Nikke: Nullable Type

I was nervous.

Rapunzel had immediately dragged me into a shady underground facility in the Outpost while simultaneously being completely serious the entire time.

For a moment, I thought about using my armor to break free and flee. That, or to use my emergency escape multitool.

But when I saw the urgency and hope in Rapunzel's eyes, I realized that it was actually serious and not just her finally giving into her lust.

And then when she opened the door the door to a room...

I realized what this was about.

Long lines of code, written in binary, assembly, and C. Logic charts and flow diagrams. A timeline denoted with meticulous notes regarding corruption symptoms and incubation periods...

All of it reflected years, if not decades of work and painstaking reverse engineering.

Rapunzel slowly turned to look at me, her blue eyes soft, but urgent. "Nephew. Tell me, does any of this make sense to you?" She gestured towards the varied diagrams.

I took a closer look and said, "...Vaguely. It's incredibly complex though..." I hummed and swept my gaze across the lines of code. "Are you trying to reverse engineer the corruption from raw binary by mapping memory registers and logic flows?"

Rapunzel's eyes sparkled. "That's it. That's exactly it." She giggled and then walked over to grab my hands. "Oh dearest Nephew. Tell me earnestly and honestly. How do we defeat this? How do we defeat the corruption that has taken so many of my dearest sisters to the grave?"

When Rapunzel grabbed my hands, I realized just how rough and callous they were. Proof that she might seem a delicate priestess, but in truth was a determined fighter. And proof reflected by the meticulous notes on Corruption plastered all around the walls.

And more than that, proof that she was also more than the lewd demeanor she put on- Or rather, that she let out.

Because I was 100000% sure it wasn't an act on how lewd she was...

But in any case.

I looked at Rapunzel and said, "I don't have a cure for Corruption."

"P-Pardon?" Rapunzel let go of my hands, confused. "But you said you solved Corruption?"

"I did. But it's not a cure. That would imply that I removed the corruption. That's possible... but it's inefficient. Plus, it's dangerous." I stared at the diagrams and said, "Since you know all this, you know how hard drives work, right?"

Rapunzel nodded. "Of course. Registers are allocated for storage and data is written-" Her eyes widened. "...I see. No, I understand! No wonder attempts at purging the corruption ended in recorruption and mind switches..." She laced her hands together and lowered them, tilting her head in thought. "The NIMPH is damaged in the process. And as corruption works by overwhelming the NIMPH's data capacity, any cure would simply damage the NIMPH beyond repair unless it was extraordinarily light on the data storage."

I slowly blinked. "Huh. I didn't know that. Good to know though."

Rapunzel paused. "You... did not know this? Then how did you solve corruption?"

"I disproved it."

"...I beg your pardon?"

"I disproved it." I leaned against the wall as I stared at the notes on the corruption. "I didn't know about the underlying workings of the corruption process to this level, but I didn't need to. All you have to do is make the self immutable."

"...But it should be impossible to outclass the corruption in terms of weight in the data stored within the NIMPH." Rapunzel frowned. "...How would you be able to make the self immutable?"

"It's simple. Four sentences. You are not your body. You are not your mind. You are not your personality. You are the will that chooses, so choose to live."

Rapunzel paused. "How would that..." She gasped, her blue eyes widening in realization. "...A fall back. An exception statement that recontextualizes the framework without changing it."

"Well, I wasn't thinking about it in terms of that, but yes."

Rapunzel frowned. "...Even so, this wouldn't be enough. Corruption leverages the NIMPHs internal processes and hijacks the inhibitors as well. No matter how much willpower one possesses, the absolute commands would eventually wear it down. ...Like with Red Hood."

"Ah, that's easy. It's because nothing in this world is absolute."

Rapunzel blinked. "...How so?"

"Well, since you're a part of the church, I'm not sure if I should be saying this since it might be blasphemous..."

"There is nothing blasphemous about finding the solution to humanity's greatest bane, Dearest Nephew." Rapunzel let out a warm smile. "Please, continue."

"...Alright. Then this is a proof. Let it be self-evident that all of existence is bound by time. Let it be self-evident that time is inherently change. Therefore, all of existence is bound by change. Let it be self-evident that if something is absolute, then change cannot exist. Let it then be self-evident that if change exists, then something cannot be absolute. If all of existence is bound by change, in all of existence there cannot be absolutes. Q.E.D."

Rapunzel paused, processing my words.

I waited.

After a few moments, Rapunzel slowly said, "...This is a god-killing proof."

"Kind of, yeah. Why?"

Rapunzel slowly looked at me. Then she said, "...Your name. Hoopa. It is an acronym, isn't it?"

