Drake: All I wanted was for... for as few people as possible to die. if I can achieve that, that makes me a good guy, a good soldier, right? Soldiers get commended for minimizing casualties... but... think of all the individuals I might hurt... but if the Earth survives, and no more Schwartzwelts come, isn't it wrong to care about individuals? Isn't that selfish? Would that make me... bad?
Ready for the final push? Good. On basement 7, head north through the invisible wall area to find a switch. Hit that, but the passage is still blocked, as there's another barrier, and another switch, to the west. To get to this, we're going to have to go to the southwest corner of the invisible wall area, which we have to feel around for.
Ganesha: Right here, left here, aaaaaaand... right here.
Drake: Thanks. Hmm, a phase shifter. I wonder...
Shift to Sanctum Type A and enter the northwestern door in the Sanctum. This leads to the final switch, which lowers the final barrier. There is now literally nothing between Drake and Mem Aleph!
Drake: I remember this... th-thank you all for sticking this out with me, even though I know I've pissed off quite a few of you. So, can I trust youth stay with me in the final battle?
Shiva: We shall see. I have never been one not to see a journey through to the end...
Masakado: Lord Shiva's thoughts mirror my own. Tread carefully...
Asherah: I WON'T FIGHT YOU, BUT I'M NOT PARTICIPATING, EITHER.
Seraph: Pah hah hah, do not let these cynics get you down. They merely cannot tolerate those different from themselves!
Demiurge: FWAAAASSSSSSH! MY FAITHFUL RETAINER SPEAKS THE TRUTH! YOU CAN EXPECT US TO REINFORCE YOU TO OUR HIGHEST CAPACITY!
Drake: Th-thanks... you know... I remember these two being a lot nicer. But... I've never seen them before, have I?
CRASH
There have been too many sad endings...
CRASH CRASH CRASH
Approaching Mem Aleph, however, Zelenin reappears. Perhaps with the last bit of humanity she has, she thanks Drake for saving her at Bootes long ago.
Drake: Seems like an eternity now... Irina... as a favor, could you at least consider turning our friends on the ship back to normal when we're done here?
Thoth: Enough of her left ta thank ya... but I doubt there's enough ta do that...
Enter the door. Zelenin's song makes Mem Aleph visible, but she has to keep it up so it's Drake's fight alone.
Drake: Somehow things like this happen to me a lot.
Mem Aleph will say something interesting and new on the Law path, though, namely that the Three Wise Men were once subordinates of hers that went rogue. This is the only backstory they ever get.
Drake: Wait, I thought that they were angels? Still kind of confused here...
=FINAL BOSS: MEM ALEPH=
Level 80. Weakness and resistance varies
Mem Aleph, actually, I found significantly easier on this playthrough than on my Neutral one. This may be because any team customized to beat Demiurge, like mine was, is also good for Mem Aleph, as she fights in much the same way. She still has her top-level elemental spells like "Fire," "Ice," etc. as well as the extremely dangerous instant-kill spells "Light" and "Dark," but these are less of a threat than her other attacks due to level 80+ demons generally having a lot of resistances. Like Demiurge, she will cancel all de-buffs if she is weakened more than four times, but her Reason's Start is stronger than the basic Dekunda because a) it also heals her at the same time, and b) it also cancels buffs on your party, too.
Masakado: Fahahaha... the only demon in the Schwartzwelt to match my power. This path... is worth it to cross blades with her!
I have heard, curiously, that Mem Aleph's AI, like Jimenez's, is different and easier on the Law route than the Neutral. At the very least I only saw one Mother's Kiss, usually her deadliest move and one of the most common she'd use on Neutral. In any case, she'll soon shed her Mother form and turn into her "Empty" one.
Drake: Keep singing, Irina... unlike last time, I can't... can't go it alone...
Empty Mem Aleph is basically the same as Mother Mem Aleph, except, of course, for her two unique moves. The self-titled "Mem Aleph" causes all demons of a certain alignment to return to the stock (so going after her with a varied party is preferable), and MA will kill any demon it strikes (which is not, contrary to what's often been said, 100% accurate). This I never saw this time, making me again wonder if the rumor about the AI is true. Just keep fighting Mem Aleph with the same tactics as Demiurge - you can use the same tactic where you can "trick" her into using her buff-canceling move, but as mentioned the move is stronger so it's a greater risk.
Drake: She seems to be weakening. If I can just get her right... THERE!
(DRAKE fires an Almighty round from his Meteor Dragoon pistol; the shot connects, ripping through MEM ALEPH, who seems to implode)
Drake: It's...
CRASH
Drake: ...over. I wish that damn knocking would stop...
Zelenin retrieves the Exotic Matter from Mem Aleph's body, and the Three Wise Men offer congratulations, saying that humans could never have made it on their own.
Drake: Not sure I believe that, but if as few people as possible die... that makes me the good guy, right? ...Put it out of my mind. We have a new world to build at the Vanishing Point... or something.
Poltergeist: Dun dun dunnnnn!
At the Vanishing Point, Mastema is also here being smug. He, too, offers his congratulations.
Drake: Glad I could new of service. There's one thing you could give me, too...
'(DRAKE socks MASTEMA in the face)
Drake: Warrant Officer Hector Jimenez says hi. ...Man that felt good. Maybe there is something to this Chaos stuff after all...
(DRAKE releases the Cosmic Eggs into the Vanishing Point. The portal pulses with light, eventually settling on a shining blue color. ZELENIN follows the Eggs through, and after a moment's hesitation, DRAKE follows after...)
Drake: First day of the rest of my life, I guess...
CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH
To be concluded...
Comments
- Title's a reference to Godspell because I might as well reference the other Jesus musical too.
- And I couldn't resist getting in one last shot at Mastema, either.
