Nanashi: Well that was really weird. Still, all in all a great day. Especially since I don't have to worry about those Divine Powers anymore. Just the angels and demons... I can totally manage that. Night demon-dudes; gonna be smooth sailing from here.
Nanashi awakens the next day to find... Toki sitting next to his bed, watching over him. She starts calling him "Master" and says she's been sitting there twenty minutes...
Jueyuan: Not sure if aroused or terrified...
Succubus: Definitely aroused over here.
Asahi then barges in (I guess she and Nanashi aren't actually roommates), resulting in awkwardness levels off the charts...
Nanashi: Uhhhhhhh...
Regardless, Asahi brings news of another broadcast at the Association. We rendezvous with the other humans and head over there. Fujiwara, Skins, and Flynn are broadcasting from Kasumigaseki; obviously the Tokyoites are happy to see Flynn, who seems to have recovered quite handily from his wounds.
Unfortunately, the news isn't all good: with the Powers gone, all-out war between the angels and demons have resumed. The Samurai are of course backing the angels; the Ashura-kai, the demons. Hallelujah is concerned as to what this means for the group, and sure enough Gaston gets a call on his Gauntlet to return to Mikado immediately.
Morax: FUCKING FINALLY. BWOOOOOOOHHHH!
Gaston seems... rather upset, if ably because his elite unit has been dissolved and he's no longer Captain. Flynn then addresses the Samurai in Tokyo to ignore Merkabah's orders and fight for the city - and some of them actually agree!
Nanashi: There's nothing like good motivation! I can see why he's the hero of this story. But hey, I helped save him!
Gaston, unfortunately (fortunately?) decides not to stay, his devotion to his duty too strong. He leaves the party. New assignments are then handed out to the Hunters, with the Kinshicho group getting a seriously big job - infiltrating Mikado to see what Merkabah's planning!
Inugami: Woof, that's a big job! WOOF!
The group are to report to Kasumigaseki's second level, the new Hunter HQ. So we head over there and speak to the guard at the gate. He was the same guy who thought we were snot-nosed brats from before, but now he idolizes us.
Nanashi: Wow, I'm surprised that DIDN'T prompt a smart-ass Dagda comment about the hypocrisy of humans...
Horkos: BECAUSE IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING! BUOOOOOOOOOONO!
Anyway, we get the keycard to the second floor, which has been massively fixed up - it was a ruin in IV Vanilla, if you recall. There's a Terminal here as well as a shop, run by, of all people, Nozomi's Napaea.
Napaea: Yayyyyyyyy! Sister! I hope she can lend nye some Macca from this, too!
Talking to some of the people around here we hear something ominous, though - someone has snuck into Dr. Matsuda's lab and smashed the Shesha Radar!
Parvati: Watching from the gallery, he said...
Sarasvati: I hope we can meet Sister Lakshmi soon... only she can control him, after all...
In any case, head into the control room to meet Fujiwara, Skins, and Matsuda. They explain that they believe Markabah is up to something sinister, and we're to investigate him. However, the Angels have placed a massive Domain, Purgatorium, over the path up from the Sky Tower, and are allowing only recognized Samurai through. Matsuda, however, has designed special imitation Gauntlets that should be able to spoof the Angels, as well as fake Samurai uniforms. Isabeau will be joining us yet again for the mission.
Nanashi: Love how far ahead these guys plan!
Melchom: I hate to admit it, but ingenuity is a uniquely human trait. As we're your ideas about the world given form, we can't exactly change ourselves...
Asahi notes a problem, though - none of the group look eighteen, the minimum age for Samurai. Nozomi takes the opportunity to take us into the equipment rooms to get some disguises!
Jack the Ripper: A makeover scene, really?
Pyro Jack: Do we reealy have time for this free-hee-volity, ho?
