Far East Branch – Veteran's Floor

Subject: [OFFICIAL] Transfer

Message: After careful review, your request for relocation has been approved. Your skills have been deemed a suitable asset to our division. All necessary documentation will be completed posthaste. Please await further instruction as per Fenrir protocol. The North American branch welcomes you.

The God Eater let out a sigh of relief, reading over the message for the third time. Admittedly, he had been more than a little nervous when filling out his Request of Transfer application. Though he was confident in his capabilities as a soldier in the Far East, the Americans were known worldwide for their military strength. Only the best and strongest seemed to originate from their hemisphere, and they didn't allow just anyone in. The fact that they had determined him worthy was both a surprise and a reassurance. His days within the branch from here on out were numbered. All that was left now was to eagerly await the day. The day he would be out of the Far East for good, never looking back.

. . .

Far East Branch – Executive Floor

Soldiers gathered around the room, filing in one at a time following their summons. After the unsuccessful conclusion of Fool's Gold, a report was immediately filed, and their New Type sent straight to the medical ward. Though she had managed to survive their encounter — a topic Soma was definitely going to bring up later — it was still best that she underwent a physical examination.

After finishing said check-up, performed by Sakaki and his associates — sans coats, of course — he entered the office, taking note of the attending members. Ichiro and Soma stood side by side, the first looking utterly exhausted, and the second in a decidedly foul mood. At the other side of the room stood Lenka, Kota, and Alisa, halting their discussion when the door slid open. The moment the director entered the room, Soma's eyes focused on him. "How's —"

Soma and Ichiro started speaking at the same time, startling themselves and each other. Unperturbed, Paylor continued toward his desk. He took a seat, clasping his hands and resting his chin against them. "Surprisingly… I would say that she is perfectly fine. A bit banged up and a little rattled, but otherwise there is little wrong with her, which considering the severity of your report, is quite shocking."

"Where is she?" Ichiro asked.

"By now, resting in your room, per my instruction. I assume you will stop by and fill her in on the details after this meeting."

At his nod, Lenka took this opportunity to interject. "I'm glad everyone's alright. I heard the Nova escaped you. I was worried when I heard the report."

Sakaki nodded in assent. "Indeed. Rest assured; this is but a setback which we will overcome in due time. Hamasaki and I have been working tirelessly during your absence, and we believe we may have discovered the root of the problem."

Soma grew alert. "You did? What did you find?"

"Patience, Soma. All will be explained in a few moments. We need only wait for our final attendee."

About a minute later, Licca entered the room. Kota smiled, giving a small wave in her direction. "Yo, Licca. How's it going?"

"Fine, thanks for asking. But I should be asking you that. I heard about what happened… It's good to see everyone in one piece. Wish I could say the same about Neo's God Arc though…"

"It's that bad?" Soma asked.

"Yeah. The Nova really did a number on it. She's gonna be out of commission for a little while, for sure… But it's better than the alternative. Honestly, she's really lucky."

"Yeah… she is." That, he couldn't argue. Lucky didn't even begin to describe what Neo had done. The sheer amount of divine energy alone should have been enough to fatally wound her, assuming it didn't kill her on the spot. Yet somehow, she had managed to protect herself, in gun form no less. He was no New Type, but he was fairly certain that shouldn't have been possible.

When silence fell over the group once more, Lenka spoke up again. "Sakaki tells us you guys made a breakthrough?"

"Right." Stepping forward, Ichiro took the floor. "After everyone left, I couldn't shake the feeling that I missed something. So, while everyone was gone, I started going over the simulations again using some of the sample fragments. The systems were picking up some strange behavior. It seemed familiar, so I ran it against some test plating for the Aragami Wall. When I noticed a correlation, I went to Licca straight away to see if she could corroborate our findings…"

With Ichiro handing it off to her, she continued. "Sure enough, it was a match. See, when Hibari mentioned Alisa's account during combat, I got suspicious. So, before I came here, Hibari and I took a look over the combat log and… wow. In short, this is a nasty piece of Aragami."

