EX01 Grand Blue
| ← 12 Kowloong Metropolis | EX02 Firn Night → |
EX01 Grand Blue
Main Story
After the battle of Kowloong, Nikola suggests a “vacation spot” for the Commandant and the Gray Ravens at Venus Splash Park, a seaside resort built before the emergence of the Punishing Virus. Hassen realizes that Nikola must be up to something, because the Cerberus squad, which takes direct orders from Nikola, has gone dark on their surveillance system.
The Gray Ravens are joined by the Strike Hawk squad, Ayla, Sophia, and Karenina at the park. Unbeknownst to them, the Cerberus squad and Luna’s group of Ascendants are also operating in other parts of the park.
The Commandant and the Constructs enjoy a brief rest on the beach, where they are given a moment to contemplate everything they have accomplished so far and their uncertainties about the future. In the middle of the conversation, they suddenly detect movement nearby. Tracking down the source of the movement leads them to Shome, an Ascendant who is on the run from Luna and her subordinates.
Just then, Roland, who has been working under Luna’s orders to kill Shome and destroy his research, appears and is surprised to see the Babylonian Constructs at the park. By eliminating Shome, the Ascendants seek not only to deter the man himself but also to have his death serve as a warning to whoever is behind him.
Shome flees, and Roland decides to take care of the Commandant and the Constructs before continuing to pursue him. Roland incapacitates Kamui using a signal containing malicious code, which forces the group to retreat and contact Asimov for a diagnosis. According to Asimov, Roland’s attack has sealed Kamui’s consciousness inside his own M.I.N.D. and rendered it inaccessible. He suggests they bring him back to Babylonia for emergency treatment, or else his consciousness will start destabilizing and his sense of self will disappear.
As Chrome calls for a transport craft, Kamui wakes up. However, it is Camu’s consciousness that awakens in Kamui’s frame. Upon hearing the group’s explanation regarding their encounter with Roland and Kamui’s current state, Camu decides he would rather solve the problem straight away by eliminating Roland rather than returning to Babylonia. However, the Punishing Virus density in Camu rises, and he almost goes berserk. Liv lowers his power output as a temporary measure. Asimov explains that this is the result of the control system being unable to connect to Camu’s data. Camu lacks access to most of the terminals in Kamui’s frame because he has handed over its ownership to Kamui in the past. Asimov also classifies Camu as a “Transcendant,” a new category of Constructs with Ascendant-like nature due to the presence of the Ascension Network signal inside their Inver-Device but are not quite connected to the Ascension Network to the point of becoming an actual Ascendant. In Camu’s case, he has turned into a Transcendant because of Roland somehow granting him Ascendant characteristics.
The Commandant uses the mini remote connection device they were given back in Babylonia to temporarily stabilize Camu. Camu then pursues Roland and demands that he return Kamui’s frame to its prior state. Roland remarks that Camu has passed the Ascension Network's trial in his own way, but admonishes him for “disappointing” the network despite having done so. Roland once again incapacitates Camu and leaves when he hears an alarm warning of an intruder in the park's underground.
The Commandant and other Constructs catch up to Camu. Asimov warns Camu against acting recklessly and putting Kamui’s frame at risk. He then proposes that Camu return Kamui’s fame to Babylonia, and in exchange, he will be given a new frame of his own that can adequately house his M.I.N.D. Camu accepts.
With Camu in his new frame, the group resumes their search for Roland throughout the park. They follow his tracks to an airlock leading to a tunnel, which has been rendered inaccessible due to an extremely high density of Punishing Virus inside that cannot be offset by regular Inver-Devices. Camu volunteers to head inside alone: his nature as a Transcendant allows him to walk safely even in high viral density areas, just like the Ascendants. Camu eventually reaches the underground control room, from which he contacts the rest of the group and triggers mechanisms that allow them to head deeper into the park.
Meanwhile, Roland reports Shome’s whereabouts to Luna. He suggests that they have a Corrupted kill Shome, so that he and the data he holds will pose no threat to them. Luna denies his suggestion and tells him to follow the plan. Although Roland’s loyalty to Luna is absolute, he wonders what true purpose Luna is hiding.
Camu is about to leave the control room when he is attacked by Lamia. She knows Camu’s frame is still unstable and that Kamui’s personality will soon disappear at this rate. She offers for him to join the Ascendants, who can provide him with a new stable frame. Camu rejects her as he would rather have control over his own life; he mentions the existence of Ascendants who are not part of Luna’s group and do not follow the Ascension Network, such as Qu, the leader of Kowloong, as proof that he, too, can decide his own path. Lamia disappears after hearing this.
