Metatron: BE NOT AFRAID, READERS! IT IS I, METATRON, MOST SECRETIVE OF GOD'S MESSENGERS, HERE TO BLESS THEE WITH MY HOLY COUNTENANCE. THE GREAT SAGE MIDO WAS WHOM I HAD INTENDED TO MEET, AND THOUGH HE HAS BEEN REDUCED TO A REGRETTABLE STATE, HIS MIND IS AS SHARP AS EVER. I CERTAINLY HOPE MY WISDOM SERVED TO BOLSTER HIS OWN. NOW IT SEEMS I AM CONTRACTED TO YOUNG FLYNN, HE WHO SMOTE BOTH LUCIFER AND MY FORMER MASTERS, THE FOUR SERAPHS. VERY INTERESTING. I WONDER IF ANYTHING REMAINS THAT MAY CHALLENGE HIM...
Heading to Cafe Florida ends the game, but there's still a few things you can do. most importantly, with Lucifer Palace now cleaned out, you have access to the Yamato Reactor once more. And yes, that means you can revisit the alternate Tokyos. There are actually a few quests that you can do here only on a return trip, but most are simple for this point in the game; they were probably intended to be done almost immediately after the lock on a Chaos play through, on which you can return to them at any time. You have to wait until the final boss is beaten to return on Neutral.
Flynn: I'll go to the destroyed Tokyo first. I have to wonder if they've managed to rebuild. CAN you rebuild from something like that, I wonder?
There's really only one quest left in Blasted Tokyo (unless you neglected one on the first trip), and that's a Demon Talk quest only available after the lock. Leave the Ichigaya dungeon and chat up some demons; it should not take long at all. This quest is "Yomotsu-Okami's Rampage," and involves, apparently, the Japanese goddess of the dead, Izanami, going insane and holing up in Pluto castle.
Izanami: Insane? But how? I am right here!
Amaterasu: Perhaps, Mother, this is your counterpart in this world?
Kazfiel: Would explain it. This world IS insane...
Kampua'a: No thanks to the likes of you. Snert snert snert.
You have to take the long, boring slog through Pluto Castle once again so I'm not detailing it. At the end, in the boss room, you'll find Izanami, who is indeed very insane.
=MINI-BOSS: IZANAMI=
Level 85. Weak Fire, Null Ice, Null Light, Null Dark
Like Take-Mikazuchi, this is a decently-hard mini-boss available only on New Game+ but who I don't believe is difficult enough to call a superboss, as she's quite able to be handled at lower levels. Anyway, the one real trick she has up her sleeve is complete and utter Status Ailment Hell, even to a greater degree than Pluto was. Pluto at least can only cause one ailment at once; Izanami's packing Ancient Curse and knows how to use it. To keep your entire party from becoming dead weight it's recommended that you wait off on this quest until you have fused Mahamayuri and thus know Salvation. Apart from that she can spam the usual nasty Ice moves. Fight back with Agidyne and Trisagion. When you defeat her, she is fusible. Which, as you can see, I've already done at this point due to the carryover data.
When you win, though, Izanami tells you a very interesting story. Apparently something has been corrupting the death gods from different cultures, which she fell victim to and Pluto's poison brought her here. This is an angle that's never really explored in the game, though it might be a possible origin for Pluto.
Persephone: So the rumors were true. Then...
Izanami: It seems so sad... is there nothing we can do for this Tokyo?
Amaterasu: I mirror your concerns, mother, but our own needs us more. Our people will have quite the culture-shock when the firmament is released.
Kuebiko: Asshuming they have not forgotten ush entirely...
Anyway, head back to the Reactor. Now it's time to access Infernal Tokyo, and there's a whole lot more to do here. Before, you were restricted to Kasumigaseki and, after Mahamayuri's defeat, Shinjuku, but Shibuya and Ikebukuro are also on the map. Prior to a return-trip, however, Flynn would be barred from entering them due to being Akira's man and Akira's low status.
Dormarth: Och; 'ow rude!
First, though, there's the "Escape from Philanthropy" quest in Shinjuku; this is a demon-talk quest wherein Flynn is required to bring Kartikeya back to his mother, Parvati.
Kartikeya: Aw no. HELL no! It's not enough you bring me into a party with her, you wanna inflict that on thus universe's me, too!? You're messed up, kid!
Kangiten: Aww but it's for LOVE! What could be better than LOVE?
Kartikeya: How are we related?
To find Kartikeya, head to the Shinjuku East Entrance. You'll have a short battle with him here, after which he flees to the National Park and then back to the East Entrance. Here, you can settle things!
