Chapter 01 : Ten years after the invasion.

Tokyo, Garden of Memories.

A young man was standing in front of  the memorial made of stone and stained glass. He stood alone among the different groups present here for the attack’s birthday, officials and civilians alike.

And while everyone else looks showed sadness and regret, his were full of determination and anger. He was starring at the walls, as if his eyes could tore it’s pieces apart. The three outer ones, with the name of all the Japaneses that died during the invasion. And the core one, listing all the gantzers that died on missions. The memorial was constructed like four pages of a book, one stone wavy block behind the other, with some space between them, so that people could read all the names. From the ones in the inside to the outside ones, you could read in order first the Gantzers’ names, then the town of Tokyo’s victims, then the Tokyo’s prefecture’s victims, then the whole of Japan. In the middle of every piece of stone a disk of stained glass was present, and during a whole minute, at the exact time when the invasion started ten years ago, all the disks were aligned. The beautiful sunny day let everyone see the Gantz symbol on the ground. It only appeared one time every year.

As the public, the civilians officials and the military stopped talking so they could show their respect with a moment of silence, the young man felt his anger reach new picks.

How could the Gantzers fight ? They were left to die, only knowing bullshit information about their missions. Fighting in the dark, in the shadow of the world. So much could have been done differently. If they could have been made to fight the right way.

And for what result ?

The US were wiped out along most of the modern big towns, Paris, London, Moscow, Madrid, Bejing, Tapei, Berlin, Rome, Tokyo, Seoul, and the others. All had to pay the tribute to the fight. Seven hundred fifty eight millions, nine hundred sixty three thousands, four hundred and twenty one people. All died at the start of the invasion, during it, or in the aftermath.

Everything from before the invasion was useless. The governments, the army, the companies, everything.

The gantzers and their weapons were here, but misused. The black balls were useless. The prophecy misunderstood. It lead humanity to be used as food, as pets, be used in fighting arenas against each other. To be used as toys that you could step on, bend, break, rip apart, throw, drawn, beat flat, crush. For the aliens to throw away and take another one. Numbers of people tried to flee and hide, to fight, to protect themselves and their loved ones.

Seven hundred fifty eight millions, nine hundred sixty three thousands, four hundred and twenty one people.

Seven hundred fifty eight millions, nine hundred sixty three thousands, four hundred and twenty one failures.

The young man stood there, anger shaking his body.

Closing his eyes, he tried to calm himself. No use drawing attention on himself right now. Not before it started. He had waited ten years for that. Planing, crafting, testing, training. All so that this moment could happen. All so that the people he knew from the past could still be here today. Especially them. The two people he felt responsible for, as he didn’t know then that they were once from Gantz. He was just wasting his life at the time. Enjoying his family money and using it to help those he could. Like the second generation rich heir he was. He could have done so much more.

His hate against the aliens drove him. Supported him. Kept him focused on this single purpose. It made him work for Heinz Bernstein. Just to trick him to gain access to the Gantz remaining systems. He would change everything. His only skills when he started was computer programming and he abused it. Molding the system, hacking it, all for the plan. The counter showed on his  VR glasses indicated the time remaining, less than sixty seconds. His heart was almost breaking with the strength it beat with.

"Just wait for me", he thought.

"That german guy was stupid.
Totally moronic.

Why would you try to weaken your warriors ?
Why didn't you try to make them stronger ?

I could use their technology to do much more.

So much more.

Reinforcement in combat ?
Re-supply in action ?
Overpowered weapons and tech ?
Virtual training room ?
HUB-helmet ?

Lets load the AC-DC soundtrack and join the winning team.

What do you mean the fight is over now ?

You didn't really think I looked how to do all of that without a PLAN ?

Tighten your belt and grab your socks, it's time to playback the game.

Here I come, Gantz, As the Game Master.”

Just then the counter hit zero and for people around him nothing changed.

But WATANABE Takashi, known once as Taka for his few friends, couldn't move anymore, as the teleportation was in process.

Twenty seconds later his dead body crumbled on the ground, scaring people around him. Blood leaking from his nose and mouth.

119 services were quick to respond, but doctors and nurses could only declare his inevitable death. His body didn’t have a brain anymore.

One month before the Onion-Alien mission. Tokyo, WATANABE penthouse.

A young man was sitting in front of his computer as an excruciating pain took him by surprise. Falling from his chair, his body was shaken by convulsions. Strangely, his head was steady since the moment following his fall.

Time passed, as the young man body trashed around.

Finally, the pain was gone, as suddenly as it came. Rolling on his belly, the young man coughed blood, as it flew from his mouth and nose, choking him. With his lungs and airways free from this life-fluid, his breathing calmed at last.

Smiling broadly despite the blood on his face, throat, hands and clothes, Takashi was happy for the first time in ten years.

- It has began !