This is one of those scenes where I kind of agree with the critics they it's awkward. It's every bit a comedic makeover scene, and there's even an option to peep on the girls while they change (another Anarchy option I found so scummy that I chose the Peace option even on my Anarchy run). There are some legitimately funny moments, though - Hallelujah's attempt to look older consists entirely of a huge, corny fake mustache.
Nanashi: Gah... Toki looks... really good in that makeup... even Asahi's pretty cute and- she's your sister and you have an important mission, dude! Speaking of which, might be helpful to make some new friends...
Take-Mikazuchi: Ahaha! So we meet again! Thank you for honoring my Father's final request!
Nanashi: No big./ Might want to watch out for that guy, though.
Orochi Head #3: WE WATCHING
Orochi Head #4: YOU, MIKAZUCHI!
Isis: Ihihihi! How splendid! My husband and Thoth have communicated to me much about you!
Osiris: You will not regret this alliance, my darling!
Jarilo: Up to the most fertile lands... I cannot wait!
Arahabaki: Haaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh.... Shhhhhhhhhhh... Reeeeeeeeememmmmmmm... brrrrrrrrr.... Liiiiiiiiiight...
Character notes: Japan's war and thunder god, born when Izanagi slaughtered his son Kagutsuchi using the Ame-no-Habakiri. He's said to have invented martial arts and is best known for the episode in which he asserted the authority of the Amatsu over the Kunitsu via defeating Take-Mikazuchi. He also banished the primal, evil star god, Mikaboshi. Elec and Phys user.
Personality notes: Another honorable warrior sort.
Character notes: The Egyptian goddess of magic. She's the daughter of Geb and Nut, wife to Osiris, and mother to Horus. She resurrected her husband after Seth killed him and trained her son to seek vengeance. She was in general a huge deal and it's believed she was the supreme deity of at least some sects. Wind and healing specialist.
Personality notes: A rather perky goddess and mage who wants to see interesting stuff happen.
Character notes: The Slavic god of fertility and agriculture, son of the thunder god Perun. He rides a white horse and carries a human skull for some reason, and is the subject of another one of those origin of the seasons myths with his wife, the dark goddess Marzana. He's a Gun and healing user.
Personality notes: Describes things in terms related to agriculture.
Character notes: A very ancient, heretical god of Japanese lore. He is Momunofu's master and was the patron of Nagasunehiko, the nemesis of Jimmu, Japan's first ruler. Thus his worship was discouraged by the Imperial court. For some reason he's often associated with the famous Dogu statues, but they date from a time even earlier than when he was worshipped. He's an Almighty user who is weak to all four elements, but comes with Makarakarn to protect himself.
Personality notes: Speaks in a strange, hissing voice that's almost impossible to make out.
We take the Terminal or walk to the Sky Tower and then head up one level into the "Hall of Grief" (formerly the Hall of the Minotaur). At the end of this short area we find the gate to Purgatorium (which will sadly go completely unexplored in this game) and a guard angel, a Power to be precise, checking all the Samurai back in. Nanashi approaches him and... it works! One by one all of the group passes by... except Asahi.
Nanashi: Shit. Not again...
...who is stopped because she's wearing makeup, which was invented by fallen angels. And she looks like a "tarted-up clown." She gets through, but only after she promises to remove it.
High Pixie: Wow. Can you say petty?
Throne: Wanting to avoid demonic contamination is petty now?
Succubus: Oh you're no fun anymore.
Welcome back to Naraku, friends! This time, we're going through it backwards. For some reason there are a large amount of demons, some not even Lawful, beyond the barrier. Well, more for us then.
Gogmagaog: Indood! Lefting's to of magic football! Neighs! Art thou broccoli?'
Nanashi: Uhh...
Nidhoggr: HEY! YOU! YEAH THAT'S RIGHT! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE THAT KID WITH ALL THE MAGNETITE!? STUPID LITTLE TURNIP HEAD! WEEDY WEEDY EGGS AND BAKEY!
Taraka: We'll pump his skinny ass up soon enough...
Peri: H-hello. Th-that snake guy is r-really really l-loud...
