If You See the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him - Let's Play Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse

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#34

Skipping to the start of the next day, the ominous faded moon reminds us that humanity has been given a new deadline after decades of gridlock between the powers of Heaven and Hell.

Right now, Tokyo is split between Lucifer, Merkabah, and the Divine Powers.

Each of them have established bases throughout the city.

Lucifer has control of Camp Ichigaya, Shinjuku, and Shibuya.

Merkabah controls the Sky Tower, Kinshicho, Ueno, and Ikebukuro.

Based on their territories, it may look like they have equal influence.

But Shesha’s presence has tilted the conflict in favor of the Divine Powers.

It’s impossible for any one side to engage them without leaving themselves open to Shesha.

Since we can’t track Shesha, we have to stay on the defensive.

I’m sorry to say we do not yet have an effective method of fighting Shesha.

The Hunters mutter amongst themselves

We’re like sitting ducks to that snake thing!

Damnit! How much more shit can go down in Tokyo?

I say we side with the Divine Powers and save our own asses.

And with Flynn gone, I can definitely see the appeal of their boasts.

But we have no reason to believe that they are actually on our side.

And I refuse to trust a group that would kidnap Flynn.

Krishna’s selling us the same crap the demons always have.

What we need to do now is band together and save Flynn. It’s our only chance.

Our first order of business is to make sure that each city is well-supplied.

Tokyo has never been more dangerous. Good luck.

“Good luck”, he says. I don’t know about you, but I say we side with someone.

What else can we do, without Flynn?

I don’t want to die…

What happens now? What should we do?

The humans are being played like chess pieces at the mercy of greater beings.

Wake up and smell the chaos, kid. This is true nature of gods and demons.

Human oppression is the only thing that interests them.

I mean, we already knew that, but sure.

Asahi, Nanashi. Come here a sec.

We get a handful of supplies to deliver to Shinjuku, and Asahi and Boss once again have the same squabble about calling him “Dad” at work. Meanwhile, Navarre is far less enthused with the whole situation:

You nod.

For once, a sensible idea from someone who isn’t me!

I don’t think so. You’ve got a lot of work ahead of you, kid…

And you’re going to learn firsthand just how pathetic gods, demons, and humans are.

Remember one thing, my Godslayer. You have no choice but to obey me.

_Hey, I didn’t say we wouldn’t fight it, just that it would be tough at this point. Jeeze, Dagda. _

For now, just fight against the Divine Powers with the other humans.

Earth to Nanashi! Let’s go!

As you can see, talking to the NPCs of Kinshicho doesn’t reveal a great outlook right now. We single-handedly managed to unleash a force that knocked the wind out of the sails of optimism, dashing the hopes of all those people who saw an end to this conflict in Flynn’s presence.

And then there’s this lady. Moving swiftly onward…

Do not venture out unnecessarily.

Heading up to Kinshi Park, we find that Fujiwara’s intel is indeed correct, and Merkabah has fully taken over the region around Kinshicho. The angels seem content for now to ignore the humans in the underground as long as they aren’t being a hindrance to their plans, but who knows how long that kettle will stay unboiled.

The bridge over to the Chiyoda region is also now open, allowing us to head towards our destination.

If we attempt to take the easy route to Shinjuku, through Sendagaya Tunnel, this asshole and his Dantalian buddy tell us off. This means we’ll have to take the long was around.

And, of course, the long way around has yet more poison swamp.

Eventually, though, we get there. Welcome to Shinjuku, home of lots more small poison ponds lining the streets, general largeness of area, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.

Gh-gh-ghost!

This rather strange event happens to us as soon as we enter Shinjuku. And it gets even stranger.

A man in a wheelchair appears.

Hello there.

Who are you?

Stephen/Steven is a major player across the Shin Megami Tensei series. He is a wheelchair-bound genius, with his name totally not being related to Stephen Hawking whatsoever, totally not you guys. In the first SMT, he was the inventor of both the Terminal system and the Demon Summoning Program. He would later appear in multiple entries across the series, including the precursor to the game we are LPing right now. According to this game’s director, Kazuyuki Yamai, all of these Stephens are in fact the same Stephen that first appeared in Shin Megami Tensei for the Super Famicom, having become an Ascended Master capable of transferring himself across time, space, and different universes. Saint Germain and Mido are stated to have similarly become members of this group of ascended beings.

The girl’s taken an interest in you. The fate of the future must be in your hands.

What in the world does he mean?

You’ll know soon enough.

What?!

Stephen smiles at you.

They will try to coerce, cajole, and deceive you into doing their bidding.

They may come to you as humans or as illusions.

Will you give into temptation? Or will you choose your own path?

Our own path? What are you talking about?

If you wish to walk the neutral path, I will lend you a hand.

Stephen grins, as if he knows what you are thinking.

The serpent has already devoured many humans, body and soul.

Good luck. I’m counting on you to make the right choice…

Stephen leaves.

…

Who the heck was that guy?

Immediately after Stephen disappears, we learn what he meant by “the serpent has already devoured many humans”: it’s already on the move.

Asahi checks her phone.

Shesha’s in Shinjuku! They’re calling all nearby Hunters to fight it.

It’s at the Metropolitan Government Office, just through the underground.

We gotta hurry!

Heading down into the underground, we find that it’s almost fully empty. No vendors, no civilians, just bloodstains, corpses, and demons (these are the same ones you find aboveground in Shinjuku, so don’t worry about missing any).

Like the man in the wheelchair said, everyone’s been eaten by Shesha.

Heh… This is only the beginning.

Let’s keep going. We need to put an end to Shesha as soon as possible.

The one exception to the emptiness is the Hunter bar, where you can drop off the supplies to get a quick 9,000 or so experience points and 6,000 macca before heading to face down the great serpent.

There are multiple exits to the Shinjuku undergrund, but the one we need is the upper left one, wherein there are some office buildings before the government plaza. You get a handy warning that “you sense the presence of a strong demon ahead”.

And as soon as you enter the area, you can see why. Shesha, big and bright, wrapped around the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. He may be sleeping at the moment, but that won’t last long.

It’s even bigger than I remember…

We take this thing down, no one will question our Hunter cred.

We have to do this, Nanashi!

Nrgh! I am opposed to this!

Once you get right at Shesha’s feet, there’s no turning back. He’s awake, he knows we’re here, and the boss fight is on.

Waaaaah! Hurry! Kill it, kill it now!

Shesha gets the first move every time, showing off its moves right off the bat. It has four turn icons per turn, but wastes the first two by glaring at you and then slowly shifting its bulk around. It then actually proceeds to make a regular Physical attack, like so (in this case, munching on Navarre).

It can also utilize Seismic Yawn, which basically lets it use its normal Physical attack on all foes at once. It was strong enough to nearly kill my Mou-Ryou and Pyro Jack, and thanks to being a critical hit it also gave Shesha a Smirk to finish off the latter of my party members in another bite.

Hit it back, and you both deal barely any damage and get this message from Asahi. The reason? Shesha is resistant to all damage types. Yes, even that one.

So, it was you who kept the serpent at bay. Good.

Are you here to…save us?

I can’t tell if all the angels addressing themselves in this same manner is intentional or just hilariously apt.

I have come to defeat the serpent in the name of Lord Merkabah.

A demon sneaks up behind you.

What now? Wait – you!

I am Adramelech, loyal servant and sworn knight of the Demon Lord Lucifer.

It would seem we’re all here for the same reason.

While it pains me to say it, we might stand a better chance if we…cooperate.

While Asahi’s rightfully enraged, we are in fact going to have to team up with these assholes tohave any chance of hurting Shesha.

Why do I need your forgiveness? We can settle things after this.

But for now, we really ought to focus on skinning that snake.

Asahi clenches her fists so angrily the whites of her knuckles show.

She turns back toward Shesha.

Fine. Shesha first. We can’t lose, Nanashi.

You basically continue the fight as normal, with a few slaps being thrown in by Adramelech and the Power.

And then, out of nowhere, Shesha instantly heals what little damage we did to it, slithers up into a spatial rift, and vanishes. Remember when I said it would be a while before we had an intentionally unfair boss fight again? Well, that’s because I honestly misremembered this fight as being a cutscene. It’s that brief and uninteresting.

How inconvenient…

Damn… It got away.

Shesha’s presence vanishes. You have successfully driven him off.

Uninteresting though it may be, we do at least get a good chunk of experience and macca from poking Shesha with a stick for a few turns.

Adramelech sighs and drops his guard.

Lord Lucifer only tasked me with defeating that slithering menace…

Fighting you, too, would be a waste. Besides, I’m not even peckish.

If that winged nitwit is finished here, I shall take flight myself.

Our mission was Shesha, and Shesha alone.

You may safely leave, so long as you stay out of our way.

Hold on! You said we could finish this!

What?!

Did you think you could take a demon at their word? So adorable… Haaahahahaa!

Adramelech dances off into the darkness.

Power also departs.

…!

Asahi grinds down on her teeth angrily.

You ought to return home and rest up before we make our next move.

In spite of our impotence against Shesha, Dagda congratulates us, at least. And rest we shall, given that we have no other option to advance the story.

#35

Wild Demon Encounters: Konganji Passage

A small area between the poison swamps and Ginza, literally a single corridor. Nonetheless, it has some wild demons we haven’t seen on top of all the stuff you’d see wild in Joto.

Nagas, the serpent-people of Hindu lore, are here and ready to smash some faces in with their high Strength. Fire, Force, and Dark are its weaknesses, while it resists Ice and Electricity. Starting moves are Head Crush and Bufula, with Tarukaja and Fatal Sword coming at levels 20 and 21.

Zombie Cop is our first encounter with the Undead race. He’s also the first demon we’ve encountered we straight-up can’t recruit…yet, at least. He’s weak to Fire and Light, nullifies Dark, and starts out with the skills Cough and Rapid Needle. He can also learn Panic Voice at level 18.

The Japanese warrior god Momunofu’s resistant to both Physical and Gun damage, but is weak to Force and is easily susceptible to all ailments except Dizzy. His innate skills are Charge and Oni Kagura. Upon leveling up to levels 26 and 27 respectively, he gains Heat Wave and Light Life Aid.

Tangata Manu on the right is the sole representative of the mythology of the Rapa Nui people of Easter Island in the mainstream MegaTen series, though Moai do appear in the chibi spinoff Devil Children/DemiKids. It’s weak to Gun, Electricity, and Dark and resistant to Force. It innately knows the skills Makakaja and Dream Needle, further gaining Mazan at level 23 and Force Pleroma at level 24.

Patrimpas, the pasty guy with the grass for hair, is a purported Prussian god of plants, water, and serpents, though everything about him’s sketchy due to pretty much the only reports of him came from conquering Teutonic Knights and their clergy. Weak to Dark and Fire but resistant to Ice and Force, he starts off with the skills Diarama and Wind Breath, further learning the skills Tetraja (nullify the next Dark or Light attack on all allies) at level 21 and Recarm (resurrect a dead ally with half their HP restored) at level 22.

Shikome, or Yomotsu Shikome, is one of the monstrous denizens of the land of Yomi. Her resistances are to Dark and Gun, with weakness to Fire and Light. She starts out with Stun Needles as her only skill, attaining Rapid Needle at level 24 and Tarunda at level 25.

The famous Latin American cryptid Chupacabra (properly El Chupacabras, but popular nomenclature has long taken over there) hops in as a level 21 member of the Food race. It is weak to both Gun and Electricity, starts out with Sukukaja and Life Drain, and learns Dormina at level 22 and Frenzied Chomp (weak Physical damage to one foe that can inflict one or more of Bind, Charm, and Poison) at level 23.

Wild Demon Encounters: Chiyoda and Shinjuku Regions (Overworld)

Another in the litany of “some asshole who became a demon” demons that make up a lot of the Foul race these days, Tattooed Man is a demonic yakuza and level 27 Foul. Weak to Gun and Dark, he’s one of several Physical-oriented demons in this area, starting out with Fatal Sword (Medium physical to one foe) and Taunt (all foes have their Defense decreased two steps but their Attack increased two steps). He gains Heat Wave at level 28 and Counter at levl 29 as well.

A creepy women-abducting monkey of Chinese folklore, Jueyuan on the right is a level 26 Wilder and has a resistance to Fire offset with a weakness to Force. It starts out with Poison Claw and Agilao, and learns the move Posumudi by leveling up once.

Knocker’s a good old British fairy whose name comes from its habit of knocking on mine walls to warn miners of cave-ins. It’s weak to Electricity and resistant to Force, with the innate skills Rakukaja and Zanma. It also learns Magaon at level 18 if you are still needing that skill in your pool of resources.

Camazotz, the legendary death bat that guards the Mayan underworld, is here in triplicate to stand against us. If you guessed from its status as a flying demon that it is weak to Gun, you’d be right once again; it’s also weak to Electricity and Light, with no resistances beyond not being susceptible to Sick. Camazotz starts off with Tetanus Cut and Life Drain, learning Frenzied Chomp at level 26 and Axel Claw at level 27.

Hee-holy moly, it’s the Jack Union! A force of numerous Jack Frosts, Jack the Rippers, and Pyro Jacks, this horde has no weaknesses whatsoever and can slam into you hard with a +3 affiliated Tetanus Cut, +3 Bufula, or mighty +6 Agilao with Fire Pleroma and Ice Pleroma as passives on top of those affiliations! Hit these terrible tricksters with the strongest multi-target attacks you’ve got to take them down before they take you down.

