Spoilers from included and/or represented works abound. Please read this fiction carefully.

Day 17...

"Angela just disappeared!?" The Sephirot are shocked at Angela's disappearance.

"David where!?" Rebecca tried to find David.

"That System is nowhere to be found!" Ragna reported.

"Something's wrong about it!" Saya realized.

"Mr. Jumpson! Where are you!?" Captain Velvet Meteor tried to find Jumpson.

"Adachi just... disappeared?" Teddie reported to the rest of the Shadow Operatives.

"Makoto and Kotone is nowhere to be found!" Aigis reported.

"Where's Geats!?" Nick Fury asked about Ace Ukiyo.

"He disappeared without a visible trace!" Tsukasa Kadoya reported.

"The Cube Queen just disappeared!" The Seven realized.

The alliance is panicking about some of the members disappearing. Radical Six then ultimately issued a recording of the commercial that aired last night. Few hours later, they got the recording from Saint Advent, and the alliance quickly watched it.

"The six 'fighters' featured in the Midnight Channel commerical are David, Angela, System, Jumpson, Adachi and a creature named Ultraman Zero." Kogoro discussed. "The former five are already part of our alliance, leaving only Ultraman Zero as the outlier. And those five all disappeared around midnight."

"It appears that the tournament is named 'P-1 Grand Prix: Cross Edition'." Mii discussed.

"Wait a second... Something kinda familiar to me..." Yu suspected something.

Yu thought about the Midnight Channel.

"That's it! The Midnight Channel!" Yu realized it. "And that's the same kind of fighting tournament, only hosted by Genjitsu-no-Omnia or her servants!"

"So the rumor is true all along!?" Reiji is shocked.

"Yes, there really is no mistaking it now." Yu confirmed. "Each and every single sign about it, when paired with my experiences, absolutely proves it all."

"So how are we going to Midnight Channel if this is the morning?" Yosuke asked.

"Remember when we fought the infected Covenants?" Yu told the Investigation Team. "Those Covenants got out of the Midnight Channel."

"Yes, and I found out that Sigma-Virus infested the Midnight Channel in its total entirety." Teddie discussed. "By the time of the disappearance of some of our allies, Sigma Virus has already been cured there because Prometheus who has the power of Ultron-Sigma has been killed."

"The gateway to the Midnight Channel is therefore safe for now." Teddie concluded. "By the way, it's near Junes."

The alliance then went to Junes Department Store, and saw the gateway.

"The Cross Gate! It's fine now! We can go!" Reiji noticed.

The alliance, including Team Lobotomy-Ruina which Angela disappeared from, entered the gateway.

They walked for a while, and got out into the TV world.

"Finally! We have arrived in the TV world!" Woz exclaimed.

"Except... What's this?" The Investigation Team and the Seven looked around.

"This looks like codename Athena..." Jay-P, Beep-O, Jeanie and Sheath realized.

Turns out, it was the Athena Island - last seen before being reorganized into Apollo Island which was eventually flipped into Artemis Paradise - in the TV world, complete with equivalent terrarian very similar to the original's late days.

"This is the old island...!" The Shinra and Ouma agents realized. "The island where that battle royale first started!"

"This island was previously busted when a rocket crashed with Zero Point when it was unstable." Reiji explained. "Zero Point turned into a black hole of sorts and stayed there until the Apollo is formed."

"How did it come back?" The Scientist asked.

"I feel like something's familiar yet strange..." The Paradigm suspected something.

"I don't know the exact cause, but Genjitsu-no-Omnia is definitely related to it, given the scale." Kogoro replied. "Also, the Midnight Channel was originally linked by the same portal we went, which turns out to be the same portal the Investigation Team went..."

"... combined with the fact that there's traces of Shadows lurking around, it's safe to say that the Midnight Channel has been merged with the island itself." Kogoro concluded.

"This explains the shady terrains and the ruins of things that was originally found on the TV world..." Teddie responded.

"By the way, look at the sky." Yu told everyone.

The alliance looked at the sky, and saw that it's dark amber coloured with aurora of blue and purple like the Zero Point.

"The sky is like it's almost dawn, and yet the light..." May commented.

"I name this island... Athena Daybreak!" Mii suggested.

"Very appropriate for an island reformed in amber, aurora and Shadows." Kogoro concluded. "Also, the ocean appears to be blood-red, by the looks of the reflection."

