The silence in the shattered server chamber was broken only by the hum of the Pod units scanning the dust cloud.
The complete, instantaneous destruction of the Machine Network Core was unprecedented.
[Run Goal Achieved: Core Destroyed]
[Option: Return to Hub (Immediate)]
[Option: Remain in World (As long as desired)]
The system notification flashed across Theodore's vision. He was already leveling up.
He was level 14 now and had 28 free points.
He also noticed a new skill had been integrated from the Nier Automata world, a byproduct of his highly physical combat methods mixed with the world's focus on data and kinetic energy.
[Nier: Automata Run Skill Integrated]
[New Skill: Data Echo (Passive) LVL 1]
[Effect: Every successful heavy melee attack leaves a temporary data echo on the target, briefly reducing the target's resistance to hacking/logic attacks by 10%.]
"Sweet! That'll be awesome for 9S!"
Theodore grinned, already planning how to use the skill on his next run.
The Quick End and the Slow Game
Theodore sighed internally.
The speed run meant he hadn't even had time to explore the vast, ruined open world, let alone enjoy the banter and the inevitable philosophical quandaries that came with the Nier narrative.
It ended too fast! I didn't even get to ride a moose or see the amusement park!
He immediately dismissed the "Return to Hub" option. He still had a plot to save and friends to make.
"Mission complete, 2B,"
Theodore announced, turning his focus back to the androids.
2B sheathed her katana, her posture stiff but relieved.
"Theodore, your presence resulted in the fastest core elimination recorded. YoRHa Command will require a full report on your anomalous capabilities."
9S, having disconnected from the terminal, was still staring at the dust motes where the Core had been.
"The data loss... it's complete. The local network has vanished. Theodore, your method of attack was entirely non-traditional. You used an external element to corrupt the machine's internal logic structure. You are... unique."
"Thanks! Now that the big bad is gone, we can finally hang out,"
Theodore said cheerfully.
"I'm sticking around for a bit. This place is way too cool to leave after one boss fight. You guys still have a world to explore, right? The story's not over yet, just the main plot point."
Theodore decided to cut straight to the chase with his ultimate goal: bringing the androids home.
He needed to appeal to their deepest, most forbidden desire—the one thing YoRHa strictly forbade.
"Look, 2B, 9S,"
Theodore began, lowering his voice conspiratorially.
"I know your mission is to serve humanity, but let's be real. That's a pretty depressing job description. You guys are complex, emotional, and frankly, wasting your talents out here fighting happy vacuum cleaners."
He paused, letting the statement sink in.
He appealed directly to their core programming and their existential dread.
"I told you I wasn't from this world. I'm from a place where you guys wouldn't be machines forced to follow commands. I can take you to a world where you could actually be human. You could choose your own lives, feel things fully, and stop fighting this endless, pointless war."
9S's head snapped up, his scanner eyes wide with a mixture of hope and doubt.
"Be... human? That is impossible. Androids cannot transition to biological life."
"Normally, no. But where I come from, I can fix things like that,"
Theodore insisted, his voice earnest.
"You want to feel things? You want to stop following orders and just exist? I can get you there. Think about it. No more command structure. No more fighting for ghosts. Just normal, human life. With food, and sunshine, and maybe even some of that awesome pizza I was telling you about."
2B remained outwardly stoic, but Theodore saw a flicker of confusion and longing behind her visor.
The idea was clearly tempting to her, violating every one of her core protocols, but offering the ultimate freedom.
"That claim is highly suspect,"
2B said, her voice strained.
"But your abilities are currently undocumented. We must contact Command for guidance."
"Command is going to say no, obviously,"
Theodore pointed out.
"This is a choice you guys have to make for yourselves. But hey, no pressure. We've got time now. Let's go check out the Amusement Park first. I hear the music is awesome."