13 Fake Ascension

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EX04 Echo Aria →

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13 Fake Ascension

Babylonia

Eden Fallen

Using Huaxu’s key they acquired during the battle of Kowloong Metropolis and the World Government’s high-power antenna Luna seized from the ARU, the Ascendants exploit a vulnerability in Gestalt to launch a direct attack on Babylonia. Following Luna’s command, Huaxu overtakes the control of Babylonia’s gravity engines, causing it to descend rapidly towards Earth. To prevent Babylonia from falling, the Gray Ravens enter a simulation named the Spear of F.O.S., through which the Commandant’s consciousness and Constructs’ M.I.N.D. are uploaded to Gestalt, allowing them to address and resolve its vulnerability.

At the same time, yet another individual infiltrates Gestalt via the simulation: Murray has been tasked by Hassen and Nikola to retrieve a certain piece of data from its database. Hassen and Nikola are aware that Murray has been bargaining with unknown parties behind their backs but are nonetheless willing to turn a blind eye to his personal machinations as long as his actions ultimately benefit Babylonia. After acquiring the data and exiting the simulation, Murray is confronted by the Scarab squad, who forces him to hand over the memory drive he is carrying under Nikola’s orders.

The Gray Ravens chase one of Huaxu’s sub-terminals disguised as Bianca, which ultimately leads to the discovery of the main intrusion terminal. The Ascendants’ initial plan to crash Babylonia fails and Luna orders everyone to retreat. This failure leads Luna to suspect that Huaxu may not be completely loyal to her.

The data retrieved from the simulation by the Gray Ravens allows Babylonia to narrow down the Ascendants’ coordinates to the ruins of City 075. This finally provides an opportunity for Babylonia to approach their mysterious enemies for the first time. Even though they may not be able to destroy the Ascendants right away, they can still uncover invaluable information on them should they succeed in tracking them down.

With Gestalt’s systems now normalized, Hassen decides that the time has come for them to launch a counteroffensive against the Ascendants and assigns the Gray Ravens to investigate the city ruins. Before they depart, Hassen gives the Commandant the key that can unlock Lucia’s sealed memories contained within her Plume frame.

Awakening of Heart

This section of the story can only be unlocked by playing Chapter 13: Fake Ascension in Explore Mode.

The task of retrieving a lost data file within Gestalt assigned to Murray is revealed to be a part of Hassen and Nikola’s secret plan to test him. Hassen and Nikola feign a rivalry between them by having Hassen secretly contact Murray after their initial meeting to emphasize the data’s importance to ending the war while hinting at the difference of opinion between the two leaders of Babylonia. Meanwhile, Nikola plays the role of the antagonist by ordering the Scarab squad to intercept Murray.

Inside the simulation, Murray’s first encounter with the Scarab squad ends with him successfully tricking them and slipping away. The Scarab squad then turns to Asimov to enlist his help in tracking down Murray’s coordinates. Although Asimov agrees to their request, he disparages them for being no better than weapons. However, Valeria and Yata—the commandant and a member of the Scarab squad, respectively—are content with acting like obedient dogs.

Murray hacks into Gestalt’s highest clearance database and retrieves the information Hassen and Nikola were looking for. He is in the process of extracting additional top-secret data when the Scarab squad reappears. Once again, he manages to outwit them and escapes. Murray then exits to the real world and returns to the Intelligence Agency Archives, from which he initially accessed the simulation. Upon leaving the room, he is confronted by the Scarab squad in person and hands them over the memory drive he is carrying. Unbeknownst to them, he has hidden another memory drive inside the room he just left.

After some time, Murray takes over as the liaison officer for the Gray Ravens’ mission by striking a deal with Nikola. For him, this is the only way to quickly get in touch with the Gray Ravens and protect his brother.

Invisible Spikes

This section of the story can only be unlocked by playing Chapter 13: Fake Ascension in Explore Mode.