Frantically darting about its side of the screen constantly, Quicksilver is supposedly an archaic term for a female poltegeist according to the game’s own description, but I’ve never found any corroborating evidence that it is anything of the sort, so this may be a SMT original demon. This jittery phantasm is weak to Force and Light and resists Elecitricity and Gun. It only has two skills as a wild demon, starting out with Mazio and gaining Shock (the Electric equivalent of Wind Breath/Frost Breath/etc.) at level 26.

Lham Dearg, also called Ly Erg, is a rather violent Gaelic ghost (or fairy, depending on what source you ask) whose right hand is red with the blood of those he has slain. It is said that those who accept Lham Dearg’s challenge to face him in combat die fourteen days later, but fortunately we don’t have to worry about that in MegaTen games. He’s yet another heavily Physical-leaning demon in this area, having the starting skills Power Punch and Critical Wave, then learning Light Lif Aid at level 24. His resistance to Physical is offset by a weakness to both Ice and Gun.

Wild Demon Encounters: Shinjuku

This weird elephant-hairball is Nozuchi. Believe it or not, it’s supposed to be a snake yokai, described as being a fat, mallet-shaped, fur-covered serpent with no defining features beyond a gaping maw (its design from Soul Hackers hems closer to the lore, but that was forgotten in the mists of time like multiple other redesigns of classic demons that game gave us). It has wide array of resistances and weaknesses, being resistant to Physica, Ice, and Electric but weak to Fire, Force, and Dark. It starts out with Rakukaja and Mazio, then gains Resist Fire at level 24 and Critical Wave at level 25.

The level 24 Dead Horde is one of those enemies that can be quite dangerous if you leave them unchecked, being capable of utilizing Agilao, Critical Wave, and Mamudo. While they nullify Fire and Dark, they are weak to Ice, Force, and Light, so throw any of those at them and you should be okay.

Incubus (and his massive heart-patterned codpiece) graces us with his presence once again, though he’s small enough that the selection cursor kind of covers most of his sprite. He’s weak to Gun and Electricity and resistant to Force. Marin Karin and Dream Needle are Incubus’s starting skills, followed up by Zanma at level 24 and Force Pleroma (Force attacks are 25% stronger) at level 25.

One of the creepier members of the (admittedly tiny in number) Vermin race, Ubu is the Japanese spirit of an unburied infant that takes the form of a spider-like monstrosity. It’s resistant to Gun and weak to Force and Light, starts out with Toxic Sting and Tetanus Cut, and learns Stun Needle and Rapid Needle at levels 22 and 23 respectively.

Kwancha, the cyclopean skeleton in between two Ubus, is a Nepali disease demon. Its only damage modifier is a weakness to Force, and its moves are Poison Claw and Bind Voice (45% chance of inflicting Bind on all foes) innately, Pandemic Bomb at level 23, and Mahama at level 24.

Night Stalker was once a demon worshiper and practitioner of human sacrifice, and has now transformed into a demon himself. While his name brings to mind real world murderers such as the Phantom Killer of Texarkana, he is nothing less than the literal embodiment of the Satanic Ritual Abuse paranoia of the '80s and '90s. He’s weak to Light and has very few skills, innately learning Damascus Claw and Dormina and then learning Attack Knowhow upon one level up.

A type of wandering Japanese ghost that has failed to attain its ticket into the afterlife, Mou-Ryo’s the first demon in a while we’ve seen that actually nullifies a type of damage, in this case nulling Dark and being weak to Light. Its skills are Mudo and Spirit Drain from the Start, Pulinpa at level 25, and Resist Elec at level 26.

You probably know Baphomet, he of the supposed Templar and Freemason worship. Depending on who you ask, he was either a wholesale invention of those who wished to knock off the Templars or a demonization of the prophet Mohammed as an accusation that Templars were “going native” in the Middle East. Like Mou-Ryo, he nullifies Dark and is weak to Light. His innate skills are Mamudo and Spirit Drain; leveling him up one level gets you Dark Pleroma, while leveling him up two levels grants you Sabbatma. He’s also a choice demon for fusing various elemental skills onto, as his Magic stat is through the roof for this point in the game.

Another Goetic demon, Halphas is said to be a master of weaponry. Unfortunately, he’s got a lot working against him, with a weakness to Gun, Force, and Light that is only slightly offset by a resistance to Dark. His starter skills are Tarukaja and Heat Wave, followed by Rakukaja at level 25 and Fatal Sword at level 26.

Fusions

Take-Minakata and Apis are fused together to make Pyro Jack. This guy’s been known variably as Pyro Jack or Jack o’ Lantern across the series, with the latter being reinstated in Persona 5 and also being more correct as far as real world terminology goes. Those two level-up skills down bottom are Mana Gain at level 26 and Fire Pleroma at level 27.

Mythology-wise, Jack o’ Lantern is an Irish legend of a drunkard, deceiver, and general asshole named Jack. He managed to trick Satan out of getting his soul, but was too sinful to enter Heaven, and thus wanders the earth as a damned soul unable to enter either afterlife, waving a lantern burning with an ember of Hell. There are various minor variations on the tale across Europe and North America.

Ictinike and Naga make Kamapua’a. This porker’s normally weak to Force, but thankfully that Resist Force from Ictinike fixed that right up. Leveling him up further will get us Posumudi at level 24 and Tarunda at level 25.

A demigod from Hawaiian mythology, Kamapua’a is a pig man (or sometimes a triggerfish, since he is a shapeshifter like many Hawaiian demigods) whose great snout can carve valleys in the earth; his powers over weather (via his sister, a cloud spirit) also allow him to turn the volatile flames of the volcano goddess Pele into verdant new land for life to take root in. He’s also a huge horndog, having raunchy affairs with everyone from the wife of a Tahitian giant he slew to Pele herself.

From Naga and Shan Xiao, we get Bai Suzhen. She normally gets Makakaja at level 22, but inherited it from Naga. Her other still unlearned skill is Me Patra, gained at level 23.

Bai Suzhen, or Madame White Snake, is a Chinese snake spirit capable of taking human form. She either acts as a temptress or genuinely falls in love with a human man, depending on the telling of the tale.

Finally, fusing Toubyou and Momunofu, we get ourselves a Gucumatz. He has a whopping three skills he still hasn’t learned: Wind Breath at level 28, Ice Breath at level 29, and Media at level 30.

Gucumatz, or Ququmatz, is one of the Mesoamerican feathered serpent gods, being the Quiche Mayan equivalent to the Aztecs’ Quetzalcoatl and Yucatec Mayans’ Kukulkan. Like Quetzalcoatl, his name is a variant upon local terms for the resplendant quetzal, a vibrant green and red bird with trailing tail feathers in the male. Gucumatz ferried the sun across the sky, controlled the weather and water, and forged the first humans from maize.

#36

It’s a good thing these demons don’t give a damn about humans, because I’m fairly certain Asahi would have gotten the party killed ten times over with how frequently she insults them. I get she’s impatient, but most of these guys have been strong enough to probably (or definitely, in Adramelech’s case,) one shot Nanashi.

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#37

It’s very much worth mentioning that the “music” you hear when you fight Shesha is rather unnerving. Also the Tattooed Man’s tattoo is really good.

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#38

Shesha indeed has a wonderfully ominous theme. So do the Divine Powers themselves, for that matter.

Fair warning: since those are YouTube links, spoilers will probably pop up somewhere or another.

#39

The moon has started its journey towards full, hastening our deadline.

Come on… Get up, Nanashi.

Hey, you awake?

Another day, another sleep cut short by Asahi.

And another emergency meeting means another trip to the Kinshicho Hunter’s Association outlet immediately.

For the last time… I’m “Boss” at work.

I’m starting to sound like a broken record. Can you get it through her head, Nanashi?

Enough already, Dad. Geez…

You look at the monitor.

As you do, you catch Asahi’s dad shaking his head in exasperation.

Thank god for that interruption preventing this argument from happening yet again so soon.

This is a critical moment for us.

Tokyo is torn between Lucifer, Merkabah, and the Divine Powers.

Right now they’re all biding their time, waiting for a moment of weakness.

Someone’s going to blink, and when that happens, the results will be devastating.

Our top priority during all of this is to rescue Flynn as quickly as possible.

Therefore, we’ve agreed to hold a conference with the angels and demons.

Players of Shin Megami Tensei IV will recognize the other characters present at the conference call. Also, wow, Skins is tall.

Miss Isabeau! She looks like a pro even in a place like that. So cool…

Keep in mind, right now, we speak for all that’s left of humanity.

The Ashura-kai and the Ring of Gaea are currently out of commission and unable to participate.

So it’s up to the Hunters to take responsibility for whatever is agreed on here.

Temper, temper, demon king.

I believe introductions are in order, are they not?

I think Isabeau is in the best position to introduce you two.

However, when we arrived in Tokyo, we weren’t alone.

These men were formerly Samurai, just like Flynn. Their names were Walter and Jonathan.

One chose to side with demons, and the other, angels. They perished to become Lucifer and Merkabah.

“Become” is a bit of a strong weird here. More they were conduits for the two to fully materialize. Nothing is really left of Jonathan or Walter beyond their meatsuits being worn by the two alignment leaders.

Wait, those monsters used to fight alongside Flynn?

Is everyone from the Ceiling a lunatic?

It’s true. The humans you once knew are gone.

The first of the two to make themselves manifest in full is Merkabah, he of the confusingly ornate design and nipple pasties. Merkabah is a Hebrew word meaning “chariot”, and in this context is referring to the Merkabah of the Book of Ezekiel, the great chariot of the Lord. Its layout is angels all the way down: below God are Seraphim, which control the movements of four-faced Cherubim, which in turn control the movements of the wheeled angels known as Ophanim or Thrones. While all three of these angels do exist in SMTIV and Apocalypse, just like all the other of the nine ranks of angel, Merkabah in these games was formed by the four archangels Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, and Uriel fusing together while Jonathan acted as a central sacrifice.

I have no desire to play games. State your terms, demon.

This is one hell of a conference…

You can say that again.

And opposite of Merkabah is, of course, Lucifer, the big boss of Chaos. You probably know him already. He’s the Morning Star, the Great Deceiver, the general gadfly nipping at God’s heels in most modern interpretations of Christianity. The Book of Revelation refers to a war in Heaven, wherein “the great dragon […] called the Devil, and Satan” rebels against God and gets his ass handed to him by Michael and cast down to the earth, as well as a piece in the Book of Isaiah wherein “the morning star” (most likely the literal morning star, the planet Venus) falls from the heavens as a metaphor for the prophesied fall of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The idea of the fallen angel of Revelation, the Serpent of Eden, the ruler of Hell all, and the name Lucifer being one in the same more or less starts with John Milton’s Paradise Lost, however, and much of what we “know” about him comes from there on.

You have my sincerest gratitude for agreeing to this meeting.

My dear humans…and my nemesis, Merkabah.

As you wish, I shall get to the point: I request a ceasefire.

A ceasefire?

Is that even possible?

Even Lucifer’s getting desperate now.

So that we may direct our attention to the Divine Powers, no doubt.

Krishna’s gathering quite a force of gods and humans under his banner.

It is an unfavorable predicament for both of us.

Indeed. We cannot simply ignore the Divine Powers.

Very well. I accept your ceasefire.

I will dispatch my most elite Samurai to Tokyo.

Warriors of Light, each one chosen in the name of our Lord.

And I will lead the people of Tokyo against the Divine Powers.

For whatever reason, whenever someone says something “dramatic” or acts shocked during this conference, we get Dutch angles out the wazoo.

It’s only natural. It was my hand that led the evolution of humanity. It is at my feet they shall serve.

Like hell we will!

Our priority is to rescue Flynn. You can fight them yourselves.

Your service is not up for negotiation. Only a human can kill gods and demons.

What?!

Without humans, the war shall never end.

The unclean heretics of Tokyo can accept or kill any god they desire.

“Godslayer” is the name we bestow upon a man who can kill any being – god or demon.

So, turns out that any human can technically be a Godslayer, even if Nanashi alone is Godslayer in the sense of having that as his listed race. That’s from being Dagda’s Godslayer rather than being a Godslayer period, though.

It is for this purpose I granted humanity knowledge and wisdom.

Live according to your desires, and you shall gain the power to kill a god. Oh, how I adore humans.

Humans must serve with unwavering faith.

And now you plan on exploiting humanity to eradicate whatever gods are inconvenient to you?

The room is thick with silence.

After the awkward silence of realizing that you’ve been that transparent, Lucifer eventually clears the air.

The Divine Powers intend to use Flynn as their own Godslayer.

People of Tokyo, I command you to take back Flynn. He mustn’t be a tool of the Divine Powers.

If you cannot retrieve him, kill him. Death must come for him eventually.

We’re not going to hand over Flynn to the likes of you!

Hahahahaha. That’s the spirit.

Even if you refuse to join us, you’ll still be fulfilling my wishes.

Turns out that the leader of the Chaos faction is down with rebelliousness. Who would have thought?

Go, save Flynn.

But first we must deal with Shesha.

If something isn’t done promptly, that monster will wreak havoc on us all.

You Unclean Ones must do whatever you can to aid them. Think of it as atonement for your sins.

Damn you for toying with us like this!

Lucifer and Merkabah have already disappeared.

All that’s left on screen is Skins shaking with fury.

That’s the end of our conference.

Everyone will receive their tasks soon.

Good luck.

The only benefit to picking the second option is that we get reminded about the Hunter Notes app.

I’m up to speed.

Am I the only one who’s clueless?

Whatever. The important thing is that we’ll be getting some new quests soon.

I’ll just catch up later using the Hunter Notes on my smartphone.

Oh, and she reminds you about the Hunter Notes either way.

Lucifer, Merkabah, and the Divine Powers may be squabbling over Flynn…

But I already have my Godslayer. You.

