Protagonist

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The **Protagonist** (also known as the **Commander**, see section below) is the player character through which most of the game's story and events are witnessed. A newly-graduated Commander from the military academy, he is soon put in charge of the Nikke squad "Counters."

## Profile

The protagonist has no in-game appearance or features beyond being male, has no voiced dialogue in any cutscene, and has no recollection of his life in the Ark, or even if he has any family. His only memories are a faint echo of his time at the military academy before he was sent out to the surface. In the "Red Eye: B" cutscene, the commander is depicted as a fairly tall man wearing the standard attire for Ark commander: he sports a dark brown military uniform.

The commander's personality is by and large a blank slate, save for a strong sense of justice and empathy for both humans (except Syuen, for good reason) and Nikkes. He is, however, prone to bouts of eccentricity when it comes to empathizing or bonding with Nikkes, from dressing like a polar bear for Neve to becoming a cheesy Hollywood-style producer for Noise.

The commander's abilities are surprisingly varied, even disregarding character bond episodes. Despite being a recent graduate of the academy, he is able to take on a Blacksmith Rapture with only two Nikkes, overcome a swarm of Raptures to escape encirclement, take multiple gunshot wounds' worth of pain from Mihara, face off against Chatterbox multiple times and survive, and more.

In a rare subversion of standard Commander behavior, the protagonist does not treat Nikkes as if they are replaceable machines, nor does he abuse them if he gets distressed or frustrated. If anything, the protagonist tends to spoil Nikkes in the eyes of the average Ark denizen, giving them food and drink beyond the necessary, buying them gifts, and treating them like actual people. This has earned him the affection (overt or otherwise) of multiple Nikkes across various manufacturers and squads.

For some reason, Nikkes under the protagonist's command are able to exhibit combat strength beyond previously recorded figures. Those that have attempted to study it (Maxwell) believe there is more to it than merely being a psychological anchor for Nikkes.

### Nomenclature

The Protagonist is generally referred to as the **Commander** by most Nikkes. The protagonist can be given any names preferred by the player themselves.

However, other Nikkes gave them different aliases:

Snow White and Crow prefer calling the protagonist whatever name the player has entered, while Eunhwa simply refers to them with insults or profanity. Sakura will call the protagonist by name while adding a "-kun" honorific. Moreover, in the "License to Kill" event, the protagonist uses the undercover name 'Steve'. Frima often refers to the protagonist with simple greetings like "Hey" and "Yo".

## History

### Pre-game

The protagonist's history before they became a Commander is largely a blank slate, with some faint memories of being born in the Ark, going to a hospital, and attending the military academy.

### Main Story

#### Chapter 0/1 - School of Hard Knocks

Right after graduation, the protagonist is sent on a search-and-rescue mission with the Nikke Marian, but their transport ship BA-01 explodes and crashes. He goes into cardiac arrest, but is resuscitated by Marian. After she protects him from a group of Raptures, they venture off and meet with Rapi and Anis, Nikkes under a commander who died trying to attack a Rapture with human's gun. They decide to follow the protagonist's command and dispatch additional Raptures. On the way, the protagonist bandages some of Marian's wounds, displaying an empathy that is apparently an anomaly among most Commanders, although it doesn't work. During their short trip, Rapi insults the Commander unconsciously but Marian doesn't let it slide. Rapi apologizes to the Commander and he accepts it, which surprises Anis too.

When the team reaches a certain point, Marian suddenly begins acting strangely. It turns out Marian has been corrupted by Rapture code, becoming their puppet. Marian destroyed the transport containing her and the protagonist using explosives meant for the mission, but when the protagonist's life was threatened, her directive to protect her Commander briefly overrode the Rapture code. Marian is captured by Tyrant 003: Blacksmith, a Tyrant-class Rapture, and the protagonist orders Rapi and Anis to defeat it and save Marian with the captured Nikkes.

Blacksmith is successfully destroyed, but all Nikkes save Marian have already been destroyed, and the latter is still corrupted. At this point, the corruption has reached Marian's brain, risking her becoming an "Irregular" should she return to the Ark. Under Ark law, any Nikke corrupted or at risk of becoming Irregular must be eliminated, no exceptions. As Nikkes are restricted from attacking each other, the protagonist must take a pistol specifically designed for execution and kill Marian. He hesitates to pull the trigger, during which Marian's conscious briefly resurfaces, thanking him for the bandage before pulling the gun's trigger herself. With the gruesome task finished, the protagonist bandages Marian's head wound before returning to the Ark.

#### Chapter 1.5 - Out of the Norm

Shifty, Anis, Rapi and the protagonist have a short conversation before they go back to the Ark. They find out that Marian must be corrupted inside the Ark, because there's no other possible timing for her to be corrupted after that. When Shifty reports the victory of a novice Commander with 3 Nikkes against a Blacksmith, Deputy Chief Andersend is very surprised and asks for an appointment with them that afternoon.

Deputy Chief Andersen welcomes the squad and commends the success of the operation. When the protagonist presses him for information on who could've corrupted Marian, Andersen questions what he would do with such information. After the conversation ends, the protagonist is sent with Counters (squad named by the protagonist, contains Rapi and Anis) to the Simulation Room, where Elysion CEO Ingrid runs them through a test to demonstrate their skills. The result is horrible: They should have died in 3 minutes on the surface.

After the test is finished, Counters is assigned a mission to investigate a power plant by the coast. The surprise is twofold; for one, a commander is being assigned the exact same Nikkes twice in a row, which goes against unspoken rules preventing friction between individual commanders and Nikkes. For two, Counters gets a new member in the form of Neon, an Elysion Nikke who immediately and naively outs herself as a spy who will report everything she observes to Ingrid.

#### Chapter 2 - Identification

Counters is sent to investigate the power plant in hopes of allowing future operations to reclaim it and its power sources, which could significantly benefit the Ark. Neon is surprisingly capable of pulling her weight as a first-timer on the surface, even if she loves firepower a little too much. Through Shifty, they know that this city is closed off 5 years ago to prevent Raptures escaping.

During the mission, Rapi teaches the protagonist that his phone can also act like a CombiLink - used to remotely control all sorts of machinery up on the surface. Later they find out that the scale of the mission is definitely not for 3 Nikkes and 1 Commander. Reclaiming this power plant will be able to supply electricity to all the facilities in the Ark for 2 months.Anis, under the pressure, starts running her mouth and Rapi threatens her with an executed on the spot. The protagonist suggests sneaking in through the sewer, which highly surprises the Nikkes. The drainpipe is old and stink, so the Nikkes turn off their olfactory sensor, which Neon finds it uncomfortable due to it makes her "less human".

Eventually, they find out that it's the Rapture that are operating this power plant. Unfortunately, they are exposed and Rapi is beheaded on spot by a electron beam, They manage to escape the Tyrant class Rapture - Grave Digger.Since the commander hasn't pulled himself together, Anis gives him a hard slap and says that as long as Nikke can keep their head intact, they can be ressurected easily.

#### Chapter 2.5 - Outpost

As punishment for destroying resources that could sustain the Ark for two whole months., the protagonist and Counters are banished to the Outpost, a barren land teeming with Raptures.

Soon after cleaning up some facilities and making the Outpost more like a home, a visitor arrives in the form of Syuen, the CEO of Missilis Industry. Syuen wastes no time harassing the protagonist and Counters, assaulting and torturing them using the powers of her subordinate Nikkes, Mihara and Yuni. She demands they go up to the surface with Wardress squad to capture a specific Rapture for her within 2 days. The protagonist briefly snaps, tanking several shots from Mihara to grab Syuen and demand she apologize to Counters before falling unconscious. When he awakens, it's time to go out on the mission.

#### Chapter 3/4 - Chasing Chatterbox

Counters and Wardress arrive on the surface and attempt to connect to their operator, only for it to fail because Syuen is jamming comms, wanting to keep this operation secret. The mission is to find and capture the Rapture codenamed Chatterbox alive. Turn out the sole reason Syuen created Wardress a few months ago is to capture Chatterbox. On the way, Counters becomes familiar with the Nikkes of Wardress and their...unique interpersonal dynamic. The mission doesn't go smoothly, as Chatterbox's trail keeps vanishing and resurfacing in increasingly dangerous territory, but Syuen blackmails the protagonist with documents claiming he's planning a coup on the Ark.

During this time, the Counters figure that this is not the first time Syuen has sent commanders to this mission. The chance for a novice commander to die on their first mission is 70%, and higher on 2nd mission, but somehow the protagonist beat the odd, which raises the curiousity of Syuen. Mihara also confirms there are at least 40 one-and-done commanders up until now for these types of missions.

As the group continues pursuing Chatterbox, Yuni and Mihara seem to warm up to the protagonist in their own way. Rapi states that Wardress's current abilities must be somewhat related to their human's ideal form  but actually they are made by Syuen herself  and the genius CEO somehow decides which abilities they will have instead.

Which is just in time, as they've been led into an ambush by Chatterbox himself, a Rapture who can talk and think for some reason. He manages to heavily damage Mihara and Yuni, and crushes the protagonist's legs so he cannot flee. They're only saved by the intervention of a mysterious white Nikke Chatterbox calls "a Pilgrim".

Rapi administers first aid to ensure the protagonist won't die, but they'll need to contact the Ark for evac so he can get his legs fixed. To that end, the group moves to a radio tower and successfully hails Shifty, who's going ballistic at them for carrying out a mission on the surface unauthorized. The rendezvous for the transport is swarmed by Raptures, and Counters is nearly overwhelmed until Absolute squad rolls in and saves the day by defeating 153 Aircraft Raptures along with other ground Raptures. After a brief talk with the venomous Eunhwa, the sisterly Emma, and the shy Vesti, Counters and Wardress return to the Ark to face judgement for breaking the Ark's laws.

#### Chapter 4.5 - Judgement and the next mission

Back at the Ark, the protagonist, Counters, and Wardress are brought before Enikk, the Ark's overseer AI, for sentencing. As punishment for taking an unauthorized mission and bringing excessive numbers of Nikke to the surface, the protagonist is banned from any missions for two days. Rapi and Mihara, the captain of each squad, have it much harder. As punishment for undertaking these missions and allowing a commander to come to harm, their memories will be wiped. After the trial, Yuni rails on the protagonist for not doing anything to help Mihara while Syuen continues to subtly gloat.

2 days later, Rapi and Mihara's memories are erased as per their sentence. At least, that should have been the case. Mihara was turned into a blank slate as was designed, but for some reason, Rapi retains all her memories, which she discloses to the protagonist and Counters. Faced with a difficult circumstance, the protagonist orders the others to keep Rapi's memory retention a secret, thereby shifting any blame if this gets out to him. It also helps that the "amnesiac" Rapi takes a chance to break Syuen's ribs as a bit of payback.

Later, Andersen gives the protagonist a mission to go north to a research base, and attain information on the "Pilgrims", mysterious Nikkes that wander the surface unaligned with the Ark or the Big Three.

As Counters convenes to discuss the mission, they realize none of them have a pass to get them past the north base's security. Just as the protagonist is about to double back to Andersen for a pass, a flamboyant voice interjects. That voice is none other than the (self-proclaimed) greatest showman in the Ark, CEO of Tetra Line, Mustang. The man provides the protagonist a keycard so the squad can get into the base, but there is a slight catch. The key will only activate after a complex dance routine is performed, which Mustang demonstrates to the squad. The conversation also reveals that Anis departs from Mustang for a hidden reason.

#### Chapter 5 - Wonderland

The protagonist is outfitted with an Elysion leg exoskeleton to help him walk while his legs recover. The exoskeleton was initially made for Nikkes but it's faster to build a new leg than waiting for Nikke's bones to heal up. The squad briefly frolics in the snow, finding it to be more fascinating than the Ark's artificial snow, although their not-really-lightweight may break ice underneath their feet. The experience further serves the fuel their resolve to retake the surface

As a snowstorm begins to brew, Counters looks for a bunker at Shifty's suggestion to wait out the storm. Along the way, the protagonist begins to show signs of chill, leading to a brief argument between Anis and Neon, who squabble over who should undress and warm the protagonist with their body heat.

