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The situation in the Ark was a chaotic mess.
A hole suddenly appeared in the Dome of Eternity.
Raptures with glowing emerald cores instead of the usual crimson ones had appeared near the Central Government headquarters.
Deputy Chief Doban had gone off on his own with mass-produced Nikkes and commanders to purge the Outer Rim.
Communication with Enikk had been cut off.
Communication with the CEOs in general had been cut off as well.
Elysion HQ was dark.
Tetra Line was operational, but Mustang was coordinating with Tetra Line Nikkes to bring citizens back inside their homes.
Chaos.
Utter chaos.
But even in that chaos, Burningum remained calm, sitting in his office and sorting through the information while trying to find the root cause.
'This was coordinated.'
Burningum's eyes flitted towards the various fragmented reports coming in from mass-produced Nikkes, Papillon scouting on foot, as well as the various threads on Tetra Line's forums.
'The question is, why?'
Burningum tapped his fingers on his desk, parsing everything.
The timing was too coincidental.
The moment that the explosion happened, Doban moved.
The moment that the explosion happened, Enikk went dark.
And the moment that the explosion happened... Commander Hoopa happened to be right underneath the hole in the Dome of Eternity.
'Did he plan this? ...No. He's a hero, but he doesn't play games like this for reputation.'
The framing was undoubtedly to put Commander Hoopa in a bad light.
Unfortunately, whoever wanted to do that failed to comprehend the depths of Commander Hoopa's preparations.
...Indeed, even Burningum failed to comprehend it.
Glancing at the grainy pictures of the armored white knight slashing through Raptures showing up on the forums from his data pad, Burningum let out a soft chuckle and murmured, "He is undoubtedly Andersen's son. And he appears to take after Liliweiss as well... his way of fighting is quite flashy."
Burningum had set that prerequisite for him to create a Nikke equivalent to properly create Abnormal as a fourth pillar in the Nikke manufacturing industry.
...But it was unthinkable that Commander Hoopa would simply use himself as proof of it.
'Is it a counterplay against Missilis?'
Since Syuen... or whoever had become Syuen, had painted a narrative of taking responsibility for any faults by becoming a Nikke, there was a silent pressure there.
An unspoken declaration stating 'I trust my technology enough to use it on myself.'
Mustang... since Tetra Line was specifically for entertainment these days, he was exempted from it.
But people would question why Ingrid had not turned herself into a Nikke as well, and Syuen could point to that as a flaw, as well as hold that fact out over the fledgling Abnormal company.
However.
Since Commander Hoopa had gone so far as to show he not only could create equipment on par with Nikkes, but even re-derive Tetra Line's Ark Ranger transformation technology for offensive use... and human use as well...
"...Interesting. Is this luck? Or the inevitability of people underestimating a wildcard?"
Burningum was seeing the play at hand now.
The fact that this occurred the moment Commander Hoopa returned, especially after he reclaimed a portion of the surface... It was undoubtedly meant to paint him as a rebel. A threat to the Ark.
And if it was any other commander who had been there at the time of the explosion, they would have panicked or focused strictly on neutralizing the threat.
...But Commander Hoopa had no shame.
Playing up the role of a hero, committing to the reputation of being the Valiant... And with Ark Ranger Black on scene, it ended up as a situation where it was impossible to paint him as a villain.
Mostly because he was too outstanding.
A human, capable of taking down Raptures by himself with Nikke as simply supporting roles and not primary combatants...
No rational person would think a man like that would bother putting on a show or scheme just to control public opinion. He didn't need it.
Then...
Burningum tapped his fingers on his desk, considering the other factors.
'An attempt to divide the Ark in half and shatter morale. That is definitely the primary goal...'
It was a reasonable objective.
...It simply couldn't account for the impossible variable of Commander Hoopa being able to stem off a tide of Raptures by himself... or the fact that the invading Raptures appeared to be testing new melee-focused models, limiting the potential damage.
