7/8 MOON
Nanashi awakens the next day surrounded by his friends. All debts between them seem to be settled, with even Gaston and Hallelujah getting along. What's more, ever since he's Awakened, Gaston can see Navarre, and there's a touching... well, touching for these two, brotherly reunion.
Asahi informs us that later in the day, there will be a huge party celebrating the defeat of Merkabah and Lucifer. In the meantime, we have complete freedom of Tokyo. We can even head up to Mikado, Purgatorium having been destroyed with its creator, and shop and activate the Terminal there.
Nanashi: Tokyoites, Mikadoites... we're really not that different, are we? I wonder about those weird dreams sometimes...
Before we hit the party, there are some quests that need doing. The first one is "Help the People of Ikebukuro," and is petitioned by the same "Hunter who turned out to be a little kid last time we went there. This is the second, and last, in the Ken series of quests.
Barbatos: Ey wot! I smell good bird pickins!
Nanashi: Where'd he come from?
Barbatos: Top o' the mornin' t'you. Barbatos, greatest 'unter of 'ell, at your service, guv.
Hekatoncheires: ''HeEyYY... I'm hErE Too I GUesS...
Titan: Ah, elder brother! I don't suppose you've decided to forgive and forget the whole Taratrus business after a couple millennia... eheh...
Hekatoncheires: TaRtArUS? Oh, tHAt plAce. The FoOd was tErrIBlE thErE. SaY, WhAt TItAn Are yOU agAin?
Titan: I have no idea.
Character notes: An Earl of Hell and another of the Goetians. He appears as a hunter surrounded by floating horns for some reason, and if you invoke him he will grant you blessings in your own hunting endeavors. Also said to be associated with the Deadly Sin of Greed. Gun specialist.
Personality notes: Stereotypical puffed-up British hunter.
Character notes: The eldest of the children born to the Greek primal gods Uranus and Gaea, the Hekatoncheires were hideous giants with fifty heads and one hundred arms. Uranus hated them for their ugliness and damned them to Tartarus, causing Gaea to rally her youngest brood, the Titans, agains their father. But the Titans wouldn't free their father either, and so the Olympians saved them in return for their help against the Titans. The top Jaki, he's a Phys specialist.
Personality notes: Puts his accents in the wrong place when speaking.
Proceed to the Ikebukuro turnstiles to find weird things going on. People are running around ranting about stealing things and hurting people. In the midst of all this is a birdlike demon, Shax, who seems to be the cause of this insanity. He produces a battered and broken Ken, evidently having tried and failed to stop him.
Nanashi: Yeek, that's the same guy that squashed those super-Ashura-kai guys I barely beat... how hard's this gonna be?
MINI-BOSS: FALLEN SHAX
Level 69. Weak Gun, Null Ice, Weak Elec, Repel Wind, Resist Dark
...turns out, not very. Shax has decent offenses but is very weak defensively, including two common weaknesses. Barbatos is very helpful for this battle, with his powerful Gun moves and resistance to Wind.
He does have a couple annoying skills, including Majakamaon and Will of Wind, the "Will of" piercing skill for, uhhh, Wind.
Barbatos: Bonzer! Bagged the bird, wot wot wot. We'll take it t' the party, aye?
The people come to their senses, and Ken resolves to bring the Ashura-kai in Ikebukuro up to snuff the deal with threats like this. Hallelujah beams. Yay? Sympathetic Ashura-kai is weird to me.
Next up we've got "Secure an Evac Point" in Tennozu, which we haven't actually been to yet. It's the place Beelzebub was in Vanilla, remember? We're asked to bump off a seemingly "invincible" demon that's appeared there...
Nanashi: Hurt there was a huge demon massacre there recently. Not a nice place from what I understand. Wait a minute, is that-
Belial: BEHAHAHAHA! I have returned! Glory to Chaos!
Alice: Uncle Bellyyyyyyyyyyy~!
Nebiros: Ah, hello Belial. I though you'd be joining us soon. The rooms in that phone are really cramped by the way.
Norn: Ohahohahoha... Taking on the invincible... This what I like to see...
Character notes: The ninth King of Hell, he is one of the highest-ranking of the 72 demons of the Goetia. He appears as a shining angel in a magnificent chariot, which... obviously isn't how he's shown here for whatever reason. He's said to be the second-oldest demon, after Lucifer himself, and is a schemer that tempts people into self-destruction. Sodom and Gomorrah was his idea, for instance. He's a Fire-user who comes with his very useful Flame of Lethargy signature move, which is not only equal to Agidyne in power but de-buffs both defenses and hit rate!
Personality notes: As per canon.