Counters reaches the bunker, but the snowstorm finally knocks out communications with the Ark. Before they can open the door, a Rapture swarm ambushes them, having camouflaged themselves in the storm. The squad dispatches the enemies, but one of the surviving Raptures self-destructs, causing an avalanche that sweeps the protagonist away from his squad, his consciousness fading in and out.

In a dream, the protagonist is in a hospital, where he's talking to a little girl. While he slumbers, two Nikkes find him passed out in the snow and drag him out.

The protagonist awakes to find himself rescued, his saviors introducing themselves as Unlimited, a squad attempting to defeat the "Queen of Hearts", while Ludmilla declares he will be her Servant from now on. Learning that there were others with him, Unlimited decides to find his missing companions while also getting him somewhere he can rest. Along the way, Alice decides the protagonist must be "Rabbity", the companion destined to help Unlimited defeat the Queen of Hearts and take them to "Elysium".

Having reached a bunker, Ludmilla tells Alice to leave her with the protagonist while they chat. Ludmilla reintroduces Unlimited as a search-and-rescue squad for Nikkes who get lost on the surface, though this is the first time they've rescued a human. Ludmilla recalls the protagonist saying he was headed to a research base, to which she tells him it's been overtaken by Raptures, which is why Unlimited no longer has a base of operations. Despite hearing that the Raptures have altered the base, the protagonist remains resolute in finding the Pilgrims, and through them, Chatterbox, and the truth to Marian's death. Ludmilla briefly scoffs at the idea of him calling Nikkes "friends", believing his stance to be one of pragmatism and/or arrogance before seeing how serious he is about going through with this. She explains that all the researchers' data on Pilgrims is still inside the base, so accessing it would be a matter of reuniting with his squad and retaking the base. Seeing his resolve, Ludmilla has Alice rejoin them and the trio ventures outside.

Out in the snow, Alice spots two figures up on a perch. The protagonist can't make them out, so they get closer and spy Anis and Neon, trying to look for the protagonist. Neon's gunfire signals end up attracting the attention of Raptures, and the protagonist coordinates with Unlimited to take out the Raptures and reunite with Counters.

The Nikkes of Counters are elated to see their commander alive, though Anis takes a brief moment to pretend Rapi is dead before the latter shows up. After Ludmilla comments on how colorful the squad is, the protagonist takes a moment to explain the situation. The squad finds the idea of retaking the base daunting, but they're determined to do it anyway. Anis and Neon joke about their secret weapons, the Anis's gloves and Neon's eyes, while Rapi had a "secret force" inside her chest.

A short while later, the group spies the research base, altered into the mobile fortress Rapture Land Eater. Ludmilla explains that despite the heavy defenses and guards, the facility itself was old, and prone to system glitches. The staff becomes negligent, allowing these errors to pile up until it eventually led to a weakpoint that allowed the Raptures to overrun the facility. As they talk about how the facility fell and how to retake it, Rapi takes the protagonist aside for hushed conversation. She believes there was an inside agent who compromised the facility, allowing the Raptures to hijack its systems and claim the data on the Pilgrims.

The group bests Land Eater after a pitched battle, and rejoice over their victory before approaching the research base.

#### Chapter 6 - Pilgrim

The research base is still intact, but unfortunately for the group, so are the security systems, which would blast anyone trying to break in. Ludmilla was too busy trying to escape to grab a keycard, and the door itself is too thick for anyone to punch through with the weapons they have. At that moment, the protagonist has a flashback to Mustang handing him a dance-activated keycard. With no other recourse, the protagonist begins to dance, causing secondhand embarrassment to Counters. Ludmilla and Alice notice him dancing and join in, causing a brief dance party where Ludmilla compliments his ability to move.

When the dance ends, the card glows with golden light, allowing them to use it and access the base. Rapi thanks the protagonist for his valiant sacrifice.

Inside the base, Ludmilla directs the team to a terminal, and gives instructions on how to access its files. Anis complains about having to follow her orders, to which Ludmilla demonstrates her skill(?) at causing any technology she touches to malfunction and break down. Rapi navigates the terminal's systems to find a map detailing times and places a Pilgrim has been spotted. It turns out the Pilgrim codenamed "Snow White" is regularly patrolling the area in search of something, and is slated to appear near this area soon.

In a room where the protagonist can rest, he asks Ludmilla why Unlimited has been tracking the Pilgrims, but she refuses to answer. As the protagonist's consciousness flags, Ludmilla bids Alice to help him rest, the latter Nikke snuggling up to him and radiating warmth even through her cooling suit. The warmth, mixed with Alice's assurances, lull him to slumber.

The next day, the protagonist wakes up refreshed. Rapi is still unable to get into contact with the Ark, leading Ludmilla to explain that the north is filled with all sorts of unexplained phenomena and superstitions. Alice suddenly yelps, having remembered to see to the "sleeping princesses." Ludmilla tries to stop Alice, but the rabbit-like Nikke is insistent, much to the confusion of Anis.

Unlimited takes Counters to another room filled with capsules. Alice opens a few, revealing the bodies of heavily-damaged Nikkes, all of them with empty holes where their brains should be. Ludmilla orders Alice to leave the room for milk and cookies, allowing her to explain the situation.

These Nikkes aren't dead just yet, their brains were removed from their own bodies and put somewhere safe, hoping someone will retrieve them and save them. That is what Unlimited was made for, and they've saved countless Nikkes by retrieving their brains and preserving them until they can restore the body and reintroduce the brain to them. It's not a perfect solution, sometimes the brain and body have been separated for so long that reconnecting causes asynchronization, leading to side effects like amnesia or psychotic breaks. But in the end, every Nikke Unlimited has done this to lived, and that's enough to satisfy Ludmilla.

Despite the efforts of Unlimited, and Counters' newly-found respect for the squad's work, Ludmilla laments that as of the past few years, the number of Nikkes they find, and even the ones that want to be rescued, are declining, even as the Ark's survival rates remain unchanged.

As Counters prepares to embark on their search, Unlimited stays behind to guard the base, and continue their duty of rescuing lost Nikkes. Before Counters departs, Ludmilla has some final words for the protagonist. They're a reminder, and a warning, that meeting new people can feel like gazing into another world, one that fills him with fear of the unknown. But whatever the case, he must never destroy it, nor they destroy him, for every world is someone's home. With those words, the protagonist follows Counters into the frozen north.

Out in the tundra, Counters spies a figure off in the distance. While it might be the Pilgrim they're looking for, they're suspicious of any traps. A moment later, the figure explodes, setting off another avalanche. Rapi grabs the protagonist's hand, but her arm gets snapped in the other direction as a familiar figure rushes towards the snow-swept protagonist, its morbid grin the last thing he sees before blacking out; Chatterbox.

In Chatterbox's grasp, the Rapture demands the protagonist answer his questions or suffer the consequences. Those questions are;

1. Have the imposters (Nikkes) working with [the protagonist] been enhanced in any way?
2. Where [is the protagonist] from?
3. Was the protagonist ever sick as a child?

Answers given for whatever Chatterbox needed, he takes the protagonist with him on a journey to some unspecified location. On the way, the protagonist tries to ask Chatterbox questions that will lead him to the Rapture collaborator in the Ark, bluffing that he'll kill himself with a bomb if Chatterbox doesn't answer. As Rapture and human quibble, a gunshot rings out and Chatterbox is sporting a new hole in his body. The white Pilgrim from before shows up and saves the protagonist, briefly becoming nostalgic when he calls her "Snow White". Snow White agrees to help the protagonist, but asks him to forget everything he'll see from now on, proclaiming humanity cannot know of the Pilgrims' existence until they have accomplished their mission. As Chatterbox rants about the Pilgrims being relics of the past, Snow White engages the Rapture.

Chatterbox is heavily damaged, Snow White's armament overwhelming his ability to self-repair. With her target incapacitated, Snow White interrogates Chatterbox on what created him and where he came from. All the Rapture does is plead for its life as a black Rapture armor descends from the skies. Inside it is a Nikke, one that the protagonist can feel radiates a cruel malice towards humanity. The Nikke remarks on Chatterbox's pitiful state as Snow White recognizes the appearance of a Heretic, a Nikke who betrayed humanity to fight for the Raptures of her own will. The Heretic introduces herself as Modernia, and sends a swarm of Raptures to stall Snow White long enough that she can escape with Chatterbox.

#### Chapter 7 - Reunion

Snow White is in pursuit of Modernia and Chatterbox, the protagonist tagging along despite the Pilgrim's insistence he go back to the Ark. Noticing the protagonist's strength waning, Snow White declares they'll stop and rest inside some ruins.

The protagonist notices the battered state of Snow White's equipment, to which she admits for decades at least, and likely longer than she can remember, her gear has been damaged with no real way to repair it to peak condition. Refusing any further questions, Snow White interrogates the protagonist on why he is out here, and why Chatterbox was so interested in him. She ponders on something about him that lets him go beyond what most humans are able and willing to do, but she remarks that at least having found Chatterbox and the Heretic, she's one step closer to finding the Rapture Queen, which if defeated, could turn the tide for humanity. Noticing the snowstorm intensifying, Snow White declares their break over and the duo sets off.

A while later, Snow White is marveling at how amongst the few commanders she's met over the years, few if any were as gung-ho as the protagonist is. The protagonist asks how the Pilgrim knows Chatterbox, to which she explains it was a coincidental meeting. She was just killing Raptures left and right for the slightest shred of info on the Queen, when she spotted him near the Ark, a beam of light shooting out from it towards him. There, she had an epiphany. A Rapture that could speak in human language, she could interrogate him on the Queen's whereabouts, but Chatterbox is always thinking about a way out of any encounter, so she hasn't had much luck getting him to spill the beans. The protagonist then asks about the Heretic, to which Snow White can only spew invectives before simply telling him that the Heretics are mankind's enemy.

The blizzard is picking up, threatening to obscure the trails of Chatterbox and Modernia. The protagonist's strength has begun to wane again, leaving Snow White to wonder if she should find him shelter. He tries to tell Snow White to leave him behind, but she refuses. Even after spending decades alone on the surface, she is still a Nikke, charged with protecting humans. She tears off chunks of her cloak, offering them to the protagonist to warm himself up, which they do quite effectively.

Along the way, the protagonist asks why Snow White doesn't return to the Ark, even if she and the other Pilgrims would be welcomed warmly. She responds that she believes it would be capitulation, of accepting failure rather than persevering for a glimmer of hope. The other reason being that the Ark is an unknown land to the Pilgrims, they know nothing of what it's like there, or how they would be treated there.

A while later, the two finally catch up to Modernia, in the middle of repairing Chatterbox. Before Snow White can engage, the Heretic rushes forth, blocking Snow White's shots before grabbing the Pilgrim and slowly beating her down. The protagonist spies Snow White's rifle tossed to the side, and despite knowing the risks, grabs it and fires a single shot into the air. The recoil alone sends the protagonist flying back, and he can distinctly feel his bones fracturing. Modernia is briefly surprised before a bullet hits her in the back, forcing her to drop Snow White. Counter noticed the shot fired and have appeared to reinforce the protagonist. The commander orders Counters to work with Snow White to fight Modernia.

As the battle rages, Modernia's visor snaps off from damage. The protagonist, Rapi, and Anis are shocked to see the face beneath; their erstwhile comrade, Marian returning their disbelieving stares with eyes bereft of that familiar warmth. The protagonist calls out to Marian, who rejects his queries and calls herself Modernia before noting that "Marian" has a familiar ring to it. After muttering the name a few more times, the area begins to shake as black energy radiates from Marian. She briefly recognizes the protagonist before the energy emitting from her body explodes outwards, causing the protagonist to black out.

Some time later, the protagonist is conscious again. Apparently the explosion separated the protagonist from his squad, and Anis complains about trying to reunite everyone before they could huddle in the bunker they're now residing in. Rapi relays the situation to the protagonist, which isn't a good one. The snowstorm outside is severely limiting visibility, and has rendered communications inoperable. All of Counters has suffered crippling injuries that prevent them from moving. The Pilgrim Snow White is actually the least injured, but with one leg completely busted, she's not going anywhere either.