Character notes: A great giant mentioned in the Historia Regnum Brittanae, a legendary history of the British Isles. A descendant of Albion son of Poseidon, Britain's first ruler, Gogmagog ruled the Isles himself until he was slain by the hero Brutus, who became Britain's first human king. He's an Elec and Phys-user.
Personality notes: Talks in complete non-sequiters.
Character notes: The dread serpent of Norse lore and one of its most powerful beings. He is a massive, evil snake that gnaws at the roots of the World Tree, Yggdrasil, trying to kill it. He is so powerful that he will survive the end of this world and the birth of the next one. Gun and Phys-user.
Personality notes: Constantly uses really weak ad-hominem insults.
Character notes: Beautiful female spirits of Persian lore. They are mistresses of magic and are known for aiding heroes on their quests. In some stories they even serve as love interests to the protagonists. She's a pure healer.
Personality notes: Shy, fragile girl.
Nanashi: Well that's just peachy. Speaking of big snakes, wonder who broke that radar, anyway?
Nebiros: Should we tell him?
Dantalian: There is a 78.76925% chance that he won't believe us until he sees it...
Nebiros: Heheheheh... that's what I hoped you'd say!
We traverse some old familiar routes, including having to walk through IV Vanilla's very first poison lake again, before we reach the other side.
Nanashi: Kinda weird... all the signs around here are in English. I've heard that was one of the main languages of the world before the bombs fell...
Cu Chulainn: On the subject of the Celtic Isles, look there! 'tis my old nemesis, Medb of Connacht!
Queen Mab: Mahahaha... little Setanta... almost didn't recognize you without that hole in your gut...
Cu Chulainn: Thus shall I pay you back for what you did to me?
Queen Mab: And if not for what your king did to ME, that would not have been necessary in the first place!
Girimekhala: DESTROOOOOOOOOOOOY!
Zouchouten: Another wicked creature here - the mount of the Evil One himself!
Girimekhala: DESTROY! DESTROY?
Asura: Shuraha... tensions are boiling over... this child keeps recruiting old foes to fight alongside each other.
Mithras: Indeed, Lord of Demons... this is potentially dangerous.
Nanashi: So that guy can't talk? Apart from saying that?
Lorelei: Mmmmmmmm, perhaps not, perhaps so... even so we call can communicate... why do you humans see everything as it immediately appear to you?
Nanashi: Hate to say it, but that's the only way we can. That's why you guys exist, isn't it?
Character notes: Also spelled Maeve or Medb, she's the Queen of Connacht, Cu Chulainn's nemesis, and the tragic villainess of the Ulster Cycle. She vowed to destroy the kingdom of Ulster after its king raped her after she spurned him, but Cu Chulainn got the better of her every time until she tricked him into cursing himself. She was also a major Dude Magnet and made her man-harem drink her blood. Eew. She uses healing, ailments, and Wind.
Personality notes: A rather justifiably angry lady, who of course clashes with her old enemy.
Character notes: The mount of the overlord Mara in Buddhism, a giant demonic elephant. Elephants were sacred to Hinduism, which had several elephant gods like Ganesha and Airavata, and it's believed Girimekhala's origins lie in demonization by a competing faith. Phys-user.
Personality notes: Only says "DESTROY!"
Character notes: An evil fairy that lives on a rock in Germany's Rhine river. Like the Greek Sirens, she sings to seduce sailors, causing them to wreck their boats on the rock. She's an Ice and ailment user.
Personality notes: A rather devil-may-care lady who thinks life is just a game.
Proceed up and out through the entrance to Naraku. The Tokyo kids are bathed in the sun for the first time!
Nanashi: Gah! That brightness hurts, but it's... breathtaking. Kinda pisses me off that these "Mikado" people have been hoarding this so long.
Throne: Well your ancestors did have the option of... oh I've said too much...
Inti: You know you could have just asked me for some sun...