Side with the humans against the Powers. Do as I say and take them out.

If you couldn’t guess by now, Dagda has no friendly relations with the Divine Powers, in spite of having let the loose on the world. His plans are far bigger than them.

Moving on, we end up getting two main quests dropped in our laps, the first being this one. Ame-no-Habakiri, meaning “snake slayer of the heavens” (hint, hint), is the blade that the storm god Susano-o used to end the reign of terror of the eight-headed serpent Yamato no Orochi.

One’s to find some super-strong sword called the Ame-no-habanero or something.

The other one is…

Second, we can collect the parts for someone to build a radar to find Shesha.

Collecting materials for the Ashura-kai. Huh.

Which should we do first?

It doesn’t actually matter which one you do first, but I’d recommend going to the Fairy Forest myself (and so we shall in the LP). You get a boatload of macca either way, and the unstated reward you end up getting for the first of the two quests more than makes up for the little bit less of a boatload there is in total.

Says here the sword’s supposed to be in the Fairy Forest.

Looks like we’ll get to pay Nozomi a visit!

Using the Terminal to get there in a split second, we can see that the Fairy Forest looks…a little different. A bit more ashen and on fire than last time.

This can’t be happening… Why would anyone do this?

Look, there’s Nozomi!

Asahi runs to Nozomi.

Nozomi, are you alright?

I’m fi… I’m not hurt.

Nozomi is pale from shock, dazed.

What happened here?

Did I…fail the fairies?

This smacks of the Divine Powers’ doing. Must’ve intercepted the Hunter request.

No doubt they wanted to keep human hands from getting hold of Ame-no-habakiri.

No clue why this is a thing. Excalibur was its own sword in SMTIV (tied to a quest for Dagda’s Cauldron, funny enough), and there’s not really any mythological connection between it and Ame-no-habakiri beyond them both being magical swords.

Nozomi takes deep, calming breath.

No time for rest, Nozomi. You’re the fairy queen.

I’m coming with you guys.

And with that, our party is back up to Nanashi plus three. Since our last rendezvous, Nozomi has learned two more skills for her repertoire. Barrage is a weak Gun attack to all enemies and thus not really impressive at all, while Blank Bullet deals two Medium gun attacks to all enemies and can inflict Panic.

This time, we need to head up north, deeper into the Fairy Forest than we did last time.

Nozomiii!

Napaea leaps on Nozomi.

Napaea! I’m so glad you’re safe!

It was the Divine Powers! They attacked out of nowhere! We did nothing to them!

Where are the others?

Other than him? Scattered everywhere.

Note that Mokoi is of the Night race, not the Fairy race, and not traditionally a “fairy” as such even in its own mythology…but oh well, it is what it is.

I’ll hang back, protect the fairies left behind. You guys deal with whoever did this.

If they’re after Excalibur, they’ll be heading to Northern Lake Hill.

You’ll find the sword at the bottom of the lake there.

Pardon me, but do you not think us too late?

Getting there is easier said than done.

No one gets through that without knowing the exact way out.

How are we supposed to get through, then?

Just past the center gate is a chest. In it, there’s a scroll with instructions.

Follow those to the letter and you’ll get through the maze, no problem.

I’ll join you as soon as all the fairies are safe.

I’m counting on you.

Nozomi disappears into the forest, fairies in tow.

I can only assume that taking away Nozomi again so quickly after you got her back in your party is so there’s an excuse as to why she can’t just guide you through the Maze Garden.

Of course, actual instructions would be too simple, so you have a riddle. It’s not actually that complex: just look at your shadow on the ground. Head in the opposite direction of your shadow if you are supposed to go toward the light, and in its direction if you are supposed to head toward the shadow. Or, to just say it outright, you head left, down, right, down, and up. Not quite the level of the most infamous teleport mazes the series has pulled out.

Ame-no-hibachigrill or whatever’s gotta be near.

Watch your back, kid. Something tells me the Divine Powers are waiting for us.

There’s no way they’ll let us take that blade without a fight.

Walking around the area just past the Maze Garden, you’ll see this weirdly reinforced Wormwood barrier. If you guess that we’ll need a new tool to open it, you’re correct.

The path around the lake that is important to us, though, is this one. Head to it and you’ll get that “you sense a powerful demon ahead” warning that there is a boss or miniboss ahead of you.

Look! They’ve almost found the sword!

At last, the pawns arrive.

Born after the Protogonoi (primal gods such as Chronos, Gaia, and Nyx) but before the Olympian gods such as Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus, the Titans most famously took place in the Titanomachy, a war in the heavens between the Olympian gods and the Titans. The Titan Kronos (not to be confused with the Protogonoi Chronos), fearing a prophecy that his own progeny would betray him, swallowed most of his children whole. His wife and sister Titan, the mother goddess Rhea, managed to whisk away Kronos’s son Zeus and start a chain of events that would lead to the freeing of the rest of the children from Kronos’s belly and the Olympians conquering the Titans with the aid of the hekatonkheires (hundred-handed giants) and cyclopes.

I’m afraid I can’t allow the likes of you to wield Ame-no-habakiri.

You could have taken the sword without attacking the forest! Why’d you do it?

I don’t need a reason. It was in my way.

You burned down the fairies’ home for fun? You’re a monster.

Like I care what you think. The will of the Divine Powers is law. Know your place.

The Divine Powers will not forgive the Creator. You will not stop me, humans.

Boss Battle! Titan :crossed_swords:

And so the battle with Titan begins. This Titan is level 33, slightly lower than one you could fuse yourself, but comes with the attack skills Heat Wave and Lunge rather than the normal attacks of a starting Titan. Everything else is bog standard, however, with a resistance to Physical and no elemental weaknesses, massive Strength, and the two skills an actual Titan would learn.

The first of those is Critical Eye, which ensures your next Physical or Gun attack will always be a critical hit. He loves to combo this with Heat Wave. The problem? Well, as you can see, having an entire party of Physical-resistant demons and a Resist Physical armor on Nanashi renders this boss almost completely impotent.

The only threat he can pose with this setup is that his other natural skill is Power-up Punch, so he can make your Dizzy. Use Me Patra or a Patra Stone when this happens and use everyone else in your party to constantly wail on him with medium damage (or high damage, if you manage to have gotten one yet) elemental attacks.

When you get him into the red, he’ll attempt to grovel. Don’t fall for it, this guy’s not at all the honorable warrior he makes himself out to be and will get a cheap shot in if you attempt to let him go.

Level your weapon at him.

Not so easily fooled, huh? Very well – this fight is far from over.

In spite of that boast, he’s breaking apart after only two more attacks on my next turn.

Gah… Defeat…before I could finish… How can this be?

I may fall, but you won’t stop the Divine Powers. They will avenge me.

Titan’s a big bucket of HP with one and only one gimmick: crit boost, Heat Wave/Lunge/regular attack, get Smirk from that crit, use Power Punch after smirk, rinse and repeat until you’ve exhausted his buckets of HP.

We did it!

Let’s get Ame-no-Hoosit or… Excalibur!

Ame-no-habakiri hangs from a vine, half its blade submerged in the lake.

You obtained Ame-no-Habakiri.

20,000 macca and 17,893 experience points is great and all, but there’s also a more tangible benefit of this quest. We do, in fact, get to keep and equip Ame-no-habakiri. More on that momentarily.

Hmph… A fine sword. More worthy of my scabbard, but you can have it this time.

Another quest completed!

Hey, how’re things going?

Asahi gestures toward the sword.

Good work. Glad you’re all safe.

Are YOU okay?

Yeah, thanks.

Managed to get the fairies someplace safe.

Uhh, being down doesn’t get you anywhere!

Alright, lemme walk you to the forest entrance.

We’ll get to the actual forest entrance in the next update for reasons, but for right now it should be noted that there is a shortcut straight from the Northern Lake Front to there through that barrier we saw earlier. Ame-no-habakiri can cut through it with ease. It’s also an actual weapon, but that’s for the Hunter’s Notes to tell. Next stop: Kasumigaseki!

#40

Things I Missed

I can’t believe I forgot to show this off until now, but you can engage in a shakedown of a demon if you have inflicted Bind on them and have purchased the Fundraise option under Talk.

With this method, you can get the maximum amount of macca the demon can provide without actually having to go through any risky discussion.

Demons aren’t really carrying much in their pockets yet, but the basic principle will continue to work for any demon that isn’t immune to being struck by Bind.

For a handful of demons out there, you will end up seeing some sort of message akin to this one as you level them up. This means that the demon in question is close to achieving evolution. This is a process wherein a demon transforms into a different one without fusion, randomly inheriting skills as it does so. The Divine line is probably the most prominent example of evolution, as each member of the angelic hierarchy evolves into the next: Angel becomes Archangel, Archangel becomes Principality, Principality becomes Power, and so on and so forth.

Wild Demon Encounters: Burning Fairy Forest

With the Fairy Forest ablaze and being invaded by the Divine Powers, the roster of demons one can find within has been altered.

Horkos, whose name means “oath”, is the son of the Greek chaos goddess Eris and the wrathful force that comes for those who swear false oaths. Resistant to Physical and weak to Fire and Light, this level 26 Tyrant is very unimpressive if you get him in a negotiation rather than fusion, having only Critical Wave as his starting move and its upgraded Medium damage version Megaton Press added at level 28.

The kuda, or kanko, is a form of kitsune that appears from within a bamboo pipe and answers questions asked to it. It’s a level 27 of the Food race that is resistant to Ice and weak to Force. Kuda’s innate skills are Sukukaja and Tetanus Cut, followed up by Blight at level 28 and Mabufula at level 30.

This Bulgarian monster with skin of bronze and thundering hooves is resistant to Electricity and weak to Force. Stonka starts with Tarunda and Zionga, gaining Oni-Kagura and Counter at level 27 and 28.

Nata Taishi, or Nezha, is the Chinese god of protection, gambling, and wheeled travel. In his Apocalypse appearance, he is a level 23 of the Genma race that has no resistances or weaknesses, which matches his lack of any negative affinities to offset his +1 Ailment and Support and +3 Physical affinities. He starts with Fang Breaker and Power Punch, then learns Oni-Kagura at level 24 and Charge at level 25.

The Norse god Baldur is one of the younger MegaTen demons as far as designs go, having been painted up as one of three new demons for the 2009 Nintendo DS game Devil Survivor; he also happens to be the only one of those three that has ever appeared in any future MegaTens, having an appearance in both SMTIV and here, so good for him. While in mythology he was only capable of being harmed by mistletoe thanks to the actions of his mother Frigg, that would be kind of broken here, and instead this level 28 Genma merely has resistance to Physical and Electricity combated by a weakness to Dark. He starts out play with Head Crush and Hamaon (heavy Light type damage with a 55% chance of instakill on Smirk), making him one of the earliest demons you can get that has third tier damage. Leveling him up gets you Resist Light at level 30, Light Pleroma at level 31, and Ally Counter (Counter, but for any ally rather than yourself) at level 32.

The legendary European king of serpents and wielder of a deadly gaze, Basilisk is weak to Force and Light but resists Dark and suffers no effects from the Poison or Bind ailments. It has a whopping +6 ailment affinity on top of generally really good stats across the board, so if you are looking for a demon to make your foes suffer numerous afflictions this one’s a good choice. Basilisk’s starting skills are Bind Voice and Poison Breath, with Me Patra being gained at level 29 and Resist Ice coming in at level 30.

The obscure Mesopotamian deity Pabilsag is weak to Force, Electricity, and Dark, with no elemental resistances. If you think his skills make him any better, I’m sorry to say that’s not the case, as he starts with Tathlum Shot and Toxic Sting and then further gains Rapid Needle at level 25. If you want a Gun-focused demon, this guy is not the best one you could get by far.

Yurlungur the Rainbow Serpent is the other Australian mythological figure besides Mokoi that still gets mileage in MegaTen games these days. He’s weak to Fire and Dark, resistant to Electricity, and nullifies Ice. His moveset is Rapid Needle and Ice Breath from the start, Diarama at level 30, and Resist Force at level 31.

The Chinese blue ox Qing Niuguai is resistant to Physical and Electricity but weak to Force and Dark. It starts off with Rakukaja and Megaton Press, proceeding to gain Life Gain at leve 30 and Silent Prayer (remove all buffs and debuffs from both the allied and enemy parties) at level 32.

Disir are Norse spirits of fate, blessed here with high Magic, Agility, and Luck and a resistance to both Ice and Electricity (Dark’s their weakness, by contrast). Dis’s starting skills are Lullaby and Makajam, and leveling her up allows her to learn Posumudi at level 30, Media at level 31, and Chakra Walk (the demon gradually regains MP while Nanashi is moving around the world) at level 32.

#41

You can’t really tell from his portrait alone but Lucifer is constantly sitting on a big ass throne. His redesign in this game compared to SMT4 is so much better.

1 Like
#42

I looked up SMTIV Lucifer and his first form definitely sucks. That being said, I kinda dig Lucifer II, the sequel to Lucifer.

lucifer II.jpg899×825 192 KB

1 Like
#43

I can’t believe I didn’t know that you could maximize your fundraising by inflicting Bind first. I can’t believe status effects do something useful beyond wasting enemy turns.

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#44

This is SMT status effects matter is the series mantra.

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#45

The chill throne pose really does help his style, especially when it draws attention away from his awkward arm growth.

#46

Before we can even leave the Fairy Forest, Danu preludes a speech for us to sit through. It is not the last speech we’ll be having this update, so prepare for the long haul.

Wait, Nozomi, I wish to address you all.

Do you know what the Divine Powers hope to achieve?

Something about salvation, right?