On the surface, the group detects traces of multiple Ascendants and splits up to search for them. During the search, Sophia encounters Nanami, while the Gray Ravens notice Vera and her Cerberus squad, who begin to set off explosions all over the park. In a flashback, it is revealed that Nikola is the one who sent Cerberus to track down Shome. He orders Vera to wait for his signal when it is time for them to act, claiming that she will also find what she wants–pain. After Vera leaves, Nikola informs an unknown figure that Vera has accepted the mission. Back in the present, the Gray Ravens track the Cerberus squad while they set up more explosives. Not knowing that they are on a mission assigned to them by Nikola, the Gray Ravens confront the Cerberus squad regarding their destructive actions. The confrontation ends with Noctis throwing a smoke bomb and the Cerberus squad making their escape.
In the underground tunnels, Camu finally re-establishes contact with the group. They help him find his way out, and the group reconvenes, but their reunion is cut short when Liv detects multiple Ascendants in the park’s main plaza.
Luna corners Shome at the main plaza. Shome questions why she wants him dead even when she is not after what he knows. Luna answers that it is because he has squandered his second chance granted by a “merciful Agent” by stepping into territories he is not supposed to. Furthermore, through his death, she wants to send a message to other Agents that humans aren’t worth saving. She has also had all backups of his information destroyed. Shome is then devoured by the park’s Shark-spear statue. The Commandant and the Constructs arrive only to see the gruesome aftermath of Shome's death scattered all over the plaza, with Gabriel standing over it.
A battle breaks out between the group and Gabriel. Gabriel manages to trap the Commandant, but Vera arrives and breaks his hold. She injects them with adrenaline to prevent their untimely death before facing off against Gabriel with Noctis and No. 21. The Cerberus squad tricks Gabriel and manages to acquire his network model. Vera mocks him by telling him that even though Shome is dead, they can take what he was hiding from Gabriel, too. From the beginning, their purpose was not to destroy Gabriel but to get their hands on the “Ascension Network” on him. Gabriel, however, takes to the air and escapes.
At the same time, the Commandant is in a state of semi-consciousness due to an attack they sustained during the battle with Gabriel. Then the Commandant hears a voice recording that Shome created and hid outside the Ascendants’ detection range before his death. In the recording, Shome acknowledges that he will most likely have been devoured by Shark-speare, but his knowledge of the Ascension Network is hidden in the sixth section of his spine, which can’t be destroyed by its teeth. Shome’s final message concludes with him saying that, despite not being a good person, he is leaving everything to them so that his knowledge can be humanity’s ember. The Commandant then wakes up and leads the Constructs to fight the corrupted Shark-speare, who has swallowed Shome, to retrieve his data. Luna watches everything from afar and disappears, stating that her goal has been achieved.
In the aftermath, Babylonia sends its troops to Venus Splash Park in order to rebuild it as a base for defense and research. They are unable to find any traces of the Ascendants. Hassen assumes that they must have left after getting what they came for. The Commandant wonders what Shome’s death and the whole incident at the park were for, but decides to get some rest and wait for orders for now. The Commandant notices Vera on the Ferris Wheel and thanks her for saving their life. Lee joins them and extends his gratitude as well, while Vera remarks that he has changed since his days in Kurono. The party then winds down for the night, enjoying fireworks prepared by Karenina and the Engineering Force.
Later, Asimov calls the Commandant to update them on Kamui and Camu’s condition. He says that even with the two consciousnesses separated, their stability will incrementally decrease over time, so their only solution right now is to occasionally send Camu back to Kamui’s frame, which should help to restabilize both of their consciousnesses. Hassen considers Camu an important part of Babylonia’s counterattack against the Punishing Virus, but gives him a choice between working with Babylonia or walking away to do whatever he wants, at the cost of having to leave Kamui and the Gray Ravens behind for the rest of his life.
Camu ultimately chooses the former, saying that he will try to believe in Kamui and that staying with them might not be so bad.
Hidden Story
The goal of Shome’s research is to find a way to pass the filtering process administered by the Ascension network without the need for an Agent. He makes a record of what he has discovered so far and hides the data in his spine before leaving the research facility.
Shome encounters Roland, who mockingly tells him that he forgot Shome is also an Ascendant because he was not among those chosen by Luna and all he does is research. Shome considers dealing with Roland a waste of his time and leaves. Roland then rendezvous with Gabriel. They proceed to blow up the research facility to remove all traces of Shome’s research before killing him.