"Well, we know that much," Kota replied. "The thing was practically invincible. I know I hit it, but my bullets just bounced off! It barely even seemed to notice! If it hadn't been for Soma and Neo's wombo combo, we would have been done for…"

"Wombo…" Ichiro muttered, giving the younger soldier a strange look. He turned to Soma who merely shrugged. "Never mind it. What Licca is saying is that her findings, Sakaki's, and mine all have one thing in common. And that's rebarbative properties."

Kota blinked. "Reberbe… what now?" Soma narrowed his eyes at him, prompting Licca to jump in again.

"Okay, where do I start… um… alright. So, you all understand how the Outer Wall works, right?"

All with the exception of Kota nodded, earning yet another sigh from the veteran along with an eyeroll from Alisa. Though he had gotten better with researching and preparation, it seemed that studying still wasn't his strong suit. Some things never changed.

Seeing his confusion, she elaborated. "Alright, well the plating of the Wall is inlaid with Bias Factors. We overlay these using the different samples you've extracted to reinforce the barrier. You see, overlying the inner structure creates a repellant lining that…" Licca trailed off seeing the gunner's eyes slowly glazing over. "Okay, the super simplified version is that the Wall consists of parts Aragami don't want to eat. Basically, it keeps them away."

"Oh!" Kota exclaimed, finally understanding. "Because Aragami don't like to devour anything too similar to themselves, right?"

"Exactly!" Licca smiled, seeing he was onboard. "So, from what we've discovered, the second Nova operates on the same principles. Because it's got so many Bias Factors inside of it, it's repellant to our current technology. Think of it like… squid and peanut butter. It's an unappetizing combination, so the God Arcs will react to the Nova similarly to how Aragami react to the Wall. Understand?"

Kota nodded. "Got it. Well… no, I don't. I mean… um…"

At this point, Soma looked ready to combust. Lenka noticed the veteran on the verge of losing his patience, and quickly moved to mitigate. "What part doesn't make sense, Kota? Maybe I can simplify it further…"

Kota shook his head. "It's not that I don't understand it. I mean, it makes sense. God Arcs are living organisms more or less, so basically, this Aragami is so gross our weapons don't want to eat it. Which explains why Alisa's God Arc wasn't cooperating, right?"

"I… um…" Lenka stared. He had explained it perfectly.

Licca blinked. "Uh… yeah. Yeah, that's pretty much it."

"What I don't understand is how it got all of these Bias Factors in the first place. It's basically a walking Anti-Aragami wall. How the heck does something like that even happen?"

"Ah." At that, Licca's expression grew dark. "Well, that's the tricky part. Everyone here is aware of how Aragami function, yes? How they evolve?"

"They take on the attributes of whatever they consume," Lenka said.

"Right. Well, the Nova operates exactly the same way… at hyper speed."

A pregnant pause filled the air, every member looking at one another in confusion. Lenka broke the silence. "And what does that mean, exactly?"

Ichiro answered. "It means that it's been running around the countryside devouring everything in sight. And subsequently…"

"Absorbing all of its power." Soma muttered. Suddenly, his mistake seemed all the more disastrous, realizing that he had unleashed not only a monster upon the Far East, but possibly the worsttype possible. A creature that could devour and evolve in real-time.

Licca frowned. "Exactly… and that's the part we're concerned about. As it continues to devour, it's going to keep gaining more and more Bias Factors. And as that happens, our weaponry will become less and less effective the stronger it grows. If we don't move fast enough…"

"We're screwed," Soma grumbled.

Alisa's eyes lowered to the floor. "So, it's a race against time… the one thing we don't have."

A tense quiet fell over the room as everyone tried to digest what they'd learned. Sakaki could see the gears turning in their heads. He could see their morale plummeting with each passing moment. Licca tried to lighten the mood with a tight smile. "Hey, but don't lose hope. Gotta keep our chin up, right? Stay positive?"

"Stay positive?" Lenka repeated incredulously.

"Right. We'll find a way to break through that defense. There's plenty of research to be done, and with Sakaki and Hamasaki on our side, we'll find a way to bring down that monster yet."

Kota nodded, though he didn't really seem to fully believe it himself. "Yeah… yeah! Licca's right. I mean, I know it seems pretty bad, but… uh…"

Lenka shook his head. "Bad? It's a catastrophe, Kota."

For once, Soma solemnly agreed. "Utsugi's right… this is literally our worst-case scenario."