Isabeau draws attention to the toppled statue of King Aquila, Mikado's founder; destroyed by the angels as an "idol." She says that according to legend, his name was once Akira, shocking Asahi, as that is of course the traitor Hunter's name.
Nanashi: Been hearing that name a lot lately.
There's a lot to explore here, in Mikado, and since they think we're really Samurai, they'll be none the wiser. We can buy things from the shops or snoop around K's tavern, too. Our story will only proceed once we visit, in any order, the Barracks, the Luxuror District, the Casualry District, Lake Mikado, and the Monastery. The Barracks and Casualry District don't have much going on, but all the others have some interesting events that play.
At the Luxuror District, some snooty swells can be heard gossiping about Gaston and Navarre's family, seeing Gaston's demotion as no great shock after what a failure his brother was. They comment that Navarre's parents hope he's dead; this obviously disheartened our pompadour-ed poltergeist.
Grendel: Geez, never thought I'd feel for that jabroni...
At the lake, meanwhile, everyone marvels at the view, only for Nanashi to doze off and awaken with a fishhook in his hand. "Give this to Flynn..." a disembodied voice moans.
Ogun: Juju of uncertain quality right there.
Nanashi: Not even in my top ten weirdest things of this week...
At the Monastery, however, comes the most interesting point of all. The group marvels at the technology the monks have assembled, and among the stuff Hallelujah finds a very old-looking Gauntlet. Despite its age, it lights up when Nanashi touches it, drawing the attention of a monk who, while angry at us for touching stuff, also notes that nobody has ever gotten that one to work.
Nanashi: Yyyyyeah let's beat it.
Visiting these five stops opens a new destination on the map; while talking to people we've heard of an emergency meeting Merkabah has called of the Samurai, and it seems like that's happening now.
Dybbuk: Good place to do some snooping, in other words!
A very browbeaten Abbot Hugo (sweet karma) opens the meeting, but is quickly shoved aside by Merkabah. The Chariot gloats that the time to act against the decadent Tokyo is now - tomorrow, the Samurai will lead a strike team directly targeting Lucifer's base at the Yamato Reactor. And once the Demon King is slain, they will overload the reactor, creating a black hole to destroy Tokyo for all time! Thus does the Creator of the Universe, YHVH, demand!
Nanashi: That's just-
Sarasvati: Mortifying!
Nanashi: So they... never intended to keep us alive at all...
Throne: Oh my. It is not my place to second-guess a Seraph of course but even the Unclean are God's children!
Nanashi: He said that strange word that I couldn't make out again, just like Odin... so that's the Creator's name, then?
Merkabah, unfortunately, can see right through our disguises, and sids a pack of angels on us to beat us unconscious!
Nanashi: While I was out I had another one of those "Akira" dreams... I saw the young Skins and Fujiwara again, standing at the gate I passed through to get up to Mikado. I told them... or Akira told them, I'm not really sure, that he was staying behind in Mikado. They weren't happy. I saw the Angels of Death, offering the humans from Tokyo a place in Mikado... the humans weren't very happy. The angels damned them to never see the sun again. Then it seemed like Fujiwara, Skins, and "Akira" had some sort of plan? Fujiwara and Skins keep the peace in Tokyo, Akira does the same in Mikado. They forgave him (so he wasn't a Traitor?). They promised to meet again, under the sun... That was my dream...
The party wakes up, of course, in the clink. We quickly ascertain that Isabeau is not with us and the angels have relieved us of all our gear. There are no windows and no apparent means of escape. We're visited by a remorseful-seeming Gaston, who informs us that we're to be hanged within hours.
Nanashi: Shit shit shit shit SHIT! Is this how it ends? As a skid mark on Merkabah's pavement? No, I've got to think. Got to - huh. I can still summon demons?
Grendel: Ya can't get rid of us that easy, kiddo!
It seems Dagda's power allows Nanashi to call his demons even without his phone! Obviously, we summon them and blow this pop stand! Before leaving, Gaston informs us that our stuff is in the Monastery.
