Story Reader / Main Story / 31 Shaper's Ripples / Story
Don't go! Stay away from those employees!
Just as everyone is about to leave, two mercenaries suddenly rush down the stairs from the other side, blocking the group's path.
The employees? What's wrong with them?
What's wrong with them? Can't you see? Those butterflies and monsters never touch the employees—they're only targeting us!
Upon hearing these words, those who were originally willing to cooperate stop in their tracks, distancing themselves from the employees.
Aren't you the ones behind all of this?
Stop pinning the blame on us! Go ask that girl with you, the one always holding a paintbrush!
Anyone who crossed her got beaten up by that custom-made robot of hers. The injuries didn't look serious at first, but then they'd start feeling sick, and none of them lasted more than three days before dying.
That can't be right... I've met that robot—she seemed nice enough. She even let me in on a secret, saying she was on the hunt for the mastermind behind these monsters. Didn't the girl mention any of that to you?
No, she didn't. Let's go ask her.
...What do you want to know?
Yuko stands behind the crowd that has yet to evacuate, maintaining her usual listless demeanor.
Even in a direct conversation, her gaze stays locked on the shadows, vigilant for any red butterflies that may flutter into view.
...
...Yes, I did hear something like that.
Huh? When did you...
Do you have any ******* idea what we've been through here?! And you're trying to play innocent right off the bat?!
The enraged youth swings his blood-stained fist at you, but before he can even register what's happening, his body is pinned firmly in a twisted manner to the ground.
Of course we know what you've been through! That's exactly why Commandant rushed here to save you, even risking his own health!
Those Hetero-Creatures infested by the butterflies... do they look friendly to you? Cradle is intimidating you.
Aren't you doing the same thing now?
That's because you attacked us first. If we truly meant harm, or if we really wanted to intimidate you into doing something...
Lucia tightens her grip, drawing a sharp cry of pain from the young man.
Commandant doesn't even need to do anything. I can handle it right now, by myself.
You...!
...Let Barley go...
Please let him go... We'll listen to what you have to say.
Inver-Hetero Tower Core Level
Chaos stands at a distance from the core, head bowed as Vonnegut implants minuscule Hetero crystals from his palm into the deteriorating parts of her body.
These are just temporary fixes with some additional defensive measures to let you approach the core.
Under no circumstances should you engage Cradle once more in your current state.
Is it possible? The "fruit" acts as a two-way connection, giving her control over me as well. Once I leave the Inver-Hetero Tower...
Then don't leave.
Cradle will be here soon. She's running out of time—she'll certainly try to seize the core while she can still move.
Make your own survival the priority.
...
And then what? Will you kill her?
No. You're not ready yet to handle Agent Zero's authority and replace Cradle.
...Because my consciousness isn't...
...
He withdraws his hands and gazes at the core before him with emotionless eyes.
Do you know why I chose the abandoned and the clones to make the "Key", despite the risk of Chaos' unstable consciousness?
...
Because Babylonia offers no place for such people.
In my countless attempts to correct diverging timelines, I once used <color=#ff4e4eff>the original you</color>... Yet, neither side would relent. At those times, your primary goal would shift toward "returning home" rather than seeking the future.
Naturally, you may harbor hatred towards me, towards Lithos... You could do the very same thing when you first entered the Inver-Hetero Tower...
Not anymore.
That would only waste what few chances I have left. Even if I were to kill you, it would have to wait until everything is over.
...
Except...
Chaos clenches their fists, eyes burning with frustration.
...Why do others have to sacrifice themselves to complete my consciousness? Why... why am I the only one who can't do it...!
Creating the "Key" from human consciousness was never possible to begin with. Your very birth is a miracle itself.
...After all, this isn't the future where the "Key" can be properly created—at best, we can merely generate a "replica."
The same applies to Agent Zero—until she reclaims the Hetero Tower core, she remains bound by both her current body and the "Cradle" personality.
And now... the fruit you've planted has become another of her constraints. All of this is buying us time.
And time is exactly what we need.
Vonnegut reaches out his hand to measure Chaos' current height, met with nothing but her contemptuous glare.
To have grown this tall... considering all the instances of time rewind, it must have been about six or seven years by now.
Once you undergo further completions and become capable of accepting Agent Zero's authority... your physical form will grow even larger.
...
At that point, you would retain Agent Zero's authority while possessing enough consciousness stability to override "her" instincts that drive her to fulfill her predestined mission... That was my initial plan.
Had Cradle not been persistently destroying the Inver-Hetero Tower, we would have had enough time.
But at least, you now have a way to keep her in check, preventing her from freely manipulating the Red Tide.
From here on, we can only place our hopes in Lucia and that commandant to complete you ahead of schedule.
I hope those two can discern the true adversary during their stay in Constellia.
...
She yearns to speak her thoughts, to tear this agent before her into shreds, to avert the impending tragedy.
Yet she remains silent—she has witnessed the truth with her own eyes, personally confirmed the unchangeable reality.
Though she cannot agree with all of Vonnegut's plans, right now, this thorn-laden tightrope represents the sole path to the future—one misstep would plunge all of humanity into the abyss.
...Lucia's "Key" is nearly depleted. If Cradle destroys it again, she won't even be able to return safely to the Inver-Hetero Tower.
...
The ever-reserved agent offers no answer to Chaos.
Vonnegut.
The doll calls out his name, her voice like an echoing lament.
...If things continue to go as Cradle wishes, if we can't find any way to turn this around...
Tell me... do you have any backup plans at all?
...
No...
