Chapter Text
Disclaimer: I do not own Blue Archive. All characters belong to their respective owner
The world of Blue Archive is a world about youth, growth, and happiness that is born from the unbreakable bonds between Sensei and the students. As long as Sensei is present, victory is assured, and miracles are destined to happen. For their students, Sensei would sacrifice everything, even their own life, just to make sure one of their students can get to safety. Most of the time, these stories are concluded with a happy ending, where nobody has to die and everyone lives happily ever after.
However, sometimes, in a stroke of bad luck, or just a really bad day, all of the elements of a happy ending come tumbling down like a pristine house built on uneven ground. Sometimes, no matter what Sensei did or how many miracles were performed, bad things still happen, and the students are the ones at the forefront of the suffering.
This story is one of those tales where miracles no longer happen, and the students have to fend for themselves in a cruel and violent world without Sensei. Will their youth and happiness prevail? Or will they fall, bringing other universes to fall with them?
Unknown Location
The room she is in right now is dark, so dark that as if the darkness itself is a predator, seeking every vestige of light and swallowing them whole. Yet, not all is darkness; far from her position is an unknown light source shining through prison bars and illuminating a prisoner sitting underneath. She doesn't like it, nor does she entertain the idea of doing this in the first place. But what choice does she have? That accursed Sensei and the Arius Squad have defeated her, thwarting a plan that took so many years and efforts to prepare. HER PLAN. She was going to show those stupid colleagues of hers how wrong they were about her.
Black Suit with his obsession over "The Strongest Mystics". Maestro with his freaky love for "art" and "expression". Golconde and Decalcomanie with their rambling about "plot" and "lore". All the members of Gematria have their own ways of pursuing Godhood, to understand the nature of "Gods" and how to replicate it. Out of all of them, only she believes her plan to be the most elaborate, most ingenious. She would summon the ancient enemy of the Forgotten Gods and steal its power for her own use. By ascending to Godhood, she would finally understand "Gods".
Yet, one by one, they all ridiculed her, mocked her for not understanding the nature of the thing she was trying to summon. So, she vowed that she would prove them wrong, hunt them down with her newfound power, and pay them back for their insolence. Even to this day, she believes that she can still control that otherworldly power if not for Sensei and the Arius Squad ruining her plan.
Despite her immense arrogance, Beatrice is not without fear. The room she is in right now holds an extremely psychopathic and powerful being that all of Gematria had to share their minds together once just to seal him in this place. She knows of his terrible abilities over time and reality itself and how dangerous he is if let loosed. She was going to take his powers after she was done with the Chroma, but there's no way she can do it now, with most of hers going up in smoke with her plan.
With a loud *Gulp*, she strides towards the figure sitting underneath the window. Her high heels were colliding with the cold steel floor. The sound *Clack* *Clack* reverberates through the wall, further heightened by the deafening silence of the surroundings.
The figure is completely motionless with his back against Beatrice. Gray hair and black cloth adorn his future. Then, just like being awoken from a long sleep, the figure stirs. With no chains binding him in place, he turns towards his unwelcomed visitor, focusing his multiple eyes on her.
Beatrice immediately feels something crawling on her skin as the clocks inside the prisoner's eyes come to life. *Tick Tock* *Tick Tock*, as if they are waiting for her to make the first move. Composing herself, Beatrice steps towards, feigning bravery.
"Who are you?" He asked first, confused by the overwhelming stench from his visitor.
"My name is Beatrice, a new member of Gematria".
He immediately loses interest in her.
"No, I don't know why you have come to fine me... but I'm not interested... hehehe".
If it were anyone in Gematria right now, the woman would be bursting with fury, but the figure in front of her is not that simple. It would be best not to incite his anger.
"It took me a great deal of effort and time to locate you, Underground Dweller. I want to free you in exchange for a reward".
"Hehehe... The wounds... they still ache... I'm no longer with Gematria..."
"A new player has come to challenge you." Beatrice unleashes her trump card.
"Oh...?"
"A new player has entered this world and challenged you. A cheater under the name of "Satoshi" Sensei."
"A cheater you say...?"
Beatrice once again gains his attention. Surely a master player such as him would not deny such a challenge.
Then, as if in deep thought, Underground Dweller becomes completely still, and the clocks on his face stop ringing.
"Hmmmm."
"So the Codex has been updated."
"The new world. Yes. I can feel it. The alien elements it brings."
"If this is a new edition... then the rules must have been changed. Hehehe. I guess we have to start from scratch for this new campaign."