And do you know what their “salvation” is?

Now that I think about it, no…

What?! Why?

The Creator God shaped this universe, but only after defeating us ancient deities.

I suspect the Divine Powers seek revenge by wresting control of the universe and claiming dominion over the humans.

And what happens to us?

I am, of course, not privy to their plans. But I think we can safely assume that –

Humans will die.

They plan to destroy this universe, and take its souls to a new one they control.

But without souls, your bodies will die.

Presumably, given that a fair number of the Divine Powers come from religions that believe in reincarnation, they see the soul as more important than the vessel, and reconstituting it into a new entities is no big deal. Thus, their salvation plan makes sense to their own mindset, even if they are going about it in the most extremist fashion possible.

The Divine Powers are projecting their own desires for a fresh start onto humanity.

Are you not one of the Divine Powers yourself, Dagda?

Please, Mother… I haven’t truly joined their ranks.

How do you mean?

They’re just another set of pieces in a much larger game I’m playing…

This is worth sacrificing the world for?

Of course. The inescapable truth under all life’s lies is that this universe…is worthless.

Gods, demons, humans, buddhas, pretas… I will wipe everything from this existence.

That’s horrible… Are you insane?

If I am, I’ve been so from the beginning of my existence, and will be to the end…

To think I could give birth to such a horror…

As Krishna said, slaves to their own bodies and prisoners of this universe.

…But it’s still life.

This world is one of beauty, blessed with bountiful life and wonderful creatures.

It’s worth working together to protect.

Agree to disagree, my foolish mother.

Dagda turns to you.

Ignore her, my Godslayer. Relying on others is a joke.

I will help you reach true freedom, in a new universe untethered from dependencies.

The big problem with trying to make Dagda’s path appetizing to the player at all is that he and he alone walks said path. There are no other demons or humans that adhere to his way, since his way has the explicit caveat of “only myself and my Godslayer get to be Truly Free”. Even Chaos, for all the overwought Randian objectivism it often takes the form of, has other supporters than Lucifer at the end of the day. In the end this is all probably a moot point, as it’s clear the game wants you to see Peace as a vastly superior route to Anarchy (which is probably more aptly named Nihilism, but hey, I didn’t name these things), but it feels like there should have been some_one else who vouched for the alternate path’s benefits._

So you play with him like a chess piece, solely to win your little game.

Game? This is something he chose.

Accepting death? Or resurrect as my Godslayer?

Though, I suppose it’s up for debate whether he truly had a choice. Hehehe.

Are you saying Nanashi…

Yes, I’m afraid he’s not quite human. Not anymore.

Huh?!

No longer human. Not angel. Not demon. He is…my puppet.

A puppet? Nanashi, you… You’re dead?

Asahi turns to you.

There’s a fearful look in her eyes.

A slave to the status quo like you could never hope to best me, Mother.

Let’s just hope that day never comes.

You’re sharing your body with a real pain in the ass, Nanashi.

Nozomi looks to Asahi.

You okay?

…Huh?

A tear streams down Asahi’s cheek.

You’re still the same, right, Nanashi? You haven’t changed any…

All this gods and demons stuff… I never thought it would change us.

And now here I am, learning that you’ve died. That you aren’t even human anymore…

It just doesn’t make any sense. Nanashi’s alive. He’s right here. Why?

Asahi breaks into a flood of tears.

C’mon now, don’t cry. It’s okay. Everything’ll be okay…

He’s still himself, where it matters most. No matter what he’s become.

You’ve known him your whole life, right?

If anyone could tell he’s changed, it’d be you.

So please, don’t cry.

I agree with her about the Divine Powers 100 percent, and that Dagda’s ideas are dangerous.

But what does that mean for Nanashi? Are you saying you might have to kill him?

Well… I don’t know. I suppose that’s the worst-case scenario.

But that’s why you should take me with you. To make sure that doesn’t happen.

Nozomi holds her hand out to you.

We need to work together, keep this universe of ours safe.

And while we’re at it, we’ll make sure Dagda doesn’t steer you wrong, Nanashi.

Another Good Boy vs. Rude Boy prompt, so we’re choosing to shake her hand.

The more the merrier!

A fairy queen’s got certain obligations and responsibilities.

That means getting to the bottom of this. Gotta make sure the Forest stays safe!

Ain’t no one gonna hurt the fairies – not on my watch!

Well, best be on our way.

Nozomi joins your party.

Trying to leave the Fairy Forest after all that, we get interrupted again, this time by the girl pushing a hoop once more.

That girl…!

Stephen arrives right behind the girl.

Hello.

So, now you understand how Dagda and Danu intend to reshape the world.

Dagda wishes for absolute freedom of his own creation. Danu wishes to cultivate a freedom with others.

They may not agree with each other. Still, their ideals are in opposition to both the angels and the demons.

Both ways are the middle path. But there is more than one path.

Walk your own.

Stephen and the girl head off.

Who was that?

No clue. Just know his name’s Stephen.

Right. Well, guessing won’t get us anywhere.

Let’s just put that mystery on the backburner for now and get outta here.

And get outta there we shall. Over in this area is Kasumigaseki, which you might have noticed on the map earlier. There’s also a nice little touch on the overworld map that there are now beams of sunlight shimmering over Ginza, where Shesha smashed a hole in the Firmament.

We’re supposed to go to the underground’s fourth level. The elevator should be near.

Kasumigaseki is ridiculously tiny, so there’s basically no way to get lost. There’s only one unlocked elevator in the small opening area at this moment, and it leads right to where you need to go.

The lab is littered with all kinds of equipment, cardboard boxes, and junk.

A few other Hunters are gathered at the back of the lab.

The Ashura-kai sent this quest, yeah?

Yup, says right there in the description.

I don’t get it – why would the Ashura-kai request something from the Association?

Reckon they’re desperate.

How d’ya figure?

Ever since he vanished, the Ashura-kai’s been losing pull.

I mean, the only reason they got to the top is 'cause they controlled the demons.

But now the factory that made Reds, that fake demon grub, is nothing more than a pie of rubble.

To elaborate a bit further on this dump of exposition of things that happened in SMTIV before the timeline split, [S]soylent green[/S] Red Pills (“Reds” colloquially) were artificial demon food created by lobotomizing and taking the brain tissue out of humans “farmed” underground by the Ashura-kai boss Tayama. Tayama’s claim was that by sacrificing the few for the many, he could make Tokyo into a “utopia”, though his Manos-esque harem of adult and child brides, legion of brutish enforcers, and general dictatorial rule of much of Tokyo definitely speak to a different sort of goal. Depending on your actions in IV, he either met his end at the wormhole powering the Yamato Reactor or at the claws of the demons within Tsukiji-Konganji/Hongwanji (the games can’t seem to make up their mind which of those spellings they wish to use).

On top of that, the Yamato Reactor in Ichigaya’s now in the hands of Lucifer.

And if that weren’t enough, word is Lucifer’s pullin’ their strings now.

Guess they’ve fallen pretty far without Tayama.

Now… I don’t see anyone building the Ashura-kai back up to its former glory.

Huh.

Looks like the professor’s done with his prepwork.

Thank god.

Let’s see here… Why don’t I let the big man upstairs talk first?

This monitor’s connected to the command room on the second floor and presto! We have Fujiwara.

Dr. Matsuda, is everything prepared?

Sure, sure. Ready as I’ll ever be.

Let’s get started then.

It’s time to deal with Shesha.

You’ve been divided into teams for this mission.

Each team will be collecting parts from all over Tokyo.

And Dr. Matsuda here will use those parts to build a sensor that can track Shesha.

Dr. Matsuda waves shyly.

Dr. Matsuda, can you give them a brief on their mission?

Oh, sure, sure.

And then I’ll take those parts and whip up something that can track Shesha.

I’m sure you can imagine there’s a lot that goes into tracking giant demon snakes.

So, yeah. You get me those parts and I’ll build it. Just like that.

As for who’s going where for what, I’ll let the man on the tube tell you that.

We’ll be assigning each of you an area.

Once this transmission ends, you’ll receive all the information you need about your assigned areas.

You may even make direct contact with them.

I strongly suggest you avoid any unnecessary conflicts.

Good luck.

The transmission ends.

Once you find your part, just deliver it to the Hunter Association.

I’m sure you’re all clever enough to have realized this whole thing’s hush-hush.

Y’know, with the secret meeting.

But, once you get out there, there’s no way to guarantee you won’t draw suspicion.

The Divine Powers are sure to try something, so be careful.

It’s Sky Tower time again! And this time, we actually get to climb it instead of just look like fools by nearly dying to an uber-angel outside of the front door.

We have to save Flynn!

Humans, state your purpose.

Two angels land in front of the group.

Time to put this alliance between humans, angels, and demons to the test.

I’m sure we can just explain the situation to them…

This is once again one of those illusion of choice things for alignment points, so be diplomatic if you want a few tics toward Peace or immediately attack without attempted diplomacy for some Anarchy.

You explain things to the angels.

…

We’ve heard no word of this endeavor.

But we need to get inside!

Your needs are irrelevant to us.

It would seem this may require a daring stratagem! What will you do?

Angels, am I right? Can’t talk sense to them.

White suit, sunglasses, Lilim and Succubus as his demons? Boy, someone’s trying to look too cool for school.

You’re the Hunters looking for the you-know-what, right?

Name’s Abe. I’m in charge of the Ashura-kai now.

Hey! Come on, kid, tell them who you are.

Oh… I’m Hallelujah… It’s a pleasure.

Yeah, where’s my pleasure? He’s pretty cute, you know. I could teach him a thing or two.

Wait for his balls to drop before you start hitting on him.

Aww… He’s angry!

Too bad…

Abe orders his demons to stay back.

I haven’t exactly house-broken them yet.

Why is this scene a thing that exists

But with these dopes I’m better off just getting you Hunters to do what I want.

It’s the least you can do, since my little deal with Lucifer is what’s keeping the underground safe.

Once I get the Ashura-kai up and running again, Tokyo will be running smooth.

I’ll deal with the Divine Powers, and Merkabah, and the Ring of Gaea.

I’ll deal with just about anyone who gets in my way.

Anyway, let’s get going, yeah?

Abe pats you on the shoulder.

Yeah… Well, I’m Asahi. This is Nanashi.

I’m Nozomi. Pleasure.

Uh, yeah, sure… Nice.

Oookay. So, uh, how’d you end up with the Ashura-kai?

Didn’t have much of a choice, you know, mom’s dead and they just kid of took me in. Can’t leave now.

What about that Abe guy? Same deal?

Once Tayama disappeared, Abe just showed up out of nowhere to set things straight.

He’s the reason the Ashura-kai are even still around.

Wow. That’s…impressive.

Yeah, so I give him a hand when I can.

Which…isn’t very often…

Hallelujah laughs at himself.

How old are you, Hallelujah?

I’m 15.

Another child! I’m stunned anyone could manage to breed down here!

Holy hell! What is that?!

Well, this is a growing list. You can see me?

That’s… That’s a ghost… All right, that’s new…

It matters not – at least people are finally able to notice me…

Perhaps more good will come from sticking around this lot!

So… What do Hunters do?

Fight demons, protect people, gather food… Little bit of everything, really.

Lately, most of our work involves helping Flynn.

Flynn…

Nah, it’s just… You know, Flynn, and the Ashura-kai don’t exactly mix.

As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t really matter what happens to him.

But the boss has been fixated on him for some reason.

Abe returns to your group.

Alright. We can go through now.

Of course. Who the hell do you think I am?

Abe orders the group into the Sky Tower.

The innards of the Sky Tower are rather grotesque: a sort of halfway point between human building and Domain, with constantly pulsating giant veins slithering along the concrete and steel architecture. There are also a disconcerting number of petrified humans in poses of terror.

What is this weird-ass place? Those statues are creepy. And too realistic…

Yeah, there’s a reason for that. They’re people. There used to be a demon who whipped these numbers up.

Talk about a demon with bad taste…

The demon in question, if you couldn’t guess from the whole petrification deal, was the infamous Greek gorgon Medusa. She was the second boss Flynn and his cohorts slew as they headed down from Mikado, the first being the Minotaur. This is a direct reference to Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei, the 1987 NES game that was the very first of the MegaTen franchise (mind you, it was based on a set of novels that are not particularly good, but for video game purposes it was the first). In that game, Minotaur and Medusa were also the first two bosses.

The goods should be in the Excavation Workers’ Quarters up above.

Let’s go.

Oh wow… I’ve never seen Tokyo from this high up before.

Should I take a picture? I should probably take a picture.

This scene, one stair flight above the whole Medusa gallery, mirrors the scene that the Samurai of Mikado had on the same balcony as they went down the Tower. Or at least the wonderment does. Then…

You approach the window. As you do, you hear a bird screech from somewhere.

Alright, quit gawking and get ready to kick some ass.

A massive bird breaks through the window.

Say hello to Rukh! A monstrous bird of Arabian folklore, the rukh (or roc) is so immense that it can grasp elephants in its talons, carrying them to great heights before dropping them to kill them. Here, it immediately robs three bars of your Partner meter by startling them and then launches you into a battle.

In your initial volley, you can get a fair amount of damage in if you have Agilao, as this bird is roasted alive by Fire. It’s also weak to Dark, and has Force as a resistance.

It’s a Rukh…must have a nest nearby.

Hey. Hallelujah, give them a hand with this one.

Oh, uh… Okay! You got it, bro.

Though I doubt I’ll be much help.

Unfortunately for Hallelujah, that little cutscene after the first turn meant nothing, as on my second turn I had already done enough damage to scatter Rukh’s ashes to the wind. It’s not a hard miniboss at all if you have a team set up to deal a lot of Fire damage, which isn’t a hard achievement at this point. Pyro Jack in particular is pretty good for fusing up for that purpose since anything made from it can inherit both Agilao and Fire Pleroma.

