Drake: I was wondering why you hadn't spoken yet. We kind of saved the world together; I took you to Mem Aleph, of course. So what reason could you possibly have for wanting me to take that thing, Seraph? I swear if you're working for that Mastema character...
Seraph: Mastema? Pshaw. I could reduce him to a skidmark on the pavement if I wished. No, a contract between a human and a demon - or an angel - is binding; I am loyal only to you. It's just that I've been thinking - I find you do that a lot when you have four heads - and I've realized that you only achieved success via going deeper into this land.
Drake: Success? I know you're omniscient and all that, but from my puny human perspective success that makes you lose your friends isn't really success. I just want to get home with as few casualties as possible.
Seraph: True, if you went home now you'd save your friends. For the day or so it would take our world to swallow your own.
Drake: Wha? No, that's a lie, the Joint Project was going t-
Seraph: But DID they? You've lived this before; tell me, did their method work?
Drake: ...
Seraph: And where did you find the method that DID work?
Drake: ...deeper into the Schwartzwelt.
Seraph: There we go. Now kindly take that Exotic Matter before we're all stuck here.
Drake: Damn it.
Taking that Exotic Matter results in a massive Diabolus ex Machina, so Drake was right to have misgivings. The ship is intercepted by the three strange men from the beginning of the game, who take over its radio and show the crew that the humans' attempted destruction of the Schwartzwelt has already commenced and failed (I was never entirely clear on the Joint Project's motive here; Jimenez seems to think they tricked the crew and were attempting to dispose of them along with the Schwartzwelt, but they wouldn't really have a motive for doing that other than just being evil and there seems to be no bad blood between them and the crew when they next show up, so color me perplexed); following this, they destroy the radio and offline Arthur, marooning the crew in the depths of the Schwartzwelt, in Sector Fornax.
Knocker: SCARYYYYYY! Make it stop!
Horkos: NOT BUONO! NOT BUONO AT ALL!
Kama: Hm. Almost thought he wouldn't do it.
Seraph: ...
When Arthur comes back online, he realizes that the crew needs to collect as much Exotic Matter as possible to escape now, and he detects one in this sector. So, it's time to go get it! In addition to her Exotic Matter Ouroboros dropped a Klein Bottle (a nice Genius Bonus for the personification of infinity to have on her), which can be taken to the lab to be made into the single most useful sub-app (bar the ones that unlock the secret demon races) in the game, Green Grass. This doubles the chance that an enemy demon will ask to join you, and makes it so they never refuse. This includes Dark demons. As far as recruiting is concerned, you're now pretty much invincible.
Drake: I always though this thing was kind of morally-sketchy, to be honest...
Zaccoum: Don't worry, m'boy! You recruited me that way and we bonded just like any of your other demons!
Drake: Yeah, but how do you know it's sincere?
Zaccoum: ...
Zaccoum is one of the demons around here; she's not all that powerful but she has the useful Acid Breath skill, which majorly drains the foe's defense. Other denizens include Balor, who you've already met, and the Sisters of Fate, all of whom are useful in different ways. Atropos, given that she governs death, has both Mudoon and Hamaon, scarily-accurate instant-death spells. Lachesis can Mute opponents, rendering them unable to use spells (very useful for some demons on the bottom levels here) and her source contains the incredibly-useful Luster Candy, which buffs all stats for the entire party! Finally, Clotho has Diarahan, the long-awaited full heal spell. Hel is also around here, a -dyne level ice-user, as is Glass Cannon fire-user Kaiwan who makes a very useful demon I'll get to later on. And thanks to fusion, Victor, Pachacamac, and Arachne join the party!
Arachne: Me-ow; I forgot how cute you were up close, Drake!
Drake: Am I somehow alluring to insects or something?
Victor: ...you will do great things, Drake. It has been foreseen.
Pachacamac: ...
I gave Pachacamac Kukunochi's Mediarama, and Victor comes with that straight out of the shop, so lots of healing potential here. You won't get far in this level, though, before something bursts in on you...
Morax: OH YEAH!
Virtue: ...wha?
Morax: How undignified. I came over with a bizarre urge to say that just now...
Yep, it's Morax, reborn in this world, as it's at the bottom of the Schwartzwelt, as the much more powerful Moloch. Naturally, he fights you. He's not actually all that much different from last time: still weak to ice, still uses Fear. He's really just another "hit it until it dies" boss. He's got a metric ton of HP, though, so it'll take a while. When beaten, he retorts that "Mother Tiamat" will rebirth him again and again until he is destroyed.
Drake: Ooh, I forgot about that; you guys went crying to your mom when I beat you?
Morax: Ha. Ha.
Past this, you'll run into the mysterious girl, Louisa Ferre, again, who spouts some more vague stuff before disappearing.
Drake: This girl's not really all that much different from those three strange men. I never did learn exactly who any of them were, come to think of it...
Also, three familiar voices call for revenge against Drake, claiming to have been reborn from Tiamat themselves. Arthur detects three powerful demons beyond the three doors ahead and requests they be eliminated before they sabotage the mission.
Yep, it's Boss Rush time.
Take the left door first. Past here you'll meet another mysterious girl named Alice, who requests that you catch a rabbit for her, the Hare of Inaba. To do so, fall down the next hole you come to, search for the hidden door in the next passage way, fall down another hole, then fall down the hole beyond that. Alice wants to skin the poor rabbit; save him! Alice isn't as hard as Ouroboros, but she's a pretty tough customer for a little girl. Never let her put the protagonist to sleep, because she'll use Eternal Rest, which instantly kills any sleeping enemies. She also has no weaknesses, so the best strategy is just to buff and use your strongest attacks. Upon her defeat she grants the Hexagram forma and the right to fuse her, and Hare of Inaba will give you a Bead Chain. The Hexagram can be turned into the final Forma Search App, which allows for the finding of "gold" forma including Nectar Cores, which are used to make full-healing items. Alice herself is a very useful demon; she has no weaknesses, reflects Gun (this'll be essential in a bit), voids Phys, and has the most accurate instant-death spell in the game. Some people even take her to the Final Boss and Bonus Boss. So, I'll ring her up right now.
Alice: We gonna squash some heads? Fun.
Hare of Inaba: D-drake? I really don't like sharing a DEMONICA with her...
At the end of this maze you'll find a Sun Mirror. Grab that, and you'll be attacked by Mitra, who's been reborn from his Roman form to his Persian one, Mithras. Naturally, he decides to fight you. He's actually easier than his weaker form because he has a weaker ice spell (Ice Breath as opposed to Mabufudyne), though he still has that infernal Light of Order. Fight him as you did his previous form. When you win, you'll get a call from Arthur that Jack's squad is behaving suspiciously; he requests leaving a spy to watch them.
Drake: NO! This is where the beginning of the end happened. Jack's squad... they ruined everything, didn't they? Only one thing to do here. I'm volunteering this time.
Unfortunately, no matter what Drake says, the assignment is given to Jimenez and Drake is put back on the three demons assignment. To complete this one, head through the right door next. There's a dark area here; past it, you'll find the forma Moon Mirror, plus Horkos! He transforms from his Greek form to his Etruscan form, Orcus, and, of course, starts a fight.
Horkos: BUONO! now there's a handsome devil!
Orcus is basically identical to Horkos; I'm not even sure if he has any new moves. Just pile on the fire and you'll be fine.
When you win, though, Drake receives dreadful news: Jimenez has been captured by Jack's squad! I'ts time for a rescue mission, ladies and germs!
Will Drake save Jimenez? Why does fate seem to be railroading him into making the same choices as before? And what could possibly be 'handsome' about a giant gate with a mouth, anyway?