The protagonist tries to step out and find help, but Rapi vetoes the idea. A human wouldn't last long in this storm before either the chill or other environmental hazards killed him. She pleads him not to charge off to his death, not after she's already failed to protect him multiple times. Reluctantly, the protagonist backs down, but as he bows his head in dismay, he spies his exoskeleton. He offers it to Snow White, trusting she'll go outside and find help. Despite Snow White warning him how easy it'd be to leave him and Counters for dead, he insists, and she relents, donning the exoskeleton and stepping outside the bunker.

3 hours later, and snow has begun to seep into the bunker. Anis gripes about how Snow White most likely abandoned them, but is unsurprised, believing Pilgrims were abandoned by humanity first. Neon notices the protagonist's body temperature dropping, to which Rapi tells the other Nikkes to huddle up to him and keep him warm by any means necessary.

A while later, and the protagonist is squished up against the Nikkes of Counters, much to the embarrassment of Anis and Neon. Rapi notices the protagonist is unresponsive, and pleads for him to wake up. At that moment, the man feels a familiar warmth as the Nikkes of Unlimited show up. They've been rescued.

Back at the research base, the protagonist is recuperating as Ludmilla details to Counters how a Pilgrim showed up and led them to the bunker before disappearing. She's also hailed the Ark for a transport to take Counters back for healing and repairs. The squad bids their goodbyes to Unlimited.

3 days later, the protagonist is back at the Outpost, still injured, but at least he can walk now. As he prepares to go for a walk, he hears a metallic clanging noise. He turns around to see Snow White, who's here to return the exoskeleton. She questions him for details on Marian, after which she hands him a bullet, telling him to get it examined at a lab. The protagonist tries to invite Snow White to join his team, but she responds that their worlds are completely different from each other. Remembering Ludmilla's words about other the worlds of other people, the protagonist offers his assistance to Snow White, to which she only gives a final word of thanks before departing. Soon after, Andersen messages the protagonist, ordering him to report to the Ark's Command Center.

At the Command Center, Andersen commends the protagonist on getting home alive before cutting to the chase. As the protagonist is the first to survive multiple encounters with Chatterbox, encounter both Pilgrims and Heretics, witness an altercation between the two, and find one of their Nikkes turned into a Heretic, the Central Government has seen fit to promote Counters to Special Commandos status. This provides Counters and the protagonist with greater autonomy. No one below the rank of Deputy Chief, not even the Big Three's CEOs, can order him or his squad to do anything, and even then, he can disregard orders and missions so long as he has a justifiable reason to do so. Essentially, as long as the protagonist keeps his reports timely and proper, he and his squad are untouchable. He further details that Counters is now permanently stationed to the Outpost, though their banishment from the Ark is now null and void. For now though, the squad is free to enjoy a month's vacation before their next assignment.

One month later, and Counters convenes in the protagonist's room. Over the past month, they've tried everything they could to learn more about Heretics and the bullet Snow White gave them, but no luck. There's no record in the databases about the compound in the bullet, no one in the Outer Rim knows anything, and even the squad's contact Exia noted the database was scrubbed by the Central Government. On the Heretic side, there's only rumors, no solid leads. The Central Government's library might have some information, but Rapi explains that it's under heavy security, not even their Special Commandos status will get them through the door. Neon then remembers Exia said something about a facility comparable to the Central Government up on the surface, so they pay her a visit.

While Exia continues to game away, she messages the protagonist despite this being a face-to-face meeting. It turns out there's an old munitions factory on the surface that, despite its age, is about as advanced as what the Central Government uses. If Counters can reach that facility, they could use the scanning equipment and database there to discover what's on the bullet. Exia can't accompany, of course, she and Novel are too busy plumbing the Ark for any information about the bullet and Heretics themselves.

#### Chapter 8 - Conflict

Up on the surface, Counters links up with Shifty, who's apparently applied to be the squad's exclusive operator. They're more than happy to have her onboard, though Anis jabs that it's a bit much to have two spies on the squad. Neon is confused, having completely forgotten she was supposed to spy on Counters for Ingrid. Shifty takes the comment a bit more seriously, to which Anis admits it's a joke, though the reaction is pinging her sense of suspicion. Shifty then asks the squad for details on their operation, since apparently their newfound Special Commando status means that little information on them is coming in. Anis takes the squad into an isolated area, where she airs her concerns about Shifty "conveniently" showing up to support them when no one besides Exia knows they're on the surface. Exia herself butts in via text, telling the squad to trust Shifty and proceed to a wrecked plane.

Arriving at the destination, Counters begins setting up a perimeter, a task only moderately complicated by Anis and Neon constantly bickering. Eventually, the squad finds a box that Exia tells them to open. Rapi opens the box and finds nothing inside, and reports such to Exia, who tells them to head north.

A while later, Exia contacts the squad via voice call, revealing that *she knows* Rapi's memory wipe didn't stick. The proof is in the box they opened earlier; It has a structural flaw where it will explode unless opened in a very specific fashion. Rapi *was* recorded to have been injured opening a similar box 3 years ago, but if she *did* have her memory wiped, she shouldn't know how to open the box safely. Anis tries to make an excuse, but Exia reminds them that due to corporate lobbying, all information about the box's defect was scrubbed from databases. With this information in hand, Exia does...nothing at all, and ends the call after marking the next waypoint.

After the call, Counters in on edge, which Neon attributes to Anis' skepticism leading her to needlessly brownnose. The two's bickering eventually gets on the protagonist's nerves, and he orders them to stop. They refuse to apologize to each other and trudge ahead separately, breaking formation to do so. Despite Rapi's concerns, the protagonist tells her to leave. Exia has her own reservations about the protagonist being hands-off, stating the simple fact that if something goes wrong on the surface, death is a very real possibility.

Counters comes to a stop in a place where there are clear signs of digging. It's a minefield, but Exia can't feed them the locations due to Alva particle concentration. A purge isn't possible as only the Central Government and their operators can authorize such, and with no other routes available, the squad no recourse but to brave the minefield. That's when Shifty pops in again and purges the surroundings of Alva particles, allowing Exia to pinpoint the mines. Anis isn't too happy to see the operator showing up out of nowhere, but the operator's earnest plea for Counters to return alive mildly assuages her suspicions. Exia, Anis, and Shifty make small talk as Neon strides ahead.

Counters eventually comes across a giant particle gun in front of the munitions factory, a Missilis model that could vaporize anyone or anything hit by it. Despite an energy signature within the cannon, it doesn't seem like it will fire, so Counters is free to neutralize the gun and step inside once the Lord-class Raptures nearby are down.

Counter eliminates the Raptures, but as they're celebrating their victory, the particle gun comes online, with Anis and Neon right in its line of fire. The two jump towards each other to try and push the other out of the way, but collide in midair and dizzy themselves. Caught prone in the line of fire, the gun's barrel gleams with blinding light and...proceeds to dim into nothingness, as Exia notes it didn't have enough juice to fire. As Neon helps Anis up, she immediately lets go and Anis falls to the ground again. Neon goes into a rant about little the squad trusts her, even though she's going against her directive as a spy by risking her life on the front with them. The squad watches as Neon storms off, wondering if she's over the whole mistrust thing.

#### Chapter 9 - Secret

Entering the munitions factory, Counters is privy to Exia really putting the thumbscrews to Shifty about the history of the factory and protocols that need to be observed.

Deeper inside, they find a scanning device, and Exia tells them to scan the bullet with it and hook it up to the CombiLink. While Exia walks Shifty through the process, they detect Raptures incoming, and Counters engages while protecting the scanner.

The Raptures are defeated, and the scan is complete. Exia notes the bullet is a standardized rifle bullet, but mixed with a mysterious compound the system labels "Vapaus". Neither she not Shifty know anything about Vapaus, and so with the mission complete, tell Counters to return to base.

On the way back, neither Exia nor Shifty can find anything about Vapaus in the databases. That's when Exia gets the idea of directly hacking the Central Government's database to find information. Despite many reservations and protests, Exia proceeds with the hack, unwilling to let any stone go unturned when she could learn about something.

A moment later, Exia has been caught hacking, much to Counters' shock. Despite having operated from the surface, Exia's location has been compromised, and Triangle is on their way to deal with her. While Exia has taken steps to ensure her communications with Counters haven't been recorded, the squad is more concerned with Exia's imminent fate. Her idea is to incinerate her brain in order to ensure no secrets can be extracted out of it, and the squad calls her name as gunshots ring through the commlink.

Blood splatters the screen as Exia collapses on the floor. On the other end of the screen, Yulha, Admi, and Privaty examine the scene and find the video communications terminal, but Rapi disconnects it before they can see what's going on.

Finding another minefield, the squad has Shifty purge and scan. They have no time to waste, they have to get back to the Ark and check on Exia. Neon walks ahead, only for the ground to explode beneath her feet. Turns out she triggered a mine, but thankfully, the impact was indirect, Neon has no wounds beyond brief immobilization due to her leg frame hardening. The protagonist bandages Neon's leg as Rapi notes Raptures approaching, having detected the explosion. The squad engages the Raptures while protecting Neon.

With the Raptures handled, the squad notices a Lord-class up ahead without any pre-warning. Anis stops to call Shifty out on her bumbling, and Rapi herself notices something off about the operator. "Shifty" briefly chortles at the squad's keenness before revealing herself as Syuen. Rapi deduced it from how weirdly incompetent Shifty was, given how only the best of the best should be working for the Central Government Intelligence Agency. Syuen herself marvels at this deduction, and elaborates that this was all one big plan to kill Counters as revenge for Rapi breaking her ribs. As the CEO gloats over how she gave the squad the runaround with her impersonation, she activates a beacon to call Raptures on their location.

Syuen curses as the squad takes out the Raptures, then invites the protagonist to work under her. Needless to say, he's not interested, and the CEO closes the call. None of Counters know what Syuen plans to do knowing Vapaus, but tables any speculation for returning to the Ark.

Back at the Ark, the squad is accosted by Triangle, who demand an explanation for the unauthorized surface expedition. What ensues is a brief power play between Counters' status as Commandos and Triangle's status as direct agents of the Central Government, only ending in the former's favor when Rapi brings up the fact that only Deputy Chiefs or higher can order the Commando unit around. Triangle leaves them with a warning, and the squad notes that they're not exactly popular amongst the upper echelons of the Central Government.

In Andersen's office, the man asks the protagonist is he's been in contact with Protocol squad, as one of their members was executed for hacking into the Central Government database. Noting that Exia's brain was incinerated before death, Andersen voices the CG's concerns that this is linked to Heavenly Ascension, a terrorist group from the Outer Rim. The protagonist remains silent on the point of speaking with Exia, and reports that no information of value was garnered from the expedition. Andersen then remarks that Syuen has instituted an information blackout censoring any attempts to search "Vapaus" in the databases. The protagonist denies knowing about this, and the Deputy Chief dismisses the squad.

Back at the Outpost, Counters still can't believe Exia is dead. While Rapi makes sure Anis doesn't go postal on Syuen, Novel of Protocol steps into the conversation. She has a message from Exia, but asks for this talk to be had in a more private location.

In the protagonist's room, Novel briefly details how she decoded the message before delivering it; "Vapaus brings an end to a Nikke's immortality. It destroys the nanomachines in the Nikke's brain and frees them from the bondage of immortality." Neither Counters nor Novel have any idea what that means, when the latter decides she'll talk to Exia about it. Counters is just about to tell her Exia is dead, only for Novel to tell them that Exia got back from the hospital and is catching up on her work. Still in some disbelief, the protagonist and Counters head to the Data Center to meet Exia.

At the Data Center, Exia greets the squad, but she has no idea about what she did with them, or the code she sent to Novel. After a moment's pause where a search on Vapaus turns up censors, Exia deduces she was killed for hacking the Central Government. With the explanation being somewhat verbose, everyone pulls out their phones.

In text, Exia summarizes the order of events; she found out about Vapaus, tried to hack the Central Government for info, got tracked by Triangle, and executed. The squad is *more* concerned with how Exia is still alive even after frying her brain, which she attributes to NIMPH.

NIMPH stands for **N**euro-**I**mplanted **M**achines for the **P**rotection of **H**umans, which control a Nikke's synaptic connections to affect memories. A memory wipe is a matter of telling the NIMPH to sever synaptic connections to erase memories. NIMPH's ability to do this is why a Nikke can have their memories reset to "factory default", but still recall who they are and how to fight. Exia elaborates that NIMPH is meant to "erase, remember, and write". This is also how Nikkes can be revived should they fall with their brain intact. The NIMPH constantly records the synapses, and that backup is used when reactivating a Nikke. This process can go on indefinitely as long as the brain is not physically damaged.

