Route**, indicated by **R1**, is a route featured in *AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES - nirvanA Initiative*. Due to being on **Side Ryuki**, it is marked as a red route on the flowchart.

The Explosion Route follows Kuruto Ryuki's investigation into the Half Body Serial Killings, framed as Ryuki recounting it to Mizuki Date six years into the future. It also explains what happened six years ago that left Ryuki in his mentally unwell state.

**Explosion END** is the second Normal Ending of the game, based on the order of achievements. It is the second longest route in the game at eighteen chapters.

## Story Overview

***WARNING!!***
***This article contains spoilers for*AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES - nirvanA Initiative *from this point on.Proceed with caution!***

### Investigation of Jin Furue's corpse

Ryuki woke up from a strange dream to find himself in the middle of a livestreamed gameshow at Studio Dvaita. Suddenly, the lights went out, and when they were turned back on they revealed half a corpse in the middle of the stage, a sign stuck in the body with a QR code and "Fray to Free!" printed on it. Boss put Ryuki in charge of the investigation, and he interviewed everyone else at the scene for anything that they knew about the body. No-one claimed to know anything. Ryuki moved on to the body, identifying it as Jin Furue, and noted that the cause of death was by being cut in half by something "thinner than paper". Once Ryuki was done he was informed by Tama that the QR code led to a video on ViewQube. Upon watching it, Ryuki freaked out, the world around him glitching as he spouted loud, distorted gibberish. Tama was obviously concerned, but Ryuki waved off her concern once he'd recovered. Afterwards, the body suddenly burst into the flames, with everyone flinching away in shock.

The next day, Ryuki went around questioning everyone who had been present at the scene for more information. At the Kumakura Office he learned that Chinpei Wagai was the director of the quiz show, and was also told by Moma Kumakura that the host of the show, Andes Komeji, apparently had dealings with the yakuza. Komeji denied this when Ryuki talked to him at Misetan, but his lie was obvious. At Matsushita Diner and Sekiba High, Ryuki learned about Bats490, a video similar to Fray to Free that was uploaded half a year ago. Later on, while recapping his information, Ryuki got a call from Mizuki who told him that her classmate (and Komeji's son) Shoma Enda solved the hidden code of Bats490. Ryuki went to the Enda Residence to talk to Shoma, who told him that the hidden code lead to Horadori Institute of Genetics.

At the Institute, Ryuki met the director, Chikara Horadori. Chikara denied any involvement with Bats490 or the corpse, but a Wink Psync showed him watching Bats490, proving that he was lying. Ryuki took him to ABIS HQ and Psynced with him to learn the truth. Inside Chikara's Somnium it was revealed that Bats490 was created by the secret society Naixatloz. Ryuki visited their Japan branch after the Psync and met the president, Tokiko Shigure. Tokiko confirmed that Bats490 was made by Naix, but denied any involvement with the Fray to Free video or the murder of Jin Furue. She then explained Naixatloz to Ryuki, telling him that it was an ideological society that operated under the "simulation theory": that the world is a simulation, and it was possible to escape it and ascend to the real world outside.

Ryuki moved to Yoyagi Park next to go over the information that he had. In order to decipher the mystery of Jin's appearance, Tama activated VR Mode, allowing Ryuki to investigate the corpse. He discovered the true method that was used to make the body appear, which involved it being placed in the studio's rafters beforehand. From this, he realized that Chinpei would likely have known about the body. He went to Sunfish Pocket and narrowly avoided getting shot by a panicked Chinpei. Chinpei confessed that a man called Tearer had paid him for use of the studio, and that the payment was supposed to happen at Sekiba High. Ryuki went there in Chinpei's stead and discovered the right half of Chikara Horadori, suctioned against the chalkboard.

### Confrontation at Horadori Institute

On Wednesday, Ryuki faced the threat of dismissal after he majorly screwed up during the case. Boss would allow him to keep his job under one condition: he solved the case within three days. Ryuki made his leave to Ikume Shrine, where he ended up telling Tama that today was the anniversary of his twin brother's death. He explained that he joined ABIS so that he could exact justice on immoral criminals like the one that killed his brother. Tama motivated him to not give up by reminding him of his promise to his brother, and then provided new information about the case for Ryuki to investigate.