Let’s rewind and see what happens if we actually let Hallelujah do anything, though.

Uh, well, I only really have Chironnupu…

C’mon, you gotta do SOMETHING!

Guh… Come here, Chiro!

Chironup Kamui is one of the nature spirits and gods of the indigenous Ainu peoples of northern Japan. It takes a place alongside other kamui such as Kanna Kamui (thunder), Kapachiri Kamui (eagle), and Korekeu Kamui (wolf), and is both trickster and defender.

Aw, he’s so cute! Is that your demon?

Yeah, this is Chiro…

Enduring Cheer is one of the two skills Chironuppu (and thus Hallelujah) have at this point. For a turn after its casting, all party members will hang on with 1 HP if they would normally suffer a killing blow. Its other power is Warding Shout, which grants party-wide immunity to all ailments for the turn after its casting.

The game then proceeds to show you how it works by giving Rukh a free Tarukaja before it uses Charge followed by Grand Tack (heavy Gun damage on one target). This is a severe escalation from the first round, wherein Rukh always uses Zanma and a normal attack, but the big bird doesn’t really capitalize on having these other, more deadly, skills.

With that, let’s fast-forward back to having made this thing into turkey dinner.

Thanks for all the help.

I’ll note that’s meant to be sarcastic, since the captions in the game sans voice work doesn’t exactly convey that.

Yeah, guess I wasn’t…

You really gonna take this shit from a girl? C’mon, man up.

But…

You trying to make me look bad?!

No!

Then show those prissy little Hunters what the Ashura-kai are made of!

And with that, we get party member the fifth. We already went over the two moves he can utilize at this point earlier, and at this point he’s so highly situational we won’t be seeing much of him down on the Partner bar until later. Still, you should probably equip him for right now.

You all saw the pretty view, now let’s move it!

The instructions on how to find your way around the Sky Tower are very simple: go up. Eventually, you’ll reach the highest point, a linear corridor with a set of rooms including a Terminal, wherein you should dig around for whatever goodies you can find.

You’ll soon find this room, wherein you can hunt around for the parts you need. Save before you enter it, then root around for the radar sensor.

Maybe the thing we need is in here. Let’s take a look, Nanashi.

I guess I’ll help too.

I’ll look over here.

It doesn’t matter whether you or your partners find it, but if you want to quickly get this over with, just look in the desk.

That’s it! Awesome. Now we just need to drop it off.

Woah, good work.

Found the goods, huh? Alright, we’re done here.

Get a move on!

Sure thing, Bro!

Not you! Hallelujah, come over here.

Huh? What’s up?

We’re splitting up. I want you to go with them.

It’s not that. The Ashura-kai is responsible for Tokyo’s safety, you get me?

Uh… Yeah, of course…

So if the Hunters screw things up, guess who’s gonna clean it up?

I’d rather we not get to that. And I get a weird vibe from that guy. Keep an eye on him.

Him? I mean he’s pretty strong, but…

What? You don’t trust me?

No! Of course I trust you, Bro!

See? You trust me, I trust you.

That’s why I need you to keep an eye on those guys.

O-okay… I got you, Bro.

Oh… Yeah, I guess… Hahaha…

You hear a deafening roar from outside the room.

Wh-wh-what was that?! Not the bird again?!

It’s right outside!

What fearful event could be happening right outside? A boss fight, perhaps? Only one way to find out!

1 Like
#47

Equipment

I was actually going to note equipment last Hunter’s Notes, but forgot like a big loser, so here they are belatedly.

Our sword has been replaced with Ame-no-Habakiri, our reward for defeating Titan last update. While I no longer have Nihil’s ailment infliction as a result, this new blade more than makes up for that in brute strength, having a base attack power of 190 plus a free +10 to your Strength stat. It is also, of course, plot important, which means you’ll need to eventually equip it anyway.

For guns, I have upgraded to the CC Machine Gun and Pink Shot, both from Shinjuku. The CC Machine Gun has a base attack power of 68 compared to the Serren Auto’s 46, and retains the target-all spread. Pink Shot is a big upgrade to ammo, with a base power of 51 compared to the Toxic Rounds’ 28, and has a chance of inflicting Charm. Being able to have a chance to Charm all enemies in a random encounter is, in fact, fun.

My armor is the full Blue Uniform, an American football armor set sold in Ginza. Its Upper Body portion has +44 HP and gives resistance to Physical at the cost of weakness to Fire; most higher tier armors at shops from now on will have a weakness like this to contrast their resistances. The Phys resistance was to trivialize Titan, so you probably shouldn’t expect this armor to last through the rest of next update. The Lower Body portion is +44 HP and +8 Agility, while the Head portion is +22 HP, +6 Magic, and +6 Luck.

Things of Note

It’s around these two missions that these random balls of [S]pixelation[/S] demonic energy will start randomly showing up. Button mash X to get rid of them, or they’ll throw you back to the start of the area you are in. They are annoying, don’t really contribute anything to the plot, and I wish they didn’t exist to waste a bit of time while enjoying the game.

Wild Demon Encounters: Kasumigaseki

Senri, on the left, is the Chinese equivalent of the Japanese nekomata, being a leopard cat (a member of the small cats that should not be confused with actual leopards) that has gained a supernatural spark and the ability to take beautiful human form due to its great age. Weak to Electricity and Dark but resistant to Force, this level 26 member of the Nymph race starts out with the moves Makakaja and Zanma. Leveling her up gets you Force Pleroma at level 27 and Recarm at level 28. If you level up a Kabuso from its starting point of level 6 all the way up to level 21 for some reason, it will evolve into a Senri earlier than you can fuse one.

Myrmecoleon is a level 29 Vermin based on Medieval bestiary stories of a monster created through the union of a lion and an ant. It is weak to Electricity but resistant to Force, starts with Tarunda and Frenzied Chomp, and learns Patra at level 30 and Wind Breath at level 31.

The guivre, or vouivre, is a female French dragon who was traditionally depicted as a wyvern-like monster, but has in more recent times (World War II onward) taken on the visage of a beautiful woman who can don the skin of a dragon. While she is traditionally associated with fire in legends, this level 28 Snake is resistant to Electricty and weak to ice, with no Fire resistance or affinity. Vouivre learns Blight and Zionga innately, Shibaboo at level 29, and Marin Karin at level 30.

Kikimora, a level 28 of the Night race, is one of several Russian house spirits. She is resistant to Ice and weak to Fire. While her +2 affinity for Healing and Support means she is meant to a team aid sort of demon, Kikimora has a huge Magic stat and fairly good Strength and Dexterity, allowing her to be rather versatile. Kikimora starts off with Rakunda and Axel Claw, gaining Diarama and Heal Pleroma at levels 30 and 31.

Yuki Jyorou, better known by her other name Yuki Onna, is a frost yokai of the high Japanese mountains. Unsurprisingly, she’s weak to Fire and resistant to Ice. Her skills are Bufula and Mamudo from the get-go, Ice Pleroma at level 31, and Mabufula at level 32.

Wild Demon Encounters: Sky Tower

The poisonous Chinese mountain bird Zhen Niao is a level 31 Raptor resistant to Force and weak to Gun. It begins with the skills Poison Breath and Pandemic Bomb, gains Sukunda at level 32, and finally learns Resist Dark at level 33.

The Kelpie, a legendary Celtic water horse and level 31 Fairy, has resistance to Ice and weakness to Force. It has one of the shorter skill lists of the demons around here, starting with Tarunda and Diarama and only learning the skill Trafuri (100% successful escape from a non-scripted battle) from leveling up.

The Scandinavian wood spirit Skogsra, a level 31 Wood, resists Force and is weak to Fire. Her skills are Rakunda and Wind Breath innately and Scratch Dance at level 32. Her high Magic stat makes her potentially useful if you fuse one rather than recruit one.

Wendigo, the mighty cannibal giant of the cold reaches of North America, has a high Magic and Strength stat, allowing it to put its innate skills of Mabufula and Oni Kagura to use. Leveling it up, you get both Poison Breath and Power Punch at level 31. I’ve always really liked Wendigo as far as the SMT designs for demons from Native American cultures go, and one can only hope its popularity in the 2D MegaTens over the past decade might just lead it to take a place in the next 3D installment of the series.

Tsuchigumo, a monstrous spider yokai, is a level 31 Jirae who is resistant to Electricity and weak to Ice. While it may look like it’s only good as a brutish Physical attacker, its stats are actually fairly high across the board, so you can do pretty much anything you want with it (though keep in mind it has a -2 affinity to Support skills and -3 to Ice). Its skills are Poison Claw and Zionga from the start, Me Patra at level 32, and Mazionga at level 33.

Inferno, a level 31 Spirit perpetually cloaked in the fires of the abyss, nullifies Fire but is weak to both Ice and Light. It’s worthy of note that Inferno is the demon with the lowest affinity we’ve seen so far: a whopping -8 to Ice, along with a -3 to Light and -2 to Healing. It learns Fire Breath and Heat Wave innately, and by leveling it up you gain Agilao at level 32 and Maragion at level 34.

The man-faced Chinese bird Tuofei is resistant to Electricity and weak to Gun and Dark. It learns the skills Media and Ice Breath from the start, Me Patra at level 31, and Magaon at level 32.

The level 34 Blizzard Horde consists of Yuki Jyorous, Bai Suzhens, and Wendigos all aiming their ice spells in your direction. These guys are weak to Fire, but drain Ice; I should note that Drain on an ailment means that you recover HP if hit by it, since I believe this is the first time we’ve encountered a demon that drains anything. Blizzard Horde is capable of dealing three or four hits on one target with their regular attack and can use the skills Mabufula, Mamudo, and the quite obnoxious Carol Hit.

Carol Hit is only weak Physical damage to one target, but has a 50% chance of dealing the Lost condition. Lost means your demon is, in fact, lost: straight up gone until some random encounter later on in the same area, when they show up again to rejoin your party. The Blizzard Horde also has the passive skill Ice Pleroma, adding more Ice damage on top of their existing +4 affinity to both Physical and Ice.

Hairy Jack, or barghest, is an English spirit of ill omen. It’s resistant to Dark and weak to Light, with the skills Sukunda and Frenzied Chomp at any level, Axel Claw at level 31, and Retaliate at level 32.

The wild Japanese lightning beast Raiju is, unsurprisingly, resistant to Electricity and weak to Force. Its skills are Shock and Binding Claw as starting skills, Tarukaja at level 34, and Endure at level 35.

A hairy, one-eyed kappa (the regular kind of kappa doesn’t show up in MegaTen games outside of the chibi childrens’ game spinoffs, oddly enough), Yamawaro is resistant to Physical and Ice but weak to both Light and Dark. Its innate skills are Megaton Press and Tarukaja, followed up by Life Gain (20% more maximum HP) at level 33 and Attack Knowhow at level 34.

Fusions

Fusing Tangata Manu and Inugami, we create Karasu Tengu. Leveling it up further can get us the skills Maragi, Sukukaja, and Mahama at levels 25, 26, and 27 respectively.

Karasu tengu are the more bestial in appearance of the various tengu, more crow than human in their appearance with their beaked heads, feathered bodies, and avian legs. They are capable of monstrous acts such as the abduction of children and driving people to madness, but can also teach masterful sword play and other skill of warfare.

From Baphomet and Hooligan is born Mithras. Mithras actually made a recent appearance as a high-definition 3D model in Persona 5, a nice achievement to list on his application forms given that game’s heavy reliance on the old boys’ club of models from Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. Those two other skills Mithras can learn are Rakunda at level 22 and Fatal Sword at level 23.

Mithras is a god that was worshiped in a Roman mystery cult known as Mithraism, popular with Legionnaires. His appearance as depicted by Kazuma Kaneko here hews very closely to a famous statue of Mithras wherein he is proudly rising from a stone, ceremonial dagger in hand. In many other classical depictions, this dagger is being used by Mithras to slaughter a bull.

Sylph is formed from Pabilsag and Apis. Leveling her up to level 29 grants her Bind Voice, while going further to level 32 will let her learn Mana Gain.

Sylphs are the spirits of air in Paracelsus’s classification of elemental spirits, invisible beings that were the closest in appearance and nature to humans out of all the elementals.

2 Likes
#48

Gee, it sure seems like Abe isn’t a good dude. I wonder why I get that feeling, that the man is actually garbage. It’s so strange.

1 Like
#49

hi, i just want you to know that i really appreciate you doing this… it really helps me a LOT with my playthrough! really can’t wait for your new updates soon! thanks again, cheers! ^^

1 Like
#50

It seems all that commotion at the end of last episode was those angels harassing us getting good and stoned.

What’s that sound?!

Medusa… Word on the street was that you were dead.

Oh, I was…but now I’m back, and even more beautiful than before.

Now I am Medusa of the Divine Powers.

But I’m still an artist, and you’re the perfect subjects.

Damn Divine Powers…

Oh, are we really gonna have to fight? I don’t feel like it…

Yeah, I’m not touching that gross hag.

Wha?! You can’t just cut and run!

I’m going to report this to Lucifer.

Wait?! What am I supposed to do?!

You’ll figure it out.

Abe leaves, taking his demons with him.

Gee, it’s almost as if he’s untrustworthy! Who could have foreseen such a turn of events?

He’s got some sort of plan. He wouldn’t just leave us!

Did you not just see him walk right out of here? What’s with you Ashura-kai?

Save it for later, Asahi.

You and the others ready yourselves.