Of course, this does not explain why Exia could be revived despite cooking her brain like a egg, and despite some reservations, she elaborates at the protagonist's request. All Protocol Nikkes have a safeguard in their brain to protect against corruption and brain scanning. Exia's brain fry only destroyed the safeguard while leaving her actual brain safe, and though she still hacked the Central Government, they're very likely to let it slide since Protocol Nikkes are indispensable for data management and supporting Enikk. Rapi still has her concerns since a memory-wiped Nikke is as good as gone in her eyes, but Exia is less concerned about any sort of Ship of Theseus dilemma regarding memory.

The conversation goes back to Vapaus, which Exia believes functions in a literal sense, destroying NIMPH and preventing Nikkes from being revived by backup. And since NIMPH isn't there to affect memory, it also means memory wipes won't work either. This revelation takes Counters by surprise, especially Rapi who herself has no recollection of being exposed to Vapaus.

As the squad turns back to Exia, the protagonist hypothesizes that both Chatterbox and the Heretics use nanomachines to self-regenerate, though Exia has insufficient data to do anything more than speculate. That's when Novel very slowly interjects, the other Protocol being unused to technology. Her digging into information about Heretics has turned up more urban legends than anything, but there was *one* key piece of information. Two squads, Absolute and Matis, are on record for having survived a Heretic encounter in their first and last cooperative mission. Neon wonders if they can see the squads, but Anis isn't optimistic about being able to meet with the two of the strongest squads in the Ark. Rapi pulls the protagonist aside, noting that for all the Commando status gives Counters autonomy, they're limited in what they can actually do without support from the Ark. Thus, she proposes he get the cooperation of Andersen or Elysion CEO Ingrid to assist in this matter. The squad comes to an agreement on this, and bid Exia farewell.

In Andersen's office, the man is meeting with Ingrid and Counters, the former two seeing no way they'd benefit from giving aid. The protagonist offers information in exchange for the assistance, and as Ingrid goads him to spit it out, Rapi confesses that the memory wipe failed to affect her. Everyone else is taken aback, and while Ingrid and Andersen are initially skeptical, they eventually come around to believe Rapi, who even promises her body and brain for studying Vapaus' effects if they grant aid. Feeling good about this deal, Ingrid goes a step further than allowing Counters to see Absolute; the two squads will go on a joint mission to the site of the Heretic battle. Andersen gives a token protest before allowing the mission to Area H, where the battle took place. Counters is dismissed to prepare for the mission.

#### Chapter 10 - Comrade

A tense silence falls over Area H as Counters and Absolute stare each other down. Eunhwa is not particularly happy that the top squad of Elysion has been ordered to, quote, "babysit a third-rate squad like this sorry bunch." But since the orders came down from Ingrid, she has no choice but to comply lest Emma or even one of Counters reports her to the CEO for insubordination. Watching Anis refuse to back down from Eunhwa's vitriol earns her a measure of respect from the other Absolutes, who are otherwise focused on Rapi. They've been apprised of Rapi's...unique circumstance, and Emma is all too happy to see an old acquaintance remembering them.

Meanwhile, Shifty patches into the communications. The *real* Shifty, who was out on a mandatory training camp while Syuen was impersonating her. After a brief back and forth where Anis teases Shifty about secretly being Syuen, the operator reviews the mission parameters at Rapi's request.

The objective of this operation is to acquire what have been codenamed "Heretic fragments". While Shifty and Eunhwa discuss the situation, Anis tries to ask the latter for information about their fight with the Heretics, only for Absolute's leader to give her the cold shoulder. Emma elaborates that Absolute and Matis only scraped by on sheer luck, an idea that Eunhwa isn't too happy to entertain, only matched by her unwillingness to consider Counters as "teammates". This leads Anis to act up again, claiming that since *they* managed to drive off a Heretic without Matis' aid, Counters is technically stronger than Absolute. Eunhwa's response is almost venomous, claiming the Heretic went easy on Counters since they used to be comrades, pondering how it feels for them to have a squadmate turn traitor. Rapi's attempts to deescalate only exacerbates Eunhwa's vitriol, calling her a "traitor".

After a series of battles, Absolute learns to get along with (or in Eunhwa's case tolerate) Counters. While this is happening, Shifty pings the protagonist asking him if he knows the connection between Rapi and Absolute. He's curious, but he'd rather hear it from Rapi herself, and Shifty sheepishly admits she shouldn't be talking behind people's back like this.

Night begins to fall, and so the squads set up camp. While Anis and Neon are out setting decoys, the protagonist overhears a conversation between Rapi and Absolute. It seems the former used to be a member of the latter, until she resigned without warning one day. Caught between various emotions, Rapi confesses why she left Absolute.

During a particular mission involving five Tyrant-class aerial Raptures, she accidentally killed a human. Despite the squad assuring her accidents happen all the time, the only thing on Rapi's mind was...annoyance. Not fear, not despair, not even a feeling like she betrayed her duty as a guardian of humanity. She was *annoyed* at the idea of having to file a human casualty report. That incident left her mind awhirl, wondering, if she was neither human nor Nikke, then what *was* she? That question eventually led to her resignation from Absolute. This only further riles up Eunhwa, who considered Rapi her closest friend, and the abrupt departure as nothing less than betrayal.

As Eunhwa continues to rail at Rapi, Anis and Neon return to camp. The latter has found something odd after setting the decoys, and brought it back. Setting the objects on the ground. Upon closer examination, the objects are Nikkes, and not just any run-of-the-mill ones. It's Matis, the elite squad of Missilis.

#### Chapter 11 - The Strongest

An awkward silence permeates the camp as everyone tries to process this situation. Anis and Maxwell are the first to break the silence, the former bemoaning the presence of *more* possible annoyances and the latter thanking the squads for sharing their backup batteries.

While Matis is somewhat integrating with their antics, Eunhwa cuts to the the chase and grills the Missilis squad for their motives. It turns out that Missilis has an intelligence division tracking Absolute's movements, and when they noticed them heading to Area H, they found out about the Heretic fragment operation. Syuen, ever the loot-goblin for anything that could lead to discoveries, sent Matis to try and beat Absolute to the punch. The catch there is that Syuen ordered them to deploy *right after* they finished their previous mission. This caused their supplies to run dangerously low, eventually ending with the three keeled over in the dirt when Neon found them. The chatter eventually dies down as the squads settle to sleep for the night, Laplace and Drake immediately snoozing as Maxwell sighs at this display.

The next day, the combined squads find a bridge, which is old enough that Shifty advises against having all the Nikkes cross at once. The protagonist doesn't quite see the issue, somewhat forgetting the fact that Nikkes are *just a little bit* heavier than humans. As the squads argue over who goes first, Matis ends up being first in line, though they take the protagonist as assurance against Counters or Absolute trying anything. Taking her own precautions, Rapi decides to accompany them across the bridge.

The five cross the bridge, but Laplace notices something and shoots into the air. She downs an aerial Rapture, but its flaming carcass smashes into the bridge and brings it down. Maxwell is very unhappy with this development, but since the communications are proximity-linked to the protagonist, they can't hail Absolute to clear this misunderstanding. Faced with Absolute's *incredibly* incensed firing line, the group decides to press on and hopefully reunite with the others later.

Some time later, the protagonist gets a front-row seat to Ingrid and Syuen verbally and physically throwing hands over Matis' shenanigans this mission. The fact that Syuen seemingly cares so much is news to Rapi and the commander, but Maxwell assures the two that Matis is nothing more than expendable tools. Useful tools, but at the end of the day, Syuen doesn't care for Matis beyond what they can do for her and her company.

As the five get closer to the site of the Heretic battle, the Raptures only get more and more abundant. Maxwell "advises" the protagonist that most commander fatalities occur in big dustups like the one impending, but the man is confident in his teammates seeing this through. Rapi's promise to protect the protagonist prickles at Laplace, who believes humans and Nikkes cannot be equals in any sort of relationship, let alone "comrades-in-arms".

With the Raptures defeated and the destination reached, Rapi launches a flare to signal Absolute and Counters to their location. While the others note Eunhwa's...method of response, Matis notices that the area isn't as destroyed as it should've been if this was where they fought the Heretic. Shifty cross-references the readings and reports the terrain has been artificially modified.

As the group parses this information, tentacles rupture the soil and stab the Nikkes. As Laplace destroys the tentacles, Shifty notices the terrain is much higher than previously recorded, but the operator can't detect much more, likely due to jammers hidden in the ground. As another swarm of Raptures approaches, the talk is tabled for more immediate concerns.

The swarm is destroyed, but Laplace briefly complains of odd sensations where she was stabbed, believing it to be some Rapture poison. While the squad counsels with Shifty regarding the mission, the ground begins to shake and give way, sending the protagonist and the Nikkes tumbling into the dark...

#### Chapter 12 - Hometown

The group finds themselves in a massive underground base teeming with Raptures. Unfortunately, they're caught in a catch-22 where the jamming is preventing area scans, but they can't find the jammers without scanning first. Luckily, Drake has the ability to detect radio waves, leading the group to the jammer and the Raptures guarding it.

The jammer is destroyed, but as Shifty scans the area, she notices energy signals coming right from Matis' blindspot. It's Absolute and the rest of Counters, who are none too pleased after the bridge incident, but with all squads reunited, they can finally proceed with the last steps to recovering the Heretic fragments.

As the squad proceeds further into the base, they notice that they're not making any progress at all. Somehow, the base's walls are shifting around the squad in real-time, making it *seem* like they're moving forward when in reality they're walking in place. Matis collectively notices a path that seems different, and despite reservations from Absolute, the group moves with Matis leading them on.

As Matis continues to guide the squads, Rapi and Absolute communicate via hand signals. The rest of Counters gets the memo soon enough, and their negative reactions confuse the protagonist, though Anis simply brushes aside his concerns.

Matis leads the squads to the target point where the Heretic fragments are, when Rapi and Absolute open fire on Matis. When the protagonist questions the reasoning for this, Rapi has only one response; Corruption. Still immobilized on the floor, the members of Matis ceaselessly beckon the others, their red-pink eyes the all-too-damning sign of Rapture corruption. While the cause is unknown, Emma theorizes the tentacle trap encountered earlier was the vector, an idea that concerns the protagonist, considering Rapi was nicked by those same tentacles, but the Nikke in question reports no abnormalities, and Emma didn't get any red flags from reading Rapi's nonverbal tics.

As for why nobody disclosed this to the protagonist, it's because he would've curtailed any measures they'd take against corruption. His empathy unto Nikkes is a virtue, and Rapi concedes as such, but here, in the heart of Rapture-infested territory with compromised allies, it could pose a risk factor. The protagonist chooses not to address this, instead focusing on the status of Matis. Absolute and Rapi shot them with suppression bullets that non-lethally disabled them. Their hope is that evacuating Matis and subjecting them to a memory wipe will negate the effects of the corruption. Meanwhile, the fact that the corrupted Matis was trying to lure the squads to a specific point draws uncomfortable parallels to the situation with Marian, but there's no more time to ponder while the protagonist retrieves the Heretic fragment. The entire room begins to shake and screech as tentacles erupt from the walls and floor. The entire room is a Rapture, and Matis has quite literally brought Absolute and Counters to the belly of the beast...

Shifty finally reports a cessation of Rapture activity, but before Heretic fragment recovery can continue, the protagonist notifies the squads that he's going to contact Ingrid and Andersen for reinforcement and to extract Matis. Meanwhile, Neon notices a few boxes off to the side, and after a quick check by Shifty, she's about to open one, too fast for the operator's immediate verbal backpedal. The sight inside is hard to stomach, even for Absolute.

The box is positively *stuffed* with the corpses of Nikkes, crumpled and mashed together to fit as many as possible. The protagonist slams the box shut, ordering the squads not to open any more boxes. The implication that *all* the boxes are brimming with Nikkes corpses is unsettling, to say the least. The protagonist comforts Neon while the others parse what they've just seen.

