Illuyanka: WROOOOOOOAARRRR! I am Lord Illuyanka, god of the wrathful storms of the deserts of old. In the past it was I who saw to it that the little people were watered in their desolate home, but in a wink of an eye to an immortal such as myself, belief in me and others like me waned. An upstart young god of a neighboring tribe displaced me, and condemned those who would pay me homage to myself and my kinsmen. Now it seems this god is not simply content to go after my kind; he intends the destruction of all those mortals who would not bend their knee, as well! The time for talking is past! The time for blood is now! WROOOOOOOOAAAR!
Return to Akira with the good news. True to his word, he hands over the remote and gives directions to Ichigaya. Kiyoharu runs off to pray to God, disturbing Walter after all he learned in Pluto Castle. Akira declares that he plans to lead humanity out of the underground and tame the demons to establish order, and out of gratitude for his "Messiahs," decides to name the new society after the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado. Then Jonathan drops THIS line:
Jonathan: If that were to happen, you would be King Akira of the Eastern Kingdom of...
Flynn: !!!!
Poltergeist: Plot twist!
Before we head to Ichigaya, though, there's stuff we can do. If you fought Pluto's henchmen regularly, you'll probably have a lot of items called "Pluto Corpses." Ten of these can be dropped off at the bar to complete the quest "Help Us Get Some Fuel." Completing this one, in turn, unlocks the final quest in this level, "Death on Wings," which involves the Angel of Death, Azrael, appearing in Ikebukuro, apparently to finish what Pluto started!
Flynn: Well, this certainly won't stand! Let us take one last Terminal ride, shall we?
???: FiiiiiiiiiiiiiinaaaaaaaaaaallyIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIfoooooooooooooooouuuuuunyoooooouuu...
Flynn:' ...a tortoise?
Cabracan: IIIIIwaaaaasfooooollowingyooooousincetheeeeeepaaaaaalaaaace. IIIII'mslooooooowaaasyouuuuucaaaaaanseeeee...
Flynn: Every little bit helps. I picked up that fellow on the way back, as well.
Xiuhtecuhtli: IN THE YEAR 2039 IT WAS PROPHESIED THAT A JUDGMENT WOULD RAIN UPON THE PAST AND THE FUTURE THOOOOOOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.
Kin-ki: Oooooookay...?
Take the Terminal to Ikebukuro. Azrael is actually on the map, not the overworld.
=MINI-BOSS: Azrael=
Level 55. Resist Phys, Resist Fire, Weak Ice, Null Light, Null Dark
Spam Bufudyne and it dies. Any team that can beat Pluto will steamroll this guy.
Astaroth: These "Heralds of the Lord" do not seem to like the cold very much, do they?
Cu Chulainn: I daresay that was nary a challenge! Perhaps this "God," whatever deity he be, has run out of useful troops since we destroyed Pluto?
Yamawaro: (falls from the sky) Ssssssh! You'll jinx it! Who knows what he'll send next?
???: NOOOOOO! Sir Azrael has fallen!
Dominion: Sir Kazfiel! Praise the Lord! You must come with us; this party lacks moral fiber! It could do with a few more angels!
Kazfiel: That I shall. Greetings, Son of Man; I am Kazfiel, Angel of Oaths and all-around bad rear end.
Yamawaro: (falls from the sky again) You mean "badass?"
Kazfiel: Heavens! That's profanity!
With that done, head to Ichigaya. If you did the cannon quest, you'll have seen it already. Enter the dungeon.
Asherah: Oh ho ho... this building still stands. Curious, very curious. There's definitely POWER here.
Asura: HELLO THERE, MILADY; FORBID ME MY OVERHASTINESS, BUT WOULD IT BE RUNE TO SAY I FIND YOU THE MOST ATTRACTIVE DEMONESS I HAVE SEEN IN SOME TIME? IN FACT, I FEEL I HAVE MET YOU BEFORE... IN ANOTHER LIFE, PERHAPS?
Asherah: Oh ho ho... you'd be surprised at where i've been in other lives...
Camp Ichigaya in this world is a much simpler dungeon that it was in the "real" world; if you don't care about the treasure all you have to do is find the elevator and take it down. Still, there are some demons to recruit around here...
Taotie: You! Yeah, you! You think you're so tough? Why dontcha come over here an' I'll- Ooh! Is that a Life Stone? Fuhgeddaboutit; I'm yours!
Chupacabra: New goat, yes? Old goat not tasty anymore, yes?
