Kanseiteikun: I detect massive amounts of pressure from the building where my former operation was headquartered; it would seem that other summoners had the same idea to base themselves there as mine did. The human's DEMONICA interface says that whoever is there now has been performing the art of demon fusion worryingly fast... As a protector-god, it is my duty to see to it that these humans are not in trouble!
Hariti: You! You are the one who kidnapped my son! Sir Flynn, please; you cannot let HIM come with us!
Kanseiteikun: Forgive me, my good lady; as a protector-god, I could not turn down the plight of those hungry humans when they offered me a contract. I was human myself, once. After they fled, they canceled my contract, and so here I am with your party.
Murmur: Blar har har... I am here as well. I have no pity for you, fleshling, but it is my duty to clean up the mess you made at Kagome Tower! SUMBIT UNTO THE GRAND DUKE OF THRONES!
Kanseiteikun's great; he's another Fusion Error demon, and mine came out with Berserker God and spells of every element. Murmur has Madness Nails, which is the random-hitting "heavy" Phys move.
Anyway, this next quest is "Multi-Demon Fusion," and yes it is in the same building you saved Priyankara from Kanseiteikun so long ago. This time you'll have to take the elevator to the top floor, where you'll find hunters in trance-like states, performing rapid-fire demon fusions. Suddenly, a Baphomet appears and attacks!
=MINI-BOSS: BAPHOMET=
Level 70. Null Dark
This Baphomet is obviously a cut above the ones at Kagome Tower, and I actually find him the harder of the two battles in this quest. He has no weaknesses so you really just have to attack with the strongest moves in your arsenal, and h'e's also packing Mamudoon, so it's best to come in with Dark protection. If you don't have that, Tetraja or a Tetraja stone will do.
With Baphomet defeated, the true mastermind behind the trance appears: Cernunnos!
Yggdrasil: I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, BUT I TOTALLY CALLED THAT TWIST! HELLO?
Cernunnos explains that he had been trying to fuse more of the old gods that had been repressed by the Angels for his army. On his order, the wounded Baphomet retreats into a smartphone, and comes back out as a Pales! The two powerful demons initiate a battle!
=MINI-BOSS: PALES AND CERNUNNOS=
Pales: Level 70. Weak Fire, Null Ice, Resist Light, Null Dark
Cernunnos: Level 70. Resist Phys, Null Elec, Weak Force, Null Dark
You've got two opponents here, but I find this battle to be easier than the preceding because you can strike at weaknesses to earn press turns and smirks. Cernunnos fights as he did before, but Pales has a new trick: this is, the dreaded Pandemic Bomb-Death's Door combo. Death's Door is an unblockable move that reduces a Sick demon's HP to One, and Pandemic Bomb, of course, inflicts Sick. The same combo is used by a much harder boss later on, by the way. As such, it's advisable to take out Pales first. Cernunnos should then be concentrated with Zandyne and Deadly Wind (the "severe" Wind move) if you have that. Winning unlocks the ability to fuse Cernunnos.
Kinmamon: SCANNING... MULTIPLE DISTRESSED CITIZENS DETECTED. LOCATION: TENNOZU
Flynn: Tennozu? That is odd... I have never been to any place called "Tennozu."
Yep, it's time to explore a new district of Tokyo! The Tennozu Region is only unlocked after returning from the alternate Tokyos; the pathway is through a subway in Shibuya, and had you gone there prior to the fall of the Ashura-kai, a thug would be barring the way. Take the tunnel to the Bay Area and Tennozu.
'Flynn: Whoa... I have never seen so much water in my life. Isabeau seems... Transfied.'
Azumi: Oh, it is good to see the water again... I figure I might go for a swim; that shelter was cramped, and I must say that Gauntlet isn't much better!
Flynn: Everyone take all the time you need, I'll try to find where we're needed. I do have a quest here registered to my Gauntlet, but...
???: Oh hoh hoh. Mr. Pendragon, my good man, have you ever seen such a violation of good posture?
Pendragon: You always have to watch these scruffy-looking ones, Mr. Shax; quite often you find kings-to-be among these diaminds in the rough...
Shax: No, no, no, I'm quite certain. Look at him; stooped posture, girly hair, most likely terrible table manners; this one clearly comes from the dregs...
Flynn: Hey!
Minotaur: PENDRAGON!? Is that you?
