Nanashi: W-wow, I mean, wow. She's got... really nice hair and... that makeup is so... flattering? I... don't know how to talk to girls that aren't Asa- OW!
King Frost (holding a plank of wood): Cut the teenage hee-hormones! We've got company!
Suddenly all three of the Divine Powers leaders are in the room! Krishna chides the party for "biting the hand that feeds," proclaiming that his salvation is the only way to true freedom. Nozomi is understandably unconvinced - she says that Krishna just wants to kill everything in this universe.
Krishna responds that his definition of "death" is very different from hers - true, the bodies of all humans will die, but they will be carries into the new universe... that will hatch from the Cosmic Egg on the full moon...
Parvati: Oh my - forced Moksha. I never thought we Devas would stoop this low...
Krishna asks that the group offer themselves to Shesha. Gaston snorts, as "he" has already killed Shesha! Krishna is nonplussed, saying that Shesha lives and dies like the rising and setting sun - he'll be back. He implores Odin to "throw us out."
'BOSS: DEITY ODIN
Level 76. Repel Gun, Repel Elec, Weak Wind, Resist Light, Resist Dark
I know these look like tall odds, but if people can beat hacks where their characters never advance beyond level one, we can be-ahahahahahahaha I can't say that with a straight face. Yes, this battle is unwinnable. Try whatever you want - you might even be able to do some good damage with Wind moves. After three turns he'll use Will of Thunder, which gives all Elec moves a piercing effect, Concentrate, and his signature skill Thunder Reign, taking Nanashi to 1 HP and KO'ing all the demons.
Nanashi: Ghhhk.... ghk... and I thought I'd... come so far...
King Frost: Heeee... no one can defeat the... King... (falls over)
Clotho: ''Haha... and I thought fate was... unconquerable...
Lachesis: Ohoho... dear me... sisters...
Everyone is obviously distressed by the loss, but none more than Gaston. Krishna ignores our struggles and entreats Dagda to come out, which he does. Krishna admonishes Dagda for betraying them, but Dagda insists he was never really on their side, merely using them - while Krishna wants a world of absolute collectivism, Dagda wants total individualism. Dagda says that if throwing off the Creator God is what they want, they should side with Lucifer. This prompts Odin to drop a line so important I'm transcribing it verbatim:
Odin: You know as well as I do, Lucifer will side with YHVH. He serves as a scapegoat for the suffering of man in YHVH's universe. Nothing more.
Virtue: ...I'm sorry, what?
Parvati: ...oh dear?
Melchom: That can't be right... but why does it make so much sense?
Nanashi: Why couldn't I hear that name he said?
Furthermore, Krishna reveals than Nanashi freed him, something the others apart from Asahi didn't know! And that Nanashi is a corpse, animated by Dagda! Everyone casts suspicious glances at him...
Suddenly Toki rises to her feet. She swears revenge against Nanashi for spoiling her chance to kill Flynn, before tossing down a gas grenade. The party wisely decides to retreat while the Powers are distracted.
Nanashi: Dammit. Dammit, DAMMIT! How can we ever beat the likes of them? And I'm not liking those looks Gaston's been shooting me...
Black Frost: Well as least you found me-ho! Trust me, you'll be mashing that Krishna's head to paste in hee-no time!
Sukuna Hikona: So now you see...
Nanashi: Oh, it's you... uh, sorry about... back then. Trust me, they made me!
Sukuna Hikona: Oh don't give me that. The time has come for you to be a man! Take responsibility and fix this!
Character notes: Like many of the Frost family of mascots, Black Frost is a completely original demon with no mythological counterpart. He first appeared as a Bonus Boss in Nocturne. He's notable for being an Ice-user that's actually resistant to Fire, and one of his special fusion material is Balor, meaning you can give him Agidyne too.
Personality notes: Still a Frost, but of a more destructive and bratty sort.
Character notes: One of the Kunitsukami of Japanese lore. He's the son of the goddess Kamimusubi, and was so small he fell through her fingers at birth. He became best friends and blood brothers with Okuninushi on his travels to build the Izumo region of Japan, and he travels around in a boat made from a seed husk. Like High Pixie he's a bit underleveled for this point in the game, but he's still extremely useful thanks to his two signature moves, Needlestorm and Infernal Hail, which are exactly as they were from his boss battle.
Personality notes: Extremely exasperated at the Divine Powers' antics, understandably.
But we're not out of the woods even yet! Nozomi decides that she needs to follow Hunter protocol, and report Nanashi and Asahi to the Association. Asahi begs her not to, but Nozomi insists that this way is better than the Association finding out on its own. She asks us to get some sleep, and Isabeau departs as well.
Nanashi: Goddammit, she's ratting us out? Maybe Dagda's right... maybe you really can't trust anyone... How could she possibly think that's a good idea!?