Oh, what a gallery this will be: all my perfect, new statues and the beautiful, new me!

Hmmm, how about one on your knees, hands covering your faces from your own sinfulness?

As for the expression… Your faces stricken with terror, I think, would be best!

Boss Battle!: Medusa :crossed_swords:

Of the bosses we’ve had to face in battle so far, Medusa is probably the most famous overall. One of the gorgons, three daughters of the sea god Phorkys if you trust the poet Hesiod, Medusa is probably best known from her story as told by Ovid. This is the version wherein Medusa is a beautiful maiden who is cursed by Athena to be a horrendous snake-haired monster capable of turning people to stone after Poseidon rapes Medusa in one of Athena’s temples. The hero Perseus then goes on to slay Medusa, her head becoming a heraldic emblem upon the Aegis shield. Variations upon the tale include Poseidon and Medusa having a consensual relationshiop, Athena transforming Medusa out of jealousy with no involvement from Poseidon at all, or the gorgons being the always-hideous children of the “mother of monsters” Echidna. It’s also been suggested (most heavily by neopagan groups) that Medusa may be the monstrous Hellenization of an earlier goddess from one of the cultures of the region.

None of this background is really relevant to Medusa as presented here, unfortunately. She only speaks of her own beauty, exemplifying the deadly sin Vaingloria (vanity), and even then it’s not actually a direct reference to the original eight deadly sins as no other bosses correspond thusly. Depending on who you ask, it’s either a hot take about Medusa’s Doi retouch versus the original guest art she had in IV or just some shitty “ladies that aren’t conventionally attractive being vain is comedy gold, amirite?” writing. I’d say the latter is probably more likely.

While the Divine Powers may have leveled her up during their reincarnation, Medusa is actually weaker than she was in SMTIV. While there she drained Electricity and nullified both Light and Dark in her boss fight, she now only nullifies Electricity. In both games, however, her weakness stays one to Force.

Just betray your friends. It’s so easy.

Medusa’s also quite the chatty boss, having multiple conversations with you starting with this one at around 800 or so damage taken. Your three options are “Refuse”, “Agree”, and “Ignore Her”; the first one ups your Peace points slightly and increases your Assist Gauge, the second slightly ups Anarchy points and decreases it, and choosing to ignore her changes nothing.

Refuse.

No? Didn’t expect you would.

At least you’ll die looking at someone like me, someone that’s as beautiful as the sun.

I’ll kill you! I’ll slit your little throats and drink your blood!

She’s gone mad! Hide!

At around 1,700 damage taken (easy enough to do without even giving her a turn yet if you’re a smartass who came in with a bunch of Wind Breath demons and a near-full Assist Gauge like I did), she gives another little speech, this time without a dialogue choice.

Fine… I give up. I won’t turn you into statues. Trust me. Look into my eyes. My eyes will tell you the whole truth.

Glare at her?

Glance at her sideways?

Ignore her and attack?

Third is this one, at around 2,300 damage taken. Since this is Medusa, you can probably surmise that glaring straight at her is a horribly bad idea, as she automatically inflicts Bind on you. You can choose to just straight-up ignore her, but that gives you a slight amount of Anarchy points and gives her a free Tarukaja. The answer you’re gonna want is “Glance at her sideways”.

That look… That’s the same look that last little bastard gave me!

Stop it! Don’t look at me like that!

Medusa is agitated and drops her guard.

This is effectively a free Dekunda, so no reason not to take the opportunity.

After already putting her in the red, Medusa finally gets to have a turn, featuring three red press turns for her to utilize, and show off her moves. The first is Tathlum Shot, which we’ve already seen. Medium Gun damage, one target, no big deal.

She’s also got Zionga for her Medium one-target skill needs.

Rapid Needle is kind of superfluous, since she has not one but two better Gun skills, but it’s here anyway.

Medusa’s most dangerous attack overall is her unique one, Snake’s Fangs. This attack deals heavy Gun damage two or three times to random targets. It also has a chance of inflicting Bind.

In addition to her damaging skills, Medusa can also cast Marin Karin, but she apparently had no desire to in the two extra runs I did just to try to bait her into doing so.

I resurrected for nothing! I became so beautiful… Gaaaah…

Gaaaaah!

Unfortunately for Medusa, her 3,000 HP is nothing in the face of the unrelenting Force. She’s also capable of being Dazed, which is the great equalizer for a lot of these early bosses if you can’t just smash through their weakness. You can also equip Hallelujah if you end up having a problem with Snake’s Fangs and Marin Karin putting your party members out of commission. Don’t expect the game’s bosses to be that charitable forever.

Who gets off turning people to stone? Psycho.

Sorry… I know I wasn’t much help…

No worries. We made it, didn’t we?

Hmph, “wasn’t much help”? You might as well not have been here!

Okay, you’re the last person I want to hear that from.

So what now, Hallelujah? Will you stick with us?

If you’re okay with it, yeah. I’d like to come along with you.

Dagda appears before the group.

That boy is a spy for the Ashura-kai.

A demon?! Wait, are you…?

That’s Dagda.

He’s kinda like Navarre… He’s haunting Nanashi.

Oh… I see, okay.

But never mind that – what’s he mean? Why’s he calling you a spy?

Yeah… The thing is the Ashura-kai has a responsibility to protect Tokyo.

So keeping an eye on you to make sure you don’t endanger Tokyo is part of our job…

You make it sound like we’re up to something!

As with previous character attainment choices, allowing Hallelujah to stay nets you a decent amount of Peace points, while kicking him to the curb will net you Anarchy points. If you try to abandon him, though, Asahi will just guilt trip you into taking him anyway (in spite of just being cross with him a few seconds ago), so you’re getting him either way.

Bring him along.

Okay, if that’s what you want.

Really? You won’t regret this… Sorry…and, uh, thanks.

What a joke.

Let’s just hope the hand you shake in friendship doesn’t wind up choking the life from you.

Looks like I’m coming along, then.

You don’t mind, right?

Hallelujah shoots you a friendly smile.

Well, all that’s left is to drop this thing off to the Hunter Association.

Let’s go, Nanashi!

Courtesy of the convenient Terminal up at the top of the Sky Tower, we can immediately shuttle over to any city with a Hunter bar and deliver the sensor, netting the party 21,581 experience points and 25,000 macca.

With that task completed, all there is left to do is go to sleep once more.

And, of course, sleep means another dream vision.

Someone’s calling you Akira.

When you respond, you hear Akira’s voice.

Geez, Skins. Don’t scare me like that.

Sorry I ruined your nap, just making sure you don’t get yourself killed.

You can’t be too careful up here. Never know when an angel will show up.

Thanks for the reminder, Skins.

Just look at all those scars, and each one’s a badge of glory.

And each one hurt like hell.

So what’s going on?

Not a whole lot to report.

We haven’t made any progress in a while with those Angels of Death coming down…

Sounds like we don’t have much chance at making it out of here.

Skins nods gravely.

And we finally make it out, see the sun, and now we’ve got angels trying to kill us.

Kind of makes you want to call it quits.

Don’t even kid about that.

Don’t worry, it’s not going to happen.

After this, there’s a crackle of static, the vision moving a bit further on.

We can’t hold 'em off forever, Skins.

…

Tell everyone to pull back to the second stratum.

Everyone, retreat!

Damnit!

More static, more moments in time slip by to yet another part of the vision.

Throughout SMTIV, Gabriel appears to the people of Mikado as a nun calling herself Sister Gabby.

It is the Lord’s will that we purge this land of the unworthy.

Those who have not been chosen by our Lord shall not set foot here.

But the Lord is merciful, and has deigned to give you a chance.

A chance…?

As humans, you are made in the image of the Lord.

and so, the Lord has permitted you to live under the sun.

Really?

However…

How mysterious. Shame our VisionTube has to give out before we got to the juicy part.

Get up. Get up! Get up get up get up!

You finally awake? It’s a real pain getting you out of bed, you know that?

Got another quest, check it out.

Looks like we need to escort a bunch of Samurai to Kasumigaseki.

Can’t imagine why they need us to do this.

Asahi doesn’t seem too happy about the assignment.

Says here the Samurai are in Ueno right now.

Guess we better go meet them.

One trip through the Terminal later and we can see that, yep, there’s the marker. Time to pick up some Samurai specops.

The warriors immediately stand out due to the garb, and not just in the “they’re not from Tokyo” sense. While most Samurai have beige clothing with navy blue overcoats like we saw on Walter and Jonathan’s bodies, this crew is wearing solemn white and gray outfits with a cross emblazoned on their tabards.

They somewhat bring to mind these guys, the Messians of Shin Megami Tensei I and II; presumably intentionally, given how frequently IV and Apocalypse call back to the early games in the series.

Oh? Are these motley gadabouts more, what did they call them? “Hunters”?

It seems the people of Tokyo tend to be dawdlers.

Alarming, yes. But not unexpected.

The man gusts out an exaggerated sigh.

Gaston?! It can’t be! When did you become a Samurai?!

Gaston! My own flesh and blood, my dear little brother! Can you see me? Do you hear my voice?!

Your what now?

Stunned awe, while appreciated, is hardly a civil greeting, wouldn’t you say?

Looks like the man can’t see Navarre.

Oh… He can’t see me… It’s for the best…

Uh, you guys the hotshot Samurai sent by Merkabah?

Indeed. I am Captain Gaston.

I am captain of the Crusaders who were dispatched by Lord Merkabah.

Gaston points at you.

With the serpent dead, we shall take Flynn and return him to Mikado for Lord Merkabah’s judgment!

You’re really going to do all that by yourselves?

Absolutely. All the people of Tokyo need to do is stand back.

Wow… You’re pretty sure of yourself…

Without a doubt. I am Gaston the Magnificent, after all!

Insert your Beauty and the Beast jokes here, because I know you have them stored up by now.

…The Magnificent?

And as the captain of the Crusaders, I am the most elite of the elite of the elite!

Wow, Gaston – do all those elites mean you’re even tougher than Flynn?

To whom do you think you’re speaking, child? I will be addressed as “Sir” Gaston.

…Right.

Sir Gaston, then.

Silence! Have you forgotten your place? Or are you simply testing my patience for mutinous subordinates?

The Samurai grimaces but keeps silent.

Now’s as good a time as ever. I have a speech prepared!

Once, Flynn may have been the most promising of the Samurai.

But that was before even I was a Samurai. And that time is long past.

I have surpassed Flynn and received the blessing of Lord Merkabah!

Behold, the spear of Michael, bestowed upon me by Lord Merkabah himself!

In his iconography, the archangel Michael typically wields a spear or sword, usually being readied to impale the traitorous Lucifer. Lucifer is often depicted as a dragon and both he and dragons are sometimes called foul/winged serpents. Wink wink, nudge nudge, get the idea now?

I expect this little excursion will be enough to make my magnificence clear.

Yeah, he’s definitely Navarre’s brother. They’re exactly the same.

What did you just say?

Uh… You’re Navarre’s brother, right I was just saying you two have a lot in common –

I have no brother!

I cannot accept that the same blood runs through our veins.

Hallelujah managed to slam facefirst right into an awkward situation, there.

Gaston…

Heh, Merkabah’s controlling those morons from Mikado by convincing them they’re chosen people.

What a shame, worshiping a god like that.

Can’t wait to see how things shake out between you and these Samurai.

You, puny Hunter. Hurry up and take us to Kasumigaseki.

Unlike you, I am extremely busy.

Dude, I don’t think I can ever get along with him…

Okay, cut the chatter. Time to saddle up.

Guess not all Samurai are as nice as Flynn and Miss Isabeau… What a bummer.

Gaston is the highest level party member we have at the moment, but he’s also the most one-note. He starts out with two Physical skills: Spear of Michael is Medium Physical damage to one foe, while Michael’s Strike is the same to all foes. His other three learnable skills at this point are also Physical. The main value he has at this point is that, like our Ame-no-habakiri, the Spear of Michael ignores Shesha’s resistance to Physical.

Oh, and sometimes he’ll steal your Press Turns. How kind of him.

Since Kasumigaseki has no Terminal, we have to walk the not-that-long way to it ourselves.

Once we’re there, Gaston stops to give a backhanded compliment and our quest is fulfilled. 7,867 experience and 10,000 macca isn’t much compared to what we’ve been doing, but every little bit counts.

Now that you’ve led the way through the easy part, I will lead the Crusaders to our inevitable victory.

You may return to hiding underground and avoiding the serpent.

Gaston and the other Crusaders pile into the elevator and descend into the shelter.

Says the dude literally going underground right now.

Uh, I think he’s too busy to understand irony.

Moving right along. What’s next?

Pretty sure we’re done here.

Your smartphones receive a new message.

How’s that for timing? Let’s see…

Looks like the Shesha Radar’s complete.

We can head on down to the fourth level and grab it from Professor Matsuda.

One elevator ride later…

You obtain the Shesha Radar.

You attach the Shesha Radar to your smartphone.

This radar will let you know where Shesha is going to appear.

It looks like the radar says Shesha is…in Shibuya.

Follow the radar and go clobber Shesha.

So, we’re going to need like a special weapon to beat Shesha, right?

Kind of like that spear Gaston had?

…He’s gotta come, too, doesn’t he…?

Maybe not. We do have Ame-no-habakiri. That’ll probably do the job.

Besides, I’m sure Gaston’s got his own thing going on.

Fair enough… Let’s go to Shibuya without him.

If only things were so easy. As soon as you move towards the exit of Kasumigaseki, he spots you.

You turn around to see Gaston standing there.

Hey, it’s Gast… Err… Sir Gaston…

How fortunate for you. I would like to invite you to join me. You know where the great serpent is, yes?