40 minutes later, the reinforcements from Ingrid and Andersen are arriving. Unfortunately, a still-corrupted Laplace has just shaken off the suppression rounds, triggering a plasma field to stop anyone from shooting her before aiming her cannon at the transports. But before she can pull the trigger, Laplace screams and throws her gun aside. Somehow powering through the corruption, Laplace declares her resolution to be a hero before her trembling hands pull out a backup pistol. With great exertion, Laplace levels the gun below her chin, and apologizes to the squads before preparing to end her life.

Then the command "Stop" echoes throughout the area. At once, every single Nikke freezes in place, body and expression locked up. Shifty reports the deployment of Extrinsic, Elysion's counter-Nikke squad. Extrinsic's leader Maiden looks over the effects of her kotodama, then orders Guillotine to disable the cannon Laplace cast aside. As the chuuni Nikke monologues about her "forbidden powers" and warns the protagonist against publicizing the existence of their squad, Maiden cuts her off and orders her to withdraw.

At Maiden's command, time resumes for all Nikkes. While disoriented from their brief stoppage, Rapi and Absolute waste no time riddling Laplace with suppression rounds. As Shifty confirms the landing of the reinforcements, both Rapi and the protagonist agree, without explicitly saying anything, to not speak a word of Extrinsic's presence.

Back at the Ark, the protagonist is meeting with Ingrid and Andersen to report the mission's completion. The Heretic fragment is being transported as they speak, and they are taking the utmost steps to keep it secure. The protagonist inquires about Matis, who've been put into stasis to halt their corruption, as Syuen has made it very clear that she refuses to allow Matis' memories to be wiped. Ingrid is curious about Rapi's seeming immunity to corruption, and asks the protagonist if he knows how memory wipes work. His affirmation of knowing NIMPH's functions serves to abridge Ingrid's explanation.

Long story short, Rapture code hijacks a Nikke's NIMPH to puppeteer them to the Rapture's whim, and since Rapi was not affected by corruption or memory wipes, it can be assumed she has no NIMPH. Ingrid's next step is to examine Rapi's brain, but to Counters' relief, she's only going to scan the brain for NIMPH, no physical extraction needed.

Meanwhile, the protagonist asks Ingrid if she's found anything about Vapaus. Unfortunately, the Central Government databases only spoke of its anti-nanomachine properties, nothing about its composition or origin. After that, the conversation turns towards the Heretic fragment, the underground base, and of course the boxes of Nikkes. The protagonist agrees to wait on further details, accepting Andersen's order to return to the Outpost, accompanied by Ingrid.

Back at the Outpost, a very unwelcome guest awaits. It's Syuen, with Wardress in tow. While the Nikkes of Counters and Wardress reacquaint with each other, Syuen is getting right to business. She wants the Vapaus bullet in the protagonist's possession, and she's offering to pay through the nose to get it. The protagonist can all too easily guess she wants it to try and restore Matis from their corrupted state.

The protagonist refuses to give Syuen the Vapaus, neither as a transaction nor as a donation. Ingrid is all too happy to use her two cents to rail on Syuen for Matis' unsolicited appearance in Area H. Syuen changes tack to demand possession of Rapi, knowing she was exposed to Vapaus and rendered immune to memory alteration. This revelation takes Yuni by surprise, and not in the good way. Meanwhile, the protagonist's continued stonewalling is increasingly irksome to Syuen, demanding something, *anything*, that could give her a lead on saving Matis.

In response to continued refusals, Syuen decides to go for the nuclear option, ordering Mihara to swap senses with the protagonist and kill herself. After Ingrid stops this situation from escalating any further, the protagonist gives Syuen an alternative; he will find a way to save Matis, without surrendering the Vapaus to her. Seeing the determination in his eyes, Syuen backs down, promising her eternal debt for success, and death if he fails.

While the storm of Syuen has come and gone, another one is brewing. Yuni just heard that Rapi's memories weren't wiped like Mihara's and she is *not* happy about that. But Yuni doesn't do anything other than ponder how glad Rapi must feel to still have her memory, and leaves with Mihara in tow. The protagonist sees to Rapi's conditions, where she quietly admits she feels some lingering pain...

At the Ark laboratories, the protagonist meets with Mana and Ingrid, who've finished analysis of the Heretic fragment, now known as "Material H". Material H is a nanomachine-laden material with the ability to absorb and assimilate Nikkes, melting them down to create more of itself. The base where Material H was found is but one of several such facilities in the area, each one filled with Material H and Nikke "fodder", which the intelligence network believes is a catalyst for repairing and reviving Heretics.

As for attempting to neutralize the base, all attempts have been rebuffed due to the presence of the Heretic Modernia. This tidbit catches the attention of the protagonist and Counters, who still remember their comrade Marian.

Later, the protagonist joins Andersen and the Big Three CEOs gather for a strategic meeting. The operation is intended to destroy the underground base and capture or kill Modernia. In that regard, Counters is to make contact with Modernia, and either save her, or dose her with Vapaus and kill her. The protagonist is understandably unwilling to risk killing Marian again, but considers the possibility that just maybe, the Vapaus will be the key to a happy ending for all this.

Night falls on the Outpost, and the protagonist is ready to get some rest before the operation. Before he can do so, Snow White slips into his room. The Pilgrim notifies him she'll be participating in tomorrow's operation to deal with Chatterbox, and leaves so the man can get some rest.

#### Chapter 13 - Return

The operation to subjugate Modernia begins, and Shifty goes over mission details. Phase 1 will be Absolute and Cafe Sweety wreaking havoc in the base to thin the Raptures' numbers before Modernia comes into play. At the protagonist's command, Counters moves into the thick of things, blasting Raptures so they can get in position to engage Modernia.

Some time later, Modernia emerges and enters combat with Absolute. Shifty officially declares phase 2 of the operation, and orders all Central Government squads to clear a path for Counters. The protagonist is resolute in saving Marian, and Counters shares his sentiments.

For all their grit, Counters finds their progress stymied by the sheer deluge when a massive train barrels through the mob in their way. Rapi recognizes the appearance of Infinity Rail as Diesel hails the squad. Soline urges them to get on while Brid prepares to get the train moving again.

Onboard, Diesel explains the specs of the train they're riding, the AZX maglev locomotive. A Goddessium-infused steel carriage that can even go right over a Lord-class and barely feel a bump. Unfortunately, the Raptures have their own answer to AZX; the Alteisen Mark VI. With the AZX taking fire, Counters moves to intercept Alteisen.

Alteisen is destroyed after a pitched battle, but AZX has taken too much damage to carry Counters any further. The protagonist thanks Infinity Rail for the lift as Counters disembarks in a somewhat dynamic fashion by jumping off the train.

AZX dropped Counters off 2 kilometers away from Modernia. Not ideal, but better than if they'd gone on foot. Unfortunately, Shifty reads Chatterbox's signal rapidly approaching, leading Anis to snark bout how much the Rapture is interested in the protagonist, an idea the protagonist is very much *not* onboard with. The squad's "old friend" drops in, that same smirk on his face as the two sides enter combat.

Counters is holding steady against Chatterbox, but every second and bullet they spend here is one less they can afford against Modernia. The Rapture is all too gleeful at the idea of wiping Counters off the face of the earth, only for the protagonist to note that this isn't their battle alone. He calls out to Snow White, and as if on cue, a bullet rips into Chatterbox's body. Counters is quite surprised to see a Pilgrim here of all places, but appreciates someone to help with Chatterbox. Except for the little fact that Chatterbox is heavily invested in seeing all of them dead, so finding a chance to slip away isn't going to be easy.

Suddenly, the sound of an exhaust can be heard, and a motorcycle crashes into Chatterbox. Sugar of Cafe Sweety tells the protagonist and Counters to get onboard, allowing them to make a break for it while Snow White keeps Chatterbox busy, hopefully for good.

Unfortunately, Sugar's Black Typhoon runs out of fuel, leaving Counters to go the rest of the way on foot. Anis isn't too happy with that prospect until Shifty reports that it's just another 300 meters to Modernia. As Sugar stays behind to hold off any interlopers, Anis finds this whole thing somewhat questionable, how so many Nikkes of so many squads and walks of life are coming together just to help them reach Modernia. Sugar reveals that this wasn't something the CEOs, the other commanders, or even the Central Government forced them to do.

Every squad and Nikke that signed up for this mission *chose* to do so. They put what hope they still had in this bleak, desolate world on Counters being able to pull off a miracle, and bring back a wayward soul. The words fill Counters and the protagonist with a solemn determination...right before Sugar urges them onwards with mood-killing coarse language.

With Counters entering the area of engagement with Modernia, Absolute backs off to deal with nearby Raptures. While the Heretic turns her attention to Counters, the protagonist tries to reason with Marian and remind her of who he is. She continues to assert her identity as Modernia, servant to the Queen, and attacks.

Counters manages to push back Modernia. As the Heretic readies to battle again, she suddenly clutches her head as a horrible mechanical rasping sound echoes. All of a sudden, Modernia begins to..act like Marian? She clearly recognizes the protagonist and Rapi, but the latter believes it to be a trap and urges the protagonist to stay back. All the while, Marian(?) approaches the protagonist, clutching the bandages on her person. She never took them off, even after being reborn as a Heretic, and wants the protagonist to redo them for her. The commander is silent as Rapi points her gun at Marian(?), demanding that she say her name.

Modernia halts her advance as a tentacle laced with Material H stabs Rapi square in the torso. The Heretic intends to assimilate the Counters leader, only to find that Rapi can't be absorbed. Rapi grabs Modernia and urges the protagonist, who cocks and levels the gun loaded with Vapaus.

Modernia taunts the protagonist, goading him to put the gun down and redo her bandage. The man is simply too kind to shoot, knowing full well it will kill her. The protagonist steels himself, declares he will save Marian...and pulls the trigger.

A gunshot rings across the wastes as Modernia's head jerks. The resultant bullet wound is...not there, as the Heretic caught the projectile with her teeth. Spitting out the bullet, Modernia stabs the protagonist with another tentacle for his trouble. Rapi activates a hidden system dubbed "Code Red Hood" and as Modernia is further damaged, a black light spills out from her body.

In a dream, the protagonist remembers talking with a girl, who questions what possible reason he'd want to become a commander for. Hearing his answer, the girl laughs, promises to support his dreams, and even mumbles how if she became a Nikke, she'd like to be under his command.

As Modernia's armor begins to break down, somehow, Marian re-emerges, and she is *not* happy to see the protagonist with a gaping hole in his stomach. The protagonist meanwhile is very happy to see Marian again. But as Marian and Counters stabilize the man's wounds, an unpleasant voice cuts in. Chatterbox, heavily damaged but still functional, charges in and jabs a hand square into Marian's head before expiring with a laugh.

While Anis throws a tantrum on Chatterbox's corpse, Rapi has Shifty scan Marian. But even without the scans, the fact that the Nikke can only mutter "Commander" over and over is a clear sign of corruption. After Snow White apologizes for not making sure Chatterbox was dead, Counters rushes Marian and the protagonist back to the Ark.

In the emergency room, Mary and Pepper of Seraphim are frantically trying to resuscitate the protagonist, but find that his blood type can't be found on the record, meaning they can't risk transfusing him. Just as they're about to grab the testing kits, Deputy Chief Andersen steps in to offer his assistance...

The protagonist wakes up to the ceiling of the hospital room and notices Andersen off to the side. The Deputy Chief elaborates that the two of them share the same blood type, a very rare one that few people in the world have. The protagonist guesses that Andersen might be his father or brother, but the Deputy Chief asserts that he is single and an only child. He goes on to explain that this blood type they share is highly sought after by potentially malevolent parties, so all records pertaining to their blood type are destroyed or otherwise rendered nonexistent.

Despite the protagonist's attempts to remain on topic, Andersen urges him to see Marian ASAP, and accompanies him.

At the lab, Mana and Ingrid greet the protagonist and Andersen to offer an update on Marian's status. Bad news, Marian's corrupted and it's quickly reaching the point of no return. Good news, they have a solution. Bad news, it's a memory wipe, meaning nothing would remain of the "original" Marian. With a heavy heart, and consideration that the only alternative is euthanasia, the protagonist signs off on the order to wipe Marian's brain and save her...even if that means the comrade he cherished would no longer be the same ever again. With the contract signed, Ingrid and Andersen also induct Marian into Counters, intending for their Special Commandos status and relative untouchability to protect the Nikke-Rapture hybrid from unsavory interests.

