Blast from the Past: A

I'm afraid I have bad news.

The research team that was investigating the Gatekeeper was wiped out.

They were ambushed by a swarm of Raptures.

We were only able to retrieve some of the data.

To get the rest of it, we'll have to send someone back to the surface to retrieve it.

That someone will be yourselves and the Devil Hunters.

Your vacation was rather short-lived, but I hope you had fun either way.

Commander, preparations to go to the surface are complete.

Hard to say. They seemed relieved that things are back underway.

My pleasure.

Sorry to interrupt.

There's one more thing I needed to mention to you.

The shield that surrounds the Gatekeeper distorts the space around it, blocking all physical attempts at intrusion.

Anything with any kind of mass is incapable of approaching the Gatekeeper.

Very much so.

What's interesting though, is that we found forces with little or no mass could approach it easily, such as electricity.

This allowed our technicians to find out a lot about the Gatekeeper.

Such information would be invaluable once added to our database, but our only way of retrieving it is by heading back up to the surface.

I'll brief you on what we did manage to uncover.

The D-Wave emanating from the Gatekeeper has the same wavelength as a living creature.

That means the Gatekeeper is using the shield to protect itself while sleeping.

That same wavelength was also found in the bodies of the Devil Hunters when they were awake.

Find out the relationship between them and determine whether the Gatekeeper can be awakened.

As for what will happen when it awakens, it's hard to say,

but the answers lie in those research materials left by the investigating team.

Best of luck.

Raptures detected en masse.

No escape routes. Commander, permission to engage?

Roger.

Encounter.

All clear.

Something doesn't feel right. I'm going to investigate the remains.

Give me a moment. I'll report back once I'm done.

Let's take a break for the time being.

How are you guys finding the Ark?

It's not bad.

Not somewhere I'd want to stay forever though.

So your world is better?

Definitely.

Speaking of which, I hope we find something that'll send us back once this investigation is over.

You're gonna go back? What a shame. We were getting along so well.

Commander. I have something to report.

The specs of those Raptures we encountered...

... are from 50 years ago.

Huh? How's that possible?

I'm amazed they're still functional at that age.

When that model was first produced, it was top-of-the-line. For five years, it was an enemy to be feared.

In fact, they were so lethal that many considered them the deadliest Raptures ever produced.

However, humans discovered a critical flaw in them. If you maintained a distance of 100-150m and attacked from a certain direction, they were rendered defenseless.

What was once a terrifying model soon became one that was very easy to deal with. Before long, the production of those Raptures ceased.

Okay, so it used to be the hot new thing in the past, but it's yesterday's news now.

What of it?

In that encounter back there, I attempted to take advantage of their weakness,

but nothing happened.

Are you saying it's an improved model?

No. Once a Rapture model ceases production, it's never brought back.

Then what is it?

I'm not sure, but I think it's safe to say the Gatekeeper may have something to do with it.

You mean the Gatekeeper is capable of producing entirely new Raptures?

In the worst-case scenario, potentially.

No way, that can't be possible.

No more impossible than the Devil Hunters materializing out of thin air.

True.

Let's keep moving. We have a better chance of understanding this once we locate the research materials.

We're getting close.

This is horrible...

What on earth happened here?

Roger.

Commander, I found something. It appears to be an analysis of the Gatekeeper's database.

I also found a tablet, so let's take a look.

That's a pretty large list.

I think they're recordings made by the Gatekeeper.

Looks like a weapon list... Have you ever heard of a Mass Driver Cannon?

And its range... is 4km?!

And here... What is a seismic weapon?

There's also something called a Mini Solar Generator?

2500 Extended Photon Missile... Anti-matter Warhead...

Interstellar ballistic missile... Dimensional Rift Generator...

Time Freeze Device... Soul Synthesizer...

Black Hole Generator... Cell Disintegration Gas...

...

...

What's this one? It's been highlighted as "the best one".

Anis. Check out the bottom.

...

A trader who purchases and absorbs different designs.

A swordsman who can render planets asunder with one stroke.

A warrior who fights across time and space.

A wizard capable of casting world creation spells.

...

Here again, it says that this one is the best.

Here's more on the bottom.

Why emphasize this one? It just looks like a couple of teenagers running around...

...

One of whom just transformed into a chainsaw.

Um... that'd be me.

This thing recorded us?

So if you're recorded by the Gatekeeper...

you can be "called" to this place.

... What kind of sense does that make though? Is that even possible?

I wish I knew.

There are some recordings of the Raptures as well.

These ones are much more detailed than the rest.

Hmm, I wonder why...

It's not just them. There are recordings of the people in our world, and

our weapons, all photographed in great detail.

So much for us having the home advantage.

I'll check for any recordings of the Raptures we encountered before.

...

Found it, but it doesn't reveal anything about any potential weak spots.

The last recording of them was made 50 years ago.

Perhaps after recording something, the Gatekeeper is then capable of bringing them into existence.

It may not be an identical copy of the original. There will be some minor changes, but as long as it's been recorded, it can be called.

But where do you think the Gatekeeper was when it made all these recordings?

Here, there's a comment from a researcher at the bottom.

I know how crazy this sounds, but the weapons and people seen in these recordings

don't seem like they're from our world.

There might be other worlds out there,

but the only way that would make sense is if these records originated from there.

...

They're right, that does sound crazy.

At least, that's what I would have thought before I met these guys.

At any rate, I think we've got an idea of what we need to do now.

Usually in a situation like this, if you defeat the source, you get to return to your own world, right?

Sounds about right. I can't think of better options at any rate.

I'm not following...