In a flashback, the Ascendants’ reason for pursuing Shome is revealed. Roland relays to Luna intel extracted from a certain scar-faced man about Venus Splash Park supposedly being Shome’s final destination. Then, a middle-aged man’s voice gives them the coordinates for Shome’s current research facility in a desert in North America over the comms. Luna’s goal is to completely destroy Shome’s research and give him the painful death he deserves: Shome has coveted what he must not touch through his research, and she considers this a grave transgression. Thus, they plan to lead Shome to Venus Splash Park, the place of his childhood, and confront him there.
The Ascendants split up to accomplish their mission. Alpha hunts Shome while the others gather at the park. She finds him being interrogated by the Forsaken. Shome eventually escapes on an aircraft, and Alpha is confronted by Watanabe and his men. The battle between Alpha and Watanabe ends in a stalemate when they agree to let Alpha continue her pursuit of Shome while Watanabe and the Forsaken take care of their injured members.
At Venus Splash Park, Luna, Lamia, Roland, and Gabriel proceed with the preparations to turn the park—originally built for Shome by his grandfather—into his final resting place. Luna hopes that the cruel method of his execution will also serve as a warning to those who refuse to stay in line. Using the items they obtained at the battle of Kowloong, the Ascendants heavily increase the density of the Punishing Virus in the area. Luna corrupts the Shark-speare statue, the park’s mascot, and Shome’s childhood friend. During their preparations, the middle-aged man’s voice who previously gave them the coordinates for Shome’s research facility contacts them to inform them of the completion of the wrap-up of the situation in Kowloong and Babylonia’s planned collaboration with the ARU. Luna, however, decides to prioritize destroying Shome and his research for the time being.
Seeing Shome arrive on the island on his aircraft, Roland goes after him but is stopped by Camu. Shome takes this chance to flee, only to end up being confronted by both Luna and Gabriel. He then realizes that his end is near and divulges his motivations for carrying out his research and the information he has uncovered. Shome claims that the true nature of the Ascension Network is essentially a communication protocol where power is granted through a port, but with strict access requirements. Only those who connect to it and survive the constant filtering can become Ascendants. Should one fail to endure the torturous filtering process, they are reduced to mindless Corrupted.
However, not all Ascendants are naturally filtered by the Ascension Network or by an Agent such as Luna. This was what happened in the “Lullaby” experiment, which gave birth to the first artificial Ascendant. The artificial Ascendant created in this experiment was none other than Shome.
Through his research, Shome seeks to reproduce the “Lullaby” experiment, thereby creating an army of artificial Ascendants who would become the most powerful force on Earth and wipe out any dissidents. Luna then shows him the truth: the reason Shome could pass the filtering and become an Ascendant was not because the experiment was successful but because of his own morbid obsession. Shome despairs, realizing that he has been chasing after a delusional goal and that he has been deceived by the person who spurred him on. Luna leaves him to die.
Later, Alpha meets Luna on the beach and wonders why she doesn't look happy, even though everything went according to plan. Luna does not respond. Alpha reassures her sister by saying that she can tell her whenever she feels like it.
Luna and the Ascendants enjoy a moment of respite. That same evening, Alpha and Luna take a stroll on the beach while Lamia sets off fireworks.
Luna asks Alpha what she would do if they could hypothetically turn back into Constructs. Alpha considers it an impossible scenario. Luna, however, claims that it is, in fact, possible, as there is another side to Shome’s research that points to the true “Origin.”
Roland watches Luna and Alpha leave the beach, deep in his thoughts.
Stranded
This section of the story was originally part of a teaser for the current chapter and can only be accessed from Story Replay in Codex.
After the battle in Kowloong, Jamilah and Watanabe trade information with each other. Jamilah shares Babylonia's success in downsizing the link chamber, suggesting that they may have something planned. On the other hand, Watanabe shows a terminal containing information he obtained from an Ascendant – a set of coordinates and a red X marking another Ascendant. This implies that there may be some infighting in the group. Changyu and Sophia recognize the coordinates belonging to Venus Splash Park and suggest that they head there. Jamilah invites Watanabe to join Akdilek but he refuses, stating that he does not want to join a group formed on grudges and obsessions.
Roland is still studying Selena, remarking that she is neither dead nor alive in her current state. Gabriel reminds him that Luna has called them to discuss Venus Splash Park and sets aside Huaxu for now. Roland calls Lamia and tells her to figure out where the main body of Gestalt is located since they only have the “key” for now before leaving.
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