"I wonder what rules are to be learned from this new edition."
"Let's see... You said... "Satoshi"?"
"That is my... challenger of this campaign..."
"The new codex is called... "Academy City"? And a Sensei too?"
"Wait... isn't this difficulty too high...? And a cheater to boot, too...?"
"No... There's a strategy for everything... A blind spot... An elemental weakness... An Achilles' heel... Anything is good..."
As Underground Dweller keeps rambling about game this and game that, Beatrice could only feel annoyance. She had expected him to be eccentric and psychopathic, but not to this extent. This is even worse than the other members of Gematria. At least they know when to stop their rambling during meetings. Nevertheless, her goal is almost done; she just needs to endure this for a few more moments. But then, something unexpected happens.
"No... NO... NOOOO... This can't be... WHAT IS THIS... HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE!?"
Underground Dweller screams and howls as the clocks on his face spin rapidly. Surprised by this, Beatrice steps back in fear, sweat forming heavy droplets on her face.
"WHO CAUSED THIS...? WHO INVITED "IT" HERE...?"
Then, as if he had found the culprits, all of his eyes lock onto Beatrice.
"WAS IT YOU...? I CAN SMELL IT... THE SMELL OF "CHROMA" COMING FROM YOU..."
Beatrice is speechless at his accusation. She couldn't for all of her life understand why The Chroma would make such a powerful being this restless.
"SO IT WAS YOU... MY CAMPAIGN IS RUINED BECAUSE OF YOU..."
Underground Dweller lunges forward, his arms stretched out at an inhuman speed Beatrice has never seen before.
Then, before her brain can even register it, a hand pierces through her chest like a hot knife through butter. She looks down and sees red blood dripping from her chest, and the black hand going through it. Blood begins rushing through her mouth, blocking her throat from uttering a single word. Underground Dweller yanks his hand out in a violent motion, splattering red pools of blood across the cold, dark room.
Beatrice falls to her knees and lies on the floor, blood seeping out from her chest in a pool surrounding her body. Choking on her own blood, Beatrice could only lie there motionless as the Underground Dweller left the room. Slowly fading into darkness, the last thing she would hear is the continuous rambling of Underground Dweller.
"No... There's still time... If I act fast before "IT" comes here..."
Abydos High School
It is another day of meetings for the Foreclosure Task Force on how to resolve their debts.
"Shiroko-senpai, stop bringing up robbing banks. What we did last time was only a one-time thing."
"Serika-chan, this is a rug-pull scheme. Why would you even trust something as shady as 'Shiba Coin' in the first place!?"
"That's right, Serika-chan. Didn't Oji-san teach you to watch out for these schemes after the "Germanium" incident?"
"Hoshino-senpai, stop napping and please focus on the meeting."
"Nonomi-senpai, I know we did make some money from doing idol activities, but selling my image as a marketable plush is where I draw the line."
Yet, what they are doing right now would be more in line with a comedic skit than an actual meeting.
"Hahaha, you girls are also so lively today."
"Sensei, not you too!?"
Sitting with all of them and enjoying this skit is the ever-so-reliable Satoshi Sensei of Kivotos, who has brought countless miracles and joy to this city ever since his arrival. Despite his carefree attitude, the man has done countless deeds for Abydos when no one paid them any attention and has successfully bolstered the district's development in less than a year.
"Ah, but Ayane, isn't Nonomi's idea great?"
"What are you even saying, Sensei!? How can you be so shameless?"
While Ayane is embarrassed beyond measure as her face turns bright red, Nonomi nods in joy with Satoshi's approval, "Hmm! Hmm!"
After the Trinity festival, Abydos' idol group has gained a small but loyal fan base across Kivotos. Despite only being a temporary group, their song still generates a sizable revenue for Abydos, easing the debt of the academy.
"Ah, but there's nothing wrong with that. Fans would definitely spend a lot of money on their idols' plushies. It's a completely legal and easy way of generating passive revenue, too. With the help of Millennium's technology, you guys can even produce those plushies yourself, making all of those profits belong to Abydos."
After several joint missions together, Abydos has become a great ally with many academies across Kivotos. Under the guidance of Sensei, Abydos is no longer alone on their path to recovery.
"Sensei's right, Ayane-chan. Didn't you also buy a plushie of Sensei the other day?"
Hoshino's surprise attack left Ayane speechless as her brain overloads with embarrassment.
"Wha... WHAT ARE YOU EVEN SAYING, HOSHINO-SENPAI?"