If we defeat the Gatekeeper, we might be able to return to our world.

So... killing it would be a good thing then?

Beautiful. Let's take this thing out then.

Let's go!

Yes?

Hard to say, but it almost certainly wouldn't be good.

We don't know how or why the Gatekeeper calls upon something from another world, or the extent of its ability,

but going by what we saw in these recordings,

I wouldn't be surprised if it could conjure up an asteroid or something equally destructive.

...

Yikes...

If such a catastrophe were to occur, there's nothing a living soul in this world could do about it.

Roger.

Raptures detected up ahead.

About time. I was wondering when they'd show up.

This place is a disaster zone as well. Everything's all torn apart.

I'll take care of them.

Encounter.

All clear.

One from the past, just like before.

The Gatekeeper is calling things to this time period without rhyme or reason.

I'll search the area for any research materials.

There's too much ground to cover. We should spread out.

We're looking for devices similar to the one we found before, right?

Correct.

Aki. Let's help.

Got it.

Hey, Commander! Don't just stand there.

Stay close to me. We can't have anything happen to you.

I'll search the building to our right.

It'll be fine. There aren't any openings big enough for a Rapture to enter.

I will.

Stay close to me, Commander.

Whenever I give you the signal, you pop a candy into my mouth.

Easy enough, right?

Anything special...?

Hmm...

A laptop.

It still has some battery life.

...

This must contain research material about the Gatekeeper.

I will confirm this again.

...

Nothing that we don't know already.

Next.

...

Dreams?

...

What's wrong? You don't look so good.

Did you see something that freaked you out?

No, I'm okay.

I'm fine, really. Thank you.

I think we're just about done here. No new discoveries.

Unless you found something?

No, nothing on my end either.

The only place left to search is where the Gatekeeper is.

Everyone prepared for a skirmish?

Ready.

Then let's go.

Commander, may I have a moment?

...

What if the Devil Hunters were something of... unknown origin, something far beyond our imagination,

how would you handle the situation?

Perhaps, but on the inside, they could be completely different.

Can you accept that?

What?

...

Understood.

My thoughts are in order now. Let's go.

So it's sleeping right now?

How are we going to wake it up? We couldn't even approach it the last time.

Like what, for example?

??

??

Electricity, maybe?

Should I try frying it with electricity?

-----!!

Is that the Gatekeeper?

But it's sleeping over there!

Then what the heck is this thing?

Is this not the Gatekeeper?

??

??

Seems it doesn't want to wake up.

Perhaps doing so would somehow be fatal to it.

That's why it always has a protective shield up.

However, once we figured out that electricity can be used against it,

it's using the last ace up its sleeve to prevent us from waking it up.

So its trump card is... itself?

The Gatekeeper can call anything registered in the database.

It apparently determined that the strongest subject in its database was itself.

Whoa... it's nothing if not confident in itself.

If it wanted a real secret weapon, it should have called me!

But you're already here...

Anyway, what you're saying is that if we defeat this thing, it will wake up?

Do you feel it?

Feel what?

If you defeat this thing, that'll mean good news for all of you.

Yes. I feel it.

Engaging Codename: Gatekeeper.

Encounter.

Enemy neutralized.

Phew, that was a toughie.

Gotcha!... I think?

It ran away?

Perhaps it had a dream of itself dying?

Huh? What did you say?

Nothing. It was nothing.

Mission accomplished, I guess?

Ms. Makima!?

Well done, everyone.

Ms. Makima! You're here!

Huh...?

!!

Whoa!

What's that light coming from your body?!

Mine too...

You guys...

Take care, all of you.

The Ark wasn't too bad after all.

We are in your debt.

Stay safe and farewell.

Guess this is goodbye.

Yes. Goodbye.

Take care of yourself in your world.

It was nice knowing you.

...

...

Bye. We'll see each other again.

Perhaps, although I wouldn't count on it.

...

...

...

Well, should we head back?

Yes.

... Very well.

Let's go back.

Within one hour of the Gatekeeper's awakening, everything disappears.

The research materials, the remains of the Raptures, everything.

At least this means the matter is closed.

There was only one survivor from the research team.

By pure happenstance, she ended up between two buildings, and she was never caught by the Raptures.

She's been looking into the Gatekeeper's past.

Apparently, it has done this exact thing hundreds of times before.

It goes to different planets and incites strife between the local inhabitants and the beings it manifests from its dreams.

In the most severe cases, the world itself collapsed.

...

This is just my personal opinion,

but I'm willing to bet that none of this would have happened if just one person had attempted talking instead of trying to use force.

Unfortunately for the Gatekeeper, its luck ran out when it met you guys.

None whatsoever.

Perhaps it was interested in watching a good fight between two factions, or maybe it simply wanted its dreams to become a reality.

Ah right, you were never filled in... Just ignore what I said, then.

At any rate, there's no way of ascertaining what the Gatekeeper hoped to achieve.

So I'll consider this matter closed.

I'll erase any records of the Gatekeeper and the Devil Hunters.

It's all well beyond the realm of our reality. Any records would simply cause more confusion than is necessary.

In summary, I'm saying let's pretend nothing happened.

Go get some rest. You sure deserve it.

What a bunch of animals! They left empty bottles and cigarette butts everywhere.

NOOOO! They ate the snacks we were saving for an occasion!

At least they left the Splendamin bars... they didn't even touch them.

Haha, only because they had them before and hated 'em.

Let's clean up.

Okay.

It's hard to tell what they left behind, but it sure is easy to tell what went missing.

Let's fill it back with our own stuff. Some new stuff.

Despite all of this... it does feel kinda lonely without them.