=MINI-BOSS: KARTIKEYA=
Level 67. Null Gun, Null Light, Null Dark
Easy, easy boss. Luster Candy and Heaven's Bow, his specialties, might give you some trouble, but they're nothing you can't Dekaja away. Bring along a Gun-drainer or repeller like Ongyo-ki to make him waste his press turns. Beating him unlocks him for Fusion. Again, I'd already done that.
There are four more quests here: two Demon Talk quests and two Hunter Association quests. We'll take on the latter first. We first have Infernal Shibuya's quest, "Stop a Summoning." Apparently, the demon Master Theriod is conducting an illegal summoning ritual at the 108 Building, and Flynn is hired to stop it.
Master Therion: My counterpart, eh? Most curious... I BET I GET MORE TAIL THAN HIM, BY THE WAY!
Go inside to interrupt the ritual. It seems that Therion wishes to summon a demon called the "Scarlet Woman" and reign beside her as her husband.
White Rider: The Scarlet Woman, eh? Oh, klahklahklah, is THIS ever interesting!
Flynn: You know this demon?
Red Rider: Like us, she is fated to appear at the end. The most powerful member of the Clan of Death, the greatest and most terrible ruler the world will ever see... the Fiend Mother Harlot!
Flynn: Yikes. This place is unstable as it is. She doesn't sound like someone we'd want around here...
=MINI-BOSS: MASTER THERION=
Level 68. Null Fire, Null Ice, Null Light, Null Dark
You know, this guy is so easy I can't even remember what he can do. Just go all out; debuffing shouldn't be necessary. Upon his defeat, he complains that Flynn's disruption of the ritual caused the Scarlet Woman to be summoned to another world, a tantalizing tidbit that unfortunately cannot be pursued, at least not in this playthrough.
Anyway, Ikebukuro's challenge quest is a tiresome slog called the Demon Battle Royale. It involves traveling around Tokyo fighting specific demons that I'm not sure are even tougher than the "wild" versions. So I won't go into detail; they don't even deserve a mini-boss header.
Metatron: THOU SLAIST THE FELL HORDES QUITE WELL, YOUNG FLYNN. 'TIS A REGRET YOU DID NOT CHOOSE MY SIDE.
Flynn: Dental wasn't good enough.
The first Demon Talk quest is Shibuya's, and that is "Punishing the Trickster," where Flynn is contracted by Heimdall to defeat his enemy, Loki, who has established a Domain in Shibuya.
Loki: Regrettably, this universe's Heimdall seems to be much like our own...
Heimdall: Ptaw. Had you not murdered Baldur, I wouldn't hate you so much; now who started it?
Herimdall I made a while back by the way. He's a good medium-high demon, the top Genma, specializing in Luster Candy. He helped out against Matador. Anyway, the Domain is up the ladder in the northeast corner of the Shibuya Underground.
=MINI-BOSS: LOKI=
Null Gun, Resist Ice, Resist Force, Null Light, Null Dark
For Loki, see Therion. He's a bit harder, but not by much.
Finally, we've got "Errand For the Apocalypse," Ikebukuro's Demon Talk quest. This is a contract from Belial to defeat the Four Riders of the Apocalypse, who have holed up in a Domain in the Ikebukuro underground.
Alice: There's lots and lots of Uncle Bellys!
=MINI-BOSS: THE FOUR RIDERS=
Level 70. Same weaknesses and resistances at the individual fights
With how hard the Riders are individually, you might expect them together would be almost impossible. Well, you're wrong. This is, in my opinion, easier than the comparable Deva battle. Strike at their weaknesses or just spam things like Anticthon; either way, they'll go down fast.
Red Rider: Geez... we're out of shape in this reality...
After this there's nothing more to do in the alternate Tokyos, but there's still one more quest on interest in the main Tokyo. You'll have likely gotten this long ago, but it's probably best not to do it until now. You'll see why soon.
This quest, "Prevent a Deal with an Overlord," concerns a former politician forced out of power after the Bad Thing 25 years ago attempting to regain that power by summoning the demon lord Astaroth at the Metropolitan Government Office where Kuebiko was fought, with the aid of the Ring of Gaea. Head there to find the ritual already in-progress. A Ring of Gaea member summons a flock of Anzu to delay Flynn; these should go down to two or three casts of Mazandyne. After this, Astaroth is summoned, but seems extremely weak.
Ishtar: Fufu... I must say he's handsome in a strange way...
Astaroth has no weaknesses and some pretty nasty Ice moves, but shouldn't last more than two rounds if you go in with debuffs and Almighty blazing. Wounded, he takes off with the Ring of Gaea member, leaving behind more Mesopotamian demons, this time in Horde form. Again, use Mazandyne and you shouldn't even take damage.
Flynn: Something's not right here... that demon seemed a bit too weak...
Head to the West Entrance of Shinjuku. Save and heal. No, seriously, save and heal.