Baphomet: Glory, glory, Hallelujah, and I think that mens double coming from me!
Peri:' Eeeep! N-no one said there'd be d-d-demons here... Umm, hi human, I'm Peri, I guess...
Vivian: Peri, dear, you are aware that YOU qualify as a demon, right? Ah, a human... no need to say anything, human, you are a true knight!
Flynn: Thanks?
Head to the Reactor chamber and punch the remote when you're done recruiting. As before, Flynn is swept off to the white space, to meet with The White themselves.
The four beings, still in the form of Flynn's friends (and Hugo) explain that this was one "possible world," the one where Flynn "chose to preserve." There is also the option to destroy, however. The White will show Flynn that option, too...
Flynn: Uwaaah! Eh? I'm back at Kasumigaseki again?
Asherah: Of all Tokyo's structures, only this base and Camp Ichigaya survived intact always... Very strong magic.
Suddenly, a green man in a trenchcoat runs in! Like Kiyoharu before him, he notices the three Prentices' gauntlets and runs off to tell... Akira?
Flynn: Oh no... it didn't work! We're still in that blown-up Tokyo! Strange, though... have I met that fellow before?
Head out to discover a very different Kasumigaseki shelter. It pulses with light and, what's more, there's now a Hunter Association there. This is clearly neither of the Tokyos Flynn had been to before...
To proceed head to the door right across from the Terminal. In here you'll meet Akira again, except now he's a cat-person. Yes, really. He takes notice of the group and refers to them as the "Intruders;" apparently the White appeared to him as well and told him about Flynn and company. You'll get a choice to introduce yourself as being from Mikado or from Tokyo, and this is actually an alignment choice; answering "Tokyo" gives five Law points, while answering "Mikado" does not affect alignment. Akira, whoever this Akira is, immediately conscripts the group to defeat someone named "Kenji," whom he claims is the "King of Tokyo."
Flynn: Wait, what? These people are so upfront.
Flynn ain't going anywhere until he accepts, no matter how strange that may seem.
Vivian: This Akira fellow seems a bit... off, but I can tell he will make a good king. It's in my nature to know these things, you know...'
Flynn: I have no idea what is going on. Perhaps we should just play along for now?
Look around the base some more to be greeted with some... interesting sights. Around half the people there seem to have fused with demons (remember Jimenez?) and the other half are dressed in rags with straws protruding from their heads. Even more disturbingly, the people seem to have taken on these forms willingly...
Horkos: MMMM... A MOBILE RED DISPENSER! BUONO!
Pop by the bar for some interesting gossip. You'll learn that twenty-five years ago, Kenji killed the Angels and stopped the nukes from falling, and turned Tokyo into his personal fiefdom. You can also pick up a challenge Quest here, "Pleasure Box," asking you to deliver a TV set. You'll probably already have this.
Flynn: So that's what that was for. It was quite a weight in my pocket.
Xiuhtecuhtli: WUT.
When you get outside, you'll see the entire city in flames! This world is one where the Ring of Gaea's philosophy of Social Darwinism runs wild: strength is the only law. Akira wants the team to help increase his strength, first by knocking out the ruler of the Shinjuku District, and then moving in on Kenji himself!
Flynn: So this is the world where the side of chaos triumphed? This seems little better than that we just came from. This Kenji seems to be the source of the problems, so perhaps there's merit to removing him after all.
You now have control of Flynn. The local demons are, surprisingly, weaker on average than those in Blasted Tokyo, and you may have many of them (like Ghoul and Kin-ki) already. There are a few new faces, however...
Flynn: All right, time to get recruiting...
Wild Hunt: Little... hero... I... shall... accompany... you... And... after... death... you... shall... ride... across... the... heavens... with... me...
Valkyrie: Unfortunately, this Einherjar has been claimed by Father Odin already.
Succubus: No way, he's mine! Hi, cutie; so they say you're the one that's gonna break the cycle, huh? Maia Ouroboros told me. Bet you're a tiger in bed, huh?
Flynn: A-actually I was saving myself...
Kazfiel: Attaboy, Son of Man! Remember, only squares put out!
You can now explore the map. This map is much smaller than the normal Tokyo map, and you can only go to Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, and Shibuya. In the case of the latter three, you will be barred from passing further than the gate; apparently, Akira isn't welcome in the other districts of Tokyo...
Flynn: I can see Shinjuku National Park from here! Strange... isn't that the Cocoon from Shene Duque? Shene Duque... Shinjuku... Huh.