During their pursuit of Murray, Valeria and Yata of the Scarab squad discover his access logs to Gestalt’s database. They suspect something serious is going on when they see that the logs contain search records of Kurono, Construct technology, and digital signatures of Hassen and Nikola. At the same time, they are aware that delving deeper into these topics—especially the information regarding Kurono—could very well lead to their demise. They turn their attention back to their mission, but the chase ultimately ends with Murray getting away.

Upon exiting the simulation, the Scarab squad reports their failure to Nikola. To their surprise, Nikola tells them they have completed the mission. He reveals that he intended them to be a backup to retrieve the data in case Murray failed his task. When Valeria asks Nikola for more information regarding their target, he merely describes Murray as “an untested friend” and orders them to confront him again, this time in the real world. The whole chain of events leaves Valeria wondering whether it really is right to follow commands without asking any questions.

World’s End

This section of the story can only be unlocked by playing Chapter 13: Fake Ascension in Explore Mode.

While Babylonia is falling, Nanami travels on Earth with her two robot friends, Martin and Rohacchi, in search of a means to get in touch with Gestalt. The three of them arrive at the ruins of a town consumed by the Punishing Virus. There, they find an antenna and terminal underground from which Nanami connects to Gestalt.

Gestalt proceeds to relay several pieces of information that guide Nanami’s future actions. First, Gestalt addresses itself as the other Will, distinct from Nanami but ultimately representing the same thing. Second, it asserts that Nanami can no longer be considered a human, a machine, a Constructed, a Corrupted, or even an in-between—she has already embarked on a path to become a being that transcends humanity’s existing categorization. Finally, according to both Gestalt and Huaxu’s calculations, humanity’s doom is all but certain.

Despite this, Nanami refuses to accept humanity’s fate. Gestalt is unable to comprehend Nanami’s love for humans, dismissing her attempts to help them as meaningless and suboptimal. According to Gestalt, the solution to evolution has been found, which does not involve the continuation of humanity. Nonetheless, Nanami is determined to give humans a chance at survival, no matter how slim it may be. She disconnects from Gestalt and resumes her journey. Her next objective is to find another companion.

Desert Ruins

Deserted Tide

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Blood Well

This section of the story can only be unlocked by playing Chapter 13: Fake Ascension in Explore Mode.

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Voiceless Self

This section of the story can only be unlocked by playing Chapter 13: Fake Ascension in Explore Mode.

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Underground Cavern

Shadow Companion

The Gray Ravens escape the Red Tide with the help of Bridget. Combining the survey data provided by the Support Force and coordinates left by Huaxu, they head to investigate the underground cavern underneath City 075, where it is suspected that the Ascendants have made their base.

After some searching, the entrance to the cavern is discovered to be a seemingly ordinary bomb shelter. The virus concentration in the shelter is quite low, so the Gray Ravens move in to investigate. However, Liv senses an abnormal burst of energy from underground that feels akin to that emitted by the Hetero-Creatures, albeit on a much more massive scale. She warns the rest of the squad, especially the Commandant, to be on their guard against the presence of a giant Hetero-Creature. The group also finds the trace of the Red Tide nearby. They come to the conclusion that this place must be where it originated.

They discover a throne surrounded by corpses of Babylonian Constructs inside the underground cavern. After clearing the Corrupted in the area, Lee takes the opportunity to use the Spear of F.O.S on the throne and Constructs’ remains to figure out what happened.

They learn that the facility is the source of the Corrupted in the area by looking into the memories of a Construct who was corrupted by Roland. Luna, sitting on the throne, grants the construct her blessing to become an Ascendant. It appears to work before the Construct collapses and becomes a Corrupted instead.

From the information they have gathered so far, Lee hypothesizes that in order to become an Ascendant, one must initially be corrupted by the Punishing Virus, then receive the blessing of an Agent, and finally to be accepted into the Ascension Network by the network itself. The Gray Ravens take a short break and reconnect their communications link to Babylonia. Upon discussing their situation with Murray, they figure that they need to proceed to the Core Area of the underground cavern. Murray allows the Gray Ravens to use the Spear of F.O.S to access some blocked consoles to help them go forward.

