The Unacceptable Ending
No one wants a bitter ending.
Yet bitter endings linger—etched into memory with painful clarity. Players begrudgingly admitted: NieR:Automata was a masterpiece because it hurt so much.
But when Pod 042 defied the system with a single line—
"Conclusion: This ending is unacceptable."
—The audience erupted.
Pod 153 countered with cold logic: Data deletion was necessary. The cycle must continue.
Then, the question appeared—not to Pod 042, but to us:
"Recovery is possible… but risky. Failure means permanent data loss. Even so… do you wish to save them?"
[YES] or [NO]
The chat exploded:
"YES! YES! A THOUSAND TIMES YES!"
Tears streaming, the streamer smashed [YES].
The Impossible Battle
The screen shifted to a top-down bullet-hell minigame.
Dodging? Nearly impossible.
The streamer's ship exploded within seconds.
Then again.
And again.
Each death triggered haunting prompts:
"Is this futile?"
"Does the world lack meaning?"
Her replies grew fiercer:
"NO! SAVING THEM IS THE MEANING!"
After an hour of relentless failure, exhaustion set in. The chat urged her to rest—until...
The Miracle
A new message flickered:
"You have received aid: 'SonyDaFaHao' offers support. Accept?"
Gasps filled the stream.
"Wait—that's the SL save-scum legend!"
She accepted.
A shield of allied ships materialized, weathering the bullet storm. When "SonyDaFaHao" fell, another took its place:
"Juying Group"
"DSLRsBankruptFools"
"NintendoRulesAll"
The chat lost it:
"HOLY SHIT—THIS IS PLAYERS HELPING PLAYERS?!"
"WE'RE LITERALLY IN THE GAME?!"
Together, they broke the cycle.
The True Ending
The pods rescued 2B and 9S's cores. A2 stirred elsewhere.
No confirmation. No guarantees. Just hope.
Yet the room wept—because they'd fought for this.
Then, the final choice:
"Will you aid the weak? Your save data may be lost."
The streamer smiled through tears.
Without hesitation:
"[YES]. For them."
Her save file dissolved—sacrificed to send help to another player.
And in that moment, NieR:Automata transcended gaming.
(Chapter End)