The entrance to Shinjuku is actually pretty hard to find, as it's in a little corner that you have to cross a poison lake to get to. It's due north of the cocoon, though, almost hidden behind a building.
Frost Ace: I see what they mean about this overworld map-ho.
Once again, at Shinjuku, you get as far as the gate before being stopped by a Vetala demon. The Vetala reveals that Akira is apparently Tokyo's garbage collector and asks Akira to pass him something in his teeth. Walter blurts out that they're here to take Kenji's head, which causes the Vetala to attack as Akira hides behind the Samurai.
=MINI-BOSS: VETALA=
Level 59. Weak Fire, Null Light, Null Dark
Spam Agidyne and it dies. His only attack seems to be Binding Claw, which only does "medium" damage.
Kresnik: Pathetically weak! Of course, all fell beasts are weak compared to the light!
Tlazoldeotl: Never underestimate the forces of darkness, Kresnik; they can always surprise you. Greetings, young Samurai; I trust those poor people received the corn?
Flynn: They certainly did; apologies if I bruised you in the process, milady. Who is this fellow? He looks almost human
Kresnik: I am Kresnik, vampire-hunting vampire, at your service. I am here because I am told my great enemy, the dark lord Kudlak, is present in this world. I have come to slay him at last!
Dominion: There are numerous fell beasts in this world; perhaps we could team up?
Sui-ki: Venn you zay "fell beasts" you mean us, yes? I vind zat racist!
Fuu-ki: These angelic types have never been ones for honor, my brother.
Sui-ki: Vell, you are a hired assassin...
Kin-ki: Yeah! Mah bros!
(The three OGRES bump their chests together)
Flynn: You three know each other?
Sui-ki: Ziz iz your zummoner? He iz too vimpy; vee must pump him up!
Kin-ki: Nah, he's cool. These are my brothers, Sui-ki and Kin-ki. We're kinda famous in the demon world.
Flynn: I... see...
Enter the Underground District. You'll see it's basically the same as in normal Tokyo, except everyone's half-demon. There aren't any quests to be gained around here so head to the place where the shutter was (the one you opened by doing Corpse Disposal oh so long ago). There is a Domain cast over the West side of the district, which is home to the boss around here.
This is another fixed Domain, with only one correct destination: the northeast corner. Head there to meet with the ruler of the Shinjuku District under Kenji, Mahamayuri. He regards Akira as too far beneath him to fight personally, and so calls a Horde on our heroes!
=MINI-BOSS: YAKSHA HORDE=
Level 58. Weak Force, Null Light, Null Dark
Spam Force and it dies. There's not much to worry about here, really, unless it gets a Smirk, which was unfortunate enough to happen to me. Beat it and Mahamayuri will finally see you as worthy to challenge him.
=MINI-BOSS: MAHAMAYURI=
Level 59. Weak Elec, Repel Force, Null Light, Null Dark
This miniboss not only has a greater connection to the plot than Ixtab does (seriously, that was really random), but he's considerably tougher, as well, almost at the levels of a true boss, though his sprite isn't blown-up and he has no unique moves. He enjoys debuffing you down to nothing and spamming Hamaon to kill your demons in one shot, and his main offensive spell is Zandyne. Worse, he can use Makarakarn on himself to block your attempts at electrifying him, and since he seems to be pretty resilient to most things he's not weak to, that leaves you with Almighty. If you keep up the Ziodyne the debuffs shouldn't be a problem, but this is really a battle where you can't afford to mis-click anything.
Once you win, you can fuse Mahamayuri. By the might-makes-right rules of this "Infernal Tokyo," Akira now rules Shinjuku, and all Mahamayuri's forces immediately swear loyalty to him!
Yomotsu-Ikusa: But 'e didn't do anythin'! I'd proffer if you were in charge, Mister F.
Flynn: I am flattered, but I need to get home now...
You can now hear a lot about Akira from speaking to the Demonoids around here. In particular, the Demonoids in the bar will mention that he had a sister who was chosen by God to ascend in the cocoon, but when Kenji killed the angels, the people in the cocoons were left to starve! It's not hard to see why Akira has it in for him, in other words...
Flynn: Both Pluto and this Kenji seem horrid. I can only hope we put Akira on the... throne?
Girimehaka: DESTROOOOOOOOY!
Flynn: Egad!
Dakini: Oh, quiet down, you big oaf. Hey there, little man; we've heard you were in the market for demons, mind if we signed on?
