Rust

Rust is a 16-year-old high school girl.

She is quite short, standing at 148 cm and weighing 40 kg.

Her real name is Karen Sabi.

Her in-game avatar in "Nephilim Hollow" is a tall woman with red hair and a noticeable facial scar, often seen in a distinctive red pilot suit.

In "Shangri-La Frontier," she uses a small, brown-skinned, silver-haired girl avatar.

Rust is quiet and seems unfriendly most of the time.

She rarely shows her emotions to others and is not good at chatting.

She is actually hot-tempered and enjoys fighting.

She doesn't care much about other people or make strong bonds easily.

If she is interested in something, she can get obsessed and chase it to the end.

She has a huge passion for robots and mecha, and this is when she becomes super energetic and talkative.

If she sees anything robot-related, her usual quiet mood disappears and she gets very excited.

She is bad at games that require increasing favorability with NPCs, since she communicates poorly with in-game characters.

She is not good at studying or cooking.

She has a competitive streak and really wants to win or master things she loves.

• Real Name: Karen Sabi
• Player Name: Rust (in "Nephilim Hollow" and "Shangri-La Frontier")
• Age: 16
• Height: 148 cm
• Weight: 40 kg
• Birthday: October 1
• Zodiac: Libra
• Clan: Wolfgang (after joining in "Shangri-La Frontier")
• Known as: Scarlet Phoenix, The person who talks fast about "Nephilim Hollow"
• Likes: "Nephilim Hollow," close battles
• Dislikes: Unfinished stories, rushed endings
• Hobbies: "Nephilim Hollow," stretching
• Skills: Waking up early, doing flexible stretches
• Favorite Type: People who act without being told
• Least Favorite Type: People who need constant instructions
• Dream: For "Nephilim Hollow" to become the most popular game ever
• Favorite Game: "Nephilim Hollow"
• Least Favorite Game: "Gigantic Phantom" (seen as a copy of "Nephilim Hollow")
• Motto: "Love makes you brilliant"

Rust is the absolute top in "Nephilim Hollow," mastering extremely hard robot control mechanics.

She creates her own custom mechas, often naming them using four-character idioms plus colors.

She applies self-imposed challenges, such as using the same setup until she loses.

Her skills in game control are so advanced that she was picked as an official play tester for sequels.

In "Shangri-La Frontier," she is a main archer with magical bows and is also a knight as a sub-class.

She can use all types of tactical machines in the game, being skilled with boss rewards and unique high-tech gear.

Main Equipment

• Tin Da Roalo (magic bow): Her main weapon, shoots magical energy arrows in straight lines.
• Laar Willow (magic bow): Main weapon in the web version.
• Strong Bow: Large, high-powered bow.
• Inventory Key: Used to store and retrieve tactical machines.

Main Skills

• Heavenly Eye Arrow: Boosts accuracy.
• Wild Horse Archer: Fires several curved arrows.
• Stream Arrow: Increases arrow penetration.

Custom Mecha

Rust customizes all her machines, giving each a special name and role, such as close-range or long-range.

Examples include:

• Scarlet Wing Rinnri (close-range, sword focus)
• Golden Dream (high-speed assault)
• Crimson Crush (melee)
• Jade Mix (shooting type)
• Dragon Phoenix Axis (flying specialist, inspired by the boss’s machine)
• Black Lion Peerless (transforming, heavy support)

Mold is her childhood friend and both their houses have windows next to each other.

They communicate like an old married couple, understanding each other quickly without needing many words.

When Mold supports Rust in games, their teamwork is strong, but both are equally skilled when playing alone.

Her bond with Mold is so close that some think if she were the main heroine, Mold would be the protagonist instead of Sunraku.

She sees Sunraku as a worthy rival, wanting to fight him in her home game "Nephilim Hollow." She does not see him in a romantic way.

"About the controls, I found them much easier than before. The previous game needed you to use your whole body, which made it pretty hard... The new one lets you choose the old control style too, so veterans and new players can enjoy it. The user interface has been improved for everyone, which is awesome! The combat was a bit slower because of playtest balance, but the movement of the light mechs caught my eye..."

Queen of "Nephilim Hollow"

Rust is the champion of "Nephilim Hollow," a really tough robot action game known for its hard controls.

She is instantly recognized by her red machine color scheme, which almost became her trademark.

Even when the game was called a "bad game" by some, serious players like Rust saw it as a great challenge.

Rivalry with Sunraku

She met Sunraku in "Nephilim Hollow" when his Kingfisher robot matched her in battle.

Even though Sunraku left the game soon after, this fight excited Rust, since losing opponents were usually no match for her.

Later, she runs into Sunraku again when he returns for a special event, leading to intense rematches.

After losing to Sunraku’s new machine, she bargained for tips in exchange for her game knowledge—especially about powered suits and secrets.

Return to "Shangri-La Frontier"

Rust and Mold played "Shangri-La Frontier" before, hoping to use robots there, but quit when they couldn’t find any.

She returns when she hears powered suits exist in the game.

She enters the unique scenario with Sunraku and others and eventually joins the clan Wolfgang, motivated by both friendship and her robot obsession.

Tactical Machine Collection

Rust is able to borrow and use every tactical machine earned by others.

Her favorite is Suzaku, which she even makes cheaper copies of to pay back Oikatzo when asked to return the original.

Hype for Sequel and Face Reveal

When the "Nephilim Hollow" sequel is announced, Rust is so excited she cries and can’t stop smiling for days.

She is chosen for the pre-release playtest.

During an interview, she gets so passionate about robot games that she talks non-stop and exposes her real identity to both her in-game friends and stream viewers.

Never-ending Robot Love

In both games, Rust’s robotic obsession breaks through her shy shell, making her lively.

She always pushes "Nephilim Hollow" to everyone, earning the label “the girl who says Nephilim Hollow is awesome.”

Her handle "Rust" comes from the Japanese word for "rust," matching her real surname.

Most of her in-game robots are named with four-character compound words.

She can do a full forward stretch easily in real life.

Rust's excitement for new robot games is just like real-life fans when a long-awaited game comes out.

She was supposed to be a short-term character but became a main one because the author enjoyed her personality.

Her game avatars are usually her real face but with hair and skin colors changed a bit.

Her cooking is poor, and even she cannot taste the difference.

Her feelings toward Sunraku are similar to those Sylvia Goldberg has for the player Face Hidden—it's all about a fair fight, not romance.