Character notes: The three goddesses of fate in Norse lore, Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld, who are depicted merged into one in Kaneko's art. The three were giantesses who governed the destiny of all things, mortal and divine alike. As with the Moirae, their counterparts in Greece, it was considered a fool's errand for even a god to attempt to get around their decisions. She's a support and healing specialist who comes with the Long-awaited Luster Candy, which buffs every stat!
Personality notes: Much like the Greek fates, rather playful and intrigued by where Nanashi's destiny is going.
Anyway, head to Tennozu. The place is covered with blood and a horrible stench fills the air.
Ghoul: Mmmmmmmmm... braaaaaaaaaaains...
Take a few steps to be greeted by the "invincible" demon. It's an Arahabaki, incredulous over not being worshipped anymore.
Resist Phys, Resist Gun, Weak to all four elements, Resist Light and Dark
Ahahahaha this is the invincible demon? Literally the only move he has is Makarakarn, and every turn he'll just use that and then give you a single cherry-tap. He seems to have a rather high critical rate with his basic attack, but he also has only 4000 health. Any Almighty specialist demon will roast him, and you can also cheese him with elemental bullets, which are for some reason still counted as Gun moves.
Arahabaki: 'Shhhhhhhhhaaaaaaahhhhh... All thingssssssssss... end.... No worshhhhhhhhhip... painful...
Nanashi: I don't get you guys sometimes. Huh, I've got another request near here. It's from... Maruo?
Yes, Maruo is the petitioner of the next quest, "Help Me, Hunter Boy!" in which he calls us to a domain near Toyosu to fight his benefactor Mara, who has taken over the minds of his followers.
Baihu: WELL, YOU KNOW MY OPINION ON THESE EVIL BUDDHIST GODS!
Feng Huang: Oh come on dude, I've had some really fun times with Buddhist gods. Why this one time I met Avalokitesvara in Tibet and we went for shaved ice. It was raining outside that day and I was wearing...
Long: Ah, there you are, brother Byakko.
Baihu: BROTHER LONG, HOW GOES THINGS? YOUR SUMMONER'S REALLY WEEDY!
Mahamayuri: Would you mind keeping it down? And dispensing with the Pantheon-shaming, kindly?
Zouchoten: Lord Kujaku Myo-o-san! What an honor it is!
Character notes: The White Tiger of the West of the Chinese Four Symbols, and incidentally the only one with the right name in SMT. He governs the spring and the element of metal. Elec and Phys-user.
Personality notes: Really loud, opinionated old guy.
Character notes: In Buddhism, Mahamyuri is a Wisdom King, a level of deity higher than Devas like the Heavenly Kings, but lower than Buddhas. Wisdom Kings are said to have put off their own enlightenment to protect mortals; how nice of them. Mahamayuri is the fairest-tempered of the Wisdom Kings and his particular forte is protecting people from illness and poison. He's a Wind-user and healer.
Personality notes: A foppish dandy, but a pleasant one, unlike, say, Narcissus.
Anyway, enter the bunker to find the Maruologists writhing on the floor in a combination of agony and ecstasy. Grand Member Mara stands, fully rigid and erect, amidst them, feeding on their twisted pleasure to empower himself! Obviously we're not going to stand up for that. Additional penis joke.
BOSS: TYRANT MARA
'Level 75. Drain Gun, Weak Ice, Drain Elec, Resist Light, Resist Dark
Finally, an actually difficult quest boss. Mara has a number of ways his magnificent self can ruin your day; for one, he has two unique skills - Hell Thrust, which is up to three random shots of heavy Phys damage and Rakunda on Smirk, and Dance of Mara, a hits-all Charm move with greater accuracy than Sexy Dance. As such Hallelujah is the ideal partner for this battle due to his ailment-blocking ability; full-party Charm is something you REALLY don't want...
Norn: Ohahohaho, how interesting. This demon reminds me quite a bit of the great Surt; a destroyer of another pantheon...
Hell Thrust is his only offensive move, but he has Charge and Critical Eye to go with it, as well as a move we haven't seen before, Tetrabreak. Though you could cheese him with Tetrakarn? Ahahaha, no. Finally, he has Dekunda to cancel your de-buffs, though thankfully not Dekaja. Even so, he managed to drop everyone but Norn, who dropped him with Bufudyne.
Norn: The power of the northern gods too chilly for you, you... thing?
Once Mara is defeated, the Maruologists come to their senses, including Maruo himself... who is actually stick-thin! Mara gave him his supernatural powers and prodigious girth. Most of his followers ditch him a he's not "cool" anymore, but one woman, who we had told he loved in his first quest, stays behind, and he heads off to rebuild his life.