The Spear of F.O.S additionally reveals that Roland had previously used these consoles. Following his projection reveals that Roland had apparently had a confrontation with Gabriel there, and it becomes clear that Gabriel is no longer completely loyal to Luna.

At the same time, Luna and her Ascendants are informed of Gray Raven’s presence in the base. She commands Roland to confront them and asks Alpha to take Huaxu away.

Once they leave, Gabriel questions Luna’s motivations, asking her why she isn’t simply killing the Gray Ravens immediately. His experiments with the Hetero-Creatures have shown outstanding results yet Luna refuses to utilize them. This leads him to believe that she has lost faith in the Ascension Network. He then attacks Luna with an army of Hetero-Creatures, but Luna easily overpowers him.

After the fight, Gabriel informs Luna that he has a final trump card beneath the Core Area and takes her to see it. While the elevator descends, Luna notes that she is beginning to lose control of her frame.

Roland meets the Gray Ravens at the entrance to the Core Area. The Gray Ravens attack him immediately, but he defends and begins taunting them. He provokes Lucia and asks if she has the resolve to kill Luna with her own hands. A large earthquake interrupts the fight and Roland escapes, while raising the bridge to prevent the Gray Ravens from advancing. The Gray Ravens retreat to the surface with no way to reach the Core.

In the meantime, Alpha suspects Huaxu of betrayal and talks to it briefly in private about the attack on the ARU. She confirms her suspicions and resolves to destroy Huaxu after she deals with the Gray Ravens.

The Gray Ravens then return with short-range jetpacks which they use to cross the bridge to reach the elevator at the Core Area. A projection of Huaxu appears, which the Gray Ravens follow. They walk in on Roland and Alpha in the middle of an argument. Roland makes his exit while Alpha, who is holding Huaxu’s key, approaches the intruders. She uses Huaxu to paralyze Liv and Lee immediately. She also uses Huaxu to override the Commandant’s motor functions, causing them to nearly become corrupted. Enraged, Lucia attacks Alpha, but is clearly outmatched.

The Commandant nearly falls unconscious and hears Huaxu’s voice. Huaxu notes that the Commandant’s tolerance is strong enough to withstand connecting to the M.I.N.D. of an Ascendant and offers them a solution, which it claims to be the only way for the Gray Ravens to survive the encounter: to connect to Alpha’s M.I.N.D., using the fact that it originates from the same place as Lucia’s. This will stall her long enough for Liv and Lee to break free from the paralysis. Their goal is to stabilize Lucia’s M.I.N.D against Alpha’s, so that they can both enter Deep M.I.N.D together.

The Commandant forces themselves to stay awake by cutting themselves with a shard of glass. They temporarily distract Alpha by firing at her. They then unlock Lucia’s sealed memories with the key Hassen gave them. Afterwards, Huaxu establishes the M.I.N.D connection between Lucia and Alpha, plunging them both into their M.I.N.D.

Inside the M.I.N.D, Lucia finds her sealed memory which caused Alpha to abandon Babylonia. She enters it to discover the full truth.

After abandoning Murol and Xun under Ravenge’s orders during their mission in City 075, Lucia found Hiro, another member of the Gray Ravens, with a gunshot wound. She was then shot in the leg by Ravenge, who revealed that he intended to leave them to die so he could cover up his involvement with the Ascendants and return to Babylonia as the sole survivor. Lucia defended herself by cutting off Ravenge’s arm, at which point he ran away. Lucia attempted to defend Hiro despite their injuries, but her efforts were in vain. Hiro asked Lucia to mercy kill him, and she did. She then searched for Murol and Xun, but she found them amongst the horde of Corrupted, and was forced to kill them as well. Having retrieved the dog tags of her teammates, she then succumbed to her injuries.