This earns Hoshino a chop on her head from her junior. "That's not very mature of you, senpai," reprimanded Nonomi. "And besides, all of us here have at least one plushie of Sensei; it's not fair to tease Ayane-chan like that."
"To think you girls would love me that much. I'm so happy that I could die with no regrets now," Satoshi's soul almost leaves his body at Nonomi's confession.
As Sensei and the Abydos students enjoy another normal day, something unexpected happens.
"Sensei! Sensei! There's an emergency." Inside Satoshi's tablet, a voice cries out to his ears, unheard by the students around him
"I'm sorry, girls, something's coming up." He gives the Foreclosure Task Force a heads-up as he leaves the clubroom.
Outside the clubroom, Satoshi boots up his tablet and is greeted by A.R.O.N.A., his trustiest sidekick and AI girl ever since coming to Kivotos. "What is it, A.R.O.N.A?"
Her red and black eyes lock onto him as her face tenses up.
"Sensei, someone is attacking one of Kaiser's outposts here in Abydos!"
"Can you identify the attacker?"
"It's chaotic out there, Sensei. The smoke from the chaos is blocking the satellite's view, but I can see a blue train with huge turrets mounted on it."
"This is definitely shady. I'll let the kids know. Thank you, A.R.O.N.A – chan."
"Be careful, Sensei."
With a grim expression, Satoshi returns to the clubroom.
"Did something happen, Sensei?" worried Nonomi.
"Be ready, girls. Someone is attacking a Kaiser base here in Abydos."
This news immediately alerts everyone in the room. Even the sleepy Hoshino now bears a tense expression on her face.
"I'm all for them getting what they deserved, but this does sound shady as heck there, Sensei." Everyone in the room nods in agreement with Hoshino's statement. "Do you know who might be doing this?"
"The satellite wasn't able to catch the culprit's identity, but it seems like they are bringing heavy firepower. We need to investigate this as soon as possible."
Everyone in the clubroom looks at each other before looking back at Sensei.
"We'll be in your care. Lead the way, Sensei."
Abydos' Desert, Anonymous Kaiser Base.
"Pahyahya, what a bunch of pushovers," laughed the green-haired imp as the cannons on her train decimated the Kaiser troops in the base.
"Call for back-up, those Highlander brats are violating our land," screamed a robot in the midst of chaos.
"We can't, something is jamming our signal. Send someone to re...," before his comrade can finish the sentence, the poor guy is reduced to a pile of scraps before his eye.
"Boohoo, Kaiser cheaters... no calling back-ups," another imp chimed in.
"I can't wait until lunch! Why do higher-ups have to push this to us in the first place?"
"Hikari hungry... no energy to work anymore!"
"Hang on there, sis. We are almost done."
In contrast to their chaotic surrounding, the sisters seem to pay no mind to the destruction surrounding them as they continue their work leisurely, totally ignorant of the two sets of eyes watching them from afar.
"Uhee, why do other academies like invading our land so much?" exclaimed Hoshino as she watched the live footage sent via Ayane's drone.
"Ahh, first Gehenna, and now Highlander, can't they just be civilized people and knock on our doors first!?" Serika is absolutely livid.
"Nn, we will teach them a lesson," Shiroko is already prepared for an all-out brawl.
"Let's show them the true power of Abydos," cheered Nonomi.
"Calm down, girls, let's talk to them first. We need to get to the bottom of this before fighting them," Satoshi tries to calm his students.
"Sensei is right, everyone. We need to avoid coming into conflict with another academy," agreed Ayane.
However, before they can take any actions, the fight has already stopped. The heavy war machine stops on its track as its weapons are laid to rest, smoke still smoldering from their mouths.
"Let's go, everyone. On my command," said Satoshi, signaling everyone to come with him to the base.
As the Foreclosure Task Force arrived at the battered base, they were instantly greeted by two green-haired devils.
"Oops. Sister, we got busted," declared Tachibana Hikari.
"Aww, and here I thought that we could get away with this," replied Tachibana Nozomi
"Who are you people? And why is Highlander Railroad Academy trespassing on Abydos territory?" asked Ayane.
"Hey, hey, isn't Kaiser your enemy? Shouldn't you be thanking us first!?" Nozomi was annoyed.
"Enemies or not, you are still trespassing on Abydos's soil without any approval from the Foreclosure Task Force. We demand an explanation right now! Or else!"
"Sister, sister. She's mad. Real mad."
"She sure is."
"What business does Highlander Railroad Academy have with Kaiser to provoke this attack?" This time, it's Satoshi's turn to voice his question.
"Who's that...?"