With the papers finalized and Marian's mind wipe underway, the protagonist reconvenes with Andersen in the Deputy Chief's office. The mission is officially complete, with Chatterbox's remains being kept in a secure container. Counters has already concluded repairs and are standing by at the Outpost. Andersen tells the protagonist to go back and rest up from his injuries, and take solace in the fact that this operation was by and large a success with little to no casualties.

The protagonist returns to the Outpost accompanied by Mary, finding Counters waiting in his room. Mary herself has toted a bed and several sets of tools along. Despite not having recovered fully, the protagonist insisted on returning to the Outpost, convincing Mary to temporarily convert his room into a hospital room. He rejects Anis' demands that he go back and rest, intending to wait here for when Marian returns. Anis backs down, and Counters helps Mary load the room with as many medical supplies and instruments as needed.

Night falls by the time Counters finishes loading, with Mary wrapping up an explanation on her care recommendations. After Mary leaves, Rapi tells the others to get some rest while she watches over the protagonist. With the two alone in the room, Rapi takes the time to assure the protagonist that he did his best. After everything that happened, Counters came back safe, Marian was brought back from the Raptures, and even without her memories, she will live. Rapi tells the protagonist to rest, promising she'll watch over him, and he closes his eyes and almost immediately falls into slumber.

The next day, the protagonist feels an unusual weight to his bed. Looking to the side, all of Counters has nodded off while keeping an eye on him, with Neon and Anis having conked out right on the side of his bed. Rapi is first to stir, noticing the protagonist is awake and waking up the others so they can help her with the daily treatments.

The treatments are finished, and the protagonist assures the squad that he feels alright. Just as Counters is about to disperse, the protagonist's phone rings. Ingrid has arrived, and she's brought Marian. With great trepidation and solemnity, the four step outside.

The protagonist meets with Ingrid and tells her he has no questions regarding Marian's induction to Counters. The Nikkes of Counters introduce themselves to their new teammate, but only get babbles in response. It seems the memory wipe completely reverted Marian into a newborn mentally-speaking, meaning she'll have to relearn how to talk. Just then, Marian snuggles up to the protagonist, calling "Commander" in a joyful voice. While it seems she doesn't consciously remember anything, Marian still remembers who her commander is...

#### Chapter 14 - Journey

A month has passed since Marian has rejoined Counters, and her combat skills have improved enough that she accompanies the squad on missions. However, her personality is still that of a child, and the squad is troubled when she shows sympathy for a destroyed Rapture. With the protagonist unable to give a proper response, Rapi proposes the squad return to the Outpost.

The protagonist relays this development to Ingrid and Andersen, who also find this newfound sympathy troubling. If word of Marian's sympathetic incident gets around, the Central Government may fear her returning to the Raptures, and forcibly take her into their custody. It may already be too late, as Ingrid notes some unusual troop movements within the Ark itself, likely someone or other in the Central Government jumping the gun. The two advise the protagonist to keep a careful eye out. Even *with* the support of both Elysion's CEO and a Deputy Chief, some parties can and will make a move on Marian before long...

Meanwhile, back at the Outpost, Counters is doing their best to look after Marian, but can't stop the ex-Heretic from getting into all manner of mischief, be it wearing her underwear on the outside or ripping a bag of flour and playing with it. The protagonist returns to this chaos and greets everyone, but suddenly Rapi tells everyone to get down.

Gunshots ring out as the windows are shattered and items in the dorm are tossed about. Rapi recognizes the attackers as Triangle, and asks for orders. Meeting face-to-face, Privaty states she has orders from her superior to acquire Marian by any means necessary. The protagonist is concerned that *Andersen* ordered it, but Anis explains that Andersen isn't the only Deputy Chief of the Central Government. As tensions further escalate and both sides refuse to back down, Counters retreats to the surface to get some breathing room while they contact Andersen.

Up on the surface, Counters finds that communications have been blocked, meaning they can't get in touch with Shifty or Andersen. The squad decides to head to a radio tower to boost the signal, all too aware that Triangle is likely collaborating with someone else to get Marian....

The squad arrives at the radio tower, but a bomb trap destroys the equipment and renders the tower useless. They eventually find another tower, but Marian grabs onto a box of bandages and that turns out to be another bomb. While the squad tries to figure a way out of this, the protagonist feels a gun to his back...

Counters finds themselves cornered by Perilous Siege, Elysion's black-ops and execution squad. Their demands are simple; hand over Marian or the protagonist sports a new breathing hole or few. Perilous Siege is all-too-capable of doing it, as they lack the lethal-force limiters imposed on other Nikkes. Suddenly, Marian begins acting up and exhibits new powers, allowing her to contain the bomb and knock out Perilous Siege. With the immediate threat suppressed, the squad steps outside the tower.

Counters is surrounded by a horde of mass-produced Nikkes, and at the head is Triangle again. Privaty once again reiterates her demands; hand over Marian, or they'll take her by force. Counters and the protagonist refuse to comply, believing the Central Government's agendas to be...less than pleasant for Marian. Despite Privaty's insistent terminology and Yulha's chastisement, Admi decides to disclose the truth, unwilling to lie to the protagonist. Should the Central Government gain custody of Marian, they'd strap her to a table and dissect her. Marian is an unprecedented hybridization of Nikke and Rapture technologies, stuffed to the brim with no less than four black-boxes. Even if they fail to replicate this kind of perfect synergy, the discoveries alone could potentially send the Ark's technology base 100 years into the future.

Despite Privaty's promise to end this bloodlessly, the protagonist refuses to hand over Marian. With slight resignation, Privaty orders Triangle and the mass-produced Nikkes to secure Marian and eliminate Counters. But before the bullets can start flying, Shifty suddenly issues a stand down order to all Central Government troops. Privaty's protest that she's acting under orders from the Deputy Chief are immediately interrupted by an interjection from Andersen.

While Deputy Chief Burningum was the one to issue the order to Triangle, Andersen claims that order has since been rescinded. In response to Privaty's questioning over whether this is legit, Burningum himself enters the line, ordering Triangle to withdraw. Going by the...look on Burningum's face, and the pained undertone to his voice, it's quite clear that Andersen decided to convince Burningum by judicious application of the former's fist to the latter's face. Given that their orders are no longer valid, Triangle leaves Counters in peace. For now.

Back at the Outpost, Counters is concerned that with the mysterious abilities Marian demonstrated earlier, people will be even more dogged in trying to take her for their own ends. However much the Ark seems united in making a lab rat of Marian, the squad and their commander refuse to hand her over.

The squad finds the Command Center trashed, footprints all over the floor. Ingrid appears and explains this was a raid by Heavenly Ascension, a terrorist group that operates from the Outer Rim. *Somehow* \*cough\**Burningum*\*cough\* information about Marian's unique status was leaked to all manner of parties, and all of them want a literal piece of the ex-Heretic. Ingrid warns the protagonist that even with support from herself and Andersen, Counters and the Outpost will find themselves with enemies on all sides, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on this golden goose. She's not asking him to hand Marian over, however. She's asking him to find a new option, that that *won't* involve surrendering Marian or getting into civil war with the Ark. She leaves after placing her trust in the protagonist, and Counters decides to get a meal and rest.

Over the past 5 days since Ingrid's visit, the Outpost has seen 13 intrusions. Every time, the parties consisted entirely of humans, taking full advantage of the fact that Nikkes like Counters are incredibly restricted regarding use of force on humans. Everyone from Heavenly Ascension terrorists to soldiers directly under the Central Government have tried breaking in, and any attempts to hire guards were all bought off with bribes. Andersen and Ingrid's proposal to deploy defense forces to the Outpost were stonewalled by opposing parties, and with resources running low, Counters is undeniably being backed into a corner. The protagonist decides here and now is the time to make a difficult decision, and makes a call on his phone...

Later on the surface, Counters and Marian are heading towards a designated point. Marian is quite excited to be out and about with everyone, making her affection for the squad clear. The others seems less enthused for some reason. The protagonist is still having little success trying to contact whoever he's calling, but he keeps trying as the squad moves to the rendezvous.

At the coordinates, Counters comes across Snow White, who looks to Marian and declares the ex-Heretic is coming with her. The Nikke in question is confused at this development, and at Snow White's prompting, the protagonist explains. Marian is going to go with Snow White and the other Pilgrims, who will take her somewhere far away from the Ark.

Needless to say, Marian is not onboard with this idea. Tearfully, she begs the protagonist to let her stay with him and Counters, promising not to play with the flour and wear her underwear on the inside. She'll do anything, so long as he lets her stay by his side. The protagonist redoes Marian's bandage, and promises her that this isn't a final goodbye. Right now, Counters doesn't have what it takes to protect Marian from anyone and everyone trying to hurt her. But one day, when they *do* have such a power, they'll come for Marian, and welcome her back with open arms.

Continuing to refuse, Marian's body starts to loose a burst of black light. With a scoff, Snow White hollers for someone to assist her. Two more Pilgrims appear from the tundra, and the trio huddles around Marian, subduing the light and rendering her unconscious. Snow White has brought her whole Pioneer squad to escort Marian, a symbol of how seriously she's taking the protagonist's request. Her way of apologizing for allowing things to end up like this.

The protagonist pleads Snow White to protect Marian, a notion she says she was going to do anyway. The Pilgrim slings Marian over her shoulder, and Counters watches as Pioneer disappears into the fog, their cherished friend in tow...

Back at the Outpost, Counters reports to Privaty that they were ambushed by Pilgrims and had Marian taken away from them. Privaty can tell this is quite clearly a set-up, but seeing as Marian is gone and there's no way they'd be able to track down the Pilgrims, she sighs and accepts the squad's explanation. As she steps out, she asks the squad to make sure to wish Marian well for her if they see her again, Anis' laughter-filled response setting off Privaty's tsundere switch. While Counters decides to clean up the Outpost after the raids, the protagonist gets a call from Andersen. Seems someone wants to meet with the commander, and has gone to the Deputy Chief's office for that reason...

The Deputy Chief commends the protagonist on handling the Marian situation as calmly as he did, "lamenting" the loss of the black boxes in the ex-Heretic. Returning to his intended topic, Andersen reveals that Enikk herself wants to see the protagonist. Apparently, the overseer AI has a habit of calling for a personal audience with individuals who act outside of her programming's ability to comprehend. When that happens, she speaks with such people in order to learn and adapt her algorithms. Andersen assures the protagonist that he is not required to disclose whatever he talks with Enikk about, and lets him be on his way,

In Enikk's chamber, the protagonist comes face-to-face(?) with the Ark's supervisory AI. The question she wanted to ask regarded the man's decision to let Marian go to the Pilgrims rather than the Central Government. Logically speaking, the commander giving Marian to the Ark would allow all of humanity to grow and prosper, and potentially make strides in their goal to reclaim the surface. The protagonist's response is multifaceted, but ultimately boils down to wanting to keep Marian safe. Accepting this response, Enikk has another question. She asks the protagonist what he believes she herself is, given how she is an AI with a cognitive ability on par with humans and Nikkes despite not belonging to either category by her lack of an organic brain. The protagonist calls her ~~an AI aping humanity~~ ~~a Nikke~~ a human, and posits the existence of a soul as the primary distinguishing element. Enikk accepts this answer, thanks the protagonist for his cooperation, and offers to answer any question of his as repayment. The protagonist asks Enikk if she knows who Chatterbox's collaborator was in sabotaging Nikkes in the Ark, which she does. The Rapture collaborator is Enikk herself.

Shocked, the protagonist asks why. For what reason would the Ark's overseer, an existence made for the preservation of humanity, cooperate *with* humanity's enemy to sabotage their only means of winning? Enikk explains that her collaboration was precisely for the preservation of humanity. Despite what the propaganda spews and the populace believes, the Ark's untouched nature is *not* because its location is hidden to the Raptures.