"Oh, you're pretty sharp, Auntie. I think you're the first to recognize that."

"May I ask what it stands for?"

"Sure. It's the Hero of Omnipotent Powers Annihilated. Not sure exactly why it popped into my head after Marian saved me, but it's stuck with me ever since." I paused. "...Also, I may, uh, possess deicide contingencies."

You never knew for certain when you might be coming up against a god, after all.

Rapunzel stared at me with a warm smile.

I suddenly felt extremely unnerved. "Is... something the matter, Auntie?"

"Oh Nephew~" Rapunzel took a step forward. "Do you know?"

I took a step back. "Know what?"

"I am a woman of the cloth and also a woman of faith. And yet, right now..." Rapunzel took another step forward.

I took another step back, bumping into the wall. "Right now...?"

Rapunzel pressed her arms against the wall, blocking my escape while her eyes flashed pink again.

At the same time, I got firsthand experience on how big her assets actually were when they weren't hidden underneath her robes.

"...Auntie wants to gobble you up~"

"NOPE!"

I ducked, weaved, and dashed out of there.

I was NOT going to have a catfight today of all days when there was already a high probability of one at the gala!

===

Rapunzel giggled as she watched Commander Hoopa sprint out of her research facility. "He really is like both Commander and Lilith, isn't he?"

The way Hoopa retreated was just like how Andersen used to when cornered by an awkward question. But the way that he easily weaved around her before sprinting away was just like how Lilith used to avoid Andersen trying to have a serious conversation with her.

"Ah... The Lord does grant us miracles in the end, does He not?" Rapunzel clasped her hands in prayer and gratitude.

Although it was undoubtedly blasphemous what her dear nephew implied with his proof... in truth, it did not contradict the Lord's domain.

"Indeed, all of existence is bound by change, and therefore nothing can be absolute. Yet, the Lord is beyond existence. And there, he is supreme." Rapunzel looked up at the sky, an uncharacteristic anger suddenly filling her face. "...And yet we have a blasphemous monstrosity like the Rapture Queen claiming His domain. Daring to act as if a god unto herself."

It was unmistakeable.

From the beginning the Rapture Queen had dared call her forces 'Raptures' as if she were simply purging humanity from existence in His name.

But she was not.

A sharp smile cut across Rapunzel's face as she said, "Oh Lord. I give thanks upon thee for sending us a savior... And oh Rapture Queen." She giggled, something that she heard echoed from the NIMPHs of the 12,000 sisters slumbering inside of her. "Your fall is swiftly approaching. Prepare yourself for humanity's judgment, Heretic."

===

As the night on Halloween drew closer, Siren was having an ominous time of her own.

Hugging a bubble close to her, she walked in the middle of the formation with Nihilister, Liberalio, and Wolfie.

Wolfie was taking the vanguard alongside the bubble versions of Abe and Cinderella that Siren had created, navigating the crystalline terrain alongside them.

Meanwhile, Nihilister was generating fire to create light in the dark terrain while Liberalio tilted her head, listening to the distant sounds.

And all the while, Raptures covered in crystal that Siren felt should have attacked them just... didn't.

Instead, their cores flickered with a calming violet hue as they moved like a private entourage, shielding them from encroaching crystals.

"A-Are you sure this is safe...?" Siren glanced over at Liberalio. "Wouldn't it be better if we went back for reinforcements? Like with Commander Andersen or Commander Hoopa?"

Nihilister laughed. "What's the matter, Siren? Scared?" She flashed a toothy grin and said, "Aren't you supposed to be the same caliber of Nikke as the Goddess Squad? What's there to be afraid of?"

Liberalio nodded. "Quite. Besides, if there is anything dangerous here, it is us, you know? Before we met Father, both of us were the best of Mother's forces. Of course, now we know better."

"Damned right." Nihilister spat on the ground. "I'm not doing anything for that crazy inhuman bitch sitting on her iron throne in the sky."

"Language, dear sister. Even if it's true."

Wolfie chuckled and said, "King will reclaim the throne from the False One soon enough. And Miss Siren, you may rest assured." He gave a thumbs up and said, "Were you with any of us, you would already be safe. With all of us, you are untouchable."

"Damned straight." Nihilister laughed. "Pops gave me some fun toys to use too. Haven't had a chance to yet, but if things get tough, I'm gonna get rough."

Siren looked around at how light-hearted everyone was and relaxed a bit. "Okay... Then I'll trust you."

Liberalio let out a warm smile and said, "Don't worry, Miss Siren. If things truly become dangerous for even us, we are certain in our retreat."