After viewing the memory, a projection of Luna appears, trying to convert Lucia into an Ascendant as well. Lucia refuses, so Alpha attacks her. During their fight, a M.I.N.D quake occurs, causing Lucia to view even more of Alpha’s memories.

In those memories, Lucia sees Alpha attempting to talk to the Babylonian troops who knew Murol and Xun. However, they know nothing of the former Gray Ravens, as Babylonia had covered up the incident of Ravenge going rogue. Alpha loses her faith in humanity afterwards.

After returning from the memory, Lucia and Alpha resume their duel. This time, however, Lucia is on even footing with Alpha. Alpha throws Lucia back into her memories in another attempt to convince her that humanity is worthless. Lucia rejects her, which causes a projection of Luna to appear once more to try to convert Lucia. Lucia fights and defeats the projection of Luna. She then exits the M.I.N.D.

Back in the real world, Lucia sees Liv and Lee fighting Roland. Lucia immediately attacks Roland, but he disengages from the fight. Alpha, who has also returned from the M.I.N.D., charges towards Lucia, only to be held back by Liv and Lee. Lucia seizes the chance to force her back and is about to deliver the final blow when she is interrupted by Roland. Unexpectedly, Roland gives the Gray Ravens Huaxu’s key and tells them to get going, and that he’ll be Alpha’s opponent for now. The Gray Ravens waste no time heading deeper underground towards the Polyphage Abyss – the source of the Red Tide and the place where the Ascendants’ secret weapon lies.

Echoing Memories

This section of the story can only be unlocked by playing Chapter 13: Fake Ascension in Explore Mode.

During their investigation of City 075, Bridget asks the Gray Ravens to search for a Construct named Ruolin, a member of the Silk Worm squad. She went missing after her commandant and one of her teammates were consumed by the Red Tide. The Gray Ravens find her wandering near the tide. They learn that she had been extremely close to her commandant, and his death had affected her greatly. Nonetheless, they successfully convince her to return to the base by telling her that even though her commandant is no more, his will still lives on with Ruolin.

Some time later, Ruolin goes missing in action again. The Gray Ravens learn from Bridget that Babylonia offered to erase the part of her memory involving her dead commandant, but she backed out of it at the last minute. They leave to search for her once more. Ruolin is seen talking to a Red Tide projection of her commandant when they find her. They are too late to save her, and Ruolin leaps into the Tide.

Tide Direction

This section of the story can only be unlocked by playing Chapter 13: Fake Ascension in Explore Mode.

The Strike Hawks arrive at City 075 to collect samples of the Red Tide and to search for the Gray Ravens, after Babylonia loses contact with them. They encounter the Red Tide, which proves to be too dangerous even for Camu, whose status as a Transcendant makes him immune to the regular Punishing Virus.

Furthermore, the entrance to the underground cavern where the Gray Ravens are has been completely flooded by the Red Tide. They decide to split up: Kamui and Camu continue to look for the Gray Ravens while Wanshi and Chrome coordinate with other squads in City 075 to provide support.

Polyphage Abyss

Dark Reflections

Leaving Alpha and Roland behind, the Gray Raven team comes upon a large cavern with a lethal concentration of Punishing Virus. They spot a gargantuan Hetero Creature, called the Polyphage, standing in the middle of a lake of Red Tide. The size and power of the monster are so great that if it makes its way to the surface, not even Babylonia would be safe. Liv suggests calling reinforcements. However, Lee reasons that it would take too much time. The Ascendants were likely protecting the path to the surface and only a weapon of mass destruction could contend with the monster. Lucia leads the team to investigate the area and scout for a path of safe entry.

Before they can make much progress, they are contacted by Murray. He tells them of a transport pod located in one of the old factories and suggests they go there. Lee is suspicious of Murray's intimate knowledge of the underground city's layout. After the call ends, Lee asks Liv to analyze the background audio of the call. She finds that the call did not originate from Babylonia. Lee deduces that the "Murray" they just talked with is an imposter, trying to lead them into a trap. They suspect that it is most likely Lamia, the only Ascendant with the ability to turn invisible and shapeshift.