'But since that failed, they would move onto the secondary goal. Considering the primary objective... if they could not achieve control over the populace, then they will seek control over the Ark itself.'
Enikk was down. Elysion HQ was dark. Missilis... they said they were focusing on reestablishing communication lines, but they were suspicious. Tetra Line was occupied.
The Central Government was on lockdown, and Triangle was deployed to secure key infrastructures.
In that case... The place that the mastermind behind this would be moving towards...
Burningum reached into his drawer. Pulling out his pistol and a few other tools, he started walking towards a certain location to confirm his suspicions.
===
"Uh." Suri slowly blinked as she watched Rapi leading a crowd of hundreds of grimy humans who were clearly from the Outer Rim. "...I have questions, Rapi."
Rapi eyed the mysterious man in black armor who looked too much like Commander Hoopa standing next to Marian. "...I also have questions, Suri."
It was the service elevators leading up to the Outpost.
After resolving the initial obstructions, all the members of the Brave Squad (minus Anis and Nami who were still in Tetra Line) had decided to abide by their commander's initial order and headed back to the elevator to return to the Outpost.
Of course, a lot had clearly occurred since they had received that initial text.
Chatterbox let out a dark chuckle and said, "Ah, the other Imposter Humans who killed me. And the white-haired one... you were quite thorough with your shotgun."
Neon's eyes widened and she said, "OH MY GOD YOU'RE-!"
Rapi immediately clamped her hand over Neon's mouth and said, "No. Even if it's true, we can't say it. Not here."
Chatterbox chuckled again and said, "Sharp. As expected of the King's second-in-command. But rest assured, I am on your side."
Eternity nodded, the white-haired Nikke idly holding the bags of treats that Marian had bought from the shopping trips earlier. "Confirmed. Codename Vanitas possesses violet eyes. According to sister, it is proof of belonging to Commander Hoopa."
Neon paused. "Wait. If violet eyes means that a person belongs to Master, doesn't that mean Syuen does too?!"
Marian tilted her head, lost in thought. "...Does Commander have a thing for violet eyes?"
At that time, E.H. walked up to Rapi, concerned. "Um... Miss Rapi. Are we going soon? The others are starting to get restless..."
"Right." Rapi nodded. "I'll explain the situation later. For now, we all need to get to the Outpost."
Suri frowned. "What about Commander?"
Rapi gave Suri a blank look. Then she said, "He is currently armed with enough firepower to literally burst a separate whole through the ceiling of the Ark in an emergency exit if need be. He will be fine. And barring that, I am sure that Commander possesses at least three other hidden tools that will secure his safety."
Marian giggled. "That sounds about right- Ow." She frowned and clutched her stomach.
Rapi noticed and said, "Still feeling nauseous?"
"...I'm not sure." Marian massaged her stomach. "...But we can check later." She looked at the crowd behind Rapi, as well as the mass-produced Nikkes who looked both anxious and relieved. Then she said, "We should get everyone to safety first."
"Right." Rapi nodded. "Let's clear out then. Each elevator can fit a hundred ordinary humans and a few Nikke. I will take one. Neon, you take another. As for the last... Suri?"
Suri nodded, eyeing the Outer Rim citizens. "I'll keep them in line."
"Good." Rapi nodded and looked at Eternity. "You can fly as well, right? Can you take Mari back up first?"
Eternity nodded. "Understood. I'll take sister Mari home to rest and come back to get the commander."
Chatterbox looked amused. "And me?"
Rapi looked at him and said, "If you're really on our side, go help the Commander. He should still be underneath the hole in the Dome of Eternity." She glanced at the hole, still pouring Raptures down. "...And it seems that isn't stopping any time soon, so he could use assistance."
Chatterbox cracked his neck. "Mm... I am feeling peckish. Very well. Try not to die, Human Imposters."
===
I felt my phone ring in the middle of cutting down a Lord-Class bipedal Rapture.
