Izanami: From the bowls of Yomi does the Goddess of Life and Death return, and she discovers, to her horror, that the country she once loves is in little better condition than the dank underworld from which she came. There appears to be... SOMETHING attempting to corrupt the Underworld Gods; could it be the source of this catastrophe? Now this young Samurai, Flynn, is hunting for seven embodiments of Death that have appeared in the human world... Will the answers be found, or is this simply a long and arduous excursion that means nothing? Only time will tell...
Izanami's pretty good, as she has Shivering Taboo, which inflicts every status ailment in the game on the enemy. It's the exact same move as Ancient Curse, so I don't know why its name is different when your guys have it.
Minotaur: Are you certain you wish to pursue the Clan of Death, Son of Aquila? Their power is the stuff of legend. They, and they alone, decide when this world dies.
Flynn: Well, since it's obviously not that time now, I doubt they'd be averse to helping me save it. We need all the allies we can get here!
Minotaur: ...
(FLYNN turns and sees a strange sight: HRESVELGR perched in the branches of YGGDRASIL, with NIDHOGGR entwined at YGGDRASIL's base and VIDOFNIR perched on HRESVELGR's beak)
Nidhoggr: YEAH, AND YOU'RE MOM'S FAT, HRESVELGR!
Hresvelgr: You are a man mustachioed purple-hued malt worm, my man.
Nidhoggr: SO WHAT, YOUR MOM'S FAT!
Flynn: Am I... missing something here?
(Meanwhile...)
Enku: 's great ta see you among the livin' again, godmuddah... but I must confess... we've failed you. Balor retrieved "The Stuff," as you instructed, but we gave it to a damn Dybbuk who lost it. We dunno where it is now... punish me as you see fit.
Lilith: Enku... You are spared.
Enku: Wh-wh-why!?
Lilith: Because "The Stuff" is right there.
(A large bullet streaks into view, impacting squarely at ENKU's feet; he screams like a girl as a very small but very imposing shadow comes into view...)
???: TEEEEN-HEEEE HUUUT! I've never seen such a pack a' lily-livered maggots in all my days in the field! Ho. You think you can take on the Fiends-ho? Don't make me laugh OR cry!
Lilith: Ah, Sergeant; there you are. I had hoped to use you in my war against the Ashura-kai, but my... subordinates unfortunately misplaced you along the way. However, the war is much greater now, and I feel we could all use some help from... demonkind's greatest field commander, Sergeant Demonee-Ho!
Flynn: Demonee-Ho?
Demonee-Ho: Did the lady hee-stutter you little bitch? You're the leader of this outfit, think you're gonna take on the Demon Lord-ho? You couldn't beat a class of second-grade girls at dodgeball-ho!
Demonee-Ho is great; just like in SJ, he learns two moves that are exclusive to him: Breath, and even better version of Glacial Blast, and Desperate Hit, which hits up to five times for Almighty damage. Each individual hit is only "Weak" in power, but does it ever add up. Also, there's a few other demons I want to get here first...
Baal: Oh... how wonderful... I feel a change... YES I DOOOOOOOAAAAAERGHHHH!
Anat: Oh dear...
Beelzebub: Gran han han! YEEEEEES! Feel my limitless powerrrrrr! You are in the presence of the INVINCIBLE LORD OF THE FLIIIIIIIIIEZZZZ! YOUNG MAN WHO SLEW YOUR KING, CONSIDER YOURSELF UNBEATABLLLLLLLE!
Cerberus: HIM KINDA SMELL BAD.
Parvati: pant... pant... I want to give so many hugs... but I don't have enough arms... I want to hug you, I want... I want more arms! I'm a goddess; I can make more arms! HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA YES I CAAAAAN!
Kama: Well, this isn't good...
(PARVATI sprouts four extra arms out of her back, each brandishing a scimitar; her skin turns blood red, she grows fangs, and dons armor where her formal dress was)
Kali: Yeeeessss... In my true form I can give all the hugs I want! Lots and lots of loving hugs WITH MY SCIMITARS! EEE HEE HEE!
Ganesha: Hi Mother.
these two demons are quite good, as you might imagine, especially Beelzebub. As he Drains Gun, he's essential to where we're going next, which is...
