The sea surface not far from Copperfield Aquarium.
The sky hangs dark and heavy as a massive storm brews on the horizon. A vessel tears through the gloomy clouds.
...Does it really take this much effort to locate an aquarium's drainage outlets?
Huh? This hellhole hasn't seen maintenance in ages! The fact I even found this place at all is pretty damn impressive!
I smelled it... the drainage... over there.
...
Gray Raven Commandant's intelligence is very accurate.
...Hey!
Don't make such a fuss.
Have you checked the Punishing concentration?
Hold on a second... Whoa, the Punishing concentration here is way higher than in the waters we just came through.
Not bad for the Gray Raven Commandant.
Enough talk. Let's get off the boat.
The speedboat bobs precariously as it pulls up to the beach.
Turning the corner around a sand dune, they spot a drainage outlet, taller than a person, oozing a small patch of the Red Tide that practically snarls at them.
...Those Ascendants are as tasteless as always. Did they really breed all these?
Noctis casually eliminates a still-writhing Hetero-Creature, a look of pure disgust on his face.
...That's not even the half of it.
The red-haired Construct kneels, examining the Hetero-Creature's corpse.
This isn't a Hetero-Creature. This "thing" used to be human.
Scraps of fabric, not yet completely corrupted by the Red Tide, cling to the mass of flesh—likely what's left of some unlucky Construct, or maybe just some poor soul who wandered in.
...Ascendants, annoying.
Keep your eyes peeled. Given the heavy Punishing concentration around here, Ascendants are probably still lurking nearby.
That's perfect! Just what I need to warm up these fists!
Mission first. Get the Omega Weapons deployed near the sea surface outlet.
Those two from Strike Hawk better pick up the pace. I'm afraid...
She narrows her eyes, sensing the agitated Punishing Virus in the air.
I'm afraid the Ascendants have already gotten wind of us the moment we hit the beach.
...Mister, it's people from Babylonia. They've discovered the abandoned testing grounds.
...
On the monitor, the red-haired Construct stares provocatively at the micro-camera—clearly, tracking down such electronic devices is no sweat for Babylonia personnel.
Mister, should we drive them away?
...How is the fusion of Chiko and the Hetero-Humanoid progressing?
The incubation isn't complete yet. The progress has been smooth so far, but it'll take more time.
Open the floodgates. Unleash the Red Tide that's built up at the bottom of the abandoned testing grounds.
...Mister?
Lithos is rarely ever stumped.
Chiko's incubation isn't complete yet. She's still in the storage tank on the lower third level.
...What I'm trying to say is, if we release the Red Tide, the experiment might fail.
Once those floodgates are open, take Chiko and head for the backup facility on the island to keep going. I've already left enough materials there.
Mister, what about you...
I'll stay behind to handle the storage tank situation. Once I'm done, I'll catch up with you at the island.
...I see.
He obediently leaves the monitoring room.
Vonnegut stands in the empty room, his eyes clouded with thought. He flips through the surveillance feeds, watching the Gray Raven Commandant and Lucia's group close in on Bianca's location.
...
Gray Raven Commandant... [player name].
He murmurs the name under his breath.
The disappearance of the "Tower"... could it be because of you?
The purple-haired Ascendant drifts like a phantom through this graveyard of their own making.
He expertly weaves through the tight spots, with the creepy Hetero-Creatures acting like docile kittens at his command.
...Here.
He comes to a halt right over the massive Red Tide storage tank.
Hmm? Well, that's a new one...
He narrows his eyes at the eerie tentacles poking out of the storage tank's sides, a slight frown creasing his brow.
No matter, though... it won't derail what we're doing now.
Alright then... come along, Miss Monster.
The instruments around the storage tank hum along steadily. Everything's playing right into his and Mister's hands.
The "Paper Crane" execution chair morphs into a huge mechanical contraption, effortlessly lifting the bizarre humanoid figure right out of the storage tank.
...
It's okay. It's almost over.
His voice is gentle, as if he's trying to soothe the bizarre, unconscious humanoid figure. Paper Crane lifts her up and trails slowly behind Lithos as they press onward.
There's an underwater passage leading directly to a nearby island—a route Mister established long ago as a backup plan, meticulously prepared in advance.
Now, as long as...
————
Chiko suddenly starts flailing wildly.
...Chiko?
The execution chair reacts quicker than Lithos can, clamping down hard on Chiko's limbs as metal bits dig deep into her flesh.
Chiko...
Lithos moves closer to Chiko to figure out what went sideways. He'd already pared down this Construct's memories; that should have—
————
The aberrant humanoid seems to have completely lost its mind.
She thrashes wildly, ignoring Paper Crane's restraints. With a grotesque twist of her body and at the cost of chunks of her own flesh, she breaks free from the execution chair.
