Nanashi: Uhhhhhh what did we just do? I think we MASSIVELY screwed up, right? Why the Hell did I ever want to be a Hunter anyway?
Inugami: I dunno, I'm a dog.
Character notes: Japanese dog spirits with loooooooooooong bodies used as familiars by wizards called onmyoji. Like Toubyou, they could be sent to people you don't like to get revenge, among other functions. He gets Fire Breath, a Fire move that hits all opponents at random up to four times, and Rakunda, the defense de-buff.
Personality notes: Insists he's just a dumb dog, but seems awfully smart for that to be the case...
Itsumade: Ugh, how long is he just going to suit here moping?
Character notes: Another type of yokai similar to an Onmoraki. It's the ghost of someone who died of starvation but was not buried properly. Their name means "How long?" which is what they cry until their funerary rites are observed. Gets Mazan and Makakaja.
Personality notes: Every statement is a question beginning with "How long?"
Gu Huo Niao: Like, lighten up people, he's just a kid? Remember how stupid we were back then?
Moh Shuvuu: Gu? Is that you?
Gu Huo Niao: My girl Moh! How's it hangin'?
Character notes: A bird-demoness of Chinese descent. She kidnaps human girls, which grow up to become Gu Huo Niao themselves and repeat the process. She gets Makakaja (again) and Agilao, the mid-tier Fire move.
Personality notes: Valley girl, will form a Girl Posse with Moh Shuvuu and two others we haven't met yet.
Tam Lin: Ta ha ha! We must not give this young one too much guff! He's still growing after all. Miss Niao, was it? Can I have your number?
Character notes: A human-turned-fairy said to live in the woods around Carterhaugh, Scotland. He was kidnapped and raised as a fairy, and took to kidnapping young women for the fairies before he fell in sincerely in love with one and she saved him from his curse. He's most notable for Estoma, a skill that banishes weaker demons on the map; a lifesaver for some, but I've never really used it.
Personality notes: Handsome Lech.
Nanashi receives a quest from Asahi, asking him to head to Ginza to find Flynn before the Divine Powers do. Head out of the Ark chamber and back into the waterfall. In a cool move, it actually takes Nanashi up this time!
Nanashi: I'd find this more awesome if I wasn't so depressed now.
Vodyanik: Well it's a good thing we don't c-c-care what you think!
If you missed any demons from before in this dungeon, you can pick them up now, as I did...
Azumi: Oh dear oh dear, you're so thin, young one! I'd better come with you; you're stronger than me now.
Character notes: A Japanese water deity honored by the fishing tribe of the same name. She's said to be a descendant of Amaterasu, Susanoo, and Tsukuyomi, the children of the head god Izanagi. Her signature move is Ice Breath, which is like Fire Breath but with Ice, naturally.
Personality notes: Sweet old lady constantly worrying about Nanashi's health.
Ictinike: Aww sweet, demon summoner dude in the house! Saw ya earlier but you looked a bit too weedy for me; you look like you're on a mission, brother!
Character notes: A Messianic trickster spirit of the Lakota Sioux of the American Great Plains, also called Iktomi. He's a huge deal so I have no idea what he's doing as the second-weakest Genma here. He has several useful Phys abilities such as Scratch Dance (hits for medium damage up to three times) and Fang Breaker (de-buffs attack when it hits).
Personality notes: Skater dude.
Once back on the over world, Nanashi receives a message on his phone that the Hunter Association has completed construction on the bridge leading from the Ueno district to the Joto, Toyosu, and Ginza districts, one of several shortcuts in this game that open up following certain event flags. You can also get to this area by exiting the Kinshicho shopping district south exit if I didn't mention it before.
Nanashi: Awfully convenient they just do this NOW...
Poltergeist: Plot convenience!
Oh yeah, there's new demons around here too, like this guy for instance.