Pendragon: Fwash fwash fwash... look who it is... I have not seen you since your Summoner lopped off my tail; it has taken twenty-five years to grow back! This does not appear to be the same one, however; what became of him? Did he embrace his destiny? All who defeat a Pendragon are destined to become a king or queen, after all...
Minotaur: Heh. You could say that...
Yes, there are new demons around here. Shax is particularly useful; he's the next Fallen up from Murmur, and comes packing Deadly Wind, no strings attached.
???: OBEROOOOOOOON!!!
Oberon: Criminy I was afraid of this...
Titania: What are you doing with this Summoner, Oberon? You are a King; ACT LIKE ONE! You joined up for demonesses, didn't you!? You're trading me in for younger women!
Oberon: I'ts not like that, y'see - these horrible people, they closed off the Expanse, see, this feller was just gittin' me out and... oh dear...
(TITANIA drags OBERON off by his ear)
You can explore this area to your heart's content now, and there are some very powerful demons here, including Botises and Barbatoses, who are too strong to recruit at this point but who are excellent training for your demons. Your target is the shelter, which is at the tallest building in the area; take the elevator down when prompted.
Flynn: This place looks very much like the Counter-Demon Force base. And, I'm sorry, but it smells DREADFUL.
Katarikauwa: What you on about? It smells TASTY! YUM YUM EAT 'EM UP!
Despite this district being cut off from the rest of Tokyo, you'll find that people are still there, and they've been surviving on "beef" provided by a benefactor by the name of Gozutennou. Also, you'll find a terminal here, the first in a long while. Ang guess who's back!
=MINI-BOSS: KRESNIK, LANLING WANG, CU CHULAINN=
Kresnik: Level 65. Resist Gun, Null Light, Null Dark
Lanling Wang: Level 65. Null Light, Null Dark
Cu Chulainn: Level 65. Resist Phys, Resist Gun, Repel Force, Null Light, Null Dark
These three demons have the same weaknesses and resistances as the playable versions, just at a higher level, and as such there's not really a lot of strategy here. They mainly use Phys so if you can protect against that and spam multi-target moves you should be great. Avoid Force, though, due to Cu Chulainn repelling it.
Cu Chulainn: This Terminal Guardian is a capable summoner indeed to control we Faerie warriors... despite his oafish exterior I fear he has even more powerful demons than this.'
You may have picked up some tips that a summoning ritual is to take place at the wharf to the east. Head on over and enter the building when prompted to be greeted by a bunch of Gozutennou cultists led by a man in red armor beginning a summoning ritual.
Anat: I must say there's a decidedly familiar power about this place...
The Red Knight decides to take matters into his own hands while his disciples complete the ritual!
=MINI-BOSS: THE RED KNIGHT=
Level 75. Repel Elec, Null Light, Null Dark
The Red Knight doesn't really like direct combat, instead attempting to dispatch the party through rather unorthodox means. The biggest thing you have to worry about here is getting Sick, as this will weaken your demons one by one should any come down with it. The Glass Magatama accessory, gotten so long ago from the quest where you fought the Baker, alias Dantalian.
Flynn: Mmm. Though he eventually became my enemy, he was not a bad man. I wear this in his name.
Other than that, the Knight will generally spam Mudoon or attack with Phys. At this point in the game, though, many demons resist Dark so this shouldn't hurt too much. He also has Zandyne. Attack him with anything but Elec.
Once defeated, he scampers off to lick his wounds, but the ritual is already complete. Flynn is now in the presence of the Gozutennou - or, more accurately, the Overlord Baal!
=MINI-BOSS: BAAL=
Level 78. Drain Elec, Null Light, Null Dark.
Anat: I knew it! Ever since he was shown up by THAT god all those years ago, my brother Baal has been so impetuous...
Peri: Th-that's your brother? He-he-he's sc-c... WAAAAAAAAAH!
You don't really have a lot to work with here, unfortunately. Baal has -dyne spell of three elements, no weaknesses, and drains Electricity, so definitely sky away from that. It's best to debuff him and buff yourself during this battle, and to do just that I brought in the best debuffer available at this point in the game!
Rangda: GYAAAASH! The powers of the Overlord Baal.... If I could just harness that for my brews, I would be unstoppable! I'll just chop off a few of his fingers once this battle is done, yes...
Kresnik: Foul witch! Keep your eyes on the battle!
Rangda is amazing. She repels Phys and Gun, has Debilitate, and I gave mine Luster Candy too. Baal is not entirely difficult if you're dilligent with healing and debuffing.
