Mitra: Well, that's certainly a handsome fellow. Though truth be told I am somewhat miffed that I of all great demons would end up as much a victim of this time loop as anyone else. That brute Morax was understandable, but me!? I must confess I do somewhat resent going from the overlord of an entire sector to just one of Drake's crowd, but it would seem the time for talking has passed...
Saying Mitra is a step up from Morax is like comparing the Schwartzwelt to a garbage disposal. Remember when I mentioned that Jack Frost is a lifesaver in this sector? Well, that's because he reflects ice, and Mitra comes equipped with the sixth-tier ice spell, Mabufudyne, the strongest conventionally-obtainable one in the game. On the second boss. The Final Boss has a stronger ice spell, but you can't get that. And unfortunately, this is only his second-most annoying move. He also has the dreadful Light of Order, which kills anything it hits, can't be blocked, and apparently never misses. About the only good thing that can be said for this attack is that it can't target Drake. He's weak to wind, so another very helpful demon here is Suparna, the most powerful wind-user available at this point in the game.
Suparna: Well, it's nice to have a little acknowledgement.
Of course, on a New Game Plus you can just equip an endgame wind-based weapon and unload. Beating him nets you Bootes's Rosetta energy and the Sword Shard forma.
Pyro Jack: Eat my dust-ho!
Shiisaa: YOU DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING IN THIS FIGHT!
Biphrons: Master Mitra was a fine employer, but I find Master Drake treats me in a far superior manner.
Drake: Aww, shucks, guys...
There's actually a few more things you can do before you ship out to the next sector. At the very bottom of the map is a hidden door leading to a maze-like area where several other crewman have become trapped. Help them escape and you'll face the musical mini-boss David and earn the right to fuse the extremely powerful Fiend race demons.
Raiju: BZZZZHEGODOWNLIKECHUMPZAPZAPBZZZ.
'Shiisaa: ROWF! YEAH, HE'S WEAK TO ATTACKS LIKE OURS!
At around this time you can start getting missions from another crewman named Dent. You can play a boring little mind game with him for some Macca, but the really interesting task here is fighting Kanbari, God of the Toilet, who has taken up residence in the Red Sprite's toilet. He's a Breather Boss since he's weak to physical; Drake actually sat this one out and used it to train up the new Chaos recruits: Takeminakata, Fomorian, and Mou-Ryou. You can also return to Antila to fight an optional boss, Lorelei. She's not hard, and you can fuse her after her defeat.
Takeminakata: That all ya got! Pansy! I beat ya with no arms!
Archangel: My dear fellow, you never had any arms to begin with.
Takeminkata: CAN'T HEAR YOU! Stomped a god with just my feet, I did!
Apsaras: Then would you kindly WIPE your feet, then?
Mou-Ryou: Woooooo...?
Beating him gets you the ability to fuse Enigma demons, and with that all three secret races are unlocked.
And on the way out, another Preta got me for good measure.
Melchom: *Face Palm*
Anyway, now it's time to blow this pop-stand. The Rosetta does the trick and allows access to the next sector, which takes the form of an endless shopping mall representing Gluttony. Jimenez is still pissed we're not home yet. And Zelenin ships Jimenez/Arthur, apparently. Wonder if there's fanart for that?
Pixie: Mister Drake, Mister Jimenez and Miss Zelenin; you can tell they're great friends! I hope they stay that way, but I remember something went wrong...
Fomorian: Man, this place is taaaaaaaaaaacky!
Drake: Hmm, there's some demons in this power range I haven't trained up yet... Come on out, guys!
Shan Xiao: Hyuck hyuck hyuck; don't worry, Drake, I know my way around here!
Makara: I can help. I hope I can help. All I want to do is help...
Heqet: WHEEE! WE'RE GONNA HAVE FUNFUNFUN!
Mamedanuki: Hello ladiesh... ya know what they shay about short men, right?
Gu Huo Niao: ...yuck. Yuck yuck yuck.
There's not a whole lot to do at this point, as most of the doors are sealed. Arthur receives indication that the Elve crashed in this sector, and as that ship had the most poweful communications equipment of the four, assigns the strike team to salvage its radio. You'll meet an occasional chatty demon around here who speaks of the boss of this sector, Horkos, his extreme appetite, and his latest meal.
Karasu Tengu: I doubt dat's any good...
There's a few notable demons around here, with more unrecruitable ones than usual; Shan Xiao and Raiju we've already met, but there's also the generic Macabre, which is every bit as deadly as the boss version if you can get one, Moh Shuvuu, a wind user, and Inferno, the strongest in terms of level around here; I've found he invites himself into your party pretty often, though. The most annoying demon here, though, is one of the recruitables, Momunofu, due to being weak to nothing, strong against Phys and Gun, and able to charge his attacks. Other recruitables are Inugami and Nozuchi, who has the next-strongest multi-target Phys move (up from Rampage) but is hindered by being weak to all magic. Ah well.
To advance the plot, take the stairs to the basement. This introduces you to this level's gimmick, darkness, and unfortunately you're going to just have to feel your way around for the time being. This section, unlike some later ones, isn't hard. At the end of the darkness, though, you'll find both the Elve and Horkos. Who's eating it.
Katarikauwa: What a handsome young man...
Mitra: HORKOS!
Norn: Curiouser and curiouser...
Unfortunately, he's merged with the ship's plasma armor, so we're going to need help dislodging him, which arrives in the form of...
Metatron: Right on time, Sir Mastema...
Drake: Mastema!
Our creepy-ass exposition angel requests demons of the Megami and Wilder clans; I simply ring up a Jueyuan and a Hathor, the lowest-ranking members. He also creeps on Zelenin some more.
Jueyuan: HER PRETTY! HER HAVE NICE HIPS! HER MAKE GOOD MONKEY BABY!
Drake: Yeah, definitely giving you away.
Goblin: ...did she say she wants to wipe out the demons!? I'll giver a nice one-two ta tha-mmph!
Pixie: Miss Zelenin really wants to go home... Will we go home, Mister Drake?
Drake: Yeah. Yeah, we'll go home...
What is Mastema's master plan? Can Horkos be defeated? Who could be powerful enough to create a time-lock that can imprison at least three demon lords and a seraph? And does this place have a toupee department? Stay tuned to find out!
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