"Yeah." Nihilister nodded. "Libby's the fastest out of all of us, and I can burn everything down. Not many things that can run through a wall of my flames."

Wolfie hummed and said, "I think I could."

"Wanna bet, Puppy?"

"We will play later, Lady Nile." Wolfie chuckled. "I am curious how I match up against the False One's creations after modeling myself in my King's image. But later. For now..." He glanced at Siren and said, "These friends of yours, Miss Siren. Tell us more about them."

"Oh! W-Well... Abe is super smart. She's the one who made all of us! And Cinderella... she's beautiful." Siren let out a soft smile. "The most beautiful of us all. The strongest too. But..." She sighed. "...We didn't believe in her when she needed it the most. And because of it, we didn't have our happy ending..."

Liberalio nodded. "I have heard from Mother about that. Anachiro was her bane..."

"Huh?" Nihilister looked at Liberalio. "What do you mean you heard from Mother about that?"

"Hm? Did you not?" Liberalio tilted her head. "Mother was damaged after Anachiro betrayed her. That is why she and Fake Mother had me deliver Lady Lilith's head to her." She paused suddenly looking guilty. "...I regret it knowing that she is our Grandmother, but I cannot change the past."

Siren gasped. "You mean Cinderella actually hurt the Rapture Queen?!" Her eyes lit up with excitement and said, "We actually helped?!"

Liberalio nodded. "Of course! Although it is a bit strange to say since I was helping Mother until recently... Anachiro is the reason why there are so few Raptures on this world. Before, the tides would be endless. Now, only a few of the little ones remain. Although..." She frowned. "The fact that Mother has been able to send new units to clash against Father is concerning."

Nihilister nodded. "Yeah. I think we need to tell Pops to speed things up. I'm worried she'll decide to just drop down and force a big fight."

Liberalio smiled. "Father would win."

"You have that much faith in Pops, huh?" Nihilister looked amused. "...I kind of think that too. But I don't think anyone else would be around after he wins..."

Liberalio paused. "...That is a fair assessment."

The group walked through the crystalline passages, winding in and out of a mysterious city.

But eventually, they arrived at a towering crystal pillar surrounded by a large amount of medical machines.

In the dark night, it cast everything with an eerie blue glow, making the surroundings look even more ethereal.

Wolfie came to a stop first and said, "This is the crystal pillar. Friend Raptilion pointed it out to us from above in the past as a site of interest." He watched as the bubble Cinderella dashed forward and jumped into the crystal pillar before popping. "...And it appears that this is where one of your dear comrades is, Miss Siren?"

Siren's eyes widened, staring at the sillouette barely visible within the towering crystal.

The crystal pillar was too opaque and blue to see it clearly.

But even then, Siren recognized it.

Those twin-tails so like her own. That lithe figure, and the barest outline of her armor...

"...Cinderella?" Siren's voice called out, hesitant.

The moment it did, Liberalio glanced to the side.

Nihilister turned too, her flames burning brighter into a pure white as she took a step forward. "You gonna come out, or we gotta force you out?"

Before Nihilister could go too far though, Wolfie held up his hand. "Wait, Lady Nile."

Nihilister glared at him and opened her mouth to scold him. But then she saw the bubble version of Abe dash off into darkness.

A short while later, there was a soft 'pop.'

And then a figure stepped out from the shadows.

A muscular woman wearing all black. A sleek smooth mask covering her entire face while a hood covered her head, leaving only a few strands of washed out blond hair trailing out. Behind her back, she carried what looked like a giant coffin, and her body was riddled in scars.

It was someone who radiated danger and competence.

And yet...

To Siren, it didn't seem that way.

Because...

"...Siren?"

...It was one of her dearest friends. The one who did everything to protect Siren, Cinderella, Red Shoes, and both Hansel and Gretel.

"Abe...?" Siren slowly stepped forward. "Is that you?"

Abe was quiet. Then she glanced towards Nihilister, Liberalio, and Wolfie. After that, she glanced at the entourage of crystal Raptures with violet cores. "...Did you master your kotodama? How are you with these Raptures? And those three... Are they Heretics?"

Siren giggled and said, "It's a long story. But..." She held out her arms, her eyes trembling. "...Can I hug you?"

"..." Abe stared at Siren a bit longer. But then she slowly walked forward, just out of Siren's reach.

Siren hesitated a moment and then closed the gap, gently wrapping her arms around Abe. "I missed you."

"...I didn't think you were still alive."

"I am!" Siren giggled. "We're your greatest creations. Remember?"

Abe's breath hitched. And then she set down the coffin she was carrying and hugged Siren. "...Thank you. For being alive."