"And I mean, familiar, look!" The Paradigm looked up.

A massive portal seems to be holding water, and there's Apollo.

"What the fuck!?" Junpei Tenmyouji is shocked. "Why the hell is the flipped shown in this gigantic portal, with water as a singular bubble?"

"Now you know what I mean." The Paradigm replied.

The rest of the alliance facepalmed.

"Oh hell no..." Junpei Tenmyouji facepalmed. "Akane, not even you too..."

"Anyways, let's traverse through this cursed island." Akane suggested.

As per se for the expedition, Mercurius asked Nahida for Akasha Terminal so the alliance can contact with each other. Then they all split up and traversed around the island.

The main problem? Shadows and ruins from Velvet Rooms and some everywhere in the island, just as Kogoro suspected. The island is otherwise extremely similar as it's in its last days before destruction.

On the way, the members of S.E.E.S. found someone surprisingly familiar...

"Is this... Elizabeth?" Makoto Yuki recognized her.

"You found me! And you're back!" Elizabeth hugged Makoto.

"Oh what?" Is this an attendant of the Velvet Room?" Kotone asked the rest.

"I thought I will perish here." Elizabeth then explained how she got stranded on the island. "I was thrown by a small guest named Ikue, and she thrown me into the Sea of Blood. I ended up floating with some log into this island."

"Ikue Higashi was trying to drown you in that ocean?" Junpei Iori asked. "The ocean around the island is red too."

"So I survived and floated into this strange island?" Elizabeth asked back.

"We've been investigating this area for a while." Mitsuru reported. "We went to this island through a gateway."

"Why do you investigate this island?" Elizabeth asked.

"Because it's merged with the Midnight Channel, and some of our allies from another worlds are missing because of a commercial from that channel." Makoto Yuki reported. "Anyways, seems of the Sea of Blood from [Mortal Kombat] Outworld is merged with as well."

"And what happened to the Velvet Room?" Elizabeth asked nervously.

"Destroyed." Kotone replied. "However, we'd like it if you can help us investigate this area and find our allies."

"Gladly." Elizabeth joined in.

Meanwhile...

wakes up* "Where am I?" David woke up.

David looked around and felt the vibration. He quickly realized that he's in a blue limousine.

"This kinda look like Velvet Room as Mister Yu once talked about..." David commented. "But I've never been here before..."

"Welcome to the Last Velvet." A bizarre old man greeted David.

The old man, who has a bizarre face, is smiling alongside a beautiful woman in blue.

"Who are you?" David asked. "I never even known of your existence."

"Ah... it seem we have a special guest with an intriguing destiny..." The old man then chuckled. "My name is Igor... I am delighted to make your acquaintance."

"So... you're Igor?" David asked back.

"Yes." Igor confirmed. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter..."

"It is a room that only those who are bound by a 'contract' may enter..." Igor continued.

"I'm bound by cybernetics, actually." David clarified.

"It may be that such a fate awaits you in the near future." Igor told David.

"Ok, so you're the old man that Yu told me about before I'm here." David responded.

"Now then... Why don't you introduce yourself?" Igor asked.

"David Martinez from Santo. Edgerunner from Night City." David introduced himself.

The 'contract' is done, and...

wakes up* "What happened?" David squinted.

David suddenly remembered about Yu in year 2011, at Inaba.

"Now pulling into Yaso-Inaba." A conductor commenced. "This will be the last stop. Yaso-Inaba."

"I'm in Yu's world!?" David realized.

Once the train stopped, David went out with Sandevistan, and saw the horizon which Yu has been knowing for long.

"Inaba Station, huh?" David walked out of Inaba Station.

David then went to the Dojima's house. Nanako apparently left a note on the TV.

"What? Miss Nanako's note?" David took the note.

"If you're seeing this, you might have disappeared in the real worlds. This is a distortion version of Inaba, where you're currently in. The TV will show the commercial, and you'll then realize that you're trapped in a distortion right at the critical point of Athena, which was originally where the Zero Point exploded back at the time. If you're asking, well... I stole a planning note from Genjitsu-no-Omnia who wants to spite the Last Reality and the entire omniverse. Not sure what happened to me by the time you're reading this note. But I hope you and Yu are doing well. Peace. Nanako Dojima, out."

David then put the note to himself, and watched the TV. The same commercial from last night is there.

