Guilty Gear X The Butterfly and Her Gale is the second novel in the Guilty Gear series. It is set mostly in 2182 after the events of Guilty Gear XX, although it centers on Chipp Zanuff's life and thus has frequent flashbacks.
The novel was first published on August 24, 2002, by Enterbrain. An e-pub version was released by Kadokawa in December 30, 2016.[2]
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Summary[]
As the novel opens, Chipp Zanuff is chasing a bird as part of his training for as-yet unexplained reasons. In a flashback, running away and drug-addled, Chipp falls over and knocks himself out. He wakes up in the care of Tsuyoshi, who rescued him but also took his stock of drugs. Chipp attacks Tsuyoshi to take them back, but he defends himself effortlessly. Chipp continues his attempts for a month, until he realizes that he is following Tsuyoshi for another reason and finally asks to be his apprentice.
One day, Tsuyoshi tells Chipp that he has to learn from the strongest creature in the forest: the squirrel. He explains that strength isn't just about being physically powerful, but also being fast, alert, and able to adapt to circumstances. With that, he collars the squirrel, lets it go, and tells Chipp to catch it as part of his training.
Back in the present, Chipp is at Tsuyoshi's grave, and vows to become President and avenge him. In order to train, he chases after a specific beetle until it is eaten by a bird a few days later, so Chipp decides to catch the bird. His chase brings him to a small town that President Erica Bartholomew is visiting. While chasing the bird, Chipp stumbles upon a group of assassins targeting Erica and beats them. One screams "For the glory of Zepp!" as a ploy. Erica assures the public that she is safe. Privately, Erica explains to Chipp that the US government is a puppet of the Assassin's Guild—the same organization that sold drugs in Chipp's hometown and that killed Tsuyoshi. Wanting to see that the Syndicate is ruined, Chipp becomes Erica's bodyguard so that she can pass the law in Congress severing their ties.
Later, the presidential ship is accosted by another ship that demands that they hand Erica over. Chipp sneaks aboard and tries to sabotage the engine, but he is stopped by Volf. Chipp realizes that he is Tsuyoshi's killer, and the pair fight, but Chipp soon takes off back to the presidential ship.
In a flashback, Chipp and Tsuyoshi are training on the mountains when they feel the assassins coming. Master and apprentice split up, but Chipp realizes that those he is facing are a distraction and the main force is going after Tsuyoshi. Days later he returns to the cave to find the assassins dead and Tsuyoshi fatally injured. Tsuyoshi berates Chipp for coming back for him, but also says "I'm glad you're alive" before passing away.
At the capital, Erica meets with Congressman Wu, her representative in introducing the bill to Congress. But Wu doesn't introduce the bill in the next session. An angry Chipp tracks Wu down and threatens to kill him, only to realize that he was tricked. In Chipp's absence, Volf shoots Erica with a Black Tech gun. Chipp hurries back and carries Erica through crowded streets as Volf's subordinates close in to finish the job. Suddenly Faust appears and fights off the assassins, then offers to patch up Erica. Erica recovers, but is afraid they will try to pin the assassination attempt on Zepp once again.
Though injured, she addresses the public to once again say that Zepp is not involved, and that she will personally meet with President Gabriel. Chipp tracks down Wu again; he explains that the Syndicate will kill his daughter if he introduces the bill. Chipp threatens Wu again, saying he will kill his daughter if he doesn't. Later, Erica meets with Ky Kiske of the International Police Force, and asks for their support, to which Ky agrees. During the conference with Gabriel and Potemkin, Erica receives a letter: the assassins demand that she stop the meeting, or else they will kill the director of the orphanage where she grew up.
Meanwhile, the orphanage's director and Venom—who must kill her if Erica doesn't comply—are playing chess. On the radio, they hear that Zepp is shooting at the White House. Cut to a few hours earlier, Erica asks Gabriel to attack the White House so that they can unify their two countries and shake off the Assassins. With the attack, Erica calls an emergency session. Volf infiltrates the Congress, intending to finish Erica once and for all, but he is stopped by Chipp. The pair fight, and Volf weakesn Chipp by exposing to the drugs he used to be addicted to. Volf taunts Chipp by saying that Tsuyoshi wasn't a ninja—he was just an Assassin like them. Chipp then surprises Volf by using Ki, and defeats him. Instead of taking revenge, Chipp lets the badly-injured Volf to run away before he changes his mind.
Erica manages to have the bill passed, seemingly crippling the Syndicate. After such a failure, Volf is on the run but is killed by Venom. Meanwhile, Ky meets with Erica and Chipp again and he shows Chipp an IPF report on Tsuyoshi: Tsuyoshi actually was an undercover agent in the Guild. His cover blown, he ran away from the Syndicate, and then took Chipp in. Erica asks Chipp if he still intends to be President. Chipp simply answers that he will have to ask his master first, before disappearing. In the final scene, a bird is flying peacefully along when Chipp swears that he will catch it no matter what.
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