Theory#7: Nova gained extra arms after he fused.
After Nova fused with Joule, his second form gained six arms. This can be taken from the fact he fused with Joule who's alter ego was Lumen which Nova tried to control for her power.
While observing Nova's new form, Gunvolt noticed something rather strange about it. He saw that the new shape Nova obtained allowed him to have two more pairs of arms.
'Is this because he fused with Joule and Lumen? Technically, he fused with just Joule. But Lumen is part of Joule's consciousness...' Gunvolt theorized.
As he was thinking this, Gunvolt didn't see the Darkness Claw attack released from behind him. His EP took a 22% hit from using Prevasion. He dodged to the right as four pillars of light crashed down around him.
Three orbs fell from above next, causing four smaller orbs to separate once the bigger one hit the ground. Nova attempted to blow Gunvolt out of existence with a powerful gale. The black mech shot a laser which Gunvolt barely evaded and had to use his Flashfield to slow his descent. He stopped using it once the white laser appeared.
Gunvolt noticed that the lower back hands were missing. He soon found where they were as the black one raised up from the right and shot light from its center. It disappeared right after, and the white hand did the same. Before returning to their regular position, the hands slammed down on the ground simultaneously, creating towering beams of light between them.
Gunvolt was certainly expecting danger, but he didn't expect how much danger Nova's true Special Skill was. Clamator Aethereus was surely a sight to see. Upon seeing what the attack generated above, Gunvolt was confused. It was a massive fireball, descending ever so slowly but at an alarming rate as well.
He knew that Nova's Septima was able to control all forms of psychical matter. But this just seemed outside of all possible parameters in regards to the scientific aspect of Septimas. With the use of Voltaic Chains and Vasuki tags, Gunvolt was able to eliminate the threat Nova and his power posed to other Adepts. He was able to go home satisfied, knowing his job was done.
He was exhausted after returning home so he got takeout for him and Joule. Zeno informed him that there was potential trouble on the horizon from a group called Eden. And with Nova gone, so was Kamishiro. Because of this, a new a QUILL agent was going to be sent from overseas.
"So, you're Xiao Wu right? Asimov said you came from overseas to help us deal with Eden here." Gunvolt remembered.
Xiao nodded.
"Sumeragi's already done a great deal of damage to my home back in China. I had to come here to escape the massive conflict. And now that Kamishiro's down, we can strike at the heart of Sumeragi here." Xiao answered.
"Oh, there you are GV! We were so worried about you after last night! How are you feeling?" Moniqa spoke.
Gunvolt nodded.
"A lot better, Nova was certainly a more difficult opponent than I expected. I'm just taking a break from writing the report right now." Gunvolt replied.
"Ay man, what happened out there? Did we miss anything?" Zeno wondered.
"More than you know." Gunvolt answered.
"Any highlights we oughta learn?" Zeno questioned.
"He absorbed Joule after I first defeated him. His height rivaled that of the titans in your manga. Nova even used the Star Dragon satellite during the battle." Gunvolt explained.
"Aw heck naw, that oughta be illegal and considered a cheat." Zeno huffed.
"I heard Sumeragi has a security department meant to assure the safety of their assests." Gunvolt added.
"Yeah, that's how the fight between the boss and Moniqa got started." Zeno remembered.
"Really? How so?" Gunvolt inqueried.
"Those ninja looking guys from the biochem plant. Asimov said they were ninjas but she said no. They went back and forth about it like a married couple. I was expecting him to pull out a list of reasons and her a marriage certificate." Zeno laughed.
"Sometimes I can't help but wonder about you." Gunvolt retorted.
"I never knew Nova was capable of doing that. From what I read in the files, that wasn't part of his known capabilities." Kira wheezed.
"Sumeragi is notorious for hiding information from the public. Even Project Muse and Project Gunvolt were unknown. To this day nobody knows the true purpose behind Lumen's creation. Well, nobody within the general populace that is." Apollo explained.
"They said Nova was the one in charge of Project Muse decades ago. Apparently GV kidnapped Joule, a girl who's Septima allowed her to generate Lumen. The only problem is when I asked, GV said that Nova somehow managed to absorb Joule. I wonder if that had something to do with Nova's six arms. Lumen was a representation of Joule's heart, soul and true feelings from what he told me. So maybe Nova didn't just fuse with Joule but Lumen as well." Kirin theorized.
"It may be possible, but it seems we'll never know." Apollo noted.
"Lumen also had the capability to brainwash Adepts, but she never did so to GV. I wonder if it can only be done through force or that machine we saw at Firmament." Kirin supposed.
"Did you ever bother to ask her what happened? She does have her previous memories thanks to the mix of Azure Striker and Radiant Fetters after all." Apollo questioned.
"No, I never got the chance." Kira sighed.
"What did GV tell you about her then?" Apollo wondered.
"He said she was used by Sumeragi as Adept sonar. She was generated by Joule but forced to sing by Sumeragi." Kirin answered.
"The file also said that they didn't discover Lumen's tracking or Septima amplification abilities until later on." Apollo added.