Centaur: Preposterous.
High Pixie: A thorough overreaction.
Chagrin: Dumb bitch.
Tam Lin: How uncouth.
Morax: Cruelty unlike even me.
Apis: A touch too far...
Mou-Ryou: Woooooooooo...
Nozuchi: 'How-SCHNUUUUUUUUURP-disgusting.
Horkos: Un-Buono!
Ikusa: Barmy.
Balor: My omnibenevolent self wants to hurl.
Nothing to do now but head home....
HALF MOON
Kaiming Shou's mid-row center-right head: Hi kid.
Kaiming Shou's topmost head: Come on, you spooked him!
Kaiming Shou's bottom center head: No he didn't, every kid needs a-
Nanashi: SHUT UP! Not in a good mood for demon stupidity right now.
???: Well how about demons with a bit more refinement...
Nanashi: Hoo boy I know that voice...
Medusa: Greetings my little piece of art. You bested me, so I follow you now...
Character notes: A holy beast of Chinese lore, said to resemble a tiger with nine heads. It's the watchbeast for the gates of Mount Kunlun, which leads to the abode of the gods, much like Mt. Olympus is for the Greek gods. He's a Phys and support specialist, and is the first demon with Dekaja, which immediately cancels all opponents' buffs.
Personality notes: The nine heads are distinct beings that argue with each other.
Character notes: One of the most famous monsters of Greek lore, she is one of the Gorgons, the triplet daughters of the primal monsters Ceto and Phorcys. She was either born a monster, or cursed to become one by the goddess Athena, gaining snakes for hair, bronze scales for skin, and a gaze that could turn anyone who looked directly at her to stone. She's best remembered as the nemesis of the hero Perseus, who used a mirrored shield to slay her without looking directly at her. Gun and Elec specialist, and still has her unique move, Snake's Fangs, a souped-up Stun Needles.
Personality notes: As per canon, obsessed with creating "art."
As Nanashi awakens, he finds Nozomi and Asahi in the room with him. They tell him that he and Asahi have been summoned to the Association's headquarters, Cafe Florida in Shinjuku... on suspicion of treason.
Mithras: And that... wench thought that would be a good idea?
If you travel around Tokyo, you'll also find numerous people commenting on the rumors of a traitor to the Hunter Association. Most think whoever it is would be either an idiot, or should just be publicly hanged.
Nanashi: Shit shit shit... my goose is in the oven... and I don't even know what a goose is; I just saw that phrase in a book!
Mishaguji: Well ya know what they say - when life gives you lemons, make lemonade!
Nanashi: ...why do you have a dong for a head?
Mishaguji: DON'T JUDGE ME AS A PERSON! I JUST WANTED TO HELP!
Thunderbird: Indzzzzzzeeed! One shzzzzzzzzould never judge by appearance alone!
Yurlungur: I like the way this guy swings, mate...
Quicksilver: He's-KZZZZZAT-KZZZZAT-pretty cute, too!
Character notes: A primal god of Japanese lore. He's spoken of as the original chief god os the Suwa region, Suwa Daimyojin, before being defeated and his place taken by Take-Minakata. He was associated with male sexuality, hence his... interesting appearance... Elec specialist.
Personality notes: Genuinely helpful, but very self-conscious about his appearance.
Character notes: A pan-Native American thunder spirit. Much like with the Australian Aborigines, there is no one "Native American mythology," but certain commonalities exist and the presence of Thunderbirds is one of them; they're found from one coast of the continent to the other. He is of course an Elec specialist, making out with the third-tier Elec spell, Ziodyne.
Personality notes: Super-virtuous and understanding.
Cafe Florida is, of course, in the eastern district of Shinjuku. This area was fenced off before, but has opened up now.
Melchom: Some seriously angry-looking demons about the way but- oh no.
Nanashi: What's up, Melchom? You're looking at that big purple demon...
Melchom: That's the head tactician of Hell... General Nebiros! He's a huge name! HUGE! More importantly he blames for losing 50,000 Macca he invested with me! If he catches me he'll-
Nebiros: Do what?
Melchom: Eeeeeeeeeeeep...
Nebiros: I'll spare you the live flaying this time, Melchom. My my my my my... young Nanashi, the one who's been such a thorn in Lord Lucifer's side... if you'll have me, and if you bear the right gifts, I'm... eager to see what you've got...
Melchom: No no no no no...
Nanashi: Sure. Welcome aboard.
Kin-ki: You look unwell, little green demon. You need to be pumped up! First we'll devise an exercise regimen and-
Melchom: Oh shut up!
Character notes: One of the 72 demons of the Goetia, he is Hell's greatest strategist and necromancer. He leads the armies of Hell in battle and raises the dead to do his bidding. Also the most annoying boss in Devil Survivor 2. Dark specialist.
Personality notes: Ever the same Magnificent Bastard from IV Vanilla.