What happened to your buddies?

Buddies? The Crusaders? I’ve made a strategic decision to act separately from them.

As their captain, I couldn’t burden them with this. I alone am enough to defeat Shesha.

I am unfamiliar with this word “ditch” you use and will not acknowledge it.

R-right. It was a good plan.

Now, lead me to Shesha so that I may defeat the serpent.

Then I shall rescue Flynn. Remember: the plan is for me to do all the work and for you to not get in my way.

Boy I hate this guy…

Just focus on the fact that he’s an ally.

We’re going to need all the help we can get to take down that slithering shithead.

Nozomi’s correct. And next time, we will indeed be trekking to fight that slithering shithead, for real this time.

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#51

The ruined grounds of Shibuya Station are our destination.

As with Shinjuku, the underground district is looking worse for wear, emptied of any people in the streets and spattered in blood.

The only folks left alive are huddled in nooks and crannies where they can hide, like the Bill Paxton fan here.

Each time you enter an area of Shibuya closer to Shesha, you get this rather obvious warning, starting out yellow before going to orange and eventually red when you are on the mark. Even if he wasn’t a gigantic snake capable of enveloping a skyscraper, he wouldn’t be able to sneak up on you with this amount of preparation.

Just keep on walking and he’ll become very clear soon enough.

Boss Battle!: Shesha :crossed_swords:

Thus starts our first proper battle with Shesha. If you haven’t equipped Ame-no-habakiri yet, Dagda will remind you to do so.

Yes! The sword worked! This could be it, Nanashi!

That’s a very important note, as it clearly both bypasses Shesha’s plethora of resistances and counts as hitting a weakness.

Gaston’s spear works the same way, unsurprisingly, so he finally makes himself useful.

To make things even more balanced in my favor (and to actually give my demons something to do), I’ve got three that collectively cast Tarunda, Rakunda, and Tarukaja each round to buff Nanashi’s sword slash to even greater heights while keeping the effects of Shesha’s Physical assaults to a minimum. You can see here how effective this strategy is, heaping the damage on.

That’s the same thing he did last time. Don’t make the same mistake twice, kid.

You may recall this trick from the impromptu pseudo-fight with Shesha in Shinjuku. You can choose to either have your partner back you up, just let Gaston go in for the strike, or sit and do nothing. The first two options have the same result: Shesha gets hit, he can’t heal, and you get four free bars of Assist Gauge. Choosing to sit and do nothing just lets him heal back to full, so don’t do that.

Your good judgment deepens Gaston and the others’ trust in you.

While Shesha acts just as he did in Shinjuku for the first half of the fight, once you’ve interrupted his healing bout he only wastes one of his four Press Turns doing nothing; furthermore, he gains three more skills. The first is Charge.

Charge is almost invariably followed up by Earthquake, which deals medium Physical damage to all of your party and has a chance of inflicting Daze. Even with a full salvo of Tarunda hindering his Physical damage, this one is capable of dealing a number on anyone in your party not resistant to Physical, as you can see from that whopping 178 damage on poor Raiju.

There is also a single-target skill, Serpent’s Hunger, a medium damage single-target Physical attack that effectively replaces Lunge for the rest of the fight. In my playthrough, he eschewed this attack in favor of just spamming the Charge-Earthquake combo for what little time he had left alive.

Hah!

Gaston leaps at Shesha and thrusts his spear into the serpent.

By the way, the Spear of Michael can change size. The in-game Hunter Note on it states that it’s possibly because of the will of the wielder, or may just be a thing the Spear is supposed to be able to do regardless of the wielder’s will.

Shesha is impaled by the spear.

Whoa, what the?!

Hahaha! Did you see that? Did you see the power of my magnificence?

Did he… Did he defeat it?

Impossible! How could that not have slain the beast?!

With the spear stuck in Shesha, Gaston has no way to attack.

It’s all you, kid. Finish him off.

Deliver the final blow?

If you pick “No” in some misguided attempt to help Gaston save face, you just get a brief continuation of Shesha’s choking and then get kicked back to the option to deliver the final blow. So just slay the damn snake

You use Ame-no-habakiri to deal the deathblow to Shesha.

We did it! We took down Shesha!

That we did. And for doing so, we get a whopping 40,000 macca and 32,942 experience points. This fight can break you if you aren’t prepared, but as long as you have buffs, debuffs, and healing on top of Physical-resistant demons, Shesha isn’t quite as terrifying as he may seem. His 4,000 HP goes by fast if you have Nanashi beefed up on Tarukaja and Shesha’s scaled rubbed all to hell with repeated Rakundas.

You’ve made a damned fool of me! That beast was mine to kill!

Whoa, whoa.

Shesha was to crumple beneath my might. You stole that from me.

You are being such an asshole right now!

That’s enough from you. You’re a pimple on his ass. You’re nothing!

1. Wow, that was rude. 2. …Ew.

You’ve latched yourself onto what little reputation he has earned and fed off of it like a parasite!

You have no right to speak to me like this!

I can’t believe this is happening!

Okay, enough. Calm down, Asahi.

I’m not wrong! That guy is a HUGE ass!

C’mon, don’t say that. He’s also an ally.

But you could stand to work with us more, Gaston. You’re not a one-man army.

I would never have lost to such a pathetic enemy alone.

Not gonna make this easy, are ya…

Guys, looks like there’s gonna be another broadcast. Where’s your base of operations?

We’re from Kinshicho.

It’s settled, then. We’ll head back to the Kinshicho Hunter Association and watch the meeting.

I’m coming with you. I’ll let them know the truth behind your victory.

One Terminal trip to Kinshicho later…

Fujiwara, Skins, Lucifer, and Merkabah are on the screen.

I’m impressed, humans. You disposed of Shesha most spendidly.

The Divine Powers is now deprived of its most valuable weapon. Now is the time for us to strike back.

To Tsukiji Konganji, sons of man. We must attack before Flynn becomes a Godslayer.

That’s the end of this conference.

We will be issuing instructions to each of you regarding the assault on Tsukiji Konganji.

On behalf of the Hunter Association, you have my thanks.

Nice, you got a shout-out!

Well, that’s something. It takes a lot to impress Fujiwara.

Stay safe out there.

I’m gonna go ask someone if we missed anything.

Be right back.

Nozomi steps away and starts chatting with some of the other Hunters.

She didn’t deserve all that abuse from Gaston…

You look over to Asahi. As Hallelujah said, she looks visibly upset.

Asahi catches you looking at her.

Oh…hey, Nanashi. Sorry, didn’t mean to worry you.

Can’t get Gaston out of my head. Am I just a glorified groupie following you around? I Never thought about it.

I know I’m just there for support, not on the front lines like you…

I just thought becoming an actual Hunter would be enough…

As usual, there’s the obvious Peace and Anarchy point answers, as well as the option to be a quiet weirdo and get no points at all. As usual, good boy answers for a good boy playthrough.

Don’t listen to him.

Thank you, Nanashi…

Heh… Sorry about all that.

Asahi seems to have gotten a bit of her vigor back.

I’m with your friend, Asahi.

Nozomi! Did we miss anything?

Mostly Shesha stuff, about his defeat.

No new info, it seems – just a report.

Anyway…

Ignore Gaston. Contrary to what he may think, no one can go it alone.

It’s only when we work together that we accomplish great things.

Knowing what you can do, what you’re capable of - that’s the mark of a mature Hunter.

Nozomi…

Besides, if we’re talking about someone who just follows people around, it’d be Senor Spookadour.

I rest my case.

What’s your deal anyway, you phantom jelly bean? Didn’t you roll with Flynn?

Not exactly…

Yeah, you were a Samurai, right? Did you get shanked by a demon?

Yep. That’s Navarre’s big secret. Died by slipping and falling while being a horndog.

…

…Pig.

Got our assignment for the Tsukiji Konganji assault.

This is the big one.

Our orders are to trash the Divine Powers and rescue Flynn. We can’t mess this up!

You’re right. Let’s be sure we’re ready before heading out.

As the decree states, we’ve got to go kill Krishna and co. now. It won’t be easy: if you recall, Tsukiji Konganji was once the headquarters of the Ring of Gaea, and many of them have fallen in line behind Maitreya. Opposition won’t be in short supply.

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#52

Equipment

Nanashi is now decked out in an almost-complete set of armor: the leggings and body parts come from the Pink-Blue Combat set, while the headgear is from the Blue-Orange Combat set. The Blue-Orange Combat helmet provides +28 HP, +8 Magic, and +8 Luck, the Pink-Blue Combat body has +56 HP and provides resistance to Gun and Fire at the cost of weakness to Electricity, and the Pink-Blue Combat leggings have +56 HP and +11 Agility.

Random Things of Note

Remember that Zombie Cop we couldn’t recruit earlier? Well, here’s how you can. After buying Scout+, when you recruit a demon, it can recruit another demon in its battle group, even if you yourself couldn’t normally recruit said demon.

As noted a few Hunter’s Notes ago, some demons are capable of evolution, and Principality has finally gotten at the level to unleash that potential. I’m not a huge fan of evolving demons, as I prefer to obsessively fine-tune any fusions I make, but I figured I’d be remiss not to show it at least once.

Mechanically, Power’s pretty decent. Resistant to Electricity and nullifying Light but weak to Force and Dark, his largest benefit is the fact that he has a wide repertoire of affinities: +1 to Almighty, Gun, and Healing, +3 to Light, and +4 to Physical, at the cost of -3 to Force and -6 to Dark. Two of those unlearned skills are Principality’s Mazio and Mana Bonus, which you can optionally relearn even though they weren’t inherited by the RNG; the two actual skills Power learns by leveling up are Life Aid (full HP restore for the demon after each battle) at level 34 and Megido at level 35.

Wild Demon Encounters: Shibuya

Lilim, the succubus-like daughters of Lilith in Jewish lore, are weak to Ice but nullify Force. A Lilim’s starting repertoire of skills is Spirit Drain and Sexy Dance, followed up by Lullaby at level 34 and Mazanma at level 36. Her Magic stat is on the very high end of the curve for her level, and her Luck stat’s nothing to sneeze at either, so you can fuse up a damn fine caster out of one.

Okiku-Mushi (level 34 Vermin) is inspired by the cultural effects of the Japanese ghost story Bancho Sarayashiki, wherein a woman named Okiku becomes a vengeful spirit after being killed by being bound and thrown into a well. The grub-like lower half comes from caterpillars nesting in wells coming to be known as Okiku-Mushi due to their silken threads “binding” them. The Okiku-Mushi here is resistant to Gun, nullifies Electricity, and is weak to Ice, Force, and Light. She begins with Rakunda and Tathlum shot, learning the further skills Poisma and Mudoon at level 35 and 36.

The Hindi vampire Churel (a level 32 of the Ghost race) is a simplistic demon as far as damage taken goes: weak to Light, nullifies Dark, short and sweet. Her skills are Marin Karin and Shibaboo from the start, Mudoon at level 33, and Dark Pleroma at level 34.

The level 37 Foul Mad Gasser is a rather obscure World War II era urban legend from Illinois that has managed to make it into three MegaTen games in spite of his relative lack of fame. Weak to Light and resistant to Dark, he’s all about those ailments, having a +6 affinity to them and only learning ailment-related skills. He starts off with Bind Voice and Poison Breath, gains Pandemic Bomb at level 38, and tops off with Hellish Mask (resistance to all ailments) at level 39.

Our leopard pal Ose is back, now in regular enemy form. While his miniboss form nullified Dark attacks, he’s now just resistant, and he now also carries a weakness to Bind and Charm to keep him in place while you wail on him. His huge Strength and high Agility and Luck are nice, but his starting skills are the weak damage Blight and Critical Wave. Leveling him up gets you Beastly Reaction at level 33, Javelin Rain at level 34, and Retaliate at level 35.

Nekomata, or bakeneko, is a cat that has lived long enough to take power as a yokai, its tail splitting in two (funny enough, the only one of Kazuma Kaneko’s designs for Nekomata in the series that has actually had a split tail is this one from Soul Hackers, which was promptly never used again). She’s resistant to Fire, nullifies Force, and is weak to Ice and Electricity. Nekomata’s skills are Axel Claw and Pulinpa from the start, Beastly Reaction at level 36, and Mazanma at level 37. While they don’t have it as usable demons, wild Nekomatas know Macca Beam, an “attack” that just steals some of your macca. It’s dumb.

Blazing forth from the abyss is the level 38 Inferno Horde, all fire all the time. The horde drains Fire and is weak to Ice, and has the skills Heat Wave, Fire Breath, and Agidyne.

The fabled Druidic tool of human sacrifice purportedly seen by the Romans, Wicker Man is resistant to Dark but weak to Fire, Electricity, and Light. Its initial skills are Makajam and Mazanma, with Magaon coming in at level 39 and Resist Electricity alleviating one of its triad of weaknesses at level 40.

The birth name of the Celtic warrior hero Cu Chulainn, Setanta is weak to Electricity and Dark but nullifies Force. He knows the skills Charge and Javelin Rain from the outset, augmenting them with Life Gain at level 36 and Purple Smoke (one to three medium Physical strikes on random foes, with a 70% chance of inducing Panic) at level 37. Strangely enough, he doesn’t undergo demon evolution into Cu Chulainn.

The Goetic demon Orias is a level 38 of the Fallen race and has a weakness to Ice and Light offset by a resistance to Fire and Dark. Old snake-arms’s skills are Pandemic Bomb and Maragion innately, Me Patra at level 40, and Attack Knowhow at level 41.