Flynn: I have no idea what he was doing to those people, and I am not sure I wish to find out. Is this the end of him, I wonder? His summoner escaped...
Anat: My brother can be quite the pest when he wants to be...
Kinmamon: SCANNING... DISTRESSED HUMAN DETECTED. LOCATION: IKEBUKURO TEMPLE.
Fly to Ikebukuro; the Temple is to the south of the city. It is here the quest "Tokyo Cosmos" can be started. It seems the four Devas have taken notice of Flynn and issued a challenge to him: he must travel throughout the city and defeat each one. Each is located at one of the cardinal directions, and as such it's very helpful to be able to fly before doing this quest. From Ikebukuro, fly to Tennozu and look for the red demon on the map. Engage it in combat.
=MINI-BOSS: ZOUCHOUTEN
Level 70. Null Fire, Weak Ice, Null Light, Resist Dark
This Zouchouten is stronger than the playable version, but has the same weaknesses and resistances. He mostly uses Phys so go in with debuffs, Phys resistance, and Ice.
The next-closest Deva is in Toyosu, where you may or may not have been. This is to the east of here, and appears to have been completely destroyed.
Flynn: The entire district has become a poison swamp... I doubt anything much lives here...
The Deva should be pretty obvious, but there's still some exploring we can do here. There is a small temple nearby here that holds a Mushussu; you may have picked up the quest "Recreating the Human Race" from demon talk by now, and if you have, you can drop off the required Kingu Blood and Gogmagog Meat here at your leisure. This is not required to become Champion.
Mushussu: MAKE NEW HUMANSSSS... APPEALING PORPOSSSSSITION... YOU GUYSSSS KINDA SUCK...
Flynn: Thanks a lot...
You'll also find a Shelter here. It's totally deserted, apart from some very good Relic spawns... and a Terminal.
=MINI-BOSS: FROST HORDE=
Level 65. Repel Ice, Null Light, Null Dark
First thing is, obviously, to not bring anything weak to Ice. This Horde packs Glacial Blast and is absolutely not afraid to use it. It also has no weaknesses, so your best bets are things like Ma- -dyne spells (apart from Mabufudyne), Heaven's Bow, and Hades Blast. Be warned, it seems to have a ton of HP.
Flynn: I know no why considering we have been nothing but foes, but I am glad to know that Terminal... fellow still lives.
There is also a domain around here, lorded over by a Ym. This is just another "spam its weakness (Elec in this case) and it dies" fight so I'm not even going to give it a miniboss header. The reward is Frozen Tuna, to be used in the "Wish of a Professional" quest which is also not required to become Champion (given that Atlus likes inserting social commentary into its games, I have to wonder if this quest stating that tuna is now the stuff of legends might be a Take That! at Japan's rather spotty marine environmental record). Finally, there's a neighborhood located around here, Minami Suchimi, that you can explore.
Flynn: GHAKK! This air is choked with poison... And the demons around here seem much weaker than the ones outside... in fact, I recognize these demons from Naraku and Kiccigiorgi!
Indeed. If you speak to the demons around here you'll find that the Angels have ordered the extermination of all demons in Mikado and Naraku, so they've all relocated down here. You'll also meet a lone Hunter here who seems to be chasing reports of something called a "Fiend"...
Minotaur: Son of Aquila... you wish to restore Tokyo to humans, correct? If so, I see no reason why we could not stay here. This town is already uninhabitable to your kind.
Flynn: You know, I had never thought about that...
Sraosha: Hail, Champion!
Flynn: Eh? Unfortunately, I am not the Champion yet.
Sraosha: Neverthless, I am Sraosha, an envoy of Sir Mastema. He has sent me to accompany you in your quest to overthrow the Four Archangels.
Flynn: Huh? Mastema is himself an Archangel... why would he want the Four overthrown?
Anyway, time to fight the Deva. Sraosha has the awesome Amrita, which cures all status ailments, by the way.
=MINI-BOSS: JIKOKUTEN=
Level 70. Weak Elec, Null Force, Null Light, Null Dark
Same as the other guy, just attack him with Elec this time.
(TITANIA enters, dragging an unconscious OBERON with several comedic bumps on his head)
Titania: I have returned. You require electricity, yes?
Next, fly to Shinjuku to fight Koumokuten.
=MINI-BOSS: KOUMOKUTEN=
Level 70. Null Elec, Null Light, Resist Dark.