After switching to a glaive to force some distance, I picked it up and said, "Hello? Rapi? Neon? Who is this right now?"
"It's me, you superhuman idiot!"
I blinked at the unexpected voice. "...Syuen? I thought you were dead?"
"Wooow. Rude much?!"
I swayed out of the way of a bipedal Rapture swinging a sword and said, "I'm pretty busy right now. Thanks for the headsup about the explosion earlier, but that was kind of a bit too late."
"Ugh, that's because you were showboating! Also, don't forget the tablet!"
"I've got it strapped to my back, no worries. It's hidden beneath my armor."
"...You are stupidly overprepared."
I carefully observed the Rapture and then kicked its core while its limbs were tangled, making it explode in a flurry of metal shrapnel. After that, I shifted my phone to my left hand, turning my glaive back into a rapier. "Again, kind of busy. What did you want to say?"
"Exotic is the one behind this! They've been mindwiped somehow to be a proxy for something and their explosive collars were removed! I'm tracking them through the cameras, but they're heading for you! And they're different too!"
"Exotic?" I stabbed another Rapture, watching it explode. Then I said, "Ah, those weirdoes who tried shooting me? I meant to ask you about them... Wait. Mindwiped? Proxy?"
A flicker of a memory flashed in my head.
That PC where I found Rose, as well as the fact that she was a proxy for something called Mirror.exe...
"Yes!" Syuen sounded frustrated. "It pisses me off! Some asshole's stealing my work! Mine!"
"Glad to hear you're still the same at least."
A minigun roared and then bullets swept past me, mowing down a line of Raptures.
Shifty's voice echoed, sounding exasperated. "Are you seriously talking on the phone right now as you're fighting?!"
"...As you can hear, Syuen." I jumped back, dodging three Raptures jumping from the sky like wannabe dragoons from Final Fantasy. "I am very busy. If you're calling to help, I need a tldr."
"Ugh, fine! Exotic were probably turned into Heretics! There are other Heretics down there with you right now! Enikk got hacked, Absolute is corrupted, and everything is going to shit!"
"...Well, fuck me, why don't you?"
"E-E-Excuse me?! Even if that might make superhuman babies... I-I mean, I don't even have a body right now so-"
"..."
I didn't bother dignifying that with a response.
Instead, I changed the topic and said, "I'll call you again later when we contain this. First though... are you in a safe place?"
"Argh, fine. This conversation isn't over... And yes. I'm practically immortal now as long as you have that tablet or your phone intact. There's another thing that's a failsafe, but there's at least three things keeping me from staying dead."
"Great. Then talk later. Love you~"
"What the fu-?!"
I laughed and hung up on Syuen after that trolling response.
But after that, I focused.
"Commander!" Ark Ranger Black returned with two more Nikkes. One was a woman with flowing blue hair and a blue suit. The other was a woman with red twintails and a red suit.
...Also a woman who looked like Gigi Murin from Hololive? Huh?
No. I could think about the implications of that later.
"I got Blue and Red with me!"
Ark Ranger Blue looked at the horde of Raptures and swallowed. "You... aren't expecting us to fight that, are you, Commander? Because I'll be the first to tell you that I'm just a TV hero..."
Ark Ranger Red pulled out her sword, letting out a nervous laugh. "TV hero or not, we have to be real heroes right now, Blue. It's just us for some reason."
"...Dammit." Ark Ranger Blue transformed and then looked over at Shifty. "Hey! Toss me that minigun!"
Shifty looked relieved and tossed it over. "Catch!"
I did a double take. "What the fu- No. Ask how Shifty is so strong later." I looked at the Raptures and said, "I think a big one is coming. Stay sharp!"
As if on cue, something huge fell from the hole in the ceiling before landing on the ground, leaving a crater. And when it stood up...
"IS THAT A GODDAMNED EVA UNIT? WHAT THE FU-!?"