Character notes: One of the four Oni controlled by the onmyoji Fujiwara no Chikata, he appears in the Japanese text Taiheiki. He had a body made of solid gold that no weapon could harm, but the four Oni were eventually un-summoned when the spell what canceled by another onmyoji. Phys and Elec specialist.
Personality notes: Beefy bodybuilder guy, a la "Pump it Up With Hans and Franz."
Incubus: I can't make fun of that guy's name, it's too easy. Heh heh. Kin-ki.
Anyway, head north into the next section of Shinjuku. Our destination is in the very northern part of this area, Kabuki-cho.
Nanashi: Alright... time to face the music.
Rakshasa: Dibs on playing the funeral dirge!
The guy that only says "Proof of membership" is guarding the door, but Nozomi shoos him off with a matchbox. Inside, Nanashi and Asahi find Fujiwara, Skins, and a gaggle of angry Hunters.
Nanashi: Oh... dear...
Fujiwara holds court as he and Skins review Nanashi's accomplishments. He says that while freeing Krishna can't be overlooked, his record is otherwise spotless - not the least of which being Shesha! In accordance with that...
Meanwhile, we see MORAX, MITHRAS, and HORKOS outside. DYBBUK, TSUCHIGUMO, and TATTOOED MAN approach, carrying a heavy box
Mithras: Ah, good, you got it.
Tattooed Man: I tells ya, dude, wasn't easy lifting this thing, all those moralizing Tengu everywhere.
Tsuchigumo: I can't count the number of times we were nearly busted! And all that lightning flying everywhere at the end...
Horkos: 'BUONO! Uhhhh... what is this, anyway?
Mithras: Valuable relics from the Gaean treasury. If we're going to suss out what's gone so wrong in the order of things, I thought it might be useful to do some psychometry...
Horkos: Ah. I still don't get it... BUONO!
Nata Taishi (skates in): Scuse me, pardon me, have a Hell-o-gram here for, uhhh, Lord Morax!
Morax: Give me that... Oh. OHHHHHHHH, BWA HA HA HA HA!
Mithras: Care to share with the class?
Morax: AH, yes... that slowpoke Asura has finally stopped dragging his feet. He has heard of the Nanashi child and plans to join us!
Mithras: Finally. Anything else?
Morax: Oh.... bwa ha ha, oh YES! Mother Ouroboros and Mother Tiamat have expressed interest as well!
Mithras: ...wow. I only hope they get the chance. Depending on how things in there go, we may well be free-range demons soon...
...Fujiwara and Skins decide to give Nanashi another chance! This meets with... decidedly mixed reactions from the assembled Hunters, including one who deems Fujiwara a traitor too (this seems to be an attempt to make the Anarchy path more palatable, as a side note)!
Nanashi: I'm... not gonna die? I'M NOT GONNA DIE!
Suddenly, a massive earthquake is felt!
Nanashi: Okay, I might still die.
We pan out to an overhead shot of Tokyo, where some sort of seal manifests over it. A Hunter barges in, reporting demons in the Shinjuku underground! Skins makes Nanashi's first mission as a reinstated Hunter destroying them. Only problem is... nobody's demon summoning program works. Gaston boasts of the superiority of the Samurai's gauntlets to "Unclean One" technology... only his doesn't work either. But Nanashi's does!
Nanashi: Wow, I'm grateful to that ass Dagda for once.
Mushussu: Heth heth heth... did you tttthhhhhhhhhhhhhing you could get rid of uthhhhhhh thhhhhho eathily?
Chimera (lion head): ME NEED BLOOD! RIP AND TEAR!
Chimera (snake head): Can we not today? I'm on a diet.
Nanashi: Even got some new guys!
Character notes: One of the children of the primal monster Tiamat of Babylonian lore, Mushussu was one of several monsters created to battle the gods after the war god Marduk slew Apsu and Kingu. It seems Marduk managed to indenture Mushussu to himself, since it's later depicted as his mount. Yet another Elec specialist, with Ziodyne.
Personality notes: Hisses like a snake with a lisp.
Character notes: A monster of Greek lore, one of the many children of the primal abominations Typhon and Echidna. It had three heads: a lion, a goat, and a snake, and its name has since become a byword for Mix-and-Match Critters in general. It was slain by the hero Bellerophon. He's another Ziodyne user, which is weird because in the myths it was a fire-breather.
Personality notes: A distinct personality for each head: the lion is a big savage beast, the snake constantly complains, and the goat is the Only Sane Man annoyed by being stuck between them.
Head underground to find the place a slaughterhouse, just as Shibya was. Around the middle of the passage, we find two Mushussus and a Pachacamac imploring a man to give up his body to the Divine Powers. You have to fight them, but they have no more health than a random encounter.