No, I have no idea why they got rid of his wind weakness from SJ; this makes him the only Deva without one. As such, he's best fought with Phys and Gun, which do more damage than magic on most demons specialized in them. Now it's time to take in the final Deva, Bishamonten, who's at the northernmost part of the map. To get there, though, you have to find an annoyingly difficult-to-see hole in the wall near Ikebukuro. Your best chance is to just hug the wall and feel around for it.
=MINI-BOSS: BISHAMONTEN=
Level 70. Weak Fire, Null Ice, Null Light, Resist Dark
Again, lather, rinse, repeat, but this time with Agidyne. But did you think that was the end? Oh no...
=MINI-BOSS: THE FOUR DEVAS=
Level 73. Same weaknesses/resistances as before
Oh yes. Bishamonten calls in the other four as reinforcements, and they're all slightly stronger now. This is a hard battle, mostly due to the fact that if you want to maximize weakness-hitting you're pretty much forced to concentrate on one at a time. I'd advise taking out Bishamonten (or whichever one you fought last) first, as you're likely to be going into this battle with a party tailored to fight him, allowing maximum press turnage. After that, you can focus on whoever you want, or alternatively, just spam Hades Blast and/or Heaven's Bow. The reward for completing this quest is the ID Card level 3, which allows access to the most secure CDF bunker in Kasumigaseki, and, well, let's say this particular bunker has a very powerful resident...
Flynn: According to my Gauntlet, that is all the quests I've taken on completed. Kinmamon, what's my standing?
Kinmamon: SCANNING... MASTER FLYNN: SECOND PLACE. MASTER SKINS: FIRST PLACE
Flynn: What? Certainly, Skins is an able combatant, but he seemed to believe only I could do this... Who did I miss?
Kinmamon: SCANNING... LONE DISTRESSED CITIZEN DETECTED AT KASUMIGASEKI STATION.
Yeah, this last quest is a super-easy quest that I just forgot about. It's the final photography quest, and comes from a Hunter in Tokyo Station who wants to see the inside of Ginza, particularly the "Luis Witon" clothing store. It's on the east side. Go in, snap it, go out, and head back to a Hunter's Association.
Centaur: Look up there, my disciple! Your name tops the charts! All due to my training, of course...
Loki: And you've been gone from the active party how long, exactly?
Flynn: They're applauding me... Never in my wildest dreams did I think I, a Cas- no, no, enough self-deprecation. Time to be a hero.
Step outside to be greeted by... a mob of screaming fans! Word has evidently spread very fast that there is now a Champion, and the people have begun to feel hope for the first time in twenty-five years. Also, a number of the female fands sound disappointed that Flynn already has a girl with him...
Flynn: You- you misunderstand, Isabeau isn't my-
Lailah: I should certainly hope not...
Light begins pooling in the Chalice, given to Flynn by Masakado. Shibuya's hopes are now restored, but now Flynn needs to travel to the other districts. Before he does, though, he'd gotten another quest from the Shibuya bar...
Flynn: Blast! The Red Knight appears to be active again. I must take a break from this to head back to Tennozu. This quest is labeled as extremely difficult... some heavier hitters would be helpful...
Odin: 'Well, then it is lucky you have ME in your debt! ODIN, ALL-FATHER OF ASGARD!
Valkyrie: Father Odin! Are you sure you have recovered?
Odin: Indeed, my daughter, my mind is once again SHARP AS A TACK! I also found this odd fellow...
Oumitsunu: GREETINGS...
Odin Repels Gun and Elec and resists Dark, and, by using Yggdrasil as a fusion material, I gave Oumitsunu Drain Gun as well. Why all the Gun protection? You'll see...
Head back to the ritual site to meet with the Red Knight again, alone this time. He drops quite the bomb on Flynn: he is none other than the missing King Ahazuya of Mikado!
Flynn: WHAAAAAAAAAAT!?
Victor: Young one, this changes everything; you must stay loyal to your King. You m-
(MINOTAUR brings his fist down on VICTOR's head)
King Ahazuya explains that after being cast out by God, he prayed to Baal for help, and Baal answered. As King, he has one final order for Flynn: to become a sacrifice to Baal!
=MINI-BOSS: KING AHAZUYA OF MIKADO=
Level 79.
I can't find any information on his weaknesses and resistances, sorry. Anyway, King Ahazuya this time seems to fight almost exclusively with Mudoon. I don't know if he still drains Elec in this battle since I've never used it on him; shy away from it just in case. Berserker God and other "heavy" spells are most effective against him. When you beat him, his body unexpectedly falls apart!
