I was unprepared for that development, especially the scale on which it unfolded. Revelations were wrapped within revelations wrapped within revelations. I suspected certain elements holding relevance yet the manner in how it was presented left me completely in shock. That was not something I expected yet within the context of Edens Zero and in particular, the intentions of Ziggy, it follows on undeniably naturally. Mother has been Dark Ziggy’s goal since his awakening and to achieve such an end, the villainy he has carried out surpasses any that had been expected of his character. With this reality facing Shiki, there should be only one answer he can arrive at concerning how to respond.
Ziggy served a parental role to Shiki and Elsie and embedded within their very being, nature and hearts are memories of him. With Dark Ziggy having awakened, the Ziggy the two once knew is long gone. Even if base Ziggy remains somewhere within the code of Ziggy, it has become buried under layers and layers of iniquity. Dark Ziggy has become a threat to all innocence. Saving Ziggy should not become the focus rather with what Shiki has now witnessed, the lives of thousands are on his back and the decisions he makes going forward will determine the fate of all those mothers. Shiki understands the pain of losing a mother (Witch) and should know what needs to be done. The families of all those mother’s exist somewhere within the cosmos crumbling underneath the weight of grief. To allow a happy end for many, Shiki NEEDS to place his love for Ziggy aside and approach this battle from the mindset of wanting to kill Dark Ziggy (including base Ziggy). It has to be done. Otherwise, Dark Ziggy will exploit any ounce of love Shiki has for Ziggy and abuse it to crush Shiki under the gravity of his love. This happened with Elsie who was able to overwhelm and counter Ziggy until her emotions for her parent were exploited by Dark Ziggy.
I was hoping Weisz’s mother was still alive and it turns out that she is. Ziggy at some point made his way to the adjusted Norma and located Weisz’s mother. To think that when Weisz met Shiki and Co., his mother was still somewhere within one of the secret Norma labs having research done on her relating to the status afflicting her (effects of Drakken’s power). Despite the grievous situation Weisz’s mother is reintroduced in, I am happy to know that the possibility of Weisz reuniting with his mother still exist. And I believe there will be a happy ending awaiting Weisz at the end of his journey.
Another reunion which occurred that I completely did not expect within this arc was Homura and Kurenai. When it comes to Madame Kurenai, I am very biased toward her character and any potential redemption that could occur. When reading volume 7 of Edens Zero almost two years ago, I was invested in her character and became curious about the story behind her antagonism. I suspected a human side given the genuineness she displayed when meeting Valkyrie for the first time. Ultimately, greed overwhelmed Kurenai which resulted in her abusing the connection she had with Homura (parent/child). I was left hollow at the conclusion Kurenai received but what made the overall arc and focus on Homura so satisfying was the contrasting presentation of how love and family isn’t restricted to blood or being human. The bonds which connect hearts exist in a state beyond form. What determines the love shared between existences are the emotions expressed.
I won’t lie, I have since the conclusion of Kurenai’s story in volume 8 been silently hoping that she returns and is in some form redeemed. Even after cutting Kurenai off and it being three years, Homura still recognises her mother and even calls her “mother”. What this means is that within Homura’s heart, she still values the bond she has with Kurenai. Even though Valkyrie was Homura’s mother, Kurenai still gave birth to Homura which is something Homura feels immense gratitude toward. If given the opportunity, I believe Homura will be open toward Kurenai acting as a mother toward her. Love isn’t situational, it is always accepted and appreciated. Just because Valkyrie was the mother Homura needed doesn’t mean that Kurenai can’t be the mother Homura hopes for her to be. With Kurenai’s return, I can’t help but pray for such a progression.
Finally, the third mother introduced who is connected to the main cast is Rebecca’s mother, Saintfire Nox. I anticipated Saintfire Nox’s inclusion within this arc but no where within my maelstrom of thoughts did I imagine that a Oración Seis Galáctica member could be the mother of Rebecca. Why does Ziggy know about Rebecca’s mother? And how did he capture her? With this knowledge of Rebecca’s origins, does this mean he is also aware of Rebecca’s ability to exist outside the laws of the universe? Clown had mentioned in chapter 197 that Ziggy greatest desire is to possess the power to change the laws of the universe (Etherion). This is an outcome Rebecca is capable achieving through the use of her abilities which is why Drakken Joe sought the Cat Leaper power. If Ziggy knows about Cat Leaper and still wishes to seize Etherion from the Edens Zero, does this mean Etherion and Rebecca are connected? Will possessing Etherion mean possessing the power Rebecca harnesses or an even greater power? Unless Cat Leaper is the power Ziggy is seeking but he needs Etherion to attain the power from Rebecca. Alternatively, Etherion could be a mother as well (Shiki’s mother?), one who possesses a very particular Ether Gear to harness the Special Ether mother’s possess. It is very strange for Ziggy to be so catering toward enemies he seeks to kill. His plan definitely involves binding the hands of the Edens Zero team.
With thousands of mother’s present on Lendard, it will be impossible for the Edens Zero team to proceed with their plan of summoning the Chronophage. Without the means and time to evacuate all the humans present, the risk of killing all those people cripples any action of attracting the Chronophage to wipe out time and Ziggy from the planet. I don’t even believe the ships from the Oración Seis Interstellar could carry all the people on Lendard unless there exist a massive command ship or transporter. If Lendard has a build-in spaceship within it’s facility, there could be a way to save those people. Whatever the case, the Edens Zero team needs to pivot their strategy in how to deal with Ziggy because they cannot rely on the Chronophage at present.
Could God Acnoella become an ally and end up assisting in saving all the humans on Lendard? With such strong focus on mother’s within this arc, I wouldn’t be surprised if God Acnoella ended up being revealed to be Elsie’s mother (or is Elsie’s mother in one of the tanks in the facility?). Within Fairy Tail, Erza is the daughter of the mother of Dragon Slayers, so it would be fitting if Elsie is also the daughter or the mother of Dragon [machines] within Edens Zero. What I am most interested in with Acnoella though are her intentions and end goal. She did express support toward Ziggy’s plans but her actions convey a level of self-interest that could conflict against Ziggy’s depending on what she wishes to do.
A question that needs to be asked, why does Cure know that Saintfire Nox is on Lendard? When not even Feather could track her with her Eye of Venus, how did Cure manage to ascertain this information? Has he hacked Ziggy’s systems? Or is Cure someone that should be suspected? It is strange how no one else within the Oración Seis Interstellar knew about Saintfire Nox’s presence on Lendard but Cure. What does his Ether Gear allow? Now that we know all of the Oración Seis Galáctica are on Lendard, can we expect ALL Oración Seis Interstellar to be present? When I say all, I am referring to the sixth member of the group. Ziggy has been confirmed to be the sixth Oración Seis Galáctica member and in order to keep the balance of power and representation, there really needs to be a sixth Oración Seis Interstellar member.
The Special Ether present in human mother’s likely has a connection to Mother and in locating her. Ziggy’s is focused on finding Mother and if we presume that Mother allows Ziggy to possess the power to change the laws of the universe, then it can be explained why this Special Ether is required by Ziggy. If the Special Ether in human mother’s reacts with Mother like the artifact’s she left behind imbued with her Ether, it could provide Ziggy a basis on which to compute the calculations currently ongoing within the Edens One. The more mother’s present, the greater the resonance of the Special Ether produced by them when reacting to Mother. With more data, the Edens One could perform more calculations and ascertain the exact location of Mother. Etherion may be needed to finalise the interaction between the Special Ether and Mother. Very much looking forward to the next chapter and seeing how Holy deals with Deadend Crow.
Enjoyment level: 9/10
12Dimension 