Mushusshu: I hope you don't thhhhhhhhhink they thhhhhhpeak for all Muthhhhhhuthhhhhhhhhuth...
Nanashi: This seems so easy for me... not so much for them...
As if on cue, Isabeau arrives! She's rallied the Hunters to help fight the demons tooth and nail. An interesting fact is that some of the NPCs you can talk to are killed off in this sequence for a possible mini-Player Punch. Its' also worth mentioning that Asahi and Hallelujah are useless at this point, since their abilities depend on their demons. And speaking of Asahi...
...Iseabeau confirms the demons have hit Kinshicho as well.
Nanashi: No. no no no no no no no. I need to get the Terminal right now!
But yes, they've locked the Terminals down too!
Nanashi: Shit shit shiiiiiiiiiiiiiit! Makara!
Makara: Super Makara Express Mode just for youuuuuuuuuuuu!
Race to Kinshicho, entering through the shopping district. The weak demon encounters around here have been replaced by significantly stronger ones temporarily - they relocate to Minami Sunamachi afterwards, so you can still recruit them at any time.
Nanashi: I don't have time for this. You and you, come with me.
Tlaltecuhtli: What? Me? Really me? Really REALLY me?
Illuyanka: You have some nerve calling on the lord of the roiling seas like- ooh Life Stone!
Character notes: A cosmic monster of Aztec lore, representing the primordial Earth. It was depicted as male sometimes and as female other times, including in Kaneko's art. It was such a threat to the gods' creation that Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca, eternal rivals, made a truce to kill it, and ultimately tore it in half and made the world from its corpse. Almighty specialist, with Megido.
Personality notes: Says everything twice, the second time with more emphasis.
Character notes: Another monster representing primordial chaos, Illuyanka is a giant sea dragon from Hittite lore. He was the enemy of the storm-god Tarhunt, and defeated him several times before finally going down himself. The primordial monster figure is, as you can probably tell, a worldwide phenomenon in mythology, and historians believe it's a very, very old belief indeed, probably born from the fear of large bodies of water. Ice and Wind user.
Personality notes: Tried to be a big magnificent dragon, but is easily distracted.
At the gate, the group encounters a dying Hunter. He confirms that the Divine Powers have killed the guard angels and descended into the Underground. Asahi runs ahead to search for her father!
Okuninushi: Going in THERE with no demons!?
Hare of Inaba: Oh... b-bad...
Before Nanashi can go deeper, two Maitreya cultists jump him.
MINI-BOSS: GAEA MAN x2
Level 45. Null Light
These guys are really weak. They have nothing but Phys moves and will occasional use Charge, but whatever. They're free XP.
Tlatecuhtli: Out of my way! Out of MY way!
The Underground is once again a hellscape.
Nanashi: Oh God... I know these people... I... know them... knew them.
Approach the Hunter Association to hear a woman scream. Inside, the sound of a demon attack in heard. Its results? Asahi on the floor, but unhurt. Boss, shielding her, very, very much hurt... a large demon steps forward...
Tlaloc: At last sorme relief! That's my brorther, Quetzalcoatl! He'll herlp us!
Tonatiuh: Borther Tlaloc, I... don't like that look in his eyes...
Quetzalcoatl proclaims that he is claiming this town for the Divine Powers! He was deposed by the Creator God from his position as sun god, and by sacrificing humans, he will regain that position!
(This is a notable mythical inaccuracy - Quetzalcoatl was sun god in the ancient past, but is now the wind god with Tonatiuh being the sun; he also rarely took human sacrifice and was pretty mellow. Tonatiuh would've been better for this situation IMO)
Regardless, he attacks!
BOSS: DRAGON QUETZALCOATL
Level 50. Resist Phys/Fire/Wind/Light, Weak Dark
Quetzalcoatl obviously has a lot of resistances, but his weakness to Dark is crippling, as Dark is, along with Light, stronger than the other elements, and you should have some good users by now, like Nebiros for instance!
Nebiros: 'Ne ha ha ha ha! Crossing spells with a lord of the heavens! Magnificent!
Quetzalcoatl himself has no unique moves but that doesn't mean he can't be deadly. Like Prometheus he enjoys shooting his magic stat through the roof with Makakaja, then creaming you with Zandyne, so definitely bring de-buffs and Rakukaja. He actually managed to drop Nanashi on my run, but he was on low enough health that the demons could finish the fight...
Nanashi: Not... strong enough... NOT NEARLY...
As Quetzalcoatl crumbles, Asahi comes to. She's unhurt, but the same can't be said for her father. Boss is a ragged mess, practically torn open. As the medics tend to the wounded and inform us that the demons have retreated following the death of their leader, Nozomi tells Asahi that Boss won't make it.
He implores Nanashi look after Asahi, and utters his signature "Hey, come on now" for the last time...
Nanashi: Not... nearly... there... yet...
