Zenless Zone Zero: In-depth Analysis of Chronicles PV - The Three-Pronged Pact

In the Zenless Zone Zero Version 2.7 special program, the official released a major PV—three high-ranking members of TOPS are holding a secret meeting. In this piece, we'll break down what the PV covers and some interesting details in the setting. Let's take a look!

At the beginning of the story, four chairs are present at the meeting. One chair is empty, and this absent high-ranking member is confirmed in the PV content to be a Krampus leader. From this, we can learn that the TOPS leadership is composed of four major factions—Lead Scepter, Tin Crown, Copper Ring, and Krampus. All except Krampus are collectively referred to as the "Three Pacts". The PV's title, "The Three-Pronged Pact", refers precisely to this meeting.

The settings for Lead Scepter, Tin Crown, and Copper Ring draw from the mystical and alchemical concept of the seven classical metals corresponding to the seven classical planets. The three metals that appear in the PV—lead, tin, and copper—correspond to different celestial bodies, deities, and stages of life. Lead corresponds to Saturn; Saturn represents time, trials, and old age, so lead is designed as a scepter fitting its characteristics. Tin corresponds to Jupiter; Jupiter represents expansion, fortune, and sovereignty, hence it is designed here as a crown. Copper corresponds to Venus; Venus represents love, beauty, commitment, and connection, so here it is a ring.

In the mystical system of alchemy, the seven metals have an evolutionary ladder from low to high: lead, tin, copper, iron, mercury, silver, gold. The lead, tin, and copper that appear in the PV can be said to be the three cruder metals. It's unknown what forces the other four higher metals represent in Zenless Zone Zero.

Furthermore, these metal designs drawn from mysticism have appeared in another place within Zenless Zone Zero: the strength classification of the Ethereal. The HIA has established a ten-tier standard for classifying Ethereal strength, and these tier standards are named after metallic elements and their chemical formulas. Arranged from weakest to strongest, the weakest Ant Ethereal is classified as the "Antimony" grade, and the strongest Relic Ethereal is classified as the "Mercury" grade. However, these are not the classical seven metals mentioned earlier but belong to later schools of mystical thought.

The topic of this meeting is the revival of The Creator. In the current world of chaos, the next action plan for TOPS was presented with separate opinions from the "Three Pacts", and the final decision was made by a machine resembling a clock above. One feature of this machine is its hands that run counterclockwise; its purpose might be some kind of device for simulating or predicting the future.

Accompanying the machine is a female voiceover. She is also the one who convened the "Three Pacts" to start the meeting. This character did not appear physically, and there is only an audio waveform on the table, so her identity remains unknown. However, given that the clock device can be tampered with by Youkai, this device might be some kind of intelligent construct. The female voice also mentions the "First Seat"—it's unclear if this refers to the device itself or if there is someone else above the "Three Pacts".

Now, let's talk about the identities and proposals of the three parties present at the meeting. The first one appears to be the second-in-command of the Tin Crown organization. He previously appeared in Hoshimi Miyabi's PV, acting as the advisor in the operation that made Miyabi a Void Hunter. When dealing with the Hollows, compared to the uncertainties of the Void Hunters, he places more trust in the stability of a nuclear strike, believing the sacrifices caused by it are necessary. In the trolley problem, he wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice the side with fewer people.

Tin Crown's proposal is a plan for the co-existence of humans and the Hollows. This was set up in earlier storylines, from the experiments conducted by Bringer and the various drugs developed by The Exaltists through their human experiments, to the later revelation that they had support from forces within TOPS. The Tin Crown organization is likely a participant in this.

Next is the high-ranking member from the Copper Ring side, who has appeared before in the main storyline, at an auction related to the Ravenlock Family. The Copper Ring organization's proposal seems to be the Void Hunter Weapon Project. They want to use Void Hunters as their puppets to obtain weapons for TOPS's use, weapons akin to the Cursed Blade. The PV clearly indicates that the power of these weapons comes from The Creator, such as Miyabi's "Tailless" and Ye Shunguang's Qingming Sword. Therefore, it can be said that the Copper Ring faction is coveting the authority that has flowed from The Creator, aiming to control the populace through celebrities and faith.