Character notes: We probably all know what these are; invisible trickster ghosts that haunt houses, generally moving furniture around and such. They're often thought to be psychic disturbances caused by troubled teenagers. He gets Sukunda, Tathlum Shot (the basic "medium" Gun move) and Rapid Needle (the low-tier "hits all" Gun move) so he's decently tough for a little guy.
Personality notes: Appears at the end of other people's conversations with brief, blunt exclamations.
Naga: Whoa there kid, I smell Suparnas on you!
Suparna (presently on Tam Lin's head): Yup. Hey Naga.
Naga: This clown given' you trouble? I better join you to keep an eye on him...
Character notes: The legendary half-human, half-snake beings of Hindu lore; unlike some cultures where Reptiles Are Abhorrent, Nagas are wise, honorable warriors. In Buddhism they also appear, and have a heated rivalry with the Suparnas.
Personality notes: Good-natured punk, much like Oni, with a rivalry with Suparna.
Apis: Oh my my my my my, you seem to be in a hurry, young man! I can certainly assist with that! Come on now, young chap!
Character notes: A bull god of Egyptian lore, thought to be an avatar of Ptah, god of the arts and fashioner of the world in some versions of the creation story. A real-life bull was used to represent him in rituals and was literally treated like a king. He gets Hama, Critical Wave, and an odd skill called Tetraja, which prevents One Hit Kills for a turn.
Personality notes: Prim and proper perfect gentleman, undercut by the fact that he's a purple cow.
Ginza is to the southwest of Kinshicho. you might recognize the poison lake and, of course, Tsukiji Konganji from SMTIV. Make your way into the underground passage but be careful of the encounters around here - some of them are likely stronger than you.
Nanashi: Got no time to waste on these idiots; I've got to find Flynn!
Your destination is the infamous Ginza crosswalk where Masakado's stone lies. Reach it by exiting the Underground District through the west stairwell, near the bar, and be sure to hit up the Terminal too!
Once you're outside, Nanashi catches a glimpse of Flynn and Isabeau, about to offer the Chalice of Hope from that one really long, boring quest to Masakado. But in this timeline? They aren't so lucky.
Fortuna: Oh dear, the stars are not aligned well today-yi-yi-yi!
Fuxi: Doom!
The ground quakes as a a plethora of demons materialize behind Flynn, including Odin. Krishna steps forward from the crowd and asks for an alliance with Flynn; he desired Flynn to become his "Kalki" and lead mankind to Salvation from the "creator god."
Nanashi: "Creator god," huh? Could this be related to the "god" that supposedly launched those nukes?
Apis: I must say he's quite intelligent for how uncouth he is...
Flynn asks what the Divine Powers will do if he refuses; Odin responds with a big bolt of lightning that Flynn parries!
Kabuso: Gotta admit, that Flynn's nya-rlly cool!
Nanashi: Yeah, I think he might have this and wait a minute... where'd Asahi... go...
Nanashi turns around to see that a big demon has grabbed Asahi. The demon introduces himself as Maitreya, the Buddha of the end, and claims he's conquered Tsukiji Konganji, the stronghold of the Ring of Gaea.
Nanashi: I don't care what kind of god you are, fatass, let go of my sis- GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!
If Nanashi attempts to save Asahi, Dagda prevents him from moving! Flynn drops his weapon in exchange for Asahi's safety, and Odin proceeds to roast him alive with electricity!
Dwarf: Sheeeeeeez... never seen Lord Odin this worked up since Loki shot Baldur!
Nanashi: WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE...
And if that wasn't bad enough, the whole city begins to quake as a long, winding silhouette can be seen through the firmament itself! A hole is torn through the bedrock, bringing light to Tokyo for the first time in 25 years! And through that hole, a great serpentine shape emerges, its body roiling with fire and bellowing a fearsome roar.
Naga: L-lord Ananta Shesha Raja!
Nanashi: Y-you know this... THING!