Oumitsunu: I...
It turns out the King was dead all along, and was just a head possessed by Baal in an empty suit of armor. The voice of Baal speaks, and says that h'es going to pull out all the stops to destroy Flynn by revealing his true form!
Anat: Oh dear, I was afraid this would happen...
=ULTIMATE BOSS: BEELZEBUB=
Level 90. Drain Gun, Null Light, Null Dark
Yeah, you can probably tell this is going to hurt. Beelzebub is one of the most difficult bosses in the game and its first true Bonus Boss, so to begin I thought I'd go over the commonalities this game's optional bosses share. I touched on this briefly at the Take-Mikazuchi fight, but each bonus boss in the game has their own element of attack they prefer to use, and if they are prevented from using it, they will commence Almighty-spam, which is usually Megidolaon or better. As such, if you put up the corresponding 'karn to the boss's preferred element, or go in with a full party that nulls, drains, or repels it, it's basically lights out. Beelzebub's preferred elements are Elec and Gun, meaning you're out of luck if you want to 'karn.
Flynn: This- this is the largest demon I've ever seen!
Now, on to the particulars of Beelzebub. For this fight you'll want Gun, Elec, Sick, and Dark protection, as he uses Heaven's Bow, Maziodyne, Pandemic Bomb, and Mamudoon. The last of these can be countered by using a Tetraja Stone at the beginning of the fight, and he'll simply not use it. Equip the Glass Magatama to guard against Sick, and be sure to cure demons that come with it. To protect against Heaven's Bow, which is the most important, I brought Oumitsunu, Odin, and Alice.
Flynn: In-incredible! His own attack hit him!?
Alice: What? I'm sorry, I wasn't really paying attention...
Jueyuan:' Well, as they say, all the girls love Alice...
Always, always, always keep buffs and debuffs at max. Some bosses use Dekaja/Dekunda if you go above two buffs and debuffs, and thankfully Beelzebub does not do that. The reason you want to do this is that once he gets low on health he'll switch to Almighty-spam anyway, and this is the only way to save yourself from the Megidolaon onslaught. This is primarily a defensive rather than offensive boss, as you can probably tell. Winning nets you the right to fuse Baal and Beelzebub, and the Sword of Aquila, one of the best swords in the game.
Flynn: Rest in peace, King Ahazuya...
Oumitsunu: AM...
Cerberus: ME FOUND HIM! ME FOUND HIM!
Flynn: What?'
Cerberus: ME FIND CHAMPION! HELLO, ME CERBERUS, AND ME WANT YOU TO BE ME DOG!
Inugami: YOU OUT OF LUCK! HIM ME DOG!
Shiisa: ARE NOT! HIM ME DOG, BECAUSE I LOVE HIM MOST!'
Fenrir: STAND ASIDE! AS STRONGEST DOG IN TOKYO, ME SAY HIM NOT DOG, HIM BONE!
Orthrus: ME AN THOUGHT THAT GUY WAS BONE!
Gogmagog: Am was never beings bone! Off shove you!
Flynn: All right, let's go inspire some hope!
What you have to do here is take the Chalice to each of Tokyo's districts, apart from Ginza, where you will at each place meet a mob of fans. The easiest way there is simply through the Terminal to each district, and they'll mob you as soon as you get off.
Flynn: Umm, as a Casualry, I'm not really used to this kind of attention...
Each time, the Chalice fills to a greater degree with light, which after visiting all four districts, pools into a glowing orb, the Great Spirit of Hope! Do note also the... strange, apparently foreign woman in Ikebukuro who wants to give you a massage...
Flynn: Ermm, yes. Come, we go to Masakado!
Incubus: What, I wanted that massage!
Head back to the Ginza crosswalk and offer the Great Spirit of Hope to Masakado. He gladly accepts it, and is now powerful enough to escape from his rocky prison, but unfortunately, not powerful enough to raise the ceiling.
Sui-ki: Vas? Now vat?
It seems the two Great Spirits that normally boost Hope are now acting against it, having taken on the forms of "The Chariot" and "the Demon Lord." These are the Great Spirit of Goodwill and the Great Spirit of Spite. Until Masakado has them, he cannot restore Tokyo. He invites himself onto Flynn's team as Burroughs registers the game's final quest, "Returning to Normal."
Flynn: Yes, I think I know what we must do. And I think I know who will be against us... nevertheless, we mst complete this mission!
To be continued...
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