The third is the plan of the "Lead Scepter" elder—to next govern an island far from the conflict. This part of the plan corresponds to the earlier setups regarding Ms. Sunbringer. In a previous main story arc, the Proxy learned from the high-firepower combat Bangboo "Lockspring" that the island targeted by the "Lead Scepter" organization refers to the ideal floating island above New Eridu—Roscaelifer, inhabited by people and Bangboo who once received grace from Ms. Sunbringer.

Speaking of the floating island brings to mind a previous PV which mentioned that Sunbringer once successfully dissolved the aerial "Hive Lord" Hollow. It's speculated that this "Hive Lord" Hollow likely originated from that very floating island. After Sunbringer dissolved it, the floating island became a sort of utopia. This storyline should be connected to the secret of Sunbringer's disappearance.

Previously, alongside the Bangboo "Lockspring", one of the four great AIs, "Youkai", also made an appearance. The "Lead Scepter" elder appears to be the holder of "Youkai". In the resolution of this Three-Pronged Pact, the elder used "Youkai" to alter the decision outcome, making Sunbringer's floating island the next target of action for the entire TOPS.

Tin Crown and Copper Ring were greatly surprised by this result. This reveals a piece of information: because the rule among TOPS's high command should be that this mysterious machine selects and enacts one from the various proposals, the two shouldn't have been this shocked unless the decision to govern the floating island drastically deviated from their expectations. 

As for what the "Lead Scepter" elder intends, it's currently unknown. He could be a BOSS, but there might also be a twist. Although his act of using Youkai to alter the decision-making meeting isn't righteous, who exactly are the people in TOPS? Judging from the PV narration and profile descriptions, it's clear TOPS is portrayed as a cold, confident, and ambitious elite group. They see themselves as responsible for humanity and society, yet their methods involve Sacrifices experiments and treating Void Hunters as puppets.

TOPS consolidates all benefits, selects the populace, seemingly creating an inhumane, exclusive, dystopian elite rule. The "Lead Scepter" elder's act of altering the resolution actually prevents TOPS from heading down the paths of the Sacrifices Plan and the Void Hunter Plan in the future. It's hard to say if his views oppose those of the other TOPS members, intending to steer TOPS onto the right path this way.

Furthermore, the "Lead Scepter" elder says a line at the end identical to the one spoken by the two narrators who control the four great AIs in the worldview PV, and he mentions "common interests." Therefore, the "Lead Scepter" elder, who can form a pact with one of the four great AIs, "Youkai," might, to some extent, also be able to reach an agreement with the Proxy and Fairy.

Finally, there are some details worth noting. Mayor Mayflower appears here. Previous storylines have set up that the Mayor possesses various intelligence, such as on the Cursed Blade, Void Hunters, Sacrifices, and even information about the Proxy siblings, Helios Academy, and the Proxy's teacher. The Mayor is referred to as an "old friend" by his peers. The Mayflower family likely was once a member of the TOPS leadership. Notice that this broken Mayor card matches the three cards presented by the "Three Pacts" in this meeting. This suggests that TOPS might have once taken a path related to Mayflower, a path that has now been abandoned.

The two new characters in the Chronicles are not appearing for the first time; they are members of Ms. Sunbringer's team. Look closely at the silhouettes behind Sunbringer in the story scene—the features of rabbit-ear tall hats and long hair with a folding fan are a perfect match.

The pink-haired character standing before the Hollow looks very much like the first generation Void Hunter. However, in the Version 2.7 PV, the wings behind her are black, whereas the first generation Void Hunter had white wings. The two are likely related but perhaps not the same person. Also, I wonder if everyone remembers the "black feathers" that appeared in Vivian's prophecy; they might also be pointing to this character.

Surface observation detected activity within Hollow Zero. The Hollow looks like an eggshell containing some huge monster. It's certain that the activity in Hollow Zero is related to the revival of The Creator. This appearance has happened before and has even affected the special abilities in the eyes of the Proxy siblings. Furthermore, the Proxy siblings were referred to by the "Lead Scepter" elder as the "last legacy of Helios Academy." What does this "last legacy" refer to? What other abilities do the siblings possess?

That's the entire analysis of the Zenless Zone Zero Chronicles PV "The Three-Pronged Pact." I believe that after reading this, as a Proxy, you will have gained some insights. Let's look forward to the upcoming story developments together!