"Not this again!" David then kicked the TV. "The Edgerunner Whose Humanity Bypassed Cyberpsychosis!?" *facepalms*

"What's wrong with that phrase?" David wondered. "But that's not the main problem here..."

David then checked himself, only for the name for him to be that phrase, not David.

"Bruh, choom like this is just too weird." David then lied down. "Isn't that Midnight Channel that the Investigation Team told me about?"

"So the rumor must have been true. Midnight Channel got me." David then realized that it's true. "And it doesn't make sense at all, to boot."

David then decided to find out how and why. He called for Angela...

"Let's see. Lobotomy, Angela..." David searched for Angela's contact. "There's the other phrase, but still..."

David activated the call command. "Why did the commerical is showing us? Not to mention the weird taglines..."

Angela picks up the call. "Angela here."

"Angela, we must have watched the commercial together last night. And now it just played again." David told Angela. "What's wrong?"

"I'm... I'm fine, apparently." Angela replied.

However, David felt that Angela is hiding the fact that she also saw the commercial yet again.

"I saw the infamous Midnight Channel. Again." David explained. "You saw it too?"

"What!?" Angela is shocked. David can hear her panicking on the other side of the call.

"Didn't the rumor give you the idea?" David told Angela. "Since we have to meet up, I had to come."

"I figured out that you wouldn't think I could have seen it for another time, so I gave you a call." David continued.

sigh* "I assumed that you weren't there yet, so I did not disturb you." Angela responded.

"Oh... so... how about it? You're not going to leave this be, are you, Artificial Librarian over the Seed of Light?" David asked Angela.

"Wait... why did you call me that?" Angela became nervous all of the sudden. "Don't you see how they called you 'The Edgerunner Whose Humanity Bypassed Cyberpsychosis'?"

"Well, at least mine isn't too bad, actually." David responded.

"What!? That's embarrassing!" Angela argued. "By the way, that program isn't the only suspicious thing out there lately."

"I knew it. And we've lost contact with much of the rest, didn't we?" David told Angela. "You're still welcome, Librarian."

"Thanks." Angela calmed down.

Both David and Angela got some rest.

Then following day of Inaba, both went to Junes and saw System No. XX and Tenma Jumpson.

"Hey, choom!" David greeted. "I'm here!"

"Welcome back, David Martinez!" System No. XX greeted back. "We're rooting for you!"

"Hello again, cyber-friend and his librarian!" Jumpson greeted back. "What's up?"

"Midnight Channel is back, and it's airing across the omniverse." Angela reported. "David and I saw it again."

giggles* "This makes for a pretty thrown-together gathering already." System No. XX cringed. "But glad that we're here."

Then the four chatted for some while at the bench.

Meanwhile...

"Rigna and Prometheus is no more, and Cursa is done for, but we've got the cloned island and the fighting tournament." God-Scientist reported.

"I successfully busted Cure Echo." Fusion reported. "Now she'll be in the plan."

"Very well, I'm looking forward to advancing the tournament." Genjitsu-no-Omnia replied. "As for the Cube Queen..."

"Not even the Nothing will spare you!" The Cube Queen argued.

"Argue all you want, your majesty, but you shouldn't have overlooked me when the King got away." Genjitsu-no-Omnia replied.

"You insolent!" The Cube Queen argued. "Don't make fun of the Last Reality!"

"Not even the Last Reality is safe from my grasp." Genjitsu-no-Omnia responded. "After all, I'm now far more powerful than you, Ma'am."

"Oh, the fuck are you thinking!" God-Scientist then kicked the Cube Queen.

"Stay here, outdated Queen." Genjitsu-no-Omnia then imprisoned the Cube Queen. "Everything, even Nothing, will bow down to me."

activates Mantis Blade* "Or else..." Genjitsu-no-Omnia threatened the Cube Queen.

"You'll have to join the tournament if you want to be free." The God-Scientist told the Cube Queen. "I'd like to see you trying to handle the torture from another fighters."

"For now, you're dismissed." Genjitsu-no-Omnia told God-Scientist and Fusion. "General Teddie will be the one to do this time."

"Yes, Empress Zero!" The servants then bowed down and left.

deactivates Mantis Blade* "I'm watching over the Athena, straight from Midnight Channel." Genjitsu-no-Omnia then sat down and watched over what's happening at the island she summoned. "I am always inevitable."

"The very passage of fate itself..." The Cube Queen reminiscenced. "It's all upon all of you, every warriors from yet another worlds yet unknown."