...Chiko, over here. Follow me.
Just like how he handles other Hetero-Creatures, Lithos tries to get close to Chiko.
!!!
Lithos immediately unleashes countless Red Tide strands that coil around him like a toxic cloud. But Chiko, now merged with a Hetero-Humanoid, clearly isn't fazed by these attacks.
She aggressively closes in on the purple-haired Ascendant, slashing at him without a moment's hesitation.
...
Lithos curls up in the execution chair. It envelops him like a custom-made cage, keeping him perfectly protected.
Where... did things go sideways?
Chiko before him clearly has no "self-consciousness," but why would she "awaken" at this moment and develop desires to "break free" and "attack"?
After her strike misses, Chiko gives up her attack and vanishes in a flash. Her eyes remain vacant, as if she's performing all these actions "unconsciously."
...Why can't you just be a good little test subject and play along?
Transcending death... isn't that humanity's pursuit?
The purple-haired Ascendant lets out a soft sigh as his Paper Crane, doing exactly what he wants, takes off after Chiko in the direction she ran.
Near the Aquarium's Drainage Outlet
Near the Aquarium's Drainage Outlet
No. 21 squints and cocks her head, listening hard for something after taking out the third mini-surveillance camera.
No. 21?
Captain, I hear something over there.
...Back up.
The three slowly back away. Five minutes later, a thin stream of Red Tide oozes out of the massive drainage outlet, slithering forward with a thick, wriggling movement.
...
...
Hahahaha!! You're an idiot, 21! This is what you heard?
No... wait...
A faint but thunder-like echo rumbles from deep inside the pipes.
FALL BACK!
Vera grabs No. 21 and scrambles up the hill above the drainage outlet.
In a flash, with a deafening roar, the Red Tide surges forward. It's like a dragon diving into the sea, swallowing everything in its sight.
...****.
Damn, they're really going all out just to take us down? We...
He just stares, dumbfounded, at the Red Tide gushing below.
We're really gonna clear this place out... with the handful of Omega Weapons we brought?
...Prioritize sealing off this drainage outlet. Something big must have gone down inside the aquarium. The Ascendants wouldn't just ditch this hideout to deal with us.
Noctis, get around back and bring the boat over here. No. 21, find the floodgates.
The red-haired Construct stares down at the Red Tide below, her expression completely cold. Her terminal crackles with a cacophony of static—
Can you hear me? Gray Raven Commandant?
The signal seems intermittent, and your voice on the other end fades in and out.
The floodgates of the drainage outlets are open. Have you guys gone head-to-head with the Ascendants yet?
...Alright, to cut to the chase, we're deploying all our Omega Weapons near the drainage outlets. If there are any floodgates, we'll try to shut them.
But right now, even if the three of us dove into the sea with Omega Weapons strapped on, we couldn't halt the Red Tide Influx.
We're a good ways off from the aquarium, and the Punishing Virus is scrambling the location signals. It's going to take them a while to track us down here.
You've really thrown me a curveball, Gray Raven Commandant.
Doesn't matter. Cerberus won't fold over this.
With the Red Tide released, the Ascendants might go all-out or try to escape. You should—
The Red Tide surges forward, and the Punishing Virus' interference cuts off the communication.
...Heh.
Vera smirks at the ever-present danger. With a flick of her wrist, she tucks the terminal away as if the threat means nothing to her.
Captain, someone's sabotaged the floodgate controls.
I knew it... Let's move, we need to meet up with Noctis.
These few Omega Weapons won't be enough to block the water outlets...
It's okay.
She manages a bitter smile, her gaze fixed on the Red Tide as it floods the sea, concern clouding her eyes.
Don't we... still have the boat?
With the Red Tide released, the Ascendants might go all-out or try to escape. You should—
The transmission suddenly cuts out.
Commandant, what's the situation with Cerberus?
But we haven't run into any Ascendants yet...
Inside the aquarium's massive tank, several bionic fish swim silently.
Lulu hasn't been lying—at least not about the directions.
She has successfully led your group around most of the Red Tide contamination and collapsed areas on the lower second level, bringing you to the lower third level's entrance.
Every single transmission from Bianca and Chiko cut off after they went into the lower second level.
Roger that.
This rough, narrow terrain isn't favorable for a sniper to operate effectively; rather than continuing to explore forward, he's better suited to help you secure a return route first.
What's with this "anyone who wants to bail" talk? If you're talking about me, just spit it out.
No way am I leaving. I haven't found Grace yet. Even if the Red Tide swallowed her whole, I'm still dragging her back with me.
...
Chrome and you exchange a quick glance; he's signaling that Lulu's not going to hold your group back.