David: The fountain at the West Park in Shinjuku. That is where my weakest senior wishes to meet you.
Flynn:' All right... seems like kind of an arbitrary place, but oh well...
At long last, it's time to behind the sidequest known and feared by all players of this game as... Fiend-hunting. How it works is relatively simple: go to a specific area of the map, and if the Fiend is there, he'll attack you. Beat him, and you can fuse him. However, like so many, many things in life, this is easier in theory than in practice. Why? Because the odds of a Fiend spawning are one in 256. This feature, a Mythology Gag to the first game, is what causes many players to deem this as the most tedious sidequest in the game (though I personally found making Famed much duller). Even worse, the Fiends are incredibly powerful level 80+ demons that seem to haver much better AI than most other bosses. I'll go more into how you fight them in a bit.
Mamedanuki: ''While it's refreshin' ta see home again, it feels like we've been campin' out here for ages. You think that David bastard might been lyin' to ya? And the air around here stinks; ain't good for these ol' lungs!
Flynn: Yeah, the air does seem much fouler than when I was last here. Almost as if... GREAT GOD, WHAT IS THAT THING!?
=BOSS: CHEMTRAIL=
Level 83. Null Light, Null Dark
Okay, a few things you have to take note of here: like many of the game's harder bosses, the Fiends have a preferred element, that if you bring a team entirely protected against, they'll bust out Megidolaon (or worse; more on that later). For Chemtrail, it's Gun. You're going to want some Gun protection, but not all your party; in fact it might be better to bring two that don't null Gun, as the Fiends can actually use tactics. If you have only one demon not protected against the Fiend's preferred element, they'll always target that demon. Once they go down it's basically lights out for you.
Chemtrail himself is, apart from Riot Gun, not really an offensive powerhouse but hardly needs to be. He has all the "breath" skills and as such spends most of his whopping six press turns debuffing you to zilch. At the level he brings you down to, any attack can be deadly. As such, the first thing you want to do on your turn is Dekunda. As he can debuff you at any time, debuffing him is far more important than buffing yourself; get him down to two debuffs, but don't go any lower, or he'll Dekunda himself. He also likes to open his rounds with Poison Breath, but I've found that if you give Flynn a poison-nulling accessory he simply won't use it.
Beelzebub: Same tactics you used ON ME, STOOGE OF GOD!? I'd have figured a Samurai more honorable than THAT!
Chemtrail has no weaknesses so this is liable to be your longest battle. Best solution? Go to town with things like Charged Hades Blasts.
Oh, and one more thing: IF the Fiend kills you, PAY CHARON, THEN SAVE. This is probably contrary to what you've been doing throughout the game, but it's absolutely essential here, as being sent back by Charon does not reset the spawn chances: in short, the Fiend will still be there. If you save then, you'll get unlimited shots at him.
Iktinike: Yee-haw; sorry about that, Flynn. He kinda kicked you around there, didn't he?
Flynn: I suppose so; what was that thing, Maestro?
David: Heh heh heh... the youngest member of our happy little family, CHEMTRAIL. He represents the great potential for death in the massive technological advances made by you humans! Your next appointment is at the Toyosu Shelter.
Flynn: The abandoned shelter. All right then.
Prepare for pain. Head to the shelter, and make sure you step exactly on the small grate in the center. Sooner or later...
=BOSS: MATADOR=
Level 84. Resist Phys, Resist Gun, Weak Elec, Null Light, Null Dark
Flynn: A sportsman? He's definitely scrawnier than the last one...
Matador is, in my opinion, the most difficult battle of the bunch, his status as an infamously-hard boss carrying over to this game. His preferred style is Phys, so you know the drill. This time, however, the Almighty move he uses is Anticthon, which is both stronger than Megidolaon and debuffs all stats; you may remember it as "Jihad" from SJ. His worst move, however, is the almost-certainly-designed-by-Satan Crushing Wave/Energy Drain combo. You may recall Crushing Wave from the Wu Kong fight; it reduces your HP to One, and combined with Energy Drain, well... bye-bye. I think nulling Dark may stop it, but don't quote me on that. Even worse, if you revive a demon killed in this manner, he seems to do it again first thing on his turn. I don't know if this is part of his AI or bad luck on my part. To the game's credit, though, the reason I found him so difficult may be because I had only one dedicated Elec user at the time, who was...
