Cinderella - NIKKE

Profile Cinderella is a member of the Old Tales squad. She was part of the second generation of the Grimms series Nikkes, alongside Hansel, Gretel, Red Shoes and Little Mermaid. The Big Three had spent astronomical amount of resources to manufacture her as she was intended to join and support the Goddess squad. Cinderella's primary aspiration is to coexist with the rest of the Goddess squad and outmatch their beauty.

Unfortunately, before her debut as the newest member of the Goddess Squad, the Elysion facility where she was located got attacked by Raptures. She was also corrupted through a refined Corruption code caused by a traitor researcher, leading her to believe that by slaughtering mankind, she would serve the Goddess Squad and the Queen. As a result, she would clash with the Goddess Squad and forced them to retreat in their first encounter. She would then proceed to wipe out multiple human settlements as well as decimating the human soldiers and mass-produced Nikkes dispatched to eliminate her. The Central Government thereby gave her the codename "Anachiro." As such, she became one of the Heretics, personal agents of the Rapture Queen, and was considered to be the first Heretic, making her the progenitor to the later Heretics such as Behemoth. In the aftermath, she believes that her beauty has been completely tainted by her corruption as humanity now ostracizes her and calls her all the repulsive things that she shouldn't be referred to such as "Traitor," "Heretic," "Murderer" and so on.

Cinderella use blitzkrieg tactics, allowing her to overwhelm and swiftly annihilate her enemies. Liliweiss compared her abilities to an air strike or intercontinental ballistic missile as such, she is considered to be the equivalent of a 'walking tactical weapon,' and inferred that her specifications alone could outpace the Goddesses, including herself. Nevertheless, the Commander and Snow White presume that Anachiro would lose in a duel against Liliweiss, implying that Anachiro is specialized in combating multiple foes and not single target enemies.

Nikke Backstory One of the second generation Grimms Model created as a successor to the Goddess Squad.

Although her specifications surpass that of the Goddess Squad, she was not deployed in actual battles due to corruption.

After receiving treatment, she has been fighting alone with zero support to overcome the stigma of being humanity's enemy.

Personality When first debuted in Red Ash, little was known about Cinderella's personality as she barely speaks a single word. However, she had a penchant for leaving a single survivor in all of her assaults, wanting someone to live to tell the tale of her carnage. This tied in to her inbuilt sense of superiority complex over others, especially in her confident smirk as Goddess' attacks plinked ineffectually off her Glass Slippers. As such Cinderella shows both pride and narcissism. As the Heretic Anachiro, she believes that by slaughtering mankind, she would serve the Goddess squad and the Rapture Queen.

Cinderella is obsessed with beauty. She even proclaims herself as beauty incarnate, she is always seen looking at herself in a mirror, as far as demanding a full-size mirror should be placed every 100 meters in Reclamation Site 01 (which was a concession from her since she originally asked for such a mirror every 50 meters). She believes she must always stay beautiful, and everything else that lives on this planet. Part of her obsession with beauty stems from her desire to atone for her actions as the former Heretic Anachiro, having full recollection of them all and viewing her corrupted self as a stain on her image.

Anything commendable in her eyes shall be deemed beautiful such as the Goddess squad's efforts during the First Rapture Invasion or the cohesiveness of the Counters' conversation. However on the flip side, Cinderella loathes anything she considers to be 'disgraceful' such as a defeatism mindset like believing the war against the Raptures is impossible to triumph. Those who do not vow a reason to throw their life on the line are also pure disgrace in her eyes.

Story Background As a human, Cinderella was but a young girl when the Raptures first invaded. She watched as hope and common decency were abandoned by the people around her, who scrabbled for base survival even as the enemy trampled them underfoot.

That all changed when she saw what would become Goddess Squad on their first official mission. They weren't the most coordinated or professional lot around, and they were visibly tired and dirtied after the battle ended. Yet seeing them defeat the Raptures, and bring tranquil silence where gunshots and screams echoed, the girl became entranced by Goddess, and yearned to stand beside them.

Some time later, Cinderella would be converted into a Nikke by the scientist Abe. But she would not just be any Nikke. She was a second-generation Grimms model, the same line from which Goddess was created. Cinderella was made to outpace all of them, even the prototype Liliweiss, just from her physical specs. Out of all her creations, Abe considers Cinderella to be her magnum opus, revering her to be the Goddess squad's worthy successor.

Cinderella was supposed to be the next generation of Grimms Model created to assist the Goddess Squad. However, she was corrupted on the day she was to assist Goddess in attacking the Lift. The corruption trapped Cinderella in her own body, forcing her to watch as she committed all manner of atrocities. First, she watched as it puppetered her into mutilating her own squad. Then, she watched as it forced her guns against the Goddess she so admired. In doing so, Cinderella despaired, blaming herself for sabotaging Goddess' operation, and humanity's hopes with it.

The corruption seeped further into her mind, tricking her into believing that humans were the enemies of Goddess, and that killing them all would save her idols and make them happy. Succumbing to the corruption, Cinderella fell from grace. Humanity would come to know and fear her as Anachiro, the first Heretic who betrayed humanity for the Raptures.

Later, Anachiro once more came to blows with Cinderella's former squad.[10] When the dust settled, the Heretic stood victorious, clutching the decapitated head of Abe, Cinderella's creator who tried to rouse her conscious. It did the trick, and the Nikke trapped in her own body railed against the sin she had committed. She questioned if her actions as Anachiro were truly of use to Goddess. In response, the corruption ceased its gentle temptation and resorted to threats. It promised to make Anachiro murder all of Old Tales if Cinderella did not accept her fate as a pawn of the Queen.