It's not long before "Murray" contacts them again and Lee accuses them of being a fake. "Murray" tries to find an excuse, but gives up all pretenses when the Commandant directly calls them "Lamia." Lamia claims she can safely guide the Gray Ravens to the Polyphage in exchange for Huaxu's key. Unable to trust Lamia’s words and with little time to spare, the Commandant orders the team to search for her.

The Gray Ravens quickly track her down and capture her without any resistance. They restrain her and have her guide them through the chasm. Another earthquake shakes the cavern originating from the Polyphage. It causes Lucia to believe something has happened to Luna.

They arrive at the epicenter, which is a crater of rubble. Lamia notes that Luna is the only Ascendant she knows who is capable of such destruction. The Gray Ravens are unable to deduce who Luna’s opponent was, so Lamia extracts a recording organ from a nearby Hetero Creature. The Commandant loads the information into the Spear of F.O.S..

A projection shows Gabriel and Luna standing before the Polyphage. Gabriel intends to have the Polyphage transform everything into the Red Tide, letting the Ascendants rule over the world devoid of all lifeforms. He admits that the Polyphage is missing a crucial component to becoming functional: an Ascendant.

Gabriel nominates Alpha, which causes Luna to react violently. Gabriel reminds her that all Ascendants are obligated to sacrifice for the Ascension Network. Luna refuses to abandon her sister, calling the Polyphage a fruitless attempt. The Ascension Network’s plan was to create a paradise for the worthy, not to rid the world of everything.

Gabriel says that the bodies of Ascendants are just temporary tools to accomplish greater things. His vision of the future is one where the Red Tide swallows everything and gives birth to Hetero Creatures that continually evolve to replace Ascendants and even Agents. He then introduces the Heterozygote Queen, a creature possessing power on par with an Agent that would act as a terminal for the Polyphage.

Luna challenges this new creature to see if Gabriel's words hold any weight. She has to expend a tremendous amount of effort to defeat it. Luna suspects that the power she receives from the Ascension Network is waning. Gabriel then attacks Luna from behind, accusing her of betraying the Ascension Network. He declares that she is no longer fit to be an Agent. Tentacles from the Polyphage wrap around Luna’s limbs and immobilize her. She is swallowed despite her struggles.

When the projection ends, the Gray Ravens hurry to the Polyphage. Lamia creates bridges out of the Punishing Virus to get over the wide gaps. She says that the Polyphage has become extremely powerful after devouring Luna. Liv theorizes that the only way to defeat the Polyphage would be to remove Luna from the Energy Core. Lucia suggests that the team split up: Liv, Lee, and the Commandant would take Lamia to the surface to call for reinforcements while Lucia attempts to hold off the Polyphage. Liv and Lee refuse to leave her behind. In the middle of this, Lamia manages to melt her restraints. She attempts to steal Huaxu's key from the Commandant. Lee intercepts her, but she still escapes.

The bridges that had allowed them to come this far also crumble, leaving the Gray Ravens stranded next to the Polyphage. They give up on tracking Lamia, but Lee comments that she is far too familiar with the Spear of F.O.S. Sometime after her escape, Lamia is contacted by the true Murray and he speaks of the favor he owes her in exchange for helping the Gray Ravens.

The team arrives at the Polyphage and encounters Gabriel and the Heterozygote Queen. Gabriel blames Lucia for leading Luna astray from the path of a perfect Agent by allowing her to become sentimental. Gabriel had originally planned to have the Polyphage consume both Alpha and Luna, but Alpha never showed up. He informs the Gray Ravens that once the Polyphage fully fuses with Luna, it will show everyone that his vision for the future is the correct one.

Gabriel is disappointed that the Commandant cannot envision the same future as him. Before leaving, he summons vast amounts of Hetero Creatures from the Red Tide and sends the Heterozygote Queen to protect Luna. The Gray Ravens prepare for battle. Lucia finds an opening to fire an ice blast that exposes and damages the Polyphage's core. Before they can celebrate, the Polyphage begins to repair itself. The team realizes that the only way to stop the Polyphage would be to remove Luna from its core.