=ULTIMATE BOSS: ASTAROTH='
Level 90. Repel Ice, Resist Light, Null Dark
Now THIS is more like it. They give this quest deceptively early and make the first couple enemies a snap to sucker you in, then WHAM! This guy shows up. So, what do you do with him? He specializes in Ice, and naturally, given that he's a Bonus Boss, you can't go in with a full party that nulls, drains, or repels Ice or he'll Megidolaon all y'all. Even worse, he's got no weaknesses at all so you're just forced to slug it out. His main skills are, naturally, Ice-based; it's the usual Glacial Blast and Mabufudyne you'd come to expect from late-game Ice-based bosses. However, if you think you're secure just guarding against Ice, think again - he's also got Hades Blast and likes pumping it up with Luster Candy. A Hades Blast buffed up to 3 with Luster Candy is more than enough for a wipe. Not that anyone who plays this game is dumb enough to let a boss Luster Candy to 3... right?
Anyway, what demons are good here? Naturally, you want Ice protection; since Phys protection is rarer, Ice protection is your best chance to make him waste his Press Turns, and here are three of the best demons in the game for Ice resistance:
Vasuki: Heth heth heth, thith Athtaroth ith a worthy opponent at latht! If only I could thee Shiva'th face now!
Black Rider: You know, Sir Vasuki, that lisp makes you... less than scary.
Vasuki is the top Drake (not to be confused with Sinclair Drake) and I'd argue probably the best Ice specialist in the game. Black Rider, well... he's a Fiend, 'nuff said. Granted, Astaroth also Repels Ice, so such an ice-user won't be doing damage so much as wasting his Press Turns, so it's probably not good to bring too many at once. And as good as Vasuki and Black Rider are, there was only one ice queen for me this battle...
Gabriel: Watch how you speak to me, blasphemer! I am the Power of God! Oh! You, summoner... you were Jonathan's friend... I cannot imagine why you would throw away Paradise for Filth, but nevertheless... you are Chosen, and this fell beast far from it! HYAAAAAH!
Aww yeah. The Archangels work a bit differently from demons you can obtain "normally:" they're all Special Fusions, for one, and come with all the annoying skills you faced in their boss battles. For Gabriel, that's Hailstorm of God, Lamentation, and Makaracoerce. Unfortunately, for some reason the pierce effect on Hailstorm of God does not work on Repel. No idea why. So basically, Gabby's here as a damage sponge.
Gabriel: Well, I never!
Debuffs are crucial here, and Anticthon is of course the best. Due to costing a huge amount of MP, getting this on Flynn is an excellent choice. As to what to fight him with, go all out with anything other than Ice. Charge and Concentrate if you have to. Desperate Hit is particularly useful here. Win to be awarded the right to fuse Astaroth.
When you win, the ritual participants scatter, apart from the woman from the Ring of Gaea. It turns out shed, not the government stuffed-shirt guy, was the mastermind, and had intended to use Astaroth for a purpose... which she will not tell you in this route. This quest and "Stop A Summoning" are both prequels to another quest, "Ishtar, Goddess of the Harvest"... which you can only do on the Chaos route. I find this very, very stupid. Why let all that foreshadowing go to waste? Is it because you're not "Chaotic" enough for the Gaea woman to entrust you with the mission? She seems friendly enough on Neutral. So if you want to do this quest, which explains where "the scarlet woman" went or why the Gaea woman wanted Astaroth, you have to play Chaos, unfortunately.
Melchom: Now can we please end this? I feel like I'm losing money just looking at that Black Rider character...
Flynn: Not quite... there's one last bit of business I need to take care of in Ginza.
(His very puzzled demons in tow, FLYNN, saying not a word along the way, takes the Terminal to Ginza; he ducks into a dilapidated bookstore and picks a book off the ground)
Flynn: Heh. Knew this was still here.
Minotaur: ...what is it?
Flynn: The last volume of Isabeau's manga. After all she's been through, she deserves this!
Gabriel: What a trivial gesture... Making someone happy, temporarily, just for the sake of it. What is that, compared with the paradise I and my brothers offered you?
Flynn: Lucifer said something that made me think. As long as humanity feels it needs him, he'll return. The same goes, I suspect, for all the powers in this silly war. Lucifer may be the Prince of Lies, but I strongly suspect that one was the truth. So I got to thinking, as long as we feel hopeless, as long as we need something higher than us to latch onto, he and his ilk will return. So, I figure that while we can't keep him at bay forever, we can take small steps to improve our world that can at least hold him off for a good long time.
David: Saving the world through the power of being nice to people? Sounds like an excellent idea for an opera! No, no, too happy. Maybe a video game.
Gabriel: ...
???: GABRIEEEEEEEEEEEL!
To be continued...
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