Kota hummed. "W-Well, maybe it won't be so bad, you know? I mean, at least this one doesn't regenerate its core like that other Aragami from earlier, right?" He paused. "…Right?"

"I'm not sure that's going to matter," Alisa interjected. "I mean… we're talking about an Aragami that can absorb everything it touches. That takes on the form of every living influence. The stronger it grows, the more it can devour, and the more it devours, the stronger it grows. And with each passing day, it mutates and utilizes new power. Which in turn allows it to devour even more. How are we supposed to fight something like this?"

Lenka nodded. "The Hannibal's got nothing on this thing. It's the stuff of nightmares."

Soma agreed. "Exactly. Something this powerful can't be allowed to exist. It's a danger to everything around it. A beast of the most dangerous form."

Utsugi frowned. "Then, we have to get ahead of it and figure out how to destroy it before it gets any stronger. If we don't… it might get to a point where it isn't possible to defeat it."

"It's disturbing to say the least," Ichiro added. "It's functionality alone makes it our most dangerous threat we've faced, even more so than the Deusphage."

"Yeah, no kidding," the captain seconded. "A monster that becomes everything it devours… gods, it's almost like —"

"Like me."

Every person in the room jumped, startling at the sound of a new voice interrupting their conversation. Whipping around, Lenka froze. There, standing in the doorway, was Neo. They had been so engrossed in their conversation; they hadn't noticed the door open. He didn't have a clue how long she had been listening; how much she had heard, but if the look on her face were any indication… it was pretty much everything.

Lifting himself from the wall, Ichiro carefully addressed her. "Neo… what are you doing out of bed? Sakaki said you were supposed to be resting."

"I was resting," she muttered. "You never returned, so I went to see if Soma had seen you. But he wasn't in his room, so I went to ask Alisa. When I couldn't find her either, it was safe to assume the 1st Unit had been summoned. I figured I would find you all here." When no one said anything further, she continued, more to herself than anyone else in the room. "…So, that's the Nova's power, huh? Heh… go figure."

Ichiro slowly crossed the room. She didn't move away from him, standing stock still as he approached her. Looking down at her, her guardian examined her expression, taking note of every detail from her downtrodden gaze to her tight-lipped expression. She had heard everything they said, there was little doubt, but this wasn't something she would want to discuss. Not in front of everyone else. Instead, he gently placed a hand against her arm, drawing her attention upward. "I'm glad you're okay."

Neo's frown faltered slightly. She was grateful he had chosen not to address the subject. Instead, he had asked his question with far more subtlety. Are you okay? In kind, she responded, gently grasping his hand with a light squeeze. "Thank you." I'll be fine.

Turning around, she headed back toward the door. Stopping in the opening, she looked around at everyone's awkward expressions. Even Lenka who looked slightly guilty. An unusual sight. Shaking her head, she scoffed. "I'll go to my room now. Continue your briefing… don't stop on my account."

"Neo —"

Before he could stop her, Neo was out the door, leaving it to close behind her. Ichiro let her go; he could tell from her tone and choice of words she wished not to be disturbed. She had said she would go, not return. And to her room… not his. For now, he would leave her to her solitude. He was sure that —

"Um… Ichiro?" Licca's voice interrupted his thoughts, turning toward the engineer with a questioning frown. "So, I'm not generally one to pry, but… do I want to know what that was or…?"

He paused for a moment, briefly exchanging a glance with his fellow veteran. Licca was reasonably confused, considering she had heard their exchange as well as everyone else did. She was understandably curious, and after that, it wasn't likely they would be able to brush it under the rug. "Uh…" For a few moments, that was the only answer he gave. His mind was working rapidly, trying to weigh the different possibilities against one another. And once he'd thought about it, he realized that such a discussion was likely inevitable to begin with.

Neo's God Arc was abnormal, and repairing it was going to require knowing the unique ways in which it interacted with its user. Which meant she would need to understand why that was and how such things were even possible. Licca had been on their side since the beginning, even designing Aragami-specific clothing for Shio and later, Neo. She didn't ask questions, and when she did, she was capable of keeping the answers quiet. Sakaki slowly nodded. They could trust her.

Nodding, Ichiro turned his attention to the engineer who was staring at him with wide eyes. "Yeah. Since you're working on Neo's God Arc from the ground up… Going forward, there's a few things you'll probably need to know."