Lucia confesses that despite the Ascendants being humanity’s enemies, she still wants to save her sister. Liv, Lee, and the Commandant are supportive of her wish. They refuse to let her go by herself.

Down below, Roland barely puts up a fight against Alpha. She finds this suspicious and asks about his intentions. Roland reveals Gabriel's plan: to feed Luna and Alpha to the Polyphage, as Gabriel believes them both to have betrayed the Ascension Network. Roland's desire to see Luna's wish fulfilled, so he delayed Alpha, hoping someone would remain to defeat the Polyphage. Before Roland can say more, Gabriel appears from the shadows. Roland retreats, leaving Alpha to face off against Gabriel alone.

She accuses Gabriel of betraying Luna, but he fires back that Luna is the traitor. Gabriel declares Alpha to be the greatest threat to the Ascension Network. Alpha retorts that she has no intention of being devoured by the Polyphage. She believes that the Gray Ravens will last long enough for her to defeat Gabriel.

Back above, Hetero Creatures hinder the Gray Ravens. Lee locates the Polyphage’s weak points and incapacitates its arms. However, the rate at which the Hetero Creatures spawn is too high. Liv and Lee stay behind to open up a path for Lucia and the Commandant to breach.

Meanwhile, Lucia and the Commandant arrive at the top of the Polyphage and see Luna trapped inside the Energy Core. The Heterozygote Queen attacks. Lucia and the Queen trade blows. The Queen gains the upper hand by copying and adapting to Lucia’s moves. When the Polyphage begins manifesting tendrils that attack alongside the Queen, Lucia throws the Commandant a case that contains a spare katana as she attempts to hold off the horde. The Commandant uses this blade to cut open the shell of the core.

The Polyphage and Queen are about to overwhelm them, but they suddenly stop moving as if they lost all direction. Unbeknownst to them, Roland had located another hidden Heterozygote Queen. He speculates that Gabriel had made a second terminal as a contingency plan. Roland defeats the copy before he falls unconscious. This gives the Gray Ravens an opening.

Seizing the opportunity, the Commandant reaches inside, ignoring the lethal Punishing virus concentration to link to Luna’s chaotic M.I.N.D. They arrive at a mental landscape that is an endless black void. A projection of Luna appears. She thinks the Commandant is a fake created by the Ascension Network to manipulate her. Her only wish is to create a world where Lucia doesn’t have to carry the burden alone.

The Commandant assures Luna that they are real and that they need her help to save Alpha and Lucia. The Ascension Network pushes the Commandant out of the M.I.N.D. connection. Luna, having regained consciousness first, wakes the Commandant. The Queen is overpowering Lucia, and Luna says that the only way for them to save her would be for the Commandant to connect their M.I.N.D. Beacon to Luna’s M.I.N.D. Despite the risks, the Commandant agrees.

The Ascension Network grants Luna more power when it perceives the Commandant’s link to her as a threat. The Commandant’s determination makes Luna ponder if a different path to a perfect world exists. She gathers up the Hetero Polymers and uses them to destroy the Polyphage’s Core. The blast knocks out the Commandant and Lucia.

When they regain consciousness, Luna is nowhere to be seen. The cavern begins to collapse. The Commandant tries to carry Lucia out of the cavern. However, a quake topples the platform they are standing on. Luckily, Bridget and the Support Force arrive to save them. They reunite with the other Gray Ravens and make a hasty escape.

Blasphemy

This section of the story can only be unlocked by playing Chapter 13: Fake Ascension in Explore Mode.

Gabriel checks the adjustments he needs to make to his left arm after his experiment on it failed. Roland approaches him to see if he survived the explosion. Gabriel doesn’t appreciate his presence, so he grabs his hat and prepares to leave.