"An Adult...? Oh, aren't you that Sensei we were briefed about? The Sensei who licked his students' feet and forced them to cosplay every time on duty?"
Nozomi's sudden accusation leaves everyone in the Foreclosure Task Force speechless as they eye their Sensei. Of course, there were many times that they arrived at SCHALE while not in uniform, but cosplaying, and feet licking?
"Well, you know. They are just baseless rumors! No need to worry about them!" Satoshi is clearly nervous now as beads of sweat drop profusely from his face.
"But let's not change the subject here! You still haven't answered my question yet!"
"What do, Nozomi?"
"Duh, Hikari, like we always do."
"Huh?"
But before the two imps could jump up on their train and start the machine, both of them received a chop on their heads at the same time. Behind them, a huge figure emerges, clothed in clothes that seem unfit for the hot desert of Abydos, with an eyepatch on her face.
"Ack... Overseer Suou!"
"Boohoo, Overseer hurts Hikari."
"Another Highlander student? Who are you?" confused Ayane.
"You're their allies?" questioned Hoshino.
"It is a stretch to call us 'allies', but my mission is still watching over them. My name is Asagiri Suou, an overseer at Highlander Railroad Academy."
"An overseer?"
"It's just an over-glorified errand position for the directing board. But as their overseer, I have to apologize for their actions. They are Tachibana Hikari and Nozomi, officers of the Central Control Center, or CCC. There are papers sent to your academies awaiting approval, but they have failed to follow the proper procedure and acted out of order," bowed Suou as she forced both Hikari and Nozomi to bow with her.
Yet, everyone in the Foreclosure Task Force is still skeptical of her explanation.
"If you can transfer their custody to me, I would gladly discuss our business in the Abydos desert with you back at your school. Don't worry, our clean-up crews are already on their way."
Abydos High School.
"Whoa, there are actually papers sent out to us from Highlander!" said Serika, as she looked at the tablet of Ayane.
"A contract between... Abydos Student Council... and Nepthys!?" surprised Ayane too.
"Then, isn't this a matter between Nepthys and Kaiser? Why are you here?" confused Nonomi.
"As a corporate academy, it is common for us to enter contracts with other corporates. At this point, both Highlander and the Nepthys Group are basically one and the same," replied Suou.
"A joint project that belongs to the Abydos Student Council and Nepthys? So your original plan is still taking over that Kaiser base?" questioned Hoshino, still skeptical.
"Your reputation precedes you, Takanashi Hoshino. Yes, that base was built right next to the position of that project. Nepthys has won Kaiser over in court about the possession of the Abydos Trans-Desert Railway facilities. Our Intelligence, however, confirmed that Kaiser did not have any intention of upholding their agreement."
Then, as Suou finishes her sentence, cars begin pulling up outside of the campus of Abydos High School, alerting everyone inside the school building.
"It seems like they have arrived."
"Who are they?" questioned Ayane.
"Your creditors."
After a lengthy conversation about how they would take over the project if the Foreclosure Task Force does not arrive on time to the creditors' meeting tomorrow, they leave the campus alongside the students of Highlander, leaving behind a still dumbfounded Foreclosure Task Force.
"Butler..." Nonomi can only mutter under her breath. Her former butler's insults still linger heavily on her mind.
"So we just need to arrive on time to the meeting, big deal?" exclaimed Serika, still furious over the creditors' attitudes.
"It's not that easy, Serika-chan," said Hoshino. "They're going to try every way to block us from going there."
Seeing that his students' spirits are down, Satoshi tries to encourage them.
"Don't worry, kids. I will be there with you. Your Sensei will not leave you alone in this."
"That's right, everyone. Sensei is going to help us get to the meeting," added Ayane.
"Nn, Sensei will help us kick their ass," excited Shiroko.
"Uhee, I don't doubt you there, Sensei. C'mon, Nonomi-chan, no need to feel bad about all of this. Let's give it our best tomorrow."
"Hmm, you are right, Hoshino-senpai!"
"Let's show those creditors the true power of Abydos."
Satoshi's encouragement was super effective in motivating the Foreclosure Task Force. As everyone in Abydos is pumped up and readied for tomorrow, they retreat back to their house full of confidence and bliss, unaware of the tragedy that would soon befall them and the entirety of Kivotos.
Chaos Realm.
"Hehehe... With this strategy, even a cheater has to admit defeat."
"The Sensei of SCHALE, who created miracles and cheated death, is only a slave to his body's limits."
"I need to hurry up and finish this game... before 'IT' arrives."