They've known it for some time now, and there was only one thing keeping the genocidal robots from making good on their purpose. Chatterbox and Enikk had made a bargain; the latter corrupts Nikkes in the Ark using code the former provides her, giving the Raptures free materials and soldiers. In exchange, Chatterbox will curtail any attempts by the Raptures to stage an all-out assault on the Ark. It was the least unpleasant option in a slew of bad decisions, as Enikk's calculations told her that with current forces, the Ark has literally **0%** chance of victory in a straight fight against the Raptures. The AI's first and foremost priority is the preservation of the Ark and the human lives within it.

While the protagonist is parsing this revelation, Enikk continues. While the outcome of her bargain is uncertain with Chatterbox's destruction, she still has hope that the protagonist can find a new way forward. By her testimony, the man has managed to accomplish so much in so little time, defeating Chatterbox and successfully reclaiming a Heretic from the Raptures. She believes he holds the key to victory, and advises him to seek out the other Heretics. The protagonist takes it under advisement, and Enikk adjourns the meeting.

#### Chapter 15 - Luck

Following the "loss" of Marian to the Pilgrims, Counters finds themselves on the surface with Talentum, Tetra Line's squad of entrepreneurs. While Dolla is grumbling that the squad let a valuable asset slip free, Yan is more empathetic, noting how much Counters cherished Marian as a friend.

The Nikkes of Counters are concerned that Talentum's presence is a result of a debt or loan agreement by the protagonist, fueled by the repair and renovation costs of the Outpost after the raids, but the financially-specialized squad assures this is purely a business contract. Counters will escort the less-combative squad to a designated point, and in return, Talentum will give them a clean 50% cut of the profits from this job. While the actual prospects of profit from this job are uncertain, the fact that *all three Talentums*, who each run completely different business, got the same intel from their own sources, is a sure sign they're bound to find *something*.

As the combined squads carry on, Rupee is firing up her livestream, showcasing the beauty of the surface to her viewers and hyping up the protagonist as a strong capable "Sweetie" who will protect the group. At the protagonist's questioning, Dolla explains that Rupee owns one of the biggest malls in all of the Ark, and anyone who runs a mall tends to livestream about all manner of things to drum up attention for their businesses on Tetra TV. Yan chirps that Rupee's stream also helps mark up the price of whatever loot they find, as people will practically gobble up the idea of something retrieved from the surface with hard work and effort. Off to the side, Anis scoffs at the squad's singular focus on money.

Rapi warns the protagonist of a group of Raptures, who appear to be moving like an ant trail as they transport something. No one can tell what it is from this far, but whatever it is, it's shiny enough to make Talentum perk up. Dolla notices that the Raptures also happen to be heading to the coordinates they're aiming for, and the protagonist orders everyone to follow the Raptures. Anis is not enthused at the idea of just hopping on whatever bandwagon Talentum is offering, but Neon argues that if there is treasure to be found, it'd solve Counters' money issues.

Since the raids on the Outpost happened, Counters has found themselves in a drought for just about everything. Food, electricity, gas, even the hot water supply is nigh-nonexistent. Neon bemoans having to live off of scraps, but Anis' takeaway is that the firepower maniac has been helping herself to her snacks. While Yan is grilling the protagonist over the ringer his squad is going through, Dolla is busy figuring out how to stealthily follow the Raptures.

A while later, Anis has a question for Talentum. What reason could possibly drive a business-first combat-second squad like them to the Rapture-infested surface? It turns out that Missilis Industry has been having a rough time, their market value crashing down to only half its previous. Any investors that put a decent chunk of money in the company's stock took a major loss, and Talentum is unfortunately no exception. So, to recoup the loss, even they have to take risks like heading up to the surface.

The protagonist wonders why Missilis is having such difficulties, to which Yan spells it out. Between all of Matis being corrupted on their last mission, none of Missilis' squads participating in the Modernia subjugation operation, disclosure of Syuen's refusal to memory wipe Matis, and a company researcher blowing the whistle on all manner of misbehavior, the people of the Ark have had very little reason to put their faith in the company, which translates to a bad time for Missilis and anyone who invested in them. The protagonist is confused why not wiping memories would be a sticking point, to which Dolla takes over for the exposition.

At this point, the only recourse for corruption besides termination is a memory wipe. By not undergoing the procedure, Matis is a net drain on the Ark's resources, as the corruption means they can't even leave their stasis pods, let alone fight on the surface. Yan finds Syuen's favoritism of Matis and stalling for an alternative solution heartening as a Nikke. But as an investor of Missilis, it only spells trouble.

The squads tail the Raptures until they realize they've been going around in circles. An analysis from Dolla reveals the Raptures are patrolling the coordinates they're trying to reach, and a fight will be inevitable if they plan on getting there. While Dolla asks the protagonist for his opinion on continuing the operation, the man in question has a flashback.

He remembers Neon's complaints about the quasi-poverty Counters has lived in since the Marian fiasco, though for some reason his flashback starts distorting right around the time Anis grills Neon about her snacks. The thought of his squad going through more hardship is enough to drive his decision to send everyone in.

The battle is a close one, but Talentum and Counters come out on top. Anis and Neon are exhausted, but the idea of being rich enough to afford a private hot tub to soak in gives them a second wind, especially since it means no longer having to sneak into the protagonist's room in the dead of night to use his shower. For some reason, this comment causes all of Talentum to round on Counters with looks of shock on their faces, while the squad in question not-so-subtly accuses each other of doing the same thing.

Rupee's reaction is one of...excitement? She's strangely fixated on the idea of the protagonist being some kind of Lothario who seduces Nikkes with the promise of hot showers. The protagonist is quite obviously unappreciative of this appellation, but the streamer simply sees it as another way to drum up buzz. Yan thankfully pulls the squads back on track, reminding everyone they have a job to do.

The squads find a giant mound of scrap and trash at the designated coordinates. Counters and the protagonist are less than enthused to see the heaps of garbage, believing Talentum's informants have turned up a dud. The entrepreneurial squad staggers before the mounds of dump and...cheers in celebration? All of a sudden, the money-savvy Nikkes start scooping up all manner of debris they find, filled with all manner of valuable goodies. Goddessium, Rapture cores, even First Invasion-era data repositories.

Seeing Talentum start grabbing anything that looks shiny, Anis and Neon rush into their own corners of junk to try and find something of value. Deciding to put in some work himself, the protagonist picks up a ~~Rapture core~~ a faded piece of paper from someone's journal. The writer (whose name is Alva) apparently really enjoyed his talks with an AI named "Eva", but as the writer ponders over just how much this AI understands human emotion, the writing turns illegible. The protagonist pockets his find and rummages through the scrap for a little longer.

Some time later, Talentum has hit their encumbrance limit with all the loot they've gathered. As the group decides to head back to the Ark, their surroundings begin to shake. They initially believe it's an avalanche from destabilized junk, but it turns out to be something else. Raptures, laying dormant under the scrap until the squads disturbed them with their salvaging. Talentum is in surprisingly high spirits, having expected some kind of trouble after the haul they managed to find. Remembering their deal, Counters engages the Raptures to protect Talentum and their goods.

The wave is dealt with, and Counters is already celebrating over their earnings. But the festive mood is crashed when more than 20 Raptures wake up, all of them Lord-class or higher. With no real way to win, Talentum and Counters are forced to abandon most of their loot and flee, the protagonist curtailing Neon's hunger for presidential suites and parfaits.

Safely back at the Ark, Rupee addresses the viewers of her livestream as Talentum prepares to show what they managed to bring back. Dolla snagged some chips and a device that oddly looks like a half-eaten apple. Yan focused on grabbing Goddessium for its properties and uses in R&D. Rupee retrieved some high-end fashion accessories dating back to pre-Invasion eras, which is nothing if not on-brand for her.

As for Counters, their haul is...much less valuable. Anis' "Rapture cores" are just hunks of iron. Neon found a compact rocket used in celebrations...also known as a firework. Rapi actually grabbed some data chips, but she lost them during the scuffle with the Raptures. And the protagonist's haul is a piece of paper, leaving Counters with...barely anything in terms of profit. Rupee decides to wrap up her stream as Dolla and Yan get increasingly annoyed with Counters' lack of profitable salvage, even considering just going back on the deal and taking the others' 50% cut.

Things get even dicier for Counters after Syuen gives a live broadcast. *Somehow*, Syuen acquired Vapaus, and used it to cure Matis of their corruption. Moreover, she's marketing as a technology developed and owned by Missilis, which is doing wonders for her company's once floundering stock value. The protagonist theorizes that Syuen managed to retrieve the Vapaus bullet after Modernia caught and spat it out, and used to revive Matis. While both squad and commander find it heartening that there is now an alternative to corruption besides memory wipe or death, they're incensed that Syuen took the Vapaus *they* risked death and worse to acquire and turned it to her own ends. Ergo, they're going to go to Missilis HQ and get back their Vapaus, one way or another.

At Missilis HQ, Syuen claims the company has no more Vapaus. The protagonist is understandably skeptical, and so the CEO has her assistant Rian elaborate. The Nikke explains that they used up all the Vapaus in the bullet to cure Matis' corruption, and is offering a monetary settlement as an...apology...for using Counters' assets in such a way. The protagonist is more concerned with why Syuen fibbed about being able to mass-produce Vapaus, and he is *not* happy with the CEO just spouting whatever drivel will drive up her company's stock.

In response to Syuen challenging him to do something about her "monopoly", the protagonist declares his intent to venture to the surface, find more Vapaus, and stop Missilis from profiteering by holding the memories of Nikkes hostage. Seeing the man intent on busting her newly-made Vapaus trust (not helped by Rian deciding to encourage this), Syuen decides to concede just a little bit and collaborate with Counters in finding more Vapaus. She'll provide anything he needs, be it supplies or manpower, so long as he keeps his lips sealed.

Back at the Outpost, Counter revels in their victory over Syuen, minor as it may be. The mood quickly gets more serious as the squad convenes over how to actually acquire more Vapaus. They decide to contact Snow White, given how she was the one to provide the bullet, but the protagonist can't send her any messages. Rapi theorizes that the Pilgrim is currently in an area with high Alva particle density, making communications impossible. Everyone agrees they should set out and look for Snow White, believing that any time they spend twiddling their thumbs is more time for Syuen to do something nasty.

Almost as if summoned, Syuen messages the protagonist. The CEO initially tries her old blackmail with the falsified terrorist plans with the protaognist's name on it, then changes tracks to threatening the Nikkes under his command. Seeing the man continue to be obstinate, Syuen eventually decides to give a concession, promising she will devote all of Missilis' resources to Vapaus mass-production if he can bring back a sample.

Counters is take aback and more than a little suspicious of the idea of working *with* Syuen to mass-produce Vapaus. Anis considers it a decent plan, only really made infeasible on account of Party B being *Syuen*. She continues to air her reservations, but eventually relents seeing the protagonist hold course. He has this recurring nightmare where his squad becomes corrupted like Marian is, and he has to execute them all. For the sake of stopping that from even being a possibility, he will do whatever it takes. Even if it means making a deal with a devil in human skin.

#### Chapter 16 - Brand

Unlimited provides Counters with updated data on Pilgrim sightings, leading them to an area dubbed the "Mage's Zone", where against the expected norms of the north, Alva particle concentration averages at 100%, meaning any and all communications are blocked. More concerning to the Nikkes of Counters is the backup Syuen gave them; Exotic squad, formed entirely of convicts from the Outer Rim. Jackal is a seemingly loose cannon with a penchant for destruction and mayhem. Viper seems pleasant enough, but something about her just feels off. Worst of all is the leader Crow, who is actively antagonistic *and* is rumored to have been the once-leader of Heavenly Ascension. Exotic promises that they'll be on their best behavior, on grounds that if they retrieve Vapaus, Syuen will remove the bomb collars strapped to every member of the squad. The protagonist decides to put his trust in them. For now...

As the combined squads work their way past swarms of Raptures, the team cohesion is...fragile, to say the least. Between Jackal going off on a rampage and Viper overkilling more than a few downed enemies, it's enough to make Anis actually propose aborting this mission and returning to the Ark rather than risk it with these convicts and terrorists. Crow takes particular offense to that last epithet, getting into an argument with Anis over whether the targets and victims of attacks by Outlaws and Heavenly Ascension can be considered "innocent". After all, those "innocents" Anis claims have done nothing wrong are the same people who perpetuate and profit off the suffering of Nikkes and Outlaws, by Crow's testimonial. Denied of any legal means of voicing their complaints or ameliorating them, the people turn to violence as the only way to catalyze change, whether they speak out for the Outlaw or the Nikke.