Lanling Wang: An escape of true elegance. They'll be writing epics about you!
Throne: That felt so wrong... and somehow so right?
We re-emerge in Aquila Plaza, evidently having not been held very far away, but we're not out of the woods yet, as a flock of Angels descends!
MINI-BOSS: HORDE ANGEL ARMY
Level 65. Resist Elec, Weak Force, Null Light, Weak Dark.
This crowd looks scary on paper, as they enjoy buffing their attack stat through the roof and unloading with Hades Blast and Riot Gun. In practice, though? Two weaknesses, especially one to Dark, doesn't exactly mean these guys are strong defensively. Anubis, Alice, and anyone else with a hits-all Dark move mulches these guys.
...and apparently they know they're weak, as they've called for reinforcements.
MINI-BOSS: HORDE ANGEL ARMY
Level 65. Null Fire, Weak Ice, Weak Dark
Meh. As before these guys have some intimidating moves like Maragidyne, but our demons are far stronger. Freeze them or suck them into a black hole at your leisure.
We make a beeline for the Monastery (after Toki insults Asahi as she attempts to hug Nanashi) and find our stuff... and unfortunately there's a... rather more robust angel guarding it - Azrael, Angel of Death.
Lailah: ...oh my. Lord Azrael! You have no chance against him. He IS Death!
He proclaims his intent to smite us and attacks!
BOSS: HERALD AZRAEL
Level 68. Resist Phys, Resist Fire, Weak Ice, Repel Light, Resist Dark
Azrael here has a couple noteworthy gimmicks. For one, since nobody else has their stuff, no assist characters for you in this fight. He begins each of his turns with either Tetrakarn or Makarakarn, alternating the two. He himself only uses Magic, so Makarakarn is also a great asset to you. His offense consists of Agidyne, Mamudoon, and his unique skill Blink of Death, which is Mudoon combined with Rakunda. Use Makarakarn turns to buff yourself and de-buff him, and Tetrakarn turns to pile on the ice!
Loki: Ehehehehhhhh... always wanted to deep-freeze those pompous angels!
He actually has some Boss Banter, where he offers to trade your soul for your allies' safety. Accepting puts Nanashi to sleep and drops Azrael's defense, as he's disturbed that Dagda already has a claim on Nanashi's soul, refusing buffs his attack, and attacking him does nothing and bestows Anarchy points (I picked the second).
At half health, though? He calls in an armada of angels. We're all surrounded... and then Hallelujah steps forward?
Hagen: Oh please; if I were that wimp I'd have drowned myself out of shame by now.
Hallelujah begins to glow with an unearthly light... and when it subsides, his skin is chalk-white, his hair is bright red, his eyes are glowing, and he's dropping Megidolaons on the lesser angels! Hallelujah is a demon, and a really, really strong one!
Nanashi: Hahahaaaaaaah! Knew I liked that kid!
We now have a partner, and a seriously tough one! Hallelujah has all his old skills, plus Megidolaon, plus True Agidyne and True Bufudyne, tier four spells! Obviously True Bufudyne will be of great pain to Azrael. Be sure to get him in one go - otherwise you'll need to fight the Hordes again.
Hallelujah, after the battle, explains his heritage - his mother was human, his absent father a demon. He never wanted the secret getting out, so he's been incognito as a weak human. We can accept him for Peace points, or be really really mean for Anarchy points.
Toki, as it happened, had ninja'd her way over to our stuff, so we re-outfit. She's also swiped the mysterious Gauntlet from earlier. Now, to escape. The Angels have the long way barricaded, but there's still the Terminal in Aquila Plaza, which our fake Gauntlets should spoof. We head there and... they don't work. What's more, we're pursued by a Throne, who gloats that the Terminal has been altered to see us as invalid users. Then... he gets impaled?
Loki: Wha?
IT'S GASTON, who's finally chosen his side! He activates the Terminal with his approved Gauntlet, and we warp on back home!