Shoma had apparently lied about where Bats490 lead to, so Ryuki went to Misetan to talk to him. Shoma had gotten in an argument with his father and ran away from home, so wasn't in a mood to talk. Ryuki talked to his father next, but Komeji wasn't helpful in getting Shoma to open up. However, when Wink Psyncing into Komeji, Ryuki discovered that loan sharks had been hounding Komeji for various payments that he was due. He couldn't go to the police about it, which Ryuki suspected had to do with the rumors of Komeji being involved with the yakuza.

Ryuki also went to Aioen Orphanage to ask Kizuna Chieda's father about his involvement in Horadori Institute. While there Ryuki ran into Lien Twining, who told him that he had broken into Horadori Institute at the police's bequest the previous day. Apparently, there was a hidden room somewhere in the institute. Ryuki decided to check it out and headed over to the institute, where he instead found a nervous Komeji with a firearm. He tried to run away but Ryuki detained him, and decided to Psync with him when Komeji flew into hysterics and couldn't be talked to.

In Komeji's Psync, Ryuki confirmed that Komeji was struggling with debt, and that the loan sharks had even threatened to take Shoma and sell him overseas if the payment wasn't made in a month. Komeji decided to **prepare the money** and revealed that he had been trading firearms on the black market in order to get the money and protect Shoma. However, it wasn't enough, and Komeji needed a way to make even more money. He then found "something" on the rooftop of Misetan, and realized that he could take it and blackmail its owner. Komeji put the "thing" in his suitcase and made his exit.

### R1: Tearer Strikes

After the Psync, Ryuki took Komeji to the Interrogation Room to ask him more questions. Komeji promised to open up if Ryuki could guarantee Shoma's safety, and so Pewter was sent out to retrieve Shoma from his home. Shoma wasn't happy and yelled at his father for whatever stupid thing he did to get the police involved. Once he was confirmed to be safe, however, Komeji began to talk: he confirmed that he was involved in gun trafficking to make money to pay off his debt, and also that the "thing" he had stolen belonged to Tearer. However, he wouldn't say what the "thing" was, instead saying that he'd show it to Ryuki if they both went to his house.

At the Enda Residence, Komeji lied about forgetting where he put the item. Before Ryuki could grill him, the door opened and Shoma, Kizuna, Iris Sagan, and Amame Doi piled in. The girls had gotten a text from Shoma and fetched him from police custody. Shoma chewed into his father for being a pathetic criminal, eventually telling him to just die. Komeji then received another text from Tearer, this one threatening him if he didn't return the body to Studio Dvaita. Wanting to make up for his actions, Komeji offered himself up as bait so that Ryuki could catch Tearer, and the two made off for the studio.

Komeji entered the studio first, with his smartphone set to a video call so that Ryuki could watch from outside. Tearer didn't make an appearance, no matter how long Ryuki waited, so he eventually followed Komeji into the studio. As soon as he entered, one of the television screens turned on to the Fray to Free video, which caused Ryuki to have another breakdown and knocked him unconscious. He was awoken two hours later by Kizuna and Iris, who had followed him to the studio alongside Shoma and Amame. Tama also turned herself back on, revealing that she'd been knocked out by a surge of electricity shortly after Ryuki lost consciousness. Shoma noticed a body bag in the room and went over to open it, revealing the right half of his father's body.

Everyone was in shock from discovering the body. Shoma most of all: overcome with grief and guilt, he screamed and ran out of the studio. The rest of the group gave chase, with Ryuki realizing that Shoma would've probably ran off to Misetan. Ryuki arrived there in time to see Shoma enter one of the Ferris wheel pods. He watched Shoma rise into the air, and decided to wait for him to come down.

