Story Reader / Main Story / 30 Stars Ensnared / Story
Luna finally reaches her goal after destroying the last enemy in her path.
A crystal hourglass sits within interwoven rotating rings. Fine particles of unknown material slowly trickle down.
Meaningless symbols, useless constraints...
Luna gazes upon the core of the prison that has held her for so long, while the power of Punishing gathers in her palm.
BANG—
When the attack is unleashed, the perpetual rings cease to rotate, the eternal hourglass ceases to flow, and the bizarre device creaks with its imminent collapse.
The impervious space begins to tremble as if responding to a signal.
BOOM—! BOOM—! BOOM—!
The tremors grow stronger, and the force ripples through Luna's body.
Ugh—
Luna maintains her expression as blood trickles from the corner of her mouth. Her tone grows even more detached.
I refuse to write with your pen and paper, or to think within your prescribed boundaries.
I have my own solution.
Click—
Her whispered words carry the weight of a command, and the space itself shatters in response.
Luna slowly releases her breath in the vast darkness.
The chains are finally broken. Now...
As the space fractures, a faint sensation gradually returns to Luna's consciousness.
She narrows her eyes slightly as she turns her gaze. Luna's stare pierces the surrounding darkness, transcending distance and time to reach the heavens above.
Babylonia... Selene, why are you there?
No... that's not right. How are you able to get there?
Time seems to flow fast and slow at the same time. When Selene opens her eyes again, she finds herself high above the void on the territory of humans.
Humans and Constructs hurry past Selene in all directions, yet no one notices her.
Some even run straight toward her, but pass right through her body without colliding with her.
Babylonia... If I could destroy this place...
Selene focuses intently on her surroundings as data and theoretical solutions cascade through her consciousness like a waterfall, only to be systematically rejected.
Insufficient power. New plans suspended. Prioritizing original objective.
Clue confirmed—contamination memetics.
Selene closes her eyes as her perception, elevated to another plane by the Ascension-Network, extends like branching tentacles throughout Babylonia and continuously feeds information back to her.
Trillard... The United Declaration... contamination memetic survival duration... over one year...
Power system destroyed. Gestalt will be directly affected.
Communication system destroyed. Agent Zero is directly affected.
Selene watches as the engineering staff rush to repair various facilities in Babylonia, while Construct teams set up temporary local communication devices at different passage nodes.
She also sees the activated Omega Weapons. Deeper within the clean zones cleared by the Omega Weapons, she finds more deeply hidden contamination memetics.
You're all fighting...
Selene opens her eyes again. A cold gleam flickers briefly in her gaze.
The "contamination memetic" will vanish if Babylonia kills Agent Zero.
Selene speeds up. She follows the trail of clues until finally, somewhere in the data, she finds her target.
However, before she can speak, Agent Zero suddenly turns to attack Selene.
Something indecipherable burrows into her body, corrupting and altering Selene's perception and consciousness.
...What are you doing?
Who are you?
I don't understand your confusion. You are the Ascension-Network's connection point in Babylonia, so you should know it all.
With the power of the Ascension-Network, Selene calmly purges Agent Zero's influence.
The Ascension-Network needs your traits. I'm here to help you break free.
And let me be devoured by the Ascension-Network as nutrients?
Agent Zero intensifies the flow of corruption.
That's not worth it for me.
How could you? Isn't completing the Filtering and ascension the ultimate goal of the Punishing?
...
Agent Zero falls silent because this line of reasoning aligns with its core logic.
That would have been the case if Agent Zero didn't have the consciousness to contemplate everything in this moment.
Why... is it weighing these options? Why is it even considering these?
...Personality...?! Dominik, what have you done to me?!
Dominik? Is that name the reason you're refusing to cooperate?
No... it's nothing...
Agent Zero suddenly lifts its tone. An inexplicable pleasure is reinvigorating its weary consciousness.
Let's leave the matter of me being devoured for now—how do you plan to help me break free?
I am connected to the Ascension-Network, but it can't help me escape, or I would have returned to the surface long ago.
I know, you need a physical vessel to leave Babylonia.
Selene nods, lowers her defenses, and gestures for Agent Zero to merge with her.
That's why I'm here.
...That is a good plan, but I have one condition.
I will choose where we merge with the Ascension-Network.
That's not the problem, but I must tell you that humans have reclaimed control over many areas of the surface.
Such as the Clean Zone?
...Why would you choose a place like that?
Would you believe me if I said the Inver-Hetero Tower in the Clean Zone can help the Ascension-Network acquire my traits?
Why are you trying to emphasize doubt as an emotion?
You really are...
Beep—
The sound of systems rebooting echoes through the space, as the emergency repairs begin to take effect.
Tch... They just won't let up. Let's get it on, then.
A tearing sound echoes as the two entities merge into one.
The incompatibility causes extreme discomfort for both Agent Zero and Selene, but at least they can still move with difficulty.
Commence operation.