Naga: He is the great lord of all serpents, attendant of Lord Vishnu Svyam Bhagavan!
Hamsa: Man, this is real quacked up. These guys used to be so nice...
Krishna proclaims this is just a taste of the power his faction possesses. The demons climb into Shesha's mouth with the unconscious Flynn and vanish through a spacial rift, promising to return on the full moon, leaving the flabbergasted populace below contemplating Tokyo's newfound light...
NEW MOON
The next day, Fujiwara holds an emergency meeting at the Kinshicho Hunter Association. The Divine Powers' emergence has caused the war for Tokyo to become a three-way one with each faction controlling about the third of Tokyo - Lucifer has Ichigaya, Shinjuku, and Shibuya, Merkabah has Kinshicho, Ueno, and Ikebukuro, as well as the Sky Tower, and the Powers control Ginza and the districts on the bayside.
Nanashi: I made it worse... I made it worse...
Despite being the newest faction in the fight, the Divine Powers are now favored to win, as they have the seemingly invincible Shesha AND have captured Flynn, seriously demoralizing Tokyo. Though some among the Hunters wish to side with a faction, Fujiwara is adamant that they must continue the fight to restore Tokyo as it was before, prompting a snide comment from Dagda once again that Nanashi's true destiny is much greater and that he must obey him.
On the more mundane side, Nanashi and Asahi are assigned a supply run to Shinjuku, our next quest.
Nanashi: No.
Centaur: Nihihi? Excuse me?
Nanashi: Don't care. Not doing it. I've wanted to be a Hunter all my life, and when I jump at the chance all it gets me is my mentors dead, me possessed, and the war getting even worse. All I do is make things worse. So I'm retiring right now.
Nadja: He really needs a pick-me-up.
Nanashi: Oh like any of you people care. Now I see that chasing your dreams in this hellhole gets you a big fat zero. More like a negative ten, really. I don't even want my 'dangerous girl' or whatever that shit was back there anymore. I'll just hook up with the most boring girl I can find and sit around in my boring hole in the wall in my boring underground district until either demons eat me or this fucking god in my head makes me kill myself for defying him, whichever comes first. Because I don't care anymore. I don't care about him, or this town, or any of you. Any last words before I shut this phone off for good you bunch of ungrateful little pricks?
(MELCHOM picks a piece of paper up off the floor and folds it into a cylinder)
Melchom: Do you know the specifics of the demon-summoner contract by any chance? Well, one of them is we cannot directly harm one another. And that goes for not just what you see as my body but my clothes, my wallet, and so on - it's all part of my astral body, as humans have Observed me for generations. Fortunately... a discarded sheet of human paper does not fall into this category!
(MELCHOM slaps NANASHI repeatedly with the paper!)
Melchom: Stop being such a whiner! You have all this Magnetite, and have been foretold a great destiny, and you want to literally crawl into a hole and die? We may not have known each other long, but you do that and you'll be my most disappointing summoner since that guy in Rhode Island that invoked me just to do his taxes for him! We're thousands of years old! You don't think we've met people who've screwed up worse than you!?
Nanashi: Yeah, like who?
Centaur: Well take some of the 'heroes' mentored by my kind for instance, nihihi! Though remembered as great men, most of them ruined nearly as much as they saved, if not more! That's simply how society saw 'heroes' back then! But if you, my dear boy, are enough of a hero to own up to your mistakes, you'll outstrip all of them! Easily!
Nanashi: ...seriously?
Moh Shuvuu: You give up now and you'll be worse than my crazy human stalker from the Scwartzwelt, dude. Eeeeeeeew!
Pixie: Please, Mister Nanashi? There's still time to set things right, and if you leave that phone on, we'll be there through all of it...
Nanashi: ...alright, alright, I give. You guys really see right through me. Besides, "until that fucking god in my head kills me" would probably be, like, tomorrow, knowing my luck. Alright demons and demonettes... let's unfuck this town!
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