Balor of the Baleful Eye, lord of the Fomorians in Celtic mythology, is a level 36 Tyrant who resists Gun and Force, nullifies Fire, and is weak only to Ice. His skills are Agilao and Megaton Press innately followed up by Mamudo and Agidyne at levels 37 and 40 respectively.

Enku (“Flaming Mouth”) is a specific preta said to have been met by Ananda Man Thera, first cousin of Gautama Buddha. This level 38 Ghost is weak to Ice, Force, and Light but nullifies Fire and Dark damage. Its skills are Fire Breath and Damascus innately and Maragion at level 39.

The Japanese chimera Nue, possessing the head of a monkey, body of a tanuki, limbs of a tiger, and tail of a serpent, is a level 39 of the Wilder race. Weak to Gun and Force but resistant to Electriciy, it learns the skills Axel Claw and Zionga innately, Shock at level 40, and Mazionga at level 41.

The Hare of Inaba, legendary Japanese rabbit flayed by vengeful sharks and healed by the god Okuninushi, is weak to Gun and Fire with no resistances. It innately knows the skills Diarama and Sukukaja, and learns Trafuri, Media, and Recarm at levels 39, 40, and 41.

Fusions

From the union of Qing Niuguai and Archangel, we get ourselves a Makami. The two skills it has yet to learn are Posumudi at level 34 and Workaholic (get 40% more experience points from battle) at level 35.

Makami, or okami, is a wolf that has ascended to the position of a kami. Both feared for its ability to kill and consume humans and revered for its protection of crops, game animals, and the ravages of nature. Makami is often drawn upon ema (Shinto prayer plaques) to ward off burglary and fire.

Gucumatz and Azumi create Okuninushi.

As mentioned above, Okuninushi helped heal the wounds of the Hare of Inaba by imploring it to wash in fresh water before rolling in the fluff of the cattail reed. He also endured many hardships himself, being killed twice by his own brothers before repeatedly thwarting attempts by Susano-o to kill him for eloping with his daughter Suseri-Hime. Eventually, he won over Susano-o, took Suseri-Hime as his wife, and built the land with the aid of Sukuna-Hikona. While once lord of the Izumo povince, he turned over this position to Amaterasu’s grandson Ninigi no Mikoto, settling himself into a position as god of religious rites, medicine, and marriage.

Baldur and Kelpie make Inti. That Resist Force conveniently covers up one his two normal weaknesses. What’s really interesting about Inti is that his gimmick as an expert at both Fire and Ice magic is a really unique niche, making him a particularly novel demon as far as Magic-oriented demons go. The two skills he gains from leveling up are Mabufula at level 35 and Ice Pleroma at level 36, contrasting the Maragion and Fire Pleroma he starts with.

Inti was the Incan god of the sun, agriculture, and the Inca Empire itself, with Incan emperors said to be direct earthly manifestations of his presence. Inti’s children taught humanity the ways of civilization and passed down the golden wedge that stabbed into the earth to mark the capital of the empire at Cusco. He is traditionally portrayed as a sun with a face, sometimes with wavy rays such as on the Bolivian coat or arms or, indeed, right here with Kaneko’s demon design.

And now for a special fusion bonanza of the three former bosses!

Once an obstacle in our path, King Frost has now been recruited through a special triple fusion of Jack Frost, Pyro Jack, and Jack the Ripper. All King Frosts come prepackaged with Bufula, Ice Pleroma, and his unique skill King Bufula; as a unique skill, it cannot be normally inherited in fusions or learned by Nanashi through Demon Whisper. He gains Ice Breath, Megaton Press, and Critical Eye at levels 31, 32, and 34 respectively; he never learns Smile Charge on his own in his non-boss incarnation, alas.

Sukuna-Hikona is a special fusion from Okuninushi, Mermaid, and Gu Huo Niao. He has the unique skills Infernal Hail and Needlestorm from his boss fight. Through leveling up, he gets Makajam at level 35, Concentrate at level 36, and Null Mind (grants immunity to Charm, Mute, Panic, and Sleep) at level 38.

Medusa’s a special fusion of Basilisk, Pele, and Vouivre. Her unique skill Snake’s Fangs is now at our own disposal. Medusa’s level-up moves are Gun Pleroma at level 40, Grand Tack (Heavy gun damage to a single target) at level 41, and Ziodyne at level 43. Medusa is the earliest demon you can get Gun Pleroma off of, by the by, so that on top of Snake’s Fangs and Grand Tack makes her a really good demon to use at this point if you are wanting to plow through something with Gun damage.

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#53

When we attempt to head for the Terminal in Kinshicho, an old face shows up.

I knew you’d pass this way. I’m glad I ran into you.

You are setting out for Tsukiji Konganji, yes?

I cannot let you rescue Flynn alone. Permit me to join you?

You want to come with us?

Of course you can! Let’s go!

Oh… Uh… Thank you. I did not expect such enthusiasm.

I hope I never looked like this in front of Abe…

He totally did.

…

What’s up, Navarre?

Isabeau is one of my fellow Samurai. She and I were inducted at the same time.

What might she think, were she to see me like this…?

Huh. That’s more self-awareness than I gave you credit for. Not like she can see you, right?

There’s nothing for you to fret over.

Let’s be off to Tsukiji Konganji.

Isabeau joins your party.

Isabeau is level 50, and on top of that knows the tier 2 heal-all skill Mediarama and the heavy single-target elemental spells Agidyne, Bufudyne, Ziodyne, and Zandyne right off the bat and learning the single target full heal spell Diarahan at level 55. This makes her effectively immediately outclass Asahi in everything other than ailment recovery. She’ll also learn two more very powerful skills, but those won’t happen for a long time, so I’ll keep those a surprise.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, to get to Tsukiji Konganji you have to head from Ginza back through the Konganji Passage. Or walk from Kinshicho through Joto and the poison swamp, I guess, but that would be a weird choice now that the Terminals are open. It’s understandable that Maitreya would shack up here, as Tsukiji Konganji in the real world is an Indian architecture-inspired temple of Shin Buddhism.

You guys lookin’ for redemption? For your souls to be saved by the Divine Powers?

Reject this wretched universe. Leave behind this physical realm and find peace in the new universe.

Just know, to let go of your physical bodies means embracing death.

At least Ganesha’s an honest god.

If the light of new life after death is what you desire, please continue on.

It appears heavily guarded. I don’t think we should take this route.

I agree. No reason to endanger innocent people.

They’ve surrendered to the Divine Powers. Their lives are already forfeit.

No, just because we don’t agree with them doesn’t make their lives less valuable.

Maybe someone in town knows another way into Konganji. Let’s go ask around.

You leave the area.

This fellow in Yaesu Passage, just north of the Ginza underground district, gives a bit of a hint. To learn more, though, we need to head above ground.

Once you head up the stairs from the underground district to Ginza Crosswalk, these gruff Gaeans appear before you.

Wait, no, these are the guys…

Oh… These are the guys Lady Mii and Lady Kei were talking about…

The two Gaeans look at each other.

The ring of Gaea has been split in two.

We still follow Lady Yuriko, but some chose to follow Maitreya.

So, you guys are going to sneak into Tsukiji Konganji, aren’t you?

Go to Harumi Way and follow the underground path. Ladies Mii and Kei are in the Silver Prison Room.

They know how to get into Konganji.

The two Gaeans quickly leave.

What a strange turn of events.

Perhaps they wish for us to rid them of this rival Maitreya faction of theirs.

What should we do? Can’t be sure they’re really gonna help us…

We have to risk it. Flynn’s life hangs in the balance.

You’re right. Let’s just find Mii and Kei.

Surprisingly, the entrance to the Silver Prison the mysterious Ladies Mii and Kei are located in is just a hop, skip, and a jump to the left from where you exit the Ginza underground district. You may want to look around Ginza before or after as well, as it is full of high-selling relics; I managed to get 49,945 macca from just one run around the district.

Oh, and the passage to get to them is filled with poison gas. Near this point, you’re given the upgraded version of the Anti-Poison app that can be purchased for 30 App Points and renders this annoyance moot. Whether or not that’s a useful expenditure of your application-related funds is up to you.

Heading rightward on the map from where you entered the Silver Prison, you will soon reach this location, where you can jump up into an open air duct. Doing so will both get you out of the toxic fumes and give you a clear view of the waypoint marker you need to get to.

Eehehehe… Good timing, I’ve been looking for a nice young hunk of man.

The two old women look at each other and laugh, teeth bared.

Uh, these old women are more than a little creepy…

Simply hideous. I can see why God chose not to save them.

Bite your tongue, ya little shit. I’m not so sure I want to help them out now, do you Mii?

And I was so eager to stroke his little chin and tell him how to get into Tsukiji Konganji.

We used to run that place. We might have left a backdoor or two.

'Course, the Divine Powers run Tsukiji Konganji now. And I don’t think they’re too keen on letting you in.

But that’s the front door. I’m sure you could waltz through another way…

I wonder just how far you’d go to get that information…

What do you have in mind, might I ask?

She’s one of the best we’ve got in the Ring of Gaea.

Yes, she won’t be a burden on you… Eehehehe…

All you have to do is get Toki inside. And then Toki has to kill two people.

Who?

I am to assassinate Maitreya and Flynn.

Flynn killed Yuriko. Maitreya took over the Ring of Gaea.

We who still follow Yuriko can’t just let that slide.

We have to return the Ring of Gaea to its former glory.

We’re cooperating with Lucifer, but there are still things we need to do on our own.

No matter what Lucifer wants, we’re taking our revenge.

We have our reputation at stake.

And Toki is such a dear to do it for us.

We just want you to help get Toki inside. We wanted someone…expendable to help.

But we can’t force you to take her.

This is merely a temporary alliance.

Preposterous! There’s no way we can agree to that!

Then we can’t tell you how to get into Tsukiji Konganji. Heheheh…

Either you take Toki or you take responsibility for what will happen at Tsukiji Konganji.

It really doesn’t matter to us either way.

Will you take Toki with you?

You know the drill by now. Say hello to our next party member.

No other choice…

Good choice… Eeheehee…

We will take her with us, but we will not allow her to kill Flynn.

…

Oh, that’s fine. We knew this would have to be a compromise.

Toki is staring into space.

When you follow her gaze, you find she is looking at Navarre.

Wait, can you see me?!

Toki averts her eyes.

No, I think she can. I just think she’s already decided to ignore you.

WHA?!

Toki knows the way into Tsukiji Konganji. She’ll tell you the details.

Toki, now’s the time for you to do your thing. Don’t mess it up.

I’ll be honest and say that I barely ever used Toki on my first playthrough of Apocalypse, and probably won’t for this LP either. Her skills aren’t useless, per se, they’re just not really my preference. She has four starting skills, two of them passive. Hiding is a passive that makes it less likely for enemy demons to target her over Nanashi and your summoned demons. Her other passive skill, Temporal Blade, means there is a slight chance she’ll make a regular sword attack at the start of battle that gets a bonus Phys Pierce (breaks through all types of resistance to Physical) and small chance of instakill.

Pierce Armor is a medium damage single-target Physical attack that also has Physical Pierce and gives a free Dekunda on that one enemy. Finally, Dark Sword deals two medium Physical attacks on one foe on top of inflicting Mute. I prefer to have someone who can heal or buff me while my own demons do a better job of Physical and ailment coverage, but your own results may vary.

Now that we have Toki in tow, exiting to the overworld through the Konganji Passage now gets us this new scene to clue us in that we can now properly enter Tsukiji Konganji if we re-enter it.

We’ll be infiltrating from underground?

Yes… The Divine Powers have sealed many of the passages, but there are still some unknown to them.

Here is the entrance.

Huh… It’s hidden, alright.

Push onward! You’re holding up this entire enterprise!

I-I know! Don’t push me!

Let’s go, Nanashi!

While not in the temple proper yet, we’ve officially infiltrated Tsukiji Konganji.

Heading through the tunnels, you can find this ventilation shaft at the far left of the map. This is your ticket up into the temple proper.

It shouldn’t surprise you that you can spot a guard as soon as you’re in the temple, either.

Toki’s warning brings you to a halt.

There’s a Gaean cultist and several demons keeping watch ahead.

Demons from the Divine Powers. And one of Maitreya’s traitors…

Your gawking is wasting precious time. I will deal with them myself.

No. What if they call for backup?

Let’s just be cautious and not get caught.

This is a sneaking mission. A sneaking mission with teleport doors, though there’s actually a reprieve between this first door and any more. This first one just sends you on the other side of a wormwood wall right next to you, which allows you to go to a door on the bottom right of this corridor-room and grab a key from a dying Gaean.

After getting this key, you need to head back down into the Shelter Ruins and go all the way down to this door. And behind the door…

She follows Maitreya. We must silence her.

You’re Toki! Those old crones from the Yuriko faction must have sent you…

The Maitreya supporter drops into a fighting stance.

Yuriko led us astray. There’s no future fighting in her name.

But Maitreya is different. With him, there’s a chance we could be one with the gods…

I will leave my worthless body behind and give my soul to the Divine Powers!

_This fight is against two Gaea Women. These are level 40 members of the Human race, and being Human means they nullify Light damage; they also have resistance to Gun, unlike most people. Gaea Woman’s attacks are Head Crush and Javelin Rain, augmented by her +3 bonus to Physical skills. She also has the skill Taunt, which is used in a bid to get your Defense debuffed enough that she can take you down before your buffed Attack tears through her 1,000 HP. _

It’s…actually not that interesting of a miniboss fight. You can inflict ailments on the Gaea Women to rob them of their turns, and their resistance to Gun means nothing when you are eating them alive with tier 2 and 3 Physical and elemental attacks that your demons certainly have by now.

The only way to go is forward. We have no choice but to steel ourselves and brave the darkness.