| Phase 36 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Volume: | 6 |
| Chapter | 36 |
| English title | I Walked Here Before |
| Total pages | 30 |
| Released | 2003 |
| Story Arc | Starship Cult Arc |
| Chapter Navigation | |
| previous Phase 35 |
next Phase 37 |
I Walked Here Before is the thirty-sixth chapter of Battle Angel Alita: Last Order.
Cover[]
A diagram of the city of Ketheres, including the locations of LADDER & the area where the Zenith of Things Tournament takes place.
Summary[]
As Alita floats towards the Onion Frame, she is asked by Ping if she knew what was in the F-Box she gave him; he reveals that when he and Martin opened it, they were shocked to see it merely contained a human brain. Alita denies knowing about it and Porta Nova is equally confused; Porta suggests they ask the Nova that had been in possession of it before getting captured by Aga Mbadi. They decide to use it to replace Lou's brain once they reach Melchizedek. Alita is informed of a security presence outside; she equips her stealth mode and evades them. Ping guides her to a mono-molecular wire that's connected to the Onion Frame. Alita attaches a winch and begins ascending it.
Both Elf and Zwölf initially avoid a rope attack from Darbhanga, but one of Zwölf's legs end up caught by it. She is thrown up into the air and disappears in some clouds that suddenly appeared above the arena. Elf, unable to call out her name, tries to imitate Alita by trying to goad Darbhanga to fight her; he stares at her, creeping out Elf and dissuading her from continuing. Darbhanga pulls out a sword from his mouth and ascends the rope, soon followed by Elf. Hegeor Hopper describes the attack, known as the Indian Rope Trick, as being a deadly one where the victim is chopped into pieces; once the trigger word is said aloud, the victim's body parts fall to the ground and will then be reassembled. Jack Gerambo reminds him that it is a kill or be killed mentality in the ZOTT, which Hopper grimly agrees with. A hush soon falls over the crowd as the announcers speculate what could happen next.
Upon reaching the Onion Frame, the route appears to have been sealed off years ago; Ping has Alita set up a connection and he calls Landa Nam Nam for assistance. This offer is coldly rebuked by the latter, reminding Ping they are no longer friends and he will not give any assistance. Frustrated, Ping states their only other routes are through the front entrance and the waste disposal chute; when he notices Alita walking in a different direction, Porta Nova advises he let her continue. Alita goes to a different panel and pries it away to reveal a maintenance hatch that was placed before the Onion Frame underwent a massive repair job. Impressed, Ping has her activate her stealth module again; Alita recalls how the path is familiar to her and upon rounding a corner, experiences another memory; one of a young Kunstler attacking and brutally killing a large number of soldiers.
Trivia[]
- The brain that is shown inside the F-Box is later revealed to be Alita's, having been removed after she was reconstructed by Desty Nova.
- The name 'Nova II' is mentioned for the first time to describe the initial copy of Desty Nova that was created by the Stereotomy process.
[]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||