Barong: GREETINGS THERE, NOBLE SIR! EGAD, THIS FELLOW IS THIN! LET'S DO SOME GOOD FOR HIM, SHALL WE? IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO DO GOOD, HYECK HYECK.
Rangda: *seethe*
His main offensive move is Hades Blast. To stop that, I brought in...
Fafnir: *klkk, whrrr* This *whrr* sportman is child's play! Nothing can get past the *hssss* hide of the Mecha Dragon!''
Flynn: This may be a bad time, but could I borrow your heart? I know a guy who needs one.
Eventually, h'ell go down. He drops the Capote Earring, an item for the accessory slot that nulls Light and Dark and repels Gun. As such, it's one of the best accessories in the game.
Matador: Matador, the embodiment of all those who have died for the sick pleasure of others... he's yours now. Next, to the Ginza Shopping District!
Flynn: The Shopping District! But... there are people there! We need to stop this one, quick!
Gui Xian: A word, if I may...
Flynn: Hmm?
Baihu: It is not only the forces of evil that have taken an interest in you, Good Sir. Our master will be arriving shortly.
Flynn: Master?
Feng Hueng: Mm. We are the Azure Dragon of the North, Black Tortoise of the East, White Tiger of the West, and Vermillion Bird of the South. We were the protectors of a thriving country, that sadly was destroyed in the war twenty-five years ago.
Long: We had only one superior: the Golden Dragon of the Center, Huang Long. Make so mistake, his arrival is imminent...
Huang Long: INDEED IT IS... YOUTH WHO SLEW THE ARCHITECTS OF MY NATION'S DOOM... IT WOULD BE MY GREATEST HONOR TO SERVE UNDER YOU!
Thor: THEN IN THAT RESPECT, WE ARE ALIKE, DRAGON!
Flynn: Sir Thor! You survived!
Thor: AS IF A BUNCH OF PANSIES FROM THE EXPANSE COULD TAKE ME! MR. HUANG LONG, I TOO ONCE PROTECTED A COUNTRY ANNIHILATED BY THAT INFERNAL CHARIOT'S MACHINATIONS. BUT WE MUST ALWAYS REMEMBER ONE MASTERMIND OF THAT WAR STILL REMAINS!
Hell yeah. Huang Long and Thor are the top Dragon and Kishin respectively, and Huang Long in particular is great. He resists everything, and at higher levels, he learns Drain Phys and the epic Victory Cry, which automatically recharges his HP and MP after a battle. I also gave him Wind Breath, which will be useful in a moment. Therte's one more demon I added to my team before I went off, too...
Hachiman: Ah... a young Samurai... so much like myself at your age...
Flynn: Who are you?
Hachiman: I am Hachiman, your patron god. Did no one tell you your occupation had a patron god? My my, you have been missing out...
Head to the Ginza Market District when ready. The Fiend's spawn point is the ambush spot under the first awning across from the entrance. You know, the place where there's a chance a bunch of demons will jump out and mob you? If you can find that place, that's where you need to be to spawn the Fiend.
=BOSS: WHITE RIDER=
Level 86. Drain Elec, Weak Force, Null Light, Null Dark.
White Rider's preferred element is Thunder, which will actually prove his downfall. I find him one of the easier Fiends, and beat him on my first try. His first turn is usually a tactic that earned a certain infamy for a particular boss in SJ: that is, he'll buff up to max (and he has five Press Turns so he can do that in one round) and then use Phys on Flynn. As such, I invested in some Phys-repelling armor from the Secret Shop right next door. His other main attack is Thunder Reign, and this is where he'll end up shooting himself in the foot: Thunder Reign is a multi-strike attack, so if you bring along a repeller or drainer, he'll waste all his turns for that round there. All in all, not a very hard boss at all. Wind Breath or its upgraded version, Floral Gust, will maximize your press turns and Smirks.
David: White Rider... the incarnation of those put to the sword by their own leaders. Your next target is in the topmost security bunker in Ginza. I'm sure you'll LOVE this one.... heheheheheh...
To be continued...
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