### R1: Kizuna's Disappearance

A full investigation around Komeji's death had to wait, as Kizuna was reported by Lien to have gone missing. Ryuki set out on Friday to search all around the city for her. At Ikume Shrine he found Date and Mizuki, both looking for Kizuna, as well as Aiba, who had returned to Date's eye socket. Date had an idea of who Tearer was, but needed to confirm it first. Before Ryuki left them, he pulled Mizuki aside to confirm with her that Date thought positively of him. Once done, he passed by the Harbor Warehouse District and found Lien there. Lien said that, before Kizuna went missing, the two of them had been watching a video related to the HB case, which was rumored to cause people to disappear. At the Naix Japan Branch, Ryuki ran into Tokiko, who told him that Kizuna had been kidnapped by Tearer. The shock of it caused Ryuki to briefly experience one of his episodes, which he again brushed off when Tama voiced her concern for him.

Despite searching every place he could, Ryuki didn't find Kizuna. While in his limousine, Tama prodded Ryuki for what he was thinking. She told him that he was taking on too much and that he shouldn't keep it bottled up inside. Ryuki thanked her for her kindness but didn't tell her what he was thinking, saying that she'd hate him if he did. Tama lied that she already hated him-even so, she would always do everything to protect him. Their moment of intimacy was interrupted by a call from Date, who told Ryuki that he'd gotten a tip about a man with an iron mask showing up at the Sejima Residence. Ryuki identified the man as Tearer, and headed to the manor immediately.

There, Ryuki found Iris collapsed in the garden with So Sejima watching over her. He claimed that Iris had simply tripped, and also denied that he'd been visited by Tearer. Ryuki took Iris into his limousine where she eventually woke up and told him what happened: she had gone to So to ask him for help with finding Kizuna, but found him talking to Tearer. She called Date for help and eavesdropped on the conversation. However, after Tearer left, Iris tried to move and caused a noise that So noticed. He rounded on her and Iris backed away, tripped, and hit her head on a rock. Because of the resultant concussion, Iris couldn't remember anything that the two had talked about. Using a Wink Psync, Ryuki heard Tearer mention an "execution chamber", and figured that was where Kizuna was being kept. He then took Iris to ABIS so he could Psync with her and hear the rest of the conversation.

### R1: Ending

From Iris's Psync, Ryuki was able to figure out that the "execution chamber" where Kizuna was being held was the Naix Cathedral. He called Date and told him to meet there. Date brought along Mizuki, Lien, and Gen Ishiyagane, who had all been with Date when he received Ryuki's call. They spotted Kizuna at the top of the Cathedral's platform and ran up to her after beating up the Naix members in the way. They tried to rescue her, but discovered that she was surrounded by thermite bombs. Tearer then made his appearance armed with a dead man's switch for the bombs. He revealed that he had kidnapped Kizuna so that he could lure Date down to the Cathedral and get rid of him. He also clarified that no one had gone missing after watching his videos, and that he only killed in service to the "Initiative".

Tearer then gave Ryuki an offer: everyone would be allowed to leave the cathedral alive *if* Ryuki killed Date. Ryuki aimed his Evolver at Date, who ordered him to shoot while everyone else pleaded otherwise. Ultimately, Ryuki couldn't do it, and lowered the gun again. Tearer then gave the group a piece of information-his last name, **Boat**-and then set off the thermite. Gen rushed forward to absorb the blast with his rock-hard body, but everyone was still blown away by the force.

Ryuki awoke from his brief stint of unconsciousness and discovered the cathedral in a fiery ruin. Tama confirmed that everyone was still alive and Tearer had gotten away. Ryuki then noticed Mizuki nearby and picked her up, discovering that her left eye had been badly injured. Nearby, Gen flew out of the rubble with an unconscious Kizuna in his arms. He passed her off to Lien and then took Mizuki as Ryuki started the search for Date. Lien and Gen carried the injured out of the cathedral while Ryuki found Date with his leg trapped underneath the rubble. Date ordered Ryuki to take Aiba, who had been injured and knocked offline by the blast. He then told Ryuki to leave, but not before answering two questions: How had Ryuki known that the man in the iron mask was Tearer? And was it Ryuki that had ran away yesterday?