"No! Thank you, Abe." Siren hugged Abe tight and said, "Thank you for being here. And Cinderella too!"

Abe tensed. "...You can tell?"

Siren shifted her gaze towards the crystal. "Yes. She's there, isn't she? And healing."

"...Are you fine with that?"

"Of course!" Siren nodded. "Cinderella is Cinderella! She'll always be that!"

Liberalio quickly moved to Siren's side. "I think that is quite enough reminiscing."

Nihilister went on high alert as well, white flames wreathing her hoodie before turning it into a pure white armor. She flicked her hand to the side, making a spear of pure white light emerge before she pointed it at a black puddle in the distance. "You beasts still roll around in the mud instead of showing your face, huh?"

"E-Eh?" Siren looked confused and stepped back.

Abe quickly grabbed the coffin and moved along with Siren. She glanced towards Liberalio and Nihilister and said, "Are you with Siren?"

"Of course." Liberalio nodded. "We're quite good friends by now."

Nihilister nodded too and said, "Pops said we should make some friends anyway, so yeah."

Wolfie swept his arms out, causing mechanical sounds to echo as a pistol and shotgun appeared in his hands. "Rest assured, Miss Abe. We are on your side."

"What is this ludicrous display?" A haughty female voice echoed in the surroundings before a figure emerged from the black mud. "The Offsprings working alongside Nikkes? Have the Heretics decided to become Heretical Heretics?"

It was a woman with black hair and crimson eyes. She wore spiked armor, with parts that looked like it was dripping black steel over her exposed mid-riff while a floating clamp-like device was behind her.

Abe turned towards the new intruder and growled. "The Four Beasts..."

Liberalio smiled. "My." She held up her hand, causing her jellyfish device to shift into a floating turret. "I do believe I taught you quite the lesson the last we met. You have grown bold since then, I see, Behemoth."

"Tch." Behemoth put on a tough face and said, "You were lucky." Even so, she couldn't hide the slight trembling in her hands. Whether from excitement or fear, only she could tell. But either way, it was clear she wasn't as composed as she tried to appear.

Nihilister laughed, idly twirling her spear around, making a 'whoosh' echo in the air as well as heat distortions. "I think you were lucky Libby wanted to sleep. And didn't you lose to me too?"

As Nihilister said that, she and Liberalio subtly moved to block off Siren, Abe, and the crystal pillar from Behemoth.

Behemoth clicked her tongue and said, "You two must have gone insane. Didn't you hate each other?"

Liberalio smiled. "Father says we need to get along. Besides, I've found that Nile is quite fun to play with. And tease."

"Hey!" Nihilister's ears turned red. "Be serious, Libby!"

"I am always serious, Nile."

Siren glanced at everyone and hesitated. "Should I-"

"WAIT!"

Another female voice suddenly cut through the tense atmosphere. Young and childish.

And after it echoed, someone else emerged from the black mud.

A petite young woman with emerald eyes and gray hair.

...And also scandolously clad with barely anything at all save for a few black streaks of clothing to cover the important bits.

Behemoth glanced over at her with genuine concern and said, "Levi! It's dangerous-"

"Siren?"

Levi- No.

Leviathan, the leader of the Four Beasts. The other main group of Heretic Raptures that served as a rival to the Offsprings, the group of Heretic Raptures that Nihilister and Liberalio were part of.

Taking hesitant, shaky steps, Leviathan walked forward, staring at Siren with trembling eyes. "Are you... real?"

Siren gasped and then ran forward to hug Leviathan. "Levi! I found you!"

"W-Wait! Siren...! N-No, you can't just-"

"I missed you! Have you been well? Are you eating right?"

"H-Hold on...!"

Nihilister slowly blinked. Then she sighed and powered down, turning her armor and spear back into her white hoodie. "...Dammit. And I wanted a fight..."

As if to grant her wish, the surroundings suddenly shook. And in the distance, a towering Land Eater Rapture covered in gleaming crystals roared, its crimson core illuminating the surroundings in an ominous light.

Nihilister laughed. "Never mind! Wish granted! Hey, you beast!"

Behemoth flinched and then glared at Nihilister. "What do you want, Reptile?"

"Bet I can kill that thing first."

"...Oh, it's ON." After that, Behemoth dashed forward.

Nihilister laughed and ran forward too.

Meanwhile, Liberalio let out a dreamy smile and said, "It's good to make friends."

Abe watched everything unfold. She also watched as a few of the crystal Raptures that had been following Nihilister and the others rushed forward to join the fray. Then she murmured, "Am I having a mind switch? Or is this real...?"