Flynn: My pleasure!
Peri: Th-they're kind of s-s-... mmmmmm...
The Dakainis are a very annoying enemy around here due to resisting lots of things and having Javelin Rain. They can easily wipe an unprepared party. Girimehkala specializes in your standard things you'd expect a guy his size to specialize in. Now it's time to find Kenji.
Kenji is, as you may have guessed, in Camp Ichigaya. It's right where it always was. Unlike in Blasted Tokyo there's a simple puzzle that must be solved here before we can get to the boss, but first, some new demons!
Kushinada-hime: I feel a dark presence here, that I haven't felt since...
Orochi: Heh heh heh... Lady Kushinada. Long time, no see.
Kushinada-hime: I thought that stench was familiar. What are you doing alive, anyway; my husband hacked your heads off!
Orochi: The demonic powers of this realm are far beyond anything you can comprehend... hwah hwah hwah...
Guedhe: Tentacles to yourself, please. Allow me. Papa Guedhe, he who guards the crossroads. So I'm told you wish to save the cosmos from death... I am anxious to see if you can pull it off, heh heh...
Queen Mab: Eee hee, I'm here, too. There are two choices, but two. Which path will you choose, child?
These are all solid demons, Queen Mab in particular is great because she comes with Makarakarn naturally! To proceed, head up the stairs and investigate the grisly "operating theater" on the second floor...
Flynn: "Demonoids" and "Neurishers?" Those must be those two odd types of people I have been seeing. I am not sure I like the sound of either...
You'll have to investigate the doors on this floor in order to get "sterilized." One of them features a Kanbari who gives you a rubdown, the other a Caladrius who disinfects you by, apparently, vomiting. Whichever one you talk to second opens the shutters to the other half of this floor. Back here you'll find a Fuxi who forks over the keycard to the elevator. Take it to the bottom; Kenji awaits...
???: Hey, bro!
Flynn: Eh, Lord Wu Kong?
Wu Kong: Whew, glad I caught ya. I got a wicked case of wormhole sickness comin' here! Erlang Shen sent me. You've gotta get home, little brother; things aren't going all that well in your home universe!
Flynn: What-what's happened? What's going on?
Wu Kong: I'm not the best person to explain as I left pretty quickly. But there's someone back home who'll fill you in. I also found this guy.
Kudlak: Bleh heh heh... hello, Kresnik!
Kresnik: Wh-wh-No way! No way am I working with HIM!
Kudlak: As the delicious humans say... tough shit.
Save and heal... Kenji is in the Reactor chamber. Upon initially investigating, it seems the room is empty and the remote lies on the floor, free to take. But as Walter makes for it, a Huge Holographic Head descends from the 'bove! Kenji's evidently had so many Demonoid surgeries he's ceased being anything resembling human. He's weary of battle, but he can't let us have the remote, no sir.
=BOSS: KENJI=
Level 61. Weak Fire, Weak Force, Null Light, Null Dark
Oh Em Eff Gee. Don't let the two weaknesses fool you; there's a reason Kenji's King of Tokyo. He can dish out Physical, Fire, and Almighty attacks to the entire party, kill you dead with Darkness, and has access to every status ailment in the game. He opens with his signature Phys move, Conqueror's Spirit, always, more or less this game's equivalent of Mother's Kiss. Since this is always his first move, throw up a Tetrakarn on round one and spit his pity right back in his face! His normal attack also hits the entire party and can also be countered with Tetrakarn. With one-third of his health gone, he'll ask you a question; the correct response it to "Glare menacingly" at him.
Wu Kong: H-holy... you scared him! YOU ACTUALLY SCARED HIM! We could actually win this!
Apparently this pissed him off, because his attack pattern gets a lot more random after this. You can't guarantee anything by 'karning every round like before, as he'll start using more magic. Maragidyne doesn't hurt that much, but Ancient Curse sure can, and can leave you with a dead-weight party on top of that. Keep piling on debuffs and Agidyne and you'll eventually get to a point where he falls down, seemingly defeated, and you're prompted to pick up the remote. The fact that the boss interface is still up should tell you not to do this. Sure enough, taking the bait gives him a free round, qwhich is obviously something you don't want with this boss. Toward the very end, he'll start spamming Megidola, but keep healing and keep Agidyne-ing, and at long last he'll go down.
Flynn: Whew. He was... never mind. Put it in the back of my mind. The important thing is, there is the remote. At last, we can go home.
To be continued...
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