Before Ryuki could answer, the rubble beneath him shifted and he fell down the stairs. He recovered from the fall just in time to see a large piece of rubble slam down on Date. Shocked and horrified, Ryuki released a loud, tortured scream as the screen faded to black, putting an end to Ryuki's tragic tale.

*"Mr. Date... I loved him... And I betrayed him..."*
## Chapters in this Route

* 2/10 Converge Chapter 0 - A Strange Tale
* New Investigation (Branch A)
* 2/10 Ryuki Chapter 0 - Dispossessed
* 2/11 Ryuki Chapter 1 - Anyone Imagines
* Nefarious Institute
* 2/11 Ryuki Chapter 1 - Ought to Know
* 2/12 Ryuki Chapter 2 - Nothing to Be Done
* Naixatloz's Intentions
* 2/12 Ryuki Chapter 2 - Go
* 2/13 Ryuki Chapter 3 - Farewell
* Need Info (Branch B)
* 2/13 Ryuki Chapter 3 R1 - Smiles for Tears
* 2/14 Ryuki Chapter 4 R1 - Well-Known
* Nearly Interesting
* 2/14 Ryuki Chapter 4 R1 - The Mind of God
* 2/15 Ryuki Chapter 5 R1 - Not All A Dream
* Nemesis Identified
* 2/15 Ryuki Chapter 5 R1 - She Was the Universe

## Trivia

* Given his appearance in the achievement image, as well as being the focus character of the route, this route and ending could alternatively be considered the **"Ryuki Route"** and **"Ryuki END"**.
* Despite being called an "ending", the events of Explosion END are canon to  Resolution Route, making it the only route which follows into a different route.
* The beginning of Explosion Route has Ryuki recounting his past to Mizuki. This is different from Resolution Route, where Ryuki's brain suffers a synapse and he's unable to continue talking. This leaves it ambiguous what happens in the "alternate" Explosion Route timeline after Ryuki finishes his story to Mizuki.
* The achievement image for Explosion END is the only one besides Resolution END that features three characters instead of two.

## Navigation

 Locations | **Tokyo**
*Chiyoda District*: Police Headquarters (Boss's Office, Psync Room, Interrogation Room) • Sunfish Pocket • Sekiba High
*Chuo District*: Horadori Institute of Genetics (Underground, Hostage Room) • Naixatloz Japan Branch (President's Office, Cathedral)
*Koto District*: Harbor Warehouse District • Date Residence
*Minato District*: Studio Dvaita • Aioen Orphanage • Ikume Shrine • Kumakura Office • Sejima Residence • Central Hospital
*Shibuya District*: Lemniscate Entertainment Offices • Yoyagi Park
*Shinagawa/Kabasaki District*: Matsushita Diner • Sagan Residence • Enda Residence • Kabasaki Chemical Plant
*Shinjuku District*: Golden Yokocho (Marble, Brahman World Cuisine) • Misetan Department Store • Tokyo National Stadium
**Side Ryuki:**
Dispossessed • Anyone Imagines • Ought to Know • Nothing to Be Done • Go • Farewell
**Komeji and Shoma Route:** Joy for Anguish • I Found Me • Past Its Ken
****Explosion Route**:** Smiles for Tears • Well-Known • The Mind of God • Not All A Dream • She Was the Universe
**閭｡陜ｶ荵句､｢邱ｨ Route:** 遐ｴ邯ｻ逋ｾ蜃ｺ • All This Happened, More or Less
**Side Mizuki:**
Alone • Pass Mildly Away • End Where I Begun • Traveler • Left Behind • The Expense of Spirit
**Gen and Amame Route:** All Living Things • Of Arms and Of Man • Who's There • All That We Are
**Kizuna and Lien Route:** Bid the Soldiers Shoot • Sweet Silent Thought
**Resolution Route:** Hell • Visions • In Truth • Births • The End of Craving • Braver Than All Flowers