. . .

Far East Branch – Rookie's Floor

In the darkness of her room, Neo lay still on her comforter, picking absentmindedly at a loose thread. Her mind was reeling, going over all she had heard during her visit earlier that evening. Their words had stung, there was no denying that; she felt the pang of sadness and uncertainty the more they spoke. But she wasn't sure how much of it was their topic that had saddened her or its purpose. If what they theorized was true, then they had a serious problem on their hands… and so did she.

A quiet knock against her door pulled her from her thoughts, shifting from worry to confusion. It was late into the night; she wasn't certain who would be visiting her at this hour. Ichiro rarely knocked — he would simply call out to her — Alisa rarely visited her room, and Kota never did at all. Gunter was avoiding her. She hadn't seen him since that day in the medical wing. It was a bit late for Dr. Swanson, and she wasn't scheduled for a session until later in the week.

Hopping from her bed, she crossed the room and opened the door, pausing for a moment when she identified her visitor. There were a few moments of stillness before she moved again, stepping back to allow him entry. Soma stepped awkwardly into the room, twitching slightly when the door closed behind him. It was a strange feeling, being in Neo's room. Perhaps because he had never been in there before. Neo followed, stopping in front of him with a pensive stare. "Soma…? What brings you here?"

"Just wanted to… check on you, is all," he muttered uncertainly. "How are you holding up?"

"Fine, actually… my God Arc shielded me from the brunt of it. It is unfortunate that it cost its functionality though."

Soma nodded, taking note of the tension in her shoulders. She was still upset, that much was certain. What he wasn't certain of was how to approach the situation. Neo was far more stable these days, but she was still volatile at times. Setting her off, especially right after such a stressful mission, was ill-advised. "Yeah. That's… good."

She watched him, thinking carefully over his words. She could almost see steam coming out of his ears, he was contemplating so hard. His mind was probably doing somersaults trying to figure out the best way to approach her; to ask the inevitable question. It was almost amusing how uncertain he was, walking on eggshells around her. Deciding to spare him the trouble, she addressed the elephant in the room for him. "You don't need to worry about me, Soma. The Nova is a threat that must be neutralized at all costs before it gains in power. You said so yourself."

"And it does… but right now, I'm worried about you."

"Why? Everything said in that room was true."

"That isn't the point. What I said —"

"Was correct, Soma. Something like this…" she took a shuddering breath. "… something like this can't be allowed to exist. It threatens all of humanity if it does. Threatens everything."

"Neo, you know that wasn't what I —"

"I know, Soma." Neo stopped him. "I know… I do."

The words she spoke said she was perfectly fine. But the look on her face said otherwise. It was clear as day that she was hurting, even if she didn't want to admit it. That she was seeing the similarities between herself and Nova. How could she not? On the surface, they were the same. But beneath…

"Neo, you are nothing like that monster." He stepped toward her, eyes widening slightly when she stepped back. It was a reaction he hadn't entirely been expecting; she never bothered to do so with anyone else… and it was beginning to bother him. He had always assumed that she was defensive around him primarily because he was a man. And, much as he hated to admit it, her guardian was the exception to that rule. She didn't care when Hamasaki invaded her space.

But it wasn't only Hamasaki.

He had watched Karel approach her numerous times to request her assistance on missions. He had seen her eating with Gen, even smiling lightly when he ruffled her hair. His age might have given him leeway, it was possible she viewed him as a parental figure of sorts. But that didn't explain Kota. She hadn't rejected contact when he wrapped his arm around her. She had even reciprocated. And Gunter had been allowed, from what she had stated in her drunken stupor, to do even more than that. A thought that still made his blood boil, much to his frustration.

No, this behavior was exclusively with him… and he was going to get to the bottom of it. Either way, he respected her space, stepping away from her; he frowned when he noticed her tension visibly leave. When she lifted her eyes again, she wore a saddened smile. "Aren't I though…? Are we not the same? Explain to me how we are different."

"Well, for one thing, you're sentient. The Nova is a mindless beast, moving on instinct."

"Is it…? I'm not so sure." Neo's words were nearly a whisper, a silent thought spoken aloud.

"What do you mean by that?"