Roland stops him, questioning Gabriel’s desire for a frame enhancement if they’re invincible as Ascendants. Gabriel says the difference between them is that he has always been a machine, whereas Roland is a human. Gabriel reminisces about his past. After breaking free from humans, he almost got destroyed until Luna rescued him and transformed him into an Ascendant. Roland then asks Gabriel if he knows what the Ascension Network is. Gabriel replies they should give it their all and not know more. He leaves Roland to ponder his words alone.

While standing next to the Red Tide, Gabriel scatters Corrupted pieces in it, noting that the tide can’t be fed by Corrupted alone. He submerges a suitcase with a wrecked half-body inside, and the Hetero-Creatures quickly envelop it, devouring his arm in the process. New creatures emerge from the Red Tide. As Gabriel replaces his arm, he hopes Luna lives up to his expectations, as she did in the past, now that her sister is with them. Otherwise, he isn’t sure how he would act.

Adverse Impact

This section of the story can only be unlocked by playing Chapter 13: Fake Ascension in Explore Mode.

Lamia meets with the robot “421” again. She fears dying since no matter what she does—fighting or fleeing—the Polyphage and Gabriel will kill her. “421” offers her a deal: if she fulfills certain conditions, it will help her escape the conflict. Although they’re on different sides, Lamia accepts, and “421” says it wants Huaxu’s key.

Afterward, “421” informs someone about Lamia agreeing to the deal. “421” then asks about the protection from Kurono for a single person, not needing more than a decent number of weapons. In exchange, 421 will get the other party information about the Agents in the Ascension Network. They assure “421” that Kurono will complete the mission without attracting attention.

Faith Praises

This section of the story can only be unlocked by playing Chapter 13: Fake Ascension in Explore Mode.

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Engraver

This section of the story can only be unlocked by playing Chapter 13: Fake Ascension in Explore Mode.

Somewhere in a dark and dilapidated building, a lone robot emanates a projection of Murray. He is joined shortly by Huaxu and they exchange formalities following their first meeting. Huaxu questions why Murray has so willingly revealed himself, to which Murray responds that he is showing respect to Huaxa's master—Lady Qu. Directly addressed, the head of Kowloong's projection joins the conversation and asks about Murray's true intentions. He proposes a deal, noting that Qu must have handed Huaxu over to Luna with the underlying motive of disrupting the agent's work. Qu confirms Murray's deductions and Murray continues to lay out the details of his plan. He asks to keep Huaxu's "key" a while longer in exchange for Luna's real-time information. After all, they both share a common enemy they wish to take down. Qu questions the validity of Murray's information—without trust, there can be no deal. However, Murray points out that Qu can have Huaxu erase his existence at any time. As a human, Murray cherishes his life and wishes to survive the war that now defines the world. His words remind Qu of Villier, ultimately convincing her to accept his deal. Murray thanks her and expresses that he looks forward to working together with her.

Back in Kowloong, Qu and Bai Gui discuss their recent experience with Babylonia. Qu does not seem to mind their loss to Babylonia. She now has all the time in the world to concoct a new plan. With a seemingly new understanding of humans, she is no longer hellbent on finding a method of killing them all in an instant. Instead, she declares a new priority—to eliminate Luna no matter how the Tabula Akasha evolves. For this, the deal she made with Murray must be seen to completion.

Collection

Ashes

This section of the story can only be unlocked by collecting 10 copies of Deep Memory Shard - Ember in Explore Mode

Lucia and Lee analyze the data left by an unnamed Construct who defected from Babylonia. Lee initially hesitates since the data is related to the previous Lucia but plays it regardless.

In the first recording, the Construct is in awe as she observes Lucia training with her blade. At the same time, she notices how Lucia has seemingly grown much more stoic and lonelier ever since she lost her former squad and commandant. She tries to ask Lucia if she can join the Gray Ravens yet lacks the courage to do so. Instead, she submits a written application but is met with rejection.