Cinderella promised she'd do so on one condition; only when all of Goddess Squad lay dead at her feet would she accept her fate as a Heretic. Despite the corruption cackling as it thought her broken, Cinderella had another plan. She would force Anachiro to fight the Goddess head-on, and in doing so, they would triumph over it. Her idols would destroy the Heretic, and free Cinderella through death.[11]

Anachiro was eventually defeated by the combined efforts of the Goddess Squad (excluding Liliweiss, who was recuperating after the previous battle). At some point in time, her body was recovered as a test subject on how Vapaus interacts with nanomachines. The Vapaus had the unintentional side-effect of purging Cinderella's corruption, allowing her personality to resurface. Scientists affiliated with the Central Government studied her day in and day out, jabbing, prodding, melting, and cutting away at her body. They garnered insights on the creation and alterations of Heretics, though given the vitriol they slung her way, it was clear there was another motive. Revenge, to the traitor who cemented mankind's defeat. Punishing the monster who turned her weapons on her creators, and slaughtered countless people and Nikkes on the battlefield. To Cinderella, the torment was all she deserved and more. For she was no longer beautiful, her story marred by treachery and the blood on her hands.[12]

Eventually, Cinderella's prison was visited by Abe, who had somehow survived her decapitation by Anachiro. Thanks to the timely occurrence of a Rapture incursion, the two managed to escape the lab that was confining Cinderella.[13] Following their escape, Cinderella hid with Abe in the latter's personal bunker, where she reunited with her squad.[14] The reunion was bittersweet, as her comrades, while happy to see her again, still remembered what they suffered at Anachiro's hands, not helped by the fact that Cinderella's eyes were still tinted scarlet red. Shortly afterwards, she discovered a terrible truth.

The cause of her corruption, that ruined her life, her hopes of joining Goddess, and mankind's victory. All of it was at the hands of Red Shoes. Her own comrade. Overwhelmed with rage and betrayal, Cinderella attacked Red Shoes and killed her. Unfortunately, her squad walked in at that exact moment, and believed she deliberately betrayed them. Falling into despair as her world crumbled again, but unwilling to hurt her comrades a third time, Cinderella fled from the bunker.

Later, Anachiro once more came to blows with Cinderella's former squad.[10] When the dust settled, the Heretic stood victorious, clutching the decapitated head of Abe, Cinderella's creator who tried to rouse her conscious. It did the trick, and the Nikke trapped in her own body railed against the sin she had committed. She questioned if her actions as Anachiro were truly of use to Goddess. In response, the corruption ceased its gentle temptation and resorted to threats. It promised to make Anachiro murder all of Old Tales if Cinderella did not accept her fate as a pawn of the Queen.

Cinderella promised she'd do so on one condition; only when all of Goddess Squad lay dead at her feet would she accept her fate as a Heretic. Despite the corruption cackling as it thought her broken, Cinderella had another plan. She would force Anachiro to fight the Goddess head-on, and in doing so, they would triumph over it. Her idols would destroy the Heretic, and free Cinderella through death.[11]

Anachiro was eventually defeated by the combined efforts of the Goddess Squad (excluding Liliweiss, who was recuperating after the previous battle). At some point in time, her body was recovered as a test subject on how Vapaus interacts with nanomachines. The Vapaus had the unintentional side-effect of purging Cinderella's corruption, allowing her personality to resurface. Scientists affiliated with the Central Government studied her day in and day out, jabbing, prodding, melting, and cutting away at her body. They garnered insights on the creation and alterations of Heretics, though given the vitriol they slung her way, it was clear there was another motive. Revenge, to the traitor who cemented mankind's defeat. Punishing the monster who turned her weapons on her creators, and slaughtered countless people and Nikkes on the battlefield. To Cinderella, the torment was all she deserved and more. For she was no longer beautiful, her story marred by treachery and the blood on her hands.[12]

Eventually, Cinderella's prison was visited by Abe, who had somehow survived her decapitation by Anachiro. Thanks to the timely occurrence of a Rapture incursion, the two managed to escape the lab that was confining Cinderella.[13] Following their escape, Cinderella hid with Abe in the latter's personal bunker, where she reunited with her squad.[14] The reunion was bittersweet, as her comrades, while happy to see her again, still remembered what they suffered at Anachiro's hands, not helped by the fact that Cinderella's eyes were still tinted scarlet red. Shortly afterwards, she discovered a terrible truth.

The cause of her corruption, that ruined her life, her hopes of joining Goddess, and mankind's victory. All of it was at the hands of Red Shoes. Her own comrade. Overwhelmed with rage and betrayal, Cinderella attacked Red Shoes and killed her. Unfortunately, her squad walked in at that exact moment, and believed she deliberately betrayed them. Falling into despair as her world crumbled again, but unwilling to hurt her comrades a third time, Cinderella fled from the bunker.[15]

Cinderella fled to a remote corner of the world, where for an unknown time period, she languished in a cycle of waking up, staring at the horizon, and falling asleep in tears. Eventually, she came to a terrible conclusion; her story, her defiled fairy tale that could no longer be called such. It wrote her out to be a monster, and there was only one ending for monsters. But before she could order Glass Slippers to take her own life, something stopped her.

Having tracked Cinderella all the way to where she fled, Abe appeared before her wayward creation. Offering encouragement and promising to stand by her, the scientist managed to walk Cinderella away from the precipice of despair. Abe promised to always be Cinderella's audience member, her mirror. The one who would reflect her most beautiful self, and bear witness to the story she wrote.[16]

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