She shook her head. This wasn't something she wanted to worry him about. Not when there was already so much. "Never mind it… what exactly are we going to do?"

"Huh?"

"About Nova… we know what we're up against. Now, what do we plan to do?"

Soma shook his head. "I'm not sure. With the Nova missing, the only thing we can do right now is try to find it again."

"Then what, have a rematch?"

"You have a better idea?"

"Better than walking to your demise, Soma. You saw it… our weapons were useless. You were the only one that could get through that armor."

"Yours was able to damage it."

Neo shook her head. "No, it wasn't. The only reason my bullet penetrated was because I used my Oracle enhancement."

A heavy silence fell over the two. Now that she mentioned it, he realized Neo was right. Kota's bullets had bounced right off of it. Alisa's had done the same, and her blade had barely left a scratch. Neo hadn't struck it all, it had evaded her scythe. It was her elements, her Oracle power that had proven effective. Why was that? Why was his the only one that'd broken through?

"Besides, it doesn't matter… even if my God Arc did have an effect, it's broken."

Once again, Neo was right. Were they to engage the Nova in combat again, it was possible that he would be the only one capable of fighting it. He would basically be fighting it alone. "Well, we have to do something. We can't allow it to just run around collecting Bias Factors. We need to slow it down somehow."

"That sounds like a viable plan, but… I'm not sure…"

Soma frowned. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine."

One look at her was all he needed to determine that she was indeed not fine. She was unsteady on her feet, and she looked drained. Even her eyes were duller than usual. 'Actually…' Soma leaned forward, looking carefully between her violet bangs. He couldn't see her eye. Over the last few months, he had grown accustomed to a faint glow. Just the smallest hint of light peeking through the strands. "You're lying, Neo. You're not fine."

"But I will be," she muttered, slowly making her way over to her bed. "I'm just tired…"

That didn't convince him. He had seen Neo in many states, tired being one of them. This was something else… like she was devoid of life. As though —

"Neo, how much power did you use for that shot?"

Her bitter laugh gave him his answer. "Pretty much all of it. I'm not sure I have anything left."

"Nothing left? Neo, when's the last time you —" Soma paused for a moment, trying to think of the best way to phrase it. It felt weird to call it 'feeding', it made her seem like some sort of vampire. She was already feeling disheartened, the last thing he wanted to do was make her feel even worse. "…recharged?"

"…I don't remember. It's been some time."

"Why?"

"The Nova… With that running around, leaving the Den was pretty difficult before the Bias Shield."

"But what about after? Didn't you go out with the search unit?"

"I did but Shun was there and Gina wouldn't leave my side. I couldn't take the risk."

That explained it. As far as he had been able to tell, Neo's power required Oracle energy — at least in some capacity — to function. If left alone long enough, her body was capable of replenishing itself, but it was far more efficient to supplement it with external sources. But she hadn't been capable of doing that for some time… and she hadn't exactly been holding back over the last few missions. And since Shio's departure, they hadn't bothered restocking or keeping up on a supply food. A clear oversight.

Soma grumbled. This wasn't good. God Arc or no God Arc, it wouldn't do to have her sluggish. The idea of her lying there, exhausted, and drained, alone in her room… it was a very unpleasant thought. With his mind made up, he crossed his arms. "I'll talk to Sakaki. We'll figure out a way to get you what you need."

"You don't need to do that."

"Did we or did we not discuss relying on people?"

"You're one to talk…" Neo muttered, laying back and flopping her head against the pillow. There was no bite in her tone; she didn't even have the energy to be sarcastic. Her hand reached over, picking up a small object from against the wall. Was that a stuffed animal? Soma resisted the urge to chuckle, it was adorable how this whirlwind of death could be so docile and innocent. When she wanted to be. He backed away, turning, and making his way for the door. It wouldn't do him any good to sit there and stare at her. Doing so always seemed to make him feel…

Looking over his shoulder, he called back to her. "Get some rest, alright?"

"…"

He didn't receive an answer. Turning back, he saw her eyes had closed. Her fingers held loosely around her small stuffy. She had fallen asleep. In the middle of a conversation. But he wasn't upset with her. After what she had gone through, she needed it. Shaking his head, he took one last look at her slumbering form before turning around and exiting into the hall.