Nanashi: That was... almost adorable? Anyway, have a request to go to that haunted pond, Shinobazu. Weird client too... 'The Patriots?'
Take-Mikazuchi: No... if THAT man has returned... the end has truly come.
Zombie Cop: The Minister... lies... don't forgive... him...
Head over to Ueno's pond to meet with a familiar face. It's Hiroshi, the oldest Hunter! He explains that he has been contracted to deal with hordes of ghosts that have appeared at the pond bio a try of elderly men in lab coats, who refer to themselves as "The Patriots." They explain that since these ghosts have appeared, something really, really bad is about to happen. Welcome to "Defeat the Ghosts," the single most whammy quest in the game! The eponymous ghosts are scattered around the area.
MINI-BOSS: HORDE YOMI ARMY x5
Level 70. Weak Fire, Weak Light, Null Dark
While these guys have Grand Tack, Blast Arrow, and ailment skills, they're on the whole total chumps. Spam Maragidyne and Mahamaon and they immediately fold. Only three are visible initially; the fourth appears after they're dealt with, and you're immediately thrust into battle with the fifth, who have just beat the tar out of Hiroshi, after that.
After defeating the fifth Horde... prepare for the reveal avalanche.
Kanseiteikun:' Lo, there is great evil power here...
Another corpse, this one a woman in a white gown, appears, carrying a brain preserved in a jar. Hiroshi appears to recognize her, addressing her as "Noa;" "she" calls herself Tamagami, whom Hiroshi identifies as Japan's former Defense Minister. Tamagami explains that he hoped to make Japan a superpower again, blaming America, Russia and China for the state Japan had come to before the war. He experimented on death row prisoners, infusing them with demonic power, to create the deadly National Defense Divinities, Japan's perfect soldiers. He tapped into a limitless source of divine energy, thereby creating the Yamato Perpetual Reactor as well!
Nanashi: This guy, or girl or whatever, created Yamato? Doesn't that mean-
It seems Tamagami has also bodyjacked Hiroshi's lost love, Noa, whom it's implied he framed for a serious crime to do so. Crying tears of utter madness, Tamagami/Noa proclaims that he will bring Japan to the top of the world again... even if he has to burn it to the ground and rebuild it from scratch to do it!
BOSS: GHOST TAMAGAMI
Level 71. Weak Fire and Light; Unsure of his other resistances
There we have it. The secret's out. Before us is the true architect of the end... and he's honestly kind of a wimp. His biggest asset is a move called Ancient Curse, which inflicts every ailment at once; it's worth, once again, bringing Hallelujah to cancel this out. He can combo this with Death's Door and Eternal Rest to wipe out Sick or sleeping foes, but apart from that his only offense is Hades Blast and Mudoon, which you should be well equipped to deal with at this point. He only has 9500 HP, which is low for this point in the game.
Following Tamagami's defeat, Noa's reanimated corpse falls silent. The three old scientists reappear; evidently they were colleagues of Tamagami's in his mad experiments, who now deeply regret doing so. As a show of penance, they destroy the brain. Hiroshi thanks us, taking Noa's corpse to bury her.
Nanashi: Am I missing something here, or... did I just smoke they guy responsible for all of... this?
Take-Mikazuchi:' Hmph.
Kanseiteikun: That one knows more....
Nanashi: Alright, spill it, you.
Take-Mikazuchi: Promise you won't think less of me... about a hundred years ago, this country fell under the sway of evil men. They inaugurated a great war, the greatest until the one that destroyed your world... of course, we gods chose sides in this war as well. Back then, the first group of Defense Divinities were summoned, including me. We may have been on the 'wrong' side, but you must understand - it was our duty to defend our people. 25 years ago, this man, Tamagami, replicated the ritual that summoned us... sacrificing dozens of innocents in the bowels of Camp Ichigaya. Something... cracked there. Time and space began to warp, merging our world... and yours. Tamagami had his war... and we had thought he was one of the first casualties. His movements until now were unknown even to we gods who had served him...
Kanseiteikun: Our people have not exactly seen eye to eye, but as a fellow guardian god, Mikazuchi, you must admit - people such as this chew up and spit out everything they touch!
Take-Mikazuchi: Mmm.
Nanashi: So it wasn't gods... it wasn't angels or demons... it was a single evil human that wrecked the world. What kind of mentality is that!? Save the country by destroying it!?
Kikuri-Hime: These people care about nothing but how they feel the world should be... everything else is expendable.
Nanashi: Wow... so much of my own country's history I never knew... I kinda need that party now, I think.