Some time later, the protagonist sees to Anis' condition, the Tetra grenadier clearly affected by what Crow said. What really rankles Anis is that everything the Exotic leader said was the truth. Nikkes like Counters are breaking their backs up on the surface while the citizenry just wile away their days at school, watching TV, or dating. It reminds Anis that *she* used to be one of those blissfully unaware people before becoming a Nikke, and that factoid gnaws at her.

The protagonist promises Anis that one day, Nikkes will gain human rights and she can go back to those peaceful days without fear of dying on the surface. The Counters member is slightly unenthused by the protagonist's idea, reminding him that the Central Government has a...less than positive opinion on those who espouse Nikke rights, calling them seditious agitators, if not terrorists. In fact, holding or disseminating belief of human-Nikke equality is considered a *violation of the law*. It's an unfortunate part of Ark society that lends credence to Crow's argument of achieving change by violence.

Anis reiterates to the protagonist that while it's nice of him to care, she doesn't want to see him jailed or killed for trying to stand up for Nikkes. If anything, she sees becoming a Nikke and struggling under the oppression of humanity a kind of karma, given how she was one of those apathetic souls who barely gave a second's thought to the woes of the Nikkes.

As the squads carry on, Anis notices ice sheets covering the path ahead. Jackal doesn't see what the issue is as she strides across, only for the ice to crack under her weight and send her into the freezing waters. After the shivering Exotic is pulled out of the drink, the protagonist drapes his coat over her, much to her gratitude. Off to the side, Crow scoffs and warns Jackal about the protagonist's "duplicity". According to Crow, some commanders use a carrot-and-stick approach to soften up Nikkes and make them more pliable to their orders. Despite the protagonist asserting that he sees the Nikkes under his command as colleagues, Crow persists in her pessimistic snark, earning her no brownie points with Counters.

After dispatching yet another group of Raptures, Counters and the protagonist react with horror as Jackal asks if the coast is clear. It's clearly not, as a rumbling signals even more Raptures bursting onto the scene, with the protagonist feeling something pushing him into the snow. Good news, it's not a Rapture ready to cook his goose. Bad news, it's Crow, who can't resist the opportunity to verbally snipe at him. In her eyes, he's not some sharp-witted commander calling the shots and leading Nikkes to victory. He's a government lapdog who's only there to make sure Counters and Exotic don't go off the reservation, and asks him to stop it with the nice guy act.

When the dust finally settles, Rapi takes the time to reassure the protagonist that Crow's words are only because Outlaws tend to be antipathetic to Ark citizens, and seek to bring them down to the same level by targeting any weaknesses they can find. The protagonist can't quite shake Crow's words, feeling she had a point about how he always needs to be bailed out of trouble by a Nikke. Anis chips in by reminding him that the surface is the battlefield of Nikkes, whilst the protagonist's commander status means his battlefield is the Ark, a political foxhole of intrigue and conspiracy. Counters assures the man that they know and accept how much he cares for them, and that whatever an Outlaw says shouldn't bring him down.

After some time, Neon gets a signal, and the protagonist's phone buzzes. It's a communique from Syuen, asking for an update on the Vapaus hunt. The lack of progress leads the CEO to (predictably) complain about the man's acumen, given how he's not making progress even after she sent him sent him another unit and asked Ingrid for a favor. The protagonist tries to get clarification, but the communications fail as signal is lost again.

Viper suddenly pops in and grabs the protagonist's phone to see what he's looking at, scoffing as she sees Syuen's messages. Some back-and-forth reveals that Exotic is a sort of unofficial patrol squad for the Outer Rim. They're not officially mandated or empowered by the Central Government to do anything, but Exotic *does* work to make some semblance of stability in the Outer Rim. As for that favor from Ingrid...Viper neither knows nor cares. What she *does* care about however is the impending meeting with a Pilgrim, pondering if Snow White will be amenable to meeting them and helping them find Vapaus. The protagonist's assurances are a balm on her heart, as by her word, Exotic is...not exactly the friendliest or most refined of squads, and they all know it.

### Event Story

#### No Caller ID

In response to a mysterious message from the surface reaching the Ark, the protagonist is sent with Counters to investigate and see if there really are human survivors on the surface.

#### Hightech Toy

Syuen tries sending Matis to investigate the disappearances of mass-produced Nikkes, but the Central Government is wary of unsupervised Nikke squads on the surface, forcing the protagonist to accompany them. Syuen wants to hog all the glory, so the protagonist can't bring Counters with him

#### Miracle Snow

As snow falls on the Outpost's Amusement Park for Christmas, the protagonist joins Rupee and Anne in spreading Christmas cheer.

#### Brand New Year

As New Year's day rolls around, the protagonist is invited by Helm to attend a New Year's party aboard the Admire

#### D-Outsiders

In response to terrorist attacks on the Dome of Eternity, the protagonist is sent to the Outer Rim to liaise with Exotic to track down the culprit.

#### Maid in Valentine

When Maid For You's Valentine's event is jeopardized by their chocolates "lacking sincerity", the maids take the protagonist with them in search of a chocolate factory on the surface, and the key to making "true Valentine's chocolate".

#### BULLET X CHAINSAW

Investigating mysterious energy signatures near the Ark's elevators, Counters comes across a...colorful group of individuals calling themselves Devil Hunters. The protagonist is charged with caring for these mysterious visitors, and finding out if they pose a threat to the Ark.

#### Bow-Wow Paradise

When a whole shelter's worth of dogs wreak havoc in the Ark, the protagonist is contacted by Biscuit to round up the canines before their shenanigans get too out of hand.

#### Full Fool Day

Today was looking to be a day like any other for the protagonist...right up until Shifty sent him an SOS from the surface, of all places. Little did he know just what answering that call would entail...

#### Cherry Blossom

In an effort to silence those pestering her to find a husband and produce an heir, Sakura takes the protagonist to pretend being her husband on the day of the Cherry Blossom Festival.

#### License to Kill

For varying reasons, the Judges that designate Perilous Siege's targets have decided the protagonist must accompany the squad on this mission, and make the final decision on whether the target lives or dies.

#### Bunny X 777

At the pleading of Blanc and Noir, the protagonist participates in the eponymous Bunny X 777 gambling tournament, where the grand prize is a kiss from the Rabbit Twins.

#### Queen's Order

The protagonist is unwittingly dragged into the Outer Rim's web of crime and conspiracy when a scuffed-up Rosanna shows up at his doorstep, fresh off a bombing aimed at her life.

#### Blue Water Island

At the behest of the Central Government, the protagonist is sent with Counters and a composite squad formed from elements of Seraphim, Cafe Sweety, and Mighty Tools to scout out the eponymous Blue Water Island for resources (and enjoy some summertime fun while they're at it).

#### Golden Ship

The protagonist finds himself ~~dragged into~~ joining Mast in her (mis)adventure to find the legendary Golden Ship, the famed resting place of Captain Alligator's pirate treasure.

#### Nya Nya Paradise

Discovering Nero trying to cajole a stray cat to her shelter, the protagonist decides to help her however he can.

#### Sea, You, Again

Once again returning to Blue Water Island, the protagonist is ready to have some more fun in the sun after a *totally benign* mission where *absolutely nothing will go wrong*.

#### First Affection

While cleaning out his closet as a way to burn time, the protagonist finds one of his old shirts. Then he ends up lost in memories when Marian was still here with him...

#### OuteR: Automata

When another D-Wave outbreak is detected on the surface, the protagonist and Counters are sent to investigate. In the process, they bump into a few more new faces who hail from another world.

#### School of Lock

For some reason, the protagonist has been selected to oversee M.M.R. Vocational School's final exams. Despite some reservations, he decides to take up the invitation and see for himself just what the Ark's foremost Nikke schooling facility is like...

#### Dazzling Cupid

The protagonist becomes the new holder of the "Love Arrow", an artifact said to be one of Cupid's arrows that makes anyone fall in love with just a poke.

Now caught in a bitter struggle between Tia and Naga over who will receive the item, the protagonist must decide who will win his love (arrow).

### Liberation

In response to the threat of growing cooperation between prisoners of the Rehabilitation Center, Andersen has assigned the protagonist to rehabilitate the Nikkes leading the prisoners and remove them from the complex, thereby leaving their factions leaderless and restoring order.

#### Heretic Investigation

Following the events of Chapter 20, Cecil crafts the protagonist a special device able to detect the presence of Heretics. It's her hope that with this device, the protagonist can track down the Heretics, and either neutralize them or even potentially persuade them to fight for humanity instead of the Raptures.

## Trivia

* In the chapter 1 animation and some promotional art, it can be assumed that the commander is male.
* Due to inconsistencies in dubbing and translation, the game will sometimes use "they" and other forms of ambiguous language after previously referring to the protagonist with "he".
* The protagonist has the same blood type as Deputy Chief Andersen. As of chapter 20, it's revealed that this blood type is Rh X, the blood that contains Vapaus.

## References

Notes

References
1. ↑ Exactly 1 day after graduation - Anis, Fall#Joining\_In:\_B
2. ↑ Anis, Corruption#Bandage:\_B
3. ↑ Corruption#Conflict:\_A
4. ↑ There's no anti air Rapture but the ship crashed. Only internal damage could lead to that. Corruption#Red\_Eye:\_A
5. ↑ Corruption#Return\_to\_the\_Ark
6. ↑ Short Anime, epilogue of Corruption#Red\_Eye:\_B
7. ↑ Return
8. ↑ Corruption#Return\_to\_the\_Ark
9. ↑ Ingrid, Corruption#The\_Trial
10. ↑ a commander and any given Nikke squad can only cooperate once every 3 missions - Rapi, Corruption#The\_Trial
11. ↑ Neon, Identification#Investigate\_the\_Power\_Station
12. ↑ Identification#Long\_Live\_Firepower
13. ↑ Shifty, Identification#Investigate\_the\_Power\_Station
14. ↑ Shifty, Identification#Command\_Center
15. ↑ Shifty, Identification#Into\_the\_Power\_Station
16. ↑ Neon, Identification#Dark,\_Damp,\_and\_Stinky
17. ↑ Neon, Identification#Dark,\_Damp,\_and\_Stinky
18. ↑ Shifty, Identification#Dropped\_It:\_A
19. ↑ Shifty, Identification#Dropped\_It:\_A
20. ↑ Anis, Identification#Dropped\_It:\_B
21. ↑ Andersen, Identification#Responsibility
22. ↑ Identification#Humans\_and\_Monsters
23. ↑ Enlightenment#Secret\_Operation
24. ↑ Enlightenment#Codename\_Chatterbox
25. ↑ Enlightenment#Codename\_Chatterbox
26. ↑ Rapi, Enlightenment#Ruler\_of\_Senses
27. ↑ Mihara, Enlightenment#Ruler\_of\_Senses
28. ↑ Bouquet#Garrolous\_Talker:\_B
29. ↑ Bouquet#Absolute:\_B
30. ↑ Shifty, Bouquet#Meaning\_of\_Existence
31. ↑ Bouquet#Judgement
32. ↑ Bouquet#Farewell
33. ↑ Bouquet#Floral\_Tribute
34. ↑ Bouquet#Commander's\_Order
35. ↑ Bouquet#A\_Touch\_of\_Vengeance
36. ↑ Bouquet#Up\_North
37. ↑ Bouquet#En-tertainment!
38. ↑ Wonderland#Replacements
39. ↑ Wonderland#Replacements
40. ↑ Wonderland#Snow\_Land
41. ↑ Wonderland#Snowstorm
42. ↑ Wonderland#Frozen\_World:\_A
43. ↑ Wonderland#Frozen\_World:\_B
44. ↑ Wonderland#Rabbity
45. ↑ Wonderland#Unlimited
46. ↑ Wonderland#Reunited:\_A
47. ↑ Wonderland#Reunited:\_B
48. ↑ Wonderland#The\_Legendary\_Weapon
49. ↑ Wonderland#Research\_Institute
50. ↑ Wonderland#Big\_and\_Sturdy:\_B