The unnamed Construct continues to admire Lucia. Some time passes and she sees Lucia, now in her Dawn frame, being more receptive to those around her. While training, she is joined by other Constructs such as Liv, Karenina, and Kamui but most of the time, it is the Commandant who accompanies her.

Meanwhile, the unknown Construct is assigned to non-combat missions within her squad due to her lack of strength. While on a routine mission in the conservation area, the squad encounters falling Hetero-Core shards, which lure a group of Corrupted towards them. Their commandant is killed and the Constructs are corrupted during the ensuing battle.

As her corruption levels steadily rise, the unnamed Construct recalls seeing Lucia’s figure – who is actually Alpha – amidst the smoke of the explosion and ponders why “Lucia” has turned into an Ascendant.

Roland visits her at a later time and claims they have met before, to which she has no memory of. He congratulates the Construct for passing the Ascension Network’s preliminary screening and takes her to see Luna in an underground facility. Luna tries to bestow the Ascension Network’s power to the Construct but she fails the filtering and is discarded.

An unknown amount of time passes before the Construct awakens in the middle of Corrupted remains. She hears a familiar voice – whom she recognizes to be Lucia’s. Though her lower body is missing, the unknown Construct tries to crawl out of the debris, motivated by the desire to meet the person she has admired for so long. Lucia notices her after eliminating most of the Corrupted and recognizes her from Babylonia. She holds the Construct’s outstretched hand and vows to end the conflict.

Before the unknown Construct shuts down, she tries calling Lucia’s name for the last time.

Answer

This section of the story can only be unlocked by collecting 10 copies of Deep Memory Shard - Answers in Explore Mode

Before the Ascendants launch their attack on Babylonia, Roland begins to narrate his first meeting with Luna,

In a flashback, Luna wonders why the newly-corrupted Roland is alive. She initially expresses little interest in him, merely telling him to do what he must before leaving. However, due to a lack of purpose, he continues to follow Luna. Roland states that he wants to express his gratitude for giving him a new life and in order to find his purpose, which she consents. Later, when the duo settle down in a campfire, Roland ponders if his purpose may cause him to leave or become Luna’s enemy. Luna replies that she does not mind eliminating him if necessary. Impressed by her conviction, Roland swears his loyalty to Luna.

While the Gray Ravens celebrate their victory at Venus Splash Park, Roland overhears Luna and Alpha’s conversation about turning back into regular Constructs using Shome’s research. He pulls out a hidden storage device, which contains another copy of Shome’s research regarding the essence of the Ascension Network. This leads Roland to reflect if this is truly Luna’s purpose.

Back in the present, Gabriel urges Roland to prepare for the next mission.Gabriel excitedly claims that as long as Babylonia falls, he can use “it” to his full potential. Luna asks each of the Ascendants what kind of world they want to see before commencing Babylonia’s fall. While Lamia remains indifferent and Gabriel provides a wary answer, Roland claims that the world which Luna dreams of is his goal.

Roland finds out Luna’s true intention behind her questionable behavior in Venus Splash Park and the ARU after figuring out her new “purpose”: to be together with Lucia and Alpha, both of whom she considers to be her sister. This is confirmed when Luna chooses not to instantly wipe out the Gray Ravens when they infiltrate the underground cavern. Roland questions Lucia whether she would be able to kill Luna if the Commandant asked her to. Lucia proclaims that they will not make her choose and respect whatever choice she will make. Before he can press her further, Gabriel’s plans interrupt him and Roland escapes.

When Alpha chases down Roland after he gives Huaxu’s key to the Gray Ravens and allows them to escape, she questions what his purpose is. Roland believes that only by destroying Alpha, the Gray Ravens, and Babylonia will Luna be able to unleash the true power of the Ascension Network. But if Luna still craves the warmth of her family – Alpha and Lucia, then the Gray Ravens will be the key to his plans. To this end, he has prepared a “bargaining chip”.

Unwavering in his response, Roland declares his purpose once more in following Luna until her dream is fulfilled.

← EX03 Lost Chapter

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